Review JN007: The Hoenn Region, Site of Fierce Fights! The Battle Frontier Challenge!!

[ii kanji]

Would have been great to hear Battle Frontier in the episode about the Battle Frontier but alas...

 

[Pulsaro23]

Okay, so, after that all those summaries/previews of the episode, I was fully expecting to hate this and even considered skipping it, but after hearing that it's surprisingly not that bad, I decided to still give it a chance. And, after watching the episode, I have to say... it was still disappointing.

So, I'll get the good stuff out of the way. Ash's battle with Houji (ignoring the Mr. Mime shenanigans) was probably the best battle this series has featured yet. It was action-packed and pretty fast-paced, it had Ash use his famous out-of-the-box style of battling (including a nice call-back to his Electroweb-Iron Tail combination), it was well animated and, thankfully, it was longer than one minute (though I still think it was a bit too short for my tastes). It was also nice to see Ash take some initiative towards his goal to be Pokémon Master (which we know for a fact involves being a strong battler, even if the anime crew seems to have forgotten that) and see him to not just wish to fight in a tournament, but to actually see him register, participate in it and ultimately win it (plus, we got the debut of Sucker Punch; always nice to see old moves make their debut in the anime). Part of me does wish that we would see Ash go through some hardships and have him loose some battles form time to time, since that's what led to some amazing character development for his Pokémon and would show that, will great at battles, he still had a lot to learn (something that can be done even if he didn't go through a reset like in some of the past regions, like DP and XY have shown). But after seeing him be treated like dirt while Go takes the spotlight from him, I'll gladly take him getting to battle and win a serious tournament.

Onto the issues of this episode... where do I even begin? I guess the start of the episode would be a good place to start. The Mimey yoga scene felt pretty boring. I mean, yeah, it was there to showcase Mimey's kung fu abilities (speaking of, why the hell is kung fu being associated with a mime-inspired Pokémon? and why is Mimey interested in kung fu all of a sudden?), but they took just so much time that could've been spent on establishing Ash's desire to participate in a tournament in Hoenn. Plus, the scene of Metapod getting kick just made Skaruagi look like an idiot who can't tell the difference between a Pokémon and a rock in a serious situation (makes you wonder why Oak holds him in such high regards?). Then there's the fact that Ash, out of nowhere, knows about a tournament and signs himself and Go up for it. I know I said that I liked Ash being more proactive this episode than he's been this entire series, but would it have hurt to show where Ash got the idea of going to a Hoenn tournament from? You know, like how they used to do it in past series, where Ash and co. would see a poster or an ad for a competition or meet a COTD or even a recurring character who would tell them about a competition or be show to have been invited by the regional professor to a competition or etc.? Stuff like this added a bit of believability to the premise of the episode and added a little bit of worldbuilding to the anime.

And here we are at the first major issue of the episode: the debut of the Hoenn Battle Frontier. It feels so lackluster and wasted. Ignoring the fact that the Gen III Battle Frontier was established to be in Kanto, we're talking about one of the biggest locations in the games, a feature that players have been wishing to return for years... and all they do with it is use one of the facilities as the setting for a tournament that could've taken place anywhere in Hoenn. We don't get to see any Frontier Brains (which, on one hand, thank Arceus that they didn't have the Gen III brains appear, as that would've basically contradicted the AG series and could've even retconned the Kanto Battle Frontier arc out of existence, on the other hand, there was nothing stopping them from creating their own original Frontier Brains), no mention to Ash having gone through a Battle Frontier, no mention of symbols, no actual connection to the Battle Frontier outside of the name and the basic appearance, no anything. What was the point of using the Battle Frontier as the setting of a random tournament (and why name a 2v2 tournament after it) if you weren't gonna do anything with it? Feels like a very lazy (not to mention shallow and poor) attempt at fanservice (and not even the good kind of fanservice).

