Review JN077: Super Electromagnetic Hyper Class Battle!

[nickdt]

Welp I've given up on Gengar tbh


Ironic considering Grookey loses its tail in its final evolution

It might be an indication it doesn't evolve.

 

[JinksChow]

Wow! I can't believe they actually showed someone from the SwSh games in this episode! I'm pretty sure it's been more than 6 months since the previous one appeared (Opal in JN055)...

Seriously, the writers should show off more characters from the SwSh games. If this goes on, Pokemon Masters EX might even feature more spoken lines from the SwSh characters than the anime (slight exaggeration, but you get my point)

 

[SonansuMan]

I feel somewhat conflicted with this battle overall, but it definitely has to be one of the best animated fights in Journeys so far.

To start, I like that the episode immediately sets up the battle right away to get the most out of the 22 minutes. The quick callbacks with Infernape and Torterra were great to see, and Falkner's design also translated really well into this series. As for the battle itself, the choreography, pacing (around the beginning at least), and speed of it all felt great, and I'm glad they took the time to shine some light on Lucario and Gengar this week. The constant switching throughout the match was also unique and I think it helped make this battle stand out wiith the depth it provided with touches like Electivire getting powered up by Motor Drive. I am disappointed Gengar's first official battle in over FIFTY episodes resulted in it not even taking a single KO, but it still got big damage off beforehand rather than just jobbing so that softens the blow a little However, Lucario being able to turn the tables was great to see though, and I'm glad that it got to have a strong showing here. Only thing I'll say I didn't really enjoy here was the inclusion of Pikachu's Z-Move that allowed Ash to take the match, which made the ending feel largely anticlimactic for me because of how not only did it not follow its own rules with Motor Drive, there hasn't been anything shown to stop Pikachu's Z-Move yet so it cheapens the victory for me.

To wrap this review up though, I am excited by the foreshadowing in this episode, and I'm hyped to see where they'll take Ash vs. Cynthia in the future

OVERALL SCORE:
7/10

 

[L-05308]

I don’t mind Gengar losing but looking at the record:


Dragonite 100% (3/3)

Gengar 25% (1/4)

Lucario 57% (4/7)

Sirfetch’d 67% (2/3)

Dracovish 50% (1/2)


it definitely needs to win it’s next battle!

 

[Keith]

It was Reversal. Considering that Lucario tanked a boosted Rising Voltage and a boosted Hex before using the move, it's no surprise that Reversal did enough damage to knock out Rotom-Fan despite the type resistance.

Ah, thank you!

 

[Rainbow-Rain]

It might be an indication it doesn't evolve.

While in Goh's possession?
Lol keep dreaming

 

[puddleths]

I was looking forward to this one, but this was another letdown.

Iwane always makes for a nice looking episode. Unfortunately, the battle choreography felt stiff and sluggish. A lot of reused animations didn't help.

My biggest gripe, though, is with how the combatants were portrayed. Ash simply looked incompetent compared to Volkner's strategic, calculated battling style, and having the climax be Ash winning through the power of friendship was dissatisfying and aggravating.

And yet, I am the fool. Hooked by the prospective Cynthia battle. I only hope Infernape is used and Pikachu doesn't KO Garchomp with Thunderbolt.

 

[Unireon]

Honestly? I won't be surprised if Ash just uses it on a Ground type without Soaking it first and being able to brute-force his way past type immunity.

Just wait for Pikachu using the Nuke to defeat Shirona's Gaburias in one hit.

 

[90'sPokéfan]

I guess there can be a reason, why previous trainer abandoned Gengar.

@!# Gengar's previous trainer. There is no reason to abandon such loyal pokémon. There even isn't a reason to abandon any Pokémon the way he did period.

