2.B.A. Master, Pokemon’s Surprisingly Good Soundtrack

Back in the innocent days of the 90s, a little Game Boy game from Japan called Pokemon took the US by storm. It became a national obsession, with a well-regarded television anime and a dizzying array of collectibles turning up in every playground. Except for the trading card game and a damned fun Monopoly game, most of it was pretty low quality.

However, there was a piece of merchandise that holds up pretty well even today: the soundtrack, 2.B.A. Master.

All of these songs are original, with few if any of them actually showing up in the dubbed anime. While most of them have token mentions of elements of the show (for example, a brief moment of Ash, Misty, Brock, or Pikachu saying something), many of them otherwise have nothing to do with Pokemon; good examples include “Together Forever,” “Everything Changes,” and “Misty’s Song.” Even the ones that do directly relate to the series, such as the theme song and “Double Trouble,” are surprisingly listenable.

The only real downside is that since it’s themed around the Pokemon anime, some of the songs may come off as a bit corny. Given that it was aimed at Pokemon-obsessed children, it was understandable, but I think it brought the quality down somewhat. However, the good songs outweigh the bad, so it’s only a minor quibble.

As a testament to the soundtrack’s quality, it is still available at Amazon right now. It’s even included with Amazon Prime! You won’t regret listening to it.