And then we move on to the second major issue of the episode: Mimey being Ash's second Pokémon. Like, what the kriff Ash? You have about 100 Pokémon that you've used before, 100 Pokémon that are just one phone call away, 100 Pokémon that have proven their worth to you and have tried their best to make you proud and make your dreams a reality, 100 Pokémon that are far more experienced and far stronger than your mother's Mr. Mime and, instead of choosing any of them, you go with a Pokémon that doesn't even belong to you? And Mr. Mime somehow managed to win its battle against Hariyama?! Yeah, it has the type advantaged, but wasn't it well established in the anime universe that the type chart isn't everything and that a Pokémon also needs to be experienced, well trained and good at battles in order to win, type advantage or not? Mimey has had no proper training prior to this episode. It has never been used in an actual battle prior to this episode. It hasn't even been shown to care about battling to begin with! Yet, it not only knows one of the strongest Fighting-type moves, but it's also strong enough and experienced enough to not only survive against a more experienced and stronger Hariyama, but also defeat it?! I'm sorry, but WHAT?! And don't you give me the kung fu excuse (speaking of, why the hell was that called kung fu when it's clearly just basic miming?!), that only explained its ability to dodge stuff, not its strangely powerfulness. And don't even get me started on it being turned into Detective Pikachu's Mr. Mime. Arceus, Mimey's now nothing more than an objectively worse version of Rowlet. Where did we go wrong?

Some other minor issues I had with the episode (in no particular order): Houji's face just looks... wrong. His overall design is actually pretty cool (I really dig the clothes and the pompadour hair)... but those eyes... and those teeth... it just felt like he was from a completely different anime. Moving on, there's the fact that Scyther got OHKO'd without getting to do anything (and before someone pulls a strawman, no, I'm not implying that Go should've won, I'm just saying that it would've been nice to see Scyther do more than just getting KO'd after a Swords Dance, since the previous episode gave the impression that Scyther is pretty strong (or, at least, stronger than the rest of Go's Pokémon)). Speaking of Go, gotta love how they keep on doubling down on his catching obsession, from him declaring that just throwing a ball at Pokémon is better than battling to him getting 4 new Pokémon relatively easy (3 of them having been caught off-screen)... sigh. Remember when characters had to work for their Pokémon captures? Remember when characters actually struggled to catch a Pokémon and how it would take them multiple episodes to catch something? Remember when catching and befriending a Pokémon was considered a huge achievement form a character? I 'member... sigh. There's also the fact that Crunch's "new" animation and how a bunch of magical energy fangs just appear out of nowhere to bite the opponent instead of just having the Pokémon's teeth glow white (to make them seem powered up/stronger) and it biting the target with its teeth. Pretty stupid change if you ask me, but that a problem that started with the Sun & Moon series? And, while we're on the topic, also wasn't a fan of Snarl's new animation. I think the original one was more

So, in conclusion, is this what one would consider Good Rat (or would Good Rattata be more apropriate?)? Unfortunately, the scientific verdict is no, it is not. Quite a shame. Obscure memes aside, for the first battle-centric episode of the series, this was very underwhelming. Mimey is just annoying and it being used instead of any other Pokémon is beyond stupid (and I really find it disgusting that Mimey's now officially considered part of Ash's team). The Battle Frontier appearing, yet noting related to the Battle Frontier being shown or alluded to (not even a mention of the Kanto Battle Frontier or the Frontier Brains) is disappointing. Go continuing to catch Pokémon even in episodes that aren't dedicated to catching Pokémon and him taking a decent amount of screen time form other, more interesting stuff is dull, depressing in a way and it's getting old really fast. If it weren't for Ash's battle being so good, this episode would've been irredeemably terrible. Despite this, I'd say it's probably the second best episode this series, just bellow the Lugia episode. Not that that's saying much, considering how the series' been going so far...

Anyways, sorry to be a negative nancy on this special day, so, to make up for it, let's end this with something a bit more positive, shall we: Happy New Year's Eve people! Hope you all have a wonderful year! Here's to a better decade for all of us! And here's to a hopefully better year for the Pokémon anime!

 

[nickdt]

Let me say i find it kinda funny we are still talking about this episode 2 days after it aired and not talking about the upcoming episodes, shows how they seem kinda boring already that we are done talking about those episodes already.

 

[Kurolegacy]

Let me say i find it kinda funny we are still talking about this episode 2 days after it aired and not talking about the upcoming episodes, shows how they seem kinda boring already that we are done talking about those episodes already.

Discussion in general with this series tends to be lacking given how little we get between summaries and episode content.

 

[KrspaceT]

Discussion in general with this series tends to be lacking given how little we get between summaries and episode content.

