Review XY113: Elle VS Serena! Open the Door to the Future!!

[Misty-Moo]

Well, that went pretty much as I expected.

On the subject of why Aria won with such a different performance from Serena's, I think that might have been the point Palermo was trying to make. I got the impression that Serena was saying "Aria did this, Aria did that and I didn't" showing that Aria knows how to work a crowd in order to win rather than looking pretty and having fun like Serena does.

P.S. Anyone else notice the continuity error when Serena and Palermo talked for the second time?

Spoiler

These are in order, check on filb - Serena's gloves appear and disappear

 

[Kirby4ever]

Well, that went pretty much as I expected.

On the subject of why Aria won with such a different performance from Serena's, I think that might have been the point Palermo was trying to make. I got the impression that Serena was saying "Aria did this, Aria did that and I didn't" showing that Aria knows how to work a crowd in order to win rather than looking pretty and having fun like Serena does.

P.S. Anyone else notice the continuity error when Serena and Palermo talked for the second time?

Spoiler

These are in order, check on filb - Serena's gloves appear and disappear

Braixen appears to have vanished in the middle screenshot and then comes back moved away from the couch, and Sylveon disappeared from the couch.

 

[LuxrayOfTheWild]

I think I'm more irritated by the fact that Serena had to beat Aria to win the Master Class, not just the title. I am okay with Serena losing to Aria, since I knew it was going to happen anyway. I think they should have treated her more like the Pokemon league champion than another person in the tournament everyone would have a bias towards. Serena beating Jessie and Shauna should have meant she won the master class, but losing to Aria meant she just wasn't going to take her title. It just goes to show the writers will never allow a main character win something big and they'll always have to be 2nd best to someone.

 

[callmebiceps]

Why does Serena always piss me off so much?

Its not her character, its not her VA or anything like that. I'm just always annoyed at episodes that focus on her because it always feels like so many things are missing.

I like her character, I like the personality and all that kind of stuff, but it always feels like she doesn't get enough love from the writers.

Maybe that's just me, but I'm left feeling frustrated every time.

 

[Master Cyrus]

Making it to the finals on her first try doesn't seem like not getting enough love to me.

 

[Alola]

That's not fair. The rare occasion Serena's Performance actually deserves a win hands down, has her instead lose out to the crowd favorite.
But I saw this coming, given last week's preview. That Elle's Performance wouldn't be as good as Serena's.

Anyways, kudos to Serena for being a graceful loser (as well as Jessie, in her own way!). In my eyes, she was the true victor today. The montage at the end really captured how far she's come, controversy and pacing aside, since XY Episode 40. But maybe she hasn't come too far since she did almost slip again. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

 

[callmebiceps]

Making it to the finals on her first try doesn't seem like not getting enough love to me.

Point.

Nonetheless, not really what I meant, but I should have clarified. I meant with her character progression. Again, it might just be me, but I feel like something that's normally there by now for the female protagonist is missing from Serena. Maybe its just due to Showcases being so lackluster compared to Contests.

Not sure either way.

 

[ii kanji]

What did Jessie say exactly after she lost against Serena and at the end?

Something about how she owes her friends for getting so far.
Does anyone know what the subsequent dialogue meant (when the camera was panned away from the glomp)?
Episode worth it for that scene anyway!!

 

[UxieLover1994]

The reason why Serena lost is the exact same reason why May and Dawn lost their Grand Festivals, and why Ash will never win a league: status quo. If a female companion takes part in someone like contests or showcases, she has a 99.99% chance of losing the grand finale.

^^ I do lime the aspect of TR slowly maturing and evolving (yes, maturing). I believe they'll help out Ash and co. against TF, and I think that they're becoming more anti-heroes. I personally like this change.

That would be nice, but we know that Team Rocket will revert back to their normal selves by the end of the series (and keep it that way well into the next), and we have an episode where they make a big steal attempt, and Ash and his departing companions will have a finale of kicking their butts, and acting like this will be his last clash with them, too (the power of hate, perhaps?). That was how Diamond and Pearl ended.

