Review JN147: The Rainbow and the Pokémon Master!

[pharaohyami5000]

To me, if they did add in Ho-Oh, it would feel more of a check list, than an episode. Similar to how Misty and Brock left here.

 

[SonansuMan]

As underwhelming as it was, I also couldn't have expected a more fitting way to end the series.

This episode didn't carry too much ambition, but it did instead opt to deliver a much more laid-back and slow-paced story. And surprisingly, I think it worked well in Journeys' favor. The majority of the series constantly tried to push towards new concepts but most of the time couldn't fully deliver on them, but one thing they've consistently nailed is the relationship with the Pokémon world, and just getting to see small moments with Ash & Pikachu + reserves offered a mellow and comfy vibe for most of the episode, which I think embodies most of the spirit of the anime anyway. Ash's resolution was done right by fully embracing the idea of making friends with Pokémon and I think serves as a testament to most of the "filler" that's offered throughout the series by making them feel even more meaningful in the long run. Though they left his ending pretty open-ended, I think having him to still continue to explore feels 100x more natural than having him conclude his goals here (especially since he's still 10!)

I was also worried coming into this episode about how TR's conclusion would be dealt with since their absence in the previews suggested their appearances would be brief, but I think they were handled just fine. JN095 already put the writing on the wall that they found the most joy out of chasing Pikachu together as a team, so keeping their adventures of chasing after Ash + Pikachu still feels perfectly in line. I could've did without the split-up drama running for three episodes straight just to get resolved almost immediately, but it never hurts to see the team reinforce their bond one last time

There is not a universe where they conclude their characters saying anything other than “ii kanji”

also lol

EXTRA NOTES:

• Glad that Tracey got to have at least one speaking role in Journeys. They didn't have to go as far as they did this series but I'm happy that every companion besides May/Max managed to meet with Ash in person at least once this series. Seeing the rest of his team reappear after so long was dope too
• Motto sequence was weirdly sakuga but I'm happy they made sure to go all out with it! Might have legitimately been the best looking scene of the episode lmao
• Really surprised they didn't have any type of montage/cameos for the post OS characters. I would've scrapped the Charmander scene if it meant we got to see everybody else one last time
• Slightly depressing to know that the breakup shot for the TRio was the final scene for most of their Pokémon, including Mime Jr.. At least they kept them on hand? It is weird that they never elaborated on why Giovanni actually sent them back though
• Ash's Pidgeot returning was great to see, and it's sick that his first capture also ended up being his final team change ever

It still feels so surreal to me that something that's been a constant presence in my childhood has left just like that, but I'm happy I stuck around the entire way through. Unless Horizons really impresses me I doubt I will be as active past this series since I don't see them creating any replacements as compelling as my 4 favorite idiots, but either way it's great to see Pokémon enter a new era and I hope they make manage to make something that... isn't Journeys!

FINAL SCORE:
7/10

 

[Vincentz0811]

A predictably lame ending. This is exactly what I expected yet I'm still disappointed.

Well, you're wrong now. The final episode wasn't that bad because we have Ash's Pidgeot return and rejoin his team.

 

[Singaporean]

What a decent ending for our eternal 10 year old boy and legend killer mouse for now. Also, love to see the last Pokemon, Pidgeot for reunion with Ash along with Tracy. Goodbye to them for now and hello to our new boy and gal in town at April.

Overall rating: B+

 

[jungle_penguins]

Kenji spoke, Pigeot returns, what a time to be alive.

I like the laid back nature of this episode. I only wish there was a montage of older characters, this being Satoshi focused (and to a lesser extent the Rockets) is needed but I felt like there could have been room for just a minute of the other characters. Where is Hikari being Top Coordinator : (

Rockets themselves are okay, their petty argument and quick reunion, as fitting as it is, maybe it wasn't needed. Still wonder on why Sakaki even gave them the message, maybe they got demoted? That was the one thing I expected to be followed up on and it wasn't followed up on.

 

[Eclipsical]

I feel like it didn't really make sense for Giovanni to just be hoarding their Pokemon once they left Unova. The only reason they stopped using all the Pokemon they owned was because it would make them look suspicious in Unova, but that wasn't a problem in Kalos or Alola. Why would he want them to handicapped otherwise? And I highly doubt he was using them for anything of importance.

The out-of-universe reason is that they just wanted to focus on the new generation Pokemon, but still.

