Review BW103: The Isshu League Higaki Conference Gets Underway! Satoshi VS Shooty!!

[pokemon fan 132]

With way things started this is shaping up to be worst league ever, period. Not only it is rushed but story is messed up all over the place, and Ash defeating his supposed "main rival Trip" already in first round is major disappointment. Seriously what was point of him in first place if he never really came of as treat or motivated Ash in improving as trainer?

As usual Kotetsu absent mindedness and idiocy came to expression once again this time forgetting to register for league and everyone pronouncing Stephan name right this time resolving running gag was predictable by miles.

Stephan fast victory over Raul and Braviary and in general short and rushed battles in BW makes me skeptic even more of whole Unova league format, and how all duels will end up as one giant mixed bag full of quick resolutions of rivalries spotted with subpar matches.

Hopefully battle against Stephan will be more satisfying and Ash battle against Virgil with his horde of Eevee evolutions is probably match im looking forward the most.

Only thing i can say i liked about this episode were Ash flashbacks from passing all Unova gym leaders and excitement he felt before entering league.

I guess Ash and Kotetsu clash was nice comedic touch to whole episode as well, but in reality im disappointed with this episode for several reasons and way things are played this league might end up fairly forgettable.

And yeah, it seems that none of Satoshi's friends or family give a damn about his league matches at this point (at this point, I'll be surprised if we ever see Kasumi, Haruka, Masato or Hikari again).

It seems more to me how writers don't give a damn anymore about them ignoring fact how they were important part of Ash life and series history. Never mind unresolved stories, popularity and potential they have to add more life to stumbled show.

Sad, because small token reminders and tributes to past at least during important events like league are things which would make Ash journey more memorable and believable giving sense of continuity in whole thing, instead of treating this show like its set in some alternate universe.

 

[LuxrayOfTheWild]

I'm honestly getting the impression just from this episode alone that this will be the worst league yet and I'm really getting the same vibe I got from the Don Battle, Clubsplosion, and the Jr Cup....The fact that the writers have to focus on Stephan, Bianca, Virgil, and Kotetsu kinda draws a little bit of time away from Ash and the time they focused on them could've been used for 3 on 3 battles rather than 1 on 1...I'm VERY disappointed that Ash and Trip are facing off right from the start in a freaking 1 on 1, rather than getting the full 6 on 6 they have yet to have.

 

[DynoStretch]

Ah, we finally reach league time, and it's zipping by faster then a Ninjask after seven cups of coffee. Funny how they can do filler after filler (or Iris episode after Iris episode) and then act like they have to rush through the tournaments.

The League is shaping to look like just another 1-on-1 Don tournament. Thanks for killing any remaining optimism I had for this series writers.

AND GODDAMNIT DOES ANYONE AROUND HERE EVER STOP SMILING?!

Wait, an Officer Butc, erm, Jenny lit the torch? That's... random... ...did their character-of-the-day budget run out? That's like having the 2016 Olympic torch be lit by a Dairy Queen cashier.

And oh look, Pikachu is struggling one-sidedly against Serperior, can't wait to see what Deus ex Machina they pull out to help Ash win to make up for his complete inability to train his Pokemon. I'm guessing it'll involve the Static ability kicking in, which happens so infrequently I'm not surprised Ash forgets about it.

*sighs* Well that was a depressing post. Do I have anything to liven it up a bit?

Spoiler

Aw, that'll do. ^ ^

 

[Silktree]

At the very least there were no cameos of Ash's older friends like Prof. Oak or Delia or Tracey. Misty hasn't watched one of Ash's leagues since the Hoenn one. LOL.

I actually don't see any reason why Ash's past companions would even be able to watch an event happening in a distant region.

 

[Karamazov]

At the very least there were no cameos of Ash's older friends like Prof. Oak or Delia or Tracey. Misty hasn't watched one of Ash's leagues since the Hoenn one. LOL.

I actually don't see any reason why Ash's past companions would even be able to watch an event happening in a distant region.

The internet?

 

[Master Cyrus]

She probably forgot. If ash could forget who brock was for so long then misty can forget Ash.

 

[Ashfangirl22]

Fun episode, I think Ash is going to be driven nutts by Bel and Kotestu. Bel for knocking him into water every time they meet up and Kotestu for being so stupid, I like how even Ash can't understand how some one can be that stupid HAHA, Ash's expressions when he found out Kotestu hasn't even signed up priceless.

I'm glad Trip's being beaten in the first round, never found him intresting and I just laughed that he didn't even interact with Ash or his rivals, who does he think he is? Even though this league doesn't seem as exciting as the past leagues, I'm still looking forward to it =]

I don't see why any one would think the others would make cameos at this point, they didn't in the last league right? Just get used to it already, the only ones who ever get cameos are previous main girl characters than after that they leave and we never hear or see them again. Heck, not even Ash's mom or Oak seem to be appearing and I thought Ash's mom was in the same region???

