A Breakdown of Johto

[Trainer'sInsomnia]

Thread Introduction This thread was made to clear up some of the misconstrued opinions or outlooks of the substance of Johto's episodes. In the process of doing so, I'll be giving small summations or notices about key features of various episodes, while identifying those that are of substance, and those that are of filler.
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What Is Filler? There is no definition written in stone as to what episode filler is. Many people have many different interpretations of it. ShinyAeon for example, would not consider many Pokemon Feature episodes as filler, as she respectably appreciates them for revealing information about a Pokemon or it's habitat. Keep in mind as you review this thread, that this is my own interpretation of filler. While I cannot simply define it, I'll attempt to do so:

Episode filler is pretty much an episode that holds no weight, impacgt, or significance pertaining to the plot or any of it's consistent characters. Episode filler in regards to a show like Pokemon, which follows a plotline, usually contain their own mini-plots, that are not revisted again, or simply contain no kind of substance to the plot or it's characters. An example of this, is everybody's favorite acronym, TOTD, or Trainer of the Day episodes.

Therefore, episode substance, in my humble opinion, includes the following, in addition to ther things I may currently be forgetting to name, that you MAY see in some of the episode "summations":
-Plot Advancements- I.E. Gym matches, badge acquisition, etc...
-Character development- Major focus of a character's development, including people and Pokemon. This discludes minor events like "Brock's chasing another girl! He really likes them!". Instead, this regards larger things that reveal things about the character's personality or background,display a character's growth or maturity, takes us through a character's head, overcomes a character's problems, display progress in that character's journey, or showcases that character's worth in a given thing that pertains to them.
-Pokemon Captures/Evolutions/Release belonging to major characters-
-Key Items explored- GS Ball, or various items pertaining to the region shown.
-Competitions- For the purpose that they show development in the character's journey
-Training Episodes- These show development in a Pokemon's experience. I'm discluding things like battling Team Rocket, as that happens all the time. In turn, I notice a lot of people consider the episodes in which Ash or Dawn train, to be episodes of substance. Since that's the case, I'll be including episodes that include or focus on such, to be episodes of substance as well.
-Episodes that regard a landmark or event specific to Johto- These usually tie into the game as well.
Etc...
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I apologize beforehand if I'm forgetting something about a particular episode. For example, a Pokemon may learn a new attack or gain developmet in another Pokemon's feature episode or a TOTD episode. If someone could remind me of it or point it out to me, that'd be great. Note also that in some cases there are numerous things that may uphold an epiode's substance. I won't be listing everything, but I'll do my best to sum up as many as I may remember or see from episode recaps.
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How this works: I've set aside 3 posts for each different season of Johto. I hope that's allowed, as I'm only doing it because I don't know how much text fits into each post or if there's such a thing as "overstock" on this forum. If not, may a mod please inform me and I will gladly edit it.

The format is simple. The episode's listed, with one of 3 labels next to it: Substance, Filler, or "In Question". Note that "In Question" means that the episode is debatable. I may argue those separately than the rest.

 

[Trainer'sInsomnia]

Pokemon Johto Journeys. Total # of episodes: 41. Starts with: Don't Touch that Dile. Ends with: The Fortune Hunters.

According to my list, there are a total number of:
[17] Filler
[19] episodes of Substance
[5] In Question. (I'll fill these in in just a moment.)

Johto Journeys might be season of the 3 with the most filler. The 5 in question are "Illusion Confusion", "A Bout With Sprout", "Wired For Battle", "A Farfetch'd Tale", and "Forest Grumps".

Illusion Confusion I'd count as substance because it's a rival appearance and, in fact, the FIRST of Johto to showcas Ash's rival. "Wired For Battle" I'm inclined to count as substance because it shows Ash's maturity since the beginning. This is the first real time he teaches someone from his experiences. It's character development.

"Forest Grumps" is the only real one in question. It shows a lot of great character interaction and gives us insight into the TR trio's life on the road and explores their dimensions, but some may argue it as filler.

