Monster Rancher Episode 2: I'm Mocchi!

The episode starts off happy, with Genki and Mocchi jumping into the sky and the episode's title card. "O-kay!" "Mocchi!"

Genki blades around, Mocchi on his back, and heads down the road randomly, away from Holly and Suezo.  Suezo isn't too thrilled. "Genki," he yells. 'Where are you going!?"

"To find the--" Genki begins, turning around--and tripping over himself and the 'blades. He and Mocchi hit the dirt, and he delivers the next line while rubbing his sore head. "Well, what do you think? The Mystery Disk, of course!" Mocchi chimes in with a tired "Mocchi."

Suezo's adamant that Genki's clumsy, but Holly has an idea. "Hey, I know! The Magic Stone will tell us."

Concentrating, Holly brings her hands in front of herself and focuses. "The Mystery Disk...Show us."

At her words, a pendant necklace floats out from beneath her collar and suspends itself in the air on its own power, glowing faintly red.

Genki runs up to see, but Suezo pushes him back. "Watch where you're going! Can't you see she's trying to work a little magic here!?"

Genki reminds him that he and Mocchi want to find the disk too, Mocchi adding an annoyed "Mocchi."

Suezo's unmoved. "You have no idea where that disk is. Holly's Stone is a relic from the dawn of time, and its power is unimaginable!"

 
There's a creepy shot of Holly that accompanies this--clearly, there's something we haven't been told about this girl yet.

Holly focuses further, and the red of the pendant changes to green--with an image of a fiery Phoenix inside. The image flaps its wings and then forms an arrow, pointing east. Holly smiles and glances in the direction it pointed. "The Phoenix has shown the way."

Genki's impressed and wants to try it himself, taking hold of the Stone. "Magic Stone, which way to the Mystery Disk? Help us out here!"

Nothing happens. Holly's not surprised, but encouraging. "Oh, Genki. It's not gonna work for you right off the bat!" Regardless, Genki's saddened. "I guess it just doesn't like me very much..."

Holly concentrates and the Stone floats back under her collar. Genki still looks saddened, even slumping over, and Suezo tells him "Better luck next time."  Jumping up, Genki jokes that he fooled them. "Let's go!" But before he can continue, a voice stops him.

"Mocchi hungry! Feed me!"

Yup, just like humans, Monsters need food. And baby Monsters like Mocchi can need a lot. Genki tells him they have important stuff to do, but that causes Mocchi to start crying.

Holly approaches Mocchi with a smile. "Don't cry, Mocchi! We'll go into town and get you something." This makes the little Monster so happy he jumps into her arms and nuzzles her. Genki's put off and thinks she's turning Mocchi into a softie.

The raising aspect of the games has come into play here. Baby Monsters should generally be treated softly until they're strong enough to fight more. If you raise them strictly right off the bat, they may fear you or try and run away--though the opposite is also true; if you're too soft they won't take training seriously and grow dependent on you. They key element is balance.

Genki probably doesn't mean to be callous here; he's a 10-year-old boy and the Pink Suezo in the tournament was very strong. That couldn't have come without hard work. But there's a difference between raising a monster in a game and raising one in real life.

Cut to the sun and a visibly tired Genki; he's trying to trudge up a hill on his rollerblades--his shoes weren't with him when he was sucked into the game.

One misstep and gravity takes over, sending Genki sliding back down the hill to crash at the bottom. He passes everyone else on his way down; they're walking--the boy is stubborn to a fault.

Genki climbs back up, blades on his hands (not a typo), and to my geeky delight it played a musical cue from the Mega Man cartoon! Generally the Ocean Group's dub music, at least for this series, didn't use stuff from that show.

Genki runs past everyone else, but soon tires under the sun, with a shot of his tongue hanging out from his mouth like a dog's. Holly, Suezo, and Mocchi also walk along; everyone is tired and hot. "Sueezo, any water," Genki asks. "Look like a camel?" Hehe.

Mocchi can't go anymore and sits down. "Mocchi wants to be carried."

"Uh uh," Genki says. "You're walking just like everyone else!"

Mocchi is unmoved and turns to Holly and Suezo, smiling. "Chi?"

Mocchi is SO CUTE. <3

Suezo shrugs, but Holly agrees, and Mocchi jumps into her arms.

