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| Season | Pokémon: Indigo League (Season 1) · The St. Anne & Porta Vista arc (EP15–EP19) |
| Episode | Season 1, episode 18 · English episode 18 · Japanese episode 18 · Bulbapedia code EP018 |
| English title | Beauty and the Beach |
| Japanese title | アオプルコのきゅうじつ Aopuruko no Kyūjitsu — “Holiday at Aopulco” |
| First aired (Japan) | 29 July 1997 · TV Tokyo |
| First aired (US) | 24 June 2000 · Kids’ WB |
| Screenplay | Hideki Sonoda |
| Opening / ending (Japan) | Mezase Pokémon Master (Aim to Be a Pokémon Master) – Rica Matsumoto · Hyakugojūichi (One Hundred Fifty-One) – Professor Oak & the Pokémon Kids |
| English opening | Pokémon Theme – Jason Paige |
| Who’s That Pokémon? | Pidgeotto (US) · Brutella (a human) (Japan) |
| Previous episode | Island of the Giant Pokémon (EP017) |
| Next episode | Tentacool & Tentacruel (EP019) |
Filler / stand-alone episodeSkipped by the dub“The Lost Episode”
Beauty and the Beach is the 18th episode of Pokémon: Indigo League, the first season of the Pokémon anime, and the 18th episode of the English dub overall (Japanese episode 18, Bulbapedia code EP018). It first aired in Japan on 29 July 1997 and in the United States on 24 June 2000. It falls within the season’s The St. Anne & Porta Vista stretch (EP15–EP19).
Kids’ WB skipped this beach episode in the original 1998–99 run because of James’s inflatable-chest gag and the swimsuit contest; a cut version finally premiered on 24 June 2000. Our separate article covers the missing scenes.
Synopsis
Ash and Brock are start the episode by playing in the sea before taking a moment to admire Misty and point out how weird it is to see her “looking like a girl”. They then take a Boat Trip on a boat they saw Brock on, who Ash assumed had borrowed it. They take the boat for a spin and crash into a Team Rocket Gyarados themed sub, sending them out of control and crashing into the pier. With the Boat and the pier badly damaged the group are approached by an angry old man called Moe who wants them to pay for the damage.
Meanwhile Jessie, James and Meowth are washed up on a restaurant’s private beach area and are asked to leave by the restaurant owner, but they instead offer to work for her despite the restaurant owner describing herself as “Brutal”, apt as her name is Brutella. It turns out that Ash, Misty and Brock are working to promote a rival restaurant to the one Jessie and James work for and initially Team Rocket are winning the business, until Ash gets all his Pokemon involved to help advertise the old mans restaurant, handing out flyers etc. Team Rocket set out to sabotage our heroes efforts, quickly damaging the number of customers it takes. Ash and the gang, their Pokemon and Moe sit in his restaurant and reflect on what could’ve gone wrong.
Brutella and Team Rocket turn up to taunt Moe, with Brutella reminding Moe that he owes her money and that she wants it by tomorrow or she’s taking his boat. Moe pleads that she take anything but the boat, as he has always dreamed of cruising around the world in it before he dies. Ash convinces Moe not to give up on his dreams and vows with his friends and Pokemon to help get the money by tomorrow. Professor Oak turns up with Ash’s mom in tow and suggests they promote the restaurant at the annual Porta Vista Beach Beauty and Pokemon costume contest which is due to happen the following day.
The gang set out on promoting it to the revellers at the contest. Things are looking really good and Brutella watches on angrily as Moe looks set to make enough money to keep his boat. Meanwhile Brock serves as an announcer for the Pokemon and Beauty contest and Misty enters, with Squirtle and Starmie dressed up as extra terrestrials. The Team Rocket entry is interrupted by Gary Oak who turns up with six beautiful fans in tow all entering the beauty competition. Brutella fixes up Team Rocket’s Gyarados sub, making it amphibious on the proviso that they use it to destroy Moe’s restaurant which they set about to do. Ash calms the crowds by reassuring them its not a real Gyarados which just rose from the ocean and sends their heatseeking missle back at them, sending Team Rocket packing – all while being ridiculed by Gary who wasn’t forthcoming in actually helping the situation himself.
Moe paid his debt and sets off on fulfilling his dream of cruising around the world. Moe sails off into the distance, Ash promises to make his mom proud and the trio set off on their journey once more. Note: This episode has only been shown on a ONCE in English and that was heavily edited. Click here to see why.
Major Events
- Misty and Brock meet Oak in person and Delia for the first time
- Misty meets Gary. Skipped by the dub for 1,061 days because of James’s inflatable-breast bikini
- Subliminal frame removed after EP038. Debut: Brutella. Never on home video/streaming.
Trivia
- The English title plays on “*Beauty and the Beast*”.
- The screenplay is by Hideki Sonoda.
- This is a stand-alone episode: it can be skipped without losing the thread of the Kanto story.
- The Who’s That Pokémon? segment features Brutella (a human) in Japan, where it almost always matched the episode, but Pidgeotto in the US, where 4Kids picked the Pokémon at random.
Changes in the English Dub
- Skipped by the 1998 syndication run because of James’s inflatable-bikini routine; dubbed late and aired only twice on Kids’ WB! (24 June 2000 as “The Lost Episode” and 18 August 2000), never on home video or streaming
- 37 s cut
- GAS/OIL and trophy repainted (see above)
- The dub names Ash the contest winner; Japan leaves it open
- The single “subliminal” frame in the beach-ball impact was later removed from Japanese prints after EP038
- Brock’s age-of-consent lines rewritten
- Dub ending: Pikachu’s Jukebox — My Best Friends
- Uses the Orange Islands “Pokémon World” eyecatch, because it was dubbed so late
Part of our Pokémon: Indigo League guide. Browse every season of the Pokémon anime.