Review HZ005: I Found You, Hogator

[BigDocFan]

https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/HZ005

The fifth episode of Pokemon Horizons has aired, discuss here

 

[RetroPokeFan]

The tension really is building up now that Ametheio has got Riko and Roy cornered.

This was a decent enough episode (though not quite as good as the other four) with some nice character moments for Riko, Roy and Fuecoco who I just adore recently. So full of charm and personality.

 

[Sailor Viola]

Wh-

Why?

Why did they off-screened Riko's first win?

 

[BigDocFan]

Was rather excited to see Liko battling Conia so was rather disappointed that they cut away before returning to show Golduck defeated

Disappointment

 

[ChenPoke]

I agree with you guys... I wanted to see Liko's first win

 

[Emelie]

Tbh this was a little boring. I think they should just move on with the story already and head to Paldea. I think having Roy be from a random island in Kanto was a mistake, it would have been better if he was from Paldea and he appeared after Liko returned home.

Right now the pacing feels a bit off. It's the fifth episode but we still haven't gotten any information about Liko's goal or if she will catch any more Pokémon other than Sprigatito. The Explorers are also becoming kind of overused, I hope we get to take a break from them soon and focus on other things. Later in the series they should give them interesting backstories like TR had.

It's interesting how Roy started shaking violently though? It seems like everyone views him as Liko's foil but he seems to be dealing with anxiety as well. Maybe they are more alike than they seem at first glance.

 

[Articfoxgamez]

Eh I'm kind of fine the battle was off screen, especially since Sprigatito has only been using a single move anyways, couldn't have been very interesting to look at.
I think the pacing is about normal for a less episodic series, atleast a long one rather than those 12 episode ones. As for the explorers, I think it works, they arent in a rest period section of the show so of course the main enemy will keep showing up. But I can see how it might seem overused.

 

[BigDocFan]

Eh I'm kind of fine the battle was off screen, especially since Sprigatito has only been using a single move anyways, couldn't have been very interesting to look at.
I think the pacing is about normal for a less episodic series, atleast a long one rather than those 12 episode ones. As for the explorers, I think it works, they arent in a rest period section of the show so of course the main enemy will keep showing up. But I can see how it might seem overused.

I was hoping we might see another move used

 

[Jaye]

Remember how Team Rocket would steal Pikachu outta nowhere with a grabby-hand? I'm getting those vibes from Amethio kidnapping Liko. One day she'll be standing there, the next she'll have been picked by his Corviknight or something.

Following on from what I said last week, Horizons is focusing heavily on its story early days and hasn't had much time for those one-off adventures we're so used to. That makes reviewing these episodes more challenging because they're clearly designed to be viewed as a collective and will therefore get better or worse depending on the pay off. Today's episode was a good example of this because moment-to-moment it was the weakest so far, but it's that way because it's meant to be a bridge between Roy's debut episode and whatever happens next week.

The most interesting moment was Roy and Liko talking in the forest and sharing their unease about the whole situation. Seeing them both scared was oddly humanising in a show where, traditionally, the kids have flung themselves into danger without much thought, and I'm not sure how I feel about it yet considering Liko was quite happy to confront the Explorers by herself two episodes ago. I'm also a bit confused as to how Liko apparently handily beat Conia's Golduck off screen (she might have lost because she couldn't bring herself to fight Sprigatito but, well, we didn't get to see that, did we?) but everyone else in the Volt Tacklers can't do anything against the other dude. Okay, they're setting up Roy and Fuecoco's big moment, but they at least could have had the crew put up more of a fight, surely.

This brings me to Amethio vs Friede III. Amethio actually displayed some personality during this fight when his eye twitched at Friede ignoring him, but apart from that, I'm already getting a bit tired of seeing these two battle and I hope we'll see less of it once we're out of this introductory stage.

Complaints aside, the character writing remains solid. Apart from the aforementioned moment in the forest, we also had Liko blaming herself for the Volt Tacklers being in danger again, but rather than turn herself in like before, she resolved to take action. Roy has his eccentricities, but he's not as happy-go-lucky as he looks. The biggest contrast between him and Liko isn't going to be his personality, but in his more intuitive understanding of Pokemon (for example, he didn't need the Pokedex to suss out singing was the best way to encourage Fuecoco). Their early chemistry is promising.

 

[ILoveTV]

The tension really is building up now that Ametheio has got Riko and Roy cornered.

This was a decent enough episode (though not quite as good as the other four) with some nice character moments for Riko, Roy and Fuecoco who I just adore recently. So full of charm and personality.

I liked it as much as the other 4. The only issue I have is the fact that liko's and conia's battle was offscreened

 

[Mr. MoonStone]

Echoing everyone else's sentiments above in that I wish they showed Liko's first proper battle win onscreen, but I guess it's fine since it was likely Sprigatito spamming Leafage. I think some are forgetting that this show is going to be divided by story arcs, and, from at the 1st 5 episodes so far, it seems to be very plot-driven compared to the previous series so I really wouldn't expect to see a singular moment where Liko decides she's going to have a "goal" like we've seen with other past characters. I certainly don't think it's impossible for them to have characters challenge gyms or search for lost treasure, but I wouldn't continue watching expecting that we're going to get a checklist of objectives (like beat 8 gyms, challenge 6 totems, take on contests, whatever) to measure her activity and growth as a trainer.

