Review SM103: A Passionate Heart That Can Smash Even Rock! Lychee and Takeshi!!

[RetroPokeFan]

Nope.

Not feeling this episode either, overall I’d say this was a very weak return for both Brock and Misty.

 

[WatcherMark]

Gotta love the opening shot, all the the class Pokemon and Koduck getting a nice big meal while Kasumi and Takeshi's other Pokemon are left to go hungry...

 

[SinnohEevee]

Did I watch that right? Brock didn't get heartbroken?
And the narrator asks if Takeshi and Kasumi are coming again to Alola?
Also, I was hoping for Chansey to appear.

 

[ZDaemon09]

Did I watch that right? Brock didn't get heartbroken?
And the narrator asks if Takeshi and Kasumi are coming again to Alola?
Also, I was hoping for Chansey to appear.

It seems the Lovestone ship has sent sail. *Phew!* The Misty Torpedo missed.

A shame Chansey didn't show up, but it is good to know Brock has a Comfey now.

 

[Sriram Mannar]

Here's the conversation between Brock, Misty, and Ash at the end.

Brock: Thanks Satoshi, I'll never forget this vacation.
Misty: Really, thanks Satoshi.
Ash: Thank you too, It was so much fun having you come for a visit!

***-All of them Laugh

Ash: You know, I'm gonna keep learning about Pokemon here in Alola... I'm gonna learn to love Pokemon even more, And then I'll become a Pokemon Master for sure! ( Shouts )

Brock: We've known each other for a long time. You don't need to tell us that stuff.

Misty: I'm gonna keep on mastering Water-Type Pokemon more and more... and make Hanada Gym the greatest Gym in the world ! ( Shouts )
I'll take you on whenever you want!

Ash: Right! Let's battle again someday...

Brock: Don't forget about me !!

- Credit to Some-Stuffs for the subs

***Episode ends

Tbh I liked the way SM handled this Farewell. I'll actually say it was well done. The Gang promising they'll all reach their goals. Well this may be the last time we see Brock and Misty for a really long time... Next week were getting the start of the Poni Island Arc and Plumeria, Lets hope for the best !

 

[Rockapheller]

I would rather see Blissey instead of Comfey.

 

[Twilight-Kun]

Another wasted episode with no interesting interactions between the Alolan gang and the OG brats

Even Brock/Olivia fizzled out after the Z-move and they didn't talk for the rest of the episode

Says a lot about an episode when even the tried-and-true THROW A ROCKET MECHA IN formula does nothing to make it interesting

 

[Gabo2oo]

We didn't get Chansey but at the very least Sudowoodo is here, so they're recognizing the Sinnoh events. I'm satisfied with that, to be honest. But then...

Uuh, problem N°1, Team Rocket interrupts the battle. Typical for when they don't want to show a winner. It all was a G Gundam reference though, which made it less generic and actually kinda fun, buuut... Problem N°2, Team Rocket gets interrupted by Bewear.

Leaving a hype battle unfinished is bad enough, but as usual, the writers say "no, we can do WORSE". Brock and Lychee's Z-Move doesn't even get the job done, which means neither of them accomplishes anything, making the whole Rocket interruption pointless. They could've thrown Bewear in the previous episode when, y'know, the mecha wasn't much of a threat and you clearly needed to stall for more time? And leave the powerful Z-Move and team attacks for this episode when, y'know, the mecha is clearly more powerful than it was last week and the two guest characters are leaving by the end of it?

As much of a fan I am, I'm honestly pissed at how much money this show can make while putting so little effort into it. When BS like this shows up I wonder if they just profit from hiring bad writers. That or they're deliberately told to write bad episodes, because you'd need to be the worst professional ever to make a guy like me feel like I could do better.

 

[MagicBox]

Something random I noticed that may or may not be of interest to anyone...

In this episode, Takeshi's Usokkie was voiced by Yūji Ueda (Takeshi's voice actor, who also voiced the Usokkie in Everyone's Story) instead of Daisuke Sakaguchi, who voiced the Pokémon from his debut all the way through Diamond & Pearl. They're usually really consistent with the voice actors for the main characters' Pokémon (and have been known to use archival audio if the actor is unavailable), so it's strange to see Usokkie get recast here.

Granted, you could argue that it would have been pointless to add another actor to the episode's cast just to make some "Uso, Uso" noises, except... that's what this show always does. Not complaining or anything, and again, this may not even be of interest to anyone. I just thought it was strange.

 

[SinnohEevee]

We didn't get Chansey but at the very least Sudowoodo is here, so they're recognizing the Sinnoh events. I'm satisfied with that, to be honest. But then...

Uuh, problem N°1, Team Rocket interrupts the battle. Typical for when they don't want to show a winner. It all was a G Gundam reference though, which made it less generic and actually kinda fun, buuut... Problem N°2, Team Rocket gets interrupted by Bewear.

Leaving a hype battle unfinished is bad enough, but as usual, the writers say "no, we can do WORSE". Brock and Lychee's Z-Move doesn't even get the job done, which means neither of them accomplishes anything, making the whole Rocket interruption pointless. They could've thrown Bewear in the previous episode when, y'know, the mecha wasn't much of a threat and you clearly needed to stall for more time? And leave the powerful Z-Move and team attacks for this episode when, y'know, the mecha is clearly more powerful than it was last week and the two guest characters are leaving by the end of it?

