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Review SM141: Final Battle! Satoshi VS Kukui!!

I watched the DP series only once, and I don't remember many things about the series like in an instant. But man, I just watched the three parter Ash vs. Paul battle again and I can't help but think how come the producers went from there to here. It's not like the battles in Alola League are unbearably horrible or anything, but what stops them from writing such intense battles now, if they succeeded in the past anyway? It's not like they have to do it so often, it's like once in every three years anyway.

The reason Ash vs. Alan in the Kalos league didn't feel as intense as Ash vs. Paul was mostly because of the build-up through four years in the series with the two balancing each other in different ways and having a past with many conflicts, in which each can be right in their own way which is something Ash and Alan didn't have back in Kalos saga. Obviously also the history of Infernape with Paul helped us understand why it was more than just a league battle for them. Also their ideals weren't crashing like Ash and Paul's did. But Alola setting was in one place and the writers had the world's time to make deep build-up between Ash and Gladion, but also they could have used this time for Ash and Hau. Due to Torracat and Incineroar, Ash and Kukui also had all the opportunities to make a build-up in a friendly fire way all this time, and it was even easier since they are literally living under the same roof. Not being a competent series isn't a good excuse for me.
 
Back again to dish out my thoughts on this week’s episode :D

  • we start out the episode with Kukui’s lying ass finally being exposed...hope Burnet makes him sleep on the couch for 3 weeks for being such a liar >:)
  • of course she just has heart eyes for him.....rolls eyes Like I’m sorry y’all, but don’t be like Burnet. If your man has a secret alter-ego that he keeps from you for months on-end, dump him!...or at least make him beg for forgiveness...
  • gonna ignore the ridiculous writing of everyone just turning a blind eye to Kukui being a pathological liar...
  • Lana calling Ash and Kukui father & son was kinda cute; he’s basically the first father figure Ash has ever had in his life!
  • what is Faba wearing....somebody alert the fashion police
  • wondering if they’re gonna evolve Torracat in these last few episodes...leaning towards ‘probably not’, but it’s a possibility that stuck out to me
  • Kukui and Burnet are a cute couple if you can get past all the LYING....they have some cute shippable moments...and now I’m thinking back to their wedding episode ;(
  • Pikachu really thought he was up first...how embarrassing :0
  • OMG they remembered that Ash’s mom loved Litten from that episode 30 years ago <3

  • battle begin....Torracat vs. Inceniroar
  • Inceniroar being able to pinpoint Torracat’s exact location while it was running 80 mph...that’s what I call some riggage right there
  • Torracat absorbing the blast burn....ICONIC, you go, you little fire kitty!!!!
  • I am very, very sad that Torracat got burned :(, but it was smart of Ash to recall him...
  • now it’s Lycanroc vs. Inceniroar....I’m predicting a loss for Lycanroc cuz there’s no way they’re letting anybody besides Torracat take Inceniroar down
  • Kukui decides to retreat Inceniroar...sending out Braviary in its place....which is a bad match-up against Lycanroc, no? Weird choice...
  • the episodes ends with all 12 Pokémon still in play LOL...this is gonna be a really drawn out battle, but I also suspect it’s gonna be one of the best 6 vs. 6 battles in the series’ history

- omg I spotted an Empoleon in the teaser for next week!!! One of my favorite pokes <3
 
What exactly in the scans proves that SM144 will be the same battle? Just curious.
Tapu Koko joining as a battle partner for Kukui, there being no clue of a Pikachu matchup, and literally nothing indicating otherwise?

Sure, it could be a different battle, but the more reasonable assumption is that it’s the same battle.
 
Translation by Dephender, serebii
SATOSHI HAS WON THE ALOLA POKÉMON LEAGUE!!
You did it, Satoshi! After making his way to the finals of the Alola Pokémon League, he fought Gladio. Winning that super intense battle resulted in the name "Satoshi from Masara Town" to be forever engraved in the history of Alola!

His first league win after so many years!!

The Pokémon he used were these 5!

Pikachu
Nyaheat
Mokuroh
Lugarugan (Dusk Form)
Melmetal

He stands on the top for the first time after seizing his fully poweredstrength in all the matches!!
Various friends Satoshi had encountered before entered were participating in the tournament as well. One of them was Gladio, an extraordinarily skilled Trainer he ultimately faced in the finals. Satoshi achieved his first ever league victory in this fully powered battle he put everything he had learned in Alola into!

Satoshi and Gladio fought a good battle.Their two Lugarugan were on fire as well!

