Review S16 EP34: The Path That Leads to Goodbye!

[Sneazy Sneasel]

BW131 - Bulbapedia, the community-driven Pokémon encyclopedia

Please keep all spoilers for future events in spoiler tags.


Edit: Can Somebody pin this please?

 

[DracoMan]

Re: BW131: The Path That Leads to Goodbye!

When this ep started, it took me a moment to realize it was In media res.

Normally, I'd be glad to see Ash calling Iris out on her habit of calling him a kid, but Cilan's flashback shows he was being childish, and ultimately so was she. This was an Idiot Plot brought on with a Conflict Ball. (Yes, TVTropes has enhanced my life.)

Examples: Axew screwing up Ash's battle with Dunsparce was an accident, as was Ash knocking Iris' flower out of her hair, leading to its destruction. As for the bitter berry, they all looked exactly alike, so Ash can't really be faulted for giving Iris the one bad bit of fruit. So, yeah, they were both little kids. And it's not like they could even attribute the fight to tensions that were rising in prior eps. TPTB just wanted to bring in some drama, and they screwed up.

Meowth must've been itching to break the fourth wall. Why else would he give us a flashback to explain the TRio doing what they always do? Oddly, J&J lost their sensitivity to said wall.

 

[Aamir]

Pretty good episode, not bad.

 

[Meowstic]

I think the reason TPCi switched back to the opening for the N Saga is probably because they used some footage in the Decolore Islands Saga opening that they didn't have rights to or something so they had to change it.

 

[Ben 10]

Personally the argument was pretty childish and kinda dumb. This episode could have been much better had it been Ash being fed up with Iris's insults and leaving her in the dust so that she would be forced to apologize.

 

[Sakuraa]

So here it is. I episode I can't stand.

First of all, Iris is so annoying in the beginning. Getting all excited about flowers. (What a kid) Then forgetting Dunsparce's name a few seconds after the Pokedex said it and talking really loud. Then getting all mad when Ash accidentally knocked out her flowers and fell on them. Oh and saying Ash got her a bitter berry (apple) on purpose to get back at her. As if Ash could tell what it tasted like before he picked it. Throwing the berry (apple) at him and calling him a baby. My gosh I can't stand this girl. Not that Ash was any better; getting mad at Axew for accidentally bumping into Pikachu, when he did the same thing to Iris.

However, I did like Ash telling off Iris. He doesn't do it nearly as much as he should.

Meowth was hilarious breaking the fourth wall. Not to mention that freeze frame after catching Pikachu and Scraggy.

I thought that Charizard looked so out of place being worried about Iris and Axew. (Probably because he hasn't known them as long as the others) I also thought it was funny how Cilan and Snivy were just standing so nonchalantly after waking Ash up and telling him that Pikachu and Scraggy were gone as if everything were normal.

Then the predictable happens and Iris decides to save Ash's Pokémon when he and Cilan are captured. The ending was okay. Certainly different than usual.

Honestly, the only thing good about this episode was that it was really different than the past "Ash fights with female" episodes. Meowth was hilarious and the dinner scene was pretty good. Everything else I found totally annoying. 5/10.

 

[Necrozma]

Personally the argument was pretty childish and kinda dumb. This episode could have been much better had it been Ash being fed up with Iris's insults and leaving her in the dust so that she would be forced to apologize.

That would be out of character for him. And I wasn't aware Iris's catchphrase was meant to be taken as an insult.

 

[Gabo2oo]

The TPCi dub staff were probably celebrating how few BGM were in this episode, so they could fill everything with their own tracks without even bothering to delete the Japanese ones. The problem is that the short music that introduces Cilan's flashbacks sounds a little weird with another track playing at the same time. I liked Axew and Ash's voices, Iris sounded a little too high-pitched at times but that's her voice anyway. It's also weird hearing Dunsparce saying 'kocchi 'kocchi, but oh well...

Also, I know this could go in the caption the screenshots thread but since it's related to the dub...

Spoiler

These berries are great! Jelly-filled are my favorite! Nothing beats a jelly-filled berry!

 

[Darth Darkrai]

This was Probably Sara Natochenny and Eileen Stevens Best Performances in a while I Think and Jason Griffith Stole the Show and Meowth was Funny and Good Comic Relief.
Too Bad this was the Last Episode with Axew and Scraggy's Bro Love for each other because I did Like it.
Dunsparce FLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGG AWAY WAS SO AWESOME AND FREACKING Hilarious

I Give this Episode a 9.9 because I was VERY Entertained and I Loved this Episode in the Japanese Version as Well.

