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title_ja=パラスとパラセクト |
title_ja=パラスとパラセクト |
title_ja_trans=Paras and Parasect |
title_ja_trans=Paras and Parasect |
screen=yes |
screen=hd |
broadcast_jp=May 14, 1998 |
broadcast_jp=May 14, 1998 |
broadcast_us=February 13, 1999 |
broadcast_us=February 13, 1999 |
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en_op=[[Pokémon Theme]] |
en_op=[[Pokémon Theme]] |
ja_op=[[Aim to Be a Pokémon Master|めざせポケモンマスター]] |
ja_op=[[Aim to Be a Pokémon Master|めざせポケモンマスター]] |
ja_ed=[[Pocket Fantasy|ポケットにファンタジー]] |
ja_ed=[[Fantasy in My Pocket|ポケットにファンタジー]] |
olmteam=Team Ota |
olmteam=Team Ota |
scenario=冨岡淳広 |
scenario=冨岡淳広 |
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morecredits=yes |
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epstaffpage=EP041-EP050 |
epstaffpage=EP041-EP050 |
footnotes= }}
footnotes=*{{filb-eppics|pm|044}}
'''The Problem with Paras''' (Japanese: '''パラスとパラセクト''' ''Paras and Parasect'') is the 44th episode of the [[Pokémon anime]]. It was first broadcast in Japan on May 14, 1998, and in the United States on February 13, 1999.  
}}
'''The Problem with Paras''' (Japanese: '''パラスとパラセクト''' ''Paras and Parasect'') is the 44th episode of the [[Pokémon animated series]]. It first aired in Japan on May 14, 1998, and in the United States on February 13, 1999. It was initially intended to air in Japan on February 10, 1998, but was rescheduled following the [[EP038]] incident.


On their way to [[Cinnabar Island]], {{Ash}} and {{Ashfr|the others}} meet up with [[Cassandra]] in [[Mossgreen Village]]. While there, she challenges them to a battle, hoping to evolve her {{p|Paras}} into a {{p|Parasect}}.
{{spoilers}}
{{spoilers}}
== Synopsis ==
<!-- Detailed synopsis goes here. -->
{{Ash}} and {{AP|friends}} arrive in [[Mossgreen Village]], a village so small it does not have its own [[Pokémon Center]].  Because of this, Ash and [[Misty]] have no intention of making a stop there, but are forced to do so by [[Brock]], who reveals that they are out of [[potion]]s and [[antidote]]s.  Meanwhile, [[Team Rocket]], hot on their trail, is about to make their move, but without {{MTR}}, who has fallen ill.  Deciding that the loss of Meowth is worth the capture of {{AP|Pikachu}}, they are immediately scolded by a girl, who lashes out at them for abandoning their Pokémon (believing that Jessie and James were Meowth's trainers).  She then nurses Meowth back to health, and during this process Meowth has fallen for this girl.


Back with Ash, they arrive at an herbal shop, where Brock intends to buy some medicine. When the old woman there offers something that slightly scares them, she is scolded by the same girl, her granddaughter, named [[Cassandra]].  Brock immediately falls for her, trying to make small talk about how he intends to be the best {{pkmn|breeder}}, but Cassandra parlays the conversation into a [[Pokémon battle]], which Ash accepts. At the battle, Cassandra sends out her {{p|Paras}}, while Pikachu leads off for Ash.  However, before the battle, Pikachu tries to make friendly talk (in a show of sportsmanship), but it causes Paras to cower in fear. Meanwhile Team Rocket is spying on the battle, intent on stealing Pikachu, but Meowth is distracted by Cassandra, as he intends to repay her.
==Blurb==
<!--https://www.pokemon.com/us/animation/seasons/1/episode-41-the-problem-with-paras/-->
<i>As our heroes continue their journey, Team Rocket never let up with their constant interception, but today something seems strange. The coin on Meowth's forehead is blinking red, indicating overheating. If something isn't done soon, Meowth may die, but James and Jessie don't know what to do. Just then, a young girl approaches. Unable to bear the sight of Meowth's pain, she pulls a bundle of healing herbs from her backpack, crunches them into powder and, mixing this with water, feeds it to Meowth. As Meowth drinks, the redness gradually fades from its face.</i>


