Review BW077: Flaming Memories! Pokabu VS Enbuoh!!

[Adil]

I liked Suwama's initial appearance but Flame Burst's debut was just unfair, they could have "not" shown it during that random battle so that there could have been a surprise ingredient for the later later match.

Suwama's personality and his ass-hole(ness) was fun to watch, got whatever I expected it to be. Apparently, he calls himself/his team as "Fire Warriors".

I noticed some major flaws in the animation. Sure the later part with Chaoboo's evolution saved the episode because of the phenomenal animation and Tsutarja's pure awesomeness, which also overshadowed the ridiculous outcome. Huh, when Zangoose used Fire Blast on Hikozaru back in the Tag Battle tournament, its flame got super charged but it worked the exact opposite for Enbuoh and Kuitaran (-__-). There were way too unnecessary and horribly angled close-up shots, tilting frame technique was used in some of the scenes and the over rated Fire Spin. Also, I am not sure what was the actual prob but the overall animation looked a bit fast paced and I do mean "fast paced", not rushed but fast paced like in fast forward mode.

I am not saying that I didn't like the episode. Sure, I did. But there were some flaws that I just couldn't ignore.

PS: Dento's "guilty or not guilty" was lulzy

 

[RWB]

And Snivy again proves that it's a veritable tank.

 

[Piplup]

I... I... I just don't know how to explain how much I loved this episode!!! I almost feel bad for saying bad things about the BW series now...
Tepig was sooooo cute <3 and I even like Pignite now!
That Suwama guy was really evil... if I understood correctly he wanted to take that little kid's Pokémon since he beat him? 0__o wtf... and he was such a bitch to poor Tepig... not only did he abandone it, when he tied it up so it won't follow him, he seemed almost sad about doing what he did, but we later see that the jerk just went away smiling and laughing at it..... it's just cruel...
Poor Tepig still liked its trainer... I liked how when Tepig got depressed Snivy just slapped it lol, in character for Snivy and was a great scene! Also really loved how much Snivy cared for Tepig and how well it battled for Tepig's sake, including "sacrificing" itself in the battle to protect Tepig! And if Suwama wasn't enough of a jerk, now that Pignite defeated him, he's all "ok you're good now come back to me since you still like me" - I seriously shouted "what a jerk!" at that moment, then I laughed so hard and felt so happy when Pignite just attacked him and went to Ash's side <3
OMG BW SERIES CONTINUE THIS WAY
oh, and before I forgot, Cilan and courtroom scene? It was like... totally awesome...
I was soooo excited since I started to watch the ep till the very end and I'm still excited for it right now
It's been so long and after all the recent boredom - we finally got a good ep again!!
I really hope this is the moment BW changes for the better <3

 

[Banana-Sucker-Prof.]

Here are some screencaps I took from a HD video I got subs disabled of course xD

I can't be bothered to edit all the IMG tags/code as for sppf in that subforum the tag is img139, but see my post over there for ALL of my caps for this episode:

My SppF screencap post


Image HEAVY warning!

Spoiler

 

[Cinderfella]

Snivy was a warrior this episode. I find it funny how all of a sudden Pignite and Snivy are showing some personality and Oshawott hasn't been noticeable in ages. Shame, since I like the Otter.

Suwana is such a bastard, I felt sorry for the Pig, most personality it's ever shown TBH. Dent in the courtroom had me smiling uncontrollably

Flame Burst was soooo epic, and it was nice to see Tepig get some redemption. A much better evolution than those random gym ones. I actually kind of wanted a Pignite after this episode

 

[Piplup]

Snivy was a warrior this episode. I find it funny how all of a sudden Pignite and Snivy are showing some personality and Oshawott hasn't been noticeable in ages. Shame, since I like the Otter.

It still had an awesome scene - in the "courtroom" scene, we can see Oshawott sleeping during all the time lol XD Osha is still awesome too <3 though I'm totally loving Tepig/Pignite now
I'm taking back what I said about Tepig's evolved forms and how I wanted it to never evolve... and I'll take back what I said so far about the BW series if things will continue this way

Suwana is such a bastard
I felt sorry for the Pig
Dent in the courtroom had me smiling uncontrollably
Flame Burst was soooo epic
I actually kind of wanted a Pignite after this episode

+1 to all of that!!

Sometimes this show disappoints a little but then makes such a "comeback" and reminds me why I love it so much ♥ please continue this way BW, pleaaaase...

 

[Fieryfurnace]

Liked this ep; The courtroom scene, Tepig and Snivy's interactions, and the stoned bastard.

But some of the animation was a bit meh. Jumpy and fast paced, you know?

One moment that made me grin was when Snivy initially revealed she wanted to battle, and Ash crouched down and just sorta entered speedy as...

"Don't mind me, just slidin' in here!"

Also...

Spoiler

Chaoboo =

+

WUT

 

[Chiplet]

This epiosde was amazing, really. There's not a single darn thing that I disliked about it, and it was way more epic than I originally thought.

