Review JN034: The Solitary Fighter Saitou! The Threatening Otosupus!!

[Sheep]

watchy thoughts

- Like I said for the preview, I love when the artists use thick lineart to give scenes more depth. Scenes like this are powerful and add a lot of character to the episodes, and make me eager for more action. Being able to see this type of depth in more battle-centric episodes (and more battles that actually have a background of the actual battle location rather than those glowing stock animations) would be awesome.
- Pikachu jumping onto Riolu's shoulder and the little detail of his ear moving over Pikachu's head to make space for it was cute! I didn't pay much attention to that bit at first and thought it was a hat or something lol, and had to rewind. I love two sweet boys :3c
- I know Pokémon loves smoke and explosions during battle when moves collide, but having that happen when Hawlucha used Karate Chop on Farfetch'd? That makes even less sense and gave me a chuckle aha
- On that note, Ash's Farfetch'd is awesome even if it lost. I love how cool it looks when it moves. that Brutal Swing looked so painful though, I almost felt it a bit when watching @_@ oww
- Bea is very patient, letting Ash take his time and look around the dojo a bit to think of what he can do. I love her so far!
- oof Riolu flying back from that final Aqua Break impact, poor thing... i'm ;_;
- I'm sure the battle would have ended differently if Ash used Pikachu, Gengar, or Dragonite (or he at least wouldn't have lost as badly as he did), but I'm not complaining seeing his Farfetch'd get some use and more focus on Riolu's growth.
- "I take my leave" she says as she leaves the dojo broken and in shambles from her battles
- Really bummed we didn't see Go's battle. I wanted to see that one just as much as Ash's.

I really liked this episode. Only downside is not seeing Go's battle, but I'm still really happy with what we got. Solid 9/10 imo.

 

[FinnishPokéFan92]

I'm going to go with Ash, as she said it while still on her side of the battlefield and she explicitly thanked the Karate Master before she actually left; it wouldn't make sense for her to thank the master twice in the span of a minute.

She was facing the Karate Master and explicitly thanked him for letting them use the dojo for the battle.

 

[Alola]

She was facing the Karate Master and explicitly thanked him for letting them use the dojo for the battle.

Which was the second time; go back and watch her thank Ash before that.

Better yet:

 

[Daren]

Great battle but Ash saying he's "never had a battle like that before" after felt odd, unless he's ignoring even worse losses to Elite Four in the past (or being strangely specific in terms of loss, where he gets 0-2 but puts up a bit of a fight).
That finisher was nasty.

- I know Pokémon loves smoke and explosions during battle when moves collide, but having that happen when Hawlucha used Karate Chop on Farfetch'd? That makes even less sense and gave me a chuckle aha

I think Swellow's Aerial Ace explosion has been supplanted as the craziest explosion.

 

[FinnishPokéFan92]

Which was the second time; go back and watch her thank Ash before that.

Oh, you meant before that! I see now! My bad!

 

[KrspaceT]

....Going to say it though, I REALLY hate it when the compressed vice trope and Ash sets up losses. Ash can and does get several episodes of a visibly swelled head before he hits this, why is that so hard to reliably do?

...Why?!

Either set it up properly, or don't do it.

 

[Panky..]

....Going to say it though, I REALLY hate it when the compressed vice trope and Ash sets up losses. Ash can and does get several episodes of a visibly swelled head before he hits this, why is that so hard to reliably do?

...Why?!

Either set it up properly, or don't do it.

I have no clue what you just said...

 

[Johtohfiller]

That finisher was nasty.

I was thinking "Is this Pokemon or Mortal Kombat?" at that scene.

 

[Alola]

I was thinking "Is this Pokemon or Mortal Kombat?" at that scene.

I mean...she did warn him of what was to potentially come, haha.

 

[Eclipsical]

I like how this series has been using more strategic moves in battles. Hone Claws, Dragon Dance, U-turn, etc.

 

[FinnishPokéFan92]

I like how this series has been using more strategic moves in battles. Hone Claws, Dragon Dance, U-turn, etc.

Not to mention of having locations feel more in line with the games.

 

[Nicolas721]

The good
-I liked the atmosphere of the dojo, how it mostly focused on training Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan and how the visitors had to be barefoot.
-Bea's character. She's cocky yet at the same time she's an "actions speak louder than words" type.
-Riolu vs Grapploct. It used the Pokémon's body types and moves splendidly creating a very cool choreography, yet painful at the same time and reminiscent of Guzma vs Lana.

