First Best Wishes episode that 'caught' you?

[Nick Ketchum]

The 5th, 7th, the episode with Bianca (forgot which), 18th, 19th & 20th. I loved all of these episodes equally, so far, Best Wishes has been a great saga.

 

[OmigawdMatt]

It would be BW 09 for me because it showed Iris's character development but that was not all. To me, it was the first creepy Pokemon episode shown in BW. Then there's BW 10 with Trip's rebattle, BW 13 with Bianca, and BW 20 with Krokorok.

 

[Cybersai]

While I did love the ep where Zugguru hatched and some others, I think the first truly stand-out episode of BW for everyone will be the upcoming TR 2-parter.

That looks to go above and beyond what we usually see even for a villain episode.

 

[Garren]

Hihidaruma episode.

I've said it before, but Best Wishes had some pretty crap art and animation overall, especially in the earlier episodes, including even more reliance on stock art than normal it seems, and really odd cuts in animation which made episodes feel disjointed and short.

The Hihidaruma episode changed that as it had some pretty neat CG, a sprawling city for a background, some interesting lighting effects for the nighttime scenes and when there was a flame burning, and overall it just looked nice. The score was pretty good as well and, even if the story didn't make that much sense (is the bell that big of a deal? Couldn't Hihidaruma gently levitate it to the floor and get help?), it was alright for a filler, focused on some cool Pokemon, and I liked how everyone in the group helped out throughout the episode.

I think I might start a thread for other seasons...it'd be interesting to see. I know that for DP, it was DP 6 which really turned me on. Such a great episode. *sniff*

They had plenty of real battles before Best Wishes! The only thing that made the BW battle different from the hundreds that came before it was the fact that the trio didn't blast off, and even *that's* been done before.

Yeah, plus the "real battle" was a newly caught Woobat overpowering Pikachu, Mijumaru, and Kibago all at once somehow. Woo. Even filler Team Rocket battles in the past have been more exciting and with them coming out on top almost. Watch the Ralts episode in AG, for instance. They kicked ass in that, made jokes, blasted off, and did it in glorious white.

 

[KibaLG8]

I really liked all the episodes.... and I know this isn't a favorite episode thread but the one that really makes me love Best Wishes is either BW018 or BW020.... The BGM's used in those 2 were really great & fitting. If I were to have just started watching the series & began with those 2, I'd be hooked on BW instantly.

 

[WatcherMark]

They had plenty of real battles before Best Wishes! The only thing that made the BW battle different from the hundreds that came before it was the fact that the trio didn't blast off, and even *that's* been done before.

Best example being the Max & Ralts episode from Advanced. The Rockets battle so well against the gang it makes it seem ludicrous that they acted so ineptly at other times.

As for the first BW episode that really drew me in... I'd have to say the one with Ash and Trip at the Battle Club. The battle was genuinely exciting and the Team Rocket scene, although pointless in relation to the other plot, was interesting to watch.

 

[garfield15]

I seriously think even if the 23-24 two parter sucks (which is so unlikely, I don't even want to think it), it'll be remembered just for what the show decided to do after all.

 

[Dogasu]

I've said it before, but Best Wishes had some pretty crap art and animation overall, especially in the earlier episodes, including even more reliance on stock art than normal it seems, and really odd cuts in animation which made episodes feel disjointed and short.

I don't feel the same way at all. The first episodes, especially the first two, were quite gorgeous in my opinion. They featured really great art, special effects that really heightened the episodes without being too overbearing, and a bright color palette that really helped make everything else "pop."

That said, the setting of the Hihidaruma episode was pretty amazing. You usually only see towns like that in the movies.

Yeah, plus the "real battle" was a newly caught Woobat overpowering Pikachu, Mijumaru, and Kibago all at once somehow. Woo.

Not even that. Musashi's Koromori was beat by an untrained starter pokemon. And then, if that wasn't enough, it brought down their balloon as well.

And the sad thing is, that's their only battle in the entire series to date.

Their battle record in BW is nothing short of pathetic.

 

[Sweet Veil]

They had plenty of real battles before Best Wishes! The only thing that made the BW battle different from the hundreds that came before it was the fact that the trio didn't blast off, and even *that's* been done before.

I think she meant more of them being badass and almost getting away with it, had not been for Mijumaru's intervention. Them almost getting away with it in a serious not milking the situation way not a comic "hey let's see what more we can get" situation. Koromori did a nice job for a Pokemon fresh outta the gauntlet. I mean would Seviper or Maskippa had been able to inflict that much damage on Pikachu and take down Mamepato?

 

[Insanish Danish]

The second episode. I thought the first one was great, but when I realized how great Iris's character was, and all the awesome music and Oshawott and stuff like that, I was like, yeah, I'm definitely sticking around for this series.

 

[Garren]

. I mean would Seviper or Maskippa had been able to inflict that much damage on Pikachu and take down Mamepato?

If the writers had wanted them to, yes.

It's not like their old Pokemon were weak...all of them were pretty much shown to be strong when the situation called for it.

 

[Cybersai]

To be honest I thought BW got off to a shaky start. There wasn't anything wrong with the initial 10 episodes, its just that everything that happened in them felt like it was done before.

As I said, the entire beginning mimicks both Kanto as well as some early AG/DP episodes. The way Ash's team is set-up resembles Kanto, same with the way Iris and Dento joined the group. Trip is basically just Paul without the motive or backstory.

The only thing that makes BW stand out is competent TR. Because you're kidding yourself if you'd say most of these episodes don't resemble Kanto/AG/DP's early episodes.

 

[Kynn Master]

I think episode 5 and episode 6, and no, it wasn't because of CafemochaShipping.

 

[Froakie]

The problem with Best Wishes repeating Kanto was that considering Brock had just left, reusing the 'meeting a gym leader in his gym episode 5, when he wants to do something else other than being a gym leader' thing was personally too soon to reuse.

 

[Cybersai]

Well Iris starts off pretty similar to Misty as well, so they're just mimicking the entire original trio.

 

[Froakie]

Well yeah, but I don't really care for Iris/Misty lol. Anyway, I don't know why the writers couldn't have been a little more inventive of their new characters.

 

[Owain]

they never were, just Misty, Brock and May were completely original, not to say the new one aren't, cause it isn't true, they're all different in the end.
and actually, Iris isn't that much of a Misty Clone, but they do have have several similarities, same with Brock and Cilan.

 

[Charbok]

Iris and Dento are nothing like Misty and Brock in my opinion. They have similarities but that doesn't mean that their clones of those characters. They may have been introduced in a similar way but their personalities make up for it if you ask me.

 

[Owain]

Iris and Dento are nothing like Misty and Brock in my opinion. They have similarities but that doesn't mean that their clones of those characters. They may have been introduced in a similar way but their personalities make up for it if you ask me.

i completely agree.
i dislike people comparing characters as being ''clones'' to earlier characters.

i think we should evaluate characters for what they are, not for whom we think is better, or rather, ''the ones they were cloned from''.

 

[Cybersai]

Iris and Dento do share some obvious similarities to Misty/Brock, even if they have their own personalities as well.