First of all, Swuama - love him. He's such a complete jerk, and I just love those kind of characters. He was so sneaky, and sinister, I mean, those flashback scenes totally fooled me. I actually thought at first that Suwama felt bad about leaving Tepig there, with him showcasing that depressed look on his face and those concerned eyes when walking away, and then suddenly, that sinister smile appears on his face... he got me, really. Bastard. (<3)
He also shares my love for Fire-types, which I can do nothing more than raise my thumbs up to! But the way he used Heatmor to snap Emboar out of its confusion was really unexpected, and it only established his cruel personality even more. What a horrible trainer.
Ooooooh! And when he threw Tepig the way he did... Jerk! I felt so bad for Tepig, whom actually was really glad to see its previous trainer, but only gets thrown away like thrash in response. totally going to marry him

Suwama was amazing, and I sincerely hope that he'll be a recurring character.

Then, we have Iris and Dento. I loved both of them in this episode, but I got to say that Iris' personality was the one that actually shined through here. I remember her saying something in the lines about teaching the trainer who abandoned Tepig a lesson once she found him, and I'm glad that I was proven wrong in thinking that the writers would just ignore that for this episode, since Iris was kinda badass here.
When Suwama confronted the trainer whom he had beaten in the beginning of the episode Iris was the first one to really react. She took the initiative to actually run up to them and protect that poor trainer, while Ash and Cilan still were unsure about it, but then followed her. Going up against a bully the way she did really takes some courage, and she'll definitely get my respect for that. And then she also proved to be really concerned for that trainer as well, since she was making sure that he actually was alright after that confrontation.
She was also the one who confronted Suwama when he and Tepig met again, and was acting really caring towards Tepig, and standing up for what she really thought about Suwama for having abandoned Tepig. She obviously really, really cares - she almost proved to be more concerned than Ash himself.
You go gurrrrrl!

Oh, and Cilan... hilarious, as he almost always is. That scene with the court was amazing, so I'll give Cilan my love as well!

Snivy was, just as she always is, pretty awesome in this episode. She reminded me of Iris, since she always felt this hatred towards the trainer whom had abandoned Tepig, and also desperately wanted to help it in proving him wrong in stating that Tepig was weak. I guess she could recognize herself in that situation, since she also had been abandoned once. She was even aware of her huge disadvantage towards her opponents, as they were both Fire-types, but still was strongly determined to stay in battle and help Tepig out. She even saved Tepig from that combination, and took the damage instead! Now, that's proof of some real spunk! Snivy was really impressive.

My feelings towards Tepig/Pignite has already been pretty much stated in this thread, so I won't even bother. But I really took a huge liking to it in this episode. Finally it showed some personality, and proved to be quite an awesome Pokémon after all. When it comes to the evolution... I actually thought it was more or less justified. Tepig have had its fair share of wins and losses, and surely gained a lot of experience, so I thought it actually deserved to evolve. And Pignite's just awesome.

Great episode! Proved to be way better than I originally thought, and will probably be in the top amongst my favorite episodes of BW.

 

[Piplup]

Totally agree with Chiplet's post - I really liked both Iris and Cilan in this ep too
This ep is totally the example of how BW eps should be written regularly, we can only hope things will continue this way

 

[Karamazov]

This episode was amazing.

I loved everything about it.

Except the courtroom scene. It's an otherwise good scene, but I don't think it worked well with the episode. At least sleeping!Oshawott was lulzy.

 

[Araragi-hakase]

I loved this episode so, so much ;_______;

I am so glad Pokabu's past got revisited. Ugh the flashback with Suwana made me tear up a bit ;___; HOW CAN YOU JUST ABANDON SUCH AN ADORABLE POKEMON I CANNOT UGH. I really liked how Tsutarja's interactions with Pokabu. And when she knocked him out of the way of the attack gklajsgdskjgh ;__; This episode oddly made me like Tsutarja a bit more. I never HATED her, but I was never that big of a fan. It was nice seeing her have effective interactions with Satoshi's other Pokemon.

The only thing that bothered me about the episode was that I wish Pokabu had won the battle as a Pokabu and evolved after the battle. Maybe it would have been a bit pointless, but I think for him to defeat Suwana as he remembered him would have felt more meaningful.

Dento are you a law sommelier too gosh what is your life what can't this man do

This episode gave me so many feelings ;_;

 

[Banana-Sucker-Prof.]

The only thing that bothered me about the episode was that I wish Pokabu had won the battle as a Pokabu and evolved after the battle. Maybe it would have been a bit pointless, but I think for him to defeat Suwana as he remembered him would have felt more meaningful.

The issue with that is Pokabu's Nitro Charge in his state at the moment had no effect other than pushing Suwama's team back a few inches, Ash even commented to that effect(no effect on them); which is ironic, albeit Fire Oath had done tons of damage to Team Fire Warriors, but Chaobuu's Nitro Charge is what did them in/K.O.'ed them.

