The Bulbasaur Family
BULBASAUR
The very first Pokémon also happens to be my very first Pokémon. I received a copy of Pokémon Blue version back in the 90’s at the height of the franchise’s popularity. I LOVED my Bulbasaur so much so that when my cousin overwrote my save file I cried (this happened to A LOT of people apparently)
Picking Bulbasuar was easy. Charmander was just so popular and for as long as I have known myself I always preferred the less popular options. So no Charmander for me. And Squirtle is just a turtle, so, again, no.
But enough nostalgia onto the review.
Bulbasaur seems to be some kind of… toad maybe? Actually it doesn’t seem to be based on any particular animal. And that is great. So many other Pokémon are just animals with super powers. It’s great that the first Pokémon is an actual pocket MONSTER.
Bulbasaur get a solid thumbs up from me.
IVYSAUR
Another oft neglected Pokémon Ivysaur does not have a lot of fans. It is the first of the many neglected ‘middle Pokémon’. When I first saw it I didn’t even know it was a different Pokémon! However it does fill its role as a bridge between the cute Bulbasaur and the menacing Venasaur with design aspect of both. I will speak more on middle Pokémon in a later review.
The only interesting thing about Ivysauris that as its animal part grows it’s Bulb does as well. Because it is not very unique but simply functional there is not much I can say about it.
Ivysaur gets a meh review from me.
VENUSAUR
Originally a mascot Pokémon for the original Japanese releases of Pokémon Green and Red it lost its status to the more sell-able Blastoise in the Western remastered releases.
The growth theme of Bulbasaur and Ivysaur continues with Venusaur. Its bulb has bloomed into a full flower and reveals what may be the true theme of the Bublasaur ‘beauty on a beast.’ The contrast is rather interesting though I think could have been better serves with a rose. However, the rose as the symbol of beauty does not permeate as deeply in Japanese cultrue as it does for Westerners. The ‘toadiness’ of Venasaur is on full display as the flat patterns are now replaced with bulbous (lol) warts. In fact I suspect the ‘Venus’ in Venusaur is meant to refer directly to the beautiful aspect of this ugly Pokemon.
In the original Pokémon games, Red and Blue, Bulbasaur’s Pokedex entry states that a strange seed in planted on it’s back at birth. There are real life plant and animal symbiotic relationships that this could draw on such as the algae growth on turtle shells which provides camouflage or the algae within coral which provides food or even the farming relationship between leafcutter ants and the fungus the cultivate (I know algae and fungi are not technically plants). This provides an interesting question — why do Bulbasaurs have seeds planted on them? A lot of its battle abilities stem directly from the plant on its back so do the Bulbasaurs rely on the plant for protection? If so that would be a fascinating inversion of the typical symbiotic relationship where the animal normally provides the protection. Could the full grown plant on Venusaur’s back be used as a mating display like a peacock? The bigger the flower the healthier the animal it was planted on?
Venusaur might not be fun to look at or even appealing in the ‘cool’ way so many other Pokémon try to be but I think it earns it spot as the first full evolved Pokémon in the Pokedex by exemplifying the monstrous, beautiful and fantastical aspects that Pokémon is all about.
Venusaur gets a solid thumbs up from me.
MEGA VENUSAUR
I don’t like Mega Evolution. I find their designs to be too cluttered to be meaningful. Sure as a game mechanic they are interesting but I will speak on my distaste for Mega Evolution in another review. Mega Venusaur does not escape my distaste.
The return of the ‘Bulbasaur spots’ is nostalgic but none of the changes adds anything meaningful. It’s just a cobbled together mess.
Mega Venusaur gets a solid thumbs down from me.
Overall I really like to Bulbasaur family. Despite a dip at the middle and a major mistake at the end the Bulbasaur line of Pokémon is interesting. I believe it is a great example of what Pokémon is meant to be. Out of this world creatures just past the edge of believable. As such it deserves to be the fist Pokémon family.
The Bulbasaur family gets a solid thumbs up from me.