Review JN014: First in the Isshu Region! The Raid Battle at the Ruins!!

[VetProf]

Alright, since no one else seems like they want to mention this, I’d like to draw attention to the fact that Go didn’t catch Golurk just to catch Golurk; he caught Golurk to SAVE ITS LIFE. The thing couldn’t transform out of cannon mode and was about to fall through the floor and most likely die (or break into a million pieces...which would also count as death), and Go quickly threw the ball to help save it. Heck, he even apologized to the others before he did it, because he knew they wanted a chance to catch Golurk to.

And btw, at the end of the episode, Golurk is STILL stuck with its arms and legs tucked in, which probably means that it’s crippled for life and is gonna remain like that for the rest of the series. Its fighting days are over, so Go did NOT get a “free powerhouse.”

Still a little bit salty that Golurk went to Gou instead of Ash, but yeah, I think that's a good enough excuse for Gou to catch it beyond simply filling his Pokedex. Also, if the Golurk really is crippled permanently, then I guess it didn't really matter who caught it anyway since it's just gonna sit in the park for the rest of the series. In fact, giving it to Gou makes sense since it could at least contribute towards his Pokedex count.

Golurk would've been fine - it's already dead, after all

Acerola's Mimikyu proves that Ghost-type Pokemon can still die, as weird as it seems. So no, there's no guarantee that Golurk would've been fine if everyone just let it fall through the crumbling floor like that.

 

[FinnishPokéFan92]

Could Ash and Pikachu's questionable move choices here actually be a jab at or a throwback to his stupidity in Best Wishes?

 

[Alola]

Amid all of the many violent events in this franchise that we've observed, such as planetary bodies being chucked at opponents, opponents being blasted with below-freezing temperatures, people and Pokemon alike suffering 100,000 volts of electricity, being submerged by deluges of pressurized water, thrown/collided into at breakneck speeds, people and Pokemon being scorched by Flamethrowers, absolute beatdowns via a myriad of physical moves, suffering from toxins courtesy of Poison-type moves, being internally imbalanced by spectral moves, being devastated by significant attacks such a Z-Moves and Dynamax Moves, enduring literal explosions, people and Pokemon being attacked by combinations of moves, etc. etc. (from which 99.9% of the recipients ultimately end up unscathed when all is said and done), there are people who believe that Golurk would have suffered some irreparable damage via falling; it baffles me.

 

[VetProf]

opponents being blasted with below-freezing temperatures

We've seen a Pokemon die from that before.

people and Pokemon being scorched by Flamethrowers/enduring literal explosions

We've seen a Pokemon die from that, too.

there are people who believe that Golurk would have suffered some irreparable damage via falling; it baffles me.

Don't underestimate fall damage. If anime and video games taught me anything, it's that fall damage can be deadly when the plot calls for it. Especially when crumbling floors are involved.

I'm not saying that Golurk is absolutely gonna suffer irreparable damage if it fell, I'm just saying that it presents a believable-enough risk that Gou attempting to save it is a plausible reason for capturing it.

 

[DarkraiKnight]

Amid all of the many violent events in this franchise that we've observed, such as planetary bodies being chucked at opponents, opponents being blasted with below-freezing temperatures, people and Pokemon alike suffering 100,000 volts of electricity, being submerged by deluges of pressurized water, thrown/collided into at breakneck speeds, people and Pokemon being scorched by Flamethrowers, absolute beatdowns via a myriad of physical moves, suffering from toxins courtesy of Poison-type moves, being internally imbalanced by spectral moves, being devastated by significant attacks such a Z-Moves and Dynamax Moves, enduring literal explosions, people and Pokemon being attacked by combinations of moves, etc. etc. (from which 99.9% of the recipients ultimately end up unscathed when all is said and done), there are people who believe that Golurk would have suffered some irreparable damage via falling; it baffles me.

Fine, I admit I may have exaggerated...but even if Golurk survived, it would’ve remained trapped in that dark recesses of that temple for the rest of eternity, because it was already too damaged to change out of cannon mode. Surely, being in Sakuragi Park, surrounded by a bunch of other Pokémon is a much better fate, right?

