XY 001 & 002 - Hour long special

[Sweet Veil]

Loved the animation, Bunnelby smacking Pikachu silly has got to be one of the more satisfying animated scenes in the anime right next to Axew sending Golett into orbit. I just really like how Clemont gets all shrewd after making Ash struggle and they go play the flashy glasses tropes well. That technique to block Thunderbolt was...amusing.

But the first two episodes seem like they'll go:

-Ash arrives in Kalos and runs for Gym.
-Rejected and saved by Clemont/Bonnie.
-Introduction.
-Meeting Sycamore and starters.
-TR foreshadowing.
-Ash battles Clemont.
-Rocket interruption.
-POV switch to Serena saying she can't wait to get her first Pokemon.
-Froakie save.
-Ash races with Froakie to Pokemon Center.
-Rockets control Garchomp.
-Everything goes to hell.
-Ash goes to play hero.
-Serena sees him on TV.
-Garchomp saved.
-She offers a hanky to him and goes to pick her Pokemon but plans to meet up with them again.

 

[Nymphia]

Loved the animation, Bunnelby smacking Pikachu silly has got to be one of the more satisfying animated scenes in the anime right next to Axew sending Golett into orbit. I just really like how Clemont gets all shrewd after making Ash struggle and they go play the flashy glasses tropes well. That technique to block Thunderbolt was...amusing.

But the first two episodes seem like they'll go:

-Ash arrives in Kalos and runs for Gym.
-Rejected and saved by Clemont/Bonnie.
-Introduction.
-Meeting Sycamore and starters.
-TR foreshadowing.
-Ash battles Clemont.
-Rocket interruption.
-POV switch to Serena saying she can't wait to get her first Pokemon.
-Froakie save.
-Ash races with Froakie to Pokemon Center.
-Rockets control Garchomp.
-Everything goes to hell.
-Ash goes to play hero.
-Serena sees him on TV.
-Garchomp saved.
-She offers a hanky to him and goes to pick her Pokemon but plans to meet up with them again.

The last part hasn't happened until episode 4 given magazine scans i believe.

 

[Satoshi Da Ze]

I thought on watching The Origin would make the wait seem less long... but it didn't help at all.

I might be getting my expectations way too high, but I have such high hopes for the new series for some reason...

 

[pnjfandubs]

Hmm... Since the episode will air in the US 2 days after the Japanese airing, that brings me to this question: is it actually possible for them to make English dubs in 2 days, or will Cartoon Network show the Japanese with English subtitles?

 

[YamiiDenryuu]

Hmm... Since the episode will air in the US 2 days after the Japanese airing, that brings me to this question: is it actually possible for them to make English dubs in 2 days, or will Cartoon Network show the Japanese with English subtitles?

TPCI gets the episodes and starts dubbing them long before they air in japan.

 

[pnjfandubs]

TPCI gets the episodes and starts dubbing them way before they air in japan.

How the heck do they do that? It only takes one week to animate a full-length TV series cartoon.

 

[1rkhachatryan]

So we have a new preview:

[video=youtube;7zDfLwGtEag]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zDfLwGtEag[/video]

It's showing off the starters.

Seriously how amazing is Froakie .

 

[SammyW27]

Should've said this a LOT sooner, but still feel like saying it:

Looks like the Saga's going to hit the ground running (though whether or not it can keep the momentum is another story)

 

[Adil]

I was only able to catch the last few scenes of the episode (thanks a lot, powercut) but Froakie is so badass!
No, Ash didn't capture Froakie in the first episode.

In the last scene, Froakie was badly hurt and Ash (holding Froakie), Bonnie and Clemont were heading to Sycamore's lab (I think)

 

[Rocket Messiah]

I was only able to catch the last few scenes of the episode (thanks a lot, powercut) but Froakie is so badass!
No, Ash didn't capture Froakie in the first episode.

In the last scene, Froakie was badly hurt and Ash (holding Froakie), Bonnie and Clemont were heading to Sycamore's lab (I think)

And what about our dear TR?

