Review JN135: Pokémon! I'm Glad I Got to Meet You!

[FinnishPokéFan92]

Go: I want to go alone
Ash: So do I
Go: I HATE YOU

Go, I get that your character has literally flatlined through the entirety of PM19, but come on

Goh isn't the greatest when it comes to social skills, that's been well established. He was struggling to admit his decision to Ash, so Ash saying the same thing with no effort at all felt wrong to him. He didn't even manage to say it before Ash did.

 

[Kurolegacy]

So, it's ok for Goh to decide to go on his own journey to become stronger to face Mew in the future without 'consulting' with Ash, but it's the worst thing in the world for Ash to decide to go on another journey with Pikachu without 'consulting' Goh?

Get the heck outta here with that Tauros crap...

Also, are Chloe and Goh not friends at all? Didn't Chloe tell Ash "You're Goh's first real friend..." or something like that?

Well least the writers are being honest about how much deeper of a friendship Go had with Ash compared to Koharu. While the 2 are childhood friends, that always felt more like an informed attribute than her being his oldest friend. But I guess that’s what happens when you exclude a character from the majority of the series, you never quite build a true dynamic.

 

[InfinityHelios]

The strangest thing is that Ash isn't even Goh's 1st friend. I don't know if he became friends with Chloe before or after, but regardless remember Horace? Yeah, Goh had 2 friends before he ever even laid eyes on Ash.

 

[Squad_Broke_Down]

Go: I want to go alone
Ash: So do I
Go: I HATE YOU

You were my brother, Goh!

In all seriousness this episode had some parts I liked. However, there were a bunch of odd points.
I liked how there were a bunch of flashbacks featuring a bunch of Pokemon, and I also like how Ash and Goh's journey together comes full circle (it started with an encounter with Lugia and ends with a Lugia encounter)
Now about that scene, I think it perfectly shows that Goh was inept with his social skills, and how badly he took Ash's sudden and lax attitude to the proclamation, although how suddenly his emotions undergo a full 180 at the Lugia tree still strikes me the wrong way. Also, I think his sudden outburst was a bit too odd (idk why, but I feel that Goh's outburst should have taken a bit more time to fester, and perhaps during the montage with Ash and Chloe you can have Goh appear slightly less enthusiastic than previously)
I also like how Chloe helps Goh while struggling with his beliefs. The flashback Goh gets was also ok.
The episode parts involving setting up and travelling to the camp were kinda boring, well at least they didn't take long
Overall the episode was decent, I guess. The cliffhanger ending is a bit suspenseful though. Also please make Ash and Goh separate in the end, it's a good lesson and also could serve to drive their stories further in ways that I feel benefit their characters
6/10

 

[VetProf]

The strangest thing is that Ash isn't even Goh's 1st friend. I don't know if he became friends with Chloe before or after, but regardless remember Horace? Yeah, Goh had 2 friends before he ever even laid eyes on Ash.

Yeah, he's technically made 2 friends before he met Ash, but I think neither of them were as close to Goh as Ash was, especially in the context of this series.

Before Chloe started regularly hanging out with the boys (using the term "regularly" very liberally here...), she wasn't shown to be close with Goh and was often annoyed/dismissive of Goh's obsession with Pokemon. Considering that he often skipped school to do his own stuff, both of them probably had very few opportunities to interact with each other too.

And although Goh and Horace did actually share similar interests, they hung out with each other for an entire day before Horace left for two whole years. Even after they've reunited in Journeys, they've only met up for Project Mew stuff, and Goh had no trouble saying goodbye to Horace at the end of the last mission.

Chloe may not have said it explicitly, but I think it's clear that she meant that Ash was Goh's first actual, close friend. Which I don't think needs explaining, given how much they've hanged out with each other in Journeys.

 

[BigDocFan]

Just heard confirmation that Ash and Goh will be travelling along so Goh won't be visiting Paldea with Ash next series, call me cold hearted but I am relieved

 

[Rockapheller]

Just heard confirmation that Ash and Goh will be travelling along so Goh won't be visiting Paldea with Ash next series, call me cold hearted but I am relieved

What is the source for that?

 

[BigDocFan]

What is the source for that?

I know the subs aren't reliable but that is where I am told it was confirmed

 

[FinnishPokéFan92]

What is the source for that?

Technically, the subs said that Ash and Goh are both going their separate ways alone.

 

[Rockapheller]

I know the subs aren't reliable but that is where I am told it was confirmed

It has not been concluded just yet whether they will be traveling together or separately. For all we know, both Ash and Goh have decided to go on a journey, but nothing specific is known - they have no destination mentioned, no specific goal or whatsoever. Because Lugia interrupted their conversation, the conclusion has been left to the next episode. So far it seems to me that both options are quite likely - they decide to travel together or just part ways. Subs confirm neither, unfortunately.

Correct me if I'm missing something though.

 

[InfinityHelios]

Just heard confirmation that Ash and Goh will be travelling along so Goh won't be visiting Paldea with Ash next series, call me cold hearted but I am relieved

If that makes you cold hearted than I guess I am too. Good riddance.