As much of a fan I am, I'm honestly pissed at how much money this show can make while putting so little effort into it. When BS like this shows up I wonder if they just profit from hiring bad writers. That or they're deliberately told to write bad episodes, because you'd need to be the worst professional ever to make a guy like me feel like I could do better.

I guess they don't bother because the target audience are kids. How much do kids care about good writing?

 

[Ryan37352]

Team Rocket plan:
Overall well planned out, capturing Ash and his friends in addition to their Pokémon so that they can't fight back, plus, the mecha managed to hold off a Z-Move. BUT, Team Rocket made one fatal flaw… They didn't BEWEAR-PROOF the plan.

 

[Gengarzilla]

For the second time now, one of the two eagerly anticipated "OMG MISTY AND BROCK ARE BACK AAAAAAAAA" episodes turns out to be a bit iffy at best. When are we gonna learn that slapping the OG cast on the cover of a SM episode doesn't make it flawless? It's like the Official Nintendo Seal of Quality that's printed on the NES cartridge of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, looks promising but ultimately doesn't guarantee a good quality end product.

OK, maybe that's just a little bit dramatic of a comparison because there are some good points. I'm alright with Comfey even if it's role could have been filled by Chansey because they can now meet offscreen and definitely become the bestest of friends and I like imagining that. It's the writer in me. Then it was a delight to see one of Brock's AG/DP crew called upon for battle instead of Geodude, his only other known Rock type. Nice to see some proof that one of his post-OS partners escaped the freezer of forgotten folks.

Then Team Motherfucking Rocket just had to interrupt things. Normally I don't mind the TRio nowadays since I find them to be more entertaining and likable characters than their cheap Alolan knockoffs, but it's moments like this where I do understand the detractors. This was Sudowoodo's first appearance and onscreen battle in nearly eight years, couldn't the Rocket antics have been saved for a little later?

One more thing. I'm glad Misty didn't go full iceberg on this ship. One reason why I prefer Croagunk as the Brockblocker™ over her and Max is because he sometimes backed off when the love was mutual (remember Holly, his Hearthome Tag Battle partner), so this definitely did please in that regard. I hope Brock and Olivia keep in touch.

 

[Silktree]

Something random I noticed that may or may not be of interest to anyone...

In this episode, Takeshi's Usokkie was voiced by Yūji Ueda (Takeshi's voice actor, who also voiced the Usokkie in Everyone's Story) instead of Daisuke Sakaguchi, who voiced the Pokémon from his debut all the way through Diamond & Pearl. They're usually really consistent with the voice actors for the main characters' Pokémon (and have been known to use archival audio if the actor is unavailable), so it's strange to see Usokkie get recast here.

Granted, you could argue that it would have been pointless to add another actor to the episode's cast just to make some "Uso, Uso" noises, except... that's what this show always does. Not complaining or anything, and again, this may not even be of interest to anyone. I just thought it was strange.

This is an alternate reality where Brock caught that Sudowoodo from Johto.

 

[Diamond & Pearl]

This is an alternate reality where Brock caught that Sudowoodo from Johto.

It's sad to see that the anime and especially the movies exploit this alternate reality thingy (which should never have been introduced) to justify their incompetence and awkward twists.

 

[FinnishPokéFan92]

This is an alternate reality where Brock caught that Sudowoodo from Johto.

It's sad to see that the anime and especially the movies exploit this alternate reality thingy (which should never have been introduced) to justify their incompetence and awkward twists.

Wrong. The main series anime is always in one continuity. It's the newest movies that are in alternate timeline(s).

 

[Silktree]

Well, the one reference to a post-Johto region is pretty iffy so far.

And that was sarcasm.

 

[FinnishPokéFan92]

Well, the one reference to a post-Johto region is pretty iffy so far.

And that was sarcasm.

It's a Johto Pokémon. It counts.

 

[Diamond & Pearl]

@FinnishPokéFan92 I do not accept XY and SM Ash as the Ash we all know. However, I won't put BW Ash into the same category because the anime crew tried something new (which failed spectacularly) and alternate universes were introduced in Gen 6.​

Well, the one reference to a post-Johto region is pretty iffy so far.

And that was sarcasm.

My comment was a sarcastic response to your sarcasm. However, I also wanted to make clear what is wrong with the anime. Multifunctional post, you see?

This complaint of mine is applicable to this episode, by the way.

Had Callahan not been under the companionship of a Sudowoodo, we wouldn't have seen one in this episode.

Chansey would've been too much of a nod. Not towards M21 but towards DP. Which is why it was excluded. Do you see the twistedness?

 

[FinnishPokéFan92]

@FinnishPokéFan92 I do not accept XY and SM Ash as the Ash we all know. However, I won't put BW Ash into the same category because the anime crew tried something new (which failed spectacularly) and alternate universes were introduced in Gen 6.

The truth of the matter is that we don't need you to accept it in order to have it be real. You're simply seeking comfort and seclusion in the parallel universe theory rather than facing the uncomfortable truth.

 

[Diamond & Pearl]

The truth of the matter is that we don't need you to accept it in order to have it be real. You're simply seeking comfort and seclusion in the parallel universe theory rather than facing the uncomfortable truth.

Not really. Is there proof that XY and SM Ash respect the OS-BW continuity? No. Is there proof that XY and SM Ash do not respect the OS-BW continuity? No. As long as the anime crew don't give a speech or confirmation or whatever as to whether or not the anime timeline has been respected or not, I tend to believe that the latter two aren't the Ash we know.