"A Farfetch'd ale" and "A Bout With Sprout" are both episodes that tie into the Johto Game, and showcase an event or key feature of Johto. Therefore, it's up to you to determine whether these kinds are "filler or not".

1. Don't Touch that Dile - Substance. The Introduction episode to the entire region, as well as it's professor and starters. No introduction is filler, as it is plot.
2. The Double Trouble Header - Filler. Casey was introduced, but she was later realized to be no big deal of the series, and was dropped as a character.
3. A Sappy Ending - Substance. Ash catches Heracross. Pokemon Capture, end of story.
4. Roll On, Pokemon - Complete filler. Nothing of consequence. TOTD ep.
5. Illusion Confusion - In question. A rival appearance is made, which, back then, when the rival was not named Paul, was a big deal. We got a glimpse as to what Gary's been up to, and the competitive meter was once again set for Ash. Important too, for the fans to see that this rivalry is not forgotten.
6. Flower Power - Filler. Nothing of importance. TOTD ep.
7. Spinarak Attack - Filler. The only real thing we picked up this episode is that the Officers of this region use a Pokemon other than Growlithe to fight crime.
8. Snubbull Snobbery - Filler. Important to note that this was the beginning of Johto's "Jigglypuff" in Snubbull.
9. Little Blig Horn - Substance. Character development occurred here. Brock displayed his skills as a Breeder of Pokemon by way of his interactions with Stantler.
10. The Chikorita Rescue. Substance. Ash catches Chikorita, 'nuff said.
11. Once In A Blue Moon. Filler. Viewed as such now, but AT THE TIME, not really considered filler, because the GS Ball was once considered important to the group's quest, and this episode was rather centric on the ball.
12. The Whistle Stops. Filler. I hated this ep. TOTD ep.
13. Ignorance Is Blissey. Substance. Team Rocket's character dimensions were in full effect here. While their background is often in question due to inconsistencies, we have to take them for what they are, and Jessie's background, ambitions, etc... were explored in this ep.
14. A Bout With Sprout. In Question. This episode was meant for complete exposition of a "landmark" or feature in the game, and therefore, served a purpose by doing so. Other than that though, it would be considered filler.
15. Fighting Flyer with Fire. Substance. Gym battle.
16. For Crying Out Loud. Substance. Character development for Brock, who experiences his first real chemistry with a girl in this episode, and for Misty, who experiences a stepping stone in her "Water Pokemon Master Journey" in Marill. This also foreshadows a Pokemon she'll later capture, meaning this episode is of actual continuity, since it was here that she decided she wanted a Marill.
17. Tanks Alot. Filler. No real substance here.
18. Charizard's Burning Ambition. Substance. Charizard's exit episode, and character development for both he and Ash.
19. Grin To Win. Filler. Nothing much here. TOTD ep.
20. Chikorita's Big Upset. Substance. Development of Chikorita. Her run away, her jealousy of Pikachu, her development into becoming friends with Chikorita, and the subside of her jealousy. Again, huge development of Ash's "starter" of the season.
21. Foul Weather Friends. Filler. Nothing of substance here. Just a feature episode for Hoppip.
22. The Superhero Secret. Filler. Feature episode of Gligar. Hated this episode too.
23. Mild 'n' Wooly. Filler episode to feature Mareep. TOTD ep.
24. Wired For Battle. In Question. I'd normally mark this off as TOTD, but we witness Ash's maturity and experience growth as a trainer due to his interactions with and instructions to Shingo.
25. Good 'Quil Hunting. Substance. Ash catches Cyndaquil.
26. A Shadow of a Drought. Substance. Ash and co meet Kurt, the Pokeball creator. Important to the GS plot that went on at the time.
27. Goin' Apricorn. Substance. The GS Ball is given to Kurt, and the gang receives Fast Balls. Brock uses his to capture Pineco, who, on a side note, stays with him over the course of Johto and AG.
28. Gettin' The Bugs Out. Substance. Ash's second gym battle. Lure Balls and a Heavy Ball are given to the gang.
29. A Farfetch'd Tale. In Question. This episode is normally TOTD, but this was another thing based on a key plot piece of the game, and therefore possesses some form of continuity.
30. Tricks of the Trade. Substance. Jessie trades her Lickitung for Wobbuffet, who stayed with the group for long. Some even considered him the "fourth Rocket".
31. The Fire-Ring Squad. Substance. Squirtle's exit episode. Development for him, and Ash. A consistency in the plot that impacted the future of Ash's team. Foreshadowed Totodile.
32. No Big Whoop. Filler. A TOTD ep that features Wooper.
33. Tunnel Vision. Filler. A feature ep of Snubbull's TR persuit. Encounters Jigglypuff and the two fight.
34. Hour of the Houndour. Filler. A feature ep of Houndour.
35. The Totodile Duel. Substance. Ash catches Totodile. He and Misty display their skill as trainers, and each experience what they hope will be a stepping stone for their respective journies.
36. Hot Matches. Substance. Character development for Cyndaquil! Ash trains Cyndaquil after losing to Skarmory. Cyndaquil learns to ignite his flame quicker. His defensive traits are exposed. Great training ep.
37. Love, The Totodile Style. Substance. Character development for Totodile. The first look into Totodile's personality type as it falls in love.
38. Fowl Play: Substance. Ash catches his shiny Noctowl.
39. Forest Grumps. In Question. A feature ep for Ursaring and zeh babies. Some may argue though that this is a look into Team Rocket's life on the "road" through their interactions with the heroes. Additonally, great character interactions occur through the truce the groups create, thereby revealing more about each character's personality.
40. The Psychic Sidekicks. Filler. Feature ep of Girafarig and TOTD ep.
41. The Fortune Hunters. Filler. BUT, this is a feature ep of BIFF and Cassidy, who are returning characters.