Meanwhile, Cassandra admits her ulterior motive in battling: she wants to make this Paras to evolve so that it could use {{p|Parasect}}'s giant mushroom to help develop a miracle Pokémon medicine, but Paras is too cowardly to battle.  Agreeing to "throw the battle" by going easy on Paras, the battle goes off to a rocky start when Pikachu fires a small "static bolt" at Paras, knocking it out. While Cassandra tries to get Paras back into shape, Misty implores Ash to try someone else. As Paras is both a {{type2|Bug}} and a {{type2|Grass}}, Ash decides to send out {{AP|Squirtle}}, for which Paras would be at an advantage. However, that does not go too well either, as Squirtle's water, meant to just "sprinkle Paras's mushrooms a little", also manages to knock it out. Desperate to help Paras evolve, Ash sends out {{AP|Charmeleon}}, but Charmeleon refuses to obey, instead opting to fire a full-power {{m|Flamethrower}} at Paras, and then sending it flying with a {{m|Tail Whip}}. This causes Paras to run away.  While Ash tries to rein in Charmeleon, wondering why Charmeleon would disobey him when its pre-evolved form would obey, he too is burned in the face by Charmeleon, and Pikachu is forced to knock it out with a {{m|Thunderbolt}}.
==Plot==
{{Ash}} and {{ashfr}} arrive in [[Mossgreen Village]], a village so small it doesn't have its own [[Gym|Pokémon Gym]]. Because of this, Ash feels that there's no reason to stop there. However, {{an|Brock}} reveals that their bag of [[Potion]]s and [[Antidote]]s is empty, so they should stock up on supplies in town. Meanwhile, {{TRT}}, hot on their trail, is about to make their move on {{AP|Pikachu}}. Before they get far, however, they discover {{MTR}} has a fever. Deciding that the loss of Meowth is worth the capture of Pikachu, [[Jessie]] and [[James]] begin to leave him behind. They are immediately scolded by a girl, who lashes out at them for abandoning their {{OBP|Pokémon|species}}, believing that Jessie and James were Meowth's {{pkmn|Trainer}}s. She then nurses Meowth back to health and, during this process, Meowth has fallen for the girl. She instructs Jessie to give Meowth medicine after each meal and skips off with her basket in hand.


As Paras is running away, it bumps into Meowth, who tries to get [[Jessie]] and [[James]] to loan him {{TP|Jessie|Arbok}} and {{TP|James|Weezing}} to help Paras evolve.  Unimpressed by Paras' performance against Ash and disinclined due to Meowth's motivation, they refuse, but Meowth manages to convince them that he could convince Cassandra to become their company mascot, where Jessie and James would be rich from having to manage Meowth's "business ventures". First, Arbok goes off against Paras, but before Arbok can go full-power on it, Meowth intercepts the attack, knocking Arbok down, and leaving Paras to lightly prod Arbok, for which Jessie and James cheer Paras on as if it had scored the knockout.  This repeats itself with Weezing and with Meowth, causing Paras to get fired up.
In town, the group arrives at an herbal shop to purchase their medicine. Entering, they find an [[Cassandra's grandmother|old woman]] grinding herbs. When they request to buy some Potions and Antidotes, she offers them a snakeroot that will cure insomnia and grow hair on their nose and tongue. The old woman is then scolded by the same girl who helped Meowth, her granddaughter, named [[Cassandra]]. {{an|Brock}} immediately falls for her, trying to make small talk about how he intends to be the best {{tc|Pokémon Breeder|breeder}}, but Cassandra parlays the conversation into a [[Pokémon battle]], which Ash accepts. At the battle, Cassandra sends out her {{p|Paras}}, while Pikachu leads off for Ash. However, before the battle, Pikachu tries to make friendly talk in a show of sportsmanship, but it causes Paras to cower in fear. Meanwhile, Team Rocket is spying on the battle, intent on stealing Pikachu; Meowth is distracted by Cassandra, as he intends to repay her for healing him.


Cassandra, with Ash and company in tow, manage to find Paras up a tree, and because of its visibly different mood, determine that it's raring to go. While Team Rocket is watching from a nearby bush (in the hopes that Ash would help them on their objective), Ash sends out Pikachu to battle again. Paras goads Pikachu closer and manages to prod it in the tail. As Pikachu prepares to retaliate from the cheap shot, it is reminded by Ash to throw the fight, so instead Pikachu falls over, feigning unconsciousness.  Ash then sends out Charmeleon to be its next victim, but once again Charmeleon starts to disobey. Cassandra's grandmother warns Ash about Charmeleon not respecting him (and thus he is disinclined to obey), but Charmeleon nevertheless starts towards Paras, and Paras finds itself cowering in fear again. Despite both Ash and company and Team Rocket cheering Paras on (Team Rocket having been burned by Charmeleon in the process), Paras is able to prod Charmeleon in a critical spot just as Charmeleon is unleashing Flamethrower, causing Charmeleon to keel over in pain. This allows Paras to evolve into {{p|Parasect}}.  As Team Rocket try to collect their "just reward", however, Charmeleon gets up in time to launch them with another Tail Whip. Intending to attack Ash once again, it is stopped by Parasect's {{m|Spore}} attack, putting it to sleep and allowing Ash to recall it.
Meanwhile, Cassandra admits her ulterior motive in battling: she wants to make this Paras [[Evolution|evolve]] so that she can use {{p|Parasect}}'s mushroom to help develop a miracle Pokémon medicine. Paras is acting cowardly, fearful of battling. Agreeing to throw the battle by going easy on Paras, the battle gets off to a rocky start when Pikachu fires a small "static bolt" at Paras, which unfortunately knocks it out. While Cassandra tries to get Paras back into shape, {{an|Misty}} suggests Ash try a different Pokémon. Ash's [[Pokédex]] reveals that Paras is both a {{type|Bug}} and a {{type|Grass}}, so he decides to send out {{AP|Squirtle}} to give Paras the type advantage. However, Squirtle's weakened {{m|Water Gun}} also manages to knock it out. Desperate to help Paras evolve, Ash sends out {{AP|Charmeleon}}, despite the massive advantage that he has, telling him to go easy on Paras. Charmeleon refuses to obey, gets too violent, and instead of doing an easy, soft attack, he launches a full-power {{m|Flamethrower}} at Paras before sending it flying by smacking it with his tail. This causes Paras to run away in tears. When Ash tries to rein in Charmeleon, he too is blasted in the face. Pikachu decides to hit Charmeleon with a {{m|Thunderbolt}}, enabling Ash to recall him. Ash can't believe Charmeleon is acting this way, as he was so excited when Charmander evolved, but apparently, he wasn't ready for it. Misty tells Ash to deal with Charmeleon later and focus on finding Paras.


