Review JN053: Catch the Legend!? Find the Guardian of Water - Suicune!!

[SlyGecko]

That's another thing. When has the aspect of catching put on such a high pedestal? There are many instances in the past where you can one shot a pokemon besides Gou. Hell even Ash caught multitudes of pokemon in one ball. It's not supposed to be super challenging, it's as hard as the pokemon themselves make it

Umm normally when Ash catches a Pokemon in one ball it's because they wanted to be caught. It takes a whole episode of bonding for them to caught.

 

[FinnishPokéFan92]

Umm normally when Ash catches a Pokemon in one ball it's because they wanted to be caught. It takes a whole episode of bonding for them to caught.

This is pretty much the same. Goh caught Suicune easily because it was weak and out of stamina, spent most of the episode bonding with it, then offered it a chance to leave, and Suicune itself decided to stay with him.

 

[Adelon]

Some people saw his Kalos personality as overly mature for him. And I don't think his goofiness is quite at the same level as it was in Alola.

That's generalization. Some may want that, but definitely not everyone.

I think regardless of whether he is serious or silly Ash feels a little bland as a character. Its why I like Goh; the writers aren't afraid to make him do things that could cause people to *LE GASP* think he isn't a perfect hero but just an ordinary boy with an ordinary boy's somewhat shaky morality.

 

[Silktree]

The idea of a character bonding with a legendary is, of course, not at all new. I think that holding onto an empty Poke Ball is better than saying "maybe I'll see you again, but probably not" (don't get me started on Mewtwo's recent return, which defied the usual odds for little gain). Still, I have three problems with the episode:

1. A legendary getting caught should require a two-parter. The hunters should have been familiar Team Rocket higher-ups (OS alone had 8 of them, and then there are the game executives they never used). Suicune was pretty ordinary until the very end, which bothered me.

2. The ending implies that Go is going to meet many more legendaries. So is Suicune nothing more than a check mark? Good luck coming up with sensible plots for more than maybe two additional legendaries (and Mew). Every time a legendary is involved, we'll have to guess whether or not Go will catch it.

3. Zero lore except for the part about purifying lakes. Is this not the Suicune Ash saw in Ecruteak and previously near New Bark Town? Movie 4? Well, we don't even know if those two were one and the same. I'd like to think that this is the Movie 4 Suicune since that one was also into lake purification, while the Suicune sought by Eusine was all about not getting caught by the wrong person (the "right" person was implied to be Ash, but he wasn't ready).

 

[Hidden Mew]

Because I was too curious to wait for the dub, I decided to watch the episode today and I think that they handled the situation quite nicely. Goh catching Suicune was clearly out of desperation for its safety. They could have fought the hunters or broke the ropes around it, but that might have taken too much time and Suicune was clearly too weakened from the poison, along with its reduced stamina from frequently purifying the lake. Goh's whole goal of catching every Pokemon never came up, at least not as a reason for him to catch or keep Suicune. He was focused on protecting it and healing its injuries. Catching it was potentially the fastest way to get Suicune out of danger. I can understand why it would upset people when Goh catches Pokemon too easily as it is. If Suicune wasn't so weakened and this was just a regular encounter with a Legendary Pokemon, catching it easily would have been a different story.

Suciune choosing to stay with Goh felt pretty well earned in my opinion. Goh spent all of his time and energy into saving Suicune, so that would the notion that it would trust him by the end felt believable. It still might have been a bit too fast for Suicune to listen to Goh in battle, but it was against the hunters instead of just a random battle and it was the climax of the episode after Goh had devoted his time to caring for it. The bond between them felt pretty genuine and earned to me. The Pokemon Hunters were also a lot more competent than I initially expected given their designs. Goh planning to release Suicune at the end was also pretty important in my opinion. It gave off the implication, if not confirm it, that he only saw the capture as temporary from the beginning. He just wanted to quickly get Suicune out of danger, heal it at a Pokemon Center and let it go. Suciune choosing to stay was a good way to not make the capture temporary, but also not have a Legendary Pokemon on standby all the time at the Lab. The choice being up to Suicune at the end instead of Goh deciding to keep it from the start or after it was healed made a huge difference too.

