EP153

Love, Totodile Style

EP153   おどれワニノコ！あいのステップを！！ Dance, Waninoko! Dance the Steps of Love!!

First broadcast Japan June 22, 2000 United States May 26, 2001

English themes Opening Pokémon Johto Ending

Japanese themes Opening OK! Ending ポケモンはらはら²リレー

Credits Animation Team Ota Screenplay 藤田伸三 Shinzō Fujita Storyboard 椎名ひさし Hisashi Shiina Assistant director 岩崎太郎 Tarō Iwasaki Animation director はしもとかつみ Katsumi Hashimoto Additional credits

Screenshots on Filb.de

Love, Totodile Style (Japanese: おどれワニノコ！あいのステップを！！ Dance, Waninoko! Dance the Steps of Love!!) is the 153rd episode of the Pokémon anime. It was first broadcast in Japan on June 22, 2000 and in the United States on May 26, 2001.

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

Blurb

Ash's Totodile falls head over tail for a passing Azumarill, but is still unsuccessful in having its feelings requited when Team Rocket kidnap the Pokémon before Totodile's eyes.

Plot

En route to Goldenrod City, Ash and his friends pass by a lake. Misty lets out all her Pokémon so they can swim, but Psyduck cannot remember how to swim and has to be lifted out of the water. Ash releases Totodile too; it spots some Magikarp and uses its Water Gun to toss them into the air.

As everyone is having lunch, Totodile sees a female Azumarill sitting on the shore, singing. At once, Totodile falls in love and runs over to dance in front of the Azumarill. She isn't impressed, however, and blasts him with a Water Gun before walking away, but Totodile follows her. At the table, the group sees a Golduck in the bushes. Misty wants to catch it but Brock says to wait, since it seems to be looking for something. Shortly after, a girl with a Pidgey on her shoulder comes along, looking upset. Ash asks Trixie what she is looking for, and she says she lost her Azumarill. As if on cue, the Azumarill appears and hides behind Trixie's legs. Totodile then comes out of the bushes and blows kisses at Azumarill, but she turns up her nose at him.

Later, they all gather at a circus tent. Trixie explains that she has always enjoyed the circus and has taught her Pokémon to do tricks. Lately, she has had trouble with Azumarill, who has been acting strangely ever since the Golduck joined the troupe. Brock and Totodile later help set up for the show, then the latter picks up Azumarill and puts her in the pool, only to be blasted with her Water Gun again. Ash doesn't understand why Totodile is acting this way, and Misty tells him that he'll understand when he's older and more mature.

When the show starts, Trixie does a magic act first, then Azumarill comes on and juggles colored balls with her Water Gun. Totodile gets away from Ash and jumps up on the stage, showing off his own water tricks with fruit tossed to him by the audience. Annoyed, Azumarill walks away, while Ash climbs up on the stage to try to catch Totodile, but he ends up having to catch the fruit when Totodile runs after Azumarill. Brock promptly reaches a solution to the dilemma: he will teach Totodile how to be successful in love.

After watching the show, Team Rocket plots to steal Azumarill and Pikachu so they can start their own traveling circus and get rich. Meowth isn't too happy with the idea, though, since he doesn't want his tail to be Totodile's chew toy.

Later, Brock starts his lessons with Totodile. He gives him a jar of his homemade Pokémon treats and suggests that Totodile give them to Azumarill. Totodile does so, but is rejected again. Suddenly, a net comes down, captures Azumarill, and drags her away. Totodile chases after Azumarill as Brock watches from the bushes. Ash and Misty hear Brock's yell and come to investigate. Totodile chases after the captive Azumarill and tries to grab the net but misses. Team Rocket appear in their balloon, with the net dangling below it. Ash orders Pikachu to attack, but Meowth uses a device to catch Pikachu in an electric-proof cage. A Smokescreen attack from Weezing allows Team Rocket to escape, but Totodile runs after the departing balloon. Azumarill struggles and loses the ribbon that was tied to her tail. Totodile catches it, and as Team Rocket floats away, Totodile jumps into the lake and resumes the chase by water, ignoring Ash and Brock's yells to come back. Misty then suggests they search the forest on the other side of the lake.

As Team Rocket hides in a log cabin, Jessie and James try to persuade Azumarill to do tricks for them, but she refuses. Eventually, they resort to using force, but they are stopped by a Water Gun attack from Totodile, who has found them. Meowth promptly muzzles Totodile and ties him up. Later that night, Team Rocket is sleeping in their cabin, with all three Pokémon in cages. Azumarill looks out the window at the moon and starts to cry, but Totodile gives her ribbon back and cheers her up by dancing.

