Review XY033: Hearts Calling to Each Other! To the Other Side of Wave-Guiding!!

[Neo Blaze]

XY033 - Bulbapedia, the community-driven Pokémon encyclopedia

 

[Moe]

Same basic complaint as last week - in order to glorify Mega Evolutions and Korrina's Lucario, Pikachu is being treated terribly at the moment. Indeed even Team Rocket are made to be way too strong, just to get that pay off at the end of the episode with the mega evolution being needed to save the day.

And to top it off, we finally see another one of Ash's Pokemon again and it's just Fletchling doing regional-bird duty. I suppose I should be glad Froakie didn't appear given what happened to all the other Pokemon in this episode. Still being unable to cope with Wobbuffet's basic and only battle tactic, despite successfully dealing with it before, is just annoying - regardless of their mecha-evolutions. Yeah, it makes some sense Korrina couldn't work well with Pikachu - trainer bond is important, but it's literally insane for them to keep pounding away with attacks like that knowing what Wobbuffet is going to do.

Still - by not totally resolving it here, the episode handled things slightly better than my fear last week, having it only be a temporary calm is good - it shows progress at a reasonable pace given the scope of the rage. Ideally this will remain unresolved out past the Gym battle.

I did like the extra bits of story that the episode delivered - even Serena did fairly well out of it, with her cheering up Lucario. Plus, Riolu is an infinitely better Pokemon than Lucario, so more of Korrina growing up is great.

I want to like this episode and this arc and really like Korrina's character, but Pikachu is in bad need of some redemption.

 

[Sakuraa]

Alright, this was cool. Lucario is still creeping me out, but he's still cool.

I like how Serena continues to provide Poke Puffs for the group. And seeing Mega Ampharos, although in a fantasy, was cool.

The cave scene was hilarious. I loved seeing those adorable Noibat torture the group, especially the ones that bit Clemont's butt and smacked into Serena's face. Oh and Serena running into the screen was funny too. I usually like split up epsiodes, but it was kind of disappointing that only Clemont was paired with Korrina and Pikachu. It was so uneven. I think it would have been better had Serena been there too so she could have been apart of Korrina's talk with Clemont about Lucario. And what the hell? Was Clemont going to sleep in his regular clothes. I thought it was cute that Dedenne was trying to cheer up Lucario.

I hate TR so much in this episode. How dare they use those ridiculous-ass machines to knock out Bunnelby. And speaking of that, this is the first time Bunnelby has been knocked out. Well I won't count it since TR cheated. And I guess I should be glad that he's being used more. I also hate when Pokémon do what Pikachu did and ask to be commanded in the face of danger. Why couldn't he just attack on his own. Though, it was nice to see someone else command Pikachu again.

I was surprised that Lucario asked to be mega evolved due to the events of the last episode. And of course he goes mad again. This dude seriously creeps me out. It's those eyes and teeth. But I did love the scene where he had to get out of his trance by running towards Korrina's voice and giving TR the pounding they deserved.

So I overall thought this was a great episode, minus Bunnelby's unfortunate defeat. 8/10.

 

[Ampharos King]

AMPHAROS IN POKEMON QUIZ! YES!!!

Back to the episode, I knew that Korrina's Lucario would begin to control itself after Mega Evolving. But I didn't know about that the main characters would end up being separated. It was nice to see Korrina and Clemont together for a while, since those two haven't interacted much at all.

TRio's pokemon enhancements reminded me of Seviper and Carnivine's mecha enhancements in DP170, except this time the technology actually improved their Pokemon's attack power.

 

[Darth Darkrai]

This Episode is pretty "MEH" IMO, but it had it's Moments, but Overall it's a Filler that was as I said Meh.

The Gang eating Lunch was Cool, and nice Flashbacks of Lucario as a Riolu.

Korrina is still pretty Cool in my Book.

Team Rocket, UGH. I get they make the Noibat upset and all but didn't like them here, their Pokemon having all of that Equipment felt Forced.

Now the BEST PART in my Book is the Noibat Attacking EVERYONE! Noibat Biting Clemont's Leg, HILARIOUS. Serena getting Attacked in the Face. Pikachu had like 2 Noibat Eating his Ears LOL. But the Icing on the Cake was Serena Crashing into the Screen. LOLOLLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL LMAO there hehe.

