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

[PokeFan2005]

 

[Gabo2oo]

View attachment 158282

Omode is a terrific writer, especially when it comes to dialogue-heavy stuff, she probably would've done a wonderful job on this too. I'm assuming she's talking about the upcoming Greninja episode, I'm glad she was assigned that one anyways. But I'm still wondering how they choose which episode goes to whom.

 

[FinnishPokéFan92]

It’s poetic how last time the escalator separated them, but now it’s a ship sailing away.

And what's more, last time, it was Serena being pulled away from Ash, but now, it's the other way around.

To be fair, this isn't explicit even with subs.

The Contest in this Episode was called Contest Live, so we can't assume is a different kind from previous Contests.

However, this isn't directly explained. It's never mentioned that there are different types of Contests, we only assume this due to the information we have.

"Contest Live" is the Japanese name of Contest Spectaculars in ORAS. I assume they're a concept that exists alongside regular Contests in the anime.

 

[Max1996]

Am I the only one with mixed feeling about this episode?

 

[MimeyTheKeeper]

Beautifully done.

Themes, visuals, pacing, humour, subtlety, details, music.

Last time, I was little disappointed, how Journeys did not quite deliver convincingly visualising and selling Ash's first win against Elite Four. Maybe math behind moves and stats was workable, but visuals did not quite align wit the result.

Here, everything works - nostalgia, humour, emotions - it was quite watchable even without subtitles and now knowing +/- what was said, it even enhances the story.

And last 30 seconds Ash and Serena meeting are pure masterpiece. The setup, how the episode is not about those two in the foreground, but definitely is in the background, in the overarching theme despite them not facing each other. The quick glimpse of Ash (as would his dub Sarah said) always huffing and running and Serena being astonished to see him passing unknowingly in split of second (no wonder making cover of many YouTube videos depicting this moment), the ship sailing away and them needing to shout at least the most important stuff and Serena watching (what is implied by visuals) for long time before the ship disappears over the horizon and into to sunset with nice music. (Amourshipping up to the limit)

Well, it is hard to get any better than that. Even the best visual pieces (movies, TV shows, music clips) do not master to cram so much emotion, symbolism and story-telling into such short piece. I am usually quite annoying with seeing flaws and room for improvement everywhere where I look, but sincerely, I do not know how this could have been handled better.

 

[Konja7]

And what's more, last time, it was Serena being pulled away from Ash, but now, it's the other way around.

"Contest Live" is the Japanese name of Contest Spectaculars in ORAS. I assume they're a concept that exists alongside regular Contests in the anime.

My point is that there is no direct mention of a difference between Contest and Contest Live in the Episode.

People have to extrapolate that Contest Live is a different type of Contest with the little information that is given.

 

[FelipePR]

I watched this episode last night. And, I must say, it was excellent, an episode that managed to tie all expectations very well. The episode is, at the same time, funny, entertaining, charming, constructive, nostalgic and, perhaps, even romantic. All the characters, like a jigsaw puzzle, were majestically well fitted into the script. But, without a doubt, Wallace and Serena were the scene-stealers.

The first, while just a roadblock to Ash and Serena's reunion, acted in such an elegant, majestic and fun way that, for that alone, and Goh's exasperation, the delay was worth it. For her part, Serena looks amazing, extremely confident, assertive and fulfilling her aspirations. Her interaction with Koharu was so smooth, natural and meaningful to the latter that you can't help but be proud of the character.

And, finally, her interaction with Ash, despite being tiny and under a tone of reunion and, at the same time, farewell, was quite poetic and noteworthy.

The very tone of the character's voice, when Serena notices Ash's presence and calls out to him, has a I don't know what else, like a contained feeling. Then, the sparkle in the eyes of the characters, who, while the ship is sailing away, renew the statements of their life's purposes, and the fading lights of day creates an aweispiring contrast. I don't believe Amourshipping fans could be happier, what we witnessed was, truly, a bewitching scene.

OBS: I just feel a little sorry for Lisia, who was totally overshadowed by Serena, but who knows she doesn't have the opportunity to reappear later in an episode with a bigger focus on her.

OBS 2: I don't know if you noticed those green lights on the pier as the boat pulled away. I've heard interesting theories about them. The first is that the lights on the pier are a clear reference to the Great Gatsby Green Light, that is, the unachievable love between the fictional characters from the novel or maybe just Gatsby hopes of achieving this dream and desire. On the other hand, it may just be a reference to the rare Green Flash, a photic phenomenon that can occur at sunset and sunrise which is usually associated with hope, as Jules Verne famously describes: "a green which no artist could ever obtain on his palette, a green of which neither the varied tints of vegetation nor the shades of the most limpid sea could ever produce the like! If there is a green in Paradise, it cannot be but of this shade, which most surely is the true green of Hope."

