Review JN037: I'm Back, Nice to Meet You, Alola!

[ii kanji]

SATOSHI ONII-CHAN

KITERUMAMA AND BABIES

MIYAZAKI'S ALOLAN OST

 

[FinnishPokéFan92]

His anti-Goh bias is showing, guess he's been sapping the negativity and hatred from this forum.

(Sorry everybody, I could not resist this)

Spoiler: Speaking of which, just found this on YouTube.

 

[Panky..]

Spoiler: Speaking of which, just found this on YouTube.

View attachment 136187

They're not entirely wrong though. This series has done a poor job of balancing between the two main characters (let me once again remind everyone that it's a "DUAL protagonist" format, not 'one protagonist with sidekick', in case anyone wants to say "Ash has been main character for 20+ years"). DP was also a dual protagonist format even if it wasn't outright advertised as such yet the handling of both Ash and Dawn, and balance overall between their focus (including quality of focus as well rather than just quantity), was a hundred times better there.

In the 37 episodes released so far, we've had the characters in focus for these many episodes, including screen time they hogged in someone else's focus episode for a majority:

• Ash, 11 episodes.
• Pikachu, 3 episodes.
• Goh, 16 episodes.
• Shared, 7 episodes.
• Koharu, 3 episodes.
• TRio, 2 episodes.
• CotDs, 2 episodes.

Including Shared episodes, that's ~62% focus on Goh compared to Ash's ~48% (don't even get me started on Koharu's low focus). Yet most of those episodes have had no relevant positive development for Goh, or even worse, any potential development from previous episodes being swept under the rug.

 

[LazySpy]

Spoiler: Speaking of which, just found this on YouTube.

View attachment 136187

Now I mean, I haven't seen this episode yet (I always watch 'em subbed first), but from what I've read here that doesn't sound entirelly innacurate...

 

[Dogasu]

For an episode that was supposed to be about Ash going back to Alola and seeing the region and his friends again

I don't recall any of the promotional material making that proclamation.

What I *do* remember is them stating that the whole reason our heroes was going to go to Alola in the first place was so that Gou can get a Nassy, and that also Gou will be battling Kaki. We knew going into this that the episode wasn't going to be 100% about Satoshi.

 

[ChampionAsh]

The episode did a good job as far as continuity is concerned but tbh I am disappointed . The most important part of Ash's alolan family are his alolan Pokémon and they got a screentime of less than one minute . The current time was there but what was the point of it being there when it didn't interact with the alolan team . Both the Pokémon teams were there just like ' yeah we are here " . That was a big negative of this episode alongside minium screentime for Kukui and Brunett was a serious issue as well . Goh and Kiawe's pointless battle ate up too much screentime which could have been given to ash's Pokémon and Kukui and Brunett . They could have made it a two parter if they thought that the dumb battle ( it's an insult to even call it a battle ) was important but they seriously compromised the screentime of the most awaited characters of this episode coz of the pointless match. Utterly disappointed
Hope the future episodes in alola have more focus on the alolan family especially the Pokémon and Kukui and Brunett rather than such pointless stuff . Goh for development from the match I agree but as prof oak says " there's a time and place for everything " and this surely wasn't the time and place to give Goh a pointless battle like this
This episodes rating is a 5/10
Could have been much higher had it been handled better

 

[VetProf]

Fans want more continuity in this series. Fans also want more proper character development for Gou (the ones that don't just outright hate him, anyway). Good news is, the writers tried to fulfill both. Bad news is, the writers tried to fulfill both in one single episode.

One of the main reasons I enjoy continuity-heavy episodes is to watch characters from different series/regions interact with each other, so personally, I see the writers trying to incorporate Gou's character development into the "return to Alola" plot as a very good thing. Unfortunately, it seems like the writers didn't have much room to work with.

