Review JN044: Sword & Shield III - Mugendina

[Fan of Jarrus]

Leon will not be able to because he is getting blasted.

 

[pokepal_123]

Wow Rose's backstory and motivations are actually better then the confused mess it was in the games it seems.

 

[FinnishPokéFan92]

Wow Rose's backstory and motivations are actually better then the confused mess it was in the games it seems.

He's even got a dead parent as a motivator.

 

[pengugeneral]

This gave me flashbacks about Lysandre using Alain.

 

[Epic Spheal]

My only gripe with the episode is, they should've revealed Sonia to have some Pokémon on hand instead of being a Damsel in Distress. Would've been a neat way to market Boltund, or Frosmoth, or Toxtricity or literally any other Galar Pokémon.

This is a gripe I have a lot of SwSh interations...Sonia's billed as trainer who was at one point a rival of Leon but she's constantly reduced to a damsel. Like I get her not being able to take out Leon's Charizard or something, but it doesn't mean she can't take care of herself.

Perhaps. Though he likely won't get any injuries from that.

I'm pretty sure he is. In the initial teaser trailer for the arc, there's a part where you can here Leon telling people to run and he sounds like he's in pain...

Wow Rose's backstory and motivations are actually better then the confused mess it was in the games it seems.

Exactly! Like I understand that some people are a little annoyed that the way the anime is portraying Rose makes him less nuanced...but I think the simplicity helps to clear up the confusion on who he is a person. Like he has sympathetic reasons but at the same time really shows the flaws in his thinking...

 

[Alola]

Sometimes, the anime adaptations of this series can be substantial.

Rose's adapted backstory is one of those times. While it does not solve all the issues of the Eternatus plot, it does give Rose an understandable motive rather than his "I'm too impatient and my concern will occur several centuries from now; let's summon an abomination and Leon catch it-k thanx bai." I also liked how no-nonsense Leon became as the situation worsened; that bypassing the flustered worker and growing fed up with his incompetence was enjoyable to watch; reminds you of how Galarian Champions are suppose to manage the welfare of their region as one of their duties.

I know I'm beating a dead horse (looks at profile picture...bah dum tss), but I cannot stress enough how much this arc would have benefited from having more time. Although I have various nitpicks (such as how Go has completely eclipsed Sonia's relevance regarding the investigation into Zacian and Zamazenta), I am actually enjoying these episodes; the writers should have given the threat the same buildup they did for XYZ.

I also hope the TRio get their paws on a Dynamax Band; Gigantamax Meowth vs Gigantamax Pikachu should be something we see before this saga concludes. And sheesh-I know Galar is based on Great Britain, which isn't as large as say Unova/The US, but Sonia driving from Stow-On-Side to Postwick to Hammerlocke in span of what can only be an hour? Two? It just broke the immersion for me, reckless driving be damned.

 

[PkmnTrainerV]

Exactly! Like I understand that some people are a little annoyed that the way the anime is portraying Rose makes him less nuanced...but I think the simplicity helps to clear up the confusion on who he is a person. Like he has sympathetic reasons but at the same time really shows the flaws in his thinking...

The game’s story regarding Rose’s motivations being a complete confused mess doesn’t help either. The game story feels like they couldn’t make up their mind on what they want Rose to be exactly, and his motivations sometimes don’t make sense. While the anime is MUCH more clearheaded.

 

[Greninjaman]

What is Rose's motivation in the anime?

 

[Rocket Messiah]

Leon will not be able to because he is getting blasted.

When this arc ends I'm gonna miss your "I love Leon so much that I want him dead " messages...

What is Rose's motivation in the anime?

Pretty much the same of the ones in the games but now he had a reason. His father died during a mining accident. So to avoid that another child becames and orphan like him he decided to end mining galar Particles and decides for Eternatus to gather all of them for him so Leon can catch it at full power so he can control energy for all eternity.

Congrats Pokémon anime. You finally made a villain look better than in the games.

 

[Greninjaman]

Pretty much the same of the ones in the games but now he had a reason. His father died during a mining accident. So in order for not another child to loss his father he decided to end mining galar Particles and decides for Eternatus to gather all of them for him so Leon can catch it at full power so he can control energy for all eternity.

