Review JN100: Close Contact! Dande's Special Training!!

[Enzo]

They've explained how the ranking system works. They just don't need to go into the details.

Yeah, they need to, tho. We don't even know how the points are given. I mean, I vividly remember Ash getting 10 points in a battle and then randomly getting 15 in another. Why? What's the criteria? What makes a battle give more points than other? They never bothered explaining it.

(Alos, I know it's not ''points'', exactly, but you get what I mean lol)

 

[feelithard23]

flint dropped from 7 to 8 i have some questions. who the heck did raihan beat to raise his rank? and how will ash even enter the master class? what will his rank be once he enters? and will flint drop down to hyper class so ash can battle him to get into master class?

 

[puddleths]

flint dropped from 7 to 8 i have some questions. who the heck did raihan beat to raise his rank? and how will ash even enter the master class? what will his rank be once he enters? and will flint drop down to hyper class so ash can battle him to get into master class?

These are good questions. The way they set it up where trainers have to be in the same class to have an official battle makes it difficult to explain. I'm thinking they're going to have to 'retcon' the rules and allow an Ultra Class trainer of a high enough rank (say...15?) to challenge someone in the Master Class, but the Master Class trainer can decline. Flint knowing Ash would, at least, make for a plausible scenario where he would accept his challenge.

 

[FinnishPokéFan92]

I can't be absolutely sure without subtitles, but apparently, Hop is mentioned by Sonia at some point in this episode. Don't know if it was by name or not yet.

 

[Craiden]

I know what's going to get the "headlines," and rightfully so, but, this was a pretty good episode. While I didn't need it to tell me Leon was probably going to be Ash-like around Pokemon, it was fun to see, and the Gou/Sonia stuff was fun too (though I wish there had been a bit more of it). I also wish we got to see either one of Leon's unknown Pokemon and or some of Ash's, but that didn't detract from the episode, in my eyes.

 

[marshiyanmisuta]

They referenced Dande's little brother. Hope he never appear. I'm still having nightmares about Hau and his owl...

Dande: "DRAGON CLAW!"

Satoshi: "DON'T MENTION THAT NAME!"

Lesson learned from the episode: Dande and Sonia are terrible travel partners.

 

[FinnishPokéFan92]

I think this episode answered what that interview back at one point meant about us getting to see "Leon's true face". Turns out being unbeatable made him fear he couldn't improve any further, but his encounter with Eternatus had taught him that there's still opponents out there who are stronger than him, giving him something to reach towards.

 

[Lightning Flame Blast]

Was the Leon vs Flint battle as one sided as we feared?

 

[DarkraiKnight]

Was the Leon vs Flint battle as one sided as we feared?

I mean, it was pretty one-sided, but 1) Ash came in when it was almost over anyway, and 2) is it really that important? The Leon vs Flint battle was a VERY minor part of the episode.

 

[Ghost Diplocaulus]

This episode was really nice! I really like how the episode emphasized Leon and Sonia as sort of "grown up" versions of Ash and Goh respectively. Ash and Leon also had some really neat interactions both with each other and with the several wild Pokemon they befriended. Those Wooloo were so precious! Also, we got to see Dragapult again, which is a big personal plus for me

They could have done Flint and his Infernape better than that, lol; he put on a much better showing against Cynthia and her Gacrhomp.

To be fair, this battle was a 1v1 whereas Cynthia's was a full one, so of course Flint got to perform better there, since he could actually afford to knock something out but still ultimately lose. Even without that caveat, though, it makes sense he'd fare worse against Leon than Cynthia from a storytelling perspective, since Leon is the strongest trainer in the world while Cynthia, although genuinely skilled and powerful on her own right, is not.

 

[R1ke]

Glad we got some much-needed backstory and depth to Leon's character, he gets a lot of flack for being bland/in-your-face but that was the point. He's just exaggerating himself to the general public, which is how we typically saw him in game. But ofc he's got his insecurities too and I like the parallels they keep drawing b/w him and Ash

Genuinely enjoyable episode when they were just hanging out, albeit I would've liked Ash to meet Flint in person again

 

[Alola]

To be fair, this battle was a 1v1 whereas Cynthia's was a full one, so of course Flint got to perform better there, since he could actually afford to knock something out but still ultimately lose. Even without that caveat, though, it makes sense he'd fare worse against Leon than Cynthia from a storytelling perspective, since Leon is the strongest trainer in the world while Cynthia, although genuinely skilled and powerful on her own right, is not.

