Review S16 E19: The Fires of a Red-Hot Reunion!

[Pokémon Master Ash]

Yeah it did sound like that to me as well.

Awesome! That made me laugh so hard hearing such a random voice back in OS for him in the dub.

 

[Darth Darkrai]

I do not know completely but it did sound like it was some kind of accent.

 

[Pokémon Master Ash]

I do not know completely but it did sound like it was some kind of accent.

Ah, well, that's pretty cool. Glad they tried to keep it at any rate.

It was most likely Michele Knotz as Misty here.

It WAS Michele. I asked her at the con today and she confirmed.

I must say, it's at least nice to see they're trying to at least keep consistency with the TPCi dub instead of hiring someone else to do Misty...again. I would've liked it more if they got Rachael Lillis back, but I can understand their reasoning for it (to be consistent with the voices from Seasons 9-present).

(I'd personally have preferred consistency in the dub from Seasons 1-present, meaning hiring back Taylor and co. (along with Price instead of Blaustein since her untimely tragedy..R.I.P..), but that's just me).

I remember Michele Knotz was actually really good at Misty in the Mastermind Special. Probably the only VA whose voice didn't make me cringe in disgust back then. I wonder why everyone says she sounded off today. lol.

I suppose I respect that Michele is trying to go for her own take on the character if so, though. I have a soft spot for Rachael Lillis in the role, so I can't help but prefer her rendition myself. No offense, though.

 

[Fennekin]

I remember Michele Knotz was actually really good at Misty in the Mastermind Special. Probably the only VA whose voice didn't make me cringe in disgust back then. I wonder why everyone says she sounded off today. lol.

I suppose I respect that Michele is trying to go for her own take on the character if so, though. I have a soft spot for Rachael Lillis in the role, so I can't help but prefer her rendition myself. No offense, though.

For me, her rendition of Misty in this episode wasn't anything like in the special. But that's to be expected, Michele only played Misty once, so I doubt she was trying to sound the same.

 

[Pokémon Master Ash]

I remember Michele Knotz was actually really good at Misty in the Mastermind Special. Probably the only VA whose voice didn't make me cringe in disgust back then. I wonder why everyone says she sounded off today. lol.

I suppose I respect that Michele is trying to go for her own take on the character if so, though. I have a soft spot for Rachael Lillis in the role, so I can't help but prefer her rendition myself. No offense, though.

For me, her rendition of Misty in this episode wasn't anything like in the special. But that's to be expected, Michele only played Misty once, so I doubt she was trying to sound the same.

Ah, I see. I haven't seen the dub episode myself, but I think I can get where she's coming from. Makes logical sense.

 

[PockyAddict]

I think Damion (sp?) was originaly voiced by Maddie Blaunstien in the orginal charmander episode from the 90s. I do wonder who voiced damien in this one.

 

[Gabo2oo]

I think Damion (sp?) was originaly voiced by Maddie Blaunstien in the orginal charmander episode from the 90s. I do wonder who voiced damien in this one.

What's funny is that his voice is now very deep and different, yet he retained that accent he had back then.

 

[Codface]

I liked when Iris co asked why Ash no longer traveled with such a treasured friend.

Ash gave a good answer shame they didnt ask and whats your excuse for leaving the other 20+ at professor Oaks Lab.

I have no problems with episodes like this. They need to reconnect with the legacy. Unova has been too much about 'reboot nub ash'.

 

[Pokémon Master Ash]

I think Damion (sp?) was originaly voiced by Maddie Blaunstien in the orginal charmander episode from the 90s. I do wonder who voiced damien in this one.

What's funny is that his voice is now very deep and different, yet he retained that accent he had back then.

ROFL. Guess the dubbers must like Damian's Aussie Accent. XD.

 

[Darth Darkrai]

Yes I guess so that they like Damian's Accent here. I thought it was weird that Tom The Hermit Crab Wayland Voiced the Pokemon League Announcer instead Of Ed Paul who did Him from Kanto to Hoenn here. Who also Voiced Koga because it did not sound like Stan Hart to me here.

