Review JN138: Satoshi VS Kasumi! Seaside One-on-One!!

[Die-Hard Dragon Devotee]

I'm glad she won against Ash here. I already commented on the expectation in another thread, but, for me, it just made sense she would win against Ash's Corphish. Ash hasn't trained it in Arceus knows how long while Politoed has enjoyed being the Cerulean Gym ace as of late (to my surprise; I surely thought it was Misty's (Mega) Gyarados!). I also liked another opinion I read as I was catching up through the thread that the victory marks growth for Misty/Ash's friends, which is such a good point. One of the major criticisms behind Dawn's return was how she felt stagnant, mainly with her party - no new Pokémon, no new forms, or even new moves (barring Mamoswine's slightly updated moveset in Unova). Meanwhile, Misty has managed to circumvent all of those facets during her returns in Sun & Moon and Journeys- I love it because there is a sense of progress with her. She isn't sitting at her Gym twiddling her thumbs; she's actually getting more formidable (but not as much as Ash, obviously) and that makes her returns all the more exciting. To see what new heights she and her team reach. I know we won't see much of Clauncher down the road, but at least Misty has one and that's stirring to me.

Except for the fact that her Azurill hasn't evolved after all this time for some reason.

 

[DuskAstral]

Except for the fact that her Azurill hasn't evolved after all this time for some reason.

There is no obligation to evolve a Pokemon.
Some of them don't even want to evolve (like Satoshi's Pikachu).
It's the same with Azuril.

 

[Alola]

Except for the fact that her Azurill hasn't evolved after all this time for some reason.

Which doesn't negate any of the growth and progress she's had as I mentioned. And yes, you could say the same thing for several of Ash's Pokémon as well. Totodile, Rowlet, Corphish, etc. all haven't evolved yet after all this time for some reason.

 

[Die-Hard Dragon Devotee]

Which doesn't negate any of the growth and progress she's had as I mentioned. And yes, you could say the same thing for several of Ash's Pokémon as well. Totodile, Rowlet, Corphish, etc. all haven't evolved yet after all this time for some reason.

No no, I'm not saying it does negate any of her growth and progress. Don't misunderstand, I'm just nitpicking. I just figured if anything on Misty's team was going to evolve, it would have been Azurill, since it literally evolves into a Water type Pokemon and all. (Y'know, the type Misty's oh-so crazy about, and has been since forever.) It just seems weird and rather pointless to me that's its still an Azurill after all these years, especially when Misty already expressed interest in obtaining a Marill in the past to boot. But ya wanna know my guess? The writers probably forgot Azurill even existed at all. Maybe they kept it as is as a sort of Togepi parallel? Like, I know that's what Azurill was originally inteded as, but maybe they just wanted to keep that going?

And oh, don't worry. I think the aforementioned Pokemon of Ash's you pointed out not having evolved yet after all this time (and in poor Totodile's case, not a new move, development, or anything as of late. At least Corphish got the latter two in this episode) to be equally ridiculous.

 

[DuskAstral]

Which doesn't negate any of the growth and progress she's had as I mentioned. And yes, you could say the same thing for several of Ash's Pokémon as well. Totodile, Rowlet, Corphish, etc. all haven't evolved yet after all this time for some reason.

Rowlet has everstone, so how would it evolve?

 

[Die-Hard Dragon Devotee]

Rowlet has everstone, so how would it evolve?

If someone would do the great service of chucking that wretched stone into the stratosphere where it belongs as the stupid plot device/merch seller that it is. (Of course, the writers may not even remember that it still has the everstone at all.)

 

[marshiyanmisuta]

One of the major criticisms behind Dawn's return was how she felt stagnant, mainly with her party - no new Pokémon, no new forms, or even new moves (barring Mamoswine's slightly updated moveset in Unova).

She traveled and joined contests in many regions.

 

[FelipePR]

I've been having a hard time trying to write a review for this episode, that's because this chapter was so special and unique that I can't find adequate words to express it.

On the other hand, I congratulate our colleagues for having shared with us their thoughts and feelings, with which I agree and identify with, in a much more sublime way than I could express. Reading your comments was almost as great as watching the episode itself. So, thank you.

Beyond the above, I am only able to reproduce what has already been said.

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The interaction between Ash and Misty was priceless and sent me back to the best moments of the OG series. Like in the old days, they poke and tease each other, but it's not real quarreling, it's like fun banter between two good friends.

Their passionate dispute over a Pokémon reminds me of - Who Gets to Keep Togepi? -, in which they, and Team Rocket, compete over the Pokémon. But, in the current case, the story is reversed, that is, it is Misty who, supposedly, finds the Pokémon first, but it ends up later becoming attached to Ash's Corpish. The result of the battle and the criterion that the Pokémon uses to choose its trainer are also inverted.

And speaking of Clauncher, it's amazing that, in just a few minutes, the producers managed to create a great character, with an interesting personality, that sustained, along with Ash's Corphish who were equally memorable, most of the episode's plot.

I would also like to congratulate the producers on the good use of Team Rocket in this episode as well. For once, instead of being an unnecessary hindrance, they, this time, contributed positively to the plot, by consolidating the natural bond that was forming between Ash's Corpish and the then wild Clauncher.

I also praise the decision of them to offer us, from the first minute of the episode, the presence of all of Ash's Pokémon. Even though some of them weren't the focus of the episode, that simple fact gave them some screen time and presented us with pleasant little interactions.

Finally, we had several well-endowed and sprinkled doses of nostalgia. Just to name a few: Pikachu "fishing" with its tail, The special Misty and Cilan lures, Team Rocket's ever-classic Magikarp submarine and Misty, in order to follow the protagonist, trying to sneak through the forest trees,.

Speaking of that final scene, I didn't expect that Misty and Ash would, once again, go down the road together. But, symbolically, the best way to register the continuity of a journey is to give it a cyclical aspect, that is, to refer its end to its beginning, confusing them one into the other.

The closure of the JN-138 episode is this, the true beginning of the conclusion of Pallet boy's eternal journey that, forever and ever, until his last step, will live in our hearts.


OBS: ii kanji , you were right. After this episode, the previous one seems extremely unnecessary. But who knows, maybe Latias will still be able to present us. For now, loking forward to, this Friday, witness, for the first and last time, the reunion of the original trio.