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Review JN010: The Kairyu Paradise and Hakuryu's Ordeal!

This episode is a bit alright and glad to see Ash catch very first generation pokemon after 23 years. Only thing is that Go so idiocy to waste all the money to buy Pokeball just to catch Dewgong.

Overall rating: B-
 
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On topic, I... actually really liked this episode. Finally Gou is not having it easy and wasted a lot of Pokeballs on just a single Pokemon. I dunno if he'll change for the better going forward but that instinct of wanting to catch Dragonite immediately upon waking up on the island keeps me skeptical for now (not even counting the murderous faces he made earlier).

For the first time since SS003, they actually felt like research assistants and did actual field researching. Not to mention Ash finally being on the forefront and going all out to help Dragonair fly, even if it means struggling in the process himself. I'm still worried about TRio's characterization and that stupid lootbox, though their appearance here was far better than the last few ones and their lootbox Pokemon actually ended up backfiring on them.

AND ASH FINALLY GETS A CAPTURE! I was worried about him getting Dragonite straight away and disliked the prospect completely, instead much preferring him getting Dragonair as it is and evolving it later by working with it. But this episode's writer actually handled that quite decently and it doesn't feel bad at all. Dragonite is already displaying more personality than all of Gou's captures (minus Scorbunny) combined.

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I wonder what will happen to that Wailord. I also wonder if Gou is going to be in crippling debt after losing so many Pokeballs. :wynaut:
 
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Best episode of Pokemon 2019 hands down.

Ash finally caught something!
:D
:D
And it was actually enjoyable, though I was fearing Go would hijack all of Ash's work and steal Dragonite. I'm thrilled that Ash caught it and I like that Team Rocket did NOT get a villain stereotype as their gacha.... though it didn't blast off with them. Did they just lose their bosses' Pokemon? lol I legitimately smiled when Wailord popped out, that was actually cool seeing it unlike the other ones.

10/10
 
My thoughts as they went throughout the episode:

* Go is finally having some actual difficulty with catching a Pokémon, huh? I can already see some people being very satisfied with that.
* That has to be the most unfitting music for a dramatic storm sequence I've ever heard.
* Wait, he's out of Poké Balls?! Could this mean...?!
* Aww, that Dragonair is so precious.
* Yet another Pokédex reference! Dratini sheds its skin behind a waterfall! Is that actually Shed Skin, I wonder...
* Ash is so used to shocks by now that he can recover from them easily.
* I can just see the bonding happening right there. Please don't disappoint me...
* Wailord, huh? What's that move it used?
* Yup, Dragonair evolved.
* YES, YES, YES!! ASH CAUGHT THE DRAGONITE!! AN EPIC FIRST CATCH OF THE SERIES!!
* So... Is the Wailord released now?
* Ah, so Dragonite is going to be the Muk of the series, huh? I guess that's what the poster was showing.
 
Well, that was different.

Ash catching a Dragonite eh? Not sure if he'll use it much (it'll need to have more than a few appearances and be used) but hey, I guess getting something is nice.

That and he can show off to Iris and tell her he's a better dragon master than she is.
 
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Compared to recent episodes, this wasn't too bad

Found it funny that for once, Go had trouble catching a Pokemon. Makes a nice refreshing change and as a result, he no Poke Balls left to catch another Pokemon. Slightly annoyed that all he had was ordinary Poke Balls, are they the only balls used in Go?

So Ash actually caught a Dragonite, at least Go wasn't the one to catch it. A sign maybe that Ash will indeed catch Pokemon this series and not just from Galar

Was nice to see Dratini getting a decent amount of screen time
 
This is awful , catching a semilegendary at episode 10 and people will still like this. Give me a break what development is going to have? NOTHING HE IS ALREADY POWERFULL.

What can Dragonite give us that any of his Pokémon at Oak Ranch can't. NOTHING.

And what about Team Rocket? NOTHING

Why are they even here. And seriously of all Pokémon. A dumb Wailord. Get out of my face, they should have died from that Hyper Beam to the face

Pokémon as we know it is DEAD.

Edit: I have nothing against the episode really cute, but come on ,a Kanto Pokémon of all things
 
Honestly a good episode, I was pleasantly surprised. Not perfect and had some of the usual flaws, but I'll take it. There was an attempt made to give Gou a capture challenge, which unfortunately fell flat when he just caught it in a PokéBall anyway by abusing the RNG, but I appreciate that an attempt was made. Also appreciated not hearing a single capture bonus exclamation from Aicholtz. Now they just need to get rid of the country/rodeo music.

I was also pleased to see the capture go to Ash in a far more believable manner than Gou's captures have been. Ash spent the episode working with the Dragonair to help it overcome its problem and in doing so earned its friendship, which worked well. Not so sure I liked the whole 'Ash gets hurt by Pokémon attacks' thing they've loved since Sun and Moon started, but at least it added to the episode this time instead of being just a crappy gag.