I will say that if you don't like Goh or have more major problems with his goal than I do, then this episode probably wouldn't change anything. And I can understand people being annoyed that he got a Legendary Pokemon this early on in the series. We're barely over the first year of the series' run, but I think that's an issue with Journeys itself as opposed to something exclusive to Goh. The series is paced way too fast given both Ash and Goh's respective teams and goals. Not to mention they seem to be allergic to spending more than one episode in regions outside of Kanto. If they didn't label this as Johto at the beginning of the episode, I would have sworn that they were just in a random forest in Kanto. I know that Suicune is known for roaming the Johto region, but nothing about the area gave off the impression that they were in Johto, which admittedly fits with how they've handled most locations in different regions up to this point too. If they had spent two episodes on this plot as opposed to putting it all in one, I think it would have been better received, or at least less controversial from the get go. Two episodes would have given this plot a bit more time to breath, but I do think it generally worked for what they wanted to do in one episode.

This episode did make me realize just how much I love Goh and it wasn't even just due to his bond with Suicune. The moment where Goh pushed Ash out of the way of an attack to protect him as well just was heartwarming. While there are definitely valid complaints about Goh and I can understand why people don't like him to a degree, I don't think I could really hate him when he comes off as so caring and likable to me.

 

[Adelon]

Because I was too curious to wait for the dub, I decided to watch the episode today and I think that they handled the situation quite nicely. Goh catching Suicune was clearly out of desperation for its safety. They could have fought the hunters or broke the ropes around it, but that might have taken too much time and Suicune was clearly too weakened from the poison, along with its reduced stamina from frequently purifying the lake. Goh's whole goal of catching every Pokemon never came up, at least not as a reason for him to catch or keep Suicune. He was focused on protecting it and healing its injuries. Catching it was potentially the fastest way to get Suicune out of danger. I can understand why it would upset people when Goh catches Pokemon too easily as it is. If Suicune wasn't so weakened and this was just a regular encounter with a Legendary Pokemon, catching it easily would have been a different story.

Suciune choosing to stay with Goh felt pretty well earned in my opinion. Goh spent all of his time and energy into saving Suicune, so that would the notion that it would trust him by the end felt believable. It still might have been a bit too fast for Suicune to listen to Goh in battle, but it was against the hunters instead of just a random battle and it was the climax of the episode after Goh had devoted his time to caring for it. The bond between them felt pretty genuine and earned to me. The Pokemon Hunters were also a lot more competent than I initially expected given their designs. Goh planning to release Suicune at the end was also pretty important in my opinion. It gave off the implication, if not confirm it, that he only saw the capture as temporary from the beginning. He just wanted to quickly get Suicune out of danger, heal it at a Pokemon Center and let it go. Suciune choosing to stay was a good way to not make the capture temporary, but also not have a Legendary Pokemon on standby all the time at the Lab. The choice being up to Suicune at the end instead of Goh deciding to keep it from the start or after it was healed made a huge difference too.

I will say that if you don't like Goh or have more major problems with his goal than I do, then this episode probably wouldn't change anything. And I can understand people being annoyed that he got a Legendary Pokemon this early on in the series. We're barely over the first year of the series' run, but I think that's an issue with Journeys itself as opposed to something exclusive to Goh. The series is paced way too fast given both Ash and Goh's respective teams and goals. Not to mention they seem to be allergic to spending more than one episode in regions outside of Kanto. If they didn't label this as Johto at the beginning of the episode, I would have sworn that they were just in a random forest in Kanto. I know that Suicune is known for roaming the Johto region, but nothing about the area gave off the impression that they were in Johto, which admittedly fits with how they've handled most locations in different regions up to this point too. If they had spent two episodes on this plot as opposed to putting it all in one, I think it would have been better received, or at least less controversial from the get go. Two episodes would have given this plot a bit more time to breath, but I do think it generally worked for what they wanted to do in one episode.

This episode did make me realize just how much I love Goh and it wasn't even just due to his bond with Suicune. The moment where Goh pushed Ash out of the way of an attack to protect him as well just was heartwarming. While there are definitely valid complaints about Goh and I can understand why people don't like him to a degree, I don't think I could really hate him when he comes off as so caring and likable to me.

Goh's heart is clearly in the right place!

People seem to forget that Ash wasn't always as saintly as he appears right now. We think of him as cheerful and kind because that's how he's been for the past few generations, but he could be very self-absorbed and stubborn at times. He was rude to Misty occasionally (although she was just as rude) and he was not really that nice to Max from what I remember.

 

[Eitarou]

Umm normally when Ash catches a Pokemon in one ball it's because they wanted to be caught.

