Preview JN036: Satoshi and Go, Crawl Up From the Sand Hell!

[Silktree]

Yeah, that's why the fact that it's being played for laughs is irritating, especially when you consider the fact that he was quite okay in today's episode (there weren't any subtle hints to any slumping either) and yet he suddenly starts comically sulking in the next one.

Well, the explanation for that is that Riolu keeps losing in other PWC matches (it's refreshing that an unevolved Pokemon is shown to have limits), and presumably Ash was taking a break during the recent episode. The writer could have turned it into a big thing, but instead Go forces Ash to go to the Hoenn desert, where I suspect Riolu might evolve or at least get a victory. I prefer this approach because it keeps things short and to the point. It's okay to take a loss to heart, but being emo for an entire episode or arc is too much.

....that’s exactly why using depressed-Ash for humour is gross though.

So he can't feel sulky for a minute and snap out of it? Please, I've seen a lot of posts about the Alola visit being his redemption arc. There would be complaints even without the joke.

 

[Daren]

The writer could have turned it into a big thing, but instead Go forces Ash to go to the Hoenn desert, where I suspect Riolu might evolve or at least get a victory.

Since Gou captures Flygon and the summary talks about Gou's strategy I'm not sure Riolu is getting a victory here.

 

[Eclipsical]

I was kind of hoping to see Flygon in the preview, though it’s still nice. It looks like it knows Draco Meteor, so this thing is definitely gonna be a beast. I like that they brought the goggles from Unova back, its the little details that are cool. The preview we saw before didn’t have the googles so its possible they’ll take them off when they reach the inside of the storm to actually fight Flygon.

I don’t see how they’re making Ash’s depression into comedy. My first thought on seeing his face wasn’t “haha gag face”, it was “wow, Ash really is depressed.”

It’s interesting that Ash is losing specifically to Pokémon with tentacles. Seems like he’ll lose two more battles. I’m guessing he’ll fall down to 970 or 980, just barely skimming back into Normal Class before getting back on track.

 

[Lightning Flame Blast]

Sarcasm aside, the new animation for Draco Meteor looks gorgeous.

 

[PkmnTrainerV]

So he can't feel sulky for a minute and snap out of it?

He can, but having random bouts of sukiness just in time for a joke is weird. Real life disappointment doesn’t work that way, does it?

 

[FinnishPokéFan92]

@Max1996 pointed out something interesting to me: both Pokémon Ash is seen battling in the preview with Riolu have tentacles. I see two possibilities here:

A) Ash tries practicing more battling against tentacled opponents to practice for his rematch with Bea, but fails.

B) Ash happens to face more tentacled opponents by random chance, and still has trouble handling that type of opponents.

 

[Max1996]

@Max1996 pointed out something interesting to me: both Pokémon Ash is seen battling in the preview with Riolu have tentacles. I see two possibilities here:

A) Ash tries practicing more battling against tentacled opponents to practice for his rematch with Bea, but fails.

B) Ash happens to face more tentacled opponents by random chance, and still has trouble handling that type of opponents.

I lean a bit towards B myself. It's more likely that those just happen to be his next PWC battle.

Edit to add: The way Ash is depicted as depressed over the loss against Bea, he wouldn't specifically look for Pokémon similar to Grapploct, even for practice, I think.

 

[FinnishPokéFan92]

Edit to add: The way Ash is depicted as depressed over the loss against Bea, he wouldn't specifically look for Pokémon similar to Grapploct, even for practice, I think.

Or he could just be depressed because he keeps losing, and he may also realize it's because he's having trouble fighting opponents with multiple tentacles.

 

[Max1996]

Or he could just be depressed because he keeps losing, and he may also realize it's because he's having trouble fighting opponents with multiple tentacles.

Could be.

