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Review SM138: The Finals! The Strongest Rival Showdown!!

I'm kinda surprised at myself for getting to say this... this was a good battle! Or at least a good start for a battle! Fujisaku, you have surprised me!

My thoughts exactly

By giving Fujisaku a two parter it allows him a nice slice of life first half of this episode seeing Delia and Oak meet Ash, Meltan evolve and Lusamine and Lillie with Gladion without rushing the battle

Pikachu's defeat of Silvally was believable, using the moment of to launch an attack
 
Great battle as always. Melmetal lost to Silvally after taking moves too much that allow Pikachu with an easy win. Now with Zoroark on the line. Hope, for the best to see how Pikachu defeat it.


Overall: A-
 
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Melmetal's defeat wasn't too nonsensical either. And the way how Pikachu beat Silvally with just one move made sense, showing that Melmetal's efforts didn't go to waste.

Just shows out doubts were unfounded on Fujisaku's writing

Have to say, it felt wierd hearing Kenyu Horiuchi voice Professor Oak, its not a complaint just we're used to hearing the late Unshō Ishizuka
 
Well colour me surprised, this actually wasn’t as bad as I was expecting it to be.

Still stinks that Melmetal went down pretty easily but this was a pretty enjoyable first half... let’s just hope the second part can live up (sakuga included).
 
Just shows out doubts were unfounded on Fujisaku's writing

Have to say, it felt wierd hearing Kenyu Horiuchi voice Professor Oak, its not a complaint just we're used to hearing the late Unshō Ishizuka
Yeah. It's unbelievable that Pikachu defeated Sivally so easily. I wonder if the Ending theme Type Wild has been updated to include Ash's new evolved Melmetal.
 
I got a bit sick of Melmetal spamming Double Iron Bash since we got ages of what quickly became stock footage to go with it most of the times it used it, but Pikachu vs. Silvally was actually really good, particularly Pikachu using Electro Web to launch himself and give the attack more momentum. That's how you use environmental aides to your advantage without it being blatant cheating as in the Hapu battle, so I'm glad to see that Fujisaku has learned from that. If the battle next week is as good as Pikachu vs. Silvally was this week Fujisaku might move a step closer to clearing his name of the 'can't write battles' reputation he had earned prior to this point.

I also liked the PokeProblem segment referencing Prof Oak's Pokémon Lecture from way back when.
 
How they allowed ash melmetal into battle. Because ash melmetal is more than one pokemon( combination of meltans).
 
I only have a few nitpicks from an otherwise good episode:
  • There was a lot of reused footage concerning Melmetal; namely the process leading up to its evolution and Ash's spamming of Double Iron Bash. The latter soured the battle for me, between it and Silvally as Ash essentially gave Gladion the keys to understanding Melmetal's type and movement. Which was great for Gladion, but I expected more from Ash and Melmetal than "Daburu Pantsa, Daburu Pantsa, Daburu Pantsa!" It's a fight between a Legendary and Mythical Pokemon, for goodness sake; I don't mind that Melmetal lost to the more experienced Silvally, but it certainly could have gave it a bigger run for its money. It's especially jarring as Ash immediately changes gears when Pikachu hits the field and uses strategy.
  • (Not a nitpick, but I really thought Gladion would have chosen the Ground Memory to hit all of Ash's participating Pokemon super-effectively.)
  • Zoroark disguised as Lycanroc could have lasted longer; it's not everyday Illusion is animated in battle. The novelty wore off very quickly, which undermined the scene for me.
  • Team Rocket & Bewear (especially Bewear) shouldn't have taken up screen-time in this episode; this is the final round and most if not all the animation should focus on such.
Aside from that, I'm looking forward to next week's episode-it looks like there'll be some great fights for Pikachu and Lycanroc. Also, it seems "Finding Mohn" may very well be the last, major arc for the series.
 
How they allowed ash melmetal into battle. Because ash melmetal is more than one pokemon( combination of meltans).
Melmetal is ultimately a single entity, despite being made up of several other species. Just like Magneton and Klink/Klinklang before it.

This is also the Alola League; the rules are the laxest yet as far as an animated Pokemon League is concerned.
 
I suspect the overuse of Double Iron Bash and the associated stock footage may have been budgetary related more than anything else.
 
Welcome to the forums

Its a good question, probably won't happen though as Devolutions aren't common in the anime, Silvally to Type: Null being the exception
Silvally to type Null or vice versa, isn't exactly a traditional evolution though, since it involves the use of human tech to keep its power restrained. Not your general willful Pokevolution.

All right, let's see if I can put my thoughts into a summary.

Pros: Little tidbits foreshadowing Mohn's apparent return seem to be done well. Ash sending out Melmetal against Silvally makes sense due to the legendary/mythical status of both Pokemon and it was ultimately thanks to Melmetal that Pikachu could take out Silvally easily. Not to mention surprising everyone. Also, some nice strategy with using Electroweb as a trampoline while Quick Attacking it, giving it a serious speed boost to guillotine with Iron Tail. No Fujisaku nonsense so far.

Cons: Meltan's evolution felt a bit too rushed, and that time was given to TRio and Bewear/Stufful, at least 2 minutes were wasted in that manner. Also, the way Melmetal went down felt a bit too cheap especially after spamming Double Iron Bash, not a single Harden used. It made the battle feel less impacting considering the high status of both Pokemon. And what happened to Counter-Shield? It would have worked perfectly if it used Thunderbolt + Double Iron Bash.

General Observation: Height inconsistencies were present quite often. The framerate for this episode felt far better than last time though the battle animation, especially Melmetal and his Double Iron Bash, felt a bit weird and blatantly recycled.

Bonus: I see Oak still gets rekt by Pokemon when he becomes too curious, and goes into poetry mode every now and then.

Overall, a decent episode... 7/10, which is surprising given the writer's past. Hope Fujisaku can continue with this in the next one and at least end the league on a good note.
 
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