We also don't really have a frame to go with: in Sun and Moon we could guess at possible set up for SM ish plots (like Skull or Trials). Here...there is no direction we can discuss. Ash....technically doesn't have to do anything.

He's just as likely to end up in Shoal Cave as he is anywhere in Galar.

 

[sc190191]

I forget to mention about when Go caught Taillow, how he then called it out and didn't say a word to it. No "Nice to meet you, I'm Go", nothing about being friends with it or caring about it in any way shape or form, he was just ready to use his new slave to help him find Wurmple. Comparing this behavior to almost any trainer we have ever seen makes Go look unbelievably selfish and shallow. I would almost wonder if they were intentionally setting up up to be selfish so he could learn a lesson later, but the issue is that literally everyone approves of his selfish behavior. Its hard to imagine those writing/producing don't notice the stark contrast to past trainers, but I guess all that matters now is Pokemon Go.

 

[FinnishPokéFan92]

Lumiose Trainer Zac giving his two cents of the episode:


View: https://youtube.com/watch?v=YfxLCT0IGhA

 

[Kurolegacy]

We also don't really have a frame to go with: in Sun and Moon we could guess at possible set up for SM ish plots (like Skull or Trials). Here...there is no direction we can discuss. Ash....technically doesn't have to do anything.

He's just as likely to end up in Shoal Cave as he is anywhere in Galar.

Yea this series is so directionless at the moment that I’ve actually seen more discussion directed towards the fact that there’s no girl in the group than series content.

 

[Dahara]

If the anime was actually about the research lab more we could discuss those side characters and their personalities and maybe even have a girl in the group who was helping Satoshi and Go out on the support side of things to make their travels go more smoothly. But since the show is so laser focused so far on Satoshi and Go and pretty much nothing else, their duo dynamic is all people can talk about.

 

[Silktree]

I forget to mention about when Go caught Taillow, how he then called it out and didn't say a word to it. No "Nice to meet you, I'm Go", nothing about being friends with it or caring about it in any way shape or form, he was just ready to use his new slave to help him find Wurmple. Comparing this behavior to almost any trainer we have ever seen makes Go look unbelievably selfish and shallow. I would almost wonder if they were intentionally setting up up to be selfish so he could learn a lesson later, but the issue is that literally everyone approves of his selfish behavior. Its hard to imagine those writing/producing don't notice the stark contrast to past trainers, but I guess all that matters now is Pokemon Go.

Past trainers wouldn't let their Pokemon wander around pretty much freely the way Go does. The idea is that except for Scorbunny and Scyther, Go doesn't even give his Pokemon any commands and they can do whatever they want (he didn't force Pinsir to come to Hoenn). As a result, Go doesn't need to introduce himself (that would get old quickly), although his Pokemon obviously feel comfortable around him. Even Tailow rested on his shoulder, after searching for Wurmple without being told to do it.

I get that you'd rather see another conventional trainer, but you might want to judge Go through different lenses. It's a different kind of connection and he'll still build a regular team. I maintain that what Go is doing is better than sending dozens of Pokemon to Oak's after having bonded with them, only to barely visit them.

 

[PkmnTrainerV]

Past trainers wouldn't let their Pokemon wander around pretty much freely the way Go does.

He did it to get to Wurmple, and was pretty much on its tail the entire time.

Go doesn't even give his Pokemon any commands and they can do whatever they want (he didn't force Pinsir to come to Hoenn). As a result, Go doesn't need to introduce himself (that would get old quickly), although his Pokemon obviously feel comfortable around him.

Has any trainer forced a Pokemon to battle without it wanting to without it being depicted as unethical (clear slapsick ridiculous matchups aside)?

after searching for Wurmple without being told to do it.

Wasn’t it found out that it was just doing its thing looking for prey?

 

[Dahara]

So Go practices free range Poke-partnering? Eh, I would more liken him at the moment to the kid that gets a new litter of puppies in his house and promises to take responsibility for them. He is super excited at first about it, but quickly lets mom or dad feed them and take them for walks and essentially ignores everything a pet owner does. But they like him because he plays with them on occasion.

Satoshi is like someone who raises horses and enters them in high stakes races. Once they do well enough he sends them off to retire and be studs in breeding programs.

