Review XY001: We've Arrived in the Kalos Region! The Beginning of Dreams and Adventures!! ・ XY002: Mega Evolution and the Prism Tower!

[Paulisthebest]

Did Mega Blaziken use Giga Impact to save Ash and Pikachu?

 

[Hellwarden]

I know there's a lot to talk about, but can we....can we stop to appreciate that X and Y just started, and Ash has already jumped onto a goddamn rampaging dragon shark, not to hurt, but to save it.

Yes, YES. That's what I want from my Pokemon anime guys.

Also, did anyone else find the way Froakie quietly waited for Ash to catch him, even supplying the Pokeball, oddly adorable?

 

[ii kanji]

WOW.

I have to admit that my expectations were ridiculously high and I was 99% sure that the episodes couldn't match them.
BUT I WAS WRONG!!!!!!

Eureka is just brilliant! She actually seemed to be written like, ya know, a little girl. I wasn't expecting this at all. (Obviously Citron's awesome, I expected no less.) Satoshi was written just perfect IMO - he had his loveable personality and all but he was also competent and it was believable that this guy's travelled across numerous regions and been in as many leagues. I'm sure I don't need to expand on why I'm happy with Musashi, Kojiro and Nyasu.
:202:

It goes without saying that the animation was top notch. I don't expect them to keep this up, but even if the episodes were animated to half the standard these ones were then it'll be an improvement on some of the utter shit we've had to put up with burning into our retinas. I also loved the music, especially that lovely piano/strings version of the original pokemon centre theme. Is it a new one or just one I haven't heard before?

But basically - 3 cheers for XY and keep up the good work please powers that be!!!!

 

[Kairyu]

I cannot describe the feeling....! After three years of the exact same stock footage of Thunderbolt, Iron Tail, Electroball and Quick Attack we finally got new versions! YAY!

 

[NeoMiniTails]

I love that episode! Except I didn't like the way Serena's mother looked (I wasn't expecting her to look this way). Bonnie was so cute and is not at "annoying little kid" zone. I love Clemont, he's very smart and handsome. I love how was caring enough to carry his sister's and Ash's bags even if it hurted himself. I loved how Bonnie grabs onto Clemont in fear and Clemont grabs her and comforts her (aww what protective brother, he's just like a mother animal). Poor Clemont gets too hot/tired easily. I think I became a Clemont fangirl!!!

I actually thought her mother was quite pretty, but I agree about Clemont's design. They made him very nice looking; the voice acting helped too... I loved Clemont and his sister.... I thought that I wouldn't like them.... I assumed he'd be this season's Dent/Brock and she would be Max of the season... so far, I am gladly wrong.

Serena is so hot to me!! lol... I'm a fanboy for her. lol...

 

[Gabo2oo]

Why doesn't Ash's Froakie have a page yet on BUlbapedia?

Admins are busy adding information about the games, while we regular users are locked to editing. My fingers have been itching for weeks now.

 

[NeoMiniTails]

I know there's a lot to talk about, but can we....can we stop to appreciate that X and Y just started, and Ash has already jumped onto a goddamn rampaging dragon shark, not to hurt, but to save it.

Yes, YES. That's what I want from my Pokemon anime guys.

Also, did anyone else find the way Froakie quietly waited for Ash to catch him, even supplying the Pokemon, oddly adorable?

It was strangely very adorable... like a furby trying to play catch... =_= It was so ugly that it was cute!

 

[Almonds]

I finally got to see it!

- Citron is my favorite character out of the two-parter, and hopefully, he will stay that way I'm not saying that because I have a thing for meganes His personality and voice were all very nice, and the fact he was Ash's first opponent in Kalos was a good part since we got to see Ash NOT being reset.

- Actually, not stating Ash's age, and Ash not being reset was a huge plus for me. Since Citron is obviously not a rookie trainer (I don't know his current status in the anime, but assuming he is a gym leader from the start), it was nice to see Ash being on par with someone experienced

- Another actually... but it felt as if Citron was testing Ash's battle skills...? cool o.o

- Ninja frog ftw. Froakie was so cute using his foam to cover his head XD and I went d'aaaaaaawwwwwwwwwwwwwww when Froakie pushed a pokeball to Ash, showing how he wanted to travel with him <3

- Minor, but it was nice to see Sonansu back - and Musashi actually using him in a battle XDD I can't remember when was the last time we saw a proper Mirror Coat from Sonansu.

- The graphics, animation was nicely done. dem CGs 0.0 I feel like that guy in the games that always says, "TECHNOLOGY IS INCREDIBLE!"