A DIGEST OF ALL OF SATOSHI'S MATCHES IN THE ALOLA POKÉMON LEAGUE!
Round 1:

O Satoshi - X Sauboh
Meltan - Sleeper
Meltan loves eating metal, and ended up biting into Sleeper's coing and melting it completely! Meltan then took the opportunity while the opponent was in a state of shock to finish it off with Flash Cannon for the win.
Round 2:
O Satoshi - X Hau
Mokuroh - Junaiper
It looked like Mokuroh got defeated after taking Junaiper's Sky Attack. However, it turnedout to just be sleeping, so the match continued. Mokuroh then snatched a comeback victory with Brave Bird.
Semifinals:
O Satoshi - X Guzma
Nyaheat - Hassam
Pikachu - Gusokumusha
Nyaheat defeated Hassam, but then got beaten by Gusokumusha, leaving the score at 1-1. Pikachu then somehow managed to land the win using, among other things, the Z-Move Sparking Gigavolt.
Finals:
O Satoshi - X Gladio
Melmetal - Silvady
Pikachu - Zoroark
Lugarugan (Dusk Form) - Lugarugan (Midnight Form)
Pikachu won against Silvady, which had defeated Melmetal. Its fight against Zoroark then ended in a draw, and the match ended with a fight between two Luraugan. Satoshi won a dramatic victory by managing to Counter the Counter!

A SUMMARY OF THE RESULTS OF ALL SATOSHI'S PRIOR POKÉMON LEAGUES:
Satoshi has kept challenging Pokémon Leagues in various regions. Here is a presentation of the results and the Pokémon that fought alongside him in them.
Sekiei Tournament:
Top 16
Pokémon: Pikachu, Zenigame, Lizardon
Jouto League:
Top 8
Pokémon: Kentauros, Heracros, Betbeton, Bayleaf, Kabigon, Lizardon
Houen League:
Top 8
Pokémon: Onigohri, Cotoise, Heigani, Ohsubame, Juptile, Pikachu
Sinnoh League:
Top 4
Pokémon: Pikachu, Goukazaru, Mukuhawk, Buoysel, Dodaitose, Glion
Isshu League:
Top 8
Pokémon: Gantle, Mijumaru, Chaoboo, Pikachu, Kenhallow (female), Tsutarja
Kalos League:
Runner-up
Pokémon: Pikachu, Onvern, Luchabull, Fiarrow, Numelgon, Gekkouga



SINCE SATOSHI WON THE LEAGUE HE GOT TO BATTLE ROYAL MASK
or at least that was what was supposed to happen, but...?!


Since Satoshi won the League, he got to have a battle against Royal Mask as a special treat! Satoshi greatly admires Royal Mask, and now he finally gets to have an all-out battle with him... or so he thought?!

Satoshi was given the victory trophy by Royal Mask. His identity has always been shrouded in mystery, but now it's finally revealed!

ROYAL MASK'S TRUE IDENTITY WAS PROFESSOR KUKUI, JUST AS WE THOUGHT!
Alola's superstar was Professor Kukui in disguise! Satoshi and the others were shocked by this revelation!
Professor Burnet was a huge fan of Royal Mask, and he actually turned out to be her own husband! She might be the world's most surprised woman ever?!



THE STRONGEST SQUAD EVER?! PROFESSOR KUKUI'S POKÉMON:
A super heavyweight squad that, amazingly enough, consists entirely of fully evolved Pokémon! This is Professor Kukui we're talking about, so we wouldn't be surprised to learn that he's trained them all just as well as Gaogaen!

IF SATOSHI WINS AGAINST THIS OPPONENT, HE'LL BE THE TRUE CHAMP OF ALOLA!
Satoshi has finally earned the right to challenge the strongest Trainer in Alola, Professor Kukui!!

RUN WITH THE MOMENTUM FROM THE LEAGUE VICTORY!!
The Ultra Beast Agoyon joins the team alongside the 5 that won the league! Show us what you've learned in Alola!



WHO WILL WIN?! A 6-ON-6 FULL BATTLE!!
This full battle won't just be decided by type matchups, but also by overall strength! We've taken a look at each Pokémon's peculiarities!

SATOSHI'S POKÉMON:
AGOYON
(this is the one to pay attention to!): The Ultra Beast Bevenom has evolved into a trustworthy Pokémon! It's helping out in order to pay Satoshi back from saving their world!
Bevenom was of course emotionally attached to Satoshi, but also to Pikachu.
PIKACHU: The Z-Moves it's learned in Alola are extraordinarily powerful! The soulmate duo of Satoshi and Pikachu can take on any opponent!
MELMETAL: The tiny Meltan evolved into this super powerful Pokémon! We expect this heavyweighter will soon give us an even match with Professor Kukui's Pokémon!
LUGARUGAN (DUSK FORM): Lugarugan has grown little by little as it's been with Satoshi. We'd like to see it keep up the good work from the finals!
MOKUROH: Normally just sleeps all the time, but delivers when it counts! It's extremely reliable when it actually gets serious!
NYAHEAT: The destined rival of Professor Kukui's Gaogaen! This decisive match is certainly when it will finally gets its win!