And even discounting THAT, what really matters in my theory is that Go didn’t throw the Poké Ball and catch Golurk just to fill another spot in his Dex or because he wanted to mooch off of everyone else’s work (even though frankly, even Ash and Dragonite, who did the most, didn’t do that much damage until the final attack, which involved Go as well). He did it for a noble reason.

 

[QuietDragon]

Oof, I spoke too fast when I said I liked Gou from the start because he reminds me of Shootie/Trip with his awkward, high-handedness, but he seems written in a way that’ll make him more likeable to other people, huh...

Satoshi and Gou said no hard feelings whoever catches it. It’s not like he cruelly stole the catch, you guys, please don’t blame fictional characters for writing decisions, he just caught a Pokemon...

I do agree, though, that that city feels nothing like Unova, especially the crowd scenes with all of those non-Unovan Pokemon when BW! was careful to only depict Unovan Pokemon except in places like Decolora where others exist. Then again, it has been a while (despite comic book time) and just like how there’s ongoing construction and scenery changes in the Fushigisou/Ivysaur ep and the fact that we didn’t get to see the Desert Resort before, I’ll accept it!

-copies and pastes rest of thoughts-

It was very Black Hero's Ruins. I loved the sight gags (they were very reminiscent of Kanto/OS), the chibi were cute and funny too, and the animation and art was quite stylish, which made the battle more flashy and dramatic even though I'm not personally a fan of Pokemon battles...

Seeing Golurk's cannon form in the anime too was really cool!!

Gou and Satoshi/Ash have a very natural dynamic as friends, I loved the faces they made at each other after they heard about the switches, also Gou telling Satoshi he didn't have to pretend if he actually didn't enjoy something. Gou's concerned shout when Satoshi fell also felt heartwarming... ;3;

I liked the little advert for Yorterry/Lillipup snacks after the piece about the Resort Desert!


Anyway, everything from the friendship stories, the visual humour (funny, toony, but not gross-out or obnoxiously overdone), environmental themes, great animation, and endearing characters! Being able to travel around also brought back the sense of adventure, this is definitely a Pokemon series I can enjoy. ;3;

Also, that man calling his Litwick a guiding light and its flame glowing brighter and larger, UM... whose lifeforce is that.......

 

[FinnishPokéFan92]

I do agree, though, that that city feels nothing like Unova, especially the crowd scenes with all of those non-Unovan Pokemon when BW! was careful to only depict Unovan Pokemon except in places like Decolora where others exist. Then again, it has been a while (despite comic book time) and just like how there’s ongoing construction and scenery changes in the Fushigisou/Ivysaur ep and the fact that we didn’t get to see the Desert Resort before, I’ll accept it!

Interesting fact: aside from Pikachu and Scorbunny, all the Pokémon in this episode can be obtained in Unova one way or another.

 

[Twilight-Kun]

Could Ash and Pikachu's questionable move choices here actually be a jab at or a throwback to his stupidity in Best Wishes?

He wasn't being stupid - he was just excited to battle and got ahead of himself

 

[FinnishPokéFan92]

He wasn't being stupid - he was just excited to battle and got ahead of himself

Yeah. I've kinda come up to the same conclusion myself. He just forgot Golurk's typing in the heat of the moment.

 

[BigDocFan]

One thing I did like about the episode was there was no random scene at the start with Ash and/or Go randomly deciding to visit Unova.

The episode started with them already there

Less time wasted I feel

 

[Pulsaro23]

...Oh right, people still think continuity is a thing

Okay, to try and quell this stupid misconception once and for all (not that people would actually stop, if the recent "the new series is a reboot" thread is of any indication), yes, continuity is actually a thing. All of the series up 'till now (including the current one) have nods and references to the past and, sometimes, they even have one of the past companions come back.