 

[Shadao]

I watched this episode last night. And, I must say, it was excellent, an episode that managed to tie all expectations very well. The episode is, at the same time, funny, entertaining, charming, constructive, nostalgic and, perhaps, even romantic. All the characters, like a jigsaw puzzle, were majestically well fitted into the script. But without a doubt, Wallace and Serena were the scene-stealers.

The first, while just a roadblock to Ash and Serena's reunion, acted in such an elegant, majestic and fun way that, for that alone, and Goh's exasperation, the delay was worth it. For her part, Serena looks amazing, extremely confident and assertive. Her interaction with Koharu was so smooth, natural, and meaningful to the latter, that you can't help but be proud of the character.

And finally, her interaction with Ash, despite being tiny and under a tone of reunion and, at the same time, farewell, was quite poetic and noteworthy.

The very tone of the character's voice, when Serena notices Ash's presence and calls out to him, has a I don't know what else, like a contained feeling. Then, the sparkle in the eyes of the characters who, while the ship is sailing away, renew the statements of their life's purposes, and the fading lights of day creates an aweispiring contrast. I don't believe Amourshipping fans could be happier, what we witnessed was, truly, a bewitching scene.

OBS: I just feel a little sorry for Lisia, who was totally overshadowed by Serena, but who knows she doesn't have the opportunity to reappear later in an episode with a bigger focus on her.

OBS 2: I don't know if you noticed those green lights on the pier as the boat pulled away. I've heard interesting theories about them. The first is that the light on the pier is a clear reference to the Great Gatsby Green Light, that is, the unachievable love between the fictional characters. On the other hand, it may just be a reference to the rare Luz Verde, a photic phenomenon that can occur at sunset and sunrise which is usually associated with hope, as Jules Verne famously describes: "a green which no artist could ever obtain on his palette, a green of which neither the varied tints of vegetation nor the shades of the most limpid sea could ever produce the like! true green of Hope."

I think it's the later considering that the Great Gatsby ends in tragedy and the whole novel is a deconstruction of the American Myth of the Self-Made Man. That's putting it lightly. Pokémon is a more optimistic take on the world.

 

[Islander Princess]

I enjoyed this episode! From the start of Journeys, I was really hopeful that Ash's old female companions would be brought in to help Chloe figure out what she wants to do, and they were able to accomplish that with Dawn and now Serena (although it's a bit disappointing since both compete in Contests and it seemed pretty clear at the end of this episode that Contests aren't something Chloe is super interested in). I really enjoyed getting to see Chloe and Serena interact. I thought they meshed really well together, and it was sweet to see Serena in the mentor role this time around.

Honestly, I really liked that the episode wasn't dominated by Ash and Serena reuniting. This was such a nice way to see how Serena has grown since her first episode, and it really helped her to stand out on her own. So many people just view Serena as shipping fodder for Ash, which is really disappointing since she does have an interesting character arc all her own. The fact that this episode predominantly focused on her guiding Chloe was awesome and really endearing.

With that being said, the reason Ash and Goh wound up missing the Contest was...kind of weird. It was funny, but it was just odd, idk. I guess I just never saw Wallace acting like that? It was also a little weird Ash didn't remember him at all, considering how much time was dedicated to the Wallace Cup back in DP. Also, I felt bad for Goh. He's a good friend, but if he had ditched Ash to go to the Contest, I would've been all for it, lol.

Also, what did they do to Contests?? They kept calling them "Contests Live" but gave no insight as to what that actually is. What are the different "levels"? Why did Serena get to use 3 Pokémon but no one else did? I see people keep referencing the games, but I really don't participate in Contests in the games so even if any of this is explained by the games, it flew over my head. All I know is, as someone with limited Contest game knowledge, I did not like the way it was represented in this episode. Contests used to be so intricate and interesting...this was boring and basically Showcase Lite (which is impressive considering Showcases were bare bones and boring enough as is...) I wanted to see Serena compete in a full blown Contest, and I thought maybe that's where the Wallace Cup would come in, but based on this episode, I don't think that's happening. Really, really disappointing.

Overall a pretty good episode! Definitely some shortcomings but honestly Journeys doesn't really churn out many perfect or even near perfect episodes so I'll take it.

