Review SM011: Satoshi Visits Kaki!

[Likeitornot.]

I really enjoyed this episode, it was such a nice piece of exposition into Kiawe's background and routine - it helped to establish him as a more two-dimensional character in my eyes. His "big brother" instinct is so adorable too - especially when they bid farewell and he's so sappy towards his sister but then as soon as he flicks his eyes back to Ash, he has to act all suave and mature - and his family's pretty interesting themselves. I wonder is the grandfather his maternal or paternal grandfather? Going by attire, I'm going to guess maternal, but it could be paternal all the same.

The boy who wished to bake that pretty (and lumpy, haha) Rowlet cake for his mother - that was a good touch to just show how people rely on Kiawe and his family business in ordinary, day-to-day situations and how Kiawe has to commit to this role for the larger community.

The position as the older brother is suitable for the direction they want to go if they're going to establish him as the mature figure to Ash, and it seems to be one of the popular choices for the main male companion (excluding Dento and Tracey, did we ever know who was the eldest striaton triplet?) but I don't think he'll be doting on Ash like he does with his sister, haha.

All in all, I was looking forward to this episode when I saw the previews - and I wasn't disappointed!

 

[Nala]

I was hoping we would get a bit more out of Kiawe this episode and I wasn't let down. It was hilarious seeing him flip out over his sister. And I definately agree with VTP-Dawkins93, that bit of culture was a really nice touch.

 

[Peppermint Phoenix]

For decades Ash had multiple episodes to travel one route. In this episode his was able to fly between islands in less than a day. I know flying is faster then walking but c'mon.

 

[SamurottMan]

For decades Ash had multiple episodes to travel one route. In this episode his was able to fly between islands in less than a day. I know flying is faster then walking but c'mon.

Alolan Pelipper - Same look, 10 times faster

 

[Islander Princess]

I loved this episode! Kiawe was one of my favorite classmates from the very first episodes so I was really looking forward to his background episode. It did not disappoint!

I absolutely loved that we got to meet Kiawe's family, and all of their designs were on point! I love that they all looked related without being exact clones of one another (which is a problem I have with Lana's little sisters.) Hoshi was completely adorable and I just loved how protective Kiawe is of her! Her sass in response was also super funny.

I said this before, but I am loving how much background SM is giving us on both the characters and the region as a whole. We get to actually see what Kiawe does when he's not in school; how much work goes into living on a ranch and what his responsibilities are. We learn that his grandfather used to be the kahuna of Akala and was a big influence in his life. We also see what his family values and what is important to them and where they live. I really don't feel like we've gotten this extent of background for a character in quite a while, and I think it's great and makes them that much more enjoyable.

One part of this episode I also really liked was Kiawe kind of putting Ash in his place. He celebrates cleaning up one Mudbray? Well, there's a whole field more to do. He wakes up in the middle of the night wanting to battle? Kiawe reminds him they have an early morning delivery and he's got to be up in time. It was really refreshing that instead of Ash being totally headstrong and everyone just going with it, he was being held responsible and reminded of what needed to be done first. I really prefer this to Ash just doing whatever he wants all the time.

Finally, I think it's hilarious how many times Mallow has just randomly showed up. I'm here for it.

 

[Nala]

After watching the sub, just a few things I want to point out:

• That morning sky is gorgeous. I actually noticed this before but forgot to mention it.
• Kiawe basically gave Hoshi and Ash permission to be friends.
• "We make crying babies cry"
• In real life, when Ash leaned back and opened his mouth to take in some air his diet would have suddenly gotten very rich in protein. (Yes, this is my sad attempt to make a joke...)

Now, do this kind of thing for Mallow and we'll be golden. Maybe she'll teach him how to cook!

 

[LuxrayOfTheWild]

Detail I noticed when I rewatched. During Kiawe's flashback, I noticed...OLIVIA! Its our first glimpse of Olivia! I can't wait to see her in person!

 

[Nicolas721]

Great episode. Not only it did accomplish its purpose of showing Kiawe's family and doing some farm chores comedy, but it went some steps further showing Kiawe's motivations, flashbacks and his relationship to the fire type. And the mother's birthday subplot was nice.

However there are some problems with the climax, Team Skull getting sweeped by Ash's first official electric Z-move left a bad taste. They were dull in the games and it seems the anime will follow that route too. I think I would have prefered a generic TR attack in the farm. Stealing milk does sound more like a TS scheme, through.

9/10

 

[Syrinaris]

I really liked this episode a lot. I felt it had a really good balance of humor to seriousness.

It was so nice to get to see Kiawe's family life. I pretty much liked everything about this episode. Hoshi is a cute little firecracker of a sister. His mom & dad are pretty cool, too. I really liked the story Kiawe related to Ash about his grandfather.

I just knew that when Kiawe said to that little boy about - when had he ever been late with a delivery - that something was going to happen to cause him to be late. And yep, there's Team Numskull. I am glad to see them coming into the picture again, even if it was mostly a rehash from when they showed up the first time.

 

[TRNatalie]

I thought the Team Rocket and Bewear scenes in this episode were adorable! It's like a reversal of humans having teddy bears with a bear having two teddy humans and a teddy kitty!