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

As I said before, the Riolu v Grapploct match was a bit lacklustre and there was barely any real fighting apart from Grapploct’s hold. In reflection, I thought the scene with Bea at the end was needed.
However, Go’s shown capture took about two minutes and could honestly have been done anywhere at any given time for literally ten seconds in any episode. The Riolu v Grapploct fight probably should have gone on for at most another minute and a half, cause as I said, Pikachu v Hitmontop actually had more action since Grapploct was grappling most of it. Weird that they show Riolu training and anticipating its chance to shine whilst barely showcasing its improved agility and power...
 
I thought this episode was actually really bad. First the Cianwood Gym looked completely different on the outside, then Pikachu lost to Grapploct and Ash had to rely on his baby Riolu to battle it, then the tie happened. It was just complete bs and now we have to prepare for Bea coming back in the future. :bulbaFacepalm:
you for real bro? this was the best possible outcome that doesn’t make it cheap by having riolu evolve.
 
We are expected to be convinced that Ash and Goh travelled from Vermilion to Cianwood on a ship before Bea and Chuck finished their battle.
Either Bea was there training for a few days, or Chuck is really stubborn in terms of endurance.
Seriously, I don’t remember Chuck’s Poliwrath being THAT STRONG

Nice to see that Ash has his first female recurring rival.
Would you consider Anabelle a rival?
I know she didn’t appear enough, and was an obstacle for Ash to overcome only once, so I guess not.
Bianca...I don’t talk about her.
 
Plus, it gives Riolu time to evolve outside of battle and become a more powerful opponent for Grapploct.
Which it most certainly will considering how both the opening and the information we’ve gotten have Lucario as a major part of the plot. I do wonder if when they meet again, if Lucario will merely battle as itself or if they’ll allow it to Mega Evolve.
 
Yaas! Bayleef! :bulbaLove:

This was a neat episode. The fight was a bit more anticlimactic than I would have liked, but at least the fact that it was a draw means we're likely to get a better Ash v Bea fight in the future, probably in Galar so that Bea can use Gigantamax Machamp. I will also say that I really like how Electroweb was used here, especially because this depiction is the closest we've gotten to it working like it does in the games: by restricting the opponent's movements.
 
So Dragonite and Farfetch were going to train after Pikachu and Riolu. Are we forgetting someone? Hmm.. Poor Gengar lol. He sure has an eye for trainers who do not pay attention to him. I think it would have made more sense to focus on Gengar in episode 30 instead of Pikachu..

Anyway, another "good episode on its own, but weird when you look at it as a interconnected story". You can't skip Ash getting back to Super Class again, the writers are very inconsistent in showing/not showing important moments. Also, Ash and Riolu knew what they were doing to overcome Octolock. Where is that based on? When did they came up with this Force Palm idea? Show something about that!

But do I only have complains? Absolutely not, this is what I liked:
- Of course the Bayleef reference
- Sobble showing more and more of itself. Thats what shy persons do when they feel comfort.
- Pikachu vs Hitmontop. Highlight of the battle. Electroweb is such a great move to play with. This is the first time they mention it lowers your speed too.
- The endresult being a tie. Makes the most sense IMO and sets up in a great way for the third battle.
- Go catching Chinchou, I forgot how cute it is.

6,5/10
 
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After another watch...
  • Bea not remembering Ash's name, and only addressing him as "Trainer of Riolu," may become a running gag. Not that I would mind-it would make the moment she finally does address his name all the more eventful. Since they have both agreed to another battle, perhaps this third one can include Dynamaxing in Stow-On-Side. If not...I would be up for seeing Maylene again.
  • It was a missed opportunity not to have Hitmontop use (Gen VIII's) Rapid Spin to offset Electroweb's speed drop, rather than using Focus Energy; given the Pokémon, its usage would have been all the more fitting too. That aside, I love how Bea's Pokémon employ status moves (Hone Claws, Detect, the aforementioned Focus Energy) in battle.
  • So Ash's strategy for dealing with Octolock was basically as I originally hypothesized. What I did not know was that Bea essentially allowed him and Riolu to do it out of curiosity regarding its effectiveness, rather than apply non-stop pressure from their first fight. This cast this battle in another light for me, as I feel Bea wasn't battling as hard as she could have in that regard. All the more reason I am looking forward to their final, no-holds barred match.
    • Speaking of Grapploct, it literally had just taken an assailment of Poison Jabs from Poliwrath before battling Ash...marking the second time it has battled him without rest from its prior opponent; that thing is sturdy and needs to fight at full strength next time.
    • Riolu's smug/confident grin after landing the decisive Force Palm was great to see and reinforces its naivete. That being said, it certainly takes battling seriously and I appreciate that. In fact, it losing its jealousy over Pikachu has been fantastic to observe; picking up its friend and bringing it to Ash was great writing.
  • Chuck, I don't think loading up on sweets is the way to build muscle/lose weight/etc...
    • So Chuck knows Bea's father and learned Galarian Karate from him; I hope this networking between Gym Leaders is touched upon by other characters as well.
  • We got the cameo and continuity acknowledgment with Bayleef Vs. Poliwrath! I hope we see more of it down the road. Again, Journeys continues to be a series full of potential if they play their cards right.
  • Bea's smile :bulbaLove:
 