Overall 5.9, this is Meh but had some Good Moments.

 

[Aestivate]

Can I get a hell yeah from everyone else who loves the care that the Corni arc is taking to develop her and Lucario's relationship? I'm just getting really hype for their eventual gym battle and Corni interacts really well with the cast. The separated cast thing happens a lot but this time it felt really refreshing because the interactions were really nice. The little asides and nuances to the characters' disparate personalities in the writing really strengthen the character relationships, IMO. I also appreciated how Corni and Pikachu tried to battle together and Corni messing up because she didn't know the names of all of Pikachu's attacks.

 

[Dark/Legendary Master]

This was probably the weakest out of all the Korrina episodes so far but it was still decent (7/10 IMO)
Also it seems Lucario is not as OP as first thought as Pikachu was able to match it in their mini-spar. Me thinks the first battle was lost not due to Lucario necessarily being vastly stronger but rather because it overwhelmed Ash and Pikachu, not giving them anytime to react really. Also I'm not all that convinced about it's attack power as it wasn't able to KO Pikachu after 3 Swords Dance-boosted Bone Rushes. Granted when in Mega evolves its on another level but it can't even control that yet.
Also anyone else reminded of when Sceptile broke out of Darkrai's Dream Void combination when Lucario was snapping out of its rage (perhaps a hint that Sceptile might get to Mega-Evolve (not really but it never hurts to hope))
Next episode seems fun and its nice to see the others will participate in the flower training as well.

 

[Mareepy]

This episode is not bad but quite disappointing as it goes exactly like what i said in the preview thread... (it is too predictable)

I was expecting the writers to give me a surprise.

The flash backs by Lucario is quite a nice touch though. And the ending scene decision is very good too.

 

[Dogasu]

Indeed even Team Rocket are made to be way too strong, just to get that pay off at the end of the episode with the mega evolution being needed to save the day.

And I bet you would have complained if the Rocket trio was made to be too weak, too. Just like so many others have before.

Damned if they do, damned if they don't, apparently.

And of course the Rocket trio are being more of a threat in order to make Mega Evolution look good. That's kind of the entire point of this story arc.

 

[ArvAl]

I pretty kinda like this episode especially the running gags that happened to them but seriously? Korrina's Lucario it's still can't be controlled much as we do in the games till now D: and my top disappoinment in this episode are the flashbacks. It really tastes bland for me not to mention that there are a lots of flashbacks including the hardships between trainers and the pokemon to achieve what are they really now.

So overall good humors but weak story 6/10

 

[Moe]

And I bet you would have complained if the Rocket trio was made to be too weak, too. Just like so many others have before.

Damned if ya do, damned if ya don't, apparently.

They could just pick one and be consistent.

And of course the Rocket trio are being more of a threat in order to make Mega Evolution look good. That's kind of the entire point of this story arc.

Or just don't use Team Rocket when you need a serious threat to counter, especially when they were easily defeated three episodes ago without Mega Evolution by the same Pokemon.

A Hunter J like character would be perfect for episodes like this - because you would know that they are seriously targeting Lucario and have the skills to achieve that, not be trying their luck at a mega evolved Pokemon on their day off from stealing Pikachu.

 

[Dogasu]

They could just pick one and be consistent.

Great idea! But maybe they should start with making Satoshi's and Pikachu's power level consistent since, y'know, their abilities vary just as wildly, if not more so, than the Rocket trio's does.

Or just don't use Team Rocket when you need a serious threat to counter

But then people will complain that they're not competent enough and aren't being used the way they should!

Again, damned if you do, damned if you don't.

 

[Pokemaster97]

Guys, this thread is for discussion about the episode itself, not another place to analyze the role of Team Rocket in the show again. We have many threads dedicated to Team Rocket where their role may be discussed, so keep further discussion of that out of this one please.

 

[Lluksonak]

Episode was nice, lots of character development with Korrina, I hope Ramos will get handled decently(we'll see soon enough, kek)

TRio could've done a bit more, like they should've gotten Mega Lucario to take a bit of damage from Mecha Inkay, Pumpkaboo, and Meowth. Then come into his senses, but the "go into the light" thing was pretty cool too :x

 

[Dogasu]

So, the Fleur-de-Lys battle theme.

