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Review SM128: The Curtain Rises! The Alola Pokémon League!!

I mean, there's only one realistic option for Sandy to evolve into given Lana's type specialty, so this foreshadowing is kinda inessential imo. It's the equivalent of predicting that the sun will come out tomorrow.
There was also the possibility that Sandy wouldn't evolve at all, but I think this is hinting towards the more likable option.
 
What a boring episode, the only thing I enjoyed was Team Rocket's reaction to the trainer's Stufful, thinking Bewear was going to show up

Ulu's appearance was wasted
I agreed it was

But it doesn’t matter it so predictable that ash will loosen
 
Forgot to say, I love the bromance between Mokuroh and Junaiper (not least because it's Hayashibara/Miki <3)
It's a shame Hau's barely existed on-screen for us to get to enjoy this!
 
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Have to say, two things disappointed me:
  • Decidueye's Razor Leaf went from the custom quill variant to the general green energy version; that's just lazy. The whole point of the species is to attack with their arrow quills; I know we haven't seen it battle proper yet, but still.
  • Kukui's backstory with Guzma would be more meaningful if said flashback didn't feature them being the same age as they are now (with the same design nonetheless). Honestly, you'd be forgiven if you thought that scene occurred the night before Ash landed in Alola. It also makes Hala's involvement with the emotional affair of two grown men seem weird.
Those two things aside, I'm glad I got see my favorite starter animated in all its feathered glory. Hopefully next week won't be too disappointing with these quick, Kalos Summer Camp-esque 1v1's.
 
My live thoughts~

  • omg Lillie changing into her alt forme.....homegirl is ready to WIN this thing
  • saw my precious Hau in the intro.....he better be competing in this league cuz otherwise his appearance in that one episode will have been just totally rando
  • the boys going to the battlefield while the girls go to the shopping mall......smh such gender roles
  • TR wants to enter the league.....I’m shaking thinking about Jessie becoming a Pokémon Master before Ash ;)
  • LOL at someone else’s Stufful appearing and giving TR a heat attack....also Bewear better leave Jessie alone and let her win her Champion title :mad:
  • call me dumbly optimistic, but I think Ash might actually win this time...maybe because I think they’ve been setting things up for him to have a battle against Kukui and his Inceniroar
  • OMG HAU IS BACK....I literally predicted this, y’all
  • omg his Dartrix evolved too.....Hau might be the new Tobias about to win this thing out of nowhere....
  • Shaymin having plushes made in her honor...what an icon
  • Mao’s weird older brother is back.....woohoo?
  • I like how Mallow’s brother doesn’t even bat an eye at her having a Shaymin with her LOL
  • Team Skull better not be dumb and steal screentime away from plotlines I actually care about....
  • omg both Jessie and Gladio kicking Team Skull’s dumb behinds....how embarrassing for them
  • this team skull stuff is stupid and shouldn’t interfere with the league episodes, BUT....Plumeria IS an icon, I can’t deny that <3
  • if Guzma wins the league I might have to abstrain from watching Pokémon ever again lol :(
  • Principal Oak is competing.....Llima is competing.....this league is gonna have 30 million contestants by the looks of it
  • can Kukui stop living this double life as Royal Mask....like, he literally has an alter ego that his wife doesn’t even know about! Sociopath teas
  • A FREE-FOR-ALL??? What a mess....
  • if Jessie, James, Lillie, Mallow, or Lana doesn’t make it to the next round, I’m gonna personally sue the writers
 
If this would have been an update on Team Skull and Hau getting ready for the league, I'd probably have liked it more. It was nice to finally see Decidueye in action, and a more threatening Team Skull (even if they were actually disobeying Plumeria's orders). Team Rocket's part was fun too.

But as it stands, THE pre-league episode, it's meh. Gladion only appeared on screen for a few minutes and didn't interacted with Hau, Ilima didn't speak, Ulu was watered-down and everyone else but Oak was absent. What was the point of bringing back all the supporting cast if they are only going to appear in the battle?

And that Kukui/Guzma flashback leaves more questions than answers. It's nice that they were Hala's students, but..what were they trying to achieve with that? Also, did Guzma gave up because he actually hated Alola or it's just an excuse for his lack of strength because he lost a battle or something? If it's the latter, why didn't Kukui figured it out? Just when I started appreciating that he was finally being transparent about something...I wouldn't be surprised if we got a full version of the flashback when they battle, a few minutes before we stop caring. I don't see why the writers are afraid of making them friends since childhood and classmates in the Pokemon School.
 
They explained so little about Guzma's reasons to be a "rebel." He apparently hates traditions and Z-power, but there is still no rationale for that.
He hates the holier-than-thou attitude of people who keep shoving Alolan traditions down people's throats

just like the Dub vs Sub debate
 
Mao: "I can't believe you returned Alola yet not visit us."
Ulu: "Sorry about that. So sis, whatcha doin' since the last time?"
Mao: "I have seen the spirit of our dead mother. I think she finally forgave me for the terrible things I said to her. How you doing brother?"
Ulu: "Um...same as usual, I guess. Though, well, I'm no longer allowed to Melemele Island, for a very long time."
Mao: "Makes sense..."
 
While this episode, was not that bad for a league introduction, it felt a bit off. While the Guzma-Kukui was a nice backstory, in my opinion, it came too late.
That basically sums up the entirety of the third year of SM

Everyone's getting power-ups, evolutions, and character development that should've been done in Year 2 so they could use the last third to get them all on equal footing for the league
 
Please note: The thread is from 5 years ago.
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