In the morning, Team Rocket prepares to leave with the new intention of taking the Pokémon to the Boss for a reward. As they lift off in the balloon, they are spotted by Trixie's Pidgey, which pokes a hole in the balloon, and they crash. The cages fall out, and Ash gets Pikachu and Totodile back, but Team Rocket is still holding onto Azumarill. Trixie orders Golduck to use Water Gun, which defeats Weezing and Arbok. Bulbasaur's Razor Leaf slices open the cages, and Totodile uses its Water Gun to knock Team Rocket over so that Bulbasaur can grab Azumarill's cage with Vine Whip. Then, Pikachu's Thunderbolt sends them blasting off again.

After Bulbasaur frees Azumarill, Totodile, at Brock's urging, runs to her. Unfortunately, to everyone's surprise, Azumarill runs past Totodile and hugs Golduck. Trixie finally concludes that Azumarill was lovesick over Golduck. Afterwards, Brock tells the disappointed Totodile that although love is still worth fighting for.

The group departs; Brock flirts with Trixie one last time and has to be dragged away. Ash calls to Totodile, who is sitting on the shore of the lake watching a female Quagsire. He runs to the Quagsire and dances for her, but gets rejected. Ash is forced to chase after Totodile with his Lure Ball, as he tries to get him to return.

Major events

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

Debuts

Pokémon debuts

• Azumarill

Characters

Humans

Dare da?

• Ash
• Brock
• Misty
• Jessie
• James
• Trixie
• Audience

Pokémon

Who's That Pokémon?

Who's That Pokémon?: Furret (US and international), Azumarill (Japan)

• Pikachu (Ash's)
• Meowth (Team Rocket)
• Togepi (Misty's)
• Wobbuffet (Jessie's)
• Bulbasaur (Ash's)
• Totodile (Ash's)
• Goldeen (Misty's)
• Staryu (Misty's)
• Psyduck (Misty's)
• Poliwhirl (Misty's)
• Arbok (Jessie's)
• Weezing (James's)
• Pidgey (Trixie's; multiple)
• Golduck (Trixie's)
• Machoke (Trixie's)
• Marill (Trixie's)
• Azumarill (Trixie's; debut)
• Magikarp (several)
• Quagsire

Trivia

• This episode's English title is based on the TV series "Love, American Style". Other episodes that share this basis are Love, Pokémon Style and Love, Petalburg Style.
• This episode is featured on Volume 16: Totodile from Viz Media's Pokémon All-Stars series.
• This episode is featured on Pokémon All-Stars: Totodile from Magna Pacific's Pokémon All-Stars series.
• The Japanese title could be a reference to the Japanese title of the Barry White title song off of his album Let the Music Play.

Errors

• In the English dub, when Misty says that Totodile, who is juggling Magikarp with its Water Gun, is talented, Togepi's mouth and arms move but no sound is heard.
• When Totodile appears from the bushes, and again when Ash kneels down to it when the group first meets Trixie, his eyelids are blue, whereas they are white in the rest of the episode.
• When the group confronts {{TRT} after downing their balloon, Jessie is missing the black part of her shirt and Meowth is missing the brown tip to his tail.
• At night, when Team Rocket is sleeping, there is no shown bottom to Azumarill's cage. Later on, when Jessie is taking it into the Meowth balloon, there is one shown.
• When Ash starts running after Totodile and Quagsire, his mouth moves, but no sound comes out.

Dub edits

• Pokémon Karaokémon: Pikachu (I Choose You)
• Totodile is revealed to be male in the English dub. At the end of the episode, Totodile is seen chasing a female Quagsire and Ash says, "Looks like Totodile found himself a new girlfriend." This is not the case in the original Japanese version.

In other languages

Language		Title
Bulgarian		Влюбчивият Тотодайл
Mandarin Chinese		小鋸鱷！跳出愛的舞步！
Czech		Láska v Totodilím stylu
Dutch		Liefde Op z'n Totodiles
European French		Un amour débordant
German		Liebe auf Karnimani Art
Hebrew		אהבה בסגנון טוטודייל ahava besignon Totodile
Hindi		Totodile की अधूरी कहानी Totodile ki aadhuri Kahani *
Hungarian		Totodile-szerelem
Italian		Colpo di fulmine* L'amore secondo Totodile*
Polish		Pokochać styl Totodile'a
Portuguese	Brazil	Amor ao Estilo Totodile
	Portugal	Amor ao Estilo de Totodile
Romanian		Iubirea... Stilul Totodile
Spanish	Latin America	¡Amor estilo Totodile!
	Spain	Totodile, el amoroso

This episode article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of the Pokémon anime.