Review XY017: Keromatsu VS Gekogashira! Ninja Battle!!

[garrison-san]

XY017 - Bulbapedia, the community-driven Pokémon encyclopedia

Animation: Team Kato
Animation Director: Masaaki Iwane

 

[Ashs Battle Coach]

So..... He didn't learn Quick attack? Just Double Team?

Was a pretty entertaining ep. Bonnie was great. Froakie really does have the potential to be Ash's best ever water type.

 

[Kairyu]

Solid episode. I just wish Team Rocket would have been kept out of this, because they really did not need to show up here. The fact that they just barged in, out of nowhere, towards the end of the episode really ticked me off. Having Froakie go up in a epic rematch versus Frogadier would've been so much better, me thinks.

 

[Sneazy Sneasel]

So was ninja boy confirmed to be a recurring rival or just a one off COTD?

 

[Darth Darkrai]

I Liked this Episode, it was VERY Good and Entertaining I thought. This MADE Up for Last Week IMO.

So we Start Off the Episode with Froakie Training, how Nice then they Meet Ninja Person ( Don't Really know his Name yet) and his Frogadier, and Froakie VS. Frogadier happens and the Evolved Frog Wins. So then Training Begins.

I thought this was Good and I LOVE Episodes Focused on Froakie and this was Great.

Ash and Froakie were really Good I Thought. So Froakie knows Double Team and Quick Attack now Nice.

Clemont's Jet Boots were Cool on a Side Note.

Bonnie was Alright and her in the Ninja Suit with Dedenne was Ok.

But Pikachu in the Ninja Suit was REALLY Cool. That Yellow fit Pikachu well and Yellow is my Favorite Color so Yes.

Team Rocket, WHY WERE THEY HERE? They were JUST UH U KNOW, JUST THERE?!

Frogadier was Cool to see, it had No Character but Cool to see it. I Found it's Trainer Boring IMO, just I Found NOTHING Interesting, Ninjas are Cool but this Guy, NO.

Overrall I Will Give this a Solid 8, I Liked it and I Can Watch this One So Good Episode Overall.

 

[p96822]

This episode is awesome, Naruto reference for the win.!

 

[Johtohfiller]

So was ninja boy confirmed to be a recurring rival or just a one off COTD?

I could be wrong given my craptacular Japanese skills, but I think Clemont said something about "good rivals" and Ash said something about battling again.

 

[Ghurlag]

Okay, so long story short Froakie does some grinding and learns Double Team, possibly Quick Attack too, with help from a COTD with a Greninja.

A battle-oriented focus episode like this seems well-needed after the rather softer previous episodes. Froakie seems to be improving despite still losing almost all non-TR battles, and it seems clear it's getting a lot of Ash's training focus (Fletchling, like all his flying-types, seems of low priority to Ash). Double Team looks like something Ash will use in his upcoming Gym battle.

Eureka was adorable in this episode, playing with Dedenne and Pikachu as Ash trained. Clemont got an invention moment in, and Serena did her costume-making thing again, but both of them mostly remained in the background (no surprise for Serena).

 

[Alola]

XY never fails to disappoint

This episode was very good, and it was really good to finally get a battle episode/ some action. Initially I was upset that Froakie was getting another focus episode, but then it dawned on me at that Ash does only have three Pokemon at this point. Pikachu has had generations of focus while Fletchling is just the regional bird. So that leaves Froakie. I also like how the training elements of the DP saga are seemingly being brought back with this, so I was pleased.

The battle between Froakie and Frogadier was well done. It clearly showed the strength a Pokemon gains from evolution as all of Frogadiers attacks were larger and stronger, making the battle all the more realistic and appreciated. The music used was great as well (a shame that it will most likely be replaced in the dub). Also, I felt the battle between Ash and co and Team Rocket was a decent way to end the episode. While their appearance was random, Froakie did gain Double Team from it and more bgm was heard, so that’s a plus (We also heard the Unova Pokemon League music! They really are utilizing Unova themes huh?). Having Ash re-battle Sanpei again and win would be really cheap and unfitting, so a TR battle was the next best answer.

