Review BW055: Zuruggu and the Selfish Gothimu!

[Hellion]

I really liked this episode! I would even say it's one of BW's best.

+ Kibago. He was the real star of this episode. Even though I still find his voice grating at times, it wasn't as bad in this episode. He was adorable with Zuruggu in the beginning and his dream was pure amazingness and hilariousness. Definitely a huge step in redeeming the character in my eyes. I loved how he was panicked at losing the guy he's totally crushing on his best friend.

+ Zuruggu. He raised Kibago's cuteness up a notch and I loved that they maintained his obliviousness and fighting spirit but also showed a friendlier side to him. He just fits Satoshi so much it's not even funny. XD Loved the details too, like how his Jumping Knee Kick attack hurt him when he missed.

+ Tsutarja. Then again, Satoshi's Tsutarja free of the soul sucking plot warping fun sucking Emonga is always a treat. I loved the characterization, the bitch please attitude, the "Gothimu is so beneath me" looks, but also the sweeter moment like when she was totally shipping Zuruggu x Kibago (cause let's face it, Zuruggu would definitely be the seme and Kibago the uke ) she smiled while watching them run around and how she was genuinely concerned for them.

+ Dent. He made me laugh with his obliviousness during his Subway Masters logorrhea. He just brought that extra spark to this episode and I liked that he kinda got the idea on how to solve the garbage bag problem.

+ Satoshi. He was present, personable and kinda cool in this episode. I liked that he really seemed to care about Zuruggu and had some cute scenes with him.

Lukewarm points

- Pokabu. I liked that it won the battle, I liked that the writers made an effort to add a bit of personality, but it just wasn't enough. He was surrounded by Pokémon who are memorable and personable and he was just forgettable

- Gothimu. I was kinda underwhelmed by Gothimu. She made the plot advance but there weren't any really moments that I laughed because of her or really care about her. She was kinda forgettable for a character that had oodles of potential.

- Koharu and Iris. They were both just there, but really didn't add anything to the episode, nor did they really drag the episode down. They were just insipid in an overall comedic episode that was high on personality.

- Hatoboh. Yeah it didn't appear much, but it's bland and I don't really give a crap about it, so it's not like it affected my appreciation of this ep or the character itself.

Bad points

- Mijumaru. It was in this episode... why?

- Am I the only one who found it incredibly creepy that Satoshi was wearing Kasumi's daisy dukes to sleep?

I liked this episode, because ultimately, it pulled a DP and treated the pokémon like character, actually had them interact show nuances, differences and personalities, both in and outside of battle.

 

[Trainer-Touko]

Really good ep to start off I'm SO glad Tepig FINALLY won a battle

On the other hand I know how much people hate Iris's Emolga for being a diva but I love Emolga, Gothita on the other hand...I honestly could not stand it. What a spoiled self centered Pokemon, it seems Snivy has a thing for scolding female Pokemon and putting them in their place

And also I'ma add that I completely loved Axew's dream it was so crackheaded I was laughing XDDDD

 

[Aestivate]

A few things from this episode:

Clearly Gothimu is using her Psychic typing to completely manipulate her trainer and clearly has Koharu wrapped around her little finger... lips... something... Also, I still hate the Gothimu line. Now even moreso. I wanted to kick it in the face.

I was right. There was copious yaoi. ZurugguxKibago for the win! And even Kiba knows Dent is fabulous and not at all straight. Life = made.

Also Zuruggu sleeps with its pants up and it's sooo cuuuteeee ;________________;

Last point: Tsutarja is the fucking HBIC. Bow down, hoes.

 

[Masurao]

I was fairly indifferent to Koharu as a whole, but I do wonder if she'll appear again. I would love to see Snivy troll Gothita again.

It be amusing to see Axew, and Scraggy retain their same bromance as a Haxorous/Scrafty.

 

[Trainer Gabriel]

Maybe it was just me, but Koharu reminded me of a younger version of Florinda because of the hair color.

Good episode, all around (as already mentioned). I agree with Wolverine about the Pokemon having more present personalities in this episode. That's one of the things I like best about this show.