 

[Trainer'sInsomnia]

Johto League Champions. Runs over the course of 52 episodes. Starts with "A Goldenrod Oppurtunity", and ends with "Machoke, Machoke Man". I'm not quite done with this, and probably won't be any time soon, as Wall-E has unfortunately ended for me. The list is as follows for now:

42. A Goldenrod Oppurtunity. Substance. Ash first faces Whitney. He fails.
43. A Dairy Tale Ending. Substance. Ash battles Whitney for his 3rd badge. Takes her out this time.
44. Air Time. In Question. This was a feature ep of another game feature, the Radio Tower. Other than that however, this may be considered filler. I'd like to note though, that this ep was huge for Ash getting his name out there as a trainer from Pallet in Johto. It may be why some trainers, or the likes of Max "heard about Ash".
45. The Bug Stops Here. Substance. This was a feature of a landmark/event of the game. Ash receives a Sun Stone. He wins the Bug Contest. He Catches a Beedrill here, which he gives to Casey, who returned with her evolved Chikorita.
46. Type-Casting. In Question. This episode featured Sudowoodo, and was in some way based on the game's Sudowoodo event. For the most part however, filler. TOTD filler at that.
47. Fossil Fools. In Question. The gang arrives at the Ruins of Alpha, a key feature in the game, and therefore a key landmark of Johto.
48. Carrying On. Filler. An episode about mail-carrying Pidgey.
49. Hassle In The Castle. Substance. Character development of both Brock and Zubat. Brock's Zubat evolves into a Golbat, a member of his team.
50. Two Hits And a Miss. Substance. Character development for Ash and his Bulbasaur. Bulbasaur's strength and skill as a fighter are revealed in his fight with Hitmontop and the dojo.
51. A Hot Water Bottle. Filler. A feature episode for Apom.
52. Hook, Line, and Stinker. Substance. A milestone for Misty's Water Pokemon journey as she wins a Fishing Contest. This is an episode of character development for her.
53. Beauty and the Breeder. Substance. Brock gives up Vulpix to Suzie, who has returned. This episode displays continuity in her character and Brock's mission to raise Vulpix for Suzie. It's character development for him as well, as he expresses maturity in dealing with Suzie and Zane's relationship, as well as giving up Vulpix, who became a long-time member of his team.
54. A Better Pill to Swallow. Substance. This is the episode in which the gang encounters old man Shuckle. This episode is once again, extreme character development for Brock on his road to becoming a breeder. He has a lot of interactions with Old Man Shuckle regarding medicine, and his stances as a Breeder. And on a side note: For those who think the gang has a "magic backpack of supplies" or that Brock's type as the support character isn't expanded on - this episode revealed that he ran out of medicine, and that he does need to stock up on supplies, etc...
55. Power Play. Substance. A Gary appearance. The rivalry continues. We see Gary's maturity in effect once more. We see that Gary's Eevee has evolved into an Umbreon.
56. Mountain Time. Filler. TOTD episode.
57. Wobbu-Palooza. Substance. A Jessie/Wobbufett-centric episode in which Wobbuffet's power is expanded on and their characters are further explored.