This gets Genki upset. "Holly, you spoil him way too much!" She smiles at him and answers calmly. "Oh, calm down, Genki. He's just a little baby!" Her attempt to diffuse the situation doesn't work, and Genki responds smugly. "Mocchi is my Monster, thank you! I'll decide how to raise him."

Holly, now wearing a grin of her own, approaches Genki and gets in his face, her tone condescending. "Which part don't you understand? He's a little baby and he's hungry, so we're going to town."

Genki starts to respond, but Holly continues. "And while we're at it, we're getting you some shoes, Genki. Got a problem with that?"

Holly and Mocchi walk off, and Genki shrugs that he doesn't need 'em--though by his expression, it's clear he's thinking about it.

The camera pans to a town at the end of the road, and then Genki's astonished face as he takes in the sights.

"Aaaah!"

"Wow!"

"Whoa!"

Genki's astonished and excited over all the Monsters, and I can't blame him--it's just like his dream from the first episode. "Would you look at all these Monsters!? This is so cool!"

The camera dissolves into a billing for a restaurant. They are in the town to eat, and the camera pans over a shot of some tasty-looking food.

"Hey look," Genki says, sticking out his tongue. "I'm a food monster!"

Mocchi waves his cutlery around, cheerful. "Mocchi, Mocchi!" Genki's smiling at the sight. "Are you happy, Mocchi?"

Suezo digs around in his knapsack and pulls something out. Genki asks what it is, and Holly says it's an ancient calculator--an abacus. This is a pretty neat detail, and it stucks in my mind for some reason.

While Mocchi chows down on some meat, Suezo calculates the dinner total and says Genki owes them 20 gold.

"Right, don't forget what I owe you," Genki says, aggravated. "I am going after Moo with you!" To emphasize his point, he slams his fist on the table.

At this there's a clattering of noise. Plates are dropped and the patrons murmur, frightened; Genki's confused, while the others just stare. All of the diner patrons stare at them in fear, until one finally speaks.

"Did you say you were going after Moo?"

Genki nods, smiling and pumping his fists. "I am Genki, and I have come to your rescue, my friends! I'm gonna show that Moo what's what! Yeah!"

But instead of being grateful or even curious, everyone runs. The patrons immediately run out, leaving them alone.

Genki stares after them, then turns to the group. "What's going on?" Suezo's upset. "Gee. How to win friends."

Holly reminds him that everyone is frightened of Moo.

Folding his arms, Genki grows serious. "Yeah, well...this is one kid who isn't frightened!"

Holly is equally serious. "You should be. Moo is not a game to us, you know."

And it's here that the first usage of the series' "sad music" kicks in. The Monster Rancher anime's music, uncut and dubbed, was good on all fronts; it could be serious, cheerful, neutral, and ominous when it needed to be. And here it's achingly sad. I'll post more about the music in general in a separate post, but I was tearing up here at the mere connotations of the sad music.

"I'm not sure when it started," Holly begins, and it displays some of the scenes used when discussing Moo in episode 1--the red eyes and army of corrupted Monsters. But Holly's narration is different.

"Moo and his thugs began to attack village after village, stealing crops and Mystery Disks. They stole young Monsters and trained them to their evil ways."

Suezo narrates here. "Once, several years ago, a brave king sent his troops to destroy Moo...But they never returned."

"No one knows where Moo lives for sure," Holly finishes, "What we do know is Moo's collecting all the Mystery Disks."

Genki takes a bite out of some bread. "Come on," he says, his mouth full. "There's got to be some way to defeat this Moo guy!"

"...Yes," Holly replies, still serious.  The camera dissolves into rings of fire, and the music changes into an ominous, but hopeful tune.

"When the Phoenix rises, everyone he took will come back over to the good side. And I'm sure Moo will too."

"This Phoenix thing," Genki asks. "Does it really exist?" "Who knows," grunts Suezo, eating some food.

"It's a legend that they told in my village," Holly explains. Suezo nods and continues talking. "If we are gonna fight this Moo character, we won't stand a chance unless we find the Mystery Disk that the Phoenix is locked in!"

Genki slurps some soup and Mocchi eats some stew, but they turn at an "ahem" from the chef. "Your dinner time is over!"

