Preview JN105: Eievui and Nymphia! Encounters and Reunions!!

[Sai]

And Koharu. It is her episode after all. Also, how bad is it when you get overshadowed by a guy who isn’t even there in Steve’s case.

Steven is just going to be a 3 second flashback, I don't see how that's overshadowing anything.

 

[Islander Princess]

I mean, this was obviously the right choice (bringing Serena back), but the fact that they tried to make it a surprise and it got leaked in advance (and was proven to be real by the magazine itself) is...pretty wild.

Also, I cannot believe people don't like her look?? Not only do I find them downright cute, but the hair and outfit are a HUGE improvement over what she had in the back half of XY. I still maintain that Serena's second outfit is probably one of if not the ugliest outfits a female main character has had...everything about it bugged me

 

[Keith]

AAH, my Queen is really returning! I love her new look

 

[cricketlaxwolvesbandy]

We get to hear Haven again ahhhh! And I don’t care that much about the ribbon being gone as long as their is Amourshipping moments

 

[FinnishPokéFan92]

We get to hear Haven again ahhhh! And I don’t care that much about the ribbon being gone as long as their is Amourshipping moments

I feel the ribbon is gone because it symbolizes that Serena's character development is no longer dependent on Ash.

 

[FelipePR]

Also, I cannot believe people don't like her look?? Not only do I find them downright cute, but the hair and outfit are a HUGE improvement over what she had in the back half of XY. I still maintain that Serena's second outfit is probably one of if not the ugliest outfits a female main character has had...everything about it bugged me

Well, I won't say that her previous outfit was stunning. But I also don't consider it ugly, but, maybe, strange or peculiar. The main thing is that her previous outfit has a whole context and meaning that makes it impossible to be ugly.

First, it was conceived as an act of determination, self-knowledge and revelation by the character himself at a decisive moment in her journey. That is, Serena's haircut and visual style is an act of self-expression by a 10-year-old girl. It doesn't have to be perfect, and no one expects it to be.

In fact, her garb represents the dissociation of Serena from the anime from her counterpart in the games and, in that sense, of what is usually considered stylistically correct.

In short, the garment represents her own style, which, without ceasing to be pleasant, values, above all, comfort, freedom of movement and the deconstruction of visual and aesthetic paradigms. All this and more enclosed within the vision and understanding of a pre-teen in search of self-affirmation.

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As for her new look, my opinion is that it appears to be dull. As I've already added, her top and hat are tinted in a faded and monochromatic gray with some black elements that barely stand out. Her skirt is more elaborate, but it's opaque and too short to create a vivid contrast to the rest.

And well, her outfit seems generic and lacking in personality. In fact, I get the impression they were trying to reference her original look through a significantly unfortunate alternative.

As for her hair, it looked normal to me, just that it had naturally grown out a little. But honestly, I didn't pay much attention to it Lol.

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Last but not least, this is just my personal opinion, coming from a person who has no knowledge of fashion, which, obviously, is far from representing any truth or having any other value than that.

 

[Alola]

SERENAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!

SHE’S BACK OMG I HAVE SO MANY THOUGHTS. BUT I AM SO HAPPY

 

[Unireon]

Serena personally discarded the ribbon, since she has moved on from a crush that would go nowhere.

That is real character development, dropping something that made her look reliant on another person.

Though, I am mad that Animedia robbed the fans of the debate whether if it was real or fake.

 

[FinnishPokéFan92]

Fun fact: Serena's new outfit is made up of clothes available as customization items in X and Y.

 

[Lightning Flame Blast]

What do you know, they’re going through with it! Happy to see her back.

Though I need to say this, guys, be careful with your expectations. I fear for the reaction this will get if Serena’s return doesn’t reach the stratosphere worthy hopes some have for what it means going forward.

 

[SonansuMan]

You’d think with them never putting out full VA lists anymore they’d be able to give us more returning characters without spoiling in advance..

