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Review HZ004: A Washed-Ashore Treasure

Something random, but not gonna lie, I kinda like the use of Nidothing. Nidothing is kinda here to teach newer viewers the many aspects about Pokemon and its been handled in a kind of creative manner. I'm starting to like the whole idea of using Nidothing in this way to get new and younger viewers caught up. Here he was teaching others about Pokeballs and catching Pokemon. Its honestly nice to have them reestablish the whole rules Goh broke when it came to catching Pokemon by weakening them through battle.
 
Something random, but not gonna lie, I kinda like the use of Nidothing. Nidothing is kinda here to teach newer viewers the many aspects about Pokemon and its been handled in a kind of creative manner. I'm starting to like the whole idea of using Nidothing in this way to get new and younger viewers caught up. Here he was teaching others about Pokeballs and catching Pokemon. Its honestly nice to have them reestablish the whole rules Goh broke when it came to catching Pokemon by weakening them through battle.

Don't call him Nidothing, call him Ludlow.
 
Something random, but not gonna lie, I kinda like the use of Nidothing. Nidothing is kinda here to teach newer viewers the many aspects about Pokemon and its been handled in a kind of creative manner. I'm starting to like the whole idea of using Nidothing in this way to get new and younger viewers caught up. Here he was teaching others about Pokeballs and catching Pokemon. Its honestly nice to have them reestablish the whole rules Goh broke when it came to catching Pokemon by weakening them through battle.
Nidothing also mentioned Pokemon could be caught if they are distracted. So, I don't think the rules will be exactly the same.
 
Really liked Roy's introduction here, he seems like a very fun addition to the cast already. I didn't pick up on it last episode, but his habit of flinging rocks seems to be one of his defining traits. I'm assuming this is gonna eventually build up to him being good at throwing Pokeballs similar to Goh, but the presentation is a lot more interesting here with how he's not just good at throwing rocks but can also skip them across water and ricochet them between trees. And it's clearly shown that this is a skill he picked up from constantly exploring his island, which makes it feel like a natural part of his character.

Personality wise, Roy feels quite similar to Ash with his eagerness to go on adventures and his ability to innately understand the thoughts/feelings of Pokemon (I'm seeing some people compare him with Iris too, but I'm not familiar enough with B/W and Iris's personality to comment on that). A big difference I've noticed is how he's much more familiar with Pokemon already, compared to Ash at the start of his journey. He also seems to be a quick-thinker too, with how he helped Liko when she was being chased by the other Pokemon.

The biggest highlight of this episode was definitely the friendship that's being built up between Roy and Fuecoco. Roy chasing after Fuecoco when it ran away after being caught singing reminded me a lot of how Liko was constantly chasing after Sprigatito in the first episode. But unlike Liko, who spent a long time observing Sprigatito's behavior to understand it, Roy got Fuecoco to immediately warm up to him just by praising its singing and joining in on the fun. I think this says more about how fickle Sprigatito is compared to Fuecoco, but it's still a nice showcase of Roy's ability to befriend Pokemon fairly easily. Again, just like with Liko, I'm really looking forward to how Roy's relationship with his partner Pokemon will develop from here on out. In particular, Fuecoco's hobby of singing feels like it's setting up for its eventual evolution, but we'll have to wait and see if it'll go all the way to Skeledirge.

Some other small details that I liked about the episode:
  • I like that they're continuing to show off small scenes of the members of the airship doing their own thing, even when they're not the focus of the episode. It just makes the crew feel a lot livelier, which is one of the reasons I've been really enjoying this series so far. Orio being shown to be bad at sewing/stitching and Ludlow finally speaking are the highlights from this episode.
  • It's interesting that they're really hammering in how accessible online classes are in this series, with Liko using it to attend classes while adventuring with the crew and Roy using it to attend classes from a rural area. It's a nice little bit of world-building that I appreciate, and it also helps to alleviate the headache of trying to figure out what the kids' education statuses are (something that we had to constantly ignore while Ash and his friends were around).
  • Curious to see what's the deal with Friede not being upfront about his status as a professor. Feels like a lot of the crew members have some sort of secret that they're hiding about their background (eg. Mollie possibly being related to the Nurse Joys, and Ludlow possibly being Nidothing).
  • Also curious about the Explorers, with new information being revealed in this episode about their leader. Still wondering what their end goal is.
Overall, I think this is a nice episode that introduces Roy to the main cast while also building up some other stuff on the side.
 
To be fair they haven't really had the opportunity to. It would be random to just say the name of the place they were in when rescuing Sprigatito, and there are no Kanto Islands that have no trainers they can use the name of for where Roy lives.
 
Ooo, another great episode! I just love the vibes this episode gives off. After a couple of tense episodes, it's good to have a more laid-back one like this.

Roy is already proving himself to be a solid protagonist. He's this incredibly sweet, fun-loving kid who wants to explore the world. The contrast between him and Liko is great, but they both share a love of Pokemon, and a willingness to do anything for them. I'm thinking these two will make a great dynamic duo, and I can't wait to see more of them.

Fuecoco is an absolute cutie. I've always liked it, just never as much as the other two Paldean starters, but dang this episode alone puts the Paldea trio up on the Alola trio's level for me in terms of cuteness. I really like how they chose to introduce Fuecoco to Roy, having them meet on the island and become friends before Roy's even caught Fuecoco. The two make a great pair and I'm excited to see what this next episode brings for them.

