Team Rocket's screentime per episode

[Cybersai]

With the exception of the big TR-centric episodes of course, does anyone notice that TR only get around 5-7 minutes of screentime in most of the episodes they're in?

I don't mean 7 minutes consistently, but its usually short scenes of TR sprinkled throughout an episode, which if you actually stopped to count their screentime...is usually only around 7 minutes per episode.

Sometimes they get a lot of screentime, such as in the heavy battle sequences, or if TR get away with a Pokemon only halfway through an episode, or in eps that heavily feature them, but in your average episodes...it honestly isn't much.

Obviously some writers favor TR more than others, because most episodes are very heavy on Ash and his friends...whereas TR gets minimal screentime in your average Pokemon episode. Anyone else notice this?

 

[Stranger]

To be honest, I pretty much disagree with you. I think they get way too much screentime. Not per episode, but just overall. You can feel they're desperately hanging onto the "we've got to have Team Rocket in every episode" gag, even when the plot doesn't call for it at all.

Team Rocket would be so much more fun if they didn't get forced into every episode, often with mixed results. I've been rewatching a lot of episodes lately, to catch up, and literally every few episodes when Team Rocket shows up, it's one of those 'let's just get it over with so we can continue with the real plot' moments.

 

[Cybersai]

You can feel they're desperately hanging onto the "we've got to have Team Rocket in every episode" gag, even when the plot doesn't call for it at all.

I agree about the way they're forced into some episodes, but even so their appearances in those episodes aren't much more than 5 minutes. Even in the eps where TR is blatantly forced in, like the Gym battle episodes, we see them for no more than 5 minutes...tops. There are a few exceptions here and there of course, but in most battle-centric episodes.

 

[Falconwing]

Don't they lampshade this in one episode by actually saying they need to be in the episode for their standard amount of time?

I can't remember exactly.

Anyways, Team Rocket is one of those things where I think the writers have to put them in every episode for fear of forgetting all about them and writing them out of the plot... which may or may not be a good thing.

 

[Cybersai]

Its also possible because I've been rewatching a mix of Johto, AG and early/mid DP episodes lately, and I'm noticing how in all three sagas we only see them for a short time of each episode.

 

[ii kanji]

Don't they lampshade this in one episode by actually saying they need to be in the episode for their standard amount of time?

Only in the dub.

Its also possible because I've been rewatching a mix of Johto, AG and early/mid DP episodes lately, and I'm noticing how in all three sagas we only see them for a short time of each episode.

This much is true. They've actually been getting much more screentime on average "recently" (I can't remember how long now ) than in Jouto/Houen/Early DP.

 

[Falconwing]

Only in the dub.

Why do people act as if the dub doesn't count? I can't understand a word of Japanese (Ok, Yatta) so claiming the japanese version as canon really doesn't make sense. It's basically saying, "Hey, I'm going to go by the rules and dialogue that I can't even understand." The dub is an official translation thus making it just as canon as the Japanese version.

 

[Ampharos King]

To be honest, I pretty much disagree with you. I think they get way too much screentime. Not per episode, but just overall. You can feel they're desperately hanging onto the "we've got to have Team Rocket in every episode" gag, even when the plot doesn't call for it at all.

Team Rocket would be so much more fun if they didn't get forced into every episode, often with mixed results. I've been rewatching a lot of episodes lately, to catch up, and literally every few episodes when Team Rocket shows up, it's one of those 'let's just get it over with so we can continue with the real plot' moments.

I agree with you 100%. The same thing applies to the movies as well. Team Rocket must be present even if they do absolutely little other than steal pokemon.

 

[ii kanji]

The dub is an official translation thus making it just as canon as the Japanese version.

If that's your view, who am I to knock it? Fair enough. But there are actually some people who take the Japanese dialogue over the English when there are disparities, but don't know everything about the Japanese dialogue. I was just pointing it out!

 

[Musashi]

I've always assumed they appear in everyone episode because the VA contracts say so.