 

[YamiiDenryuu]

Those berries would appear to be apples.

I actually liked this episode. The alternate format with Cilan and Meowth narrating was interesting to see, and it would be great if this series would do more experiments like that. The story itself was sweet with some very nice melancholy moments (that scene where it started raining aaa), and Ash's Pokemon (mainly Scraggy and Snivy, who have the closest ties to Iris) were great too. Yeah, their argument was childish, but they're children. It kinda comes with the territory.

 

[DracoMan]

Personally the argument was pretty childish and kinda dumb. This episode could have been much better had it been Ash being fed up with Iris's insults and leaving her in the dust so that she would be forced to apologize.

That would be out of character for him. And I wasn't aware Iris's catchphrase was meant to be taken as an insult.

At the very least, its overuse is very annoying. And I think Ash has called her on it at least once, when she was being about as childish.

 

[Sweet Veil]

At the very least, its overuse is very annoying. And I think Ash has called her on it at least once, when she was being about as childish.

I thought it was a gag like what Max and Misty did with making fun of Ash at times and respecting him at others, not something meant to be taken seriously. Then again it's the general consensus for this forum to take the gag seriously so my argument and posts concerning it have about as much validity(And presence) as air itself.

 

[megaevolvedmushroom]

So, TPCi mistook apples for berries...and I don't really care

Decent episode, but I thought Ash could have came up with better comebacks.

I liked Cilan's narration, though.

 

[Moe]

So, TPCi mistook apples for berries...and I don't really care

I don't think they've ever called them apples, though they often just say 'fruit' instead of naming them specifically.

It's also how they can explain this:

 

[DracoMan]

At the very least, its overuse is very annoying. And I think Ash has called her on it at least once, when she was being about as childish.

I thought it was a gag like what Max and Misty did with making fun of Ash at times and respecting him at others, not something meant to be taken seriously. Then again it's the general consensus for this forum to take the gag seriously so my argument and posts concerning it have about as much validity(And presence) as air itself.

The idea is that any gag gets old when used too many times, like Iris calling Ash a kid. Not to mention that's just about all she says when making fun of Ash. Other characters at least had originality (especially Misty).

 

[Queen Cynthia]

I'd call this an ok episode.
While I liked the message that was being conveyed, namely that petty disagreements can quickly turn into big arguments for no reason (something we can also observe in real life pretty frequently), I think they could have come up with a better and more creative explanation for all this. Destroying flowers (unintentionally!) and giving somebody bitter fruit (unintentionally!) isn't really a plausible reason for two good friends to end a friendship that has grown over many months.
Speaking of the argument, I was on Ash's side to be honest. Although I don't like Dunsparce and don't think that it would have been a good Pokemon for him (Why does he need it in the first place?), I would probably have reacted in the same way if I want a Pokemon really badly. I imagine getting mad when somebody destroys my chance to catch a Gible, for example.

By the way, does anybody agree with me that Charizard has been looking so completely out of place recently? What did Ash bring it back for? Just to have it sit around and do nothing? If at least he would do some serious(!) training with him. The way things are at the moment, I'm convinced it would have been more helpful for Charizard if he had stayed in Charicific Valley.

Anyways, as I said before the episode could have been better in some aspects but all in all, it was ok.

 

[Sweet Veil]

The idea is that any gag gets old when used too many times, like Iris calling Ash a kid. Not to mention that's just about all she says when making fun of Ash. Other characters at least had originality (especially Misty).

I had no idea that still meant the term itself wasn't a joke and regardless not meant to be taken to heart 99% of the time. I've heard it all before, thanks for sharing your opinion however.

 

[Life]

I think this was my favorite DA! episode. I really liked how it was set up, with Cilan narrating the the series of flashbacks. Meowth talking to the audience was also pretty amusing, especially when Jessie asked him who he was talked too.

The argument, while obviously petty, was treated well. I actually felt like the TR part of this episode wasn't a waste because it added to the plot instead of just pointlessly wasting five minutes.

I'm still upset about Charizard being brought back though. I would rather him have Unfezant in his party.

