Review XY133: The Shocking Zygarde VS Zygarde! The Collapsing World!!

[Playerking]

XY133 - Bulbapedia, the community-driven Pokémon encyclopedia

Discuss the episode here.

 

[Shadao]

I would love to have picture of Alain collapsing down and watches as Lumoise City crumbles to the ground, realizing that this is all his fault. His goal to become the strongest, to collect Mega Evolution energy for peaceful purposes, to protect those he cares about. All exploited by a madman and left in ruins. Yup, can't imagine the trophy of his being any comfort right now.

As for the episode itself, damn that was freaking great... This puts any battle in XY&Z to shame. Even the Mega Charizard X vs Ash-Greninja fight. Everything matters here. The tension, the weight, the drama, and revelation. They managed to explain why Lysandre decides to destroy the world and based on what I've seen, it's virtually the same as the games. Originally helping people in need before becoming overwhelmed and finally goes to misanthrope extremes.

I can go on about this forever, but let's cut to the chase.

This is the Pokémon movie in TV format. Or rather, a TV arc in movie format. And this officially makes Team Flare the best villain arc ever made in the anime, surpassing even Team Galactic in my opinion in terms of the stakes, characters, origins, and how everything all comes together.

 

[SandyBoi]

This is the Pokémon movie in TV format. Or rather, a TV arc in movie format. And this officially makes Team Flare the best villain arc ever made in the anime, surpassing even Team Galactic in my opinion in terms of the stakes, characters, origins, and how everything all comes together.

Jumping the gun, aren't you? Still got 3 episodes of this left xD

That said, I do agree that this again was another great episode. And again, I agree. It still continues to feel like a movie only in TV format.
Ash and Greninja breaking out was awesome. That battle (It was a 2 vs 7 xD) was pretty great too. (Did Ash command Talonflame at all? Can't remember lel)
Sycamore, Manon and Serena are all heading to Lysandre Labs, alongside TR. Can't wait to see the battles to come out of that.
What's interesting is that there's a connection between b/n Bonnie and Puni-chan, just like Ash and Greninja.

 

[Shadao]

Jumping the gun, aren't you? Still got 3 episodes of this left xD

That said, I do agree that this again was another great episode. And again, I agree. It still continues to feel like a movie only in TV format.
Ash and Greninja breaking out was awesome. That battle (It was a 2 vs 7 xD) was pretty great too. (Did Ash command Talonflame at all? Can't remember lel)
Sycamore, Manon and Serena are all heading to Lysandre Labs, alongside TR. Can't wait to see the battles to come out of that.
What's interesting is that there's a connection between b/n Bonnie and Puni-chan, just like Ash and Greninja.

I admit it's a bit preemptive, but really I have never seen an villainous arc quite like Team Flare. This is really something you see out of the movies. Team Galactic, as great as it is nearly 10 years ago, was relatively small-scaled with only a handful knowing what's going on. Cyrus's motives were not as fleshed out (given there is no real backstory as to why he wants to create a new world unlike the games) and he never fought Ash and friends with his own Pokémon. Lysandre covers both aspects. I can definitely feel the game's backstory of how he was once a noble person who became fed up with the world.

For the origins of Lysandre's motives and the sheer scale of drama alone, the Team Flare arc is already the best of the bunch for me.

 

[dragonite24]

Ah, haven't posted in 3 years.. Those eps are just being too good..

What's exactly going on with Alain's keystone bracelet? Did it just focus the mega evolution power for Lysandre's plans, or did it power up his Charizard more?

 

[Zweilous]

Ah, haven't posted in 3 years.. Those eps are just being too good..

What's exactly going on with Alain's keystone bracelet? Did it just focus the mega evolution power for Lysandre's plans, or did it power up his Charizard more?

He was using it to collect Mega energy from his battles.

 

[A Wild Luxray]

So this arc is just getting better and better. First of all, it looks like things are going pretty well for Clemont so far. Two of the Team Flare scientists have now been captured and Clemont is in the Prism Tower. Serena, Marin, and Professor Sycamore got help from the TRio so now they're off to find Chespie. We got our secondary team aiding Champion Diantha now. Alain has finally realized how much he fucked up so now his redemption has begun, and he and Ash are battling Lysandre. Unfortunately though, Xerosic got control of Squishy. Hopefully Bonnie can fix that. Amazing episode.