Overall a good episode and one of the best so far from this series, if they were all like this there wouldn't be a problem. Seeing Koharu and a bunch of balls beside the Gengar in the preview gives me what I hope aren't false hopes that things are finally starting to look up for this show.
 
More episodes like this one, please.

A solid 10 minutes of this episode was spent examining the Dragonite line in their natural habitat, which is infinitely more fascinating than whatever CotD story they can conjure. I did not expect to see Dratini shedding its skin, but it was cool to see. The idea that the Dragonite create storms to protect the island gives the line that extra bit of mystique, which is appropriate for it. I also had to laugh when Ash pointed out how different Dragonite is to Dratini and Dragonair, and wondered why it grows hands when it evolves. I'm so used to evolutionary changes being ignored that him suddenly asking the obvious question took me by surprise.

The answer was sappy, but very Ash: they grow hands so they can help people. Probably not the scientific explanation but there's a romance to it that I like.

The second half of the episode was Ash in his element - just being a crazy bastard in an effort to help a Pokemon he just met. Quite how electrocuting yourself repeatedly helps you learn Dragon Dance I've no idea, but the sentiment is there, at least. Honestly, I think I would have preferred it had Dragonair not evolved, but at least they established it had slimy skin earlier. Dragonite is one hell of a first capture for a series, and I suspect its presence will be necessary for the upcoming Leon vs Lance episode.

So yeah, solid episode. Only thing I disliked was Gou throwing all those balls at Dewgong. My only thought during that scene was "battle the thing, for christ's sake!".

Can't wait for Ash to finally catch a Lucario now.
 
This is awful , catching a semilegendary at episode 10 and people will still like this. Give me a break what development is going to have? NOTHING HE IS ALREADY POWERFULL.

What can Dragonite give us that any of his Pokémon at Oak Ranch can't. NOTHING.

And what about Team Rocket? NOTHING

Why are they even here. And seriously of all Pokémon. A dumb Wailord. Get out of my face, they should have died from that Hyper Beam to the face

Pokémon as we know it is DEAD.

Edit: I have nothing against the episode really cute, but come on ,a Kanto Pokémon of all things
I personally don't see anything wrong with Ash catching Dragonite. Their relationship was built up nicely during the episode, so it felt earned and fitting.
 
I personally don't see anything wrong with Ash catching Dragonite. Their relationship was built up nicely during the episode, so it felt earned and fitting.

Certainly better then Go who randomly encounters a Pokemon and just throws a ball with little build up at all
 
I personally don't see anything wrong with Ash catching Dragonite. Their relationship was built up nicely during the episode, so it felt earned and fitting.

It's a good capture episode, you bond a Pokémon you help it you catch it.

What im talking here is the aftermath.. What can Dragonite do, he is already evolved, he is already strong. What is the point?
 
We don't actually know how strong it is yet. For all we know, it could actually be quite weak for a Dragonite, or have some other issue that holds it back.

Also, we have an episode with Lance a.k.a. Mr. I Love Dragonite So Much I Used A Game Shark To Get One, coming up. The timing is perfect. All they have to do is show how weak Ash's Dragonite is compared to Lance's and viola, you have an arc.
 
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Well this was much better. Miyata did an excellent job in disabling the pre-conditions which have made the last 4 episodes so frustrating:
- No easy catches for Go
- No easy travel from A to B

I also loved the focus on the Pokemon world and those questions we've always wondered about (how tf does Hakuryu become THAT?!) Getting to see them in their natural habitat with Satoshi and Go appearing as visitors and being on the whole unobtrusive made it fun. I really would have preferred Satoshi to get Hakuryu mostly because it's one of my faves and sorely underrepresented compared to its evolution, but tbh this story made sense and Satoshi's Kairyu already has signs of a distinct personality, so yay!

Obviously I was pleased to see the TRio again, even if for just a few minutes and that too to walk through a pretty tedious disruption. I hate the Gachat concept but I had to laugh when Sakaki's pixelated face appearance on it!

(The music still mostly sucks.)

I'm still worried about TRio's characterization
Why? I'm not thrilled with how they're being utilised, don't get me wrong, but their characterisation (despite the boring af scenes they've been called in to do) is spot on. I particularly liked Musashi stupid self-sabotage in getting Whaloh to splash when they were clinging onto a homemade raft. Their scheme of pretending to be lost at sea was also perfectly in-character.
 
Since I'm in a Star Wars mood lately, here's what I can say about Ash's new Dragonite.

A surprise to be sure but a welcome one.

If Ash can capture old Gen I Pokémon now, imagine what other Pokémon he is free to capture? Or heck, what other trends will the anime break this time?
 
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