58. Imitation Confrontation. Substance. Ash trains his Totodile with Minidit. Wobbuffet's abilities are expanded on.
59. The Trouble With Snubbull. Filler. Snubbull's conclusion episode in which it becomes a Granbull. This ep is filler or not depending on whether or not you'd consider Snubbull as significant. It IS technically a recurring character so in technicality, it's continuity is legit, but for the sake of naggers, I've marked it as filler.
60. Ariados Amigos. Substance. This episode was a "training episode" like those they have in DP. Here, we revisit Fuschia City Gym's new trainer in Koga's sister (a fact that also is upheld by the game), and so we're treated to a flashback to Kanto, and a rematch between Bulbasaur and Venonat. Bulbasau'rs growth is displayed and experience is gained here. Brock also trains as he shows off Pineco's abilities on the field. Training is done all-around.

 

[Trainer'sInsomnia]

Johto League Master Quest

 

[Cybersai]

Here's my post.

The vast majority of Johto was indeed filler. I removed all the important capture/evolution eps, the Gym battles, the Team Rocket arcs, the league, the Gary appearances, and any character development eps because I wanted to see how many pure fillers there were.

Now some of these fillers were good mind you, ("The Heartbreak of Brock" and "The Wayward Wobbufett" were excellent filler eps) but the vast majority of these eps were pure fillers where nothing important happens:


118 Roll On, Pokemon
120 Flower Power
121 Spinarak Attack
122 Snubbull Snobbery
124 Chikorita's Big upset
126 Whistle Stop
S3 Slowking's Day
128 A Bout With Sprout
131 Tanks A Lot!
133 Grin To Win!
135 Foul Weather Friends
136 The Superhero Secret
137 Mild 'n Wooly
143 A Farfetch'd Tale
146 No Big Woop
147 Tunnel Vision
148 Hour of the Houndour
153 Forest Grumps
154 The Psychic Side Kicks
158 Air Time
160 Type Casting
161 Fossil Fools
162 Carrying On
164 Two Hits and a Miss
165 A Hot Water Battle
168 A Better Pill to Swallow
170 Mountain Time
171 Wobbu-Palooza
172 Imitation Confrontation
173 The Trouble With Snubbull
174 Ariados, Amigos!
175 Wings 'n Things!
176 The Grass Route
177 The Apple Corps
178 Houndoom's Special Delivery
182 All That Glitters
183 The Light Fantastic
184 UnBEARable
185 Moving Pictures
186 Spring Fever
187 Freeze Frame
188 The Stolen Stones!
189 The Dunsparse Deception
190 The Wayward Wobbuffet
191 Sick Daze
193 The Poke Spokesman
195 The Art of Pokemon
196 The Heartbreak of Brock
198 Turning Over A New Bayleef
199 Doin' What Comes Natu-rally
200 The Balloon Blow Up
201 The Screen Actor's Guilt
202 Right On, Rhydon!
203 The Kecleon Caper
204 The Joy of Water Pokemon
205 Got Miltank?
209 Fly Me To The Moon
210 Takin' It On The Chinchou!
212 Mantine Overboard!
213 Octillery The Outcast!
216 Plant It Now...Diglett Later
217 Hi Ho Silver...Away!
221 Throwing In the Noctowl
230 Just Waiting On A Friend
231 A Tyrogue Full of Trouble
232 Xatu the Future
237 Whichever Way the Wind Blows
238 Some Like It Hot
239 Hocus Pokemon
240 As Clear As Crystal
241 Same Old Song And Dance
242 Enlighten Up!
243 Will The Real Oak Please Stand Up?
244 Wish Upon A Star Shape
246 One Trick Phony!
247 I Politoed Ya So!
248 The Ice Cave
254 Just Add Water
258 A Crowning Achievement
260 You're A Star, Larvitar!
276 Hoenn alone