Honestly i was wishing for a ruthless rival like Paul. It’s so sad they’ll never do that again. Had hopes for bea but it got ruined. However I don’t mind giving bea a soft side at all. I do want a rival like Paul though not like the doodoo Trip. Even if we do see Paul again he won’t be ruthless like last time because he learned from ash friendliness
 
Choc.png


That's a very sweet way to kill dogs. Don't try it at home, folks.

Which it most certainly will considering how both the opening and the information we’ve gotten have Lucario as a major part of the plot. I do wonder if when they meet again, if Lucario will merely battle as itself or if they’ll allow it to Mega Evolve.
It will use Dynamax or maybe Gigantamax if the DLC still holds some surprises. Lest we forget that Mega Lucario was brought back to lose to Dragonite and now the same Pokemon Riolu tied with. The writers are done with it.
 
Bea not remembering Ash's name, and only addressing him as "Trainer of Riolu," may become a running gag.

That was my favorite part of the episode.

Ash was a bit annoyed by it and reminded me of Ash in the old days where he could get flustered by something Gary (or even Misty to a degree) said.
 
All right, I've been looking forward to this one for a while, and it did not disappoint.

Can I just say, the music was absolutely incredible throughout this episode - especially during Grapploct's battles. It really helped set the atmosphere and heighten the tension during the match. Seriously, huge props to that department.

I love how the episode wastes no time in getting to the match. The revenge match is done pretty well, and it really feels like Ash is battling Bea 'properly'. Whereas in their last battle, Ash was pretty overconfident then was agitated after Bea insulted Korrina, he seems in a much better headspace here. Him using Pikachu isn't something I'm that keen on, but you can tell he didn't want to mess around or take any risks here. Pikachu itself also leads to great battles thanks to its versatile moveset and fast paced battle style. It was great seeing them in their groove like that and how Ash's craziness actually worked this time. I feel he really needed to use Pikachu here to get in the flow, if that makes sense.

Now Riolu vs Grapploct was, surprisingly shorter than I expected. It was weird seeing Riolu only use half its moveset, and Grapploct only used 3 moves. I really thought he'd end it with reversal here. That being said, I'm glad with how the whole Octolock strategy worked out. Ash's main mistake in episode 34/36 was trying to either resist the Octolock or fight at a distance, both which would never work (especially given Riolu's playstyle). He was a lot calmer this time and took it head on like a champ. Seeing Riolu's aura be stored and utilised like that was also really badass (especially given that its aura levels would be through the roof in this fight) and I hope this is a recurring thing for future battles. Also, did Riolu just go down in one hit?

Genuinely was not expecting a draw, and no Riolu evolution. After thinking about it, it makes the most sense because it would feel pretty cheap if Ash won without much training, but also pointless if he lost again. I'm so happy they set up a decisive 3rd match between them in hyper class (which will 100% have dynamax) because it also allows farfetch'd to get his redemption down the line. When you also factor in them showing a more caring/lighthearted side of Bea (and even Grapploct), it really does well in establishing her as a rival/friend for Ash. This episode was more about settling the score/bad blood between them - for Riolu to overcome Octolock (so Bea can't just rely on that in the future) and for Ash to prove himself as a trainer to Bea to get a mutual respect for each other. Bea left quite a first impression last time, but here we're seeing another side to her that fleshes her character out.

My favourite moments:
- Chuck saying 'But how do you think she feels about that loss?', followed by Grapploct's close-combat fury.
- Riolu growling at Grapploct when it got sent out.
- Riolu carrying Pikachu on his back.
- Ash smiling when Grapploct Octolocked Riolu, shocking Bea.
- Pikachu's electroweb on the ground.
- Riolu breaking free from octolock.