What is the proof towards continuity being a thing, you may ask? Well:

• The Advanced Generations series (the first series that came out after the OG one) starts off right where the previous one ended, with Ash reaching Hoenn with his Pikachu, who is ill due to Team Rocket's little scheme. Max mentions Ash's battle in the Silver Conference (which happened in the OG series), both Brock and Misty (and even Tracy, at one point (not counting the specials)) return, with the former becoming a companion once more (and he still has his Forretress with him, which he was first shown owning one in the main anime, in the OG series), and they all clearly recognize Ash (Misty even has her signature Togepi with her, a Pokémon that she only has in the main anime universe (and the PM manga, apparently, but who the heck cares about it?), with Misty's ownership of it having originated in the OG series), all of the Pokémon Ash left at Oak's or with a Jenny or in the Charicific Valley appear at one point or another during the Battle Frontier arc/season and even his achievements in all of the previous Leagues Ash participated in are outright mentioned. And there are even more references to the OG series, but, for the sake of not ending up writing an entire thread page, I won't mention them. Conclusion: the AG series is undeniably a continuation of the OG series and that's that.
• The Diamond & Pearl series starts off right where the previous series left off (just like the AG series), with Ash arriving in Sinnoh with both Pikachu and Aipom, after deciding to go there at the end of the AG series (which is also where Aipom was revealed to have followed him). Brock returns once more as a companion and clearly recognizes Ash (not to mention that he still has his Bonsly with him, which is an AG series/anime-original capture (just like Misty's Togepi)), Ash has Misty's special lure (which he received from Misty via Professor Oak in the AG series), Ash recognizes Viridian City's Officer Jenny (whom he met in the OG series), Ash brings up his battle against Lt. Surge, May returns during the Wallace Cup arc and, during the arc, several references to stuff that happened in the AG series are made, Ash mentions his battle against Brandon and (probably the biggest thing in support of this) Ash used all of the Pokémon that he caught in the previous two series during the Lily of the Valley Conference. Verdict: Once again, it is made very clear that the DP series is in the same continuity as the AG and the OG series.
• Despite its very rocky start and the fact that this was the first series to not pick up where the previous one left off, the Best Wishes series starts off showing Ash's room (which is full of the prizes/gifts that he received in Sinnoh) and has Team Rocket recognizing Ash and Pikachu as soon as they see him (meaning that they've met before), both of which imply a connection between BW and the previous series. While they ignored anything that came before for the first year, things quickly changed with the start of Season 2, which started off with the return of Cynthia, who recognized Ash and vice versa (as they've met multiple times throughout DP). Then we saw the return of Dawn, who was shown to know Ash as they travelled together throughout Sinnoh (which happened in the DP series), her Cyndaquil being shown to have evolved into a Quilava (which happened in the first DP special), her using a Counter Shield (an anime-only strategy that debuted in DP), her mentioning Brock, the guy with whom she travelled throughout DP, by name (twice, I might add) + his dream of becoming a Pokémon Doctor (which he decided to pursue at the end of the DP series) and her mentioning the Wallace Cup. Then we had Charizard's return, which was chockfull of flashbacks and references to the OG series (including Tracey's last appearance to date). Then we had an episode in which Ash bonds with a Caterpie, while also reminiscing of the time he caught one and the time he released his Butterfree after he found a mate. And, finally, we had Clair's return and her mentioning that time Ash and Charizard helped her save the Holy Dragon Land. Plus, there's also the special in which Cilan meets Brock, which shows him pursuing his dream to become a Pokémon Doctor (once again, established at the end of the DP series) and shows him owning a Croagunk (an anime-original capture that happened in the DP series). Overall: Quality of the series aside, it's made quite clear that the series is a continuation of the previous three, even if it took them about a year to acknowledge it.
• The XY series is the one with the fewest references to the past, but that doesn't mean that they don't exist at all. Once more, the series starts where the previous one ended, with Ash arriving in Kalos alongside Alexa after having decided to go to Kalos and leaving Kanto with her in the last episode of BW (with him even wearing the clothes that he got in that episode). Other than that, Oak is show to have his Rotom with him (an anime-original capture that he made in the BW series) and Ash indirectly mentions Dawn's Piplup. And there's also the special in which Cilan meets Clemont, where Cilan remembers his time with Ash. Verdict: While lacking in continuity references and nods (with the series having only two major acknowledgment of the previous series), those few still prove that the series is connected to BW, which, as shown above, is connected to all of the ones before it.
• The Sun & Moon series featured the return of Misty and Brock twice. The Alola, Kanto two-parter was full of references to the OG series, featured a cameo of Ash's Corphish (a Pokémon he caught in the AG series) and it had Brock mention that he's a Pokémon Doctor-in-training and he even used a Counter Shield (both references to DP). The Alola, Alola two-parter had Brock use his Sudowoodo (which evolved from his Bonsly in the DP series). Conclusion: All of these, coupled with the fact that Ash recognizes Unova and Kalos Pokémon point towards this series being a continuation of the previous ones as well.
• The new series, while it doesn't have as many references to the previous series as it could have (considering what the premise of the series is and how it's not tied to a single region), they're still there. The first episode features Pikachu's backstory and has a flashback to the day Ash got Pikachu. The very next episode has a shot that focuses for a few seconds on all of the badges/symbols/League trophies that Ash has earned throughout his journey so far. Episode 9 has Ash remember the day he met Ho-oh. And episode 12 featured the Lance's return, where it's stated the he's a member of the Pokémon G-Men (an anime-only organization of which only OG series/AG series Lance is a part of (and no other version of him)) and he's shown to have the Red Gyarados in his possession (a Pokémon that he caught in the OG series (and while yes, he has one in the games, that one isn't the Red Gyarados from the Gold/Silver/Crystal/GHSS games)). Overall: while it doesn't have as many references as one would expect, it still has some that show that this series is undeniably a continuation of the previous ones.

