By Anonymous
Fans of the Pokemon anime have surely noticed that, when Ash visits Professor Oak’s lab or when an episode is featured there, Tauros roam en mass. The Pokemon belong to, as one may have assumed, Ash. The question though is where did they come from? Most would assume he caught them on that one Saturday morning that they were on vacation to visit their aunts and uncles for that blasted family reunion, or some other excuse. The minority of die-hard fans that proudly admit to have seeing every one of the near seven hundred episodes have probably Googled and found the truth behind the Tauros.
The story behind the herd never made it to American television, as it was a banned episode here in the States. The episode starts with Ash, Brock, and Misty, just their names make me nostalgic, reaching the safari zone where the warden, moving to defend the reserve, confronts them with a firearm. Not even a few minutes in and already the episode is banned, given it was aired on 4Kids and they’d have censorship and lawsuits up the wazoo if they’d aired it. Over the next few minutes, Ash and co. get set up, buying safari balls and such, when Team Rocket gets caught eaves dropping, ruining their plan already. The three baddies consent to staying with the warden while the three buddies go and explore. During this time, Ash unintentionally catches not the initial one, but twenty-nine extra Tauros. Meanwhile, Team Rocket interrogate the warden about a picture Misty had noted, one of a Dratini. During their talks, Jessie, James, and Meowth both try force, again using a weapon, and the good-cop bad-cop routine, with Meowth sporting a Hitler moustache. Oh, look, another blatantly obvious reason the show was banned. Ultimately, Team Rocket discovers a Dratini hiding in the safari zone’s lake, Ash, Brock, and Misty save the day with the help of the Dratini’s Dragonair mother, and the warden is reunited with the Dratini from the aforementioned photo. The episode concludes with the tried-and-true final joke of the old Pokemon episodes, with Ash sending his Tauros catch to Professor Oak, who is trampled by the newly caught herd. In later episodes, there are a few mentions and use of the Tauros Ash caught, including the use of one in a tournament, and one vague reference to their origin.
There is some confusion over whether the episode was in fact localized or not, the English cast saying yes but official statements blatantly claiming otherwise. Regardless, the episode was never released on television, DVD, or cassette video. To those who already knew all this, though, I don’t know why you’re reading. To the rest who were curious, go and find some forums to brag on, show off your newly gained knowledge of as good as non-existent Pokemon episodes.
Tags: Pokemon TV Show