Review PG03: The Challenger

[ii kanji]

Like the concept, hate the execution. As has already been said, we really didn't need to see that boring battle montage. A Blue focus episode (or even a Kanto E4 focus episode) that wasn't this would have been so much better!

I quite liked the creepy E4 animation but otherwise it looked bog-standard, the battle rooms looked dull as ditchwater and I can't tell you which I found worse out of OTT Agatha and emotionless Bruno's voices.

 

[Rockapheller]

the battle rooms looked dull as ditchwater

Sadly it's not because of Pokémon Generations, but of being old games. Just like Pokémon Origins, Kanto based designs are based on FR/LG and the battle rooms were pretty simple back then. If they ever introduce, I can't wait to see Unova battle rooms, however. Flying books all around geez! Also Kalos League's rooms have a big advantage being flashy.

 

[Esserise]

@Esserise; Define need. Why would they need an opening montage to make non canon? Also was anything really wrong with my alternatives or just giving Blue a Charizard for that matter? If something labeled episode 1 is really fair to randomly expect the audience to assume it's not in the same universe as what's in episode three with no foreshadowing?

Hey I'm not the one who makes the decisions here. These are questions for the producers.

At least then they could fit 30 seconds at hinting why he was at Kalos (was he going to school? was he doing the Pokemon-equivalent of a European backpacking trip?)

They say in XY that he came to study abroad, so school is probably part of it.

 

[ii kanji]

Sadly it's not because of Pokémon Generations, but of being old games. Just like Pokémon Origins, Kanto based designs are based on FR/LG and the battle rooms were pretty simple back then.

My hope was that the entire concept of this (to flesh out the bare bones of the stories we all know as well as our own) would enable them to jazz up some of the plainer elements like this. I got excited by that statue/podiums at the beginning of the episode but the rooms were really bad.

IIRC (and having just checked!) even in the games the rooms had more interesting designs:

Spoiler

 

[Gengarzilla]

My hope was that the entire concept of this (to flesh out the bare bones of the stories we all know as well as our own) would enable them to jazz up some of the plainer elements like this. I got excited by that statue/podiums at the beginning of the episode but the rooms were really bad.

IIRC (and having just checked!) even in the games the rooms had more interesting designs:

Spoiler

Those were RGBY, they used FRLG. Pretty much agreed though.

 

[The Outrage]

They say in XY that he came to study abroad, so school is probably part of it.

They could have made it so that he was studying with Sycamore, which would explain why he had Kanto starters

Like the concept, hate the execution. As has already been said, we really didn't need to see that boring battle montage. A Blue focus episode (or even a Kanto E4 focus episode) that wasn't this would have been so much better!

Considering that we didn't know what happened to Agatha or really any of the events surrounding the new Elite 4, a Kanto E4 focus should have gone over those events.

Perhaps when Red decided to disappear to Mt. Silver and Lorelei decided to quit the Elite 4 to protect the Sevii Islands (implied in FrLg), both Lance and Agatha decided to train to become stronger? Bruno decided to reconstitute the Elite 4, and Karen became their leader (maybe Bruno just doesn't like being the leader and didn't fight Karen for it? Or they did fight and Karen was just stronger despite the type disadvantage). When they reformed, Lance challenged them to test his skills and we could have ended with a hint of where Agatha decided to go.

 

[Gengarzilla]

This... I guess it was ok. Seeing Blue's league challenge was pretty neat but that's basically it. I'm at least glad that we had a small exchange of words between Blue and Agatha though. That's what I was mostly awaiting. I quite enjoyed her portrayal here too, I must add.

In comparison to the seriously hot Lorelei and the steroid infused Bruno, Lance honestly felt boring to me. Just a dude wearing a cape.

 

[Arcalargo]

I wasn't as big of a fan of this episode, I am finding myself wanting just a little more here. That being said, glad to be out of Kanto and moving on into Johto hopefully. I love all of the pokémon games and want to see all of them get the chance to shine.