Holly says that they haven't finished eating yet, and Genki's adamant they stay, but the chef says the restaurant is closed and they must leave now. This scene's a neat demonstration of one of the downsides of exposition--it's usually aloud, and people may overhear.

Reluctantly, they leave the restaurant and head to the streets. Genki eyes the townspeople and notices that they all seem to be afraid of them now. There are whispers: "They're going to fight Moo?" "They must be nuts. Don't they know?" "Don't even look at them, it'll just mean trouble!"

Genki's even more confused. "Aw man. I guess they've never seen heroes before!"

Holly's face lights up when she sees a shoe salesman, but he quickly stuffs them in a bag when she approaches. "No way, we're closed up--get away from me!"

Mocchi runs over to some fruit and has it yanked away from him. "Hey, I don't sell to your kind, pal!" Sobbing, he runs back and into Holly's arms.

Genki's had enough. "Augh, cowards! Does Moo scare you all that much!?"

The answer's yes, as everyone slams doors and windows and races away from the group. "...Let's go," sighs Holly.

The camera pans across the deserted landscape during sunset. "Oh goody, we get to sleep outside again," grumbles Suezo.

'What'll we do? We don't even have enough camping gear for everyone," Holly notes, again carrying Mocchi. "Mocchi stay," he chirps, which annoys Genki. "Oh no, Mocchi! You're sleeping on the ground with me," he says, trying to tug Mocchi back.

Mocchi doesn't want to.

They're interrupted by an older voice. "Hello!"

An old man walks into frame and gently takes hold of Mocchi. "What a cute little Monster you are. Here, let's have a look atcha," he says, picking him up; Mocchi responds positively to the attention.

"Uh...Hello there, sir," Genki says. "I'm Matthew," the old man says. "We're you planning on sleeping outside? Why don't you all come and sleep at my place?"

This excites the group. "What? Are you sure," Holly asks happily.

"Why, of course! I just need a little favor from you first."

Luckily, it's nothing bad; Genki and Suezo have to lug his cart of hay up the hill while he, Holly, and Mocchi ride it.

Mocchi's especially happy. "This is fun!" Genki and Suezo aren't too thrilled, though. As they walk, the sun slowly sets.

Hard cut to the chef from the restaurant being thrown into the wall.

"They went east," a voice rasps, and the camera pans up to Captain Black Dino and two of his men. "Thank you..." I'm guessing stuff was cut here for either content or time, but we get the gist of things--Genki and pals have been sold out. In a way, the quickness of the scene makes it even more unsettling.

The scene changes again and pans down to Matthew's home; we see him and his wife attending to Mocchi. "Lily and I are so pleased to know you," he says. Mocchi's awfully happy; he leaps from Matthew's arms to Lily's delighting in the attention.

Lily welcomes them, and the group introduces themselves. "I'm Genki, the champion!" "I'm Holly." "Suezo here."

Then they all bow. "Thanks for having us!" D'aww.

"It's not much, but it's a home," Lily says, and Holly thanks them for being so kind. The scene cuts to a fireplace and the gang eating dinner; afterwards, they're all stuffed.

As they relax, Genki notices Mocchi is still with the elderly couple, bouncing from one lap to the other and sounding very happy.

His expression changes.

"He is so sweet," Lily coos. "He sure is! Having this little Monster around is so relaxing."

Holly ventures a question. "Do you two have any Monsters of your own?"

"No; we've always dreamed of having one...Someday," Matthew answers. "But now that the Mystery Disk excavations are tapering out..."

"He's a bit lonely," Lily finishes. "Today was such a pleasant day. It was so much fun having you all here!"

Holly nods. 'We'd really like to thank you for helping us out and everything!"

Lily and Matthew continue to fawn over Mocchi, and Genki looks stoic.

Cut to the heroes asleep in a barn--well, three of them. Genki's the only one awake.

He stares at Mocchi and watches him sleep...

And a look of determination comes to his eyes.

The next day, Holly uses the Magic Stone to point the way to a Mystery Disk; Matthew and Lily are impressed. "So that little necklace of yours points you in the direction of the Mystery Disk?"

"Uh huh," Holly says. "And speaking of the stone..." Suezo adds, motioning for them to move out. Genki calls for Mocchi.