Y'know, I really like the song. I really, really do. But...every single time it's been used in this series so far it's felt wrong to me. It's such a character-specific piece of music that hearing it used for something like a Rocket-Dan fight is just jarring and off-putting to me.

Speaking of the battle that takes up the second half of the episode...does Corni not have any other pokemon? Are they all at the gym? Why did she think it's a good idea to leave her town with Lucario and only Lucario?

 

[EliteTrainerXeos]

So, the Fleur-de-Lys battle theme.

Y'know, I really like the song. I really, really do. But...every single time it's been used in this series so far it's felt wrong to me. It's such a character-specific piece of music that hearing it used for something like a Rocket-Dan fight is just jarring and off-putting to me.

Speaking of the battle that takes up the second half of the episode...does Corni not have any other pokemon? Are they all at the gym? Why did she think it's a good idea to leave her town with Lucario and only Lucario?

Concombre told her to go out and train with Lucario, hinting that they need to form they bond and make it stronger. Having other Pokemon with her would be a hindrance to her training with Lucario.

 

[Sweet Veil]

Spoiler tag'd for length.

Spoiler

Really good stuff here, it continues and continues with every episode Korrina puts out in XY. Character development appears in this episode.

Can I just say this episode really was a kick in the gut? In a really good way. It felt very…emotionally draining. This episode did a good job subverting the early ideas I had of Korrina, here I thought she was going to portrayed as a happy-go-lucky girl through the entirety of this arc. I was proven wrong because for the majority of this episode her feelings were constantly a roller-coaster of sadness. We got another episode about Korrina’s boundaries. I liked how the beginning of the episode started off with a battle between Pikachu and Lucario, Lucario striking Pikachu with Power-Up Punch and realizing old habits die hard was a nice set-up. The start off of the episode up until the break was really dialogue-heavy. Thus these scenes could come off as boring, but for a more accurate judgement I’d probably be better off really going in deep on those scenes at a later date since I really, really don’t wanna miss anything super crucial based on what I can understand and can’t. I really thought Lucario and Korrina were stirring and responsive to each other a lot in this episode.

Which is why the title works so well, Hearts Calling Out to One Another! Go Beyond Aura!. We saw Korrina and Lucario’s relationship go beyond aura, the spiritual energy inside Lucario that causes it go very crazy when it Mega Evolves. We saw them out at night, truly missing each other very much and very concerned. Lucario was unable to eat and Korrina was very bothered as well. Later on after the bout against Team Rocket, Korrina goes after Mega Evolution once more and Lucario, of course, goes nuts. We see an inside image of Lucario’s world and its own turmoil and how the fog(which likely symbolizes the aura warping its brain) immersed its judgement so much. It’s only truly by Korrina reaching for her Pokemon and it reaching back with all of its soul could Lucario overcome its own mental anguish for the person who loves it so much: Korrina….it’s just such a very feel-good scene and relatable. I just feel like they nailed it 100% and I do like how Lucario’s issues weren’t resolved and how the episode ended. The hand contact scene and the forbidding music playing in the background worked wonders.

The reason I’m glad the episode ended on a somewhat sour note with Lucario, once again, letting its inner demons takeover…it would feel like a cop-out if a Rocket fight automatically solved all of their issues. The fact they’re taking this road feels more practical, I really am looking forward to seeing how Lucario, Korrina and Maple work together. Flower arranging is strange training, but the fact it’ll be used to possibly soothe Lucario’s heart which is overrun by aura when Mega Evolved is interesting. It just reminds me of a quote about flowers and them being a medicine for your soul. Flowers are restful as they say, they have neither emotions nor conflicts. The “training” is a bit odd but I’m very interested, Korrina is all about power and attacking straight-on. That’s her style, being violent and frontal. Working with a steady person with a diminutive, sweet Fairy Pokemon like Maple can put her on the road to glory in mastering Mega Evolution and help her and Lucario develop in the regard that they’ll learn to not let their emotions overtake them and slow down a bit. Be like a flower, blooming and maturing as individuals in their own rights alongside each other mutually. Because it’s just not Lucario’s fault, it’s Korrina issue too.