Not too much of a focus on Friede's crew this episode, though we did get a little bit with Ludlow, which is much appreciated, figuring we haven't seen too much of the old man yet. We did learn more of Friede's backstory though, how he was raised on the small island by an old man, and he doesn't seem to appreciate being called a Professor.. I wonder if there's a story behind that.

Honestly, this anime is the highlight of my week. Every week I find myself looking forward to the next episode drop, and the day it happens I am repeatedly checking in and waiting to find an English sub. I haven't been this invested in the Pokemon anime in a very long time, and I think it's all thanks to the writing of the characters. Their personalities, stories, and dynamics are all great, and they're what keep me coming back.
 
To be fair they haven't really had the opportunity to. It would be random to just say the name of the place they were in when rescuing Sprigatito, and there are no Kanto Islands that have no trainers they can use the name of for where Roy lives.
I'm not saying every location has to be from the games, I just think it's really weird Roy's home still has no name. Even more so knowing Friede has been there at some point.
 
A little late to my review but I thought it was a pretty good episode overall. I think it might be my least favorite so far, but that is mainly because I only really cared about Roy being introduced.

Roy and Fuecoco are obviously the standouts this episode. Roy is already extremely likeable. I love how positive and adventurous he is right off the bat. I like how he has big plans for himself once he leaves the island. I wonder if his habit of throwing rocks will come in handy when catching Pokemon. I am definitely curious about the adventurer he was talking about and if we will get any backstory on who that is.

Fuecoco has a pretty fun personality. I like how he likes to sing but is embarrassed by it and how that allows for he and Roy to bond over singing together. Like Scorbunny before him, it looks like he might struggle with using fire-type moves? Twice we have seen Fuecoco fail to produce any flames.

I wonder what the connection is between Liko's pendant and the Ancient Pokeball. They seem to share some sort of connection due to the fact that they glowed at the exact same time. Roy's grandfather apparently found it a long time ago, but it has never been opened.

We also got some teases regarding Friede. They finally acknowledge him as a Pokemon Professor, but Friede seemingly doesn't like being referred to as one. Maybe he feels its too professional sounding? I'm guessing we will get an episode where we learn more about Friede and his time on the island with the elder. Also, him dodging and weaving the string shots while simultaneously using it to tie the wild Pokemon up was ridiculous but funny.

I can't say I'm exactly pleased with Quaxly being with Ludlow. I'll be upset if Sprigatito and Fuecoco get to be with the protagonists while Quaxly has to stay with a supporting character, and the supporting character with the least presence, at that. I'm sure his lack of presence is intentional and we'll learn why he is, but still. And I'm still not a fan of the Ludlow is Nidothing theory, it'd be really weird if that were the case and I don't think I would like it at all. I hope Quaxly gets the focus and attention it deserves because it was my starter in SV and has the best final evolution of the bunch, imo.

The shoutout to Totem Pokemon was cool. I was hoping one of the kids would mention contests, but alas.

We get a bit more information about the Explorers, we learn the name of the leader and that they have a submarine. Conia is the only member I particularly care about due to her shine last episode.

I like that the ending had Orla instead of Friede this time. Looks like they'll be switching the last singer around. I wonder if the Pokemon sung will change every once and awhile.

Anyways, to conclude, let me be the first to say: ROY'S OUR BOY!
 
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This felt like a classic episode of Pokemon and not just because of the lighthearted tone. The Yuji Asada and Massaki Iwane team is back. Aside from Iwane's usual flourishes in small scenes, the floating question marks, split screens, and MANY insert shorts are trademarks that I expect from Asada's storyboarding. That being said, the thick colored outlines during said insert shots are new, at least to me.
 
Something random, but not gonna lie, I kinda like the use of Nidothing. Nidothing is kinda here to teach newer viewers the many aspects about Pokemon and its been handled in a kind of creative manner. I'm starting to like the whole idea of using Nidothing in this way to get new and younger viewers caught up. Here he was teaching others about Pokeballs and catching Pokemon. Its honestly nice to have them reestablish the whole rules Goh broke when it came to catching Pokemon by weakening them through battle.
I’ve gotta wonder if that explanation was something of an Author Saving Throw to alleviate any fan concerns that we would be seeing a repeat of Go’s catching Pokémon left, right and center without battling or weakening them.
 
Something random, but not gonna lie, I kinda like the use of Nidothing. Nidothing is kinda here to teach newer viewers the many aspects about Pokemon and its been handled in a kind of creative manner. I'm starting to like the whole idea of using Nidothing in this way to get new and younger viewers caught up. Here he was teaching others about Pokeballs and catching Pokemon. Its honestly nice to have them reestablish the whole rules Goh broke when it came to catching Pokemon by weakening them through battle.
I found it hilarious with their segment on catching Pokémon by battling and weakening them before throwing a Ball, when we just finished a saga where the co-lead caught a majority of his Pokémon doing the exact opposite.
 
Sometimes I wonder if the reaction would have been different if Goh just used quick balls for all of those captures...
Also is it just me or, outside of a few Goh captures has it been... a while since last we had a pokemon caught via battle? It seems to always be through befriending and the mon willingly being caught because of it nowadays.
 
Sometimes I wonder if the reaction would have been different if Goh just used quick balls for all of those captures...
Also is it just me or, outside of a few Goh captures has it been... a while since last we had a pokemon caught via battle? It seems to always be through befriending and the mon willingly being caught because of it nowadays.

I believe Galarian Farfetch'd was the last one and before that it was Hawlucha.
 
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