- PROFESSOR SYCAMORE <3 is it just me, or his assistants are all female

 

[Paulisthebest]

I gotta say that these episodes were a joy to watch xD

Yeah there were some things that I liked and things that I disliked about these 2 episodes

For one I'd say and this is just my opinion that there should have been 3 episodes instead of just 2. When we are introduced to Serena I really felt like it was going to be a throwback to the D/P series opening 3 episodes and I enjoyed them and I thought they were going to do the same thing here

I won't say that this is the BEST opening to Ash's arrival in a new region but it was pretty damn good if I do say so myself.

It was KIND OF annoying seeing Ash getting overly hyped about every little thing. I remember a few weeks ago when we got the first teaser trailer to the X and Y series and Ash is seen screaming when he gets off the plane and everyone is looking like "Who the f**k is this kid?" it really made me go is he seriously the little kid he was in Unova?

Then when he tripped and fell...*face palm* come on Ash...

I think it was because he saw 2 of those perfume Pokemon flying around right?

Wow kind of interesting that his first Pokemon sighting was cute/pink Pokemon like it was in Unova the Alomorala (the heart shaped fish in Unova not Luvdisc)!

The animation was excellent! I know this is random but is this the first time we actually see a character with fingernail polish?

I know that is random but it is just one of those little things that caught my attention when Alexa shook Ash's hand before the split their own ways.

Am I the only one who was like "Oh hell no, not this again!" when Ash challenged Clemont to a battle...

A battle in an open battlefield with trees surrounding it

And it was a battle in open battlefield with trees surrounding it and it was a one on one between Pikachu and a Pokemon of Kalos...

BUT am I right in saying that in no way shape or form has Pikachu been depowered by an Electric device by Team Rocket or another Pokemon???

Well Pikachu wasn't much to shock home about in B/W so if they did depower him they'd have to de-evolve him to a Pichu or a Pokemon egg...

But I think the battle with Clemont's retarded rabbit...I mean Bunnelby

If I'm right isn't he the electric gym leader in the games?

If so it makes sense that he'd be able to know how to deal with an electric Pokemon but Ash using strategy to use Electro Ball even with Pikachu's tail caught in the rabbit ears!!

Team Rocket were good in episode 1 but in 2...not so much to be blasted off just like that? Meh...

Oh going back to the gym; can't Ash learn to go catch more Pokemon before facing a gym?

When he went in the gym I was thinking oh man this is going to be Elesa all over again...

The Professor seems cool but I think the game-version was better but maybe because things just seemed a bit rushed to me :/

Sure these episodes were action packed right from the start but again the way it was paced didn't make sense to me

Serena's mother didn't really look like how I expected her to look

The Serena scenes were good but just didn't feel like they belonged like Dawn's did when she eventually met up with Ash because in D/P there was a good story that would eventually lead to Ash (and Brock who was randomly in Sinnoh thanks to the truck driver...), Dawn, Pikachu and even Paul.

She saw Ash on TV and remembered him so yeah there that is...

Well seeing Ash try to get the collar off Garchomp instead of that friendship bull was good and Ash was actually COOL even on TV for it

Too bad he didn't call for Thunderbolt because even if it didn't hurt Garchomp I think the electricity would have shorted out the collar but that's just me :/

Gotta give it up for my frog Froakie! I can't wait to see him and Ash in action I love it a lot more than Oshawott already!

Well that is really all I have to say and I can't wait til Saturday when it comes out in English so I actually know what they are saying

Im looking forward to a fun ride through the Kalos region

 

[Muku.Bird]

Those episodes were probably one of the best ways to start a new series. A little bit of action and a little bit of character showcasing for everyone involved. I thought Ash's reaction to all the new pokemon and being in a new region was really cute? And lets be honest here, at least half of the people who got their hands on the new games reacted the same way. NEW NEW NEW NEW SHINY SHINY SHINY SHINY.

Clemont is interesting and Bonnie is seriously cute. It's nice seeing how Ash behaves with little kids. He was really gentle and pretty considerate of her feelings, which I thought was a side of him we never really get to see. I like the dynamic! Froakie was also adorable as hell with his quiet demand to have Satoshi capture him. Serena was also pretty cute so far and I look forward to seeing how they all interact as a group. It's really nice to return to having four traveling companions - lessens the chances of characters being on their own when the other two pair up to Do Things.

Animation was fantastic and I really wish this was the quality they keep with for the entire series but oh well. I'll enjoy it while it lasts.

 

[Ampharos King]

I am a bit disappointed with these two episodes. I expected much more to happen. I liked how Ash was somewhat more competent here than he was during the beginning of BW, but everything else felt flat to me.

