Review S17 EP17: A Jolting Switcheroo!

[Neo Blaze]

XY016 - Bulbapedia, the community-driven Pokémon encyclopedia

Please keep all discussion pertaining to future episodes inside spoiler tags.

 

[Sakuraa]

After the awesome Clemont episode last week, we get an adorable Bonnie episode this week! Great!

Ok, and seriously, I usually don’t get upset about these kinds of things, and I didn’t mind it that much in episode 7, but I’m really getting annoyed with the BS of changing the main character on the title card. Obviously this was Bonnie’s episode and last week’s was Clemont’s. Why the f*** do they keep changing it to Ash?! It makes no scene. This was one of the things I loved about these title cards and the dub keeps messing it up. Geez.

Bonnie was so adorable in this episode, as she always is. I liked seeing the issue of her constantly feeding Dedenne and Clemont advising her not to. She's receiving more skills that she'll be able to use once she becomes a trainer. And I also liked how Serena took this away too while she was feeding Fennekin a twig. And lol, why doesn't Bonnie think Clemont doesn't look like a gym leader?

Bonnie's proposal was once again adorable. I love how she mentioned Clemont's gym leader status to try to get Lena to go for him. Ladies love gym leaders. I still really like how Bonnie feels that she takes care of Clemont and wants someone else to do the same. That's too cute. So is having your older sibling catch you a little electric-type Pokémon and keeping it in a yellow bag a thing in Kalos? I thought it was nice to get a small training battle between Ash and Clemont. Though I would have preferred Serena doing some training, or Clemont using Bunnelby but regardless, training is always nice. I also liked how Serena saved Bonnie from Pichu's attack. I'm loving their bond. Speaking of bonds, I also liked Ash and Clemont comforting Bonnie. I've said this before already, but I love this group's dynamics!

I love the parallels between Bonnie and Lyn in this episode. They both love Pokemon and will call almost any Pokemon cute and want to take care of one. I really like the fact that Lena ran into that girl and they had that conversation about the Cyllage gym and how they hoped to battle each other again. That was a nice, realistic detail showing how other characters also challenge gyms and also have rivals, something we rarely get to see with CODs.

Ok, I feel that Lyn is the real problem here. I felt so bad for Bonnie when she said Dedenne going missing was her fault when it was clearly Lyn who took the wrong bag without checking first. Then she runs off without telling Lena about her problem when she clearly could have helped her. And later just stares into the sky and doesn’t even notice Dedenne running off. Oh and don’t forget that she wanted to take Dedenne with her for a moment. Luckiliy she realized how absurd and unfair that would be. I mean, I know she’s just a little kid and all, but she seems really absentminded. But at the same time, she’s cute. I like how she put the ribbon on Dedenne and liked how they matched.

It was so cute to see Bonnie sad over Dedenne's being lost and Pichu cheering her up. But once again, Lyn loses sight of Dedenne. How in the hell did Dedenne get in that store, anyway? In fact, why is Dedenne running off so much today? He’s normally really close to Bonnie and doesn’t stray away from the group, so what’s going on today? And then Clemont's newest invention shows up. And it requires large amounts of electricity. I already know how this thing is gonna blow up. Though I must say, I like how they keep using Pikachu and Dedenne's electricity communication as means of locating each other. With this, it was great that Dedenne got to battle the Beedril. I wish that Bonnie could have commanded Dedenne rather than Clemont, but that's just a minor nitpick. I still hope they'll battle together more in the future.

I don't know what it is, but there's something I liked about the scene of Bonnie and Lyn crying and Clemont and Lena comforting them. It was sweet to see how much they missed their Pokemon and were sorry for not being more attentive. And the last scene was just too cute. Just cuteness all around in this episode.

Overall, I really liked episode. I know a lot of people will probably find it boring, but I just can’t dislike this episode. Bonnie was cute as usual and got some development. Everyone's interactions with her were sweet.. And even the other girl and her sister were cool characters. Aside from the damn title card error in the dub, another minor nitpick that I have is that I really wish Dedenne would have been more concerned over being lost and trying to find Bonnie. But aside from that, it was really good. 8/10 for this one.

 

[radek.tadajewski.7]

They're doing this for purpose to annoy us with chancing the title cards with Ash, not Clemont's, Bonnie's, Serena's and Pikachu's. That makes me angry just think about it! :conangry: What's wrong with them!? Anyway, this episode was enjoyable and I give 9/10 for Dedenne and Bonnie and that Pichu.