Serena lost to Elle like by a large number of votes.

I'm calling bullshit on this episode. Serena was better than Aria in every way possible and she lost the Master Class? I knew she wasn't going to win this thing, but she had to beat Aria to win the WHOLE THING, not just Kalos Queen title? Sometime I really hate this show's writers.

Aria's unfair win could be justified if you compare her with Lisia in ORAS. She's hard to beat in contests even if you do very well, and it is implied that popularity is involved.

I haven't seen the episode, but I'm kinda happy Serena lost. If she'd have won, it would've been unfair to May and Dawn. Hopefully our next female companion is actually gonna do battles and not beauty contests for the fourth time.

Like I said earlier. The status quo prevents characters from winning major leagues, so female companions have next-to no chance of success unless they leave Ash forever.

 

[Fiamette]

Hm, the ep wasn't really any bad (except for that half-assed performance by the "Kalos Queen"), the Pancham and Smoochum bit was funny too.

 

[jackatlasred]

Like I said this is about popularity not really about being the best. Everyone is a nobody, except the queen. You would need to be extremely cute, extremely good, or had very successful videos, (what do you call those again?) To actually win. This loss does get serena more reputation tho, hopefully not leading to another embarrassing loss.


Do you guys think there might be more episodes on this topic or are these things over?

 

[Lillie]

Like I said this is about popularity not really about being the best. Everyone is a nobody, except the queen. You would need to be extremely cute, extremely good, or had very successful videos, (what do you call those again?) To actually win. This loss does get serena more reputation tho, hopefully not leading to another embarrassing loss.


Do you guys think there might be more episodes on this topic or are these things over?

I definitely think we'll get more episodes that involve Serena and her goal.

 

[LuxrayOfTheWild]

I think this makes me realize I never want to see Pokemon Showcases, if it comes down to popularity over actual talent, as we saw today. Serena is the true Kalos Queen in my eyes now. The crowd had no real taste imo, only bias

 

[GurahkWeavile]

The episode very bad. Which is fitting, considering how rushed these Showcases have been. But here, it was a total joke. Serena put on an awesome performance here, but lost to an inferior one...all because of a fan vote. I now have to wonder what Palermo was even talking about when she said Serena was missing something crucial to beating Aria. This was so pathetic, I could barely stand it. I will say both Serena and Jessie took their losses better than I was expecting, which surprised me considering Jessie's temper whenever losing a tournament....

Palermo offering to mentor Serena was a no brainer for alot of us. I don't think there was a single person that didn't see it coming. So we know what's happening when it's time for Serena to go. She stays in Kalos to be trained by Palermo, Amour is as doomed as I feared it would be. I did like a few moments here and there (Ash & Serena's moment and the Goodra cameo especially), but overall this episode was poorly-planned and executed even worse. Silver lining here is that we never to sit through anotehr Pokemon Showcase ever again! All I can say is this: GOOD! F***ING! RIDDIANCE!!

 

[Mikuri]

This one is going to be looooong...

The first thing I want to say is that I don't understand why there are so many people saying that Serena's performance was better than Aria's. How can any of you say that when we only got a glimpse of Aria's performance? If Aria's performance had received the same treatment as Serena's, then sure thing you could say Serena did a better job, but that's not really the case. Serena's performance was longer and focused on her the entire time. Aria's performance on the other hand was blink-and-you'll-miss-it short and focused on Serena thinking about Aria's performance instead of actually showing Aria performing.

I am so disappointed, you guys have no idea how much. I can't explain why exactly but I do like Aria and I was eager to see one of her performances. I was expecting the Freestyle Performance to end all Freestyle Performances. She's royalty, she's the master of Showcases, she's the real deal. But her performance apparently had to be cut short. Sadly, it's nothing new when it comes to Serena's rivals. This isn't the first time the writers changed the focus out of Serena's opponents to show whatever they think it's more important. I'm just thankful it was the last.

Moving on...