 

[Silktree]

Heck, not even Ash's mom or Oak seem to be appearing and I thought Ash's mom was in the same region???

She returned to Kanto with Professor Oak.

 

[Robo-Floatzel]

I'm really getting the vibes that this league will be a disaster myself, at this point, I have no hopes left for Best Wishes, I just really hope the Gen 6 saga improves on what BW has done wrong.

I'm honestly getting the impression just from this episode alone that this will be the worst league yet and I'm really getting the same vibe I got from the Don Battle, Clubsplosion, and the Jr Cup....The fact that the writers have to focus on Stephan, Bianca, Virgil, and Kotetsu kinda draws a little bit of time away from Ash and the time they focused on them could've been used for 3 on 3 battles rather than 1 on 1...I'm VERY disappointed that Ash and Trip are facing off right from the start in a freaking 1 on 1, rather than getting the full 6 on 6 they have yet to have.

Agreed, every league before this one was 6 on 6, and I've feared that they would make the Unova League another Don Battle-esque 1 on 1 tournament, it's like in the Anime-verse's version of Unova it's illegal to have 6 on 6 battles. Not to mention that BW has barely focused on Ash at all, and has focused more on side characters than the one who is supposed to be the main character. For the longest time, I've had the feeling that the writers didn't want Ash to be the main character of BW, but they wouldn't let them change the main character for some reason, that's what I personally think.

 

[Ashfangirl22]

Heck, not even Ash's mom or Oak seem to be appearing and I thought Ash's mom was in the same region???

She returned to Kanto with Professor Oak.

I'm so glad she trusts her son that much to leave him in a region like this, its more far than any other region hes been too, he doesn't have the money to get homeXD

Robo I hope the next region is more about Ash, I was very disapointed with this series and I'm not even a fan of well.

 

[Paulisthebest]

ASH BETTER WIN HES WAS COMPLETELY TROLLED OUT OF A WIN LAST YEAR BY SOME RANDOM GUY WITH 2 FRICKING UBERS.

Haha, yeah and who knew what his other 4 Pokemon were...

 

[Grabbergirl]

So we get a sauna scene out of Stephan and Kotetsu sweating in there. Luckily their in boxer shorts. Nice Olympics reference too!!! The gym leader flashbacks were nice but it'd be better if Chili or Cress showed up in the league. What happened to them?

 

[Cybersai]

It does seem very similar to the Don battle tournaments oddly so far.

 

[Robo-Floatzel]

It does seem very similar to the Don battle tournaments oddly so far.

Agreed, it's like Don George is secretly the dictator of Unova, and controls the way all trainers have to battle. Okay, I went a little too far there.

Every tournament in BW has been the same thing so far, being all one on one tournaments that focus more on the character development of side characters, along with them being overpowered over the main characters. I mean, the gym battles have all been done properly and were usually 3 on 3, why can't the tournaments be 6 on 6.

I think they're just refusing to show the rest of Trips team, as they think "Serperior's the best Pokemon ever" apparently, and it's the only Pokemon Trip ever owns, or more rather, it's the only one of his Pokemon we ever see, I mean, are they THAT lazy to come up with the teams for the rivals, I mean really, here are everyones teams:

Trip: Serperior
Stephan: Sawk, Zebstrika, Liepard
Bianca: Pignite, Minccino, Shelmet
Georgia: Bisharp, Beartic
Kotetsu: Riolu, Samurott, Ferrothorn, Hydreigon
Virgil: Eevee and it's evolutions
Burgundy: Pretty much non-existent at this point

It's like they don't even want to bother giving them full teams of six, and have made it so that their signature Pokemon is their ONLY Pokemon, and with that, make that Pokemon as overpowered as possible, it's like they're not even trying anymore with their teams. It's like "*insert Pokemon here* is *insert rival here*'s strongest Pokemon, let's make it their ONLY Pokemon!"

The only ones that even have what is close to legitimate teams are Kotetsu and Virgil, and even then, the latter is nothing but the same evolution line, while Kotetsu, even with only four of his Pokemon known, is the only rival who has most of his team known.

 

[Moe]

The thing is, Trip does have a full set of 6, a very good variety of different types, as well as a lot of Pokemon rivalries - yet he's the only one who gets a 1 on 1 battle.

 

[Cybersai]

The thing is, Trip does have a full set of 6, a very good variety of different types, as well as a lot of Pokemon rivalries - yet he's the only one who gets a 1 on 1 battle.

Well its because nobody really cares. Trip was a poorly received rival from day one and these last 2 years didn't change that. He's being given an early exit for the same reason Kenny was dropped from the Sinnoh Grand Festival quickly.

They're getting the "dud" rival out of the way quickly to focus on the more interesting characters. Just be glad the writers have acknowledged which characters are received well and which aren't, it dates back to the days of Johto when Takeshi Shudo was unhappy with the tedious direction of the series back then.