I need clarification. Bulbapedia said it happened, but in the anime it doesn’t appear so. Did Froakie actually learn Quick Attack? It didn’t look like it. Nonetheless, Ash wanting Froakie to learn Quick Attack the way Frogadier performed it makes sense (initially I thought, why not just learn it from Pikachu?).

Sanpei and Frogadier were also really great characters. I vote him as one of the best and most substantial COTD the anime has had in a while. They portrayed Frogadier exceedingly well in the anime (so happy I chose its line as my starter ^___^). However I do not think he will be one of Ash’s main rivals. Apparently he doesn’t have an interest in Gym Battles or the Kalos League; he just wants to be a ninja and evolve Frogadier into a Greninja, which is a cool goal in itself.

And all of the character interactions were great. The group spending the day together and that under the tree scene were great. While Clemont, Serena and Bonnie were generally in the background, it’s the little things they did that count and what adds to their character. Clemont’s attempt to help with the training with is invention was hilarious, and Serena making the ninja outfits for Bonnie and Pika siblings was really considerate and cute. I thought of it as a way to keep Bonnie busy instead of having to spend the day watching training instead, just like you would do with a younger sibling/child etc (I appreciate these small but thoughtful things!). And Bonnie running around pretending to be a ninja was really cute and endearing. Its moments like these that really convey to the audience that she is a young child rather than a shorter version of the pre-teen cast (like Max was, or maybe he was just more mature?).

And all the Naruto references were enjoyable. They even explicitly used the term kunoichi! I thought they would address everyone as ninja; glad to be proved wrong. I really hope these translate over to the dub.

Overall, one of my favorite episodes so far. Froakie ftw~

 

[Chatsy]

XY never fails to disappoint
[...]
Overall, one of my favorite episodes so far.

Uuuhhh ... XD;

Clemont's failed invention had me in stitches. Those boots are frickin' for real and he somehow managed to make them so technical so they could backfire on him and send him to high heavens. Bless you, Clemont. May you find your place in heaven. Nevah 4get.

 

[Chiplet]

Alright episode, I agree with Kairyu and feel like a rematch for Froakie would've been much better than TR interrupting. Froakie has after all been on a losing streak lately, losing to Diggersby, Sylveon and now Frogadier (it's win against Chespin doesn't count), having it beat Frogadier with Double Team would've been a great way of finishing the episode. It was alright overall though, Bonnie was adorable and I loved the whole ninja theme.

Oh, and did you guys notice that the VS-screen was showing Pikachu instead of Froakie? Have they messed up like that before or is this a first?

 

[Alola]

Oh, and did you guys notice that the VS-screen was showing Pikachu instead of Froakie? Have they messed up like that before or is this a first?

Mmmhmm. It's a first. I think it was an error/oversight. When Ash fought Premier, it correctly had Froakie alongside him in the VS artwork, like it should have been in this episode.

 

[Jyo]

The episode had it's good moments, it's bad moments [no cute Fokko appearing].

The only main part I did enjoy was the battle near the start - and when they join together against the TRio. I did wanted to turn off the episode when they started training and getting into ninja customes (that was a bad part for me) & it also focused too much on 2 Pokemon I don't really like much (Froakie & Greninja).

(please don't take it personally, just my opinion) I don't like ninja stuff at all, so naturally I didn't really like most of the episode - at times I didn't even watched it I was reading some of the comments above me, I probably wouldn't watch on my own again (unless I'm watching episodes in order). 3/10

(edit - added this part) I read some who like this episode, the way I think of it is "can't make everyone happy at the same time" - some like it and some like me won't.

 

[Sakuraa]

Another amazing episode. Here we got a mixture of awesome ninja Froakie development and adorable Bonnie cuteness.