The semifinals were different from previous rounds. It was a regular Freestyle Performance as in Rookie Class tournaments, one Performer called on stage at a time. In the previous episode the Performers performed individually and then together and that's how Jessie stood out, covering her competition in smoke. I thought Serena, Shauna, and Jessie would perform at the same time. I was wrong. The finals also followed the Rookie Class Freestyle Performance format. Okay.

I feel bad for Shauna. You know, even though her performances have been lacking in the creativity department, she was the one who introduced Serena to the world of Showcases and she always seemed like she knew what she was doing. However, Palermo was watching her performance and she wasn't impressed. At least Palermo's reaction wasn't like she was sitting through the single most boring piece of entertainment on Earth like the last couple of times she appeared, but things don't look too bright for Shauna's future. It's a shame they didn't show the amount of votes she received. They just announced Serena as the winner and that was it.

Also, since this is probably the last thread in which I'll be able to talk about Showcases (maybe I'll watch the dub, maybe not), I want to say a few more things. Yes, this is a popularity contest, it's prom queen from high school blended with beauty pageants, and I've said in the past that talent and strategy aren't as important in Showcases as they are in Contests and Gyms. The winning Performer isn't necessarily the one who delivered the best performance. A girl can enter these events and win simply because she has a huge fanbase.

However, I don't think we should be using this aspect of the competition to excuse Serena's loss, after all Serena won her third Princess Key by defeating Amelia, the fan favorite in the Frey Showcase. Not only that, but Aria was once a nobody just like Serena and she had to defeat the reigning Kalos Queen to take her title. And someway somehow she managed to do just that whereas Serena failed big time.

Serena lost because she focus all of her attention on herself and her Pokémon, she's more concerned about having fun herself when she should be making the people watching her have fun. Aria won because she's an entertainer who wants to amaze the crowd. The people in the audience rose from their seats five seconds after she began performing. The girl got skills. She knows exactly what to do to make people vote for her. She doesn't need to create the most complex dance routines.

And this is actually one of the things Palermo told Amelia at the end of the Frey Showcase. Amelia approached Palermo and said Serena's performance wasn't as good as hers, and Palermo simply told her that Serena won because the crowd liked her performance more. She didn't get in details about the overall quality of the act, she just told her that's how Showcases work.

Lastly, I want to talk about how unrealistic these performances have become. Trust me, I remember the performances and battles in Contests all too well, I know they weren't always believable. Heck, Zoey stood on a vortex of water in the Performance Stage of the Sinnoh Grand Festival. However, I was willing to forgive these flaws. It's not like Ash's Gym battles are perfect, they have these huge explosions to make everything look epic, walls made out of concrete breaking for nothing (Roserade, a freaking flower, damaged Gardenia's Gym when it hit a wall). But Showcases went overboard, these performances are just ridiculous.

Back in the Diamond & Pearl series, these firework-like explosions and glittery displays took place when two or more moves collided or were used as part of a combination. If you have Bubble Beam, and you freeze the bubbles with Ice Beam, and then you pop the bubbles with Peck, and the end result is a shower of sparkles, I think that's acceptable. However, attack combinations are not needed here. All the moves explode because reasons. Jessie commands Gourgeist to use Seed Bomb, and suddenly fireworks. It's like she hired a pyrotechnician to make sure her performance would be a hit. And Jessie is not alone in this. Serena is an expert on the matter. I'm still trying to process that huge ass flower, but at least it was the result of Fairy Wind, Flamethrower, and Dark Pulse fused together. It could be worse, I guess. The flower could have appeared out of thin air. But I think whoever is behind these performances needs to be stopped.

 

[L-05308]

Wasn't a terribl episode, what I love the most is that this arc has ended. Shame about Nini and Miette, Shauna will likely appear again but we will never see this two again. Not much better than Burgundy and Georgia's exits.

At least now we can get onto the 8th gym battle and the Team Flare finale! XY had the potential to be the best series of the animd but showcases have denied it that, it COULD get second place though

 

[Litten]

Serena should have tried to make Kalos great again.

She should have promised the Showcase audience that she'd build a wall around the Kalosian border, then perhaps she would've gotten more votes.