 

[VideoGamer54321]

I'm pretty sure it's Cartoon Network that keeps changing the title screen. This episode was very good, overall. I really loved that Pichu.

 

[radek.tadajewski.7]

I'm pretty sure it's Cartoon Network that keeps changing the title screen. This episode was very good, overall. I really loved that Pichu.

I'm sure in the other countries this title card chancing error will be corrected or not. "Who's That Pokémon?" segment was Pichu. Did Pichu have its Japanese voice in the dub?

 

[Beth Pavell]

This episode kind of exemplifies what I like about XY. It's a cute little episode pitched well in terms of the drama - it's filler, after all, so we really don't need high drama. Oh, and a bit of battling without resorting to Team Rocket - good stuff.

Ironic that Clemont should comment on oversnacking, given the last episode. Ash sharing his apple with Pikachu was kind of cute. I liked Bonnie a lit in this episode, even the bit where she bursts into tears at the end. Just reminds us that she is a little girl, and I'm not sure if I'll ever get tired of the sibling dynamic. Clemont actually cares for Bonnie in a way that May never did for Max outside the odd episode here and there

Getting seriously fed up with the title card. It was obviously a damn Bonnie episode

Oh, and Dedenne would have got a right ding round the ear if it had been my pokémon

 

[Team Gaara]

The beginning was really cute. I always like seeing Dedenne get some adorable screen time. And we even saw Fennekin eat another stick, which is really cool~ Serena has finally acknowledged that she doesn’t know anything about being a trainer. Hopefully the writers will actually make her get her act together soon (though it seems more likely it was just typically dialogue filler that won’t go anywhere).

More importantly, why did Dedenne run off all of a sudden? He just…disappeared! But he’s so cute looking all innocent! T^T It just seems so out of character for him to just disappear for food. I guess this is gonna become a thing?

Going back a bit, it seems Ash is the focused character of an episode he’d not the focused character of again. -_-

*Obligatory creepy-ass Wigglytuff comment*

Moving on, it’s been a while since we’ve seen the proposal gag. It was really funny here, but odd. I mean, now Bonnie doesn’t need to know at least 1% of information about a girl before she proposes to them; she just needs an older looking female. I get caring about Clemont, but let’s not propose to total strangers, Bonnie~

I like that we keep getting these random battles and I hope they’ll keep doing this from time to time. But for now they just seem to be moving the filler plot forward. Another good detail they included was having Pichu lose control of its electricity a bit (if there’s any Pokedex entry I know, it’s Pichu’s).

*Obligatory creepy-ass Wigglytuff comment*

“Not your bag?!” “Then that’s it!” “Red huh?” Is it me, or was Ash trying way too hard to sound detectivey in this episode?

Even though it was, again, just to get the plot moving, I liked that we got to see a realistic conversation between Lena and her friend. Lena seems like a good sister. Kalos is just full of nice, caring people. –w- And creepy walking Lilligant. Anyway, I don’t see why Lyn decided to just run off by herself. I mean, she didn’t say anything, she just ran off to the park to contemplate how the mix up happened. Why on Earth would she not wait to ask her older sister for help? Perhaps she was worried she’d get mad? I don’t know, it just seemed odd that she would just run off suddenly for seemingly no reason.

I thought that Lyn and Dedenne had some adorable interactions. It was cute how they ate the doughnut together and I liked that she gave him a ribbon. I thought it was odd how they had her want to take Dedenne home, only to scrap the idea seconds later. I mean, nothing really made her change her mind about that, save Dedenne giving pretty nonchalant cry when she suggested it. I’d call it pointless, if it wasn’t for the fact that little kids like her do seem to change their minds on a whim like that (hell, so do I and a plethora of other teenagers I know). They just don’t seem to do it too often in this show. Long story short, it looks like they’re giving a more realistic approach on a little girl than they usually do, and I like it!~ Also, Dedenne is really enjoying that adorable Derp expression this episode.

Speaking of which, this entire time, Dedenne seems to be extremely calm for being lost, unlike Pichu, who’s at least concerned that he’s separated from Lyn. I find it cute in a way.

“It sounds like you’ve got an idea” –Ash. Really? After he said he just thought of something? Stahp it, Ash.