 

[Gard81]

Hard to take the battle against Lysandre seriously when the odds are stacked so heavily against him. I do hope he'll use Zygarde against Ash and Alain, otherwise it'll end in a heavily anticlimactic way.

 

[L-05308]

Curious how Bryony used Liepard instead of Bisharp...

 

[Jacki132]

Can someone please explain me about this scene where they're explaining Lysandre Past? Did he just help those people to kill them in the end?

 

[Gengarzilla]

Can someone please explain me about this scene where they're explaining Lysandre Past? Did he just help those people to kill them in the end?

Just like the games, he offered help to people but they soon asked for more and more. This quickly eroded his opinion on the world. He began seeing them all as selfish.

 

[Shadao]

From what I can understand, it's virtually the same backstory from the games, minus Sycamore's involvement. Here's what he reveals in the games.

"Wah ha ha! Your convictions, and those of your Pokémon, please me! You are here to stop me. But I ask you to wait. I tried to save people--and the world--with the profit from this lab. But my efforts had no effect... The world was just too vast...and too full of fools that I couldn't save through my hard work alone... That's why I decided the only way to save the world was to take it all for myself. I don't expect that I will ever make you understand how I think and feel... Try to stop the ultimate weapon if you must, but to do so, you will have to explore our lab and have Pokémon battles with all you meet."

 

[ii kanji]

The tension in this arc cuts through me like a garotte through Camembert! I felt a very strong emotion (dunno which one lol) during that scene with Eureka and her father, peaking at that moment when he called her name. I only wish it were next week already so we can find out what happens next!

 

[Gengarzilla]

Alain's apparently forgotten that he also has six Pokémon, it seems.

 

[A Wild Luxray]

Alain's apparently forgotten that he also has six Pokémon, it seems.

Yeah, bring out that Weavile or something at least. I'm sick of that overpowered Mega Charizard X being shoved down our throats.

 

[GurahkWeavile]

Hard to take the battle against Lysandre seriously when the odds are stacked so heavily against him. I do hope he'll use Zygarde against Ash and Alain, otherwise it'll end in a heavily anticlimactic way.

Giovanni did the same thing against Red in Origins, and it worked well for him, since his Pokémon were excessively strong. Perhaps it will be the same for Lysandre.

 

[Gard81]

Giovanni did the same thing against Red in Origins, and it worked well for him, since his Pokémon were excessively strong. Perhaps it will be the same for Lysandre.

Yeah, but he's facing against 2 opponents, one with a powered-up Greninja+5 other Pokemon and another with an OP Charizard. I don't I'm exaggerating when I say the 2 situations couldn't be any more different.

 

[KrisiChiki]

Can I just say that I absolutely love the fact that all major recurring characters are participating in this chaos?

Team Rocket is being useful. Tierno, Shauna, Trevor and Sawyer are helping out. Even Clembot is out there fighting. Professor Sycamore, Champion Diantha, and from what I heard Champion Steven will make an appearance too (Thank Arceus, I'm still upset that Lance took his place in AG during the villain team climax). Now we're just missing the Gym Leaders and the Elite Four. Well, I wouldn't mind if they don't show up since we are already following so many characters, but even a quick shot to show us they are out there fighting would be good.

 

[A Wild Luxray]

I'm still hoping those cameos that all eight of the Gym Leaders made weren't for nothing. We still got XY 134 and the 1 hour finale the week after.

 

[Pokefan19]

Still amazed this arc is overshadowing and out performing the league (what with it being the climax of Ash's journey through the region), but I've liked both episodes thus far. As for this episode specifically

WOW! So much going on, so much destruction, so much tension, so much information. Nice to see Clemont remembered he had a Luxray, wish Serena would remember she had other Pokemon...

Alain's apparently forgotten that he also has six Pokémon, it seems.

Overkill at it's finest... I assure you though, had Ash not already had all 6 of his Pokemon out, it would have easily just been Greninja, Pikachu, and Charizard in this battle