 

[Rockapheller]

It was a laidback and sentimental episode as I would have expected.

The entire notion of the episode showed us that Ash is just not the type of person who would just stay home and do things that way. Even after traveling for so long, he cannot stay home even a single day to rest, and everyday is another adventure even if it is on a small scale. His mom knows better than any other, as she is not even asking whether he'd go somewhere, instead she asks where he goes that day.

It warms my heart up to know that "the Pokémon everyone wants to see" was referring to Pidgeot from the beginning. Despite not having a district personality, not really winning lots of people's hearts, and not being in the spotlight for so long, I love that Pokémon for no reason at all, and it was acknowledged by the writers that way.

The Team Rocket part was quite disappointing, though. They had a conflict in their episode which was very forced and happened out of nowhere. The next episode they headed to HQ as if they had a big plan, then they decided to reunite again like good old days, then they chased after Pikachu as usual. What is the point? Why did they give them such forced conflict, and then such rushed reunion? You may say it is to show that no matter what they think, do or feel, they are meant to end up together, but don't we know that already? Such weak and rushed writing decisions just made it into a really awkward situation. If I were a hardcore TR trio fan, I would have been really disappointed. That said, them chasing Ash forever was not unexpected. The writers never built up to any conclusion for the trio.

Speaking of disappointments, one thing I would have expected was to see what all Ash's past companions are doing today. We got them all watching Ash during the M8 tournament. I believe now that was the time to see what they do in their daily lives. It would not hurt to show Max training a Pokémon that officially belongs to May, or to show Iris facing off a challenger as she is the champion, or to show Goh catching some Pokémon doing some mission for Project Mew.

Anyway, all good things come to an end. Ash has been a part of my life since my very early ages, and I love him for who he is, but this is about time we say goodbye. And so did we.

Some insignificant notes,

• I like the little reference to the original opening sequence when Poliwag and Poliwhirl appeared before and during the rain, and Ash escaping from the rain afterwards.
• Ash's new shoes are way cooler than his JN shoes. I wish they designed them from the beginning.

 

[Area54]

There's clear indication in final episode that Ash and Pikachu will return in near future as 1-2 episodes per some time( like a year). Ash meeting all Pokemon. New gens = new region = new Pokemon, so likely we will see our boy( on screen) visiting Paldea and it's Pokemon, Gen 10 and its Pokemon etc.

 

[Peppermint Phoenix]

Pidgeot getting a happy ending is more than what I expected. I'm still devastated after all these years Ash never got his rematch with Ritchie but I'll take what I can get.

 

[MeteorFalls]

The emptiness won't go away soon.

 

[Audino1008]

Well, you're wrong now. The final episode wasn't that bad because we have Ash's Pidgeot return and rejoin his team.

Fanservice is Fanservice. I wouldn't have cared if not a single old character came back in this miniseries as long as there was still some interesting development for Ash. Ash and especially Team Rocket didn't get the conclusion they deserve and that's my main problem. Ash is the World Champion but nothing in his life really changed because of it and Team Rocket are still stuck in an endless cycle of failure that they deserve better than. And no amount of "Hey, I remember this character from when I was a kid!" can make up for that.

 

[R1ke]

Wow man. It’s actually over. I really don’t care how messy the anime’s been. Pokemon’s always been a big part of me. Something I’d always look forward to no matter how things are going. Even now when I’m stressed and depressed from clinical placements, it’s given me that last bit of joy before things get tough again. This episode hit all the right beats for me, and it’ll be weird knowing that we’re at the end of an era

Farewell Ash and Pikachu. Thank you pokemon. No regrets getting into it

 

[Lightning Flame Blast]

Well… was this a perfect episode? Definitely not. But I always appreciate slower, more introspective episodes, and giving us a peek into Ash’s routine and him just having fun around Pallet got me warmed up inside.

At first I found the shoes allegory a little random, as Ash’s signature has always been his hat, then halfway through it occured to me that Type Wild’s opening lyric is about worn down shoes… and I’ll be damned if the end credits pay off for that didn’t get me a little choked up.

Bye Ash, bye Pikachu. We had a rocky journey and I was always very vocal about my gripes with your story, but you guys are still my childhood heroes. Hope to see you again.