Congrats Pokémon anime. You finally made a villain look better than in the games.

I mean it's still noble. He wants to help people.

 

[Panky..]

• ++ The visuals and animation were far better in this episode than the low effort stuff we've seen in the past 2 episodes, with some 3D camera and even CGI being used. Though compared to the XY or SM, it still doesn't feel up to the mark for a mainline episode. Hopefully they continue to improve in this department going forward. Not really a fan of Max vs. Max battles regardless of visual or writing quality, they come off as slow slogs. I personally prefer a non-Max vs. Max battle in both those categories for the classic David vs. Goliath feel.
• ++ The episode's tone was surprisingly dark throughout. Unlike the games, Rose's depiction, goal and motivation is far more clearer even if the general theme about the energy crisis is the same. Even more, there's the poverty angle as well as his loss during childhood that fuels Rose to maddening lengths with his relatively narrow minded plan. I was completely caught off guard when he flat out admitted that he raised Leon and other trainers like him for the sole purpose of damage control from the unwanted collateral damage of his ambition and to have them capture Eternatus for him. That is just creepy.
• ++ Speaking of the king, Leon was fantastic in this episode with his no-nonsense attitude to the ongoing crisis. He didn't beat about the bush but jumped straight into the action selflessly. It'll be a bit sad too see him shafted in the next episode, provided his segments with Eternatus don't get rushed. In general, the build-up to the climax happened at a decent pace without additional bloated or drawn out events on both Ash's and Goh's ends, including the discovery of the Legend behind the hero who stopped the Darkest Day. I'm just sad that Sobble was non-existent, and Pikachu was picked against Rose instead of Gengar or G-Fetch'd (Riolu makes sense here if it's going to evolve soon). Also lolz at TRio trying to catch an alien god-like entity in a mere paper thin net.
  
  
• - - Let’s get the most obvious issue out of the way right off the bat. Sonia was treated very poorly in this episode and relegated to being more of a Damsel-in-Distress sidekick, and even had the traditional "grab the princess' hand and run" moment. Her role as a researcher/assistant professor is diminished here and someone else ends up doing the 'homework' her grandmother assigned to her. Then there's the fact that she was helpless against two sets of grunts in battle and someone else had to battle on her behalf, despite the backstory implying that it was Sonia who taught Leon about being a trainer and was his rival. What gives? This would have been a really good situation to let her shine and even show some Galar Pokemon in action. This series has handled females poorly.
• - A minor nitpick and probably a personal one, but I dislike how there was absolutely no explanation on how Eternatus went from being a freely roaming enigma in JN012, to suddenly being dormant inside the egg prior to its unhappy awakening. I also dislike how often they kept changing Eternatus' size throughout the episode, often making it look weird and non-threatening at times instead of it being a gigantic behemoth.
  
  
• ~ While this episode was relatively well paced, the concern that others have voiced about the next one are well founded given how many different events are being set up simultaneously for the arc finale. I realistically can’t see a Ash vs. Rose battle, a Riolu evolution, a Goh vs. Oleana battle, a Raboot evolution, TRio dealing with G-Max Meowth, Raihan defeating the Macros grunts, Leon battling Eternatus and being defeated, Ash and Goh facing Eternatus, and it changing into Eternamax, the Wolves’ reawakening, the final confrontation and all the post-crisis events happening in a well paced manner within the span of one episode without more than half of those being borked in a rushed manner. This arc really needed one or two more episodes for a proper conclusion.

A steadfast improvement in the penultimate episode that sets up several strands for the arc finale as they all converge together, it's a 8.5/10 from me.

Congrats Pokémon anime. You finally made a villain look better than in the games.

Uh, Lysandre? He was better portrayed in the anime as well, the respective games' were relatively weak.

 

[Epic Spheal]

Rose's adapted backstory is one of those times. While it does not solve all the issues of the Eternatus plot, it does give Rose an understandable motive rather than his "I'm too impatient and my concern will occur several centuries from now; let's summon an abomination and Leon catch it-k thanx bai." I also liked how no-nonsense Leon became as the situation worsened; that bypassing the flustered worker and growing fed up with his incompetence was enjoyable to watch; reminds you of how Galarian Champions are suppose to manage the welfare of their region as one of their duties.