Tl;dr - all of the series have references to events that happened in the previous ones or some kind of continuity nods that help connect them the ones that came before and to deny that is to deny irrefutable facts, as shown by this very extensive list I've just made above that kept me so busy that I haven't even gotten to play GW2 today.

 

[Twilight-Kun]

Tl;dr - all of the series have references to events that happened in the previous ones or some kind of continuity nods that help connect them the ones that came before and to deny that is to deny irrefutable facts, as shown by this very extensive list I've just made above that kept me so busy that I haven't even gotten to play GW2 today.

You have my deepest sympathies for wasting your time typing all that irrelevant information - all we know is that Lance is a G-Man (What are they? What do they do? Where are they stationed? Has Ash met them before? When did he do that in the previous 11 episodes?) and he has a gyarados, just like his game team, similar to how Steven has Metagross, Cynthia has Garchomp, and Diantha has Gardevoir

There's also nothing connecting the Pichu to Ash's Pikachu, since their personalities are completely different

 

[FinnishPokéFan92]

he has a gyarados, just like his game team, similar to how Steven has Metagross, Cynthia has Garchomp, and Diantha has Gardevoir

A Gyarados that is Shiny only in the anime, not in the games.

 

[Knightwolf09]

A Gyarados that is Shiny only in the anime, not in the games.

Don't forget it's the same for Steven and his Metagross

 

[Twilight-Kun]

A Gyarados that is Shiny only in the anime, not in the games.

Did...you not play GSC/HGSS?

Lake of Rage? Team Rocket? Red Gyarados? Any of this ringing a bell?

 

[Knightwolf09]

Did...you not play GSC/HGSS?

Lake of Rage? Team Rocket? Red Gyarados? Any of this ringing a bell?

Finnish mean Lance's specific Gyrados in his team. In the game it wasn't shiny.

 

[FinnishPokéFan92]

Don't forget it's the same for Steven and his Metagross

Yeah. They made it Shiny to reflect the ORAS Demo, where he uses one.

 

[RamenBoy]

I thought the mistake was due to Ash forgetting Golurk was ground/ghost instead of rock/ghost.

 

[nickdt]

To be fair, even I thought Golurk was Rock/Ghost instead of Ground/Ghost. I'm pretty sure many people made that mistake because of Golurk's appearance (same with Lucario not even coming off as a Steel type). I guess I was a bit harsh about the entire Ground/Electric issue...

tbh, for the longest time i thought Golett line was Steel/Ghost.

 

[BigDocFan]

If only Ash had been told during Sun and Moon by Rotom that Golurk was a Ground and Ghost type

Oh wait, he was told