Review PE05: The Rival

[vmario]

Seems this episode has been released in Japan. Sadly, it's region locked so we possibly can't see it until international drops.
EDIT: English version has been released as well

Discuss this episode here.

 

[RetroPokeFan]

Cast -

Barry - Connor Ludovice
Palmer - Kaiji Tang
Jupiter - Suzie Yeung

 

[vmario]

Here the Taiwanese version (not region locked):

 

[FinnishPokéFan92]

For some reason, the episode isn't out in English yet.

Also, the thread header is missing the "review" part.

 

[vmario]

Thanks, figured it out

 

[vmario]

And the English is out

 

[KrspaceT]

I liked it. I thought it would be more focused on just the Acuity battle but it covered a lot of points for Barry and I like the touch of framing the guy more towards Palmer instead of competing with Lucas, who I presume is the champion.

 

[Eitarou]

This would be far more interesting had Barry actually acted like his usual hyperactive self and had more lines that weren't centered around his dad. Also, the action? Awful. The Pokemon just stand there, waiting to be hit.

 

[KrspaceT]

This would be far more interesting had Barry actually acted like his usual hyperactive self and had more lines that weren't centered around his dad. Also, the action? Awful. The Pokemon just stand there, waiting to be hit.

That would be my gripe, the battles were....yeah not the best they'd been.

And yet I probably will find a few hundred 'better than the Ash anime' comments already despite their far superior battles

 

[RetroPokeFan]

I do like Connor Ludovice's performance as Barry though I wish he (or rather the character's portrayal here) had some more jokey energy to it. I would have loved to hear him say the iconic "Fine" line.

Other than that it's straight back to mediocre land with this one which is a shame with how good the previous episode was. Let's hope this isn't an indication of how the rest of this series will be like although the Johto one might be interesting.

 

[Emmy]

Definitely felt like an advert for the Sinnoh Remakes with the highlights of the game from the rivals perspective. Though the biggest gripe was with how turn-based the battles felt which is definitely not something you want to see in such a battle heavy episode.

I like Barry so this was a passable if unmemorable episode.

 

[Almonds]

It was pretty nice to see the Gen4 story from Barry's point of view and his goals to challenge his father. However, Barry doesn't seem as impatient or in a rush to get places as he did in the games.

 

[cricketlaxwolvesbandy]

BARRY!!!

 

[Lightning Flame Blast]

I’m down for all the aspects here... except for Barry seeming so serious and mature rather than the hype ball he is in the games.

Jupiter’s voice gave me shudders though.

 

[SammyW27]

Yeah...after the Isshu episode, this is a step down for several reasons...

I would deal with the shorter length if it weren't for the pacing issues. Especially since the battles were a bunch of OHKOs. THIS is why characters tell Pokemon to dodge in the TV Show, folks! Turn based battles ONLY work in a video game (and even then games aren't using them as much as they used to).

Likewise, Barry being a stiff and obsessed with defeating his dad just doesn't mesh. I was all for him being depicted different after the Show turned made him an obnoxious comic relief idiot loser (and the English Dub made things worse)...but going from one extreme to another might not have been such a good idea...

I just hope and pray to Arceus they do our girl better next week. After all these year rotting in the Not-Animated Gulag, Zinnia deserves better...

 

[Silktree]

A montage condensed into less than 10 minutes isn't a great choice. Why is Barry always associated with Empoleon outside the manga? Infernape seems like a better fit.

Anyway, have you all seen the behind the scenes for previous episodes? For instance:

Behind the Scenes of Pokémon Evolutions ð¬ Ep 4: The Plan

Discover what Ghetsis has in store for Unova in this behind-the-scenes look from episode 4 of Pokémon Evolutions! Official site: https://www.pokemon.comShop:...

www.youtube.com

 

[FinnishPokéFan92]

Why is Barry always associated with Empoleon outside the manga? Infernape seems like a better fit.

Why do you think it feels better?

 

[Silktree]

Because Barry is impatient (well, except for this episode) and Infernape is agile. But above all, it's hard to imagine Dawn without Piplup.

 

[FinnishPokéFan92]

Because Barry is impatient (well, except for this episode) and Infernape is agile. But above all, it's hard to imagine Dawn without Piplup.

IMO, Lucas is the canonical Sinnoh protagonist. This short at least seems to agree. And to me, Barry doesn't look right without an Empoleon.

 

[PaperSplash]

Japanese Cast -

Barry - Ayumu Murase
Palmer - Masakazu Morita
Jupiter - Saki Fujita
Roark - Kousuke Tanabe
Piplup - Hina Natsume
Prinplup - Yukiko Motoyoshi

(Additional) Pokémon Voices -

Hina Natsume
Yukiko Motoyoshi
Kousuke Tanabe
Masakazu Morita

@BigDocFan