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Review XY136: The Zygarde Counterattack! The Final Decisive Battle of Kalos!!

Great episode! Some highlights:
-Lysandre goes to hell
-Squishy and Z's Perfect Form
-Team Rocket actually get saved from a blast off
-The fact that like 15+ people were supporting this

9/10
 
It was good, but honestly, I wasn't really feeling this. I'd say the Team Galactic showdown was better handled.

Even though this was 5 episodes long it felt like a rushed, incoherent mess for much of the time. Far too much going on at once and all the battle/action segments were badly coreographed, with the static Lysandre fight at the top of the Prism tower taking the grand prize. Couple that with weak animation teams working on all but the last episode and yeah... it could, and should have been much better.
 
For an anime that should be avoided by the 8+ crowd, this arc was well-written, and a great way to give adult fans a treat before the next anime series that will probably be the next Best Wishes. Lysandre being killed off was quite unexpected for this type of anime. Then again: Giovanni is a karma houdini, Maxie and Archie reform, Cyrus is rotting in another dimension, J is blown to bits, but Ghetsis is in jail rather than driven insane.

Of course, kids would be used to absolutely cruel villains almost on par with Lysandre. Frozen remains popular with little girls, and Prince Hans is Disney's equitant of Kodai (in that they want something so much, they're willing to resort to murder). The closest I can say of a villain similar to Lysandre would be Clu of Tron: Legacy.

Yeah, the league was a "grade F" because Ash lost, but maybe this whole arc was worth waiting for in the end. And we've learned a few lessons here: Ash will always have a 0% chance of winning a league, but villains who die in the games don't have to be spared and arrested.
 
The one thing that I'm happy about is Lysandre actually being killed off (Hunter J is rather ambiguous), but my main issue with that is, while I liked that bit, it's NOT something that Pokemon anime would have done, although let's be realistic; they DID kill him in the game, so it made sense. Also, what happens to the other members? You don't actually see them, so I assume that they disbanded and went their separate ways, like in the game.

Still, I give this series an F and have no intentions on following Ash's latest misadventures in Alola. Considering it looks like new directors are taking over for that series, there's gonna be a stark contrast in mood.
 
Great episode to end the Team Flare arc. Nice to see all of the gym leaders, the elite 4 member and the Kalos champion all have a part to help rescue Kalos. What a way to finish off Lysander with Zygarde's complete form killing him. Sad to see squishy go after 43 episodes, kind of bought a tear to my eye with the goodbye scene. Well, I assume, one more episode left and then XY series is over.
 
Great episode to end the Team Flare arc. Nice to see all of the gym leaders, the elite 4 member and the Kalos champion all have a part to help rescue Kalos. What a way to finish off Lysander with Zygarde's complete form killing him. Sad to see squishy go after 43 episodes, kind of bought a tear to my eye with the goodbye scene. Well, I assume, one more episode left and then XY series is over.

Unless two weeks from now is November, it isn't. Sun and Moon debuts then, so unless Pokemon leaves the airways...
 
Actually it was confirmed that the anime will end in 6 episodes, at episode 142 of the XY series and episode 49 for XY&Z
 
One of the best 1 hour specials of Pokemon ever -

Likes -
- Zygarde Complete Forme (OMFG Core Enforcer fired!!!!)
- 3 Megas (Garchomp, Metagross, Charizard) shielding and protecting Ash-Greninja during the skydive!
- All gymleaders and the Kalos champion doing their job of protecting their land!
- Manon the pure-hearted girl got her baby back thanks to Alain and Ash.
- Team Rocket showing those pimpsuit wannabes who is the real BOSS.
- Wobuffet being useful.
- Greninja being BOSS with Ninja senses and all that shiz!
- Lysandre DED, in a children's show, this is a welcome change for us adults.
- Steven(Lucky btard) X Diantha and Malva, Grant X Viola