They don't call Johto a "filler-fest" for nothing.

Although some fillers in this list were great, a lot of the others follow the tired formula that made people hate fillers to begin with.

What saga do you think started the hatred of fillers? I didn't see much complaining about fillers in Kanto/Orange, it wasn't until Johto that the complaining about fillers started.

Was there honestly any excuse for most of the fillers on this list? DP, despite going on for the same length as Johto, doesn't rely on senseless fillers as much as it does with other arcs.

 

[pharaohyami5000]

Hmm. I wonder if you're able to shrink down the list a bit, Scott, by removing the filler episodes here that may seem interesting (to you at least) if you please. I don't count any specials as part of the episode list, to be honest, so I feel that Slowking episode can leave. Same goes for that Ash/May and Ash/Dawn recap specials, but I'm out of line from saying that.

 

[Trainer'sInsomnia]

Here's my post.

The vast majority of Johto was indeed filler. I removed all the important capture/evolution eps, the Gym battles, the Team Rocket arcs, the league, the Gary appearances, and any character development eps because I wanted to see how many pure fillers there were.

Now some of these fillers were good mind you, ("The Heartbreak of Brock" and "The Wayward Wobbufett" were excellent filler eps) but the vast majority of these eps were pure fillers where nothing important happens:


118 Roll On, Pokemon
120 Flower Power
121 Spinarak Attack
122 Snubbull Snobbery
124 The Chikorita Rescue
126 Whistle Stop
S3 Slowking's Day
128 A Bout With Sprout
131 Tanks A Lot!
133 Grin To Win!
135 Foul Weather Friends
136 The Superhero Secret
137 Mild 'n Wooly
143 A Farfetch'd Tale
146 No Big Woop
147 Tunnel Vision
148 Hour of the Houndour
153 Forest Grumps
154 The Psychic Side Kicks
158 Air Time
160 Type Casting
161 Fossil Fools
162 Carrying On
164 Two Hits and a Miss
165 A Hot Water Battle
168 A Better Pill to Swallow
170 Mountain Time
171 Wobbu-Palooza
172 Imitation Confrontation
173 The Trouble With Snubbull
174 Ariados, Amigos!
175 Wings 'n Things!
176 The Grass Route
177 The Apple Corps
178 Houndoom's Special Delivery
182 All That Glitters
183 The Light Fantastic
184 UnBEARable
185 Moving Pictures
186 Spring Fever
187 Freeze Frame
188 The Stolen Stones!
189 The Dunsparse Deception
190 The Wayward Wobbuffet
191 Sick Daze
193 The Poke Spokesman
195 The Art of Pokemon
196 The Heartbreak of Brock
198 Turning Over A New Bayleef
199 Doin' What Comes Natu-rally
200 The Balloon Blow Up
201 The Screen Actor's Guilt
202 Right On, Rhydon!
203 The Kecleon Caper
204 The Joy of Water Pokemon
205 Got Miltank?
209 Fly Me To The Moon
210 Takin' It On The Chinchou!
212 Mantine Overboard!
213 Octillery The Outcast!
216 Plant It Now...Diglett Later
217 Hi Ho Silver...Away!
221 Throwing In the Noctowl
230 Just Waiting On A Friend
231 A Tyrogue Full of Trouble
232 Xatu the Future
237 Whichever Way the Wind Blows
238 Some Like It Hot
239 Hocus Pokemon
240 As Clear As Crystal
241 Same Old Song And Dance
242 Enlighten Up!
243 Will The Real Oak Please Stand Up?
244 Wish Upon A Star Shape
246 One Trick Phony!
247 I Politoed Ya So!
248 The Ice Cave
254 Just Add Water
258 A Crowning Achievement
260 You're A Star, Larvitar!
276 Hoenn alone