Don't get me wrong, I feel like the writers did as best as they could despite being allocated only one episode. We got to see Ash's Alola family (including the baby), his Alola team, his Alola friends (+status update from Lillie and her family), Gou character development, and plenty of interactions between Gou and the Alola peeps. We even got a cameo from the Rocket trio's Alola family, something that I wasn't expecting at all. But still, it's quite clear that the plot would've benefited greatly from having two episodes instead of just one (see: both of Brock and Misty's returns in the SM series). For example, while Ash did bring along his Journeys team to Alola, we barely even saw them interacting with Ash's Alola team outside of that one scene where all of the Pokemon were eating together.

Overall, I think this is a great episode that could've been amazing if everything wasn't crammed into one episode, but regardless, still a great episode nonetheless. Plus, on the bright side, this most likely ain't the last time we see the Alola gang (especially considering the Lillie/Mohn tease), so there's something to look forward to, at least.

 

[Rocket Messiah]

I understand that this was a episode about Goh To Sleep since it's his first time in Alola.

But the next episode in Alola has to be about the big family reunion.

What? Lillie and her Father? Who cares about those fancy pants? I mean TEAM ROCKET FAMILY REUNION.

GIVE ME GIVE ME GIVE ME

 

[P_S_B]

I don't recall any of the promotional material making that proclamation.

That one's on me for not researching the promo material beforehand, but for the first episode showing Satoshi actually meeting past series friends again logically one would expect more emphasis to be put on said reunion. Gou has his moments and he has gotten better than when he started, but when I've been waiting 37 episodes to see old companions return I want to see more of that and less of the current companion that I can see in abundance in any other episode.

I'll come back to this one tomorrow when it's subbed since that has improved my opinion of previous episodes with lots of dialogue.

They're not entirely wrong though. This series has done a poor job of balancing between the two main characters (let me once again remind everyone that it's a "DUAL protagonist" format, not 'one protagonist with sidekick', in case anyone wants to say "Ash has been main character for 20+ years"). DP was also a dual protagonist format even if it wasn't outright advertised as such yet the handling of both Ash and Dawn, and balance overall between their focus (including quality of focus as well rather than just quantity), was a hundred times better there.

In the 37 episodes released so far, we've had the characters in focus for these many episodes, including screen time they hogged in someone else's focus episode for a majority:

• Ash, 11 episodes.
• Pikachu, 3 episodes.
• Goh, 16 episodes.
• Shared, 7 episodes.
• Koharu, 3 episodes.
• TRio, 2 episodes.
• CotDs, 2 episodes.

Including Shared episodes, that's ~62% focus on Goh compared to Ash's ~48% (don't even get me started on Koharu's low focus). Yet most of those episodes have had no relevant positive development for Goh, or even worse, any potential development from previous episodes being swept under the rug.

And here's the other problem. The abundance of Gou focus (excluding the Bea battle episode) leading up to this and the other upcoming episodes indicating more focus on him just makes me feel like it was a waste giving this episode to him on top of those when it would have been better given to Satoshi who has a history with these characters. It's incredibly difficult to balance focus across only 2 characters, exacerbated by both characters being somewhat similar in that they're both excitable boys, all the more reason why we desperately need a third main to play straight-man and help even it out. As I said above, Gou as a character has improved since the Scorbunny days and many of his remaining problems are endemic to him being a walking Pokémon Go advertisement and bringing with him Go mechanics that clash horrendously with the established anime rules and so are beyond his control, but I cannot deny that seeing more of him when I wanted to see Satoshi spending time catching up with the friends he spent 3 years with was something of a let down.

 

[JinksChow]

They're not entirely wrong though. This series has done a poor job of balancing between the two main characters (let me once again remind everyone that it's a "DUAL protagonist" format, not 'one protagonist with sidekick', in case anyone wants to say "Ash has been main character for 20+ years"). DP was also a dual protagonist format even if it wasn't outright advertised as such yet the handling of both Ash and Dawn, and balance overall between their focus (including quality of focus as well rather than just quantity), was a hundred times better there.

