Review JN117: VS Shirona! Iris's Road to Dragon Master!!

[PTOldMan]

What's the name of the BGM that opens the episode? While the narrator is talking.

 

[Sai]

The actual battles have only a couple criteria to be considered "good":

• Animation isn't complete jank (think Ash vs Crasher Wake)
• Pokémon don't "job" (this episode's only near universal critique is with Dragonite's KO)

Beyond those few things, the majority of the fandom eats up anything put in front of them.

This is kind of simplifying things, since the Drasna battle is panned by most people for Ash's pokemon taking too many hits and coming back with almost one-hit KO's. Not counting Alan's match which was screwed over for being in half an ep:

- Iris Excadrill bounced off Gastrodon's sponge like body multiple times showing she realized she was being back into a corner. Cynthia used stat boosting water moves and hit it with 2 Muddy Waters. Realizing she had no other choice, she tested her luck with Horn Drill. Milotic finished it off afterward...which after it took like 3+ water attacks, is understandable.

- Dragonite/Milotic did suffer from being too short, but I like the way Milotic KO'd it. Instead of a generic ice beam finisher, we see it affected by fairy, wrapped, and then smashed in the head. Milotic had also taking 2-3 Thunderpunches prior, so Haxorus finishing it off in one move was fine. (had Cynthia used recover I would have objected, but that didn't happen)

- Haxorus/Garchomp was a nice back and forth, countering their attacks, Iris got some hits in, actually deflected Draco Meteor the first time learning from her battle with Ash, Haxorus cured itself of its Outrage confusion by slamming his head, etc.

The only real qualms are the usual animation issues that has plagued a lot of battles this series, but at this point I've gotten used to it for all non-Iwane animated battles. If you look at the last battle he animated which was the Paul battle and everything moved fine, it's what I would like every battle to be.

 

[puddleths]

This is kind of simplifying things

That was the idea.

Your points are fair, but I'd argue they oversell this battle. The Pokémon besides Haxorus and Garchomp felt very much like afterthoughts, and even the main match-up was plagued by recycled animation and a whole lot of not actual battling. In the end, I don't think it's saying much that Haxorus vs Garchomp is the best we've gotten thus far in the Masters 8.

The only real qualms are the usual animation issues that has plagued a lot of battles this series, but at this point I've gotten used to it for all non-Iwane animated battles.

There is animation talent on the staff besides Iwane. I just don't know where they've been besides the current opening. I'd imagine they'll be on Ash vs Leon, but it's a shame we haven't gotten episodes from animators like Aito Ohashi (Ash vs Sawyer) and Satoshi Nakono (Ash vs Kukui part 4).

 

[Imtnt]

But it is not like we expected a thrilling best animated episodes full of matchups not related to the protagonist. Have we got battles like this stretched before? After 115/116 eps it is clearly better written/animated even if it is still loyal to the game.

Plus, It was actually a showdown and not a mega evolved pokemon who apears only with a single fairy type move to end things up, with Minimum action / screentime.

On the other hand, I would not say 117 ep was epic, maybe for the fans of the specific trainers.. In my opinion it was just good enough as a whole for some matchup not related to Ash, and now is the time to move on to the 'real episode' (118)..

 

[Giri]

Ononox snapping out of confusion by bashing its own head :O

 

[Teek]

Very sad seeing Iris cry. And Ash just stood there watching! He should have hugged her, or atleast put his hand on her shoulder and consoled her...

 

[FinnishPokéFan92]

Very sad seeing Iris cry. And Ash just stood there watching! He should have hugged her, or atleast put his hand on her shoulder and consoled her...

Japanese culture views hugs as a more intimate thing than the western cultures do, IIRC.