All we really need to see is Pikachu get its revenge on Serperior for both its two prior losses, and Trip's Serperior dominating the Junior Cup, and then the whole Trip rivalry can be shelved. I also guarantee Trip will immediately leave after he loses rather than sticking around to watch the rest of the tournament.

 

[Ashs Battle Coach]

The thing about 1 v 1's is the don't really show how good a trainer really is, just how good there pokemon of choice is for that battle. I don't like Trip at all, but its a poor way to end the rivalry. Beating one of his pokemon doesn't prove at all that Ash is better than him

 

[LuxrayOfTheWild]

ASH BETTER WIN HES WAS COMPLETELY TROLLED OUT OF A WIN LAST YEAR BY SOME RANDOM GUY WITH 2 FRICKING UBERS.

Yeah...And back in Sinnoh Ash actually deserved to win because of all the hard work he did through the saga. He had a fairly developed team, he had motivation to do better, and he actually used strategy.

The thing about 1 v 1's is the don't really show how good a trainer really is, just how good there pokemon of choice is for that battle. I don't like Trip at all, but its a poor way to end the rivalry. Beating one of his pokemon doesn't prove at all that Ash is better than him

Honestly I agree...Trip is Ash's "primary" rival for the series and he has lost to him 3 times and drawn with him once. They have the potential to give a decent battle with a full 6 on 6 but they choose to ignore that and give us JUST Serperior vs. Pikachu. The thing that bugs me the most is that Ash ALWAYS gets a 6 on 6 with his main league rival, but here....a 1 on 1 against a rival who was poorly written

 

[lordbryan567]

Ah, we finally reach league time, and it's zipping by faster then a Ninjask after seven cups of coffee. Funny how they can do filler after filler (or Iris episode after Iris episode) and then act like they have to rush through the tournaments.

The League is shaping to look like just another 1-on-1 Don tournament. Thanks for killing any remaining optimism I had for this series writers.

AND GODDAMNIT DOES ANYONE AROUND HERE EVER STOP SMILING?!

Wait, an Officer Butc, erm, Jenny lit the torch? That's... random... ...did their character-of-the-day budget run out? That's like having the 2016 Olympic torch be lit by a Dairy Queen cashier.

And oh look, Pikachu is struggling one-sidedly against Serperior, can't wait to see what Deus ex Machina they pull out to help Ash win to make up for his complete inability to train his Pokemon. I'm guessing it'll involve the Static ability kicking in, which happens so infrequently I'm not surprised Ash forgets about it.

*sighs* Well that was a depressing post. Do I have anything to liven it up a bit?

Spoiler

View attachment 81823

Aw, that'll do. ^ ^

well, ash has been very unlucky with his pokemon's ability kicking in or any side effects from moves. rememver the match vs roxie? like every of her atks 100% poison , when it should only be 10%/30% chance at max according to the game. and pikachu's iron tail has never caused any opponent to be paralysed before. furthermore, it takes a huge number of hits on pikachu to get the static to kick in. so the writers are like super unrealistic on move side effects and abilities. if i remember, pignite only managed to burn the enemy once in all its battles using fire type moves, unfair much

ASH BETTER WIN HES WAS COMPLETELY TROLLED OUT OF A WIN LAST YEAR BY SOME RANDOM GUY WITH 2 FRICKING UBERS.

LOL, that was totally unexpected, but i was kinda hoping for ash to take out at least 3 of tobias's pokemon. and i think the decision to go with torkoal was a bad one, swellow too. if he has chosen glalie, charizard or snorlax, he could have pulled off 1 more win at least imo

ASH BETTER WIN HES WAS COMPLETELY TROLLED OUT OF A WIN LAST YEAR BY SOME RANDOM GUY WITH 2 FRICKING UBERS.

Haha, yeah and who knew what his other 4 Pokemon were...

my guess, entei, articuno, registeel and.... Mesprit? haha

LIKE SERIOUSLY THAT SUPER EFFECTIVE STAB HORNDRILL FROM HARACROSS SHOULD HAVE ONE HIT THE DARKRAI. IT WAS JUST BLATENTLY UNFAIR TO LOYAL VIEWERS WHO FOLLOED HIM THROUGHOUT HIS DEVELOPMENT.

it was mega horn, not horn drill, either way, focus punch+ megahorn from ash's heracross should be able to take down any darkrai... tis was the same heracross who beat gary mother******* oak 's magmar 2 series ago!


oh and back to UNOVA LEAGUE, ash vs trip 1 on 1 doesnt surprise me, but using sceptile vs seperior would have been soooo much cooler! my guess from the next ep preview's pikachu's sneaky smile,


ash and pikachu actually have a REAL STRATEGY this time, so im looking forward to that. we all know ash will inevitably win. but im quite happy trip loses so early, he deserves it. but im not happy cause trip deserves a thorough beating from ash like how alder beat him an pikachu wasn't the best pokemon of ash to deliver that. imaginve charizard, now that would satisfy me to my heart's content

 

[Airi Ranmaru]

Trip's Serperior looked taller than previous.