PROFESSOR KUKUI'S POKÉMON:
GAOGAEN
(this is the one to pay attention to!): Professor Kukui's partner, which has just as strong a bond with him as Pikachu does with Satoshi. Both its power and speed are top class!
It's super famous all across Alola as Royal Mask's partner!
FUSHIGIBANA: Being the final evolved form of Fushigidane, it's a Grass/Poison type. It's just as much of a heavyweighter as Gaogaen.
WARRGLE: Profssor Kukui's partner that helped him fight the Rocket Gang and protect Professor Burnet!
EMPERTE: Takes pride in its incredible toughness, which allows it to swim all over the world researching ocean currents. Its Metal Claw is super powerful!
LUCARIO: The Wave it guides throughout its entire body before unleashing can even smash huge boulders! It specializes in the moves Close Combat and Dragon Pulse.
WHAT IS PROFESSOR KUKUI'S 6TH POkÉMON?!
A Full Battle is 6 on 6. Look forward to learning who the final Pokémon is from the episode itself!

The fierce fight between Satoshi and Professor Kukui airs October 6th, 13th and 20th! Don't miss it! (airdate and -time depends on your region)

Interesting they showed us how Ash did in the previous leagues
 
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For something that was supposed to focus on the beginning of the Sun & Moon series' first ever Full Battle (somehow, I can't believe that it's taken them this long to do one, but I can, both at the same time... ... ... don't know if that makes any sense to any of you), as well as be the start of the culmination of the Manalo Conference arc, this episode was mediocre and somewhat unimpressive.

The scene of Ash training with Melmetal was a good early moment that actually kind of reminds me of some of Ash's previous League battles (with him training with some of his Pokémon before an important match) and it was a great way to explain the big nut potentially doing better in this battle than in its previous one, but the moment was definitely drawn-out, thanks to it also partially focusing on characters getting dizzy from spinning for the usual dose of shallow comedic purposes. That pre-battle moment between Kukui and Burnet was kind of pointless, since it didn't really expand on their relation and character in any meaningful way, outside of showing that Burnet has no hard feelings on Kukui and reconfirming that she had no clue that her husband was secretly her waifu (or is it husbando? I forget) this entire time (which really makes her look kind of dumb for a professor, especially considering this little moment from the past). Though I did enjoy that short moment of Kukui and Incineroar prepping for their battle by meditating; that was kind of cool. And so, in true Sun & Moon fashion, it took about half of the episode to get to the thing that the episode was supposed to focus on. Sigh, I miss the days of DP, when stuff like this would focus more on highlighting the relationship between them and showing off their character and development, while also taking just a little over 5 minutes, thus giving proper focus and screen time to the actual thing that the episode should focus on: the characters battling.

As for the main event, the battle was okay (though, as a "finale" of a league, it was lackluster). It was off to an interesting start, by showing Torracat's fire-bell ringing, so as to showcase its fiery determination and its burning spirit and (hopefully) tease something important that may happen, though this was also stretched-out y showing way to many people reacting to it without adding anything to the scene (I still don't get what the point was of focusing on Turtunator and Marowak's reactions to it). Torracat was great during the battle (though I did find Ash and Torracat overusing Flame Charge to get stale fast), but, surprisingly (or not, if you think about it) those attacks still weren't enough to seriously hurt Incineroar. Good that they're consistent regarding Incineroar's overpower-ness, I guess? Which, speaking of, something I actually really loved in this episode regarding Incineroar and his OP-ness is the fact that the writers actually explained it, by having Kukui explain in a short scene/flashback that Incineroar generally fights multiple opponents at once, which means that it's used to covering its blind spots (see, writers, it's not that hard and time consuming to have something make sense in your show by providing a short and to the point explanation that makes sense). Kukui order Incineroar to use Blast Burn, which, aesthetically, I think this version of Blast Burn looks inferior compared to its previous animation (and it doesn't even look closer to the current in-game animations, so they don't even have that excuse), which seems to be a running trend in SM. Personally, if they were gonna have a powerful long-range Special Fire-type move be used, I think Overheat would've been a better move to give Incineroar. Torracat absorbing the Blast Burn was an exciting surprised... that was almost immediately soured by the fact that the writers did nothing with it and, instead, spent an entire minute and a half on showing people's reactions to it, which kind of ruined the pacing of the match (and also led to Torracat more or less overloading itself). And then we get about another minute of standing around and pointless reactions regarding Torracat's smoking bell that continue to keep the action to a halt.