As Ash and company leave, Team Rocket drops in, and Meowth is nursed back to health once again.  Cassandra is reluctant to let Meowth become the company mascot, not wanting to separate Meowth from Jessie and James, but Meowth does not win the spot anyways, thanks to Cassandra's grandmother having found a {{p|Persian}} instead. As Team Rocket sulks off, their potential riches lost, Cassandra promises to treat the Persian like it was Meowth.
As Paras is running away, it bumps into Meowth, who, wanting to help Cassandra, tries to get Jessie and James to help Paras. However, they want to know what's in it for them. Meowth then explains that if Paras evolves, Cassandra will be able to make her miracle Potion which would be worth millions. Meowth then explains that once they help Cassandra, she'll make Meowth the company mascot. Jessie and James don't see how this would benefit them, but then Meowth adds that he would make them his business managers as he'll probably have a lot of money to manage. Fueled by greed, Jessie and James agree, asking Meowth how they'll make their millions. Meowth then explains that he needs {{TP|Jessie|Arbok}} and {{TP|James|Weezing}} as losing battles is their specialty. First, Arbok goes up against Paras, but before it can attack, Meowth intercepts and knocks Arbok down. Paras, believing it had defeated Arbok, is cheered by Jessie and James as if it had scored the [[Fainting|knockout]]. This repeats itself with Weezing and with Meowth, causing Paras to get fired up.


== Major events ==
Cassandra, with Ash and company in tow, manage to find Paras up a tree, and because of its visibly different mood, determine that it's raring to go. While Team Rocket is watching from a nearby bush, Ash sends out Pikachu to battle again. Paras goads Pikachu closer and manages to prod him in the tail. As Pikachu prepares to retaliate from the cheap shot, he is reminded by Ash to throw the fight, so instead Pikachu falls over, feigning unconsciousness. Ash then sends out Charmeleon for another chance, but once again Charmeleon starts to disobey. Ash can't understand this as it was always obedient before evolving. The old lady, Cassandra's grandmother, then explains that if the Pokémon's strength is greater than the Trainer's skill level, it won't respect them and take orders. Cassandra asks that Ash call back Charmeleon, but it breathes fire on him again before turning towards Paras, who finds itself cowering in fear again. Team Rocket then comes out of hiding and cheer Paras on to win, only to be burned by Charmeleon. Charmeleon advances towards Paras and is about to finish it off when Paras, in desperation, closes its eyes and throws out its pincer, which strikes Charmeleon in the stomach, causing him to collapse. Paras is surprised that it won. Soon after, Paras begins to evolve into Parasect. Everyone hails Parasect's success, including Team Rocket who are overjoyed. Charmeleon, however, recovers and angrily sends Team Rocket flying with a tail slam. He then turns back to Parasect for revenge. Cassandra attempts to protect it, but Parasect stops Charmeleon with its {{m|Spore}} attack, putting him to sleep and allowing Ash to recall him.
* [[Ash's Charmeleon]] starts disobeying him.
 
=== Debuts ===
As Ash and his friends leave, they are thanked by Cassandra for their help. Ash is also reminded by Cassandra's grandmother that he'll never get control of Charmeleon if he doesn't improve his skill level. Brock even offers to be Cassandra's first customer for her miracle potion.
==== Pokémon debuts ====
 
After the group leaves, Team Rocket drops in, and Meowth is nursed back to health once again. Cassandra is reluctant to let Meowth become the company mascot, not wanting to separate Meowth from the heroic Team Rocket, who she thanks for helping out her Paras. Meowth does not win the spot anyways, thanks to Cassandra's grandmother having just found a {{p|Persian}} in the backyard for the mascot role instead. As Team Rocket sulks off, their potential riches lost, Cassandra promises to treat the Persian like it was Meowth.
 