I think you misunderstood my comparison - I'm referring to the animation we got with Flint and Infernape, compared to then and now; not the logistics of the battle.

Both fights are similar as in the viewer tunes into them both underway; the Sinnoh fight is slightly longer than the Journeys one in real time. But there, the similarities end as Infernape Vs. Garchomp had more action and was more dynamic in its animation (such as Infernape blitzing through Draco Meteor, how Close Combat was animated on Garchomp, etc.); Infernape used three moves and Garchomp used its entire moveset. The action, though fleeting, felt worthy of a high level battle between a regional Champion and an Elite Four member. In comparison, Leon Vs. Flint was lethargic, slower-paced, and had Infernape put on an underwhelming performance; compare its DP Flare Blitz to its Journeys one, too. Hence why I feel it could have been done better, akin to what was done for Cynthia, given how powerful Flint and Leon are as Trainers.

 

[KrspaceT]

Episode overview time

• Minor gripe but the pajamas you see when they aren't at the lab bug me. Why do they use different pajamas at Pokemon centers in his series?
• The run cycle of the kids seemed odd
• Hey, someone remembered Ash wins stuff
• Kind of interesting we have a new move for Leon's arsenal in Flare Blitz. Today was Flare Blitz, Flamethrower, and Dragon Claw. Also maybe this means people can stop saying that Leon needs Dynamax to win....
• No Dynamax band on Flint.
• 'Stuff happened'. Ash's life story
• The length of the Flint battle honesty isn't a problem because, at least in subs, it is clear Ash caught the end of it
• Leon's car looks like a Charizard. Did he buy that thing from Kaiba co...no wait Kaiba Corp likes sleek dragon vehicles.
• You know how Leon likes Sonia's cooking? I guess that he also likes her driving? Um...shipping?
• I wonder if Ash being there is part of Charizard's training. Bit of extra weight to fly with.
• You know, now I want Ash to train like that in Reset....and then have Misty give him hell for it. Kind of already does for Humunga Dunga
• Huh, some of that Leon childhood story could be similar to the old Pocket Monsters Animation backstory for Ash, just with more baby brothers and less baseball. Probably coincidence.
• I'd say Leon's training is a bit different than what Ash does: it isn't completely alien but Ash could realistically learn from it a bit
• Wonder how that Rookidee got hurt?
• Kind of reminds me of a less angsty Evolutions Leon.
• So Charizard gave them directions then

 

[FinnishPokéFan92]

I think you misunderstood my comparison - I'm referring to the animation we got with Flint and Infernape, compared to then and now; not the logistics of the battle.

Both fights are similar as in the viewer tunes into them both underway; the Sinnoh fight is slightly longer than the Journeys one in real time. But there, the similarities end as Infernape Vs. Garchomp had more action and was more dynamic in its animation (such as Infernape blitzing through Draco Meteor, how Close Combat was animated on Garchomp, etc.); Infernape used three moves and Garchomp used its entire moveset. The action, though fleeting, felt worthy of a high level battle between a regional Champion and an Elite Four member. In comparison, Leon Vs. Flint was lethargic, slower-paced, and had Infernape put on an underwhelming performance; compare its DP Flare Blitz to its Journeys one, too. Hence why I feel it could have been done better, akin to what was done for Cynthia, given how powerful Flint and Leon are as Trainers.

I feel this battle didn't have to be as fluid and epic as Flint vs Cynthia, because the latter was meant as a dramatic moment of resolve for Ash. This one wasn't meant to carry the same emotional weight.

 

[Soniman]

Flint vs Leon was a throwaway match simply yo set up the episode and had no significance beyond that it really isn't the same as Flint vs Cynthia

 

[Queen Cynthia]

I won't comment on the episode itself very much because I don't like Leon and this episode once again reinforced my opinion:
First, Flint was treated unfairly in the battle. He used a very tactical and clever move but, of course, the writers needed to give Leon that one extra second, so Charizard could dodge a Mach Punch of all things. How about giving Flint that same extra second to come up with a way to counter it? No, because it's the writers' beloved Leon that they need to promote at all costs, JUST because he's the champion of the most recent main series game...Thats's all!
Second, the whole plot showed how unworthy a champion Leon is! It was explicitly stated he's nothing like a charismatic hero, but rather a little kid. That's nothing bad per se but you simply expect a real champion to have dignity, be superior and act heroicly...exactly that kind of description that applies to Cynthia and Cynthia alone!

since Leon is the strongest trainer in the world while Cynthia, although genuinely skilled and powerful on her own right, is not.

