EP242 : As Clear as Crystal
Original series
EP244 : Enlighten Up!
Same Old Song and Dance
EP243.png
  EP243  
ふたごのププリンVSプリン!うたうポケモンコンサート!
Pupurin Twins VS Purin! Singing Pokémon Concert!
First broadcast
Japan April 11, 2002
United States April 19, 2003
English themes
Opening Believe in Me
Ending
Japanese themes
Opening Ready Go!
Ending ポケッターリ・モンスターリ
Credits
Animation Team Ota
Screenplay 大橋志吉 Yukiyoshi Ōhashi
Storyboard 浅田裕二 Yūji Asada
Assistant director 浅田裕二 Yūji Asada
Animation director 岩根雅明 Masaaki Iwane
Additional credits

Same Old Song and Dance (Japanese: ふたごのププリンVSプリン!うたうポケモンコンサート! Pupurin Twins VS Purin! Singing Pokémon Concert!) is the 243rd episode of the Pokémon anime. It was first broadcast in Japan on April 11, 2002, and in the United States on April 19, 2003.

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Spoiler warning: this article may contain major plot or ending details.
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Blurb

In the midst of their travels, Ash and friends meet up with a young girl who, along with her two Igglybuff assistants, stars in her own musical variety television program. Our heroes are content to sit back and enjoy the show, but unfortunately Team Rocket has other plans in mind. Unable to steal the show, Jessie and James content themselves by stealing the young girl's Pokémon instead. As Ash and friends run to her assistance, Jigglypuff shows up, disgruntled at having been left out of the show.

Plot

Ash and his friends are travelling through a forest en route to Blackthorn City. As Ash gets hungry, Brock reads his guidebook and announces there is a town up ahead. This invigorates Ash and he starts running ahead. Unbeknownst to Ash and the others, Jigglypuff appears behind them. When they reach the town, Togepi runs off and meets a young girl named Brittany, who is practicing with her twin Igglybuff. Brittany introduces her two Igglybuff, nicknamed Gigglybiff and Gigglybuff, and explains that they star in her own musical variety television program called "Brittany"; it is her very first concert, which will be recorded live. She plays her CD player to begin a practice performance, with Ash and the others watching on. Meanwhile, Team Rocket spies on them, and Jessie daydreams of having her own show with the Igglybuff.

Jigglypuff suddenly shows up and begins to sing, but Ash snatches its microphone and stashes it in his backpack. Brock offers Jigglypuff some Pokémon food, which it gratefully enjoys. Brittany invites Ash and his friends to lunch. Upon hearing the compliments the two Igglybuff received, Jigglypuff becomes jealous of them, so she bullies them when Ash and the others aren't looking, kicking them and taking their identical headbands off. When Misty stumbles upon this, Jigglypuff claims the wind blew them away. After placing the headbands back, Jigglypuff nudges Misty's leg and is also invited to Brittany's concert.

Later, as Ash, his friends, and Jigglypuff watch Brittany's live performance, Jigglypuff remembers its microphone and retrieves it from Ash's backpack. Just as Jigglypuff begins singing, she is disturbed by Team Rocket's arrival, which causes the stadium to shake. The trio appears in costumes and begins to perform a song-and-dance routine, though the audience hates it. When Ash and his friends make their way on to the stage to confront them, the trio recites their motto. Then, James sends out Victreebel, while Ash calls out Phanpy. Victreebel uses Razor Leaf, but Phanpy dodges the attack and successfully uses Take Down. Meanwhile, Misty calls out Poliwhirl, and Jessie sends out Wobbuffet. Jigglypuff suddenly tries to use Double Slap, but Wobbuffet uses Counter and reflects the attack, sending Jigglypuff flying. Poliwhirl and Phanpy use Water Gun and Tackle, respectively, but this is met with more Counter attacks. Weezing uses Smokescreen to distract Ash and the others while they take Brittany's Igglybuff, though they accidentally take Jigglypuff as well. Vowing to save the Igglybuff, Ash, Misty, and Brittany head off, while Brock remains to be a replacement act.

As Team Rocket discusses what the future could look like with the two Igglybuff now captured, Jessie unties the bag and finds Jigglypuff inside as well. Ash and the others arrive, only to find Jigglypuff tied to a tree and its mouth taped over with no Team Rocket or Igglybuff in sight. As they free Jigglypuff, Noctowl encounters the Team Rocket's Meowth balloon and punctures a hole in it, causing it to crash. Ash and the others find Team Rocket and battle them; Totodile fights Victreebel, while Corsola fights Arbok. Eventually, Arbok is sent flying into Jessie, and she lets go of the bag with the two Igglybuff inside. Meowth corners the two pink Pokémon as they emerge, but Corsola tackles Meowth, allowing the two Igglybuff to run over to Brittany. Brittany calls on her two Pokémon to attack Arbok and Victreebel, first with Charm, then with Sweet Kiss. Jigglypuff enters the battle, using Double Slap on Team Rocket's Pokémon. Ash finally has Pikachu blast Team Rocket off with Thunderbolt.

When Ash, Misty, and Brittany return to the concert theater, Brock happily allows Brittany to take over the show. When the performance is over, Jigglypuff rises from a stage platform to perform its own rendition to the crowd. Not unexpectedly, her singing causes everyone, including Brittany and her two Igglybuff, to fall asleep, and she scribbles on all of their faces.

Major events

For a list of all major events in the anime, please see the history page.

Debuts

Pokémon debuts

Main series debuts

Characters

Humans

 
Pocket Monster TV

Pokémon

 
Who's That Pokémon?

Who's That Pokémon?: Yanma (US and international), Igglybuff (Japan)

Trivia

Errors

 
The additional Jigglypuff
  • During Brittany's first onstage performance, before Jigglypuff goes to retrieve its microphone, the Igglybuff twins are missing from their pedestals.
  • Misty instructs Poliwhirl to use Water Gun on Wobbuffet, who in turn uses Counter when it should have been Mirror Coat for it to work.
    • As Misty does so, she pulls out a Poké Ball, as if she were about to send out another Pokémon.
  • When Jessie tells Wobbuffet to use Counter again, the glove on her left hand disappears.
  • After James's Weezing uses Smokescreen and Team Rocket escape, Jigglypuff is seen behind Brittany. However Jigglypuff was taken by Team Rocket by mistake and is in their bag at the same time.
    • This may have been a confusion from the previous scene, where Jigglypuff hid behind Brittany.
  • When Misty throws Corsola's Poké Ball, it is shown as a regular Poké Ball, instead of a Lure Ball.
  • When James sends out Weezing, it doesn't move its mouth while making a noise.

Dub edits

  • In the streaming dub version of this episode, after Togepi jumps out of Misty's arms at the beginning, it is shown running through a hedge and emerging on the other side. In the home video dub version, a few seconds of this sequence are cut, resulting in Togepi being seen running toward the hedge and then immediately appearing on the other side in the next shot.

In other languages



EP242 : As Clear as Crystal
Original series
EP244 : Enlighten Up!
  This episode article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of the Pokémon anime.