 

[jjliang]

Do you think it's highly likely that when this episode gets dubbed, Serena's Delphox will probably sound just like either Aria's Delphox or her appearance inside Pikachu's nightmare in XY098 (only that she now only just says her name instead of actually talking)? While the first Delphox seen in the anime (owned by an elderly redneck couple) sounded more like a stereotypical hag due to its witch-themed appearance, there is only one instance of a Delphox seen in the anime that's implied to be a male due to its voice: that's right: Merilyn's (the evil Delphox lady) Delphox from M17 (the Diancie movie).

 

[FelipePR]

I think it's the later considering that the Great Gatsby ends in tragedy and the whole novel is a deconstruction of the American Myth of the Self-Made Man. That's putting it lightly. Pokémon is a more optimistic take on the world.

- You must be correct. But from what I understand, considering that I haven't read the book, the Green Light, before representing Gatsby's dream of being reunited with Daisy, the woman he loves, and constituting a new life with her, represents simply his hope of the realization of that dream.

Also, what did they do to Contests?? They kept calling them "Contests Live" but gave no insight as to what that actually is. What are the different "levels"? Why did Serena get to use 3 Pokémon but no one else did? I see people keep referencing the games, but I really don't participate in Contests in the games so even if any of this is explained by the games, it flew over my head. All I know is, as someone with limited Contest game knowledge, I did not like the way it was represented in this episode. Contests used to be so intricate and interesting...this was boring and basically Showcase Lite (which is impressive considering Showcases were bare bones and boring enough as is...) I wanted to see Serena compete in a full blown Contest, and I thought maybe that's where the Wallace Cup would come in, but based on this episode, I don't think that's happening. Really, really disappointing.

- I don't know either, I've never participated in Contests in the games, other than the bare minimum in Pokémon Sapphire and Platinum, and that's been over a decade. I understand why people are criticizing the representation of the contests in this episode, but we must bear in mind that this was a very packed episode, so the contest itself didn't get the focus it deserved. In fact, we've only seen the performances by Koharu, Serena and Lisia, who appeared too simple or rushed to fit the script. Previously, when there were performances and contests, pretty much the entire episode revolved around that, this wasn't the case here.

-But, If koharu gets into this field, I believe we'll have a better explanation and representation of the show, which, I imagine, will not follow the old model of the third and fourth generation Contests, but, apparently, something more in line with the performances or with the last games.

- I just hope all contestants don't just wear idol clothes. lol

 

[PaperSplash]

Do you think it's highly likely that when this episode gets dubbed, Serena's Delphox will probably sound just like either Aria's Delphox or her appearance inside Pikachu's nightmare in XY098 (only that she now only just says her name instead of actually talking)? While the first Delphox seen in the anime (owned by an elderly redneck couple) sounded more like a stereotypical hag due to its witch-themed appearance, there is only one instance of a Delphox seen in the anime that's implied to be a male due to its voice: that's right: Merilyn's (the evil Delphox lady) Delphox from M17 (the Diancie movie).

It probably won't sound just like any of them. Eileen Stevens (the original English voice actress of Delphox and its pre-evolutions) left the series during the last third of SM, only returning once since then to voice Iris in JN065. As a result, Fennekin is now voiced in the dub by Alyson Leigh Rosenfeld (best known for voicing Bonnie) as of JN046, and I'm guessing its evolutions will follow suit.

 

[FinnishPokéFan92]

They kept calling them "Contests Live" but gave no insight as to what that actually is.

It's what Pokémon Contest Spectaculars are called in Japanese. It's the name used of Contests in ORAS. I could see it as a variation of regular Contests in the anime.

What are the different "levels"?

Ranks are a Contest thing from the games. There are four ranks: Normal, Great, Ultra, and Master. Once you've won a Contest in a rank, you can advance to the next and harder one.

Why did Serena get to use 3 Pokémon but no one else did?

My guess is it was just a question of choice. No one else simply decided to use more than one.

 

[Kurolegacy]

- I don't know either, I've never participated in Contests in the games, other than the bare minimum in Pokémon Sapphire and Platinum, and that's been over a decade. I understand why people are criticizing the representation of the contests in this episode, but we must bear in mind that this was a very packed episode, so the contest itself didn't get the focus it deserved. In fact, we've only seen the performances by Koharu, Serena and Lisia, who appeared too simple or rushed to fit the script. Previously, when there were performances and contests, pretty much the entire episode revolved around that, this wasn't the case here. But, If koharu gets into this field, I believe we'll have a better explanation and representation of the show, which, I imagine, will not follow the old model of the third and fourth generation Contests, but, apparently, something more in line with the performances or with the last games.