Which one is more heartless is the question here. The guy who takes the Pokes out of their natural habitat for shits and giggles and a momentary high and maybe some of them end up on a team later or the guy who deliberately uses the ones he catches to achieve something and then leaves them? I'm gonna say the former because at least the latter wants them to share in the glory, and if they actually get to relish in it or not depends entirely on how they perform in matches.

 

[Konja7]

I forget to mention about when Go caught Taillow, how he then called it out and didn't say a word to it. No "Nice to meet you, I'm Go", nothing about being friends with it or caring about it in any way shape or form, he was just ready to use his new slave to help him find Wurmple. Comparing this behavior to almost any trainer we have ever seen makes Go look unbelievably selfish and shallow. I would almost wonder if they were intentionally setting up up to be selfish so he could learn a lesson later, but the issue is that literally everyone approves of his selfish behavior. Its hard to imagine those writing/producing don't notice the stark contrast to past trainers, but I guess all that matters now is Pokemon Go.

I understand you don't like Go, but the "slave" thing is always part of Pokemon. Ash had caught Pokemon in more violent ways.

The "friendship" part still exists in Go's case. They clearly want to show that Go cares about his Pokemon (and his Pokemon care about him).

So Go practices free range Poke-partnering? Eh, I would more liken him at the moment to the kid that gets a new litter of puppies in his house and promises to take responsibility for them. He is super excited at first about it, but quickly lets mom or dad feed them and take them for walks and essentially ignores everything a pet owner does. But they like him because he plays with them on occasion.

Satoshi is like someone who raises horses and enters them in high stakes races. Once they do well enough he sends them off to retire and be studs in breeding programs.

Which one is more heartless is the question here. The guy who takes the Pokes out of their natural habitat for shits and giggles and a momentary high and maybe some of them end up on a team later or the guy who deliberately uses the ones he catches to achieve something and then leaves them? I'm gonna say the former because at least the latter wants them to share in the glory, and if they actually get to relish in it or not depends entirely on how they perform in matches.

Really? The latest seems more heartless.

Both takes Pokemon from his natural habitat. At least, the first leaves (most of) them alone quickly. The other uses them all he can before leavinh them.

 

[Panky..]

Really? The latest seems more heartless.

Both takes Pokemon from his natural habitat. At least, the first leaves (most of) them alone quickly. The other uses them all he can before leavinh them.

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear... this is laughably wrong on so many levels.

So you're telling me that a person who literally snatches a Pokemon from their natural habitat (he caught Kakuna while it was among its kind after "choosing" it) or only uses them for the purpose of some task (Taillow), just so he can fill up an entry on his phone that doesn't even state any info about that Pokemon, isn't heartless? You yourself state that he leaves them alone quickly, why even bother catching them in the first place if he was going to leave them alone and not interact with them in any positive/meaningful way? And why pull them out of their habitat only to dump them in a limited space surrounded by glass walls, what will essentially become a concentration camp (literally concentrated)?

And how is Ash bonding with his Pokemon, and only capturing most of his Pokemon if they show a desire to travel with him, heartless according to you? Unlike Gou, almost every one of Ash's Pokemon have character development, personality .etc. Even when he did catch them in Gou-style, they were either OS early installment weirdness or rare cases like Starly and Fletchling. In the latter case, he bonded with them both... they had character focused episodes and they became his best regional birds... I don't see every one Gou's Pokemon getting the same treatment, 1 out of every 10 seems a safe bet. Also, unlike Sakuragi's glass dome, Oak's ranch is a sprawling wilderness with separate sections tailored to types of Pokemon.

Your logic and perception is flawed. Either that, or you're grasping at straws to try and defend/justify Gou's actions.

Lumiose Trainer Zac giving his two cents of the episode:


View: https://youtube.com/watch?v=YfxLCT0IGhA

I honestly stopped taking Zac seriously after he gave the Rowlet v. Decidueye episode an "8 out of 10" and said "fight me".

Not to mention, him saying he enjoyed the way Gou captured all those Pokemon in the last episode.

 

[Konja7]

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear... this is laughably wrong on so many levels.

So you're telling me that a person who literally snatches a Pokemon from their natural habitat (he caught Kakuna while it was among its kind after "choosing" it) or only uses them for the purpose of some task (Taillow), just so he can fill up an entry on his phone that doesn't even state any info about that Pokemon, isn't heartless? You yourself state that he leaves them alone quickly, why even bother catching them in the first place if he was going to leave them alone and not interact with them in any positive/meaningful way? And why pull them out of their habitat only to dump them in a limited space surrounded by glass walls, what will essentially become a concentrated camp (literally concentrated)?