That's not true. Leon is simply promoted and pampered by the writers because he's the most recent champion and they needed him to sell Sword and Shield. Considering all facts from all the episodes that have aired so far and comparing Cynthia and Leon directly, there can only be one true Champion and that is Cynthia! This becomes clear in particular if you neglect Leon's "power boost" he got from the writers for the aforementioned reasons.

If Ultra class trainers can only raise their rank in battles organised for them, and not whenever they want - everyone rank 99 or lower has to be given enough battles to get to the top 8?

I suspect there will be no answers, but I’d like to see Ash have to battle a masters 8 trainer in order to take their place (Flint or Raihan, and at least be a 3 on 3)

I'm afraid there'll probably be no answer to that and it angers me just like it obviously angers you

To end on a positive note, I'd like to say the best thing about his episode was the new intro were both Paul and Ash's Greninja were confirmed for a comeback! That's just fantastic and great fan service!

 

[FinnishPokéFan92]

Second, the whole plot showed how unworthy a champion Leon is! It was explicitly stated he's nothing like a charismatic hero, but rather a little kid. That's nothing bad per se but you simply expect a real champion to have dignity, be superior and act heroicly...exactly that kind of description that applies to Cynthia and Cynthia alone!

Leon acts that way because he's basically a grown-up player character, who tend to be children.

 

[nickdt]

I won't comment on the episode itself very much because I don't like Leon and this episode once again reinforced my opinion:
First, Flint was treated unfairly in the battle. He used a very tactical and clever move but, of course, the writers needed to give Leon that one extra second, so Charizard could dodge a Mach Punch of all things. How about giving Flint that same extra second to come up with a way to counter it? No, because it's the writers' beloved Leon that they need to promote at all costs, JUST because he's the champion of the most recent main series game...Thats's all!
Second, the whole plot showed how unworthy a champion Leon is! It was explicitly stated he's nothing like a charismatic hero, but rather a little kid. That's nothing bad per se but you simply expect a real champion to have dignity, be superior and act heroicly...exactly that kind of description that applies to Cynthia and Cynthia alone!


That's not true. Leon is simply promoted and pampered by the writers because he's the most recent champion and they needed him to sell Sword and Shield. Considering all facts from all the episodes that have aired so far and comparing Cynthia and Leon directly, there can only be one true Champion and that is Cynthia! This becomes clear in particular if you neglect Leon's "power boost" he got from the writers for the aforementioned reasons.


I'm afraid there'll probably be no answer to that and it angers me just like it obviously angers you

To end on a positive note, I'd like to say the best thing about his episode was the new intro were both Paul and Ash's Greninja were confirmed for a comeback! That's just fantastic and great fan service!

Well... technically Cynthia is the most recent Champion due to the BDSP remakes.

Also: What facts????

 

[Ghost Diplocaulus]

That's not true. Leon is simply promoted and pampered by the writers because he's the most recent champion and they needed him to sell Sword and Shield. Considering all facts from all the episodes that have aired so far and comparing Cynthia and Leon directly, there can only be one true Champion and that is Cynthia! This becomes clear in particular if you neglect Leon's "power boost" he got from the writers for the aforementioned reasons.

Look, I get that you prefer Cynthia over Leon and that's absolutely fine. I prefer Cynthia over Leon too, and it certainly is true that Cynthia is the tougher fight in the games (especially BDSP with its competitive-level AI), but gameplay and story segregation is a thing, and that's clearly what's going on here. You may not like how overshilled Leon is, but the fact of the matter is that Leon is overshilled both because he's supposed to be a Player Character grown up (hence why he's famed as never having lost any battles) and because his ace is a Charizard, which is another extremely shilled character in its own right. Storywise, Leon is canonically stronger than Cynthia.

Also, seeing how Leon's Charizard was able to wipe the floor with Flint's Infernape on base form, it's clear that it isn't dependent on its powerup, and I'd wager that the reason the battle was written that way was precisely to demonstrate that Leon's Charizard really is that tough all on its own rather than just because it has a fancy super mode.

 

[Unireon]

I would have preferred Dande using another, not Doraparuto, Pokemon to defeat Ooba.

At least we could have got a reveal, and no more Lizardon-shilling.

Leon acts that way because he's basically a grown-up player character, who tend to be children.

In all those years, he only grew in the outside. It's true the adage that goes about how people don't really change.
Although, it's a nice change since he bonds with Satoshi in a brotherly way.