Review XY131: Kalos League Victory! Satoshi's Ultimate Match!!

[~ Blazing White Yang]

This is part of why I didn't want Alain competing. He's clearly on another level as a trainer, and him joining the Kalos League was at the last possible mniute. The warning signs were there.

And seeing the ending to the episode, I feel all the more that he's probably going to give Ash the trophy after seeing everything that he's had a hand in bringing about.

 

[UxieLover1994]

Apparently this episode was written by the same writer who did Ash vs Cameron, and we all know how much of a steaming turd that one was.

Lesson of the week: Don't underestimate your anime fanbase.

Amen to that. They've learned nothing from M16 about ignoring fans and treating them like preschoolers.

 

[LuxrayOfTheWild]

Alain beating Ash wasn't anything like losing to a complete moron who only had 5 Pokemon, but than Charizard is probably more OP that Tobias' Darkrai or just as OP, which is why I am not okay with Alain winning. Also his perfect win streak. If he ACTUALLY lost battles, I would have been more okay, but no. He's been shown to be too perfect as a trainer and he should not have been in the league.

 

[KrisiChiki]

I really wanted Ash to win, but I wasn't completely expecting him to do so. I'm not really mad at his loss. In the end, status quo is status quo.

However, I'm bothered by Alain's character. As of now, Alain has established himself as ridiculously overpowered and I have lost every bit of interest in him. I honestly don't care what happens to Alain next, and I almost can't wait for the series to end so that I won't have to see him again. I guess there is a small chance the upcoming Team Flare arc could put him in a better light, but I highly doubt it will make me dislike him any less. I love Mairin, and Alain's motivation to win in order to protect her (along with the other things he cares about) is really sweet. Alas, that doesn't justify writing Alain this way.

On another note, I guess this can be a lesson for aspiring authors on how not to write a character and how not to being a story. I know the Pokemon anime is about the journey, not the journey's conclusion. I wholeheartedly agree with that. You can't really fault people for being mad though, especially after the amount of teases we got. Plus, no matter how you put it, it is pretty disappointing to see a character you're rooting for lose the Pokemon League over and over again, especially after the writers built things up. After all, this win wouldn't have come out of nowhere considering how competent Ash has been, that along with Ash-Greninja being a thing.

Anyway, I guess the Team Flare arc will make or completely break this saga. I don't think this is the anime's end, but if even the Japanese fans are angry over this, then it might be time for the people in charge of the anime to get a hint.

 

[Lucifer Angel]

While I did enjoy the battle between Ash Greninja and Mega Charzard X. I'm also disappointed that Ash lost yet again it seemed that all signs pointed to him winning this. Yet the writers screwed him over again by making hime lose. What's so bad that they can't make him win one blasted league?

 

[Jaye]

Alain was better than Trollbias, at least, in as much that he had a background and we knew what was at stake for him before he entered the tournament. How he entered the tournament could have been handled a lot better, but his existence wasn't based on the writers' need to have someone defeat Ash (even if he ended up serving that purpose anyway).

It just doesn't help that he's a totally boring character. I think him winning would have been tolerable if he were a more sympathetic character and the stakes were higher for him. Then they'd be playing off two characters the audience wants to root for and suddenly the battle takes on a new level of meaning. As it was, we never really saw him snap under any pressure or struggle, and that's why, for me at least, he was so uninteresting.

 

[ian.settlemyer.5]

None of you should feel too bad about Ash. At least he broke the record for league progress.

 

[HumanDawn]

Alain was better than Trollbias, at least, in as much that he had a background and we knew what was at stake for him before he entered the tournament. How he entered the tournament could have been handled a lot better, but his existence wasn't based on the writers' need to have someone defeat Ash (even if he ended up serving that purpose anyway).

It just doesn't help that he's a totally boring character. I think him winning would have been tolerable if he were a more sympathetic character and the stakes were higher for him. Then they'd be playing off two characters the audience wants to root for and suddenly the battle takes on a new level of meaning. As it was, we never really saw him snap under any pressure or struggle, and that's why, for me at least, he was so uninteresting.

It also doesn't help that the dialogue was just about having fun with Ash... No drama, just a final battle between two powerhouses.