 

[DoctorWhy]

I was on the verge of tears during the flashback, especially when they were in the cave and Charmander was trying to warm them up! That was a great episode. Especially the nostalgia, and I'm really happy that Charizard is finally back after all this time! However, I would also like more throwbacks to more of Ash's old pokemon. But it was a great episode and I can't wait to see more Charizard now

Also, it was hilarious when Iris thought Charizard was a Dragon type!!! Oh my goodness that was great. It's like the anime writers have heard the cries of fans over the years lol. Charizard does look like a Dragon type, and that was one of the best parts hahaha.

While it didn't feel quite right, I kinda liked seeing the remastered/redone old scenes.

Overall Score: 8/10

 

[Islander Princess]

I have to review this one, it's the one episode of BW I've been waiting forever for

It was really, really good. Definitely lived up to my expectations for the dub. I, personally, LOVE all the nostalgia stuff going on (sue me ) and I loved seeing the flashbacks. I thought they were very well done. I noticed they changed some of the paint errors, so I thought that was really nice.

The battle was good. I don't really like Charizard's new moves; seismic toss was a favorite of mine. I actually didn't really mind N interrupting, and I thought I would. It wasn't that forced to me. It fit in well.

Iris and Cilan both had some really good lines in this episode as well. I loved Iris thinking Charizard was a dragon type, and all of Cilan's ridiculous, over the top speeches. His "I'm tingling all over!" at the prospect of seeing Charizard had me laughing for like five minutes. Not gonna lie. That was just...weird. I loved it. Someone should have told him that the cosplay contest was over many episodes ago, and that he's not Elesa.

Also TRACEY. I love Tracey. Even when he doesn't speak

The voices in the flashbacks didn't bother me. Ash's was fine, and Brock's was fine, since I'm used to his newer voice now. Misty is my favorite character of all time (even more so than Ash) so I was SO excited for her ONE line But I have to agree with everyone else, her voice was off. It was only one line, so it wasn't grating or anything, but you could tell it was a little strange. I liked her voice in the Mastermind special (one of the only ones I liked, actually) so I think this was just a case of not having done her voice for some time. It's like I told my friend today, she sounded more like a woman than a young girl. Definitely off, but nothing so nightmarishly horrible.

Really great episode. Definitely one of my favorites in BW, if not my absolute favorite.

 

[Sweenix]

i loved this episode sooo much! ugh, it was just so good to see charizard again we need more episodes liek this

 

[Eitarou]

I find it amusing how when Ash scanned Charizard on his Pokedex, it said "Charizard is a Flying/Fire-type" with emphasis on "fire" as if it was actually correcting Iris.

 

[Pokémon Master Ash]

Reading the reviews, I've actually decided to give the dub a shot today, as much as I prefer the original English VAs. So, here's what I think of how the dub and its voice actors did today with the voices (in order of how I heard them). It's a pretty harsh and critical review of today's episode, because I am gauging it both by how good characters sound and how close they are to how their voices sounded in the 4Kids dub, respectively:

Magikarp Salesman- It's actually funny in its own way, but doesn't remind me of the old one at all. Still, I think it's a good voice. "But don't tell anyone" sold it to me. (+)

Professor Oak- Absolutely unacceptable, and even more than that, ear-gratingly painful. Granted, I am still cracking up at how wrong it sounds, but it's just the wrong voice. Professor Oak is not a mad scientist in a dungeon. Please, he is a wise and kindly figure, after all. Cathcart is just not the guy for this role. I even skipped over his scenes to avoid hearing him at all costs after 40 seconds into the episode. (-)

Squirtle- Not bad at all. Sounds exactly like, or really close to, Eric Stuart's version. And you guys know I liked Eric Stuart's work on Pokémon. (+)

Charmander- Heck no, at first. Michael Haigney was way better. Sounded better as the episode progressed, so it gets an overall plus/approval for me. (+)

Bulbasaur- Really close to Tara Jayne's version. I am betting it's Michele Knotz's Bulbasaur voice. Good job. (+)

