Review JN039: Satoshi VS Saitou! Conquer the Octopus Hold!!

[L-05308]

Pikachu vs Hitmontop was pretty good but the rest was meh...

Bayleef being featured in a flashback was all I wanted.

 

[game3524]

Bayleaf got a flashback, while Korrina didn’t. Therefore, Bayleaf>Korrina.

Listen, them the rules.

 

[VetProf]

While the Pokemon involved were slightly different, the match did end in a tie as I've predicted. A third match seems very likely in the future, so yeah, I'm looking forward to that. Anyway, onto the episode itself.

• While G. Farfetch'd being sidelined in the rematch still sucks a bit, at least the training scene in the beginning shows that Ash's constantly training all of his Pokemon. Even if it's off-screen.
• Chuck recognizing Ash and vice versa was expected, but Bayleef getting a cameo in a flashback definitely wasn't. I'm absolutely appreciating all of these small continuity nods.
• I'll need subs to better understand the battle, but overall, I think it was a great one. Seeing Hitmontop battle was pretty cool, and once again, Pikachu demonstrates why ditching Electro Ball for Electroweb was a good choice. Also, I'm very glad that Riolu pulled through without having to rely on any mid-battle evolution shenanigans. Seems like this is the first time Riolu's utilized its aura abilities in a battle, so that's neat.
• Really enjoyed the scene at the end where Bea and her Pokemon were just chilling with everyone else. Nice to see a friendlier side of hers. Seems like we got a sneak peek at her backstory, too.

Overall, I think this was a great episode. As I've said before, a tie is probably the best possible outcome from this battle, so I'm glad that's what happened here.

 

[BigDocFan]

One thing it was good to see was Bea using a different line up than before, I get the feeling Ash was expecting Hawlucha hence why he used Pikachu

Its always good to see trainers not using the same team every time as it can get boring

 

[Reborn Talonflame]

Mixed thoughts:

Battle was good between Pikachu and Hitmontop, but felt a bit lacklustre for Riolu and Grapploct.

Draw in my opinion was the right result. There’s no point in showing Ash winning against someone who is in the Top 200, cause then every opponent after for Ash would feel less impressive, and having the edge of still needing to beat Bea is good, as Ash has a rival now to drive the series. If Bea beat Ash, the depression episode would have been pointless and should have been after this loss.

The rematch will probably have Lucario beating Grapploct, then surprisingly to Ash, Bea has her ace come out in Machamp and Pikachu will have to beat it with its Dynamax form at Stow-on-Side.

And of course...Chuck was a blast!

 

[Schemer99]

I wonder what Ash's rank is now. And geez, Bea is rank 193. The next time we see her she'll probably be rank 50. It makes me wonder what the other Galar Gym Leaders' ranks are. This episode also proves that Ash can tango with the very best in the world, even with his newish team. If he used his most powerful team during this season he would probably be in the top 25 at the very least.

 

[FinnishPokéFan92]

Not only did this episode reference Bea's love for sweets, it also referenced Chuck's love for them too! In the games, his wife comments how he's gotten chubby lately, and I think we just saw why.

 

[KenzeyEevee]

This episode was not bad, but not good either. Hitmontop vs Pikachu was more intense than Octopus vs Riolu. If Riolu cant beat it almost WITHOUT evolving, makes you wonder how strong it will be once it evolves. 7/10

 

[KrspaceT]

Subless but....

can appreciate that Bea did not recognize Ash right away, and it seemed to have taken Chuck a moment or two, and he'd remember Bayleaf more than Pilkachu.

Really no showing his return to Super Class?

Lot of work on speed control here and movement restirction on both sides. Wasted movements no, no movements yes.

Does the music sound like 'Eye of the Tiger' to anyone but me?

Aura stuff again, how visible was it?

Can appreciate the opening up with better battle and chocolate. Must admit I don't see that if he just used Dragonite....

And again people seem to struggle with offscreen training as a thing, even when you can see on screen work as well.

 

[nickdt]

Bayleaf got a flashback, while Korrina didn’t. Therefore, Bayleaf>Korrina.

Listen, them the rules.

Korrina appeared in the flesh. Bayleef getting a flashback makes me think she isn't gonna appear in the flesh.

 

[BigDocFan]

Korrina appeared in the flesh. Bayleef getting a flashback makes me think she isn't gonna appear in the flesh.