The could've been better
-Farfetch'd vs Hawlucha. I understand that Farfetch'd is just getting used to his heavy battle style but it should have been able to stand more attacks.
-Lots of dead silence in Riolu vs Grapploct. Some built tension but most weren't necessary.
-We didn't saw much of Farfetch'd and Riolu's reactions to their losses, they were perfectly fine after being healed.
-Bea's army only appeared for one second. Hopeully Hitmontop is used in the rematch.
-I think the problem with Hitmonchan isn't that Go got it for free, but rather than a serious battle would have been an opportunity for him to connect with the audience showing his development and his growing appreciation of battles.

The extra: Tomioka really likes starting his battles right after the Dare Da, doesn't he?

8/10, had many missed opportunities but it shone where it had to.

 

[P_S_B]

I can’t believe some people are actually taking pleasure from the beat down that Riolu received. Yes, it’s cocky and headstrong but in the end, it’s still a child. Why would anyone take pleasure from a child taking abuse in any way?

Because it's a fictional character and therefore can't actually feel pain. It certainly wouldn't be fun watching it get beaten if it were an actual living creature.

 

[Queen Cynthia]

A very very good episode with a few issues that need to be addressed:

First of all, I'd like to point out I particularly love episodes revolving around topics like martial arts, fighting spirit and motivation. As far as this is concerned, the episode was great! We saw powerful Pokemon, a great and skillful opponent and a very passionate, dramatic battle! Awesome! There's not much more a fan could wish for!

However, one question still remains unanswered: If Bea is really that good, how come she's only ranked 751th in the PWT ? That doesn't really make sense to me unless she

• either has just started her PWT quest
• or she'll eventually turn out not to be that strong after all

Personally, I tend to believe the second option is true. Sure, she defeated the Karate Master who certainly is no pushover. But I also think it's partly Ash's fault for having such a hard time. Instead of using Gengar and his strong Dragonite, he chose to go with his rather inexperienced Galarfetch'd and Riolu, a Pokemon that, although growing stronger and stronger, has just recently hatched from its egg. And last but not least, using Fighting-type Pokemon against an opponent who obviously has mastered that discipline really well put Ash at a considerable disadvantage. Honestly, that was not the smartest move. The battle would have been much easier for our friend if he had used more experienced Pokemon.

Look, Grapploct's strength obviously is his ability to render his opponent unable to move. So what? This strategy has lot of weaknesses. Use a Pokemon with attacks that also work from a distance like Pikachu. And even if Grapploct manages to grab Pikachu, the first would dig his own grave. A mighty Thunderbolt from a close distance would finish him off for sure and Bea's strategy is defeated.
So, I've come to the conclusion that Bea only appeared that strong because Ash used Pokemon with a disadvantage.

Also, There was one aspect I didn't like. Once again Go was given Pokemon for free. As I pointed out before, the Karate Master surely was no pushover and Go has little to no experience when it comes to battling (let alone the fact he has no interest in battling). Now we're supposed to believe that same Go defeated the Karate Master? Seriously? Sadly, that fits into the writers' patten of giving Go Pokemon for free, either by just throwing Pokeball at them or via fake battles. Sorry, but that charcter is a waste of potential!

Overall a very good episode hat I enjoyed watching very much. If only Ash had used different Pokemon, he could have continued his winning streak!

 

[Max1996]

However, one question still remains unanswered: If Bea is really that good, how come she's only ranked 751th in the PWT ? That doesn't really make sense to me unless she

• either has just started her PWT quest
• or she'll eventually turn out not to be that strong after all

Personally, I tend to believe the second option is true.

Considering the fact that Bea defeating Korrina was also mentioned in the episode (not in your post, strangely), I'm leaning a bit towards the former.

 

[Queen Cynthia]

Considering the fact that Bea defeating Korrina was also mentioned in the episode (not in your post, strangely), I'm leaning a bit towards the former.

I didn't mention it because since Pokemon Journeys we've learned that defeating Korrina isn't such a big deal after all. Although she's got one of my favorite Pokemon (Mega Lucario) she doesn't seem to be so strong

 

[Sobble Bubble-O-Seven]

Yeah, I'm also on the side that Bea may have just started her PWT quest. That rank seemed a bit low for her. I was expecting something like top 300 or even top 200. She's definitely a strong opponent.

