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Review SM144: Alola's Strongest Z! Kapu-Kokeko VS Pikachu!!

Okay, here I finally am, more than a little late, but it's high time I at last give my two cents on this episode.
stock-photo-two-shiny-new-pennies-on-wood-background-macro-with-extremely-shallow-dof-concept-two-cents-23504854.jpg

And now that we've gotten that obvious pun out of the way, let's move on!

The Naganadel battle was shorter than I maybe would have liked, but it was still extremely well animated, and Naganadel actually managed to land a hit or two on Koko before going down. If that's not going down with style, I don't know what is!

And the Pikachu vs. Tapu Koko battle... When that match reached its climax, the animation and writing qualities somehow jumped up into the stratosphere in a matter of seconds. Especially that camera pan from Ash to Kukui as the Z-Moves clashed was pure gold. This was a perfect conclusion to this already great battle! 11/10 and A+, it was just pure awesomeness on every imaginable level!

 
Okay, so, before I begin my review, I have a question. Is the "Save Draft" option supposed to save the post even after I log out or not? 'Cause the first half of my review that I wrote and saved on Monday suddenly disappeared when I logged in a couple of day ago and I don't understand why that happened.

Anyways, onto the review. So, before I decide to go over the less... praiseful stuff about the episode, I'll start with the positives.

The animation was just incredible. It was outstanding, it was breathtaking, it was extraordinary, it was amazing, it was magnificent, it was... yeah, I think you get the idea. Sufficient to say that, in terms of animation, this was the best battle in the history of this series, period. I really can't praise it enough. This is what every Sun & Moon battle should've looked like. This is what the entire series should've been about. Fast-paced, action-packed battles featuring creative strategies, the kind of which you'd never be able to see in the games (outside of maybe Pokkén Tournament). It kind of reminded me of the battles in XY and how amazing-looking they were (man, I miss that series). All that was missing was a fleshed-out rivalry that received a lot of focus over the course of the series à la Diamond & Pearl and this would've been perfection itself. Moving on, the classmates and their Pokémon not acting like they're a bunch of emotionless logs and actually reacting to what was going on, like them being overjoyed and excited when Ash won, was also great to see, though I do wish that we would've seen more of the Pokémon's reactions to this (since they were only shown at the end). The writers actually having the foresight to realize that Kukui and Ash using their Z-moves again wouldn't make sense, after already having used them in this battle, and them coming up with an explanation as to why and how that happens, by having the Tapus share their power and recharging the Z-rings, was a unexpected, yet pleasant surprise (though I don't approve of them using a plot contrivance/Deus Ex Machina to explain it (more on that later)). As for the Z-move clash, it was grandious, very intense and quite exceptional (though that doesn't justify the use of a Deus Ex Machina in order to have this happen (again, more on that later)), the Guardian of Alola was incredibly animated and received all the glory it deserved (and I also like that they actually animated it as an energy object just like in the games, unlike Incineroar's Z-move, which, unlike the games, was shown being used not via a energy ring created by the Z-move, but rather via the ring from the Battle Royal Dome (which appeared even when used outside said dome)), and the flashbacks to all of Ash's adventures in Alola was a nice touch. Also, that Dragon Ball reference was pretty cool. And that's about where all of my positives end (I'd also talk about voice acting or the music, but since I usually watch these on mute, soo...). Now, let's talk about the mediocre/bad stuff about this episode.