And how is Ash bonding with his Pokemon, and only capturing most of his Pokemon if they show a desire to travel with him, heartless according to you? Unlike Gou, almost every one of Ash's Pokemon have character development, personality .etc. Even when he did catch them in Gou-style, they were either OS early installment weirdness or rare cases like Starly and Fletchling. In the latter case, he bonded with them both... they had character focused episodes and they became his best regional birds... I don't see every one Gou's Pokemon getting the same treatment, 1 out of every 10 seems a safe bet. Also, unlike Sakuragi's glass dome, Oak's ranch is a sprawling wilderness with separate sections tailored to types of Pokemon.

Your logic and perception is flawed. Either that, or you're grasping at straws to try and defend/justify Gou's actions.

First, I was mainly referring to the phrase Dahara used "the guy who deliberately uses the ones he catches to achieve something and then leaves them?".

Second, you are applying real-life logic in a concept that has never been held that way. You should also mention that many of Ash's Pokemon (those who have not captured by force) leave their homes to follow him and help him, but he leaves them in a limited space at the end. That is still heartless.

Third, you dismiss events in OS, although this was how many (myself included) entered the anime. Not to mention that the anime never has said is wrong to catch Pokemon without befriending them first.



PS: In addition, I have the slight suspicion that if Ash were the one who captured Pokemon left and right, there would not be so many criticisms.

 

[Konja7]

Ash never catches them just to achieve something, the fact that he uses them to achieve something is coincidental and something his Pokemon are fully willing to help him with. Hell, some of his Pokemon even joined him so that they could become stronger. To him, Pokemon are like friends and family whereas Gou has clearly shown that to him, Pokemon are mere collectibles or tools to achieve those collectibles. Gou doesn't have any future goals for them in mind.

You'd be right if these were the games. But they're not... it's the anime and it makes the Poke-world feel realistic with Pokemon being sentient intelligent beings with their own personalities (and in some cases, vital to the ecology). Very rarely has Ash caught a Pokemon on a whim and even then he's done his best to make sure they feel at home with him. And have you seen how sprawling Oak's ranch area is? Go check SS001 again, that's hardly limited space especially compared to the glass dome concentration camp.

I dismiss OS-Kanto because of how weird it was overall. I mean, this is the same series that considered a Pokemon "knocked out" because it fell asleep due to Sleep Powder or if it was substituted. And you can't compare a series 20 years down the line to one that was just starting out.

Did you forget SM098 where Ash behaved in an OOC manner and tried to capture Rotom? Yeah, people were upset and disliked that episode as well so there's no Ash bias involved.

I'm pretty sure the writers want to show that Go really care about his Pokemon. As we see in this Episode.

The Dome is clearly big (and likely more than it seems). I really doubt the writers think it is different from Oak's ranch.


Unfortunately, I wasn't in this forum during SM, then I don't know that reaction. That said, the case of Rottom was somewhat different.

I am not so sure if the story gives Ash the role of catching Pokemon left and right (and they quickly become his friends after that), people will have so much problem.

 

[Pulsaro23]

Past trainers wouldn't let their Pokemon wander around pretty much freely the way Go does.

Uh-huh... except for all those times in the past series when Ash and co. would camp and send all of their Pokémon out and let them play around? Or how about the beginning of every Pokémon movie, where Ash and his friends let their Pokémon wonder around (which is used to show off their full teams)? Or how about the Pikachu shorts, who only happen because Ash and his friends let their Pokémon wonder around so freely that they end up on some weird adventures? Or how about Oak's Laboratory (that you seem to be despising so much), where Ash leaves his Pokémon there to relax, have fun and wonder around in the wilderness of the ranch? Seems to me that Ash and his past companions were pretty okay with letting their Pokémon play around and have fun for a while and weren't forcing them to just stay inside a Poké Ball until they have need of them.

The idea is that except for Scorbunny and Scyther, Go doesn't even give his Pokemon any commands and they can do whatever they want (he didn't force Pinsir to come to Hoenn).