 

[Ishida]

I really liked this episode, this is how fillers should be. Axew and Scraggy got some development and that Gothita was pretty entertaining. What was Cilan saying about the Subway Masters to Koharu?

 

[Baron Dante]

I was kinda reminded by this Gardobor, about an earlier episode. Let's have a Pokemon make some huge wild Pokemon angey, then have Snivy save it. It kinda bugged me. Other than that though, I loved the episode.

We got plenty of stuff to seem, and I liked how all of Ash's pokemon got depressed when he chose Tepig for the battle. Except Snivy, who just is like that. Snivy... I thought it was fitting that he sits there like a boss watching battles, and then eating alone later. I like Snivy in general too, but. It's funny how it seems a fair amount of the "potential future battlers", main pokemon seems to develop rivalry with Snivy, instead of the others. I almost expected there to be more on having us wait next time for Gothimu and Scraggy instead. Axew and Scraggy we're gold in the episode.

I found it noteworthy that she had 2 badges, but more so that she has a fair share of Pokemon. I didn't like her having a Deerling though, but it does indicate later appearances.

So overall, this was one of the better fillers I've seen in a while.

 

[Likeitornot.]

Pleasant to see some sort of development for Scraggy, which was needed, imo. I wish he battled Gothita, however. I thought that would have been great, as it was Snivy who saves them from that Garbador, and Snivy who battles in the end.
I hope Tranquill isn't being delegated to browser for missing Pokemon (or some other tedious task), as we haven't seen much of that particular Pokemon, which is a slight pity.
This episode, does make me glad that other Pokemon are being thrust into the light, and that was a rather refreshing experience.
Axew was pleasant to see in different view than being simply an annoying chorus of a nod or some sign of agreement with whoever (usually Iris), that was becoming generic.
I also adored Snivy, for how she dealt with her victory. What a splendid Pokemon, very amusing, too. She really knows how to set someone straight, which a characteristic I like seeing.

Overall, a surprisingly fun episode.

 

[Sweet Veil]

So, yeah a solid eppy for sure. xD Nothing to really write home about but, a good eppy. So, let's review this.

-Kibago and Zuruggu were both awesome a dynamic duo this eppy, true bros. Loved the battle at the beginning of the eppy, those two are getting stronger and Kibago's Scratch looked really impressive and nicely animated because it looked more like Kibago was throwing a Scratch attack rather then actually Scratching. Dragon Rage being countered with Jumping Knee Kick, so that brings us back to the "tie" stuff. Kinda annoyed Kibago seems to have forgotten Legendary Wrath despite Zuruggu knowing his powerful Jumping Knee Kick, but what ever. I look forward to a tag battle with these two. It was really sweet seeing those two hang together, bros of a feather stick together. Who knows maybe Zuruggu will learn Dragon Tail, and Kibago a Fighting or Dark move.

-Iris, yeah the fun Dragon Girl does it again, I gotta say once again. THAT I LOVE SATOSHI AND IRIS'S CHEMISTRY. So much fun and so nice, I thought it was really sweet how she complimented Zuruggu's growth and power in battle.

-Gothimu, yep she was awesome. She was a brat, but her bratty spoiled behavior is what made her so fun for me. Loved how she went and got Koharu's badges and showed them off herself, also loved how she was ordering Koharu's Pokemon in battle. She was fun on the bun for sure. Seeing her brat out and call fowl after she lost was kinda saddening.

-Koharu, she ended up being so much fun for sure. She wasn't a brat, she wasn't a dumb idiot, she was good at getting Satoshi riled up and stuff and getting him to battle her, she had skill and must be strong to have a Pokemon with Brave Bird. Seriously, Koharu would make an excelentè rival for Satoshi. I'm pretty sure I would enjoy her much more then Bel. You can tell she only really wanted to make her Pokemon happy. She sneaked away during one of Dento's pretty boy rants. She defiantly was no cookie cutter character of the day. Hope she appears again.