This. As much as I understand Rose fans feeling like this is validating evil!Rose, this works far better than the games portrayed. It's clearer, and paints a vivid picture which is just as important to story telling as is nuance. Yeah the 'dead father' motive might be an overdone trope but it gets the job done and at the same time better reveals the games idea of Rose having good intentions but not being able to see past his own nose and think of others let alone how to communicate. And I love how this ties back into Leon being a protector of the region without using overused dialogue and actually letting him show frustration (which we don't see until the battle tower). Like seeing Leon being so done with this BS (which I feel like he was in game, but game dictated him to only smile and talk about how unbeatable he is) was so refreshing and realistic.

The game’s story regarding Rose’s motivations being a complete confused mess doesn’t help either. The game story feels like they couldn’t make up their mind on what they want Rose to be exactly, and his motivations sometimes don’t make sense. While the anime is MUCH more clearheaded.

Yup, as much as I love SwSh it had issues with being too subtle when it needed to be explicit, and too explicit that were inconsequential. Rose is a perfect victim of that.

 

[PkmnTrainerV]

Yup, as much as I love SwSh it had issues with being too subtle when it needed to be explicit, and too explicit that were inconsequential. Rose is a perfect victim of that.

Sword and Shield's story can be used to enable people who don’t believe in climate change due to the mix up... I’m so happy the anime isn’t acting drunk when it comes to it.

 

[Fan of Jarrus]

Sword and Shield's story can be used to enable people who don’t believe in climate change due to the mix up... I’m so happy the anime isn’t acting drunk when it comes to it.

It could?

 

[MegaGreninga]

If that large Pokémon Rose said to had revived then who did Ash and Goh saw at ep 12??

I respect Leon when he called out Rose. He is going to capture and seal away Eternatus.

But Leon is going to fail.

What u think
Rose had revived eternatus but who did Ash and Goh saw at ep 12 on the plain

What u think
Rose had revived eternatus but who did Ash and Goh saw at ep 12 on the plain

Also did you notice pikachu didn’t seem to like Rose when he came to greet Ash and Leon

 

[Rocket Messiah]

Uh, Lysandre? He was better portrayed in the anime as well, the respective games' were relatively weak.

Thats true. But after the mess they made with Lusamine...

I think that the anime made Rose some justice.

I mean it's still noble. He wants to help people.

Yes it is. The anime made him more despaired, in the games he was just impatient.

 

[FinnishPokéFan92]

Thats true. But after the mess they made with Lusamine...

I personally prefer anime Lusamine to the Psychomine from Sun and Moon.

 

[PkmnTrainerV]

It could?

Well directly it can’t, but indirectly it showed Rose working towards a legitimate energy issue, but it’s so ridiculously far into the future that it could be used to discredit actions to reverse climate change as working too far into the future.

 

[FinnishPokéFan92]

Well directly it can’t, but indirectly it showed Rose working towards a legitimate energy issue, but it’s so ridiculously far into the future that it could be used to discredit actions to reverse climate change as working too far into the future.

That's also something this episode corrects: instead of Rose wanting to fix a problem a thousand years in the future, he wants the well-being of Galar to last for a thousand years, and while not directly stated how soon, the energy crisis is implied to be much closer than it is in the games.

 

[Johtohfiller]

The scene where Sonia and Go were rushing off in the car with that jazzy number in the background felt like a scene from Cowboy Bebop, nice.

I'm glad that Satoshi didn't just step in and sort Nyasu out - hopefully this means that Musashi, Kojiro and Sonansu can do so themselves.

Am I the only person who felt that Mugendina's CGI animated body was horribly out of place and stuck out like a sore thumb? I cringed every time it came on screen...

The contrast between Sonia's beautifully drawn car and the jarring Mugendina was nuts.

Seriously though, with so many anime going for CG vehicles now seeing a hand-drawn one is a real treat.

I think Sonia should have been the one to put the pieces of the legend together though, that seemed like the usual flaw of giving Go more spotlight than he needs.

Loved TR in this one and I'm glad they'll be in next week's ep too.