==Major events==
<!-- This is not for summarizing everything that happens in this episode. Only events pertaining to the series as a whole, such as catching and releasing Pokémon and obtaining Badges, go here. -->
* [[Ash's Charmeleon]] starts [[obedience|disobeying]] him.
{{animeevents}}
 
===Debuts===
====Pokémon debuts====
* {{p|Parasect}}
* {{p|Parasect}}


== Characters ==
==Characters==
=== Humans ===
===Humans===
[[File:Dare da EP044.png|200px|thumb|{{tt|Dare da?|Who's That Pokémon?}}]]
* {{Ash}}
* {{Ash}}
* [[Misty]]
* {{an|Misty}}
* [[Brock]]
* {{an|Brock}}
* [[Jessie]]
* [[Jessie]]
* [[James]]
* [[James]]
* [[Cassandra]]
* [[Cassandra]]
* {{OBP|Lacy|EP044}}


=== Pokémon ===
===Pokémon===
[[File:WTP EP044.png|200px|thumb|Who's That Pokémon?]]
[[Who's That Pokémon?]]: {{p|Paras}}
[[Who's That Pokémon?]]: {{p|Paras}}


Line 69: Line 81:
* {{p|Arbok}} ({{OP|Jessie|Arbok}})
* {{p|Arbok}} ({{OP|Jessie|Arbok}})
* {{p|Weezing}} ({{OP|James|Weezing}})
* {{p|Weezing}} ({{OP|James|Weezing}})
* {{p|Paras}} ([[Cassandra]]'s, evolves)
* {{p|Paras}} ([[Cassandra]]'s; evolves)
* {{p|Parasect}} ([[Cassandra]]'s, newly evolved; debut)
* {{p|Parasect}} ([[Cassandra]]'s; newly evolved; debut)
* {{p|Persian}} ([[Cassandra]]'s, new)
* {{p|Persian}} ([[Cassandra]]'s; new)
{{-}}
 
==Trivia==
* After the hiatus caused by [[EP038]], the show moved from Tuesday to Thursday. The original schedule was as follows:
{{Rescheduled episodes}}
* This is the first episode to air on [[Pokémon in the United States|Kids' WB!]].
* Although {{an|Misty}} is afraid of {{type|Bug}} Pokémon, she isn't scared of {{p|Paras}}.
* The English title for this episode might be a reference to the phrase "''the problem with people''".
* This is the second time {{MTR}} is rejected in favor of a {{p|Persian}}.
* This episode was partially adapted into the book [[Charizard, Go!]].
* This is the only episode where {{AP|Charizard}} is shown exclusively as a Charmeleon. He evolved from Charmander in the previous episode and would evolve into Charizard [[EP046|two episodes later]].
* The events contained within this episode confound the logistics of [[Pokémon battle]]s, implying that experience points are rewarded based upon whether one is ''declared a winner'', not upon whether one's actions throughout a battle cause them to become stronger. In this respect, it would appear that experience points are not an abstraction for the purpose of game mechanics, but an actual, concrete effect in the Pokémon universe. However, experience points are rarely brought up afterward.
* This is the first time {{Ash}} actively attempts to lose a battle. This doesn't happen again until 452 episodes later, in ''[[DP030|Some Enchanted Sweetening!]]'' with another {{t|Bug}} type, {{p|Burmy}}.
* This is the first episode that acknowledges both of the types of a dual-type Pokémon.
* Parts of this episode were reanimated and used for flashback material for ''[[BW116|The Fires of a Red-Hot Reunion!]]''.
 
===Errors===
* When Paras hides behind [[Cassandra]], it clips through her.
* Just after {{AP|Squirtle}} uses {{m|Water Gun}} on Paras, Cassandra's shoes are pink.
* After {{AP|Charmeleon}} first burns Ash, he turns his head away, but the flames still come from the same direction.
* When [[Jessie]] and [[James]] ask what they will get for helping Paras, James's belt buckle is missing.
* When Paras evolves into {{p|Parasect}}, Charmeleon is missing.
* As Ash recalls {{AP|Charmeleon}} the second time, the colors of the {{i|Poké Ball}} swap over between frames.
* In the English dub, Ash says Electric Shock instead of {{m|Thunder Shock}}. This is most likely a translation error, as Thunder Shock's Japanese name means "Electric Shock".
* In the {{pmin|Norway|Norwegian}} dub, {{p|Persian}} is incorrectly called {{tt|perser|Persian}}, which is a domestic cat breed. This mistranslation is due to both the Pokémon Persian and the {{wp|Persian cat}} having the exact same spelling in English. The same error would go on to be repeated in [[EP265]].