 

[UxieLover1994]

I think this makes me realize I never want to see Pokemon Showcases, if it comes down to popularity over actual talent, as we saw today. Serena is the true Kalos Queen in my eyes now. The crowd had no real taste imo, only bias

So, that would make Aria the Status Quo Sue of the X & Y series, just like how Tobias was to Diamond and Pearl. But let's wait for the league before we speak more of this.

Wasn't a terribl episode, what I love the most is that this arc has ended. Shame about Nini and Miette, Shauna will likely appear again but we will never see this two again. Not much better than Burgundy and Georgia's exits.

At least now we can get onto the 8th gym battle and the Team Flare finale! XY had the potential to be the best series of the animd but showcases have denied it that, it COULD get second place though

It would be sad if the quality for X & Y falls even further throughout the next nine months it has left. Worse if the league is on par with the one for Unova + the Tobias expy curbstomping Ash, and the next series makes the same mistakes as Best Wishes. The anime has great potential, but the writers would rather keep Ash, Pikachu, and Team Rocket traveling through countless regions with the same plot, and not advance at all. By the time our great-grandchildren are watching the anime, nothing would've changed.

 

[SonansuMan]

DEH PROS:
-For once Serena's performances are creative.
-Nyarth and Pumpjin fearhug!
-Musashi not having her head explode and taking it like a responsible woman.
-Numelgon! Really though, if Satoshi still had it it would've kicked TR's butt EVERY time.

DEH CONS:
-Not enough of Elle's performance.
-What was the point of putting Sonansu in the costumes with Musashi's other Pokemon when it was never shown doing anything?

7/10

 

[Sakuraa]

Alright, this is the finale.

James is still really damn annoying. Seriously, screaming like a maniac isn't going to get Jessie more votes. Aside from that though, I'll admit that Jessie's performance was alright. At the very least, she didn't overdo anything. Like I said before, I was disappointed with Shauna's and lineup and that holds the same for her performance. The beginning looked too similar to her 1st performance and I wish she would have done more...with different Pokemon. Bunnelby and Chespin's cheering coupled with his nervousness was pretty funny. Serena's performance was amazing as usual, nice to see a performance without Braxien finally. Thank goodness for Slyveon's feelers otherwise Serena would have been screwed. But of course Queen Aria and Palermo would still notice.

Lol, Clemont's Pokemon are so funny. And wow. Grace was super happy about Serena's win. I'm surprised Jessie didn't throw a temper tantrum upon losing like she normally does. Aw, Shauna crying too? I didn't care too much for her performance, but damn it, I don't want to see her cry Serena comforting her was sweet though.

Damn, dat injury. I thought Serena would be fine after Sylveon's save, but I guess not. And seriously, Aria said the same exact words to Palermo at some point and also just so happened to be injured as well? Well ain't that the biggest coincidence ever It was nice for her to bandage up Serena's wrist though.

I loved Serena's final performance. It was just fabulous and I really love when Serena uses Braxien's stick. I really wish they would showed all Aria's instead of switching the scene around, because from what I saw, Serena's looked much better. She and all of her Pokemon looked like they were more in sync while Aria's just didn't seem as connected to me. But OMG Bonnie's bouncing was adorable. Ok, I never really expected Serena to win. I hoped she would, though because she killed that performance. But she only got half of the votes Aria got? Seriously? I think she deserved to have a bit of a closer score. Definitely more than half. But still, I guess it is a major accomplishment when you're the runner-up to the queen after only performing for such a short time. So whatever. Of course Pancham was upset. He's so cute.

Well Smoochum finally got her kiss. That was hilarious. I really hope this isn't the end for all of Serena's rivals, but I fear it might be And OMG Serena got Palermo's card. I hope she'll help her out so she can continue to improve on her performing.

Overall, I'd say this was a good finale for Serena. I still feel she should have won, but she regardless, she slayed. Shauna and Aria's lackluster performances and Serena's low score were my only real gripes with this episode. All in all, it was nice. 8/10.