Brock- Absolutely unacceptable. It's still very rough and deep. Just because I'm used to Bill's voice by now, doesn't mean it's acceptable for Brock in the least. Christ, Bill, what has happened to your version of Brock since DP? I'm sorry, it just doesn't fit him at all. You are playing a 15 year old boy: try and sound like one. HOWEVER, he was much better when addressing Damian than when trying to save Charmander, but still not the right voice. Regardless, Rogers did not do justice to Stuart today. (-)

Damian- O_O. Pretty good, actually. Pretty faithful to Blaustein. Sounds off, but not off enough that it bugs me. (+)

Koga- Couldn't understand a word of what he was saying. Terrible. (-)

EDIT: The most hilarious part is, this WAS Stuart Zagnit. The only VA to reprise his own role, yet he blew it! Oh, wow.

Ash- Well, I'm glad they stayed faithful to the 4Kids dub dialogue in his scenes, but Natochenny's Ash just really lacks the natural delivery and goofy charm Veronica Taylor brought to him. It's just a bit forced. The voice itself is actually fairly good now, and it really reminds me a lot of Veronica's, but it sounds so strained. Like she's trying to go for Taylor's rendition, but can't pull it off the same way she did. The yell she did when Charmeleon used Flamethrower on him was PERFECT, though, but the "Hey. Watch where you're breathin'" was AWFUL. I was cracking up when I saw the Charizard taking a nap scene, though, so I give her points there. As for Charizard's Goodbye, surprisingly good, but Taylor's just comes out more heartfelt, less-rushed, and natural when he says "Don't forget me!" I give it my overall approval and I feel Natochenny did indeed do justice to Taylor today, but my heart will always go to Taylor, and her more natural and heartfelt performance as Ash. (+)

Misty- Sounds like Iris. I don't approve of Knotz's work today, yet I don't HATE it, either. Doesn't sound bad, but doesn't do Lillis justice. Overall, a big "meh" on this one.

Primeape- Heck no. Unacceptable. (-)

Charmeleon- Heck no. Unacceptable. (-)

Aerodactyl- Sounds mentally challenged. I'm sorry, but it sounds just horrible. (-)

In short:

Good- Magikarp Salesman, Ash, Damian, Charmander, Bulbasaur, and Squirtle.
Neutral- Pidgeotto (could barely hear it).
Tolerable- Misty.
Bad- Professor Oak (The worst of the worst), Brock, Koga, Charmeleon, Primeape, and Aerodactyl.

Surprisingly, out of all the voices, Ash's voice is actually the most faithful to his 4Kids dub voice, and this is coming from someone who hated Sarah Natochenny's voice for him until BW. However, Taylor is always going to be Ash to me, for her more natural and heartfelt performance.

The least faithful voice to their 4Kids dub voice, hands-down, goes to Misty. It still sounds better than Brock's or Professor Oak's to my ears, but it doesn't sound a bit like Lillis. Sounds more like Eileen Stevens, tbh.

Also, I'd like to say the dub IMPROVED over the original JPN version in two ways: fixing the Aerodactyl coloration error, and fixing Pidgeotto's feather(s) coloration error.

All in all, I'm surprisingly happy with the dub's work today. While I can say I would've liked the episode better if the original English VAs played their characters again, TPCi did a reasonably good job with the episode. Natochenny has come such a long way. She may not be who I'd like to see as Ash, but I do really respect her now. I never really did until this episode. Good job, Natochenny, you've finally earned my respect.

Overall Score: 8/10 (Above Average):mallet:

 

[Charmander4]

Why couldn't they just have gotten Michael Haigney to voice Charmander? Not as bad as how they ruined Psyduck and Koffing, but Charmander does not sound the same and it ruins my favorite Pokémon. Bulbasaur and Squirtle sounded fine, Charmeleon was pure awful. And I still cringe hearing the new voice say the script that Veronica Taylor, Rachel Lillis, and Eric Stuart did far better. I wish they had gotten Rachel Lillis for Misty, but for one line it was probably easier to not give her a call. Hopefully if Misty has a more substantial role they'll call her up. They will forever be Ash, Misty, and Brock.

And hey! I made a thread asking if they would correct the animation errors for the dub and they did! That was a huge surprise.

