Preview JN122: The Semifinals I: "Overwhelming Victory"

[cricketlaxwolvesbandy]

Is Ash vs Cynthia starting in this episode?
Also taking out 2 of Leon’s Pokémon is impressive but still RIP

 

[PkmnTrainerV]

I didn’t think this arc would last from June all the way to October; that’s five months!

To be fair, much of it is because of breaks, clip (multiple) shows and them squeezing Go and Chloe’s “finale”s in between. It would be much less inflated if it happened like the leagues, back to back.

 

[nickdt]

https://twitter.com/pokeaninews/status/1561958158620192768

Leon vs Diantha
2 Pokemon Leon vs 5 Pokemon Diantha and Charizard vs Mega Gardevoir

So... Alains Zard can't put a dent into Leons, Gyarados cannot put a dent into it and Gardevoir can't.

How are we supposed to believe Ash can lol.

 

[Nicolas721]

I feel like I’m in a minority, but I just want the Masters Eight to end already. I didn’t think this arc would last from June all the way to October; that’s five months! We all know that it would just lead up to Ash vs. Leon anyway, and we also know that Ash is going to do some BS Deux Ex Machina with Mega Lucario to beat Cynthia. Plus, the animation for the battles has been disappointing. It’s crazy how much better the Kalos League battles look compared to the Masters Eight battles. I’m mad that this arc alone essentially took up half of this year’s episodes, and that one month break having the nerve to include two clip shows still ticks me off. I’m hoping that Journeys has enough time to give us a satisfying wrap up before it moves on to the Scarlet and Violet series. I just want Ash’s friends to meet each other at this point, that’s all I care about.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels that way. I don't want to see 15 minutes of Dracovish vs Dragapult or Rillaboom vs Gengar, just gimme my reunions and my sad goodbyes!

 

[RK9]

So... Alains Zard can't put a dent into Leons, Gyarados cannot put a dent into it and Gardevoir can't.

How are we supposed to believe Ash can lol.

Bad writing and plot armor.

 

[Imtnt]

So... Alains Zard can't put a dent into Leons, Gyarados cannot put a dent into it and Gardevoir can't.

How are we supposed to believe Ash can lol.

At that point.. it seems Ash can win this only with reserves like Gninja, Lycanrock or Infernape in the final instead of Dracovish/ Dragonite/ Sirefetchd...

 

[Kurolegacy]

Bad writing and plot armor.

How many suicide charges do you think we’ll see before Ash even dents Leon’s Charizard?

 

[Ghost Diplocaulus]

The writers seriously wrote themselves into a corner by making Leon this ridiculously OP. Even if Ash doesn't win, he's obviously going to put a better fight against Leon than everyone else who faced him did, so there's just no way Ash vs Leon isn't going to look like the most contrived case of Protagonist Power Privileges ever. Granted, I'm hoping for at least a fun spectacle of a battle, so if we get at least that I'll still be content, but still...

 

[Daren]

Well, people complained after the matches with Lance and Raihan that Leon didn't actually seem that strong and I guess the writers were listening.

But seriously, I thought it was already very silly when they had Paul 0-3 Barry in the league but a Regional Champion getting Worfed as badly as it seems Diantha is going to drives the battle with Ash into "plot device required" territory, which (for me) kills interest in an event pretty badly.

 

[Ghost Diplocaulus]

Well, people complained after the matches with Lance and Raihan that Leon didn't actually seem that strong and I guess the writers were listening.

To be fair, if those matches hadn't been 1v1s I think it would've made establishing Leon's strength much easier. Either that or flip the script around and have Leon win his early battles easily, and then in the Masters 8 he struggles for his wins a little more. It'd even make sense, since now he'd be fighting among the best of the best, and when everyone else is close to your level you can't just steamroll through every fight as easily as before. Still, though, Mankey's Paw does it again.

 

[Lightning Flame Blast]

By this point I’m just waiting for Charizard to oneshot 5 of Ash’s pokemon and either the rat or the dog asspull a win from there (after taking a firing squad worth of hits to show how powerful they are, that is)

 

[SamurottMan]

https://twitter.com/pokeaninews/status/1561958158620192768

Leon vs Diantha
2 Pokemon Leon vs 5 Pokemon Diantha and Charizard vs Mega Gardevoir

 

[Imtnt]

Donno... it is good Ash fought ranked 2 and 3 cause else it would be imppssible to hold with Leon. But still we should ask ourselves if Cynthia and Steven on another level than Lance, Raihan and Diantha.. if we assume Leon wouldnt rush things up against 2nd and 3rd ranked trainers and Ash won there himself it might give him a position to give a tighter match.