 

[Reborn Talonflame]

For one, I’m really glad they just jumped straight into the fight, allowing for full enjoyment and time for every Pokemon to shine. Plus, the mention that there was never really a stoppage added to the intensity

Despite Gengar not getting a win, I’m still happy with the involvement of every Pokemon. It doesn’t really matter if they get a win or not, just if they contribute enough, and Gengar did just that. I mean, Lucario was struggling with Luxray, and Gengar massively helped to take it down, and even had some fun tricks. It’s better than being reduced to a thirty-second fight where they land one hit.
Cough, Cough…Infernape…

Added onto that, Volkner was so fun with all the added gimmicks, whether that was utilising all his Pokemon, the fact we actually had several switches like an actual professional battle, or simply trying to adjust to Ash’s team. Some may say that Ash should have been depicted more strategical, rather than the power of friendship type vibe, but, that’s what won him the Sinnoh Gym-Battle between the two last time - hugging Infernape to control Blaze, whilst Volkner was outclassing Ash tactically. I see nothing wrong really, Ash was still clever with the switches, so I’m fine with that as well.

However…that bypassing of Motor Drive is just completely stupid. I won’t let it take away from a great fight, but seriously? Yes, in REAL LIFE that would happen, but not in this world!
Maybe I should just accept the fact the anime has never really followed the games 100%, so, again, I won’t let this ruin the battle.

This is what I’ve wanted from the battles in Journeys, and it delivered. Yes, it had something stupid, but none-the-less, it was great to watch. Finally, YES. Cynthia! The battle I’ve always wanted!

 

[Unireon]

The Power of Friendship is one of the few power-ups that I actually despise.

One should strive to get stronger, not wait for it to kick off.

Denji's Curse strikes again, Gengar is the de-facto punching bag this series.

Edit: Though, I'm gonna admit that my favourite is 'The Power of Love'.

 

[VetProf]

I have mixed feelings regarding how 10M Volt Thunderbolt was used in this battle.

On one hand, the anime has shown in the past that Electric-type Pokemon can get overloaded with electricity and get harmed in the process. We've seen this happen to Pikachu several times in past seasons, for example. Sure, we've never seen this happen to an Electric-type Pokemon that should be immune to Electric-type attacks before, but I'm guessing that just means a lot more electricity is needed to overload it. Like, y'know, maybe by using an Electric-type attack that's basically a nuke. Honestly, I don't think 10M Volt Thunderbolt breaking through Motor Drive is too dumb if we go by anime logic. It's less believable than the Soak thing that Ash did in his battle against Hapu, but it's still better than Thunder Armor.

On the other hand, this feels like a situation that could've been easily avoided in the first place. Why did Ash bring an Electric-type Z-crystal to a battle against an Electric-type specialist, especially one who he knows has an Electric-immune Pokemon? Why didn't he bring his Normalium-Z or Steelium-Z instead? Heck, if the writers really wanted to show off 10M Volt Thunderbolt, then why did they pit Ash against an Electric-type specialist to begin with? There's many other Sinnoh trainers that the writers could've brought back instead so that we wouldn't have to suspend our disbelief by watching Ash use a Z-move to brute force his way through an immunity.

Anyway, that aside, the battle was pretty good. Great animation, great strategies, and non of the Pokemon involved in the fight felt like jobbers (even Gengar contributed quite a bit in the battle). I'm absolutely looking forward to what they're planning to do with Cynthia.

 

[Craiden]

I have mixed feelings regarding how 10M Volt Thunderbolt was used in this battle.

On one hand, the anime has shown in the past that Electric-type Pokemon can get overloaded with electricity and get harmed in the process. We've seen this happen to Pikachu several times in past seasons, for example. Sure, we've never seen this happen to an Electric-type Pokemon that should be immune to Electric-type attacks before, but I'm guessing that just means a lot more electricity is needed to overload it. Like, y'know, maybe by using an Electric-type attack that's basically a nuke. Honestly, I don't think 10M Volt Thunderbolt breaking through Motor Drive is too dumb if we go by anime logic. It's less believable than the Soak thing that Ash did in his battle against Hapu, but it's still better than Thunder Armor.