When did past Pokémon trainers force a Pokémon to stay with theme whether it likes it or not? On the contrary, I remember very well how Dawn released her Pachirisu after catching it because she thought it would be better for it to stay in the wild, since she didn't think that she was doing that great of a job to train it. Meanwhile, the only times Go has left a Pokémon out of its ball (ignoring Scorbunny), outside of battles, is either when he gets to the Sakuragi Institute or when that Pokémon might lead him to another (the latter is the sole reason he called out his newly caught Taillow). So how exactly is Go's method better?

As a result, Go doesn't need to introduce himself

Really? He doesn't give them commands, so it makes sense for him to not even introduce himself to them and try to strike up a meaningful bond with them? How is barely interacting with them better than creating a more intimate bond between a trainer and their Pokémon?

although his Pokemon obviously feel comfortable around him. Even Tailow rested on his shoulder, after searching for Wurmple without being told to do it.

And isn't that kind of weird, that the Pokémon just accept him without any problem? That even Pokémon that are well established to be aggressive (and were even shown to be that way prior to their capture) are being friendly towards him? At least in the past, you could argue that them being defeated in battle would lead to them respecting their new trainer (an argument that's kind of supported by Ash's Snivy and how she was caught). And even then, stuff like Dawn's Buizle and Iris' Dragonite showed that even when caught, a Pokémon may still have trouble obeying its trainer and that the trainer would still have to work towards improving their relationship with that Pokémon in order to have it listen to them (even if the way it would be solved would be in a stupid way). But now, what exactly makes them obedient and be okay with a trainer catching them?

Third, you dismiss events in OS, although this was how many (myself included) entered the anime. Not to mention that the anime never has said is wrong to catch Pokemon befriending them first.

Well, you see, there's this trope called the Early Installment Weirdness that basically says that stuff that happens in the original run of a show that doesn't make sense and was eventually abandoned later down the line is excusable because it happened during the series' early days, back when it was trying to find its footing and the show runners would be experimenting to see what works and doesn't work. That's why people tend to be more... understanding of the OG series' flaws. It was the first series of the Pokémon anime and while it had a lot of inconsistencies and nonsensical moments ("Aim for the horn, Pikachu!"), some of the things it established were eventually retconned (like Double Battles being illegal, sleeping being considered the equivalent of a KO, Poké Balls teleporting to the regional Professor if the trainer had a full party etc.), people are well aware that it was the first of its kind, so they tend to forgive its flaws and accept that it was basically the foundation, the "prototype" if you will, for the anime.

In addition, I have a slight suspicion that if Ash were the one who captured Pokemon left and right, there would not be so many criticisms.

Well, somebody hasn't been around here for that long. Otherwise you'd know about the infamous Best Wishes series and how people disliked the fact that a lot of Ash's Pokémon barely got any screen time because he caught a lot more than the usual five. Or Gible, a Pokémon that Ash caught after building a full team, and how it barely got to do anything in the Sinnoh saga. But sure, don't let that stop you from making assumptions about what the detractors of the series would think, like all the other defenders have been doing so far.

 

[Panky..]

You know how unmotivated I am with regards to this series when you see how late my re-watching + review is. That, and my Steam library is packing thanks to the recent sales and taking up most of my time.

- Pros:

• The new rival or character of the day is really cool, both in design and personality. I really wish they don't throw him away, make him a recurring character instead but then again with all the squandered potential in this series so far, I won't hold out hope. He's intimidating, funny and a nice chap rolled into one, can't recall a rival of Ash's that had those characteristics in the past.
• I honestly admit that I felt some sort of sick pleasure when Gou got wiped across the floor by Houji. After the much undeserved and unwarranted method of success that he had in the last episode, it finally felt good to see him pegged down a notch and then run away like a sore loser. Still, him hating battles then suddenly watching and loving battles within the span of 10 minutes feels kinda off. It's like they're just jumping from plot point to plot point without proper cohesion.
• Ash and Pikachu are badasses. Nothing more really needs to be said about those two, they swept the competition in this tournament with Ash even showing us that he's still the same experienced trainer he's always been (we don't talk about BW in Wakanda). Glad to see some semblance of continuity strategy being used with that Electroweb-Iron Tail combination. Pros were kept a bit short because they were straightforward, now onto the issues with this episode.