 

[Shinneth]

Well... it is a different approach to previous "Ash vs Main Girl" episodes, but honestly I can't really consider that a positive considering this was so painfully boring and annoying. Even though Ash was doing a crappy job of arguing his point, I'm much more inclined to take his side besides for reasons beyond the whole being the buttmonkey to Iris' boring, annoying, repetitive, and beyond overused catchphrase. Mostly that, while Axew couldn't really help stumbling into Pikachu, that could have been entirely avoided if Iris ever bothered keeping Axew in a Pokeball, which happens to be the thing that would've prevented a LOT of other shit Axew's caused or gotten into in the past. I really don't understand why they never bother giving a proper explanation for why Axew never goes into a Pokeball. Even if there simply isn't one (which technically means any shmuck who comes across Axew the bajillion times it gets lost and separated from everyone could just whip out a Pokeball, catch it, and then Iris would never see it again), it's extremely easy to get one. Seriously, why could they never spare a single line of explanation for why Iris refuses to keep Axew in a Pokeball? I know it was never really explained for Dawn's Piplup either, and while that does annoy me, for all the loathing I have for Piplup, it didn't get into these stupid situations nearly as much as Axew (plus, unlike Axew, Piplup is actually a capable fighter in its own right).

So yeah, that was incredibly dumb. Besides that, Ash really couldn't have helped accidentally crushing Iris' flowers under any circumstance, and... I really don't get why Iris would get so upset over something that's... really trivial. Sure, they were flowers that Axew picked for her, but I highly doubt they were far away from that flower patch when the shit hit the fan and those flowers definitely couldn't have been the only ones of their kind, so if Iris cared that much about the flower thing... why not just go back with Axew and get some new ones? Maybe I'm just an asshole without a soul, but I really couldn't sympathize with Iris at all. Even if she hadn't spent this whole series being annoying and needlessly bitchy and/or nitpicky towards Ash, I still wouldn't have really bought her deal. And really, them being little kids isn't really a good excuse for why their argument and conflict was so... lame. It wouldn't be hard to make a clever and entertaining conflict that resonates with the age and personalities of the characters; they've done way better than this in the past.

And I agree, Charizard being so damn concerned for Iris looked really out-of-place, mainly because he hasn't been around this group for very long. Dragonite would be the only thing I could think of for Charizard openly giving this much of a damn, but they didn't really bring that up at all. Snivy has a rivalry with Emolga which would explain her pushiness, but that wasn't mentioned either. I say those aspects at least should've been brought up since they did dedicate time to remind us that Scraggy and Axew were babby bromates to explain its distress, and there was a lot of dead air in this episode that could've been put to better use. It probably surprises no one when I say all the sadness and emotions they were trying to display in those scenes with Iris and Ash alone didn't move me in the least. This might've worked better if the characters properly grew in this series past their assigned stereotypes and if I somehow felt this trio is the best trio in the entire series, buuuut I clearly don't and all I felt was apathy from beginning to end. I think out of everybody I felt the worst for Cilan; I kinda wanted him to be fed up with the constant bullshit he'd endured throughout the series too, buuuut no such luck. I think that would've been a better story, though. If Cilan ragequits because of Ash and Iris' repetitive and annoying antics, and they then realize how fucked they are without their constant pillar of support (well Ash would anyway; I still think Iris would manage just fine on her own... Ash'd just drag her down)... yeah, that would've been pretty cool.

My favorite part was probably Meowth breaking the fourth wall by pulling the same stunt as Cilan did with his flashback stuff... though unfortunately the dub hurt my amusement of that because the first words out of Meowth's mouth were: "Dig it". Mind you I largely have no real issue with the dub most of the time, whether it's the dialogue or the voices (and I never notice the music most of the time, so whatevs)... but Meowth's tendency to say "dig it" annoys me far more than any time Team Rocket alliterates and rhymes most of their lines. Don't ask why; it's just a quirk that reeeeally annoys me.

So... yeah. This was boring as sin and every bit as annoying as I expected. I hope the next time the writers try to divert from their traditions, they actually put some real effort into it. 'Cause everything about this was really freaking lazy.

 

[Team Gaara]

Well, I got around to watching this episode. I must apologize, but due to this episode being what it was, I'm going to have to use the Spoiler Box.

Spoiler

FINALLY, Iris gets told something by Ash. Nice way to start the episode, by the way. And anyway, I keep saying it: Iris never had a reason to travel with Ash. If she really was sick of it, she could have been left at any damn time.

