REVIEW: S17 EP44: Splitting Heirs!

[G50]

XY045 - Bulbapedia, the community-driven Pokémon encyclopedia

Please keep all discussion regarding future episodes in spoiler tags.

 

[Sakuraa]

Okay yeah, I now that I actually understand what was going on in this episode I can talk about it.

I believe in the original version it was stated that Bonnie doesn't like carrots and Clemont doesn't like...peas I think. Though for some reason the dub referred to all veggies in general. And Clemont is dumb and thought Bonnie left because she didn't want to eat the carrots. (Really, why?) So, at least we got some interesting facts about these two (in the original). I also found it weird how the episode started with Blake already eating with the crew. No introduction meeting or anything. And I really think the brothers should have had the other's Meowstic. Male Meowstic's trainer seemed much more...I don't know energetic and focused on attacking. While the other one was more calm and his Meowstic even knew Protect. So yeah, I definitely feel they should have been switched. Also the gang must be totally BLIND if they didn't see Bonnie run off like that.

I thought Blake and Heath’s father was a huge dick. First he tells them there is a treasure and has them search their gigantic mansion for it. Then he decides to tell them, “oh by the way, the treasure isn’t in the house.”…Wow. Finally, he has his Pokemon attack them because he just knows they’ll make up and work together so he can tell them that their bond is the real treasure. …No…just no.

And lastly, if it wasn't so obvious that Chespin is Oshawott 2.0, we get more of Chespin being Oshawott 2.0. Falling in love, again, and even getting ignored by the love interest. (Of course I loved seeing him get rejected by Meowstic I was surprised that he chose to follow Clemont when he called instead of following Meowstic. Oh yeah and speaking of Meowstic, I was surprised to see that they can make claws from their finger-less hands.

I think the biggest problem with this episode was that they tried to shove a horribly petty Clemont and Bonnie argument into a CoTD plot that really could have just been on its own. And then it was a clichéd, “don’t nag me” argument. Well, I’m giving a 3/10. Not the worst, most horrible thing ever, but not particularly interesting overall.

 

[Beth Pavell]

Back to form, finally. It's been too long since Bonnie and Clemont had some proper screen time. I'm liking the way their relationship is handled more and more - Bonnie continues to be a child with childish gripes. It's nice to see Clemont having trouble with his surrogate parent role - You can bet that Meyer wouldn't have worried about having to give Bonnie a good telling off. I'm willing to bet that this maturity in the writing of the episode will promptly be forgotten by XY's detractors

I was kind of sceptical about the plot, to be honest. I first expected the inheritance to be settled by a pokémon battle, and a treasure hunt would have made less sense ... except reminding the brothers of the value of getting along and working together is a good lesson for them to learn, especially if they're going to end up managing a large estate between themselves

 

[Moe]

I was wondering how they would deal with the dub for those things that are obviously carrots. Thinking about it, there's a lot of internal logic to it - the Pokemon World doesn't have the fruits and vegetables of the real world. Obviously when it's an Oran Berry there's quite an obvious distinction over real world equivalents, though things like the Sitrus Berry looks very similar to a pear. So when the anime uses designs that look similar to other real world fruits and vegetables, it's logical to give them generic names.

Obviously it makes for stupid dialogue, but the same applies to the other common case, where the dub is tiptoeing around an obvious gender because it hasn't been 'confirmed'. There's a chance that at some point in the future, a previously unnamed object might suddenly actually be a thing, so they don't want to have been calling it the wrong thing all this time.

And the fact what the dub called the carrots in the opening scene is worth discussing goes to show what a dull episode this was. I'd like to have seen Bonnie just tell Clemont that next time Chespin can run off on his its own without her chasing it, nothing of value will be lost.

 

[Dogasu]

the Pokemon World doesn't have the fruits and vegetables of the real world

Sure it does. They're often replaced by Berries but there are a lot of instances where they're still around. Farfetch'd, for example. Or the vegetables we see in the various stews that our heroes eat. Or, in the case of this episode, carrots and peas.

 

[Moe]

Sure it does. They're often replaced by Berries but there are a lot of instances where they're still around. Farfetch'd, for example. Or the vegetables we see in the various stews that our heroes eat. Or, in the case of this episode, carrots and peas.

I'd put the case of Farfetch'd more down to Gen I being a lot looser in how the world relates. Later on you get things like Tropius' dex description (at least in English) just being 'fruit' around its neck, to avoid relating it to a real world object by just saying they are bananas.

I think it makes more sense for all of the fruits and vegetables of the world to be unique to the Pokemon world - rather than pears not existing because of the Sitrus/Aspear Berry, but carrots and peas existing because there's been no reason for the games to make a replacement. The amusing descriptions of the dishes at the Kalos restaurants is an interesting example of them trying to translate real world dishes into Pokemon equivalents without mentioning actual foods.

Obviously it's more odd if the original directly referred to them as peas/carrots and then the dub avoided it - but it's at least consistent with how the dub has handled it in the past. I don't think the dub has ever named an ingredient of the generic stew.

 

[EvilChameleon]

Chespin remains the best Pokemon in this series. Always a pleasure when an episode is focused on him.

 

[Muur]

Blake's voice actor doesn't fit a kid. I recognise that voice but can't put a name to it.

'On a journey for a year'. So longer than Ash then!

He hid the treasure just hoping they would one day come home?

He said one assistant! cheat! what was the plan if they brought no one with them?

If he wants to be stronger than his brother you'd think he'd get a dark/bug/ghost type

The treasure will be something stupid like brothership.

Great 2v1 battle

OH GOD I CALLED IT. THE TREASURE IS THEM BEING BROTHERS. ...so who gets the house?

Needless episode.