- Cons:

• I honestly don't see the point of the first scene with the tai chi at all. Are they trying to show us that Gou is "bonding with his Pokemon"? Because that doesn't look like bonding with Pokemon in any meaningful way other than forcing it down the audience's throat. They could have used the screentime instead to have Ash find out about the tournament and explain what the Battle Frontier is to Gou instead of asspulling that portion. That, and the entire scene was unnecessarily slow and time wasting. Also, is Sakuragi that incompetent to not notice the difference between a rock and a bug type Pokemon? These "gags" are getting cheaper every time.
• Speaking of the tournament itself, this is one of the issues with this series in general. The "Battle Frontier" tournament could have been almost any generic filler tournament in any location in any freaking region. There was absolutely no reason to name it what they did other than bait advertising since there were no callbacks. Not even Scott's cameo as he's the brains behind the entire concept of the Battle Frontier. Also, the tournament itself is rushed but this is due to the "episodic" mindset of the series. I really hope future battles/tournaments are not crammed into single episodes and end up being rushed horribly.
• The writers had Ash bring Mimey to the tournament, why? Why out of all the reserves that are one call away, did they decide to write in Mimey as Ash's second without the said Pokemon ever having shown an interest in battling at all? At this point, it seems like the writers are saying "fuck you" to everyone who was expecting a fan favorite reserve. Yes, Mimey battled well (and then decide to chicken out) but it still feels like having the rug pulled out from under you to have it as the "surprise Pokemon". That, and the Detective Pikachu pandering is disturbing.
• Welp, Gou is continuing his path to villainy with his continued captures sprees. He captures Taillow only so that it could lead him to Wurmple, who he catches three off so that they evolve into the two separate lines. Seems very much like breeding in captivity which is quite controversial in real life as well. Also, writers didn't have Ash comment on Taillow with even a single passing line about his own, are they trying to make people forget about his reserves? If so, what's the point of keeping him as an experienced trainer and not rebooting the series at all?
• I'm about sick of seeing Ash attack unprovoked by Scorbunny followed by Pikachu shocking the wrong person. It was chuckle inducing the first two times but now it's just being played for the sake of a "gag". And who is to Koharu say that he "deserved" to be attacked because he pulled a Lana moment on Gou? I don't recall any of the SM cast or their Pokemon attacking Lana like a bunch of butthurts after she trolled them, it was all in good fun and they all took it like good sports.

- Extra:

• What's with "Kawaii" girls and their single fangs sticking out? It's present in most animes that I've watched till now. Is there also any way to mute Gou's Rotom phone and those annoying throw comments? I swear that voice actress is just trying to be obnoxious.
• I think I get the issues with the music now, it feels so monotone and recycled from the second episode, especially with the the region hopping. I was expecting to hear some of the infamous Gen 3 trumpet music in Hoenn but no... no variety in music at all.

Verdict: Welp, outside of Ash being a badass, this episode was disappointingly average. 6/10.

I used to make jokes about Gou being a monster, never being serious about it. Turns out that he is indeed becoming a monster of some sorts.

 

[nickdt]

Lol. Gou did a 180 instantly again, just like with Scorbunny. Seems like the writers cannot properly deal with this 'episodic' feel for the series yet.

 

[Daren]

I'm about sick of seeing Ash attack unprovoked by Scorbunny followed by Pikachu shocking the wrong person. It was chuckle inducing the first two times but now it's just being played for the sake of a "gag". And who is to Koharu say that he "deserved" to be attacked because he pulled a Lana moment on Gou? I don't recall any of the SM cast or their Pokemon attacking Lana like a bunch of butthurts after she trolled them, it was all in good fun and they all took it like good sports.

Yeah, I really hate the archtype they seem to be pushing Scorbunny into of the obnoxious jerk who gets away consequence free despite it straining credibility (Pikachu's a Legendary-level fighter and he can't hit Scorbunny?), and since this series loves running jokes into the ground I'm expecting to see this happening over and over for the next year at least. I'm also just annoyed at Ash's comic status being played up after XY made him so heroic at the end; for instance the official New Years image on the official Anipoke twitter shows Gou normal while Ash is running in terror from Yamper.
Ash tends to be punished more for his faults than everyone else; compare his league performance to Cameron, or this, or how when he got confident a few times an Elite Four member would show up to thrash him as a lesson.