But now let’s get into the actual episode.

And by that I mean this flashback that Cilan feels that he has to narrate for some reason.

Ash’s facial expression was really creepy while they were walking.

So then Iris wants to go run up on some flowers like she’s 5 years old; wanna talk about how EVERYONE ELSE is a kid. You know, like in the beginning of the episode. The sooner XY The Series gets here, the better. And why was she running like that anyway? I’m pretty sure that’s not how she normally runs. Or anyone with arms, for that matter. Also, what’s with Cilan and Ash overreacting? It’s not like she screamed or anything.

“Of course, flowers.” – Ash. I would have responded the exact same way.

I’m spending way too much time on these flowers.

OMG! Rustling grass in the Anime!

“It might be some sort of wild Pokémon.” – Cilan.

“A Pokémon?” – Iris.

Yes, a Pokémon. You know, THOSE THINGS THE SERIES IS NAMED AFTER THAT APPEAR IN TALL GRASS?!? I am just constantly floored whenever they act like something in the grass could possibly be a Pokémon. It’s most likely to be a Pokémon.

Okay, why the hell was Iris talking so loud to ask what it was? Especially when Ash AND the Pokedex said it was a Dunsparce. I feel like she’s trolling. She just sounds like an idiot.

Iris and Cilan need to see that old Kanto episode. All the kids on the block had a Dunsparce.

OMZ guys, Ash actually wants to catch a Pokémon out of the blue. How long has it been since he’s done that and it wasn’t for the sake of the pathetic plot?

I seriously LOLed seeing that Dunsparce fly. And anyway, it was Axew’s fault.

Why is she getting so upset about these flowers? There are literally a million of them on this island. She can go and get some more. It’s not like he burnt her bike. I can’t believe Iris is actually trying to get all this sympathy and offer all kinds of pathetic excuses just so she doesn't have to admit she’s wrong.

And I’m only 6 minutes into the episode! DX

Now Pikachu wants to get excited about Berries. -_- Berries that look like apples.

Okay, Iris is really damn childish. Like Ash, Cilan, and Pikachu all knew she would think the berry was bitter. Guess it makes sense since she’s not Calm or Gentle and has been pretty Naughty and Rash. And then she acts like this entire BW season traveling with Ash has just been terrible (and it has).

And now MEOWTH wants to try to validate his entire reason for being here and OH CRAP; DON’T FLASH BACK AGAIN!! DX ._.

Seriously? That was the worst flashback ever!! DX

I’m sick of Iris acting like she’s Arceus’s gift to humanity. Clearly, they had to go in the same direction; nobody’s trying to follow her. She said the same thing in the like, third episode and it’s still false today.

I would note on the fact that they’re actually feeding everyone and Scraggy makes the creepiest faces, but I’m too pissed to.

Iris realizes she’s an idiot. Charizard and Pignite are just chilling in the rain. Why...is Charizard a part of this? Why should we care if Iris is in the rain? She’s a nature girl; she knows what a tree is.

They better not flash back.

Obviously, Snivy has to make the educated decision like always. I’m honestly shocked Snivy didn’t crap herself like I did when Cilan was all of a sudden awake.

ASH DID NOT LEAVE IRIS! IRIS LEFT THEM BOTH.

AND THEN THEY FLASHED BACK!! >_< Why should Ash apologize? Why did he sound like a girl right there? Why don’t I just give this episode a 0/10 now and save myself the misery?

Pikachu is an idiot! Why didn't he just zap Team Rocket right there? What kind of frickin' reaction is this?!

If Team Rocket had a device like that this whole time, WHY HAVE THEY NEVER USED IT?! I know, because this time it’s central to the plot, but that doesn't make it any less stupid. I would have rathered a classic pitfall trap.

Oh, so now Axew and Iris wanna be useful and Ash and Cilan can just magically get out of the net.

IT WAS PART HER FAULT?! IT WAS ALL HER FAULT!! Ash shouldn't have apologized! He had no reason to! Iris was in the wrong this whole time. WHO THOUGHT THIS EPISODE WAS A GOOD IDEA?!?

Yaaaayyy….Negaishippiiinnhhhrrrrssshhh…=~=" And all for a flower that we never see again. Look, the writers already wrote it out.

This episode gets a -8992/10. It gained points for: flying Dunsparce, rustling grass, and for Meowth letting me be one of his friends.