In the 37 episodes released so far, we've had the characters in focus for these many episodes, including screen time they hogged in someone else's focus episode for a majority:

• Ash, 11 episodes.
• Pikachu, 3 episodes.
• Goh, 16 episodes.
• Shared, 7 episodes.
• Koharu, 3 episodes.
• TRio, 2 episodes.
• CotDs, 2 episodes.

Including Shared episodes, that's ~62% focus on Goh compared to Ash's ~48% (don't even get me started on Koharu's low focus). Yet most of those episodes have had no relevant positive development for Goh, or even worse, any potential development from previous episodes being swept under the rug.

That's really cool! Would you mind doing something similar for Diamond and Pearl up to the same point (37 episodes)? It's almost certainly Ash>Dawn in terms of character focus, but it would be interesting to see if the ratio would be more or less lopsided than the current series.

 

[Panky..]

@JinksChow, was already working on it. Had to take a break earlier.

That's really cool! Would you mind doing something similar for Diamond and Pearl up to the same point (37 episodes)? It's almost certainly Ash>Dawn in terms of character focus, but it would be interesting to see if the ratio would be more or less lopsided than the current series.

For the first 37 episodes in DP (similar rules, counted for focus hogging in non-focus episodes as well):

• Ash, 11 episodes.
• Dawn, 10 episodes.
• Brock, 2 episodes.
• Shared, 11 episodes.
• Paul, 3 episodes.
• TRio, 4 episodes.
• Hunter J, 1 episode.
• Kenny, 2 episodes.
• Cheryl, 3 episodes.
• Gardenia, 2 episodes.
• Team Galactic, 1 episode.
• CotD, 2 episodes.

Ash slightly edges out over Dawn but when you factor in the shared episodes, they're relatively similar to each other (56-60%). Not to mention that DP did far better in setting up other overarching plotlines in that many episodes (like the rivalry with Paul, Dawn realizing she won't be a contest pro just because her mother was, Hunter J's menace, Team Galactic etc.). And unlike with Goh, Dawn hasn't had rug-sweeping / hand-waving / off-screen type of development in that similar time frame (at least not to that large an extent).

 

[Beatsy Ray]

While I loved the episode, I agree that it obviously should have been a 2-parter. Up until the battle it didn't feel too rushed, but it kind of nose-dived after that, and it was jarring when they just teleported back to Kanto. That said, we got most of the things I was hoping for, I only wish Gou learned about Ash's champion status and that Ash's Alola mon got a little more focus.

I understand why Gou got the focus here, the writers were using him as a stand-in for kids who haven't watched SM to become familiar with the characters through a new-comer's eyes. The one saving grace (and why I'm not more disappointed than I am) is that we can expect more Alola episodes down the line, and now that the introductions are out of the way, they will actually have time to breath.

What really disappoints me after watching this episode is that it makes me question why other regions can't get the same treatment that Alola got. Ash was shown to be an Alola expert and guided Gou around, but in all the other regions he acts like he's never stepped foot in them. They also used some of the SM OST, which really sold the deal for me and helped let us know that this was unmistakably an Alola episode, but none of the other regions get that luxury, instead using the same recycled tracks that are used in every episode.

 

[Silktree]

This episode does not instill hope that the writers have any inkling as to what to do with the Alola characters. Just more of the same for gratuitous fan service, which might be enough if SM hadn't ended less than a year ago.

 

[Rocket Messiah]

@JinksChow, was already working on it. Had to take a break earlier.

For the first 37 episodes in DP (similar rules, counted for focus hogging in non-focus episodes as well):

• Ash, 11 episodes.
• Dawn, 10 episodes.
• Brock, 2 episodes.
• Shared, 11 episodes.
• Paul, 3 episodes.
• TRio, 4 episodes.
• Hunter J, 1 episode.
• Kenny, 2 episodes.
• Cheryl, 3 episodes.
• Gardenia, 2 episodes.
• Team Galactic, 1 episode.
• CotD, 2 episodes.

