Review SM025: Fighting for a Crystal! Rocket-dan VS Skull-dan!!

[Hassel]

This episode has convinced me that the crystals are going to end up distributed between the entire cast, or, if nothing else, that Suiren will get one.

If Popplio ever evolves into Primarina, I want to see it use Oceanic Operetta against the Skull grunts that bullied it in the past.

 

[ii kanji]

That is my actual dream for Suiren and Ashimari.

 

[kantoskies]

So if I'm understanding right, Jessie and James went back for Meowth after finding out he was injured badly instead of going for the Z Crystal? Yes! More of this! I wonder how TPCi will make it seem like they hated doing that because they hate him.

And does Mimikyuu finally care about the Rocket trio more than just as an excuse to beat the shit out of Pikachu? Double yes! And I love how the sound mixers are using the motto music outside of the motto again, I wish they had done that more in XY (I can think of one example in all 141 episodes).

My only complaint is all of the scenes with the kids. They were pretty dull and seemed like padding if nothing else. And I know this is not a problem specific to this episode but I was bummed out by the motto stock footage again. I think why it stood out to me this time was because in XY both times the Rocket trio did the motto against Team Flare there was new animation (the Terminus Cave and TRvTF episodes). It's also episodes like this that make me realize just how much I don't like this new motto. Having it just be describing themselves instead of going on a tangent about preventing the world's devastation and a white tomorrow or whatever makes the reactions of people hearing it for the first time and being like 'what the fuck' way less funny. It's just them listing off like 10 different adjectives and saying their names. It somehow manages to be drawn-out AND has less opportunities for variations. I didn't necessarily want them to use the Kanto motto for the sixth region (though I wouldn't have minded) but it would have been way better than this one. Hopefully they pull a Best Wishes and go back to it midway through the saga.

Sonansu however is being criminally underused. He literally hasn't done anything since arriving in Alola. Please use him somehow, it doesn't have to be battling but I actually forget he's even there sometimes! I can't even remember if he was part of the battle against Ratta!

Isn't today the exact 17th anniversary of him joining the main cast?

 

[Jaypom]

And I can't be the only one who haven't realized that Mimikyu knew Wood Hammer, can I?

I actually thought its version of Wood Hammer was just a fancy way of using Shadow Claw, since Wood Hammer is usually depicted with a green light instead of the purple shadows.

 

[KrspaceT]

I actually thought its version of Wood Hammer was just a fancy way of using Shadow Claw, since Wood Hammer is usually depicted with a green light instead of the purple shadows.

I'll admit that surprised me but neat regarddless.

 

[Pkmndub]

Quite the good episode

 

[LuxrayOfTheWild]

Very fun episode! I loved the Team Rocket and Team Skull interactions. Shocked that Team Rocket pulled through. Did anyone notice Meowth do Iyami's SHEEEH pose also towards the end?

 

[Likeitornot.]

Did anyone notice Meowth do Iyami's SHEEEH pose also towards the end?

Yes - you're right! Very cute! I believe that's the second time in the entire anime if I'm not mistaken that a character has used the iconic "sheeh!" pose, the first being a CoTD in Best Wishes! - this CoTD's design is very similar to Iyami's actually, though as Dogasu pointed out in his analysis of this episode, the character design was probably tied to the comedian that Iyami is based off, rather than Iyami himself.

While more obscure back in 2011 to non-Japanese fans and maybe younger Japanese fans (this was the first time I had ever heard of Osomatsu-kun actually), I suppose the revival of the franchise thanks to Osomatsu-san's popularity might have led to the animators using this pose again in this episode.

 

[Islander Princess]

I was already looking forward to this episode, but I really think I enjoyed it even more than I thought I would!

I'll admit that in the past, I have never really been a big fan of Team Rocket's interactions with whoever the other evil team is. Them and Team Skull, however, is an absolutely perfect pairing. Their personalities are so similar that for the first time since Butch and Cassidy, it really felt like Team Rocket was dealing with a kind of copy of themselves instead of an evil team bent on one specific, generally serious mission. The ridiculous bargaining ("whoever loses has to obey the other!"), the plans to distract the Rattata and Raticate, each believing they're really the best evil team...I was so entertained by every single interaction between Team Rocket and Team Skull. I could really draw parallels between the members of each team and I thought that was a great touch. I really hope we get to see more of these trios interacting.