Ok, first things first, I LOVED all of the ninja-ness here. From Froakie using his Frubbles to expose Frogadier's trainer's cloak to running on water, it was awesome! I felt like I was watching Pokémon version of Naruto throughout this episode.

The battle against Froakie and Frogaider was good. I liked all of Frogaider's sleek ninja-like swiftness and Froakie did really well. My gosh, what the hell did Froagdier's trainer do when he created a wind storm and move Fraokieout of the way of Frogadier's attack. And then Froakie just appeared in his arms. That was awesome. I liked how Froakie was upset from the loss and wanted to get stronger by learning from Frogaider. All of the training was good, increasing not only Froakie's running speed, but his jumping speed was really strategic and I'm eager to see how this training will play out in the future. As I already mentioned, I particularly enjoyed the scene where Froakie tried over and over to run across the water. And then Team Rocket. If I can say one positive thing about them here, they let Froakie showoff his new Double Team. Other than that...no. Nothing I liked about them here.

Okay, Clemont's invention. WTF? I mean seriously, what was he trying to do? The whole time he was talking while wearing those things I was just thinking, "THIS IS NOT SAFE!". Well, at least it didn't blow up.

And finally, the Bonnie cuteness! I loved her, Pikachu, and Dedenne's little ninja outfits. But seriously, why does Serena have all of these outfits? Anyway, I LOVED Bonnie in this episode and all of the ninja activity she was doing. Her ninja running, cloaking (did Pikachu and Dedenne really not see her?), breathing underwater, jump training, throwing leaves like shuriken, and being covered with leaves. Bonnie was amazing! It's nice that they gave her this cute entertaining thing to do so she wouldn't just be standing around watching Ash.

Overall, a great episode. 9/10.

 

[DashingFox]

Loved this episode. XY delivers another favourite.

Ninja guy was a fun character. I also really liked how his Gekogahshier was a bit of a show off and laughed at Keromastu when it couldn't get certain tasks done. Speaking of Satoshi's frog, I think this is the most I've enjoyed it since its debut, his personality really shined here.

So did it learn both Quick Attack & Double Team like some people are saying? I thought it learned Double Team instead of Quick Attack, which I found quite amusing But if it learned both, that's fine too.

Also, Eureka was cute as hell, but I think we've all accepted that as a standard thing :3

 

[Ampharos King]

This was perhaps one of the best XY episodes thus far. It was a battle following a training regimen that is quite similar to the ones from DP. I found it rather interesting that Froakie, in an attempt to master its Quick Attack, inadvertently learned and mastered a different move. This event is a reminder that sometimes one get good results without even aiming for those results.

But the training felt like a mixed bag. I'm surprised that Ash didn't have Pikachu, who already knows Quick Attack, help Froakie master the move.

Two interesting side-notes:
- Sanpei's two older brothers have a Greninja and Venusaur, respectively. He is the third of three ninja brothers.
- Clemont calls Sanpei Ash's rival, considering that they have completely unrelated goals and want to compete in two different events.

 

[Aestivate]

Really fun training episode, plus points for an interesting, unexpected outcome, extra points for adorable ninja!Eureka de gozaru.

Keromatsu is so serious de gozaru, noble ninja life suits it well de gozaru.

Citron and Serena should make me dinner de gozaru ne.

 

[Alola]

So did it learn both Quick Attack & Double Team like some people are saying? I thought it learned Double Team instead of Quick Attack, which I found quite amusing But if it learned both, that's fine too.

That's what it looked like to me too! I don't think it has learned Quick Attack just yet.

 

[Adil]

One of the favourite XY episodes, thoroughly enjoyed it. If Sanpei indeed turns out to be Ash's rival, fine by me.
Sanpei's speech pattern was similar to that of Momonosuke's...

It was as if they hired Kishimoto to write this episode... Too many references xD
Also, rasengan?

Spoiler

 

[Ghurlag]

As a coincidence, I also saw A similar episode from D+P today, which illustrates the same ninja formula.