-Pokabu, It was awesome he was able to net himself a win in this eppy, I thought he would be outta conmission after that first Brave Bird. I liked his way of using Flamethrower and power, and strive to win. He was awesome.

-Kibago, he was caring, nice, kind, and helpful this episode as expected like he always is. During the battle was so concerned with the outcome caring a lot for his little bro. The dream sequence with him showing it all was funny too.

-Satoshi, fun and great. Nice strategy there, and him knowing his way around a Brave *coughStaraptorcoughBWnotareboot* him also being taken in by Koharu's baiting and whipping her ass twice on the spot.

-Tsutarja, like the older sis to Zuruggu and Kibago it was nice of her to support and help them out throughout the eppy. Her battle against Gothimu was nice and the dynamic, still kinda hoping she learns something new sooner or later though, but she was great. Loved how they played Iris's theme after she won.

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-Hatooboh, I still kinda feel she's getting screwed over. Why couldn't she eat with the other Pokemon too? Huh? Why couldn't she battle or show off or getting in on the action? She's being treated like crap for being a bird.

-Dento, not really sure what to say about him. He didn't do much of everything except annoy Koharu and being more pretty boy like in Kibago's fantasy and judge the battle.

-Shikijiki, it was smart of Koharu to use Aromatherapy to fix things but, it's getting a bit old to see it so often.

 

[Karamazov]

- Mijumaru. It was in this episode... why?

To reference Dane Cook: there's always that one person in every group of friends that nobody likes. Miju was there to make the other starters look good in comparison.

 

[Chaosblazer]

i find it funny that Snivy finally won a battle without controversy coming into play like her last two wins, and also glad Tepig redeemed itself for it's previous losses as well.

lol anyone else notice the animator got lazy with the badge cases for once? Ash's for once didn't have the "mandated indentions" for the eight "Game" badges this time.

 

[Piplup]

I didn't like the COTD/Gothita but this ep had some nice scenes, like Axew's dream...
And seriously, Ash should learn to stop falling to the "battle me and if I win you must do that!" thing...

 

[CrackFox]

I loved this episode. I didn't see Zuruggu and Kibago becoming so close but it was really sweet to see. When I a cutesy Pokemon emerged from the bushes followed by a cutesy girl, I was sure boredom would be on the cards. I was wrong, it was a funny episode and very charming. I'm so glad Ash chose Pokabu to battle for him, I was sure it was going to be Tsutaja. Pokabu is beginning to show signs of badass, and if Ash keeps on choosing him so frequently we can expect an evolution and a potential powerhouse soon. Kibago's dream was very cute, when they do a little segment of what the Pokemon is thinking, it always turns out to be funny. I wasn't sure of Tsutaja's intentions at first, but the fact that she witnessed how close Kibago and Zuruggu had become, and helped make sure they weren't gonna get separated, was so sweet. She's like the mother of group, watching over them quietly. The only thing this episode lacked was more Mijumaru. He hasn't been used in a while and I'd like to see more of him soon. Don't really get Gothimu's angle. Couldn't work out if she had a crush on Zuruggu or she just wanted him in her group so she could annoy him on a permanent basis.

All in all, a great episode.

 

[Peppermint Phoenix]

I didn't like the COTD/Gothita but this ep had some nice scenes, like Axew's dream...
And seriously, Ash should learn to stop falling to the "battle me and if I win you must do that!" thing...

True true. I actually liked this episode though and I am really negative about this season. So yeah good ep. I guess the take away is. Make the Cotd a trainer and the episode's villian.

 

[Caseydia]

I didn't like the COTD/Gothita but this ep had some nice scenes, like Axew's dream...
And seriously, Ash should learn to stop falling to the "battle me and if I win you must do that!" thing...

You're right. I wonder why the writers are making him battle like that now? It's dumb and doesn't make sense because none of the bets gets followed through.

 

[matt0044]

Make the Cotd a trainer and the episode's villian.

Now that would be great. With Team Rocket making less appearances, we need more one-shot baddies like Leon or make recurring villains OTHER THAN Team Rocket.