I also enjoyed the minor interactions Bonnie had with Pichu, but they would have been better if they mirrored Lyn’s and was ONLY with Pichu, not Pikachu, who I felt was only included because they seem to love to have him interact with his evolutionary relatives whenever possible like he’s some foster dad/son. I would have liked for Bonnie to get to spend some one-on-one time with Pichu just to see how she would have interacted with it.

It looks like an invention of Clemont’s will actually come in useful and potentially save the day…for once. Thing is, I really don’t know how Clemont can just whip up a machine that turns electricity into sound waves so easily. Though it blew up as usual, at least it served its purpose. Well done, Clemont.

Meanwhile, Dedenne somehow ends up asleep in a store surrounded by plushies (Good eye, Lyn). I was glad Dedenne recognized Pikachu’s electricity waves. Though, Dedenne is so impulsive. I wonder why he didn’t try to communicate something to Lyn to tell her where he was going. I can only link his constant running away to being a little stressed at being away from Bonnie, and possibly being a bit uncomfortable. Of course, he didn’t seem to be uneasy around Lyn, he just must have felt a bit strange being with her instead of Bonnie.

Anyway, also good to see him not afraid to battle that Beedrill, even if the only reason he had to is because he just likes stealing food today. It seems clear that Dedenne likes battling. He’s just never awake to do so. It sounded odd for Clemont to command Dedenne. I mean, the last few times Dedenne’s battled, Bonnie’s been the one to command him. Why is Clemont doing it all of a sudden. In fact, why didn’t they have Bonnie, Lyn, Pichu, and Dedenne fight off the Beedrill. Clearly Dedenne’s strong enough to do so. Hell, Pikachu could have helped and it would have been fine.

Anyway, good to see these rodents get back to their respective owners. Even the crying was cute here. It looks like they both learned their lessons. Only…way to spoil the beautiful moment of crying, Ash! -_-

Lyn and Bonnie are so alike, I really hope we’ll get to see these two again. It’s just too perfect for them to not have them return and it seems like a waste of potential if they don’t. And their expressions when they were sneaking away were awesome. They could be the best of friends. Dammit, make Lyn and Lena travel with the group!!

All in all, I normally don’t like the whole, “getting lost” plot. But this one was done very well. It was extremely cute and funny at times and presented a learning experience for both girls, rather than everything going unpunished and making the owner look like an incompetent retard (Iris…). Though Dedenne seemed to randomly want to cause trouble in this episode just to get the plot going, perhaps this is just what Dednene is like when he’s not asleep. I’ll give this episode a 9.7/10.

 

[VideoGamer54321]

I'm pretty sure it's Cartoon Network that keeps changing the title screen. This episode was very good, overall. I really loved that Pichu.

I'm sure in the other countries this title card chancing error will be corrected or not. "Who's That Pokémon?" segment was Pichu. Did Pichu have its Japanese voice in the dub?

Yeah, it did.

 

[Alpha71689]

Bonnie is starting to get on my nerves. She's always trying to get involved in everything, and always wants to be as annoying as possible. Despite being an episode focused on her, it was a decent filler episode.

 

[EvilChameleon]

Well I mean this was the most adorable episode ever.

 

[Queen Cynthia]

Recently, it has been very easy for review writers like me because the latest episodes all have been pretty much standard episodes if you ask me and there's not really much that's worth talking about.

Well, let's see.... It was a classical "Let's all look for Pokemon xyz" -epsiode, but this time the plot was revolving around two little girls who obviously were too carefree and mixed up their bags with their respective Pokemon inside. The further development of the plot was realistic and plausible, so it was quite entertaining to see them all look for the girls or their Pokemon.
I was wondering, though why Ash and his friends weren't thinking about just staying at the Pokemon Center because after a certain time, Pichu's trainer should have realized the mistake. In this case you can expect them to go back to the place where everything started to go wrong, which would be the Pokemon Center. But I guess since such a scenario wouldn't be very interesting, the writers chose to have Lyn run off with all the consequences we saw.

Once again, Clemont's device blew up... Tell me why I'm not surprised. Oh boy, it's getting really old

And then there's a small, seemingly insignificant detail that has been there since the very first episode: Why does it always have to be the Beedrill that are supposed to be the bad guys posing a threat or chasing somebody away? I'm getting the impression that these Pokemon are somehow stigmatized as the evil ones, while Pokemon like Pichu or Dedenne, for instance, are always presented as the cute ones. Isn't one of the messages the show wants to convey that you shouldn't be prejudiced?