This came out a lot longer than I expected aha. But I'll give this a 9/10; Riolu vs Grapploct felt too short for my liking but everything else was done really well. Keen for DD after this.
 
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Rewatched this episode with subs, and Chuck explicitly confirmed that PWC participants can only battle trainers within the same class. While many may think Ash's drop back to Normal Class was pointless, at least it gave the writers an excuse to give us more info regarding how the PWC rankings work.

Also, interestingly, a tie results in zero change in rankings, regardless of the gap in rankings between both trainers. While we don't know Ash's ranking in this episode, Bea's quite close to getting into Hyper Class, so I think it's fair to assume that there's a fairly large gap between Bea and Ash. The fact that Ash was able to tie with a trainer that's probably ranked much higher than him feels like merit for a rank change, but eh, I don't make the rules here.
 
Some thoughts:

-Baby Bea is so CUTE! It was also nice to see her sweet side. She's definitely on her way to becoming my favorite Gym Leader lol

-Hitmontop Vs Pikachu took up more of the battle than Riolu vs Grapploct did. Didn't mind seeing Pikachu go down. He's gotta go down at least once in a while


-It wasn't much but seeing Gou and Sobble bonding was nice. Also is it just me or does Sobble seem a little more happier than usual in this episode? (No crying or turning invisible in the episode plus getting excited at the prospect of Gou fishing up a new Pokemon and then trying to cheer up Gou and smiling while watching the battle seems a little uncharacteristically perky for Sobble's usual state) Also was there any particular reason why there was an akward close up on it while it was sleeping at the end there?
 
Rewatched this episode with subs, and Chuck explicitly confirmed that PWC participants can only battle trainers within the same class. While many may think Ash's drop back to Normal Class was pointless, at least it gave the writers an excuse to give us more info regarding how the PWC rankings work.
That also means that Tony is actually on a higher rank than his boss, BTW.
 
That also means that Tony is actually on a higher rank than his boss, BTW.
Tony is frustrated at being a mere Gym assistant, he always wanted to be better and more. As a kid, he dreamed about being a Pokemon Master but fate had different plans for him.

Now his frustration has reached a peak and he's secretly working to undermine Visquez, then he'll set his sights on taking over the Vermilion Gym and dethrone Lt. Surge and finally aim for the World Champion title himself.

Because :wynaut:?
 
A very good episode. The tie felt more earned than a win, since Bea was so far ahead of Ash in the rankings. Pikachu got to shine against Hitmontop, and Riolu got a good comeback even if it was a double knockout. Riolu not evolving was a major plus as well, avoiding an evolution ex machina the anime has used before. You can tell Ash had his mojo back, Bea was surprised to see him smiling, the sure sign he's got a good strategy up his sleeve.

Chuck not only remembered Ash, but also their battle, complete with flashback. That was a well taken bit of continuity. Cianwood didn't look like it did in the games though, and the gym has undergone a renovation. Chuck having spent time in Galar ties him to fighting type gym leaders from two regions now. His love of sweets must be a conversation topic his wife dreads having to bring up.

I like the bait and switch where Go's fishing line came up empty, and he had his own lure too!

Those "gorging" scenes, as you put it, were very vital to show the characterization of Bea as more than just a hardened and stoic fighter. That it showed her sweeter and softer side and gave her some backstory was a very important matter. What would an effortless Goh capture have contributed in the bigger picture? What do his captures even contribute to his own goal in any noticeable way in the first place?

Like the vast majority of Go's captures Chinchou will be lucky to get a cameo in a group scene at Cerise Park.

Honestly i was wishing for a ruthless rival like Paul. It’s so sad they’ll never do that again. Had hopes for bea but it got ruined. However I don’t mind giving bea a soft side at all. I do want a rival like Paul though not like the doodoo Trip. Even if we do see Paul again he won’t be ruthless like last time because he learned from ash friendliness

They tried and failed to recapture the essence of Paul with Tripp, and that epic failed.

-Hitmontop Vs Pikachu took up more of the battle than Riolu vs Grapploct did. Didn't mind seeing Pikachu go down. He's gotta go down at least once in a while

That's pretty standard in gym battles in the anime, the member of Ash's team who takes down the first Pokemon sent out by the gym leader gets quickly knocked out by their next choice. The only gym I can think of that's not a one on one and Ash didn't lose any of his Pokemon is against Crasher Wake at the Pastoria Gym.
 
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