This book is a novelization of "Go West, Young Meowth!" (one of the best Pokemon episodes of all time). The episode and the book tell the story of Meowth's past -- how he taught himself to walk on two legs, read, and talk, how he tried to win the love of the beautiful but shallow Meowsie, and how he came to join Team Rocket. Parts of the story are sad for poor Meowth, but Jessie and James come to the rescue and prove just how much they love him. They show him that even if he doesn't fit in with his fellow Meowths, he's still their best friend, and they'll do anything for him. The book's large print, simple writing style, and heartwarming message of friendship make this an excellent story for young children to read. (And even we older TR fans can enjoy it because it shows Jessie, James, and Meowth as they truly are -- beautiful characters who love each other deeply. ^_^)

As an avid Team Rocket fan, I just had to read this book, which is a novelization of "Ignorance is Blissey" (one of my all-time favorite Pokemon episodes). I was seriously disappointed by Ms. West's portrayal of Team Rocket in her previous Rocket-centric story, but this book is a drastic improvement over "Team Rocket Blasts Off!" Even though Ms. West is still rather unfair to Team Rocket in this new book, and there are a few out of character moments, it still turned out to be a great story, showing that Jessie, James, and Meowth truly care about each other and that they'd do anything to help a friend in need. The only real criticism I have is that the events of the story have absolutely no correlation to the events on the show -- everything is chronologically out of order, and the story totally overlooks TR's role in the pre-"Ignorance is Blissey" episodes of the Johto Journeys. Nevertheless, the book's message about success and friendship is an excellent one, which far outshines the glaring canonical inconsistencies. The book also contains some seriously gorgeous illustrations of Team Rocket. On the whole, this is a good book, and I recommend it for all Team Rocket fans and Pokemon fans in general. ^_^

If there's one complaint I have about Pokemon merchandise, it's that here in the U.S. we don't get very much Team Rocket material, and then, most of the stuff we do manage to get is incredibly biased against them. This book is no exception. Even though the story features Team Rocket, all the author manages to do is bad-mouth these three wonderful characters for 86 pages. -___- Team Rocket is THE reason why I watch Pokemon (and why I got this book), so seeing how out of character the author portrays them and how little character development they get is a major disappointment to an obsessive TR fan like myself. One saving grace, however, is that the story has a touching (yet fleeting) friendshippy scene and a scene of TR ingenuity, showing that they really are loving and intelligent characters, despite the author's insistence to the contrary. The book also has some adorable TR pictures. On the whole, it's not too bad, but as a Rocket-centric story, it leaves a lot to be desired.

This is the final installment of Toshihiro Ono's Pokemon manga series, and it's also my personal favorite! I'm a die-hard Rocketshipper, and the epilogue with the scene from Jessie and James's future is quite possibly the best picture in existence! I sincerely hope that the anime has a similar ending to the manga...not just with the Rocketshippy element, but the message of friendship and cooperation as well. Toshihiro Ono's artwork and storytelling are both brilliant and humorous, and this manga series is a class-act all the way! ^_^

Out of the five Pokemon movies that have been released so far, this one is still the best. The animation is spectacular (Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres were gorgeous, and the "villain," Jirarudan looked cool, too), the plot is intriguing, it's action packed, and there are even some Rocketshippy moments for all of us TR fans -- there's something for everybody. But what makes this the best of the Pokemon movies, in my opinion, is the substantial role that Team Rocket played. Seeing Jessie, James, and Meowth portrayed as the clever, unselfish, corageous, heroic characters that they truly are and get the credit they so richly deserve is an extremely refreshing change of pace from the show. So, if you're a Pokemon or Team Rocket fan, then this movie is a definite must-see!