 

[TeddiUrsa]

Without a doubt one of the very best BW episodes so far to me. Everybody else already explained why it was so awesome, but for me it was a little bit more.

For the first time in the whole BW series I felt emotionally attached to the characters. Those flashback scenes were heartbreaking! I really missed episodes like this one...continuity, emotional development, great character interaction and even a wacky scene made it in?

Floink, or better Ferkokel...it's time to finally kick some ass!

 

[Grave-E]

What are these feelings? Could it be? No. It couldn't...could it? Am I really....yes....I think so. After all this time. It has finally happened. I gave a shit about Pokabu.

I'll echo everyone else's sentiments when I say that I thought this was a really enjoyable episode. Which is all kinds of shocking since I only really expected to go into this and sit there only mildly interested until the evolution came around. But yeah, there was some really great stuff going on here.
The gyakuten scene was bizarre, but I didn't think it broke the mood despite how they were sort of vying for laughs and trying to make us take the issue seriously at the same time. It was also fun to see Iris get so fired up about the whole thing, which served as a great callback her comments in the 4th episode. I kind of wish she'd get more chances to get all defensive on behalf of others more often.
I think what really made this one though was the whole thing with Tsutarja desperately trying to make Pokabu see sense and holding her own in order to save his bacon. This was as much her episode as it was his, and it was great to see the two interact to such a degree. Better late than never, I guess!

 

[Winterdaze]

You know, I would actually rate Tepig's abuse plot as being the most moving of all Ash's abandoned Fire-types, and not just because he's the cutest one. I think it's the way Suwama just appeared out of the blue seventy odd episodes down the road, and even after the abandonment and all that time Tepig was happy to see him. It just makes it even sadder when he realises Suwama never actually liked him.

Pignite will take some getting used to, but Fire Pledge was pretty impressive looking. Now it just needs a Fighting move and for either Oshawott or Snivy to learn their Pledge move so we can see the combination in action.

 

[Enzap]

Why would they give Pignite another fire move right after evolving into a new type? Not that Fire Pledge isn't a cool move, it's just annoying that they wouldn't expand on its new capabilities and give it Arm Thrust or Brick Break.

 

[Trainer Gabriel]

"Good combination!"
"It's judgement time!"
"... guilty or not guilty!"

Seriously, Cilan/Dent never ceases to make me smile; I don't think I can imagine how anyone can't not love the guy. The court scene was perhaps his best sequence yet.

As for Tepig's plotline, well... despite being rather unoriginal, I stil thought it was handled quite well even if the double battle victory did feel rather cheap. And yet despite Suwama sharing similar character traits with other trainers who abandon Pokemon, I'd still rather have him as Ash's main rival instead of Trip, because anything is better than what Trip can offer. Anything.

All the same, a follow-up to a Pokemon's past with a touching story combined with Cilan's fantasy sequence made for an excellent episode all around.

 

[Piplup]

Fire Pledge was just awesome
I wonder now if soon Snivy and Oshawott will evolve and learn their Pledge moves too, and then we might see the moves combinations from the games... I can already imagine how awesome it'll be
I'd love it if during the League Ash will have a "full set" of starters in their second form, then in the next BW saga, either they all evolve to their final form, or at least Osha making it to finally give Ash his fully evolved water starter (and since Osha does seem to be his main Poké this series... kind of...)
Also, I wonder if in case of an evo+Pledge for Snivy, we might see its original trainer too and have another emotional ep... as for Osha there's no "original trainer" thing, but hopefully it'll also be in some emotional situation

 

[Kaitou Kid]

So unless we get more info about Tsutarja's past, I feel as though her emotional attitude during this episode came practically out of nowhere. And instead of making me care about her, I honestly just grew annoyed. Considering her and Pokabu have had little to no scene's together and barely interact, it seems so out of left field. Infact Mijumaru getting a strong reaction would've made more sense, at least those two were always butting heads. Maybe Suwama's attitude triggered some kinda memory or something for her?

Iris was the highlight of this episode for me. Everything else was just so, meh. Didn't really enjoy the two hit KO after its evolution, felt very cheap but BW has been doing this for pretty much every evolution induced battle :/

Instead of getting Fire Pledge right off the bat, it would have been nice to either see a fighting move or have Chaobu win with the moves he already had. I'd rather see the pledges be taught by a move tutor. Maybe I'll like this episode more once its been subbed.

 

[Karamazov]

So unless we get more info about Tsutarja's past, I feel as though her emotional attitude during this episode came practically out of nowhere. And instead of making me care about her, I honestly just grew annoyed. Considering her and Pokabu have had little to no scene's together and barely interact, it seems so out of left field. Infact Mijumaru getting a strong reaction would've made more sense, at least those two were always butting heads. Maybe Suwama's attitude triggered some kinda memory or something for her?

Tsutarja's been shown to be like a caring big sister. In the past, she dealt with Gochimu personally, she got in between Pokabu and Mijumaru during their fights, and protected Kibago and the others from the fire monkey. I think she was in-character.