 

[sunyshore]

here is a quick summary since we'll all see it in a few days i don't feel i need to write it up too detailed, but feel free to ask any questions.

the episode started with serena's mom asking fletchling to go wake her. it pecks her (? its off screen, but she screams) and she yells at it not to wake her that way after chasing it around her room a bit. she says to herself she hopes something good will happen that day.

ash lands in kalos with alexa and wants to battle right away. alexa tells him her sister's gym is not in lumiose (where they landed) but she'll go call her to find out if she's in. as ash waits, mega blaziken jumps over his head. he rushes into the lobby of the airport to exclaim to alexa about this cool pokemon he saw outside. alexa just says he will see many new pokemon, and she's sorry, but her sister is not at the gym. ash is crushed and whines about wanting to get badges and how this time he's definitely going to win at league and be a pokemon master. alexa tells him there is a gym in lumiose city, and that it is the prism tower itself in the middle. they part ways and ash excitedly hurries to the tower.

when he arrives, clemont and bonnie are walking by it looking extremely despondent. they watch ash go in. inside, the monitor (speaking with clemont's voice) asks how many badges he has. when he says none, that this is his first gym in kalos, the monitor flips out and yells that this gym only accepts challengers with four badges! ash is electrocuted and then shot down a tube and out of the tower. as he falls, clemont and bonnie rush to catch him. clemont uses his backpack, which inflates into a cushion, to save ash, and bonnie catches pikachu.

bonnie is extremly excited about pikachu, showing it to clemont and then hugging it so tightly it shocks her. clemont worriedly asks if she is okay, and she jumps right up laughing. he tells her not to do things like that, and she argues that she wanted to be its friend, looking stubborn. when clemont says pikachu obviously hated it, she apologizes to ash and pikachu. then ash complains the gym evicted him, and tells clemont the gym leader must be a big jerk. bonnie jumps in front of her brother and warns ash the gym leader is very strong. both bonnie and clemont seem surprised that the gym electrocuted ash.

they introduce themselves to one another, and ash asks clemont if he is gathering badges also. clemont and bonnie act flustered, and bonnie jumps in to say they are going to start. ash says it must be nice to have a sibling. bonnie says he has pikachu, though, and clemont explains bonnie has no pokemon and is very excited about having them one day. ash asks clemont what sort of pokemon he has. clemont seems flustered again and says he has one he caught recently. they agree to battle, and begin to battle clemont's bunnelby versus ash's pikachu. froakie, who was also seen by the tower, is watching.

bunnelby surprises ash by being very good at avoiding electric attacks, and clemont is impressed at how ash battles. the two are pretty evenly matched until team rocket shows up and interrupts. clemont is impressed meowth can talk, but ash tells him no, these are bad guys after pikachu. TR rants about being not after only pikachu, but other strong pokemon, and taking over kalos. jessie sends wobbuffet out to try to catch pikachu, and it uses mirror shot to hurt pikachu pretty badly. clemont tries to help but wobbuffet avoids bunnelby's mud shot easily to mirror shot pikachu again, only froakie jumps in and takes the hit. it then uses the bubbles from around its neck to disable wobbuffet and TR is blasted off again by the three pokemon.

froakie is hurt and there is no trainer in sight. ash asks where the closest pokemon center is, and bonnie says sycamore's lab is closest. they all hurry towards the lab with froakie.

TO BE CONTINUED!


i really loved this episode, and clemont and bonnie and serena all had very vivid personalities. clemont is obviously deeply conflicted about something? and showed extreme respect to his pokemon (something he does in the game also). bonnie kept speaking for him and answering questions clemont had been asked. ash doesn't yet know he is a gym leader and it's not clear why clemont has his gym set up to expel people that way when it obviously upsets him to see it happen. no hint on why he leaves the gym either.

my friend got some screenshots, but they are all clemont, sorry! Photo Album - Imgur

 

[Gabo2oo]

Serena in pajamas is like... the most kawaii character design I've ever seen in Pokémon...

I believe her introduction will be like the one in the games, since Fletchling attacks her.
Edit: Well, according to sunyshore's summary, her introduction is like the one in the games. I loved the To Be Continued image style. I was getting tired of the same hand-painting imitation we've gotten the past few years.

 

[Adil]

Gin, thanks for the review =)

the episode started with serena's mom asking fletchling to go wake her. it pecks her (? its off screen, but she screams) and she yells at it not to wake her that way after chasing it around her room a bit. she says to herself she hopes something good will happen that day.

Wait... Isn't that how the XY games start? If so, I'm glad they did it.

Bonnie looks so cute in that pic with her fangirling over Pikachu.
Also, Clemont is kind of funny. When they were taking Froakie to the lab, he had the same expression on his face as he had when Ash was falling down. Digging the character so far.

The series is off to a good start.