Taillow, Palpitoad, Fletchling... Probably others I'm forgetting. Tauros, maybe?

 

[Johtohfiller]

Another mixed bag episode. I liked the story for the most part, but 1. Raichu and Exeggutor disappearing in favor of a caught-offscreen Drowzee was BS, and 2. Suicune staying with Go seemed unnecessary. Or is it staying with him? I couldn't tell if it's supposed to be staying at the lab invisibly or if it went back to the wild. I hope it's the latter, it has a job to do dammit! Hopefully they follow up on that.

There were some very cool shots in this ep, I'm going to take a bunch of screenshots.

 

[Silktree]

Have some berries and cheer up.

People seem to forget that Ash wasn't always as saintly as he appears right now. We think of him as cheerful and kind because that's how he's been for the past few generations, but he could be very self-absorbed and stubborn at times. He was rude to Misty occasionally (although she was just as rude) and he was not really that nice to Max from what I remember.

I liked him better that way. I'm also disappointed that his interactions with Chloe aren't awkward anymore.

2. Suicune staying with Go seemed unnecessary. Or is it staying with him? I couldn't tell if it's supposed to be staying at the lab invisibly or if it went back to the wild. I hope it's the latter, it has a job to do dammit! Hopefully they follow up on that.

It went back to the wild, but Go says that its presence can still be felt. So it will probably return at some point; it's a lot like Nebby in a way.

 

[SlyGecko]

Taillow, Palpitoad, Fletchling... Probably others I'm forgetting. Tauros, maybe?

The first three exampled you gave were ones he battled before catching them so the were weakened by him. Aka earned before capture.

 

[FinnishPokéFan92]

He just wanted to quickly get Suicune out of danger, heal it at a Pokemon Center and let it go.

Some people may not remember this, but this isn't the first time a Pokémon has been caught for the main purpose of getting it healed. Tracey's Scyther was also caught mainly to get it healed.

1. Raichu and Exeggutor disappearing in favor of a caught-offscreen Drowzee was BS

Goh wanted to use a Pokémon with a type advantage over the hunters' Poison types.

Or is it staying with him?

It's still his Pokémon, but it's free to go wherever it wants. So it can still continue its job of purifying waters.

 

[Craiden]

So, people are going to have issue with this, of course, and I have my own (probably different) issues, as I wished the first Legendary Pokemon that was going to be caught (unless you count Eternatus, which is fair, and does actually fit here) was via Raid battle, but the episode itself, and Gou helping out Suicune was pretty good, and Ash got to hold off a gang of hunters, which people I would think seemingly want, so best of both worlds.

 

[MegaGreninga]

at the end
Goh suiccon running off we see pokemon in the background the legendary
does that mean Goh will captured them in order as Mew be the last pokemon to catch

So, people are going to have issue with this, of course, and I have my own (probably different) issues, as I wished the first Legendary Pokemon that was going to be caught (unless you count Eternatus, which is fair, and does actually fit here) was via Raid battle, but the episode itself, and Gou helping out Suicune was pretty good, and Ash got to hold off a gang of hunters, which people I would think seemingly want, so best of both worlds.

i Joy it
i thought was great
I always thought Ash will get in the past but I'm over that theory
im glad Goh kept it
did u read my theroy on top

 

[Craiden]

at the end
Goh suiccon running off we see pokemon in the background the legendary
does that mean Goh will captured them in order as Mew be the last pokemon to catch


i Joy it
i thought was great
I always thought Ash will get in the past but I'm over that theory
im glad Goh kept it
did u read my theroy on top

In one "series" I don't see Gou capturing them all, and I do think that will be addressed at some point, but I do expect 1-2 more Legendary captures. Though that end shot was nice.

 

[Tardile]

Throw you balls to Gigi Hadid or some other model Goh. You catch anything anyways.

 

[Beatsy Ray]

Ash getting a Legendary Pokemon was not the result of his experience across seven regions though. He didn't even battle it. Meltan was caught primarily due to its friendship with Rowlet, along with a bit of Let's Go Pikachu/Eevee promotion. I think that's a major problem with this comparison. Meltan didn't feel more earned due to Ash's experience because that didn't factor into its capture in the first place. That's really more on fan interpretation more so than anything in the show itself. Now I can understand the issue of Goh not really having any struggles or catching Pokemon too easily, but this comparison just always rub me the wrong way.