Also, that was one brutal match. I know Riolu needed to get knocked back down to Earth at some point, but the way it happened was harsh. Bea showed no mercy. I'm looking forward to the rematch, even if it is happening a bit sooner than most of us expected.

 

[Lightning Flame Blast]

People seem very bummed out that Ash chose Riolu and Farfetch’d, but think about it, do you really think he would miss the chance on training his two fighting types against a fighting specialist with plenty of tactics and experience to provide and under the watch of an expert with years of practise?

Unlike Dragonite and Gengar, Riolu and Farfetch’d have battlestyles that involve actual fighting skill, rather than hammer down, dodge, repeat. It wouldn’t be fair to deny them a chance to improve that.

 

[Islander Princess]

Great episode. Seriously, when Journeys is on, it's on. Definitely doesn't hurt that this was a "dream team" episode; everything about it was great. Visually it was stunning, narratively it was interesting, the battle was super entertaining...nothing not to like there.

Personally, I was fine with the fact that Bea was kind of cold. Honestly, I liked it. She's a serious battler who specializes in fighting types, so it fits with her character, but it's also nice to not constantly have characters who are super nice or easily amiable (and this is coming from someone who's a goody two shoes and likes characters like that, too.) I also think she may open up over time since we'll definitely be seeing her again.

I really love that they had her battle Korrina in the past. Give me that sweet, sweet continuity.

The battle itself was outstanding, and I'm not a big fan of battles to begin with. I tend to lose interest pretty quickly, but I was locked into this one. The animation definitely helped (it just looked so good!) but it was nice to see two different Pokemon get involved instead of Pikachu. Also, the battle got kind of dark, which I thought was super cool! I mean, Grapploct got straight up violent at times, and I appreciate that they didn't shy away from that.

It was refreshing to finally see Ash lose. Don't get me wrong, I love him, but he needed a little adversity this series. So far, the World Championships have kind of been a cake walk for him. Him finally struggling in a battle and losing pretty handily will ultimately help him over time. I especially like that this is going to be woven into the plot over the next couple of episodes. I've always been interested when Ash loses a battle and has to deal with the aftermath, but it's usually rushed through and never fully fleshed out. They have the opportunity to do that here, so I'm curious to see how that will unfold.

My only complaint with the episode is the same as a lot of you: I don't like that we didn't get to see Goh battle. While I agree that it's good Ash and Bea's battle wasn't cut into, it's very weak of them to have Goh, who we know has very little battle experience and isn't even all that into it, battle this supposedly very tough karate master and win. They didn't even give us any details! Was it a close battle? Did Goh struggle at all? Was he relieved to win it? Nope...all we get is him standing in the Pokemon Center with a shiny new Hitmonchan. They could've thrown in a bit of dialogue between Ash and Goh about the battle, at least. Also, that poor karate master was clearly having a horrible day in terms of battles

This was easily a top 5 Journeys episode for me, if not top 3. It was just super fun to watch and I like that it will have a lasting impact on some of the future episodes coming up.

- "I take my leave" she says as she leaves the dojo broken and in shambles from her battles

I literally thought of this after the karate master told Ash "use the dojo for your battle as you see fit." By the end I was like yes sir...they used it and destroyed it

 

[Queen Cynthia]

People seem very bummed out that Ash chose Riolu and Farfetch’d, but think about it, do you really think he would miss the chance on training his two fighting types against a fighting specialist with plenty of tactics and experience to provide and under the watch of an expert with years of practise?

Unlike Dragonite and Gengar, Riolu and Farfetch’d have battlestyles that involve actual fighting skill, rather than hammer down, dodge, repeat. It wouldn’t be fair to deny them a chance to improve that.

Well, I guess it's a matter of how you look at it. I'm convinced you should always use a type advantage if you get the chance to do so in order not to unnecessarily wear out your Pokemon.
If I were Riolu's trainer, I would let it sit right next to me and watch all my opponents tactics and moves very very closely. This would be the best way for a "baby Pokemon" to learn. But using a newly hatched Pokemon against somebody with many years of experience is a bit reckless if you ask me. A trainer also has responsibilty for his Pokemon friends in my eyes.