 

[Mr. MoonStone]

Pokémon having an open-ended finale doesn’t surprise me as it was never the kind of anime that had consistency with its conclusions. I just think the episode was really anticlimactic. It was fun, but definitely didn’t feel like a send off.

Anyways, I’ve said it before in the other threads, but I fully expect Ash and Pikachu to return in the movies and be the focus of the film franchise moving forward.

 

[LeonMagnus]

Fanservice is Fanservice. I wouldn't have cared if not a single old character came back in this miniseries as long as there was still some interesting development for Ash. Ash and especially Team Rocket didn't get the conclusion they deserve and that's my main problem. Ash is the World Champion but nothing in his life really changed because of it and Team Rocket are still stuck in an endless cycle of failure that they deserve better than. And no amount of "Hey, I remember this character from when I was a kid!" can make up for that.

My problem with Team Rocket is that I don’t consider them going after Pikachu their defining character trait. To me their defining traits are that they are tenacious to a fault, and they are meant to be together.

The conclusion for them is that they needed the epiphany that they were simply in the wrong line of work and that they are much better off when they are working together and doing HONEST work. They simply suck at being villains, and don’t deserve to be stuck in this mental prison of needing to identify with TR. Considering that Team Rocket literally doesn’t exist anymore in the games’ time line, the least they could have done is develop a scenario where the organization reforms itself. I mean afaik, every other seriously evil team presented in the anime had some kind of conclusion applied to them.

 

[snowmint]

Ash and Team Rockets adventures will always continue on whether it's on screen or off.

 

[Ricbolog]

So that's how it ends. I found this episode very bittersweet. After reflecting a while on what I saw, I must say that I'm a bit disappointed too that we didn't get something similar to the BW finale (which first aired almost 10 years ago, how fast time flies) with Ash thinking about all of his traveling companions. But I'm glad this time his stay at Pallet Town wasn't rushed (at least in-universe) like in that occasion.

I'm confident we'll see Ash again, so I'll wait for that time, even though it's still a bit hard to completely accept that for the time being he won't be at the center of the stage anymore.

I also want to thank everyone who replied in this thread and shared their own unique perspectives, allowing me to judge this episode from different angles and grasp the complexity that comes when dealing with the conclusion of a 25-year story that meant a lot for many of us.

 

[Gabo2oo]

Hmm, reminiscing about Bulbagarden and now I wonder how Kenji-girl is doing with all this. She really took after Tracey and dissapeared from public view u.u

I just finished the episode. I was fully expecting this kind of ending, but I wish they had made it seem a bit more "grand"? I would have loved a montage ending showing various important characters one last time. Once Type: Wild started playing that's what I expected but then...nope lol

It was a huge missed opportunity because Type: Wild is pretty much made for stock footage. They just choose to put MPM-only scenes there for some reason.

What is the point? Why did they give them such forced conflict, and then such rushed reunion? You may say it is to show that no matter what they think, do or feel, they are meant to end up together, but don't we know that already? Such weak and rushed writing decisions just made it into a really awkward situation. If I were a hardcore TR trio fan, I would have been really disappointed.

I try to stay positive but I won't deny their story was a bit underwhelming. That said, I don't see it as any more or less "pointless" than the rest of this episode, since they're simply reaffirming their status quo just how Ash is reaffirming his. But it was certainly rushed and I think it could've been handled better if they had more screentime in the previous episode.

on the decision not to show ho-oh, i wish they did. i think a ton went into this decision; of all the details in this episode, i feel this might be the one the most thought was put into. but i honestly don't know why they decided what they did.

I think some people are forgetting Ash already saw Ho-Oh back in JN136. Perhaps they didn't want to rehash that scene too much since it happened so recently, so they stuck with the rainbow only.

Spoiler

 

[Kallyle]

I think some people are forgetting Ash already saw Ho-Oh back in JN136. Perhaps they didn't want to rehash that scene too much since it happened so recently, so they stuck with the rainbow only.

Spoiler

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I think what people were hoping for is an answer to why Ho-Oh kept passing by Ash. At a certain point, coincidence just doesn’t explain it. Overall, I would have rather had Ho-Oh in place of Latias if that’s what it took to get that particular answer instead of relegating it to a final tease followed by a somewhat clickbait title for the final episode.

 

[Audino1008]

I still don't understand what the point of this miniseries was, considering Ash is at exactly the same point he was at the end of Journeys.