"Bye bye-chi," Mocchi says, jumping down from Matthew's arms. "Bye bye," says Lily. Matthew reaches for the little Monster, but Lily reigns him in by saying his name.

Genki notices.

The group begins to leave; Holly thanking the couple and Matthew saying they're welcome back any time. Genki lingers, though, and Holly calls his name.

"Oh, I, um, uh..."

Matthew and Lily wait.

"...Thank you! Thank you very much for having us," he finishes, and walks away.

"The poor boy has no shoes," Lily murmurs.

Everyone starts walking in the direction the Stone pointed, but Genki is noticeably down. "Genki, what's wrong? You look kinda sad," Holly says. He brushes her off, saying sad's for softies and he's one happy dude.

"...Sure, Genki." Holly's not buying it.

The camera pans over to a forest below some mountains; Holly says they're close as the Magic Stone begins to glow red. "The Mystery Disk...we're almost there!"

Suezo dispenses digging tools from the knapsack; Holly says the Disk is somewhere around a tree.

Storm clouds roll in.

Everyone begins to dig for the disk; Suezo and Genki get normal-sized shovels, while Mocchi gets a cute kiddy shovel.

"Nothin' here," Suezo shrugs, pulling himself out of the hole with his tongue.

"How am I supposed to get out of here," Genki pants.

"Mocchi," Mocchi breathes, exhausted.

"Are you sure it's here," Genki asks Holly. "Yes; I can feel its presence." The sky above them darkens and lighting flashes in the distance.

"Oh great, up to my eyeball in dirt and now this," Suezo moans.

The lightning gets closer--and in one of the most beautiful shots in the series, it strikes right behind Holly, splitting the tree in half.

Genki, Suezo, and Mocchi all take cover, and when the light clears the tree falls over.

Genki runs up to Holly and asks if she's okay, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I'm okay, just a bit scared."

Mocchi, however, notices something. Running up to the fallen tree, he digs around in the remains and comes out with the Mystery Disk.

Everyone's ecstatic. "You found it," Holly exclaims. "Just where I thought it would be," grins Suezo. Holly's so happy she hugs Mocchi and thanks him. Genki's expression turns from a smile to a determined frown.

Rain begins to pour, and the heroes take shelter in a cave. This is another scene where I noticed how good the animation is; when characters are in the rain their outlines become soft and fuzzy.

Holly and Suezo are happily examining the Mystery Disk, and Genki and Mocchi watch the rain fall. Genki has something to say to his friend.

"Mocchi...I think it's best you leave us."

Mocchi stares at him, horrified. "Chi!?"

Holly and Suezo turn to stare.

"I want you to go back to Matthew's house, okay," Genki continues.

"I don't want to," Mocchi sobs, running towards the others.

 Holly's angry. "What's your problem!?"

"Maybe he doesn't like being shown up by a baby," Suezo guesses.

"That's not it," Genki explains. "Matthew and Lily are really cool people. Hey, Mocchi, listen. I just want you to be safe."

Mocchi responds with an angry "Mocchi!" and this causes Genki to yell. "Mocchi! You've gotta do what I tell you!"

"Noooo!"

Pushing past them all, Mocchi runs out into the storm. "I won't! I won't! I won't!"

Genki runs after him. "Mocchi! Mocchi, I--"

He's cut off when he trips, falling into the wet grass and mud.

And here one of the anime's other sad music pieces comes into play, this one a more mysterious tune that tends to play when something magical or mysterious is happening. Times like those are when it's played most, but right now it's used for drama.

To make a Pokemon comparison, this episode is somewhat similar to Pikachu's Goodbye--but this is episode 2. Not only that, it's for a slightly different reason. Unlike Pokemon's Ash, who let Pikachu into the wild because he would be with his own kind, Genki wants to let Mocchi live with humans for his own safety--and there's the underlying subtext of him thinking he's not raising Mocchi properly

Picking himself up and not caring that he's covered in mud, Genki runs after Mocchi. "Come back!"

Holly and Suezo run out as well. Everyone calls Mocchi's name, and Genki runs right past Mocchi's hiding place in a tree stump.

Mocchi cries.

Suddenly, Captain Black Dino leaps out of the bushes with a roar, smacking Genki with his tail.