== Trivia ==
<gallery>
* This is the first episode to air on [[Kids' WB!]]
EP044 error.png|Cassandra's miscolored shoes
*Although [[Misty]] is afraid of {{type2|Bug}} Pokémon, she isn't scared of {{p|Paras}}.
EP044 error 2.png|Charmeleon's flame error
*The English title for this episode might be a reference to the phrase ''The problem with people''.
EP044 error 3.png|James's missing belt buckle
*This is the second time Meowth is rejected in favor of a Persian.
</gallery>
=== Errors ===
* {{m|Tail Whip}} does not actually do damage in the games, although Charmeleon probably attacked out of disobedience.
* Ash says Electric Shock instead of {{m|ThunderShock}}.


=== Dub edits ===
===Dub edits===
* At the end of the [[Kanto Pokérap]] at the end of this episode, the [[Kids' WB!]] announcer dubbed over the voice that normally tells the viewer to watch for more of the Pokérap with, "Tune in next week and watch Ash, Misty, and Brock as they try to become Pokémon masters! Don't miss them, the new ones are now only on Kids' WB!" When this episode was rerun on [[Cartoon Network]] and [[Boomerang]], the Kids' WB! announcer's voice remained.
* The Japanese kanji for "medicine" on the front of Cassandra's shop is painted over in the English dub.
* At the beginning of the Japanese version of the episode, Ash wanted to eat hamburger curry, while Misty wanted to eat Katsudon. The English dub changes it so that Ash wants a cheeseburger, and Misty wants to eat at a nice restaurant.
* [[Jessie]] and [[James]] originally told Cassandra that they are travelers on an urgent mission, not superheroes.
* While {{OBP|Lacy|EP044}} offers Ash and {{ashfr}} {{wp|snakeroot}} in the dub, she originally offered them {{p|Magikarp}} whiskers instead.
* During Team Rocket's plan for Paras, Meowth turned into a real {{wp|Maneki-neko|beckoning cat}}, which was cut from the English version.
* At the end of the [[Kanto Pokérap|Pokérap]], the [[Pokémon in the United States|Kids' WB!]] announcer at the time (Jim Cummings) dubbed over the voice that normally tells the viewer to watch for more of the Pokérap with "Tune in next week and watch Ash, Misty, and Brock on their quest to become Pokémon masters! Don't miss them, the new ones are now only on Kids' WB!" When this episode was rerun on {{wp|Cartoon Network}} and Boomerang, and even when uploaded onto {{DL|Pokémon in the United States|Cartoon Network Video}}, the Kids' WB! announcer's voice remained. Home video releases, streaming services and Disney XD don't have the announcer's voice.
* Lacy originally said that she got the Persian instead of having found it.
* In the Hindi Marvel HQ dub, most of the scenes of Meowth's Cassandra fantasy were removed.


==In other languages==
==In other languages==
* Finnish: '''{{tt|Paras-ongelma|The Paras problem}}'''
{{Epilang|color=AFA|bordercolor=FAA
* French: '''{{tt|La potion miracle|The miracle potion}}'''
|ar={{tt|بارس الجبان|The coward Paras}}
* German: '''{{tt|Die Paras Problematik|The Paras problem}}'''
|zh_cmn={{tt|派拉斯 跟 派拉斯特|Paras and Parasect}}
* Hebrew: '''שיקוי הקסם של פרס''' ''{{tt|shikui hakesem shel Paras|Paras's magic potion}}''
|cs={{tt|Problémy s Parasem|Problems with Paras}}
* Italian: '''{{tt|Un Pokémon pauroso|The fearful Pokémon}}'''
|da={{tt|Problemer Med Paras|Problems With Paras}}
* Mandarin: '''{{tt|派拉斯 跟 派拉斯特|Paras and Parasect}}
|nl={{tt|Het Probleem met Paras|The Problem with Paras}}
* Portuguese Brazilian and European: '''{{tt|O Problema com Paras|The Problem with Paras}}'''
|fi={{tt|Paras-ongelma|The Paras problem}}
* Spanish:
|fr_eu={{tt|La potion miracle|The miracle potion}}
** Iberian Spanish: '''{{tt|¡El problema con Paras!|The problem with Paras!}}'''
|de={{tt|Die Paras Problematik|The Paras problem}}
** Latin American Spanish: '''{{tt|¡El problema con Paras!|The problem with Paras!}}'''
|he=שיקוי הקסם של פרס {{tt|''Shikuy ha'kesem shel Paras''|Paras's magic potion}}
* Swedish: '''{{tt|Pokémon peppar Paras|Pokémon peps Paras}}'''
|hi=Paras की प्रॉब्लेम {{tt|''Paras ki Problem''|Paras's Problem}} {{tt|*|Hungama dub}}
|hu={{tt|Paras nagy problémája|The Big Problem of Paras}}
|it={{tt|Un Pokémon pauroso|The fearful Pokémon}}{{tt|*|Original 2000 dub}} <br> {{tt|Il problema di Paras|Paras' problem}}{{tt|*|2014 K2 TV dub}}
|ko=진화해라 파라스
|no={{tt|Problemet med Paras|The problem with Paras}}
|pl={{tt|Problem z Parasem|The problem with Paras}}
|pt_br={{tt|O Problema com Paras|The Problem with Paras}}
|pt_eu={{tt|O Problema com Paras|The Problem with Paras}}
|ro={{tt|Problema cu Paras|The Problem with Paras}}
|ru={{tt|Трусливый Парас|Sissy Paras}}
|es_la={{tt|¡El problema con Paras!|The problem with Paras!}}
|es_eu={{tt|El problema con Paras|The problem with Paras}}
|sv={{tt|Pokémon peppar Paras|Pokémon peps Paras}}
|tr={{tt|Paras Problemi|Problem of Paras}}
}}
{{-}}