- I just hope all contestants don't just wear idol clothes. lol

If Koharu does choose to take that path I can’t imagine that we’ll get any real explanation on how they work since that would probably be how they end up writing her out of the series at the end of Journeys with her setting off on her own journey. With how late into things we are now, I can’t imagine them doing a Contest arc for her even with how oddly focused the series has been since hitting episode 100.

 

[ChocolatePenguin]

Anybody know the music that was playing when Serena was saying bye to Ash, Goh, and Chloe?

 

[PaperSplash]

Anybody know the music that was playing when Serena was saying bye to Ash, Goh, and Chloe?

"Friends Forever" from XY (the specific arrangement is for the anime and has yet to be officially released).

 

[ChocolatePenguin]

Ah, I thought it sounded familiar.

 

[Eitarou]

I am incredibly glad Chloe didn't choose to be a Coordinator (though this could change...). Having her do Contests never sat right with me to begin with. Having her do it by sort of replacing them with the more watered-down Spectaculars would be even worse.

 

[jbmasta]

Ash spending the contest doing something battle related outside is definitely AG feels, Go trying and failing to get through to him that Chloe was on stage. In fact, Ash and Go felt like what can generously be called a B-plot, only present in any meaningful way to fill time and for the brief reunion between Ash and Serena right at the end. If Go's Altaria makes an appearance outside of a panning group shot I'll be surprised.

 

[Handy Man]

As someone who watched every episode of XY, this episode was fantastic. They really did Serena’s character justice in this episode, easily the best example of how to write a returning character in Journeys. Other characters like Dawn and Clemont felt kinda static, while Iris felt kind of hard to believe with how much progress she made. This episode basically summed up Serena’s entire characterization and character arc in XY, and I feel like the impact of her return is lost on newer viewers if you didn’t watch most of XY.

I also kept crying for a while at the end where Serena sees Ash for the last minute. I almost never cry at anything, I never cried somehow at episodes where Pokémom got released or last episodes in a series, but how much I missed XY really got to me. The way she said “Satoshi” felt like she was both surprised and had a rush of nostalgia from the XY days. As others have mentioned before, details like the glints in their eyes, how Serena watches the boat for a while, and the meaning behind the green lights makes this one of the strongest moments in all of Journeys, if not the whole anime. This is definitely an episode I won’t forget anytime soon.

One more thing I want to mention that I haven’t really seen anyone bring up is the fact that Serena shows no signs of jealousy when Ash is seen joining Chloe on the boat. Serena used to be very insecure about the idea of Ash being next to another girl in XY. We mostly saw that with Miette, but the very first example of that was in XY013, which coincidently had the debut of Slyveon and Fairy-types in the anime. The fact that not only did Serena not get flustered when she saw Ash again, but she also didn’t get insecure about Chloe when she found out Chloe knew about Ash behind her back, shows that she really has matured more than most other characters that have made reappearances. I also think Serena realizes that Ash and Chloe are just friends and nothing more, as she is still calm enough to catch up with Ash without feeling like she’s being judged.

I always felt like Serena’s character development throughout XY, along with Ash-Greninja, were the best parts of that series. This episode not only reaffirmed that, it added even more than I ever imagined. With the one-two punch of the Clemont and Bonnie episodes last week, combined with this episode, it makes me want to watch the entire XY series all over again. I probably will this summer once I get the time. I even went back and watched some older XY episode clips, and I started to tear up at those as well. My previous favortie episode of Journeys was JN007, because it was a perfect demonstration of Ash’s passion for battling for newer viewers, plus the fact that it’s one of the only Journeys episodes that did Mimey justice. (Where the heck is Mimey in the last dozens of episodes?!) However, with how much this episode pushed the development of a returning main character, how Serena helped Chloe with character development, and even how funny the Wallace scenes were, this became my new favorite episode of Pokémon Journeys.

Lastly, I hope all of these old characters that are appearing throughout Journeys will meet each other at the end of the series. I would love nothing more than an episode at Pallet Town where all of Ash’s friends come by after Ash’s match with Leon for a party, and the episode is just the characters interacting, telling each other their stories and what Ash means to them. That would become my favorite episode in the entire anime if that happens, but maybe that’s too much of a pipe dream. Regardless, I know that this is not the last of Serena in Journeys. I can’t wait to see her again later in the year, whenever that happens.