It's not so much that Ash's experience led him to catching a Legendary, but rather his experience made the fanbase believe he was worthy of getting a Legendary. I don't think Gou is worthy yet, he hasn't struggled, suffered, faced crushing defeats and grown from them like Ash has. Fast forwarding Gou's development like this just makes him look like a wunderkind.

That's to say nothing about how imbalanced it is that Gou is able to command all of his overpowered Pokemon flawlessly, whereas Ash and Dawn had to earn their OP-mon's respect over a long period of time. Gou is using his strong Pokemon as a shortcut to becoming a strong trainer, and that wasn't possible in earlier series'. Not even the games allow you to do that.

 

[MegaGreninga]

In one "series" I don't see Gou capturing them all, and I do think that will be addressed at some point, but I do expect 1-2 more Legendary captures. Though that end shot was nice.

We see those pokemon with Goh legends pokemon running as background seems likey those will be captured
mew be the last pokemon

Will ash get legendary like Latias and more

 

[Hidden Mew]

It's not so much that Ash's experience led him to catching a Legendary, but rather his experience made the fanbase believe he was worthy of getting a Legendary. I don't think Gou is worthy yet, he hasn't struggled, suffered, faced crushing defeats and grown from them like Ash has. Fast forwarding Gou's development like this just makes him look like a wunderkind.

The fanbase believing that he was worthy of getting a Legendary was kind of what I was referring to before about fan interpretation. Ash's experiences had nothing to do with catching Meltan within SM, so bringing it in to kind of justify why he got it feels irrelevant, at least from an in-universe perspective. It especially feels moot when Ash's past experiences and accomplishments rarely come up in the first place. Ash being more experienced doesn't mean that he is necessarily worthy of getting a Legendary Pokemon either. I can understand not liking that Goh caught a Legendary Pokemon so much faster than Ash did, but I think seeing it as a proof of a mark of a trainer's worth is kind of a problem, or at least why this comparison falls flat for me.

That't to say nothing about how imbalanced it is that Gou is able to command all of his overpowered Pokemon flawlessly, whereas Ash and Dawn had earn their OP-mon's respect over a long period of time. Gou is using his strong Pokemon as a shortcut to becoming a strong trainer, and that wasn't possible in earlier series'. Not even the games allow you to do that.

To be fair, I think issues like Goh being able to command Suicune quickly stems more from the fast pace issues of Journeys more so than Goh specifically. If they don't want to spend time in different regions aside from Kanto and to a degree Galar and they aren't interested in making Goh's Pokemon actual characters, then they aren't going to spend long period of time having Goh earn his Pokemon's trust that often. Even this episode could have worked pretty well as a two parter, but they still chose to make it one episode instead. I'm not sure how many overpowered Pokemon Goh has beyond Darumaka, Flygon and maybe Golurk. I'm also not really sure if the show is trying to sell him as a strong trainer through this shortcut, mainly because he still isn't that into battling and I don't think that they've put him on a high pedestal when it comes to battling skills at least.

 

[Greninjaman]

Ash did the same thing with Cyndaquil. Yet no one thought that was wrong

Cyndaquil is not a Legendary Pokemon. It's a first-stage Pokemon. Sure it's a Starter.

 

[Craiden]

To be fair, I think issues like Goh being able to command Suicune quickly stems more from the fast pace issues of Journeys more so than Goh specifically. If they don't want to spend time in different regions aside from Kanto and to a degree Galar and they aren't interested in making Goh's Pokemon actual characters, then they aren't going to spend long period of time having Goh earn his Pokemon's trust that often. Even this episode could have worked pretty well as a two parter, but they still chose to make it one episode instead. I'm not sure how many overpowered Pokemon Goh has beyond Darumaka, Flygon and maybe Golurk. I'm also not really sure if the show is trying to sell him as a strong trainer through this shortcut, mainly because he still isn't that into battling and I don't think that they've put him on a high pedestal when it comes to battling skills at least.
[/QUOTE]

Yooo, wasn't the only one who thought this could've functioned better as a two-parter. That being said, yeah, the reason why Gou's goal in the first place is absurd/disliked (at least for me, but probably a good chunk of others too) is when you're trying to capture as many Pokemon as Gou is, what's going to be sacrificed is probably development that a typical anime Pokemon party will have. PM 2019 has done an alright job with making a few of the Pokemon likable enough (Raichu, Misdreavus, Farfetch'd) but it's not sustainable with them wanting to show "all of the Pokemon" off, and having Gou catch a number of them.