{{EpicodePrevNext|
{{EpicodePrevNext|
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nexttitle=The Song of Jigglypuff |
nexttitle=The Song of Jigglypuff |
series=Original series |
series=Original series |
colorscheme=Kanto| }}
colorscheme=Kanto }}
{{Project Anime notice}}
{{Project Anime notice}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:0044}}
[[Category:Original series episodes|044]]
[[Category:Original series episodes|044]]
[[Category:Episodes written by Atsuhiro Tomioka|044]]
[[Category:Episodes written by Atsuhiro Tomioka]]
[[Category:Episodes storyboarded by Yoshitaka Fujimoto|044]]
[[Category:Episodes storyboarded by Yoshitaka Fujimoto]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Toshiaki Suzuki|044]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Toshiaki Suzuki]]
[[Category:Episodes animated by Hiroshi Sakai|044]]
[[Category:Episodes animated by Keishi Sakai]]
[[Category:Episodes focusing on Meowth|044]]
[[Category:Episodes focusing on Meowth]]
[[de:Die Paras Problematik (Episode)]]
 
[[fr:Épisode 44]]
[[de:Die Paras-Problematik]]
[[es:EP044]]
[[fr:EP044]]
[[it:EP044]]
[[ja:無印編第44話]]
[[ja:無印編第44話]]
[[zh:宝可梦 第43集]]

Latest revision as of 05:08, 3 September 2024

← EP043 : The March of the Exeggutor Squad
Original series
EP045 : The Song of Jigglypuff →
The Problem with Paras
EP044.png
  EP044  
パラスとパラセクト
Paras and Parasect
First broadcast
Japan May 14, 1998
United States February 13, 1999
English themes
Opening Pokémon Theme
Ending
Japanese themes
Opening めざせポケモンマスター
Ending ポケットにファンタジー
Credits
Animation Team Ota
Screenplay 冨岡淳広 Atsuhiro Tomioka
Storyboard 藤本義孝 Yoshitaka Fujimoto
Assistant director 鈴木敏明 Toshiaki Suzuki
Animation director 酒井啓史 Keishi Sakai
Additional credits

The Problem with Paras (Japanese: パラスとパラセクト Paras and Parasect) is the 44th episode of the Pokémon animated series. It first aired in Japan on May 14, 1998, and in the United States on February 13, 1999. It was initially intended to air in Japan on February 10, 1998, but was rescheduled following the EP038 incident.

201
Spoiler warning: this article may contain major plot or ending details.
201

Blurb

As our heroes continue their journey, Team Rocket never let up with their constant interception, but today something seems strange. The coin on Meowth's forehead is blinking red, indicating overheating. If something isn't done soon, Meowth may die, but James and Jessie don't know what to do. Just then, a young girl approaches. Unable to bear the sight of Meowth's pain, she pulls a bundle of healing herbs from her backpack, crunches them into powder and, mixing this with water, feeds it to Meowth. As Meowth drinks, the redness gradually fades from its face.

Plot

Ash and his friends arrive in Mossgreen Village, a village so small it doesn't have its own Pokémon Gym. Because of this, Ash feels that there's no reason to stop there. However, Brock reveals that their bag of Potions and Antidotes is empty, so they should stock up on supplies in town. Meanwhile, Team Rocket, hot on their trail, is about to make their move on Pikachu. Before they get far, however, they discover Meowth has a fever. Deciding that the loss of Meowth is worth the capture of Pikachu, Jessie and James begin to leave him behind. They are immediately scolded by a girl, who lashes out at them for abandoning their Pokémon, believing that Jessie and James were Meowth's Trainers. She then nurses Meowth back to health and, during this process, Meowth has fallen for the girl. She instructs Jessie to give Meowth medicine after each meal and skips off with her basket in hand.

In town, the group arrives at an herbal shop to purchase their medicine. Entering, they find an old woman grinding herbs. When they request to buy some Potions and Antidotes, she offers them a snakeroot that will cure insomnia and grow hair on their nose and tongue. The old woman is then scolded by the same girl who helped Meowth, her granddaughter, named Cassandra. Brock immediately falls for her, trying to make small talk about how he intends to be the best breeder, but Cassandra parlays the conversation into a Pokémon battle, which Ash accepts. At the battle, Cassandra sends out her Paras, while Pikachu leads off for Ash. However, before the battle, Pikachu tries to make friendly talk in a show of sportsmanship, but it causes Paras to cower in fear. Meanwhile, Team Rocket is spying on the battle, intent on stealing Pikachu; Meowth is distracted by Cassandra, as he intends to repay her for healing him.