..Welp. Monkey’s paw in action

 

[PaperSplash]

I'm still not 100% sure if the leaked Serena image is legitimate. The threats of legal action by Animedia mean it probably is, but it's also possible someone on their PR team saw people attributing the image to them and assumed it must have been stolen. Don't get me wrong: I do believe it's likely real and I want it to be real, but I still have a tiny bit of skepticism.

 

[L-05308]

I’m already starting to be reminded of why I didn’t like Serena very much back in the day… and it’s not Serena- it’s her fans…

There is so much more to Serena, Ash and the this anime than one character having a little crush on the other.

A Serena return will probably reference her admiration of Ash, but this episode nor any other episode is going to portray the Ship as definitely reciprocated by Ash.

 

[Hidden Mew]

I'm glad that Serena is coming back, if only because it will hopefully make people stop treating the kiss as some kind of roadblock for her return. I'm also confused as to why they tried to make her return this big surprise. Maybe they wanted it to be more of an unexpected surprise or make more people be aware of the episode once it airs, but considering that every other returning character in Journeys were announced ahead of time and most of them had some promotional artwork to create more hype for their episodes, it seems weird to not do that with Serena's initial return in Journeys. Still, I'm hopeful that she'll get some good moments here.

 

[Rainbow-Rain]

It honestly feels like the writers want Koharu to be really popular so they're having her bond with Dawn, Serena, etc. to try and take off her popularity. Also of note Koharu is in the upcoming Alola episode too (she's in the preview with Ash/Go in Alola), so she's going to meet all the SM girls as well this time around.

 

[LuxrayOfTheWild]

Okay NOW I'm excited for this episode!! Serena's back at last!!

 

[Rath]

I'm glad that Serena is coming back, if only because it will hopefully make people stop treating the kiss as some kind of roadblock for her return. I'm also confused as to why they tried to make her return this big surprise. Maybe they wanted it to be more of an unexpected surprise or make more people be aware of the episode once it airs, but considering that every other returning character in Journeys were announced ahead of time and most of them had some promotional artwork to create more hype for their episodes, it seems weird to not do that with Serena's initial return in Journeys. Still, I'm hopeful that she'll get some good moments here.

It wasn't an a roadblock to her returning, but it is an obstacle the writers will have to write around.

 

[Daren]

I'm also confused as to why they tried to make her return this big surprise.

I'm suspecting she might only be in the episode briefly with a more advertised larger appearance later. She may not even reunite with Ash yet.

 

[Weddingbells]

It honestly feels like the writers want Koharu to be really popular so they're having her bond with Dawn, Serena, etc. to try and take off her popularity. Also of note Koharu is in the upcoming Alola episode too (she's in the preview with Ash/Go in Alola), so she's going to meet all the SM girls as well this time around.

If that's their plan, a bit too little to late. Journeys is almost over, and apart from the yamper episode, there was no mention of any future arcs for her. Chloe is a fine yet disappointing character

 

[Islander Princess]

Well, I won't say that her previous outfit was stunning. But I also don't consider it ugly, but, maybe, strange or peculiar. The main thing is that her previous outfit has a whole context and meaning that makes it impossible to be ugly.

First, it was conceived as an act of determination, self-knowledge and revelation by the character himself at a decisive moment in her journey. That is, Serena's haircut and visual style is an act of self-expression by a 10-year-old girl. It doesn't have to be perfect, and no one expects it to be.

I mean, I get it, but maybe that's why I don't like it: because it looks like something I would've worn in middle school trying to be "fashionable" Her first outfit was so cute, one of my favorites of any of the female characters in fact, so just looks wise, the second one paled in comparison.

The choppy haircut I can forgive a little more because in reality, if a 10 year old is cutting her own hair, it's gonna look terrible. But it honestly looks so much better and more appealing cleaned up in the new art. I'd like to think that maybe this combination of things means Serena is going to come back more refined and sure of herself, and people can stop equating her to nothing more than a girl with googly eyes for Ash.