Review SM028: The Fierce Pokébase Match! Aim for a Home Run to Turn the Tide!!

[kantoskies]

The animation in this episode proves how good this art style can look when it's actually animated well. I also really enjoyed the variation of the motto this time, it was no EP118 but it was better than nothing. I just wish they had put a bit more effort into getting it to fit with the stock animation instead of the fade they used. And the XY motto music from the Hoopa movie!!! Here's hoping the regular XY motto theme makes an appearance soon.

But seriously, why would they reveal themselves in their regular civvies? Surely this now means that they can no longer wear those disguises?!

The same thing happened before the motto in XY085 and I don't think they ditched those disguises after that.

 

[MarshiyanMisutaa]

The animation in this episode proves how good this art style can look when it's actually animated well.

But it's a different art style.

 

[kantoskies]

This episode used the regular Sun&Moon art style and it was animated well. I wasn't talking about the super-stylized scenes but just the overall episode.

 

[ii kanji]

Oh em gee forgot to say THE MOST IMPORTANT THING: did you kids notice that the Rocket-dan team name was "Team Rocket"?!

The same thing happened before the motto in XY085 and I don't think they ditched those disguises after that.

I think in that episode we were supposed to believe that Kojiro de-robed whilst everyone was distracted by Musashi and that no one made the connection that he and Mr Indecision (or whatever that pseudonym was) were one and the same.

 

[MarshiyanMisutaa]

I wasn't talking about the super-stylized scenes but just the overall episode.

Oh, I thought you were talking about that.

Oh em gee forgot to say THE MOST IMPORTANT THING: did you kids notice that the Rocket-dan team name was "Team Rocket"?!

If I didn't heard it wrong, it was "Rocket Team".

 

[kantoskies]

It would be cool if the dub did the opposite and had them be called the "Rocket Gang" but that doesn't really apply to a baseball parody.

 

[ii kanji]

If I didn't heard it wrong, it was "Rocket Team".

They deffo shout "Team Rocket!" at the end of their huddle before the match.

It would be cool if the dub did the opposite and had them be called the "Rocket Gang" but that doesn't really apply to a baseball parody.

Baseball is American and so are gangs right? West Side Story was basically about the Sharks and the Jets playing baseball against each other wasn't it?! Meowth even used to have a New York accent. These script changes practically write themselves...

 

[Kirby4ever]

It would be cool if the dub did the opposite and had them be called the "Rocket Gang" but that doesn't really apply to a baseball parody.

I don't think that the word gang in a kids would suit well with parents in the US and then they'll flip.

 

[Sakuraa]

As I expected from the start, this episode was hilarious.

I just have to laugh at Olu'olu's Snorlax. It just looks so massively fat, more so than any other Snorlax seen before. The Scyther/strike pun was hilarious. I only wish that they would have done that throughout the episode.I also loved that the kids named their swings and pitches after their Z-moves. It would have been a bit more enjoyable if they did the poses as well. And of course the Oricorio were adorable.

Lana and Popplio were probably my favorite parts of the episode. Seeing Lana imagine that her bat was a fishing rod and destroying Kiawe by getting a home run was awesome. And the move she made later on where she had Popplio use his balloon to catch the ball was amazing. Also Popplio was adorable hitting the ball with just his flipper. Poor guy should have worn a mitt though. Steenee, Mallow, Sophocles, Togedemaru, Lillie and Shiron were adorable with their antics as well, but Lana just stole the show for me. Litten playing around with the baseball was cute too. I kind of wish would would have seen him playing in the game though.

Pulverizing Pancake was just awesome. Seeing it utterly flatten TR's Pokemon was just great. Overall this episode far exceeded my expectations. If only they had done without TR, this episode would have been perfect. 8/10

 

[Mayla]

Whoohoo, let's have more episodes where Team Rocket face the others fair and square without getting completely and unnecessarily clobbered!

What an epic episode. Thought it was great, but the way Musashi repeats "nani kono kanji?!" in the end really sold the humor for me - had a good belly laugh at that point. I'm sure I'll watch it again when the subtitled become available. I wanna know what the hell was up with that motto variation!

 

[kantoskies]

Baseball is American and so are gangs right? West Side Story was basically about the Sharks and the Jets playing baseball against each other wasn't it?! Meowth even used to have a New York accent. These script changes practically write themselves...

Yeah but gangs aren't usually associated with baseball. Then again the dub could change it to make "Pokebase Gangs" a thing? I dunno

I don't think that the word gang in a kids would suit well with parents in the US and then they'll flip.

That's true, and I suspect if there were a reason behind changing the villainous teams from "___ Gang" to "Team ___" when localizing the franchise at all other than "just because" this would be it.

 

[KenzeyEevee]

It wasnt even funny tbh.... And those pokémon face-on human face joke is so stupid.. I am so losing my intrest in this series, it even doesnt remember me to the original series

 

[Kirby4ever]

That's true, and I suspect if there were a reason behind changing the villainous teams from "___ Gang" to "Team ___" when localizing the franchise at all other than "just because" this would be it.

I think the reason why Nintendo of America changed "Rocket gang" into "Team Rocket" and so on in future games is because they might have felt that the word gang wouldn't be appropriate for a rated E game, and that parents wouldn't be happy about the word. Then again, everyone was fine with an early episode called "The Bridge Bike Gang" EP036 - Bulbapedia, the community-driven Pokémon encyclopedia as the English name of the episode. The episode's Japanese title was "あらしのサイクリングロード Stormy Cycling Road" Back in the episode's dub release on October 23, 1998, I don't think people cared too much about the title too much as parents would do now. The word was also used throughout the episode.

Anyways, let's go back on topic of this episode (SM028).

 

[Cresselia92]

The Batter, is that thee…?

Spoiler: The (Bad) Batter

Gotta appreciate the (probably totally inadvertent) OFF's reference.

 

[ii kanji]

Yeah but gangs aren't usually associated with baseball. Then again the dub could change it to make "Pokebase Gangs" a thing? I dunno

(I was joking )

 

[MarshiyanMisutaa]

It would be cool if the dub did the opposite and had them be called the "Rocket Gang" but that doesn't really apply to a baseball parody.

They should give Kojiro's name to James, but this didn't happen.
About the "gang" thing:

Spoiler

This is, like, the most kid friendly show ever.

 

[Unbeatable HoennMon]

Great episode! 9,5/10 (still waiting for TRio's victory).
This series really become better and better.
About episode- good to see TRio...again. I hope we'll see them often.
I'm glad it's not only about Ash again-
It's a great idea to show personaloties of Ash's in this way.
@ii kanji
It reminds me OS too

 

[BigDocFan]

I thought this was a fun episode, Team Rocket weren't that bad, glad they played fair even though Mimikyu tried to destroy Pikachu

 

[SammyW27]

TPCI's gonna have a hell of a time with that Scyther/Strike joke.

Not to mention all the kanji that appears when the team posed to show off their uniforms...

that episode felt like it was written during OS!

Ah heck, ya can say that about a lot of SM episodes .
I don't know if it's because of the Show's anniversary, or if they're going backward when forward failed, but I've been getting an OS vibe from this saga since Day 1.

 

[Gard81]

It was an overall fun episode, I guess. Still not fond of most of the comical faces from the main cast (apart from Kiawe-he actually manages to pull them off splendidly), even less so of the principal's faces+puns. I could tell from the previews that Ash would fare mediocrely at this game (to put it gently), Lana seems like a natural though.