Pokemon - The Great Race (Vol. 11)

Rating:
Summary: Two outta three ain't bad...
Review: You know the drill, Pokemon is great, three Pokemon eps on a DVD/VHS, yadda yadda yadda. The first episode is "The Ninja-Poke Showdown", in which Ash sets out to win a Soul Badge from Gym Leader Koga, but he must first naviagate a mansion full of tricks and traps as well as deal with Koga's sister Aya (whom Brock immediately develops a crush for, of course). And naturally, Team Rocket has to butt in, with their most outrageous entrance yet.
Then it's off to the Safari Zone in "The Pokemon Flame-athon". In this five star episode, the gang meets Lara Laramie, who is a member of the Laramie family who breed powerful Pokemon. She has her heart set on winning the annual Pokemon race the next day, with her faithful Ponyta. But disaster falls upon her, thanks to her rival Dario and Team Rocket, and she breaks her arm, unable race. Ash volunteers to help her out, but there's one slight problem... he's never ridden a horse before! Can Ash and Ponyta beat Dario? And what other tricks does Team Rocket have up their sleeve?
Finally, comes one of the worst episodes of Pokemon ever made. "The Kangaskhan Kid" is a huge, unmanageable mess. In the Safari Zone, Ash and company come across a couple searching for their child they lost several years ago, who has lived among the Kangaskhan and become the Kangaskhan Kid. This episode was very, very bad. The dialouge made no sense, and the animation was stiff and mechanical, unlike the smooth animation of the previous two eps. Fortunately, this episode is at the end, so you can just shut off the DVD after "The Pokemon Flame-Athon"
Despite the addition of this horrible episode, the other two are well worth the purchase with terrific animation and well-told stories.