Dislikes -
- Zygarde Complete Forme voice (dafuq was that? They should have given em some cool dragonesque robotic voice)
- No Ash x Serena in this episode
- Shota and other 3 should have rushed to the scene. Atleast Shota and Trevor man, they got Megas!
- Siebold, Drasna and Wikstrom not giving a F. Probably busy in cooking, dancing with bones and polishing armor respectively because that is more important than saving the land of which you are an Elite 4 member. Even Wulfric came running from south pole (he actually did run in the episode)

9.5/10
Good way to end the arc. Will remember this series for a long long time. Great characters, great evolutions, great story and suspense and drama. Very nice. Hope they keep making these kinds of episodes in the future too.
 
I wanted to know where the heck Xerneas was during all this?!

And.. Ash and Steven to interact and see if they remember each other..
 
The episodes are intense with a lot of things going on! Ash, Serena, Bonnie, Clemont, Diantha, Steven, the gym leaders, Alain, Sycamore and Team Rocket was doing everything they can with battling Lysandre and the megalith the best way they can. Hope that the anime do things this epic again in the future!
 
Best conclusion to an arc in the anime's 20 year history, I'd say. Absolutely loved the participation of the 2 Champs and Gym leaders. My favourite scene in particular is Z-2 watching as the trainers and Pokemon fought with everything they had, even if it was a losing battle (that kind of stuff I usually see in the Pokemon manga). Lysandra being likely dead is a nic bonus...let's try not to visit that, ok writers? I'm not sure whether this arc is enough to make people forget the league, but at least it's something to alleviate the grief. The Zygarde Complete Forme was also candy for the eyes, especially its finishing move.Though I can't help but chuckle at hearing Puni-chan's voice on that huge war machine, I can sort of understand it.
 
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From the looks of it, the real hero of Kalos was the only hero of Kalos, Zygarde : )
 
The only part I didn't like about this two-parter was how during the big climax where the gym leaders, champions, and most of the protagonists try to save the Chespin, Serena, Bonnie, and Mairin were just told to stand back and watch. Like? I get why they wouldnt want Bonnie and Mairin to go because they're much younger (at least I assume Mairin is younger? They always make her so helpless always I feel like she must be Bonnie's age at the oldest) but why did Serena have to stay back? I get that some of the gym leaders were girls, as was one of the champions (and Jessie too) but during the big climax of one of the biggest arcs of the whole series and 1/2 of the main cast is not partaking and they both happen to be the girls of the group.... *raspberry noise*

Other than that the only nitpick I can find is I would have liked scenes similar to the first episode of the arc where the news is broadcast globally now that the threat has reached that level. Maybe show Prof. Oak/Delia/Tracey like some of the old Kanto movies.
 
ZYGARDE LAYING DOWN THE LAW ;__; This conclusion was wonderful. And this villain arc has easily been the most exciting of any in the TV show to me. From the participation of the entire cast, to the general presentation, and the real sense of danger in Lysandre's operation. Not bad.
 
This episode was amazing. 10/10 for me. Serves Lysandre right for trying to wipe everyone else out. Complete Zygarde is just the best.
 
Other than the weirdness of Perfect Zygarde changing Pokemon Anime to generic Super Robot anime at such important decisive battle, I don't have much to complain.

Normally I don't give out praise nor express my likes, I often being critical. So when the time I do give out praise and express likes, that is the sign of that is something really good enough to impress me, especially having something very good where it overrides any criticizable flaws.
This episode is what it called "Bring everything together". This is something never ever happened in Pokemon Anime before. And then, there comes next the celebration episode that really feels like a grand finale of the whole series. Well done in the story-writing.

Of course, I still don't know how the anime will conclude to SM saga, so I still reserve my opinion on the "grand finale" that shall happens in next 3 consecutive weeks.
BTW, I'm already forseeing the ultimate anticlimactic "finale" if the cool-looking XY!Ash express himself to go to attend a school in Alola......
 
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