 

[BigDocFan]

Guess we'll find out next week for sure if Goh remains or travels alone

 

[Die-Hard Dragon Devotee]

Just heard confirmation that Ash and Goh will be travelling along so Goh won't be visiting Paldea with Ash next series, call me cold hearted but I am relieved

You're not cold hearted at all, I too am relieved if that information is true.

If that makes you cold hearted than I guess I am too. Good riddance.

Agreed. Good riddance to him and this utter mess of a series.

 

[BigDocFan]

Don't get me wrong, the idea had potential but was wasted I feel, if he'd battled more, maybe take on all the regions and their gyms than it might have worked out better

 

[LuxrayOfTheWild]

Having Ash just invite him along would be a pretty bad move honestly. It would undo all the importance of the lesson Goh is learning right now. It makes no sense, especially now, for Goh to just continue traveling with Ash. I'm not even just saying this cause I genuinely don't want him to continue onto whatever is next. It just makes no sense with the context of what's going on. Its Goh learning an important life lesson that Ash has had to learn himself.

 

[Gabo2oo]

It couldn't be more obvious that Goh was mad because he was struggling to actually make the decision alone, while Ash couldn't care less.

This is super in-character for both of them, and both views were foreshadowed by Goh's earlier talk with Koharu ("I'd be betraying our friendship!") and Delia's passing comment on how Ash always keeps moving on without giving it much thought (a recurring theme in these series "finale" episodes mind you).

I don't think Goh has been a well-written character either, but I think the fans' insistence on misrepresenting his words and actions gets ridculous.

 

[Alola]

I think people are really mischaracterizing Ash's response as uncaring or with an unbothered tone. I watched the scene in question and Ash's tone when expressing his desire to travel on another journey was normal, with a smile on his face - how he has spoken to Go over a variety of topics throughout the saga. If we want to get technical, the intonation Rica used when she said "Go's" name indicated interest, as in "<player character>, I need you to listen to what I'm about to say." Which Ash usually reserves for more serious conversations.

I feel like the frustration with Go, which is deserved imo, was in his blatant overreaction to Ash's single sentence. He didn't even give Ash time to finish speaking before questioning their entire relationship, desiring to end said relationship, and running off. The whole thing was frustrating to watch, for this point of the saga. And yes, hypocritical.

I'm not saying Go cannot be upset; I actually relate to him on that, regarding feeling more invested in a friendship than the other person and having an idea on how certain aspects of said friendship should be carried out; perceptions can be dangerous. It kind of was like looking at a younger me, in a way. It's one of the reasons why I actually like him (though I do not agree with the way he has been handled). However, what he should have done was remain at the campsite and discuss his feelings openly with Ash instead. The fact that we are at the tail end of Journeys and Go is still having glaring insecurities regarding relationships with arguably his best friend is disappointing character development-wise; in early (which he did, iirc, consider not being friends with Ash anymore) and mid Journeys sure, but the more respectable route imo would have been for the above-mentioned scenario to occur (then cue Butterfree wings and Lugia's arrival). That would still respect Go's character and socially-awkward upbringing, but acknowledge the growth and experiences he has spent the last three years being animated having.

 

[WatcherMark]

Watched with subs. First of all, again, not a single f**k could be given about Satoshi's accomplishments by the residents of Masara Town. No big homecoming, no celebrations, not one person was seen coming to greet him apart from his mother (even Kenji was off visiting Hanada Gym again it seems). While the people of Alola chant his name and Galar recognises him as the strongest trainer in the world, ask anyone in Masara Town about Satoshi and they'll just go "oh him, isn't he that research fellow of Professor Sakuragi?". It shouldn't infuriate me this much, but it does.

I did like Satoshi reuniting with his all his Pokemon, and the show taking the time to inform us that we won't be seeing his reserves for a long time after this if ever. Shame the Journeys crew will be getting put out to pasture soon too. I can't help but wonder if Satoshi was even going to go home before he set off for the institute, considering that he was intended on setting off on his next journey straight from there.

A lot of people are upset at Go's reaction to Satoshi telling him he wants to go on a journey again, but I think it's kinda understandable; Go has invested a lot in this friendship (his first real one) to the point where he was afraid to tell Satoshi he was leaving only for Satoshi to casually drop his news extremely casually. Go seems to be sensing that he cares about their friendship than Satoshi does since he didn't have any issue with telling him or worrying about his reaction. My only real issue with it is that Journeys has minimalised international travel so much that the two could easily pop over to visit each other in the time it takes to run a scene transition.

 

[Eitarou]

My main problem with Goh is how he uses his non-Starter 'mons less as the series. So of course the way to fix this is just ditch 'em altogether? Why?! When Ash does it, he has a specific reason, so why does Goh need to do the same?

 

[InfinityHelios]

Speaking of Goh's starters, I swear when Goh was talking about how much of a partner his Cinderace is I was like "You two are partners? We see much more of Grookey than Cinderace!" Hell, during the last 2 Project Mew episodes how much of Cinderace did we even see? I swear, the only time I remember Cinderace appearing was to battle Mew.