Why do people act as if the dub doesn't count?

Because it's not the original version.

I can't understand a word of Japanese (Ok, Yatta) so claiming the japanese version as canon really doesn't make sense. It's basically saying, "Hey, I'm going to go by the rules and dialogue that I can't even understand."

So because most people here don't understand it it shouldn't count? That makes no sense. The Japanese understand it just fine, which is all that matters.

The dub is an official translation thus making it just as canon as the Japanese version.

Except there's been many many inaccuracies with it over the years. It's impossible for it to be as canon.

 

[Dogasu]

It's basically saying, "Hey, I'm going to go by the rules and dialogue that I can't even understand."

Except, I *do* understand the rules and dialogue

 

[Falconwing]

Was I talking about you?

Anyways, that was pretty off-topic, but it just irritates me.

 

[Stranger]

Except, I *do* understand the rules and dialogue

Are the changes in the dub really that significant compared to the original?

I'd assume that whoever is in control of the dub doesn't write their own plots, and if their script differs from the original, it's something that's so insignificant that it doesn't matter whether it's canon or not.

 

[Yoshi-san]

I feel TR doesn't need to be in EVERY episode.

 

[Falconwing]

I feel TR doesn't need to be in EVERY episode.

EXACTLY!

Personally, they're one of the main reasons I don't watch the show as often anymore. I used to mute the TV whenever htey started the motto. And then I realized I could still hear them in my head. They just became an overly long running gag that has ceased to be funny. You can only see...

1. Them follow twerps
2. Them plan to steal Pikachu (and the assorted other random pokemon)
3. Odd Boss fantasies
4. Somewhat-successful theft
5. Chase after them
6. Short battle
7. Blast off (and the mandatory line)

... just a few dozen times before you are demanding it to stop.

 

[Cybersai]

It does feel like it used to be that way, especially in the Johto, AG and early DP era.

It did feel like the "plot" of those sagas was entirely about Ash and friends and whatever filler character was in the episode, and TR were there just to create a short conflict in the episode.

If you actually tried to time it, do they get more than 5-7 minutes of screentime in your average episode, excluding the ones that are heavy TR-centric eps?

 

[Musashi]

The key words being used to be. What Ryuutakesh! described isn't really the norm anymore. The writers have thankfully come up with others things for them to be doing.

I'd say 5-7 minutes is about right.

 

[Falconwing]

Except I wouldn't know that because I haven't watched the dub recently. Because there was never any hint that they would move away from the typical TR behavior. So, the writers can change it all they want, but they're not going to gain me back as a viewer if I don't know they changed stuff.

Besides, the trio is still there. And they really don't need to be.

 

[WallflowerCanyon]

I'd assume that whoever is in control of the dub doesn't write their own plots, and if their script differs from the original, it's something that's so insignificant that it doesn't matter whether it's canon or not.

Even though I've never watched the original Japanese episodes in my whole life, that definately makes sense to me. I'm aware that when the dubs are made, some stuff is cut out of almost all anime for reasons regarding certain content that people don't want in the shows. But for the overall plot of something, I really don't think they'd change it majorly. That's part of the reason why I'll never get the whole "sub vs. dub" arguement that some people, unfortunately, take way too seriously for just a cartoon show.

As for the TRio.... don't get me wrong, I love those guys to death (I like comic relief-type of villains as long as they're not the ONLY ones in a series). But seeing them in almost every episode, doing almost the same exact thing for 12 years kinda wears off on ya.... it'd be nice if they had more episodes focusing on the Team Rocket organization as a whole, and put some more episodes of other villains besides TR.

 

[Cybersai]

^ Yeah, but its the same with Ash/Brock too.

Nobody expected Pokemon to go on for 600+ episodes. That's just what happens when you use the same characters for so many years and episodes. As much as you like them, of course they're going to feel stale and lose their excitement after seeing them do the same things for 12 years.