On the other hand, this feels like a situation that could've been easily avoided in the first place. Why did Ash bring an Electric-type Z-crystal to a battle against an Electric-type specialist, especially one who he knows has an Electric-immune Pokemon? Why didn't he bring his Normalium-Z or Steelium-Z instead? Heck, if the writers really wanted to show off 10M Volt Thunderbolt, then why did they pit Ash against an Electric-type specialist to begin with? There's many other Sinnoh trainers that the writers could've brought back instead so that we wouldn't have to suspend our disbelief by watching Ash use a Z-move to brute force his way through an immunity.

Anyway, that aside, the battle was pretty good. Great animation, great strategies, and non of the Pokemon involved in the fight felt like jobbers (even Gengar contributed quite a bit in the battle). I'm absolutely looking forward to what they're planning to do with Cynthia.

Yeah, while I wanted to see the Z-Move (once we learned it'd be there) doing exactly what it did (especially after Zapdos and Moltres), there are other issues for people to fairly criticize regarding the decision to begin with, and Z-Moves in general. Also agree that the battle outside of that stuff was pretty good.

 

[thomaswiencek]

Say, guys. I know that Ash's Torterra and Infernape appeared in a flashback of his Gym Battle against Volkner in this episode? So, do you think that Shin-ichiro Miki and Yūji Ueda reprised their voice role as Ash's Torterra and Infernape in this episode, or that their voice recording had been archived for their voice roles as them in this episode, or was this flashback voiceless?

 

[Unireon]

Say, guys. I know that Ash's Torterra and Infernape appeared in a flashback of his Gym Battle against Volkner in this episode? So, do you think that Shin-ichiro Miki and Yūji Ueda reprised their voice role as Ash's Torterra and Infernape in this episode, or that their voice recording had been archived for their voice roles as them in this episode, or was this flashback voiceless?

They appeared as still figures, just standing there.

That kind of flashback is the norm for Anipoke.

 

[DarkraiKnight]

Heck, if the writers really wanted to show off 10M Volt Thunderbolt, then why did they pit Ash against an Electric-type specialist to begin with? There's many other Sinnoh trainers that the writers could've brought back instead so that we wouldn't have to suspend our disbelief by watching Ash use a Z-move to brute force his way through an immunity.

Either a) because as an Electric-type specialist, Volkner would love to see the ultimate Electric-type Z-move, b) because of theming, or c) to aggravate the viewers, because almost every Journeys episode has at least one thing that pisses people off. (Ok, that last one’s obviously a joke, but seriously, have there been any episodes which are universally considered great in this series?)

 

[Reborn Talonflame]

(Ok, that last one’s obviously a joke, but seriously, have there been any episodes which are universally considered great in this series?)

I say this as someone who’s thoroughly enjoyed about five episodes in the past year of watching Journeys, Korrina’s Rematch, Eating Contest, Leon’s Battles, and maybe the Ditto episode. This episode I think scrapped by into this category, for me at least. That’s about it. I’m not nickpicking either, I just think the others have problems in terms of pacing, plot interest, or genuine holes in the writing

 

[Max1996]

Either a) because as an Electric-type specialist, Volkner would love to see the ultimate Electric-type Z-move, b) because of theming, or c) to aggravate the viewers, because almost every Journeys episode has at least one thing that pisses people off. (Ok, that last one’s obviously a joke, but seriously, have there been any episodes which are universally considered great in this series?)

Subs aren't out, but I feel like option A is actually implied in this episode.

 

[BlueLugger]

Review:

Pros:

• The rematch of Ash and Volkner.
• The return of Ash's Z-Power Ring and Pikashunium Z, and Ash and Pikachu performing the fantastic 10,000,000 Volt Thunder Bolt once again since the Sun and Moon saga.
• The use of switching out looked tactical.

Cons:

• The fact that Gengar lost - AGAIN - left a bad taste in my mouth...
• Electivire with MOTOR DRIVE of all things not surviving an Electric-Type Z-Move defies the logic of the games since Gen IV.

 

[ehh123]

Great looking episode!

checks credits

Yep, Asada and Iwane.