Meanwhile, Cassandra admits her ulterior motive in battling: she wants to make this Paras evolve so that she can use Parasect's mushroom to help develop a miracle Pokémon medicine. Paras is acting cowardly, fearful of battling. Agreeing to throw the battle by going easy on Paras, the battle gets off to a rocky start when Pikachu fires a small "static bolt" at Paras, which unfortunately knocks it out. While Cassandra tries to get Paras back into shape, Misty suggests Ash try a different Pokémon. Ash's Pokédex reveals that Paras is both a Bug-type and a Grass-type, so he decides to send out Squirtle to give Paras the type advantage. However, Squirtle's weakened Water Gun also manages to knock it out. Desperate to help Paras evolve, Ash sends out Charmeleon, despite the massive advantage that he has, telling him to go easy on Paras. Charmeleon refuses to obey, gets too violent, and instead of doing an easy, soft attack, he launches a full-power Flamethrower at Paras before sending it flying by smacking it with his tail. This causes Paras to run away in tears. When Ash tries to rein in Charmeleon, he too is blasted in the face. Pikachu decides to hit Charmeleon with a Thunderbolt, enabling Ash to recall him. Ash can't believe Charmeleon is acting this way, as he was so excited when Charmander evolved, but apparently, he wasn't ready for it. Misty tells Ash to deal with Charmeleon later and focus on finding Paras.

As Paras is running away, it bumps into Meowth, who, wanting to help Cassandra, tries to get Jessie and James to help Paras. However, they want to know what's in it for them. Meowth then explains that if Paras evolves, Cassandra will be able to make her miracle Potion which would be worth millions. Meowth then explains that once they help Cassandra, she'll make Meowth the company mascot. Jessie and James don't see how this would benefit them, but then Meowth adds that he would make them his business managers as he'll probably have a lot of money to manage. Fueled by greed, Jessie and James agree, asking Meowth how they'll make their millions. Meowth then explains that he needs Arbok and Weezing as losing battles is their specialty. First, Arbok goes up against Paras, but before it can attack, Meowth intercepts and knocks Arbok down. Paras, believing it had defeated Arbok, is cheered by Jessie and James as if it had scored the knockout. This repeats itself with Weezing and with Meowth, causing Paras to get fired up.

Cassandra, with Ash and company in tow, manage to find Paras up a tree, and because of its visibly different mood, determine that it's raring to go. While Team Rocket is watching from a nearby bush, Ash sends out Pikachu to battle again. Paras goads Pikachu closer and manages to prod him in the tail. As Pikachu prepares to retaliate from the cheap shot, he is reminded by Ash to throw the fight, so instead Pikachu falls over, feigning unconsciousness. Ash then sends out Charmeleon for another chance, but once again Charmeleon starts to disobey. Ash can't understand this as it was always obedient before evolving. The old lady, Cassandra's grandmother, then explains that if the Pokémon's strength is greater than the Trainer's skill level, it won't respect them and take orders. Cassandra asks that Ash call back Charmeleon, but it breathes fire on him again before turning towards Paras, who finds itself cowering in fear again. Team Rocket then comes out of hiding and cheer Paras on to win, only to be burned by Charmeleon. Charmeleon advances towards Paras and is about to finish it off when Paras, in desperation, closes its eyes and throws out its pincer, which strikes Charmeleon in the stomach, causing him to collapse. Paras is surprised that it won. Soon after, Paras begins to evolve into Parasect. Everyone hails Parasect's success, including Team Rocket who are overjoyed. Charmeleon, however, recovers and angrily sends Team Rocket flying with a tail slam. He then turns back to Parasect for revenge. Cassandra attempts to protect it, but Parasect stops Charmeleon with its Spore attack, putting him to sleep and allowing Ash to recall him.

As Ash and his friends leave, they are thanked by Cassandra for their help. Ash is also reminded by Cassandra's grandmother that he'll never get control of Charmeleon if he doesn't improve his skill level. Brock even offers to be Cassandra's first customer for her miracle potion.

After the group leaves, Team Rocket drops in, and Meowth is nursed back to health once again. Cassandra is reluctant to let Meowth become the company mascot, not wanting to separate Meowth from the heroic Team Rocket, who she thanks for helping out her Paras. Meowth does not win the spot anyways, thanks to Cassandra's grandmother having just found a Persian in the backyard for the mascot role instead. As Team Rocket sulks off, their potential riches lost, Cassandra promises to treat the Persian like it was Meowth.

Major events

For a list of all major events in the animated series, please see the history page.

Debuts

Pokémon debuts

Characters

Humans

Dare da?

Pokémon

Who's That Pokémon?