 

[Reborn Talonflame]

I’ve always thought losing for Ash is such a weird subject. I mean, going into a slump after POTENTIALLY losing three PWC in a row is understandable, but honestly, Ash has done some things that are way more embarrassing:
1) Losing to Cameron
2) Losing to Trip (Even though Pikachu had no electric type attacks, someone with his experience should still find a way to outsmart a novice)
3) The multiple times he’s forgotten what types are immune to some attacks (Charizard’s Seismic Toss against Dusclops, etc.)
4) That God-forsaken battle against Elesa; can you tell I hate the BW anime
5) Loss against Team Rocket in Alola

The list goes on and on, he’s definitely not perfect, but I really wish the writers could forget about the sulking. We know Ash, and new fans will know Ash - he’s a battler, determined to challenge anyone he meets. He doesn’t need another reason to show this. Totally different, but if Luffy or Goku lose badly, they get frustrated, laugh and keep going. I wish Ash could actually be written in a way similar, he once said “there’s something I can learn from everything I do”, so why does he never acknowledge he can’t be perfect and will lose a few battles in a row sometimes.

 

[Islander Princess]

No. He's lost plenty of times before and it's silly to get depressed about it at this point. He has two Pokemon that need to evolve or he could use the more experienced ones; this isn't the end of the world.

I'm not talking about depression. That's over the top. But it's perfectly normal to be disappointed when you're on a losing streak. Goh's had a couple of episodes where he was faced with a personal dilemma and it helped him to grow as a character. It's annoying that they seem to be skirting around the same kind of situation for Ash; not everything has to be played for laughs.

And yes, those are both valid points. But Ash needs to realize them for himself. Right now, it's not clicking for him.

 

[Eclipsical]

From the subs:

Goh: “Hey, what’s wrong? I know you’ve suffered some losses, but...”
Ash: “That’s my third loss in a row! At this rate, challenging Mr. Dande will be a dream within another dream!”
Goh: “I hear singing from inside the sandstorm! Let’s go investigate, Satoshi!”

 

[Lightning Flame Blast]

Takes me back to when BW Ash wasn’t allowed to win anything outside of gym battles.

 

[LuxrayOfTheWild]

I really hope they give Riolu a chance to shine cause that would really suck if they just show Riolu losing battles only to never get a chance to do something good after all of that.

 

[Eclipsical]

I really hope they give Riolu a chance to shine cause that would really suck if they just show Riolu losing battles only to never get a chance to do something good after all of that.

Well, they’re probably planning for Riolu to get at least some sort of victory in the Ash vs Bea rematch. I don’t see him winning anything in this episode though, considering it’s about Goh inspiring Ash and helping him get back on track so he can later lead Riolu and Farfetch’d to victory.

 

[FinnishPokéFan92]

First preview with subtitles:


View: https://youtube.com/watch?v=mDJCotQfVYw

 

[Kitasuki]

Well, they’re probably planning for Riolu to get at least some sort of victory in the Ash vs Bea rematch. I don’t see him winning anything in this episode though, considering it’s about Goh inspiring Ash and helping him get back on track so he can later lead Riolu and Farfetch’d to victory.

I see more Riolu evolving fighting in Alola

 

[Reborn Talonflame]

Just realised that absolutely no-one has mentioned this, but Kukui has a Lucario.
Maybe when Ash goes to Alola, Kukui battles him with both of their Incineroars, or Kukui and his Lucario battle Riolu.
Like Kukui is a father-figure to Ash, maybe his Lucario is the same to Riolu.

 

[Alola]

So it is not that Ash is upset about losing to Bea-rather, he is upset because he is on a losing streak. I feel that's understandable. If I lost 3-4 consecutive ranked online battles, I would be somewhat sour too, if for the moment.

 

[Kurolegacy]

....that’s exactly why using depressed-Ash for humour is gross though.

It’s even worse when you look at the opponents that he loses to; octopus style Pokémon. It’s kinda showing right there that that loss had some kind of subconscious effect on him. Really a missed opportunity that they’re playing it for laughs when it could be a good chance at showing that the loss shook Ash more than he thought.