First off, Tapu Koko butting in to take the place of Kukui's sixth Pokémon. It's still as stupid and annoying as before. But I've already covered this topic before on the previous threads, so I'll just focus on this one thing: an excuse I've heard for why the Tapu Koko vs Pikachu match had to happen during the league was that it benefits from taking place in the Alola League's stadium rather than the Ruins of Conflict. But, having seen the episode, I don't agree with that. Outside of the classmates, Kukui and Hala, none of the other characters reacted to this (outside of the Aether guys and the cameos from Hau and Gladion, but, let's be honest, cutting Faba's fanboyism and Wicke's bland "I feel the romanticism in the air!" lines wouldn't have affected the battle, while the rivals' cameos also didn't have that huge of an impact) and these characters could've been present for the battle, whether it took palce in a stadium or a forest. Not to mention that the writers wouldn't have had to rush any kind of battle with Naganadel to get to Pikachu's fight. Speaking of: second off, Naganadel's defeat. I can't help but feel that this battle was way too short. All Nagandel manged to do (outside of getting hit by two Dazzling Gleams) was to hit Tapu Koko with X-Scissor after that Dragon Pulse misdirection, before being knocked out by a supposedly ineffective Discharge. And, just like Panky mentioned, it was disappointing that they didn't even touch upon the type chart and how it would/could affect the battle (outside of that one comment from Rotom) and it's kind of weird that Naganadel, the guy who managed to defeat Sinnoh's poster boy, was defeated so quickly (and with a move that shouldn't have had that much of an effect on it, to boot). Also, kind of weird how that short moment of Tapu Koko not listening to Kukui and it choosing to use Steel Wing instead of dodging didn't lead to anything. Was expecting it to lead to Kukui not being able to command Tapu Koko, as it didn't want to listen to his commands, but nope, it went nowhere. Other then those two, there's also the fact that Delia and Oak were suddenly in a hurry to leave as soon as Ash won his battle (as well as the fact that that moment was relegated to a Poké Problem bonus scene, meaning that it will never appear in the dub). Also found it weird that Guardian of Alola, a Z-move that's acknowledged within the anime to be a powerful, sacred move that was last used by a great hero in a time of crisis was used for the first time since (apparently) ancient times, was used during an exhibition match and not in a time of need (like during the Necrozma arc or the Guzzlord invasion).

And now, I saved the "best" for last. Firstly, the Guardian deities coming and powering up Kukui and Ash's Z-crystals. At first, it seemed like a good way of explaining a second Z-move clash within the same battle. But I don't remember it being established that they could do that. And, if they could, then why didn't they do that when people needed it (like during the Necrozma arc, when all of the Z-Power and Ultra Aura from the Alola region was being absorbed by Necrozma). It feels very contrived that, when the plot demands a second Z-move clash, the Tapus conveniently reveal that they can recharge Z-moves when they want to. Almost feels like a Deus Ex Machina (though I'm not really sure if it classifies as one). Secondly, there's the Pikashunium Z. This has got to be one of the most egregious, most blatant uses of a Deus Ex Machina that I've seen in a long time. One hundred and forty-four episodes in and we still have no explanation for why or how it happens and it continues to be used whenever Ash's in a pickle and needs a quick get-out-of-jail-free card. Yes, the Z-move clash was outstandingly epic and grand. But it being incredible aesthetically doesn't excuse the fact that we had to have another Ash Pull in order to have it happen. Though, I'll be fair and say that this isn't a problem exclusive to this episode, but rather to the entire series, as the writers have had multiple opportunities to go deep into it and explain its ins and outs, but they just chose not just so they could dedicate entire episodes to slice of life buffoonery, so I'll try not to hold it to much against this episode.

So, overall, the animation was the best in this series and probably counts among some of the best episodes from the entire anime based solely on its animation, but, other than that, the episode was pretty mediocre. Still somewhat better than the rest of SM.
 
Okay, so, before I begin my review, I have a question. Is the "Save Draft" option supposed to save the post even after I log out or not? 'Cause the first half of my review that I wrote and saved on Monday suddenly disappeared when I logged in a couple of day ago and I don't understand why that happened.
I've seen some of my drafts disappearing without me logging out. I think it's just that drafts are automatically deleted after a couple days if they're not posted.
 
I'm still mildly annoyed that we didn't get a main-stay Incenroar until the very end of the series, but I'm still glad it happened. But that said, I love Tapu Koko, It's so cute...and vicious. Seriously, that dude straight up bitch slapped Kukui's last Pokemon out of his hand!
 
I'm still mildly annoyed that we didn't get a main-stay Incenroar until the very end of the series, but I'm still glad it happened. But that said, I love Tapu Koko, It's so cute...and vicious. Seriously, that dude straight up bitch slapped Kukui's last Pokemon out of his hand!