Also, it seemed a bit forced that Ash and the others arrived just in time to rescue Lyn, although just a few minutes before that, nobody had the slightest idea where she could have been. But as the episodes needed a dramatic climax, I think it's somehow understandable.

All in all, a decent episode.

 

[Team Gaara]

And then there's a small, seemingly insignificant detail that has been there since the very first episode: Why does it always have to be the Beedrill that are supposed to be the bad guys posing a threat or chasing somebody away? I'm getting the impression that these Pokemon are somehow stigmatized as the evil ones, while Pokemon like Pichu or Dedenne, for instance, are always presented as the cute ones. Isn't one of the messages the show wants to convey that you shouldn't be prejudiced?

It's just probably because, in real life, bees are stigmatized with a negative connotation: they cause pain. So they just translated that into the Pokemon World (Not to mention the drills for arms). Same for Pokemon like Ursaring. It's just based off of the real world. You just sort of expect the bee or bear Pokemon to be the dangerous ones because of the animals they are based off of.

They've presented some cute Pokemon as bad, like Togepi and Teddiursa before, but it obviously isn't that often~

 

[Shadow Yoshi]

Good episode. Pichu never fails to be one of my favorite Pokémon, but I thought some of the interactions with the characters were out of place compared to other episodes. Especially Serena and Clemont's lines in the beginning, and both girls spontaneously crying (the end parts were cute, though).

Solid episode. Hoping they'll get to Cyllage City soon.

 

[Idon'tcare]

And then there's a small, seemingly insignificant detail that has been there since the very first episode: Why does it always have to be the Beedrill that are supposed to be the bad guys posing a threat or chasing somebody away? I'm getting the impression that these Pokemon are somehow stigmatized as the evil ones, while Pokemon like Pichu or Dedenne, for instance, are always presented as the cute ones. Isn't one of the messages the show wants to convey that you shouldn't be prejudiced?

It's just probably because, in real life, bees are stigmatized with a negative connotation: they cause pain. So they just translated that into the Pokemon World (Not to mention the drills for arms). Same for Pokemon like Ursaring. It's just based off of the real world. You just sort of expect the bee or bear Pokemon to be the dangerous ones because of the animals they are based off of.

Actually, despite what the English version calls them, Beedrill aren't based on bees but hornets (and wasps are considered to be more scarier than bees by people). Their Japanese name doesn't even contain the word "bee", they're known as Spear.

 

[Team Gaara]

And then there's a small, seemingly insignificant detail that has been there since the very first episode: Why does it always have to be the Beedrill that are supposed to be the bad guys posing a threat or chasing somebody away? I'm getting the impression that these Pokemon are somehow stigmatized as the evil ones, while Pokemon like Pichu or Dedenne, for instance, are always presented as the cute ones. Isn't one of the messages the show wants to convey that you shouldn't be prejudiced?

It's just probably because, in real life, bees are stigmatized with a negative connotation: they cause pain. So they just translated that into the Pokemon World (Not to mention the drills for arms). Same for Pokemon like Ursaring. It's just based off of the real world. You just sort of expect the bee or bear Pokemon to be the dangerous ones because of the animals they are based off of.

Actually, despite what the English version calls them, Beedrill aren't based on bees but hornets (and wasps are considered to be more scarier than bees by people). Their Japanese name doesn't even contain the word "bee", they're known as Spear.

Makes even more sense then if they're based on hornets~

 

[Grabbergirl]

The crying part, my ears! It's ten times worser than a baby's crying. Cute episode though! Aww more motherly Clemont. I'm sure he was hugging Bonnie. Ash is hungry so they eat. When Lyn said "Lena" she sounded like a little British girl.

 

[Kaljinyu]

I can't believe no one mentioned it.

Bonnie broke the golden rule.

 

[SerenaKetchum]

Can I just say that Bonnie is the most adorable main character to ever grace the illustrious history of this show. Gawd she is awesome.

 

[Muur]

Was better than I thought it'd be. Good episode bar the part where the two girls started crying.

 

[GreenTank]

This episode would never happen if the writers decided to give all the people cellphones. I mean, come on, it's 2014.