Korrina couldn’t have it all in one-go, she had a Keystone but had to work for the Lucarionite, she’s been trained intensely under Gurkinn since she was a young girl, she’s had her issues with Lucario, she has to travel and undergo odd training at the hands of Maple, her personal battle against Gurkinn resulted in a humiliating loss and tongue lashing. Her personal battle against TR didn’t fix everything, she has another “personal” battle up next against Maple. All of this is showing that she’s a very trying lady when faced with adversity, her and Lucario. Lots of scenes throughout this arc. of them looking at each other, responding to each other, being bonded with one another and all. All of this shows that Korrina is not some overly extraordinary individual who over ranks everyone just because she’s the Mega Evolution successor, gym leader and has a keystone. She’s a lady in her own right with her own force, means and influence outside of these “cool” factors of hers.

She’s not scared of Lucario, even while insane, she refuses to run away from the incoming Bone Rush and stands her ground. Thankfully I think the anime is doing a marvelous job illustrating Korrina and Lucario’s issues and growth. Remarkably showing Korrina’s independence, bravery and loving side in an authentic way from the moment she and the jackal appeared, to them going through the cave of trials, to it Mega Evolving, to them getting separated and overcoming the fog for a moment.

As for the rest of the episode, I thought it was great, the Rocket attack this episode was more interesting and organized. Seeing Clemont battle, even if it was against TR is always great for me. The Flare music really made the moment Chespin appeared pop and I certainly didn’t expect him to try again after Bunnelby got beaten. At least it shows he’s doing well in being braver. I was just really happy to see both Pokemon, Bunnelby still is the best early route vermin of any Pokemon game to me. I liked how action-like and dynamic it looked while evading Psybeam and Dark Pulse as well as getting back up after getting hit. Chespin too, that Tackle and the animation for it was beautiful.

There really was a strong sense of “This is it!” when Chespin kept getting struck by mecha-enhanced moves from all of the Pokemon. I wonder if it was intentional of the writers having Chespin last so long as well as havubg a small moment with Clemont? As if it was trying to show that bond off well that they struggled with and how it connects to Korrina? I liked the night scenes and limited interactions between the two but I wish it could have gone more in-depth. But I’m not disappointed, she did confide some of her past to Clemont and Pikachu and it’s still very sweet and I felt like he was impacted. prays for Helioptile flashbacks in the future

Although I was okay with TR’s presence in this episode, I can’t help but wonder why they are consecutively being put in episodes again. They were largely unneeded in the last one for example as well as Lucarionite one. Korrina commanding Pikachu and being so out of her element was just another great way to show off her issues and how she’s used to Lucario taking the lead at times and doing its own thing. Pikachu doesn’t have the same agency in combat and Korrina seemed to forget that. I just really thought it endearing how she immediately ran to his side and apologized for her behavior. The voice-acting of that scene just really worked and I really felt like Korrina was blaming herself.

I guess this confirms Korrina probably doesn’t have any other Pokemon on-hand, I hope she has a Hawlucha at Shalour Gym. It’s still a great Pokemon I hope the anime retains it. Fantastic episode overall. These Korrina episodes are something always enjoyable for me.

 

[Ambipom666]

I don't want to start complaining about Team Rocket again, but I do think it's a little silly how they start using Wobbuffet, and telling their Pokémon to dodge attacks, and all of a sudden they're too strong.

But I did enjoy hearing that music from the Reshiram movie at the end... even if I'm eternally sad it's not on the soundtrack.

 

[Dogasu]

Concombre told her to go out and train with Lucario, hinting that they need to form they bond and make it stronger.

He also said that they spend too much time together and that they assume they know more about each other than they actually do because of that. Which actually supports the "spend time with your other pokemon" idea more.

 

[G50]

This episode was ok... It was great to see Noibat in the anime, even when they were attacking everybody. I think that was Screech that one Noibat was using which caused the other Noibat to come out and attack? Serena's reaction to Noibat coming after her was amusing. It seems that Wobbuffet is only going to be using Mirror Coat this entire series, since any physical attack has only been going after Inkay throughout this episode, and it hasn't used Counter at all.

It was nice to see Pikachu with improvement when battling Lucario, and not getting knocked around as easily this time. It was interesting to see more into what Lucario goes through when it becomes Mega, and seemingly was worried about it.