Review JN087: The Ice Queen and Glacia

[Max1996]

That one thing that the Pokemon company dances around for their own sanity.

I'm...getting an idea from that already.

 

[FinnishPokéFan92]

 

[Alola]

Spoiler: Brilliant Diamond Shining Pearl related Spoiler!

I love how they give us a Glaceon episode for BDSP, but Glaceon is a post-game Pokémon.

Anyway, I think what stood out to me most in this episode was how outgoing and gregarious Chloe was, regarding wanting to befriend Regina. As someone who began the series rather aloof and indifferent towards Trainers, her dogged interest over Regina and her Glaceon is a testament to some character development in my opinion; Dawn would be proud. Speaking of Regina, I thought the whole "Glaceon could possibly die/greatly suffer from overexerting itself!" fell flat as a plot point given it ran the gamut of Ice-type moves the very next day no worse for wear; it was also weird they completely bypassed a visit with Nurse Joy or at least any references to visiting the authority on Pokémon health. The super-powered Blizzard concept would have been more significant if Micie was, say, encasing the entire hallway or classroom in ice, with stalagmites everywhere via a Blizzard akin to SwSh's or Battle Revolution's animation; otherwise, it looked pretty ordinary if not underwhelming given the narrative. Regina and Micie were cool to see, but their inclusion/dilemma could have been handled better; I was also a bit disappointed she didn't stay at the school as a secondary character. Glad to see she took up Pokémon battling towards the end, though; Go expressed interest in battling her alongside Ash, which I found quite notable for him as well.

How many Eeveelutions does that make now? Just Leafeon, Jolteon, Flareon, and Sylveon left episode wise I believe.

 

[Twilight-Kun]

I got a laugh out of the fact that Eevee's use of an Eeveelution's move was awkwardly thrown in at the last moment because that's Eevee's entire gimmick this series

 

[CrystalRose21]

When I watched parts of this episode, I felt very sorry for Regina and I understand her vulnerability. When I was a child, I was bullied both at school and at summer camps. It was truly horrible, and it hurt me very much. Bullying really hurts me, and I don't want to undergo such ordeals again.

In this episode, it's understandable that Glaceon has been protecting Regina from being bullied, but when it wanted to freeze Ash, Goh and Chloe again, I think it went too far. Fortunately, Regina ordered it to stop before it collapsed. When Regina revealed her past to Ash, Goh, Chloe, and Professor Cerise, and later her parents, the latter finally realized that Glaceon was not the cause of Regina not having human friends, but actually nasty bullies.
At least, Regina overcame her problems (with help from Chloe, Ash and Goh) and is now taking part in battles, which might help her not only to defend herself, but also her Pokémon (well...I think so), much like how Ash and Pikachu have defended themselves from Team Rocket many times.

 

[Gabo2oo]

I'd gradually stopped watching the series but man, coming back to this makes me revitalize my hopes for Journeys. It's relationship stories like this that enhance the Pokémon World as a whole IMO.

This is the kind of episode I want to be slow-paced because of how immersive it's supposed to be; it's always nice to see them tackling this kind of themes. There isn't an explicit, in-your-face morale either, which makes it feel so much real too. There's no retribution to the bullies, they're just accepted as part of Regina's backstory. The actual resolution was for Regina's friends/family to listen and for her to reach out, which I think is a much more valuable lesson.