This (eventually) led to Torracat getting called back and Ash sending Lycanroc... and not much can be said about the match after that. Lycanroc used a Stone Edge shard like a dagger, which seems to be a callback to Krokorock's battle against Beartic (which, if that's the case, it's a nice callback). The move causes Kukui to recall Incineroar. He calls out Braviary. And just he uses Rock Slide, que the "To be continue...".

Overall, kind of a mediocre episode that takes a little too long to get to the main course, with the main event being whelming for a normal Pokémon battle (especially in this series), but underwhelming for a battle that's supposed to be a highly important climax to the Alola League (though, in fairness, the next episode seems to be stepping it up (outside of Rowlet being Rowlet during an important match again)).

And, with that, I saved the thing that I absolutely despise about this episode (and the previous episode, too) for last: the Masked Royal's unmasking. Short story, it's terrible and I hate it. Long story, here's a rant about why I think that this whole subplot is now a disaster:
This has got to be the worst "secret identity revealed" plots I've ever seen. After months of build-ups and set-ups regarding the Masked Royal stuff . And this episode just further ruins the subplot. Besides the fact that the first few minutes of the episode seem to imply that Kukui just stood there at the docks like an idiot after his mask was blown off by the wind (which I really can't stress out enough how stupid of a decision that is) instead of actually trying to hide before everyone came looking for him and realized that he's the Masked Royal (which, again, it's implied that no one, not even the Aether Foundation guys, who have cameras throughout the stadium, meaning that could've found this out at end of previous one instead of the beginning of the new one, noticed that his mask was missing), the fact that this episode confirms that not only did he have no reason to hide his wrestling persona, but that there was no reason to at all (as there seem to be no consequences, no repercussions, no negative effects on his life regarding his unmasking (on the contrary, it's actually shown that him being unmasked is a good thing)), makes all of that drama surrounding the secret identity, all of his struggles to keep it a secret, all of the build-up and development regarding that particular subplot, all of it completely inconsequential. Turns out, he had no need to hid his Battle Royal life (nor did he have any), as now the whole world knows about it and he isn't shown to be concerned about it or act like something bad will happen now that the Litten is out of the bag or something along those lines. All of the previous instances of him being unable to deal with something related to his Masked Royal persona because he's with people who know him and would find his sudden disappearance suspicious are now render completely meaningless. Why didn't he just reveal that he's the Masked Royal whenever he was in his casual clothes? He clearly had no reason to keep it a secret (since he never explains himself), so revealing it whenever his wrestling persona was needed would've saved him a lot of headaches. And then there's the fact that him not having a reason for his little charade makes him look like a complete douche. Remember taht episode when Burnet was having a conflict between her love for MR and her feelings towards Kukui? Well, now that we know that Kukui wouldn't face any kind of problems if his identity was made public, he could've just told her that he's not only her husband, but also her husbando. But, instead of doing the sensible thing, he instead left her to go through that torture and torment. And for what?

But the thing that actually makes me hate this scene with a passion are my personal tastes and feelings. This kind of slimy writing tricks, where I'm led to believe that this plot will go somewhere, only for the writer to pull the carpet from under my feet and be like "hahahah, gotcha lul" kriffing annoys the hell out of me. I'm tired of this bull$!@#, where I'm led to believe that a plot will have an interesting resolution only to have my expectations subverted and being given the stupidest piece of **** one could imagine. It just feels like I'm being slapped and spit in the face for expecting something good. Not only that, but the way his unmasking is done makes it look like one of SM's garbage-tier jokes! I swear to God, SM's """"""comedy"""""" (and I use that term very loosely, if you couldn't tell) is the antithesis of storytelling; it's just there to break the plot and ridicule its characters at the expense of a small, quick laugh and as someone who's been gaining a huge interest in writing and storytelling for a couple of years now, I find it disgusting and deplorable! This moment alone made me want to be overly harsh on this episode and the past one as well and call it all kinds of things (none of them good), but I realized that it wouldn't be fair, so I decided to take some time off from the review to celar my head a little and be more fair and unbiased to this episode. But I'd be lying if I said that this moment didn't make me hate this episode (and the previous one as well) and didn't make me want to be as negative and harsh as humanly possible.

EDIT: Apparently triple asterisks = italics + bold. Noted.
 
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