 

[Pokémon Master Ash]

Why couldn't they just have gotten Michael Haigney to voice Charmander? Not as bad as how they ruined Psyduck and Koffing, but Charmander does not sound the same and it ruins my favorite Pokémon. Bulbasaur and Squirtle sounded fine, Charmeleon was pure awful. And I still cringe hearing the new voice say the script that Veronica Taylor, Rachel Lillis, and Eric Stuart did far better. I wish they had gotten Rachel Lillis for Misty, but for one line it was probably easier to not give her a call. Hopefully if Misty has a more substantial role they'll call her up. They will forever be Ash, Misty, and Brock.

And hey! I made a thread asking if they would correct the animation errors for the dub and they did! That was a huge surprise.

Charmander sounded AWFUL at the beginning of this episode, but I noticed the actor got MUCH better as the episode progressed. But the really awful voices today? Brock and Professor Oak...nuff said! XD.

Misty sounds nothing like she used to, but it's not a bad voice, I guess. :/

Pretty much the ONLY thing I disagree with you about is Charmander, but only because I though the actor got better later. He's certainly NOT on par with Michael Haigney, though.

 

[Charmander4]

Why couldn't they just have gotten Michael Haigney to voice Charmander? Not as bad as how they ruined Psyduck and Koffing, but Charmander does not sound the same!

And hey! I made a thread asking if they would correct the animation errors for the dub and they did!

Charmander sounded AWFUL at the beginning of this episode. But the really awful voices today? Brock and Professor Oak...nuff said! XD.

Misty sounds nothing like she used to, but it's not a bad voice, I guess. :/

I agree with you, it's pretty insulting to have Stan Hart back but not having him voice Oak. That was pretty much his only work anyway.

I can watch any episode of 4Kids, but the PUSA dub makes me gag. I had to watch this episode due to how special it was. THey didn't completely ruin it, and strangely enough, the Ash voice is now the most bareable, but it's still not the same. I'm still bitter about no Michael Haigney. His Charmander is perfect, especially since he just whipped it up on a whim.

Oh yeah, I forgot, Poliwrath sucked too.

 

[Pokémon Master Ash]

Why couldn't they just have gotten Michael Haigney to voice Charmander? Not as bad as how they ruined Psyduck and Koffing, but Charmander does not sound the same!

And hey! I made a thread asking if they would correct the animation errors for the dub and they did!

Charmander sounded AWFUL at the beginning of this episode. But the really awful voices today? Brock and Professor Oak...nuff said! XD.

Misty sounds nothing like she used to, but it's not a bad voice, I guess. :/

I agree with you, it's pretty insulting to have Stan Hart back but not having him voice Oak. That was pretty much his only work anyway.

I can watch any episode of 4Kids, but the PUSA dub makes me gag. I had to watch this episode due to how special it was. THey didn't completely ruin it, and strangely enough, the Ash voice is now the most bareable, but it's still not the same. I'm still bitter about no Michael Haigney. His Charmander is perfect, especially since he just whipped it up on a whim.

I completely agree with you, man!

Ash of all the characters sounds the most like he used to in the 4Kids dub now! I remember how AWFUL this same VA, Sarah Natochenny, used to be, too! It's amazingly scary (yet, at least it's nice she does now). She's still lacking Veronica Taylor's natural and emotional charm, but she's a hell of a lot better than the others are. XD.

I'm just so shocked, man. I remember this is the same VA who played BF and DP's Ash. Man, she has improved, big-time! O_O

Damian surprisingly got a really good replacement. Same goes for Squirtle (unless it's just stock footage) and Bulbasaur. These three had the best voices besides Ash today, IMO. XD.

 

[Kelleo]

I'm surprised no one pointed out that the episode title in English is actually "The Fire of a Red-Hot Reunion." xP

Anyway, this was really neat, even though I'm no fan of Charizard. The nostalgia of the Kanto fair was heart-warming and then Ash's fist-pump with Charizard was just awesome lol. Iris mistaking Charizard for a Dragon type was hilarious too. XD

Also, the reasons Ash left a lot of Pokemon with Professor Oak is one, he likes to start fresh every time he begins a new journey in a new region, and two, he can only carry up to six Pokemon with him anyway. >.>