 

[Queen Cynthia]

This episode came directly after a much-anticipated and important gym battle, so I guess we mustn't expect one highlight after another. What I want to say is that for a filler it wasn't so bad.
Although I found that Bonnie and Clemont's petty argument was boring and unnecessary, the two brothers' background was quite creatively written. Also, I liked the message that the episode was supposed to convey, namely the treasure not being something material but the relationship between family members. (Reminds me of Cynthia's "When one life meets another life, something will be born).

I thought Blake and Heath’s father was a huge dick. First he tells them there is a treasure and has them search their gigantic mansion for it. Then he decides to tell them, “oh by the way, the treasure isn’t in the house.”…Wow. Finally, he has his Pokemon attack them because he just knows they’ll make up and work together so he can tell them that their bond is the real treasure. …No…just no.

I totally agree with you here! Knowingly endangering his sons just because he could teach them a lesson is not only mean, but selfish as well. But for some reason I didn't like that guy right from the beginning anyway.

Finally, let me contribute something to the "vegetable-discussion", too: I've already given up being surprised at the fact that fruits and vegetables aren't called by their proper real-life names. So, that wasn't really a surprise anymore. What actually shocked me, however, was Blake and Heath calling those things on that tree flowers. Guys, flowers don't grow on tress!!!. I was real mad when I heard that blatant lie because the younger audience might actually believe now that flowers grow on trees...

But still, apart from the two negative things I just mentioned, it was a decent episode with a good moral at the end.

 

[Beth Pavell]

What actually shocked me, however, was Blake and Heath calling those things on that tree flowers. Guys, flowers don't grow on tress!!!. I was real mad when I heard that blatant lie because the younger audience might actually believe now that flowers grow on trees...

Flowers do indeed grow on trees. It's extremely common, and the subject of a huge Japanese festival

 

[Dogasu]

Later on you get things like Tropius' dex description (at least in English) just being 'fruit' around its neck, to avoid relating it to a real world object by just saying they are bananas.

It's fruit in the Japanese version too.

But, another one I remembered; "What You Seed Is What You Get" (Season 7, Episode 1) has Ash and his friends teaching Treecko how to use Bullet Seed with actual watermelons, not Watmel Berries. In both the Japanese version and the English version.

Coconuts are seen in "Let Bagons Be Bagons."

I think it makes more sense for all of the fruits and vegetables of the world to be unique to the Pokemon world

I feel the opposite. The show still uses real world flowers and real world trees despite the fact that there are flower and tree pokemon, so why can't it use fruits and vegetables despite the fact that Berries exist?

 

[DracoMan]

I thought Blake and Heath’s father was a huge dick. First he tells them there is a treasure and has them search their gigantic mansion for it. Then he decides to tell them, “oh by the way, the treasure isn’t in the house.”…Wow. Finally, he has his Pokemon attack them because he just knows they’ll make up and work together so he can tell them that their bond is the real treasure. …No…just no.

I totally agree with you here! Knowingly endangering his sons just because he could teach them a lesson is not only mean, but selfish as well. But for some reason I didn't like that guy right from the beginning anyway.

I don't know if there was any real danger. I imagine Exploud would've fought until it or the two Meowstic went down; if the latter, then it would've stopped right there and let Daddy take over. Especially if he was actually supervising the battle discretely.

And as for Blake's VA--if Blake is the guy who Ash & co. met at the start, that'd be Wayne "Joey Wheeler" Grayson. Brooklyn Rage!

 

[Moe]

I feel the opposite. The show still uses real world flowers and real world trees despite the fact that there are flower and tree pokemon, so why can't it use fruits and vegetables despite the fact that Berries exist?

Basically I'd say is an assumption that all the vegetation on earth is created by Pokemon, based on those frequent scenes of legendary Pokemon flying over wastelands and suddenly turning them into nature preserves - with berries created to provide for the needs of other Pokemon, because they all have special properties with effects for them.

If that also included non-berry foods, there's no reason they would be the same foods and vegetables that exist on earth - given that they are separate universes. Obviously they'd be similar, in the same way that a lot of Pokemon are similar to real world animals - but it's another world so it doesn't make sense for there to be certain things that are exactly the same.

On those specific episodes, I'd just note the divide between how 4kids would handle that, to how TCPi seem to have handled it - certainly through BW and XY.

 

[Dogasu]

I disagree with a lot of that but I don't want to veer things too off-topic. I will say, though, that real fruits and vegetables exist in the original version and have existed in the original version since the very beginning. The dub creating its own canon over something as ridiculous as food is completely ridiculous unnecessary.

There is absolutely no reason they couldn't have translated "peas and carrots" correctly. I promise you nobody would have cared or thought it was weird or out of place or whatever else.

 

[Beth Pavell]

Would have matched the er, lip flaps? I wasn't looking closely but I'd assume that would be a reason

 

[Dogasu]

This is the same dub that has James move his mouth three times whenever he says his name during the Team Rocket motto.

So probably not.

 

[Beth Pavell]

Oh. Oh well, in this case it's not like it makes any difference. The meaning is exactly the same anyway.

 

[shay2345]

i SOBBED at the end of that episode.
Bonnie (to Clemont): You'll always be my Big Brother, right?
Clemont: Of course I will! You're my little sister, and I love you.

Me: WAAAAAAAAA!

 

[CrashBash]

There is absolutely no reason they couldn't have translated "peas and carrots" correctly. I promise you nobody would have cared or thought it was weird or out of place or whatever else.

I seriously doubt people's opinions on the episode would have changed if they DID translate peas and carrots correctly, you know? Just saying. Yes, it does make the dialogue rather awkward, but it really changes very little.

 

[Dogasu]

I seriously doubt people's opinions on the episode would have changed if they DID translate peas and carrots correctly

Which is why changing it is completely fucking pointless.