The addition of the classroom scenes cut intermittently with the Rocket/Skull action also worked really nicely. I enjoyed that much more than just having it all shoved in the beginning or end of the episode and felt that the flow was nice. The scene changes never really felt abrupt or awkward. In cases like this, the classroom setting really pays off, because it feels so much more natural to have Kukui teaching the class about Z Crystals and Z Moves than just having one of the companions randomly blurt it out. I loved Lana's passion for the water type pose, I really hope she eventually gets a water Z Crystal! I also liked Kiawe and Rotomdex calling Ash out for making up/getting a pose wrong, and Ash just sheepishly laughing off.

I also have to say, what a great episode for James! He was actually a big standout here to me. Him educating the others about Z Crystals and Z Moves, having the specific machine to find Z Crystals, and him shielding Jessie and Meowth from Raticate's attack were some of the things that I really liked seeing him do in the episode. I really like James' character, and I feel like the traits of his that draw me to him were on full display.

 

[Mayla]

Yay, I love it when TR wins something! Definitely the kind of episode I enjoy, even though the animation could have been a BIT better, I think, and a lot of the scenes seemed somehow rushed. I don't think I can ever recall Musashi holding Nyasu so much, so that was a surprising plus! Also giggled a lot at their dumb posing at the end of the episode.

Team Skull is very likeable, and I also like that this new rival team is just as goofy as Team Rocket are. Really hope this continues to develop in future episodes!

 

[KrspaceT]

Saw something in a sub about a 'Z crystal mine'

Anyone else see that? Seems odd given that the Z crystal in ep is not in a mine, and frankly if there was a Z-Crystal mine I'd think Team Skull would be constantly trying to break into it

 

[LuxrayOfTheWild]

Yes - you're right! Very cute! I believe that's the second time in the entire anime if I'm not mistaken that a character has used the iconic "sheeh!" pose, the first being a CoTD in Best Wishes! - this CoTD's design is very similar to Iyami's actually, though as Dogasu pointed out in his analysis of this episode, the character design was probably tied to the comedian that Iyami is based off, rather than Iyami himself.

While more obscure back in 2011 to non-Japanese fans and maybe younger Japanese fans (this was the first time I had ever heard of Osomatsu-kun actually), I suppose the revival of the franchise thanks to Osomatsu-san's popularity might have led to the animators using this pose again in this episode.

I thought it was only a matter of time before the Sheeeh! Pose popped up again, cosidering Osomatsu-San is having a second season and has gained a greater following of fans. I'm so happy to see it pop up here. I honestly had no idea about that CoTD in Best Wishes doing it also, considering I didn't even know Iyami or his iconic pose existed until 2015.

 

[jonathan keller]

This was a good episode. I liked it.

 

[Flynn]

The track that played at the beginning of the episode is fantastic. Is it new?

It's from the Hoopa film.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjLkitmHwb0

 

[Nicolas721]

The story wasn't the best, as it dragged on in the middle and there wasn't a lot of comedy. However, the characters more than made up for it, with their dialogues and their interactions, making it a great episode.

Team Skull finally got a personality, and some individual traits. They are in the same "comedic evil" side as TR, but they have their own way to do things and their own culture. On the other side, TR was good, both James and Meowth did heartwarming and badass things. And Mimikyu having a lot of strength is definetely a thing, which lead to...

TR winning fairly!!! And unlike Ash, they actually thought about what they had to do next. TR deserves more to be on the Island Challenge than the protagonist...

I agree that the school scenes were a bit useless. They could have been avoided if Ash's presentation was about Z-moves...at least we got some foreshadowing to Lana´s trial?

 

[Johtohfiller]

This ep makes me wish TR were the designated main characters for this saga.

 

[Cresselia92]

This ep makes me wish TR were the designated main characters for this saga.

Indeed. It's actually quite ironic that TRio has gotten more development throughout this saga than the actual "main" cast.

 

[PkmnTrainerV]

Indeed. It's actually quite ironic that TRio has gotten more development throughout this saga than the actual "main" cast.

Also, they got a Z-Crystal in a more 'fair' manner than Ash, who just had an exchange offer for Fighhtinium Z to Electrium. It adds onto the irony.

 

[SonansuMan]

Also, they got a Z-Crystal in a more 'fair' manner than Ash, who just had an exchange offer for Fighhtinium Z to Electrium. It adds onto the irony.

Ash still got the Normalium Z fairly.

 

[PkmnTrainerV]

Dosen't negate that he had an exchange offer to get Electrium Z, while TR got a random Z-Crystal which they cannot use until one of their Pokemon uses a dark move.