Who's That Pokémon?: Paras


Trivia

  • After the hiatus caused by EP038, the show moved from Tuesday to Thursday. The original schedule was as follows:
Code English title Japanese title Planned broadcast Actual broadcast
* Holiday Hi-Jynx ルージュラのクリスマス December 23, 1997 October 5, 1998
* Snow Way Out! イワークでビバーク — October 5, 1998
EP040 The Battling Eevee Brothers イーブイ４きょうだい January 6, 1998 April 16, 1998
EP041 Wake Up, Snorlax! おきろ！カビゴン！ January 13, 1998 April 23, 1998
EP042 Showdown at Dark City たいけつ！ポケモンジム！ January 20, 1998 April 30, 1998
EP043 March of the Exeggutor Squad ナッシーぐんだんだいこうしん！ January 27, 1998 May 7, 1998
EP044 The Problem with Paras パラスとパラセクト February 3, 1998 May 14, 1998
EP052 Princess vs. Princess げきとう！ポケモンひなまつり March 3, 1998 July 9, 1998
EP053 The Purr-fect Hero こどものひだよ！ぜんいんしゅうごう！ May 5, 1998 July 9, 1998
  • This is the first episode to air on Kids' WB!.
  • Although Misty is afraid of Bug-type Pokémon, she isn't scared of Paras.
  • The English title for this episode might be a reference to the phrase "the problem with people".
  • This is the second time Meowth is rejected in favor of a Persian.
  • This episode was partially adapted into the book Charizard, Go!.
  • This is the only episode where Charizard is shown exclusively as a Charmeleon. He evolved from Charmander in the previous episode and would evolve into Charizard two episodes later.
  • The events contained within this episode confound the logistics of Pokémon battles, implying that experience points are rewarded based upon whether one is declared a winner, not upon whether one's actions throughout a battle cause them to become stronger. In this respect, it would appear that experience points are not an abstraction for the purpose of game mechanics, but an actual, concrete effect in the Pokémon universe. However, experience points are rarely brought up afterward.
  • This is the first time Ash actively attempts to lose a battle. This doesn't happen again until 452 episodes later, in Some Enchanted Sweetening! with another Bug type, Burmy.
  • This is the first episode that acknowledges both of the types of a dual-type Pokémon.
  • Parts of this episode were reanimated and used for flashback material for The Fires of a Red-Hot Reunion!.

Errors

  • When Paras hides behind Cassandra, it clips through her.
  • Just after Squirtle uses Water Gun on Paras, Cassandra's shoes are pink.
  • After Charmeleon first burns Ash, he turns his head away, but the flames still come from the same direction.
  • When Jessie and James ask what they will get for helping Paras, James's belt buckle is missing.
  • When Paras evolves into Parasect, Charmeleon is missing.
  • As Ash recalls Charmeleon the second time, the colors of the Poké Ball swap over between frames.
  • In the English dub, Ash says Electric Shock instead of Thunder Shock. This is most likely a translation error, as Thunder Shock's Japanese name means "Electric Shock".
  • In the Norwegian dub, Persian is incorrectly called perser, which is a domestic cat breed. This mistranslation is due to both the Pokémon Persian and the Persian cat having the exact same spelling in English. The same error would go on to be repeated in EP265.
  • Cassandra's miscolored shoes

    Cassandra's miscolored shoes

  • Charmeleon's flame error

    Charmeleon's flame error

  • James's missing belt buckle

    James's missing belt buckle

Dub edits

  • The Japanese kanji for "medicine" on the front of Cassandra's shop is painted over in the English dub.
  • At the beginning of the Japanese version of the episode, Ash wanted to eat hamburger curry, while Misty wanted to eat Katsudon. The English dub changes it so that Ash wants a cheeseburger, and Misty wants to eat at a nice restaurant.
  • Jessie and James originally told Cassandra that they are travelers on an urgent mission, not superheroes.
  • While Lacy offers Ash and his friends snakeroot in the dub, she originally offered them Magikarp whiskers instead.
  • During Team Rocket's plan for Paras, Meowth turned into a real beckoning cat, which was cut from the English version.
  • At the end of the Pokérap, the Kids' WB! announcer at the time (Jim Cummings) dubbed over the voice that normally tells the viewer to watch for more of the Pokérap with "Tune in next week and watch Ash, Misty, and Brock on their quest to become Pokémon masters! Don't miss them, the new ones are now only on Kids' WB!" When this episode was rerun on Cartoon Network and Boomerang, and even when uploaded onto Cartoon Network Video, the Kids' WB! announcer's voice remained. Home video releases, streaming services and Disney XD don't have the announcer's voice.
  • Lacy originally said that she got the Persian instead of having found it.
  • In the Hindi Marvel HQ dub, most of the scenes of Meowth's Cassandra fantasy were removed.

In other languages



← EP043 : The March of the Exeggutor Squad
Original series
EP045 : The Song of Jigglypuff →
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