The first episode was basically spent on Ash's desire to find and battle the closest gym leader he could. As opposed to the beginning of BW, Ash was hellbent on getting to gyms as quickly as possible; it's probably because Ash was excited to find out that Alexa's sister is a GL. The second episode focused on Mega Evolutions, which of course TRio heard about. TRio wanted to experiment with Mega Evolutions so it decided to put a collar on a Garchomp in the laboratory. The rest of the episode was spent on Ash and co. trying to save the Garchomp. Serena didn't contribute at all to the plot, there was very little buildup with Froakie (something about it being abandoned was mentioned; Froakie wasn't even shown using a move), and the two siblings don't really have much of a dynamic with Ash (at least Iris and Cilan had legitimate reasons to travel with Ash in BW).

I actually liked the first two BW episodes a lot more. At least then we were introduced to all of the starter pokemon (and not just one), a rival (albeit one that was left underdeveloped) as opposed to some masked character who may or may not battle Ash eventually, and decent interactions between Ash and his series travelling companions.

It'll take a long time for me to warm up to this series; I am not impressed.

 

[Yamadora]

It was...AMAZING! Animation, music, everything. Loved the beginning: it was like how the games starts, Yayakoma waking Serena up and all. And I like Serena already. And that comes from a person who usually doesn't like her kind of girls.

Haha, Satoshi excited over everything. Just like me playing X and Y... And MegaBurshamo FTW!
Hey, they changed Iron Tail's metallic effect back to white glow. I liked the BW style of that attack more :/

Man, I love it how they're using music from 15th movie now! That movie got the best ost ever. And that Keromatsu is the best water starter ever, good thing that Satoshi got him. I'm waiting to see him evolve someday, it would be totally awesome.

New Hyper Beam animation is so sweet.

Let's rescue Gaburias! Satoshi was pretty cool there. I just love when he does dangerous stuff and risks his own life just to help Pokémon. It truly shows how much he cares about these monsters.

Can't wait to see more!

 

[Almonds]

Question: what is the name of the attack Froakie used?

Because Sonansu couldn't counter it with Mirror Coat and got hit by it - I assume it is a Physical attack? So it can't be Bubble, right?

 

[PTOldMan]

I loved the "new" motto animation and background music! The music has the original music's feel and yet it is different enough to give the TRio an atmosphere of "super-heroes", particularly from the "Musashi! Kojirou!" part to the end. And the animation was pretty neat, very beautiful, and their poses were cool, and I always like when they are saying their lines facing the audience, as they are doing in the "Sekai no" parts.

My only wish is that they now don't reuse the same animation every episode... Please, don't.

 

[PockyAddict]

I love that episode! Except I didn't like the way Serena's mother looked (I wasn't expecting her to look this way). Bonnie was so cute and is not at "annoying little kid" zone. I love Clemont, he's very smart and handsome. I love how was caring enough to carry his sister's and Ash's bags even if it hurted himself. I loved how Bonnie grabs onto Clemont in fear and Clemont grabs her and comforts her (aww what protective brother, he's just like a mother animal). Poor Clemont gets too hot/tired easily. I think I became a Clemont fangirl!!!

That's how she looks in the game tho... Infact, her's is one of the truest depictions of the game mothers along with joanna from DP.

As for the 2 parter, I'm still sorta meh about it.

 

[Dr. Buni]

Oh my god, Bonnie is awesome, she is automatically one of my favorite Pokemon anime characters already. <3 To be honest, I wasn't hyped for the new anime, but she and Clemont are good reasons to keep watching. Also, Pikachu vs Bunnelby and Pikachu/Bunnelby/Froakie vs Wobbufett were amazing. I am loving those battles, because the characters actually elaborate strategies during them. I'd give this episode a solid 10/10, best introductory episode in the show so far. Also, a small detail, but Bunnelby's Poké Ball moving after Clemont speak to him/her was very cute. Lastly, Froakie in the anime is just plain awesome.