This is bad. I mean look at that for goodness' sake, you've included "A Chikorita rescue" in the list when that was the episode Ash captured Chikorita. Other episodes you've included contain character or Pokemon development. If someone interprets an episode with character development or something, I pity them, because that's breaking down a plot into it's simplest form in which they only include major events as anything of substance. If you like to take a one-dimensional outlook on things, that's fine, but not everyone does that.

And like I said, if you add an extra character, extra plotline, etc... you're bound to lessen the filler a bit. But some of the very things that people consider to be of substance in DP are the same things being written off as filler in Johto. So if we are going to disregard episodes that feature landmarks, events, etc... exclusive to that region as filler, then we can do the same to DP, and all those episodes of Dawn training or going through some major epiphany regarding her Pokemon etc... can be tossed out the window if they're within the TOTD context.

Johto is not that bad for being the first expanded season, with only one major plotline, and as the 3rd or 4th season introduced.

They don't call Johto a "filler-fest" for nothing.

Whose "they"?

Edit:

Even so, it looks like most of your list for region 1 is the same as mine. Meaning no, the vast majority of Johto Journeys is NOT filler, as you can see by the # comparisons. I'm not finished with the other two, and probably won't be until I have too much time on my hands.

 

[Cybersai]

This is bad. I mean look at that for goodness' sake, you've included "A Chikorita rescue" in the list when that was the episode Ash captured Chikorita.

My mistake, I meant to include "Chikorita's Big upset" and I thought it was that episode. I'll edit it.

But some of the very things that people consider to be of substance in DP are the same things being written off as filler in Johto. So if we are going to disregard episodes that feature landmarks, events, etc... exclusive to that region as filler, then we can do the same to DP, and all those episodes of Dawn training or going through some major epiphany regarding her Pokemon etc... can be tossed out the window if they're within the TOTD context.

I disagree on DP, it certainly has some fillers, but most of them are are essential. Eps where Dawn trains is essential because it adds to her arc. I didn't include the ep where Cynda trained against the Skarmory trainer, or Heracross against Scizor because they're the same deal.

Including a game-oriented region depends. If its not done particularly well, like the Farfetch'd episode where they go to the Ilex forest, and nothing special is revealed, its just the same as any random anime location. I certainly consider the Drifloon ep in DP to be a filler, and that's based on the valley windworks location in the games. I do see your point about not having a double standard, so do note I would consider the same stuff in DP as filler.

Johto is not that bad for being the first expanded season, with only one major plotline, and as the 3rd or 4th season introduced.

Johto does have its good points, and some of its fillers were indeed good. However just because it was the writers first attempt at expanding the series beyond Kanto/Orange doesn't mean its flaws should be forgiven. The writers themselves learned from these mistakes, a good chunk of what made Johto...well Johto, was altered in every region that followed. If there writers themselves were happy with this saga, the show right now would be exactly the same as it was back then, and its very different.

 

[Trainer Lisa]

Hey, Trainer'sInsomnia, thanks a lot for doing this!

I really love the Johto seasons, so I appreciate you breaking down all of the episodes like this!! ^_^

And by the way, I can't wait for you to do Master Quest!! =D

 

[~Nidoking~]

Yeah,Thanks.
I need to watch More of them,lol.I only saw "A sappy ending"...

