There's little sense of a narrative thread to these stories as the characters wander aimlessly from island to island. They escape the snares of the inept Team Rocket (Jessy, James, and Meowth), who stalk them in a submarine disguised as a giant Magicarp. In the weird "Stage Fright," a traveling troupe uses Pokémon as puppets, but Kay is having trouble with her Raichu: she can't get it to follow when she recites "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner." (They don't consider the possibility that Raichu, like generations of English students, may be bored by the poem.) The Pokémon craze peaked long ago, but the series remains a harmless, if repetitious diversion for smaller children. (Suitable for all ages: minor cartoon violence) --Charles Solomon