I heard there should be some new Pokemon news coming out in a few hours from Gamescon, so maybe that will make Pokemon fans focus on something else.

 

[Dogasu]

I don't care whether Satoshi wins or loses a league. Pocket Monsters has always, always been more about the journey than the destination, and when I look back on XY(&Z) years from now I'm going to remember the 3+ years leading up to the league more than I'm going to remember the league itself. A single battle at the tail end of the series doesn't somehow make the enjoyment I've felt all these years go away.

 

[Kriatopher Brown]

I...I don't know what too say, this was ash moment, it they just threw it away. all the battle ash and alain why just to make the point that alain was the better traner. what the point of alin just to find a way for ASH TO LOSE. I know it was my fault for getting myself hyped up, but DID YOU NOT SEE THE SIZE OF THE WATER SHUIRKEN. I'm really disappointed with the pokemon anime , more than i ever felt before.

 

[ii kanji]

 

[Mitchman]

Salty as hell right now. Going to get over it some day, but that day is not today. All he had to do was use that giant shuriken in the ground like the smaller one, and boom he had it. Charizard should not have been standing at that pint, Pikachu and Greninja were chipping away at his health ffs.

 

[Gengarzilla]

Maybe someone could check 2ch and the #anipoke hashtag? I've heard about as much.

According the the anipoke hashtag, Alain is now public enemy number one. They're annoyed, alright.

 

[Mitchman]

Forgot to mention one thing, Satoshi with no official wins against Alain is some mighty bull. Especjally considering how this was his goal, not Alain's. God damn it.

 

[JacobYBM]

Salty, but considering the person who was writing the bloody episode, I really shouldn't be surprised.
Battle was great though, so that's a plus.
Anyway, looking forward to the Team Flare arc now.

Fujita Shinzou just does what he is told. If he doesn't his script is changed by someone else. The plot is developed by the producer, series director and series composer (head writer). Normally the series director would have absolute authority over a series but Pokemon is a huge franchise series, so he's probably got his hands tied just as much.

 

[Garren]

I don't care whether Satoshi wins or loses a league. Pocket Monsters has always, always been more about the journey than the destination, and when I look back on XY(&Z) years from now I'm going to remember the 3+ years leading up to the league more than I'm going to remember the league itself. A single battle at the tail end of the series doesn't somehow make the enjoyment I've felt all these years go away.

But Ash lost and didn't win the trophy.

 

[p0pp1i0D3f3nd3r]

This is part of why I didn't want Alain competing. He's clearly on another level as a trainer, and him joining the Kalos League was at the last possible mniute. The warning signs were there.

And seeing the ending to the episode, I feel all the more that he's probably going to give Ash the trophy after seeing everything that he's had a hand in bringing about.

I Sure HOPE that Ash ends up with the trophy!!! ^_^

 

[JacobYBM]

The League loses are an exercise in creative storytelling. The production staff isn't allowed to let Satoshi win, so they have to constantly come up with interesting new ways for him to lose. "A Nyarth in boots!" "Two legendary Pokémon, one of which he defeats and the other which he ties with!" "A complete idiot, since we can't have him win anyway!" "A guy manipulated by the Flare Gang and is drawn to Satoshi because battling him is the only fun he ever has anymore!"

 

[Thanos]

I expected this to happen, you guys believed that he was going to win too much, and obviously got disappointed, I see no reason why GF will let Ash win, until the anime is dead, and no one is watching it.

 

[p0pp1i0D3f3nd3r]

Anyone who has followed this show for a long time shouldn't be surprised by this outcome, although I have to say that taking Ash as close as he could possibly be to winning, only to have him not win in the end is a crappy thing to do in this type of show

I Whole-Heartedly Agree; WHY DOES GAMEFREAK CONSTANTLY WANT ASH TO LOSE!?!?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!!??!?!?!?!?! IT'S NOT LIKE HIM WINNING A LEAGUE WILL END THE SHOW, HE CAN STILL MOVE ONTO OTHER REGIONS; SINCE HIS GOAL IS TO BECOME A POKEMON MASTER, NOT A CHAMPION OF A SINGLE REGION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!