 

[Adamant]

2. The Double Trouble Header - Filler. Casey was introduced, but she was later realized to be no big deal of the series, and was dropped as a character.
5. Illusion Confusion - In question. A rival appearance is made, which, back then, when the rival was not named Paul, was a big deal. We got a glimpse as to what Gary's been up to, and the competitive meter was once again set for Ash. Important too, for the fans to see that this rivalry is not forgotten.

Eh, I really don't get your rationale here. Nanako, despite not really ever amounting to anything, is a recurring character with a good amount of appearances, and the episode that introduced her and her plotline is important for these later episodes. A filler is essentially defined as "an episode I can skip without missing anything", and that isn't the case here.
Shigeru's appearance in the Hoho episode, on the other hand, is completely worthless and contributes absolutely nothing. I don't really see how a 2-minute Shigeru appearance automatically makes an episode substantial, but the introduction of recurring characters are judged by whether or not said character ended up doing something of great importance down the line.

 

[Cybersai]

Yeah, I wouldn't count the Casey eps as fillers either. Even if she never amounted to anything she still appeared 3 times, and in her last ep was the time James released Victreebel.

I also agree that any Gary appearances are important too, because he's a rival. I wouldn't count any of Zoey or Kenny's appearances as filler either.

 

[JB88]

Wasn't this sort of list thing done before? Why is this done again? Or rather, bring up the old thread and insert Trainer'sInsomnia's ideas there?

 

[Hyatt]

It's about time something like this was done. If you look through all the episodes where captures, gym battles, old characters came back, character devlopment and game feaures appeared, Johto has less and less truly worthless episodes.

Scott, your list is absurd but I wont say anymore.

 

[PDL]

I think the problem here is that "Filler" has now come to mean "badly written" as opposed to it's original meaning: "Episode where nothing from the games take place".

Fillers aren't supposed to be bad, but they often end up being poorly written. The same thing happens to episodes that are not fillers as well. There's poor writing because the anime is meant for children and not really written primarily for older fans. The people in charge of producing the anime have no strong need to impress it's audience.

 

[Cybersai]

Scott, your list is absurd but I wont say anymore.

The fact is you could skip every episode on my list, and you wouldn't miss anything important.

Todd and Duplica are not important characters. There's nothing we got out of their episodes that had any importance, they're filler characters in themselves. Suzie was the only one that had an important episode, simply because Brock gave Vulpix back to her.

In all seriousness though, you can honestly skip most of Johto entirely now. The writers have written the show in such a way the most of Johto had absolutely no impact on any of the seasons that followed.

If you watched DP without ever having watched Johto, the only thing you'd honestly miss is Ash beating Gary in the league and Wobbufett being on Jessie's roster. Johto isn't relevant at all to the current DP series, and there's nothing from DP where you'd say, "Hey, when did this happen?" aside from Gary's researcher status.

 

[MetaRobo]

You could say the same about any saga, though. Each can be watched independently without being affected by others. You're kind of sounding like the nostalgia-blind that say every generation other than the first stunk simply because it was a fad back then.

 

[Cybersai]

Yeah, that is true as well but there are a lot more references to all the other sagas as time has gone on. I also think its because Johto didn't introduce any new characters, so you don't miss a main character either.

 

[Duckgon Z]

I think the problem here is that "Filler" has now come to mean "badly written" as opposed to it's original meaning: "Episode where nothing from the games take place".

Fillers aren't supposed to be bad, but they often end up being poorly written. The same thing happens to episodes that are not fillers as well. There's poor writing because the anime is meant for children and not really written primarily for older fans. The people in charge of producing the anime have no strong need to impress it's audience.

This may not apply to everyone, but Johto was on when I was 10, and I couldn't stand getting up to watch a lot of episodes. There were so many times I just wanted to stop watching, but I really wanted to see how the show would progress. Even though DP and AG had fillers, and some bad ones too, there's never been a long stretch where I felt like giving up the show.

 

[Musashi]

I think the first half of Jouto is really where a lot of the boring episodes come from. The second half is pretty entertaining.