Ash slightly edges out over Dawn but when you factor in the shared episodes, they're relatively similar to each other (56-60%). Not to mention that DP did far better in setting up other overarching plotlines (like the rivalry with Paul, Dawn's realizing she won't be a contest pro just because her mother was, Hunter J's menace, Team Galactic etc.). And unlike with Goh, Dawn hasn't had rug-sweeping / hand-waving / off-screen type of development in that similar time frame (at least not to that large an extent).

Dawn was a better coprotagonist than Goh.Even May was better. Having a somewhat a believable goal and a Pokémon party helps develops characters.

You only have to see the wondertwins episode (DP29 )to see that the chemistry between those two was really well made.

Also during that time we got multiple arc episodes

• Intro arc (DP1,DP2,DP3)
• First Contest arc (DP11,DP12)
• Roark arc (DP15,DP16.DP17,DP18)
• Kenny arc (DP 26, DP 27)
• Honey arc (DP 30, DP 31 DP 32)

In Journeys we had

• Scorbunny arc (JN 4 JN 5)
• Champion Leon arc (JN 12 JN 13)

I dont know if we can consider the Third Galarian travel and arc since there is no direct relation with the episodes than the region that they are.
Arcs helps to develop characters and not cramming episodes into one. If today episode would have been and arc of two or even three episodes it would have been much better.

I hope that with the change of day we can recover arcs or multiple part episodes.

 

[Islander Princess]

I'll be back later with a detailed review of the episode, but I just need to say I woke up to Ash being called "big brother" by Professor Burnet and cried about it.

 

[Panky..]

There's just something I'd like to point out, related to this episode. When Kiawe used his Z-Move, everyone started spamming F in the stream chat.

 

[DynamicFusion]

Overall this was a good episode as fanservice coming from an Sun & Moon Fan. But aside from that, I felt this episode was relatively mediocre but even then it is still one of the "better" Journeys Episodes. I have a feeling the TRIO Return Episode to Alola will 10 times better than this one but we'll have to wait and see.

 

[Eclipsical]

I enjoyed the episode! It really should’ve been a 2-parter, but I kept my expectations in check and I got basically everything I expected out of this episode.

Kukui geeking out over Raboot and Sobble was really cute. Kukui and Burnet’s baby is adorable. I’m surprised that Goh didn’t have more of a reaction to Ash’s Alola Pokémon, it was really good to see them. I’m sure we’ll see them again. Melmetal has a Gigantamax to promote, after all. I’m a little dissapointed that Goh only caught two Alola Pokémon, I was hoping he’d capture more (was hoping for Pikipek, Yungoos, Grubbin, and Rockruff, as well). The episode was already so crammed, so I guess there wasn’t time. Rotom Dex getting mad at that Rotom Phone was funny. The cameo of Bewear, Stufful, Mareanie, and Mimikyu was really nice (even if it’s a blink and you might miss it moment), it completely caught me off guard.

Goh getting overwhelmed with all of these people acting friendly with him even though they just met is relatable. It’s always awkward to meet your friend’s other friend groups. Lillie and Gladion are still looking for Mohn, so we’ll probably see it happen on-screen. They reintroduced they Magearna beam for a reason.

Goh vs. Kiawe was really short (and it looked like we only saw the ending considering Raboot was already tired when the scene started). Goh’s attempt to use Inferno Overdrive to power his Ember wasn’t a bad idea, though Ember isn’t strong enough.

Where have I heard Goh talk about Ember not being strong enough? Oh, right, “If we use Ember and still lose, we’ll just have to think of a way to use Ember that’ll let us win next time!” Pyro Ball and Cinderace are coming soon. My prediction: Goh will use Pyro Ball and successfully reflect Inferno Overdrive (Will look similar to it’s G-Max move) and beat Kiawe the next time they fight. Goh and Kiawe are rivals now if I understood correctly.

 

[WatcherMark]

My biggest disappointment of this episode is that we still haven't seen Satoshi battle with his Gaogaen.

 

[SKYRYAN]

It's really interesting to see what Lillie and Gladion have been up to while Ash and the others are reunited.