 

[sunyshore]

Gin, thanks for the review =)

the episode started with serena's mom asking fletchling to go wake her. it pecks her (? its off screen, but she screams) and she yells at it not to wake her that way after chasing it around her room a bit. she says to herself she hopes something good will happen that day.

Wait... Isn't that how the XY games start? If so, I'm glad they did it.

Bonnie looks so cute in that pic with her fangirling over Pikachu.
Also, Clemont is kind of funny. When they were taking Froakie to the lab, he had the same expression on his face as he had when Ash was falling down. Digging the character so far.

The series is off to a good start.

it was even more of a game-like intro than you can imagine, with fletchling flying up the stairs with the camera following it. it was really great!

clemont was better than even i imagined and i was already a big fangirl. i loved dento as well, but he never really did anything important, nor made any progress. i can already sense clemont is going to have a serious goal and make immense progress and be a very deep character, with bonnie claiming the joke sidekick role. if the games are an indication, clemont might be conflicted about how to respect pokemon and enjoy their company while also being a gym leader who is supposed to be strong (which in the games is something he denounces). so we shall see. my hopes are sky high, but tentatively, since this is the pokemon anime, crusher of hopes and dreams.

 

[Adil]

it was even more of a game-like intro than you can imagine, with fletchling flying up the stairs with the camera following it. it was really great!

clemont was better than even i imagined and i was already a big fangirl. i loved dento as well, but he never really did anything important, nor made any progress. i can already sense clemont is going to have a serious goal and make immense progress and be a very deep character, with bonnie claiming the joke sidekick role. if the games are an indication, clemont might be conflicted about how to respect pokemon and enjoy their company while also being a gym leader who is supposed to be strong (which in the games is something he denounces). so we shall see. my hopes are sky high, but tentatively, since this is the pokemon anime, crusher of hopes and dreams.

Hmm... Good to know.

I am even more excited now... Writers, please do not disappoint me.

 

[Jukain]

Interesting...Pika hasn't been gimped...yet. Wobba is a pretty unfair opponent, so I might let that slide. Confirmed Froakie is not the same one at Sycamore's lab, maybe. (should've been obvious perhaps) I'm unsure what Clemont is up to, especially since now the anime can change the role of characters from the game. None of this really indicates a change of any form to me, though. It doesn't sound all happy and patronizing. Perhaps it will be more clear seeing it in person.

 

[1rkhachatryan]

...how did you guys watch it early??

 

[Galar Adventurer]

...how did you guys watch it early??

There was a pre screening as well as a special sneak peek of only episode 1, airing in various malls in Japan.
(Or something like that...)

 

[Necrozma]

Here's what I believe: (this is just speculation)

Clemont and Bonnie looked very disappointed and unhappy prior to Ash meeting them so my guess is they were kicked out of the gym or were forced to leave it for some reason. Why else did they look so unhappy? That seems fishy to me. I also believe Clemont has no electric types with him because he has lost them along with his gym leader status before he was kicked out. That is why he's not shown with any other electric types of his own. I'm guessing this will be kept a secret until Ash actually gathers 4 badges and heads for the Prism Tower gym battle. But I'm really intrigued by this mystery.

 

[SlimeStack]

Episode 1 is officially streamed online on niconico. It requires a premium account to watch though.

歌に！トークに！ポケモンバトル！ポケモンアニメＸＹ第１話超試写会＆生LIVE祭り@ニコファーレ - 2013/10/14 18:30開始 - ニコニコ生放送 (actual episode starts at about 1:13:30)

The animation was absolutely gorgeous. I'm loving the updated art style and I love all the little new design choices like the multicolour overlay thing that's replaced the sketch look on the To Be Continued screens and also things like the VS screen for Ash and Clemont. TR's motto footage was also the prettiest I've ever seen, and TR themselves were great. Acting in-character while at the same time putting up a decent battle.

Ash seemed very full of life in this episode. He wasn't really acting any different to normal but it was just nice seeing him genuinely excited to see new people and places instead of him kinda plainly saying "The thing I see in front of me is awesome." Clemont, Bonnie and Serena were also very full of life. I'm very excited to see how the cast work together once they unite.

I think Clemont has gotten kicked out of his gym too. He seemed down at the start, he hesitated when he was asked what Pokémon he had indicating that he may have lost access to his electric type gym team and he hesitated again when asked if he has looking for badges. They also seemed surprised that the gym electrocuted Ash, which might mean Clemont has been replaced with a harsher gym leader. I'd totally be up for a story about reclaiming his lost gym!