 

[Hassel]

A nice start! Clemont and Bonnie are ADORABLE <3 They're definitely going to have some fun moments in the series! I am also glad they didn't make Bonnie annoying because of her age. ^^;

Serena seems quite interesting too, and I liked her scenes. I wonder how she will be like when she meets Ash again. Oh, and it's nice to have Wobbuffet back of course~

 

[sunyshore]

i am extremely glad clemont and bonnie have proven themselves to not be the boring and annoying "may and max" that many instantly accused them of at first sight merely for being siblings. i was a fan of clemont from the moment his image was leaked in corocoro, so i had very high hopes, and i only love him more now having seen these episodes, which i never even dreamed possible (i still can't believe he is a main character...). he has so many quirks, they won't have to keep going back to repeating "the one quirk" like with some characters, as he has so many: his inventions, some very good and some explodey, running weird, tiring easily, being manipulated by bonnie, protecting bonnie, and in general all his interactions with bonnie. similar to the game, she kept interrupting him and answering questions that were directed at him, but he only got mad at her once, when she squeezed pikachu too hard. he comes off as extremely caring and not just some comic sidekick, despite his few funny behaviours.

bonnie really had the potential to be super annoying, but she's adorable. she did nothing annoying at all, no whining, no crying, despite getting shocked and hyperbeamed and terrified in general. she wants to be included and is obviously loves clemont and shows her love by criticizing him, which he takes in stride. she is a very tough little girl, she reminds me of a miyazaki movie heroine.

i am still extremely curious why clemont will leave his gym, how he will decide to travel with ash. we've already seen him admiring ash very much for how he treats pokemon, and bonnie also has commented on ash being very brave and interesting. but clemont is keeping his gym leader status a secret, and the fact he has strong pokemon a secret (when ash asked about his pokemon, he hesitated, then took out one he recently caught, and not his obviously stronger heliolisk we see him training with bunnelby and a robot in a new preview).


as for serena we haven't seen enough for me to really say...though her and ash holding hands in the new preview, well, we'll see what that's about...

 

[Adamant]

Question: what is the name of the attack Froakie used?

Because Sonansu couldn't counter it with Mirror Coat and got hit by it - I assume it is a Physical attack? So it can't be Bubble, right?

It wasn't a move (which seems to be what you mean by "attack"), that was the entire point. Sonansu couldn't counter it because Reflect and Mirror Coat counters moves, not just... stuff in general.
It was referred to as "Kero-mousse", but I'm not sure if this is supposed to be an official name or just something Citron called it then and there. It's not a term from the actual video games.

 

[Jaye]

I found these two episodes to be refreshing and enjoyable after a disappointing experience with Best Wishes, mainly because they introduced this series to us in a different way than before. Ash has arrived and his first priority isn't to rescue Pikachu from some kidnappers or cure it of some illness, but to go out into the absurdly large city and get things going right away - that was fantastic as I would have screamed if we had to go through another "save Pikachu" plot device to introduce new characters to us. Ash being all hyper and wanting to immediately beat the crap out of something was standard fare as far as his character was concerned, but they at least balanced that out by putting him in situations where we can see the better parts of his character and by keeping the "noob" moments to a minimum, if they were any at all. In particular, it was great to see the re-emergence of Ash the Trainer Who Knows What He's Doing, though how long he'll stick around remains to be seen.

The best part about his battle with Clemont, for me, was that it made both characters look good without compromising Ash's credibility as a trainer and resetting Pikachu's power just to give the other guy an artificial victory in an attempt to make him seem like a legitimate threat. They showed Clemont to be a smart trainer capable of using his knowledge of Electric types and of his Pokemon's own characteristics to his advantage in a battle, while they showed Ash's ability to think on his feet and come up with a solution on the fly without it being completely contrived and it made for a brief but entertaining battle; a far cry from Ash's battle with Trip, which just left many viewers feeling very aggravated. Fingers crossed that most battles this series are like this.

My first impressions of the new characters are generally positive, at least in the sense that none of them annoyed me. There wasn't much of a dynamic between Ash, Clemont and Bonnie, but that was to be expected considering they had just met and were rather occupied by a rampaging bi-pedal dragon. I think it's clear from the beginning, though, that Clemont's brains and calmness are going to compliment Ash's brawn and impulsive nature. What Serena and Bonnie will add to this dynamic is unclear, but we got a decent idea of what their personalities are like.

I've seen a few people on a couple of forums say that Serena's introduction was underwhelming, considering her assumed role in the series, but I liked it for what it was. Characters can appear more interesting when they're gradually revealed to us instead of having their whole personality, background and ambitions forced on us from the get-go, and I thought those scenes of Serena's serene, day-to-day life neatly contrasted with the busy, almost chaotic scenes of Ash just arriving in the region.

The downsides of these episodes, I thought, was the rushed Froakie plot and the fact that I'm not entirely sure about Team Rocket. The idea that Froakie was given away by trainers because it wouldn't listen to them in battle is an interesting one, but unfortunately it get caught in the shuffle of all these other events that were happening; the whole Garchomp and Mega Evolution thing overshadowed it. I'm sure it'll be revisited at some stage, but I feel it could have done with its own episode.

Still, there was enough to be encouraged about.