Even so.. I think winning againat Cynthia isnt enough for how it is written.. the only way to get stronger for the final is to put some reservs like Gninja, Infernape, Lycanroc.. or even better get help from a legendary pokemon like Tapu/Oh-ho or something.. both unlikely to happen, but anything else prob wont be enough to win.

 

[Sai]

In the series we've seen Leon beat:

Lance
Raihan
Flint
Alan
Diantha

The writers made him so far above and beyond other Champions or high level opponents that when Ash gets to him it's going to feel very weird for Ash to keep up with him. The writers pretty much wrote themselves into a corner with how overpowered they made him compared to everyone else.

For example all the other champions seem close in power, that's why Diantha can beat Lance, or if Cynthia and Steven battled it could go either way, or Iris could beat Alder (off-screen). But Leon feels too far above them.

 

[Enzo]

If the leak is real and Leon actually sweeps Diantha with half of his team, I genuinely refuse to believe Ash's current team can believably take on him when half of them have done nothing but job or barely scrape by victories and getting carried by 'Chu and Lucario in this tournament.

I have said it a million times and I'll say it again: not allowing Ash to use his other, stronger reserves was one of the worst calls the JN team made in this series.

 

[Kurolegacy]

If the leak is real and Leon actually sweeps Diantha with half of his team, I genuinely refuse to believe Ash's current team can believably take on him when half of them have done nothing but job or barely scrape by victories and getting carried by 'Chu and Lucario in this tournament.

I have said it a million times and I'll say it again: not allowing Ash to use his other, stronger reserves was one of the worst calls the JN team made in this series.

Agreed. Even if they have Ash get seriously into training before his match with Leon, there’s just no believable way of Ash winning beyond plot armor. Here, Leon is absolutely decimating a regional champion’s team that she’s presumably had for years and yet we’re expected to believe that Ash’s most green team will somehow be the ones strong enough to beat not just the number 1 trainer in this tournament, not just the returning champion of this competition but someone who has never lost in their entire career as a trainer.

The only believable way Ash could win this would be by assembling his most all-star team ever but we’re denied that. And it honestly amazes me that, in a series that has been all about breaking tradition, where they’ve had outrageous things happen, somehow Ash actually using his reserves rather than them sticking to him using a single team for the whole series was somehow a bridge too far.

 

[Die-Hard Dragon Devotee]

Anyone else feeling fatigued from this long, one month break? It feels like a barren wasteland with nothing to talk about for a month. I’m hoping this episode can draw me back into the Masters Eight, because I feel like I just want Journeys to wrap up at this

You said it man. We've basically all been waiting the entire month of August for the anime to start up again. And (sorry if I sound selfish,) but my summer pretty much sucked all-around, and I didn't even really have the Pokemon anime to look forward to either. (It's kind of weird, because I basically spent the entire summer waiting around. Waiting for my new job to start, waiting around for the Pokemon anime, etc.) Hopefully Ash vs Cynthia is a memorable battle, with Ash vs Leon being (hopefully) even more grandiose. After that, please writers, just bring this utter mess of a series to and end already!

I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels that way. I don't want to see 15 minutes of Dracovish vs Dragapult or Rillaboom vs Gengar, just gimme my reunions and my sad goodbyes!

I for one just want to see the reunions, plus Ash's friends who've never met each other meet gor the first time (ex. Alola classmates meet Clemont and Bonnie.)

 

[Kurolegacy]

You said it man. We've basically all been waiting the entire month of August for the anime to start up again. And (sorry if I sound selfish,) but my summer pretty much sucked all-around, and I didn't even really have the Pokemon anime to look forward to either. (It's kind of weird, because I basically spent the entire summer waiting around. Waiting for my new job to start, waiting around for the Pokemon anime, etc.) Hopefully Ash vs Cynthia is a memorable battle, with Ash vs Leon being (hopefully) even more grandiose. After that, please writers, just bring this utter mess of a series to and end already!

And just think, all the Pokémon fans in Japan basically went their Summer vacation without much Pokémon content.

 

[cricketlaxwolvesbandy]

I just want Ash and Serena to see each other again and actually have a longer conversation this time

 

[Die-Hard Dragon Devotee]

I came across this on Twitter, it's an image from this I episode I believe. And what a nice little scene it is too with Ash and his team. (Barring Dragonite, poor thing. I guess it must be in the foreground.) See Journeys? This is what we wanted earlier in the series! Where the hell were scenes like this then, huh?!