Which is a shame as I enjoyed Bayleef's personality, would have loved to see her evolve into Meganium

Need the subs but curious to see what Bea was thinking near the end, really hope we see more of her as Bea would make a good rival

 

[Beatsy Ray]

Great episode with some awesome moments. I've said that I thought they wrote themselves into a corner with this episode as either a win or loss for Ash would have been unacceptable. A win would feel undeserved due minimal training and lack of Galarfetch'd, and a loss would make this episode feel like a waste of time, however a tie just barely makes it all work out.

To start with, we finally see a proper non-Alola reserve in the Bayleef flashback (Boldore is still up for debate). I feel like we're getting awfully close to Ash actually using some of them in PWC matches, perhaps after the Sword/Shield chapter. The Pikachu/Hitmontop battle was intense with great strategy and animation. "Electroweb Field" I believe it was called, was awesome and really effective, it better become a staple moving forward. Much like last time, the actual Grapploct battle was kind of the low point, although not bad. I struggled to figure out what Ash's strategy even was, a powerful and focused Force Palm? (Isn't that just what Force Palm is anyway? Maybe the sub will clear things up.) Kind of odd that Grapploct never attacked Riolu while it wasn't moving, I'm sure it would have been able to deal some serious damage while Riolu was charging power. Of course, it ends in a tie, and I believe Ash and Bea promise to battle again in the Hyper Class.

We definitely get some solid interaction between Ash and Chuck, that plus the flashback earns this episode +2 continuity points. We also got an interesting detail where it seems that Chuck actually trained Bea as a little girl, which explains her seemingly heightened respect for him. Just like we hoped, we got to see the sweeter side of her personality after the battle, her feeding Pikachu and Riolu cake was really cute. Also, Riolu carrying Pikachu's limp body off the field after it fainted was unnecessarily epic, but I liked it.

The episode did not disappoint, and thankfully left the door open for Farfetch'd to get some revenge of it's own later on. This episode was quite dialogue heavy, so as usual I expect to like it even more when the subs come out.

 

[pokepal_123]

Great to see Bayleef in the flashback. I really want to see a flashback of AG and DP Ash in Journeys style already.

 

[KenzeyEevee]

O

Great to see Bayleef in the flashback. I really want to see a flashback of AG and DP Ash in Journeys style already.

Or a Kalos one

 

[Emmy]

Congratulations to all the people who correctly guessed that the match ended in a draw.

I'm excited that this means we could see one more match with pseudo-rival Bea - likely with her Giga-Machamp in Stoke.

 

[Rocket Messiah]

can appreciate that Bea did not recognize Ash right away, and it seemed to have taken Chuck a moment or two, and he'd remember Bayleaf more than Pilkachu.

To be fair it was Bayleef who kicked his arse, so it makes sense that she was the one he remembers the most

Well this is the last Sunday that we will be discussing an episode.

 

[WatcherMark]

I was fully expecting any flashback to focus on Pikachu, so the fact that Bayleaf got featured was a very pleasant surprise. It's little nods like that which keep the fandom happy. Also, while the exterior has undergone a facelift, I appreciated seeing the Gym's interior is mostly identical to how it was when it first appeared ninteen years ago.

The battle was pretty good although I really wish Satoshi had used the same line-up he had during his first match against Saitou, if only to give Kamonegi a much-needed win. I don't mind changing a line-up for an advantage as it shows good strategy, but it does tire me to see the two most overexposed Pokemon on Satoshi's team getting more limelight.

And Satoshi is suddenly back in the Great Class? So what was even the point of bumping him down to Normal Class if he's just going to get over his battling issues and get his streak back off-screen?

 

[FinnishPokéFan92]

Well this is the last Sunday that we will be discussing an episode.

A fresh episode, to be precise.

 

[Reborn Talonflame]

Have to say, their idea for the counter actually makes sense, as most hand-to-hand combatants, from what I’ve learnt from doing them, are advised at times to loosen themselves/not struggle if they’re grappling, as it helps open up space or stabilise their balance.

 

[Jakob]

Nice to see we got a cameo from Ash's Bayleaf!

Looking at the staff, there not the same as both episodes. For example, the original episode was written by Shinzo Fujita, but obviously Fujita is no longer writing for the Pokemon Anime so Atsuhrio Tomioka took over.

But anyways, this is the last Sunday episode! No episode next week, next episode will be on October 9!