VetProf
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Feb 11, 2020
- Messages
- 431
- Reaction score
- 2,022
Some early thoughts regarding this episode:
1. While I'm personally indifferent as to who gets to catch and keep Sobble, the entire Sobble plot in this episode felt... kinda meh. I'm fine with Sobble being caught instantly with one Pokeball since it was portrayed as a weak Pokemon throughout the entirety of this episode, but I'm not ok with the Pokeball landing in the first place due to pure dumb luck. And no, let's not pretend that Gou's "amazing" ball-throwing skills helped him net a direct hit on a completely-invisible Pokemon that he wasn't even sure was there, because if that's how skill interacts with luck, then you'll never see Focus Blast miss in competitive.
2. The rest of the Sobble plot was actually pretty decent (it's the standard "new Pokemon tries battling, fails, runs away, trainer go looks for it and tries to bond with it" formula, but it's executed quite well here)... until Team Rocket got their hands on Sobble. Sorry, but most of this bit felt... quite stupid, IMO. For whatever reason, Metal Sound gave the Rocket Trio so much plot armor that the best thing the protagonists could do was just stand there and endure it (thank god Korrina's Lucario didn't use Metal Sound a few episodes ago, or else Ash would've been f***ked). Meanwhile, Gou tries to Talk no Jutsu his way to Sobble's heart... which not only worked, but also gave Sobble super-strength out of nowhere so that it could bend the bars of the cage that it was trapped in and escape (jokes aside, judging by the Rocket Trio's reaction, there's probably an actual reason as to why the cage was so weak, but it's probably a crappy reason). And to top it all off, the protagonists were able to protect themselves from Sobble's tears by wearing a bunch of goggles that they seemingly pulled out of thin air, but it apparently makes sense because the goggles came from a random flashback that was also pulled out of thin air. 10/10, solid story-telling.
3. Just like the Resort Area episode, this felt like an episode that would've been much, much shorter if the protagonists actually brought more Pokemon with them instead of just the handful that require obligatory screentime (seriously, I still see no real reason why Ash doesn't have Gengar and Dragonite with him at all times). Actually, forget the other Pokemon, there's absolutely no excuse for why both Farfetch'd didn't participate in the battle against the Rocket trio even though they both already appeared at the very beginning of the episode. Pikachu, Riolu and Raboot were already "ganging up" on the Rocket trio's two gacha Pokemon in a 3vs2 (and that's excluding Sobble's interference later on), so having both birds join the battle wouldn't hurt either.
4. As stupid as the Rocket Trio bit was, I will say that the "fake eyes don't cry" joke that they did with Magnezone and Armaldo was pure gold. I completely forgot that the big red eye on Magnezone isn't its actual eye. Definitely wasn't expecting that to be the reason why both of those Pokemon were chosen to be the gacha Pokemon this episode, but I appreciate it nonetheless.
5. More screentime for Galar Pokemon is always welcome. Both Indeedee got their proper debut this episode; I was getting worried that Ash and Gou wouldn't check their Pokedex entries before leaving Galar. The surprise appearance from Silicobra was nice, too.
6. And finally, speaking of Galar Pokemon, I sincerely hope that the Morpeko will either become a recurring character or end up on the Rocket Trio's team eventually. Seriously, that adorable yet feisty little fellow is perfect for them.
1. While I'm personally indifferent as to who gets to catch and keep Sobble, the entire Sobble plot in this episode felt... kinda meh. I'm fine with Sobble being caught instantly with one Pokeball since it was portrayed as a weak Pokemon throughout the entirety of this episode, but I'm not ok with the Pokeball landing in the first place due to pure dumb luck. And no, let's not pretend that Gou's "amazing" ball-throwing skills helped him net a direct hit on a completely-invisible Pokemon that he wasn't even sure was there, because if that's how skill interacts with luck, then you'll never see Focus Blast miss in competitive.
2. The rest of the Sobble plot was actually pretty decent (it's the standard "new Pokemon tries battling, fails, runs away, trainer go looks for it and tries to bond with it" formula, but it's executed quite well here)... until Team Rocket got their hands on Sobble. Sorry, but most of this bit felt... quite stupid, IMO. For whatever reason, Metal Sound gave the Rocket Trio so much plot armor that the best thing the protagonists could do was just stand there and endure it (thank god Korrina's Lucario didn't use Metal Sound a few episodes ago, or else Ash would've been f***ked). Meanwhile, Gou tries to Talk no Jutsu his way to Sobble's heart... which not only worked, but also gave Sobble super-strength out of nowhere so that it could bend the bars of the cage that it was trapped in and escape (jokes aside, judging by the Rocket Trio's reaction, there's probably an actual reason as to why the cage was so weak, but it's probably a crappy reason). And to top it all off, the protagonists were able to protect themselves from Sobble's tears by wearing a bunch of goggles that they seemingly pulled out of thin air, but it apparently makes sense because the goggles came from a random flashback that was also pulled out of thin air. 10/10, solid story-telling.
3. Just like the Resort Area episode, this felt like an episode that would've been much, much shorter if the protagonists actually brought more Pokemon with them instead of just the handful that require obligatory screentime (seriously, I still see no real reason why Ash doesn't have Gengar and Dragonite with him at all times). Actually, forget the other Pokemon, there's absolutely no excuse for why both Farfetch'd didn't participate in the battle against the Rocket trio even though they both already appeared at the very beginning of the episode. Pikachu, Riolu and Raboot were already "ganging up" on the Rocket trio's two gacha Pokemon in a 3vs2 (and that's excluding Sobble's interference later on), so having both birds join the battle wouldn't hurt either.
4. As stupid as the Rocket Trio bit was, I will say that the "fake eyes don't cry" joke that they did with Magnezone and Armaldo was pure gold. I completely forgot that the big red eye on Magnezone isn't its actual eye. Definitely wasn't expecting that to be the reason why both of those Pokemon were chosen to be the gacha Pokemon this episode, but I appreciate it nonetheless.
5. More screentime for Galar Pokemon is always welcome. Both Indeedee got their proper debut this episode; I was getting worried that Ash and Gou wouldn't check their Pokedex entries before leaving Galar. The surprise appearance from Silicobra was nice, too.
6. And finally, speaking of Galar Pokemon, I sincerely hope that the Morpeko will either become a recurring character or end up on the Rocket Trio's team eventually. Seriously, that adorable yet feisty little fellow is perfect for them.