 

[Sakuraa]

Another nice episode showing more of Roy's adorable personality. I just love how he sings with Fuecoco to give it encouragement. He's the cutest little bean. It was also great to see Nidothing and best character Quaxly showing off different types of Poke Balls in their video. I seriously hope this means there's a chance Liko and Roy may use more than just basic Poke Balls for their eventual captures. I'm excited to see more of Roy's Ancient Poke Ball along with it's connection to Liko's pendant in the next episode. It's really nice how plot driven the early show has been so far. 7/10 for me.

 

[SamurottMan]

That forest scene with Liko and Roy was intense and so real. I'm really liking the realistic approach.

Roy is just too adorable and wholesome - a refreshing male character archetype for the series. Him and Fuecoco are a match made in heaven.

 

[Singaporean]

What an intense episode that leave a cliffhanger for next week. Especially, when Liko almost at the clutches of Explorers. Judging by Fredie gang as only he himself stands out to fend off against them. While others of his are not use to battle. On the other hand Roy and Fuecoco about to be partner anytime soon from singing together.

Overall rating: B+

 

[Eclipsical]

I don't have as much to say this time but I still enjoyed it.

Roy continues to outshine everybody. He is so pure and genuine that makes watching him a joy. His continuing relationship with Fuecoco is developing well and the way they use singing to connect and hype themselves up is an excellent usage of the species' habit for singing.

Parroting what everyone else has said, having Liko get her first win off-screen is a weird decision. Yeah, she probably just spammed Leafage, which we've seen is pretty overpowered for such a typically weak move, but still.

The Explorers are kind of getting boring for me already. Every time they showed up, I didn't feel anything for them. They're just kind of annoying, but they also lack the levity that Jessie, James, & Meowth bring with them.

 

[techitisJ]

While I will say this is probably the weakest episode Horizons has had so far, it was still pretty good, and it had some solid points.

I am really starting to like Friede and Amethio's dynamic. Friede definitely brings the personality of this stoic guy. Amethio's initial reluctance to battle Friede, and his little eye twitch while Friede was distracted. It may be unintentional in this episode, but Friede is totally teasing this guy and pretending not to take him seriously and Amethio is annoyed. It's great and I definitely wouldn't mind if they keep up with this running gag of unfinished battles between them, if we get to see more of this (though they should probably use the gag a bit more sparingly just so it doesn't get annoying).

Liko's first win being off-screen was a bit disappointing, though I can see that this episode was much more focused on Roy, so they probably just wanted to keep the attention on him. Nonetheless, I'm still proud of my girl.

Roy and Fuecoco were so cute in this episode. I love how the two rely on each other and they make a great duo. The scene in the forest with the four of them was great. We can see that Roy and Liko are scared, but their connection to their Pokemon makes them stronger. Fuecoco reassures Roy that it will be okay, and later Roy encourages Fuecoco into battle. We also get to see how much Liko has grown here. She is learning to rely on others, and in turn is becoming more brave herself, day by day. The writing for these two characters is great, and it looks like we'll be able to see them actively grow. With Ash, the growth in his character happened much more gradual over the course of the series, and was less active. But for Liko, it appears they are taking a more active role with it so far, and I think they'll do the same for Roy.

This is more of a general point for the series as a whole, it's nothing major and can easily change in future episodes, but I'd really like to see just a bit more personality with Liko's Sprigatito. I mean, we do get a general personality from it, but so far we haven't had anything major that really sets it apart from just a cat Pokemon with a good connection with its trainer. Meanwhile, we've seen two unique personality bits from Fuecoco (three if you count his love of food). Fuecoco idolizes Charizard, and his connection to Friede, and he loves to sing. I'm hoping we'll be able to see some unique quirks from Sprigatito in the future.

Overall, a nice episode. We got to see a lot of character development here, and I had a good time with it.

 

[Articfoxgamez]

They have to give Sprigatito more quirks eventually, atleast if they plan to ever evolve it. "Litterally just a cat" only kind of works with Floragato and would be very weird on Meowscarada.

 

[Eitarou]

...so I'm not the only one who heard "We Will Rock You" in that Roy-Fuecoco duet, right?

 

[VetProf]

Once again we're seeing Amethio's principled approach to the situation here, with him rejecting his colleague's proposal to outright seize control of the airship since their only aim here is getting Liko and her pendant. This is similar to what he did in episode 3, when he refused to use Sprigatito as a bargaining chip to trade for the pendant and its owner. Although Amethio intentionally holding back might be one of the factors the Explorers' plans keep failing, it really does help to add depth to his character and make him feel more than just a straight up bad guy, and I really like what the writers are doing with him. It's nice to see him battling with his Corviknight too, was worried that it's just gonna be used for transportation and nothing else.

 

[Poke Trey]

This episode is making me appreciate Roy a bit more and I'm curious as to how next week will wrap up this little arc we're in.