Genki falls to the ground as the other Black Dinos corner him, and the Captain chuckles. "So...we meet again!"

Mocchi hears the voices and sticks his head out from behind the tree, watching.

"So, kid, did you find a new Mystery Disk," asks the Captain. "Well, even if I did I wouldn't tell you, lizard breath," retorts Genki.

"Tell me, where's your little Monster friend?" "I'm not saying anything," snaps Genki. The Captain grins. "It's just that I'm feeling a little hungry..." With a chuckle, Captain Black Dino declares "It's snack time, boys!"

Genki raises a fist. "Just try it!"

The Black Dinos are taken aback, and Genki continues, eyes hidden beneath his hair, as the sad music begins to play.

"He's still just a baby, and I--I, um...he may just be a Monster, but he's...he's a good friend of mine, and..."

"And you're not getting anywhere near him!"

From behind the tree, Mocchi gasps.

Captain Black Dino sneers at Genki. "Oh, how nice. The little boy loves the Monster."

He turns to his men.

"Take him!"

"Mocchi," Mocchi cries suddenly, and everyone turns at the sound. Mocchi rolls up the hill and skids to a stop in front of the Black Dinos.

"Look, guys...sushi," the Captain rasps.

At that, Mocchi springs up and attacks.

"Mocchi!"

"Mocchi!"

"Mocchi!"

Their enemies distracted, Mocchi grabs Genki's arm and starts to drag him to safety. The Black Dinos pursue them but soon lose sight of their prey.

Genki slips on his rollerblades and Mocchi climbs on his back. "Look out below," he cries, landing feet first on Captain Black Dino's helmet.

Genki then blades down the dinosaur Monster's back and zooms away; they give chase.

Genki grins at his pursuers, but cries out in alarm when Mocchi points out they're headed toward a river canyon. It's too late to turn around, and they head down a ramp and start to vault over; the Black Dinos jump after them.

About halfway across, Genki realizes they're not going to make it. Flailing in midair, he turns himself around long enough to land on the Black Dinos, jumping across their bodies to safety.

The Black Dinos aren't so lucky, and land in the water below. They won't be coming back from it.

"Genki," Mocchi cries. The danger passed, Genki and Mocchi hug. Genki in particular has something to say...

"Oh, Mocchi! I-I'm so sorry! You're my best friend," Genki apologizes, tears in his eyes.

Mocchi accepts the hug, also crying, and the camera pans back to show Holly and Suezo, watching them reconcile. "I just love happy endings," Holly says, hands clasped. Suezo agrees.

The scene cuts to a Shrine sometime during the day. Genki places the Mystery Disk in the slot and unlocks it.

The Monster takes form...

D'AWWWWW!

"It's Spot Dino," Genki says, and Mocchi seems excited over the little Monster.

Suezo isn't. "Oh, great. Cryin' babies everywhere." Holly suggests they go find another Mystery Disk.

Mocchi leads the newborn outside (D'AWWWW!) and the group's met by Matthew and Lily.

Genki says hello, and Matthew grins. "We figured we'd find you here at the Monster Gate." Holly asks if everything's alright.

"Oh, sure! And we brought a gift for Genki. These boots are old, but they're still good," the old man says with pride

"And a cloak to keep you warm," Lily adds.

"Matthew...Lily...They're awesome! Thank you so much," Genki says, genuinely touched. The cloak and shoes will be seen throughout the series, and it all started here. (Holly has one as well.)

Lily then notices the Spot Dino nuzzling her. "Oh! Look at that...What a sweet little fellow..."

Matthew picks him up. "You kids come up with the sweetest little Monsters..."

Genki turns to Holly; she nods.

"Matthew, Lily...Would you like to take care of him," Genki asks. "Looks to me like that'd make the Spot Dino pretty happy," Holly adds.

"So, you want him?"

Tears in his eyes, Matthew accepts. "It's a dream come true," Lily breathes.

"He's all yours," Suezo says, and everyone laughs.

Then Genki feels a tug at his cloak, and looks down to see Mocchi staring at him, looking worried.

"You're staying with me, Mocchi," Genki says, pulling him into a hug. "Remember? We're best friends!"

Mocchi smiles and nods, and the two jump into the sky as the episode ends.

"Genki and Mocchi, best friends forever!" "Mocchi!"