Remember when it gave Gladion a death stare back in SM052 when he tried to rush it and the other tapus? That moment was so hilarious.
 
Because of need for potentiall defence of his homeworld?
I hope they follow up on the fact Naganadel sent a Guzzlord back through the wormhole it came out of after its original wormhole closed

"Yay, I helped Ash win the league, time to go home to my friends and family!"
returns to utter desolation
"...You think I'd have learned from the Ultra Guardians missions I went on, but NOPE."
 
Yo I wasn't able to watch this episode on time because my whole country is suddenly on the verge of collapse and we've been going against armed forces but anyways here goes.

My one and only problem with this whole thing was the way Tapu Koko influenced the battle.

He mainly treated Kukui like a tool to battle Ash and Pikachu, IMO it should've been played like Kukui was chosen by Tapu Koko as worthy of commanding it, given how an amazing Trainer he is and how this whole event was possible thanks to him. It would've been a nice development for Kukui and would've also followed up Hala's observations and flashbacks to Kukui's childhood that happened in Part 2.

I didn't like much how Tapu Koko granted them Z-Power at the end so they would immediately use their Z-Moves either. This should've happened before the Tapu Koko vs. Pikachu segment begun, so that the choice to use the moves came from the Trainers rather than the Tapu. I guess I just don't like how Tapu Koko was kinda scripting this battle as it went on.

But that aside, this is easily the best battle in my memory. I haven't rewatched stuff like Ash vs. Paul or Ash vs. Sawyer in a long time, but I'm sure it's right up there among those. Nicolas721 summed up pretty well the same good things I was going to say, I loved the 5-minute long Z-Move sequence. The "foce of Alola" is the kind of thing that sounds natural for a climax despite never having been mentioned before. And I love how it played like an internal conversation between Ash and Pikachu and not something that actually happened in real time.

The animation was superb too, but that was to be expected so there's not much I could add about it at this point. I liked how the electricity coming out of Tapu Koko also affected the shading on it, that's something you almost never get to see. There was also FINALLY some 3D camera work, and I noticed they hand-drew the battlefield's surroundings specifically for it. Also, I noticed they fixed some of the details on the 1,000,000 Volt Thunderbolt animation (such as the movement of the ground being a lot smoother than the previous times they used the animation), and they also completely re-did the clouds, which was the weakest part of the original animation IMO.

On a related note, I'm really glad that Ash following the movements of his own Pokémon wasn't dropped after Greninja left. That tiny detail symbolized an important character development for him (alongside another detail, which is Pikachu predicting Ash's move commands), so it's nice to see they still do that from time to time.
 
This was a truly spectacular episode and battle! This felt like the real final to me.

Overall this was:
The best battle in SM
The best conclusion for a league arc
The best battle Ash and Pikachu have fought against an opponent
One of the best battles in the series

Animation
The animation in this episode was absolutely incredible, the list of animators who have worked on this episode is insane! For me, the Z-move clash is the best animated scene in the entire series.

Music
One underrated aspect of this episode was the bgm playing when Rotom said Ash had won and everyone was celebrating. If I remember correctly, it's the ''Victory! Island Trial Complete'' music. What a beautiful masterpiece of music. I haven't heard it in earlier SM episodes, so maybe this is the last tune Miyazaki has made for Pokemon. The tune fits so well with the ambiance during that moment. It reminds me of moments when ''I got a victory badge'' was playing in OS, this theme brings a very similar feeling.

One little nitpick: I didn't like the moments where there was no music playing during action scenes, imo they could have used some underused themes like ''Vs Solgaleo/Lunala'' or the Ultra Beast theme (very fitting for Tapu Koko vs Naganadel).

Some other things
  • I felt like Ash and Kukui could have talked with each other all day on the battle field, they had so much fun exchanging thoughts and feelings about the battle and the league
  • Ash smiling after using Dragon Pulse was a clever way of telling us this was a strategy
  • Getting behind the opponent is the main strategy Ash used during the battle with Kukui and maybe within the league (seriously, Naganedel did this against Lucario and Tapu Koko, Pikachu also against Tapu Koko). Makes sense, because Ash likes to use Pokemon who are fast.

10/10
 
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