Review Pokémon the Series: XY(Z)

[technickal]

So, I promised I'd do this last week, and now is the time, so here goes. Is XY the best series? Yes. But it's not perfect.

First, let's talk about Ash himself. He's undoubtedly at his most competent yet. The usual "skill reset" at the beginning of each series was averted, and he's on a roll right from the start. Sure, he makes a few missteps, but they're understandable and keep things interesting.

His team is also solid, also being Ash's best yet in terms of raw power. But I feel like it could've been balanced better; he had three Flying types and two Dragon types, which makes dealing with their weaknesses a problem. The releases also irk me, but I'll get back to that later.

Ash's traveling companions are probably my favorite as a group, but balancing their time in the spotlight is another one of XY(Z)'s flaws. Aside from Ash himself, at any given time, at least one of them basically sits there and does nothing. In fact, before the XYZ arc, I would've seen Bonnie's inclusion as unnecessary.

In comparison, the original series traveling companions were solid, although I admit they severely downgraded by late Johto. AG's team was also decent, with the exception of Max. My favorite is probably DP though. The balance feels just right. Ash has his Gym Battles, Dawn has her contests, and while Brock was definitely less focused on, he was still the glue that held the team together. Although Serena's Showcases tried to mimic this, they still fell flat as she's left with nothing to do before and after that arc. I will admit that BW´s handling of its companions was slightly worse though; they amounted to walking running gags for the most part.

Also, as I said before, while XY(Z) was definitely ambitious with breaking the status quo, and I admire it for that, it feels like everything has a catch. Can Ash an evolved Water starter with a Mega equivalent, as well as a fully-evolved pseudo-legendary Dragon? Sure, but they get released at the end. Ash is competent now and he makes it to the League finals? Sure, but he can't win. The movies also felt like an afterthought this time around. (I was going to talk about how Serena's crush on Ash was left unresolved, but I guess that kiss at the very end does that in its own way.)

I still feel like XYZ excelled in other areas though. The Gym Battles and Showcases all feel really dynamic and animated. The league was the best yet, even if Ash was just shy of winning. And while it was held off for a long time, when Team Flare finally makes an appearance and Ash and Alain meet launches one of the best subplots in the anime's history.

Finally, the presentation. I'm happy to say that this a high point for the series. It was on-point and even felt movie-like at times. The music I can't say much about because I usually watch the dub, but I liked what I heard from the dub and the original music...seems like a mixed bag. I will admit there are some great tracks in there, but I didn't like how they play the opening theme every other episode. That feels phoned-in and lazy. The dub does that as well, but not nearly as much.

Anyway, that's my thoughts on the series. What do you think? Do you agree? Disagree? Tell me below!

 

[SandyBoi]

I'd say your review is on point. (Y)
Can't say anything about the dub however, since I didn't bother watching that.

 

[Jaye]

XY&Z was certainly a very nice looking series, but it was terribly written.

Let's start with Ash-Greninja. What is it? Why does it exist? Why is a Greninja prophesied to save the Kalos region from disaster? What happened to that ninja clan holding this prophecy? Why weren't they involved in the bag battle at the end against Team Flare? What about that pain sharing thing? As far as a power upgrade goes, this one felt very shallow and reliant on the Rule of Cool rather than actual sense. XY&Z failed to answer any of the above questions adequately and opted to shove Ash-Greninja shamelessly in our faces for episode after episode instead of using the time to show us what the thing is all about. Ash-Greninja ate up a lot of screentime that could have been used for Ash's other Pokemon and even the human characters.

That leads me on to the other characters and their very minimal presence. Clement was irrelevant since the fifth gym, while Serena's showcases never got going as an arc. They were very well animated and pretty to look at, but at the same time did nothing for her character or for her rivals during the arc, and ultimately felt like a distraction to make it seem like Serena was doing something constructive besides crush over Ash. Bonnie, at least, had more of the spotlight due to Squishy, but not being a trainer she was limited in the number of things she could have done in the big climax. Meanwhile, every other Pokemon not named Greninja got the shaft.

As for Ash himself, once more they really failed to do anything with him. They gave these two-three episodes that suggested he underwent character development but, again, it was shallow. Ash was beaten badly because he got cocky and too reliant on Ash-Greninja. He goes away in the snow to mope about it, has an epiphany, then comes back to do the exact same thing he was doing before. By the end of the series I didn't get the feeling that Ash had changed at all from the beginning and he was still overusing Greninja in the Pokemon League (seriously, that frog was the centre of everything in XY&Z).

The Pokemon League itself was a lazy effort. Putting aside whether Ash should have won or not, just the general lack of hype or build up to it and the lack of actual storytelling during the league made it a very forgettable few episodes. As something that was meant to be the climactic point of the series it really felt flat. It's the point where Ash's character development either comes to a decisive point or we see the results of previous development, but we didn't see anything. We didn't see anything from Alan either, for that matter. Sawyer was the only character to really benefit from the league. And while we got some flashy and well choreographed battles, they didn't tell a good story. Like, I didn't feel that Ash had anything at stake during any of his battles; that he absolutely couldn't lose for such and such a reason. The league, on the whole, felt inconsequential.

I didn't care much for the Team Flare arc in the XY games and the anime didn't do anything to make me care. That they forewent the league to focus on an underdeveloped villain arc tagged onto the end of the series was disappointing.

Even Serena's implied kiss in the last episode felt shoehorned in. I'm seeing the word closure thrown around to describe that moment but it was anything but. It opened up a whole new can of worms. I'm not even a shipper but even I can't help but question what Ash thought of that moment, or if Serena was really okay leaving it like that. They basically started up a whole new story arc there and then but there're never going to address the numerous issues that moment brought up, which renders it pure pandering to a certain section of the fanbase. On the whole, Serena's infatuation with Ash played out like many feared it would: they did nothing with it.

It goes without saying, I have negative feelings about XY&Z. For me, it's a good example of a show that dresses up nice and pretty, but offers very little beyond it's appearance. I don't have high expectations for Pokemon but very little in XY&Z satisfied me.

 

[LuxrayOfTheWild]

Spoiler: Positives

• The XY Cast: The combo of Ash, Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie was very refeshing after the BW group. This group actually felt more like a family to me, rather than a group of people traveling together. Serena was such a nice change of pace, after Iris, and I did love her character arc. While I didn’t like how long it took her to find a goal and her crush being the only reason she was traveling with Ash, she developed beyond that and I like how she did. Her crush didn’t bother me also. You see childhood crushes all the time in cartoons and anime. Clemont was very interesting and I loved his scienc-y quirks, though I wish he got more spotlight after his gym battle with Ash.His role in the Team Flare arc also was just great. Bonnie was actually very well handled for a younger character and her proposal gag wasn’t too annoying, until the end. I also loved how she interacted and bonded with Squishy, plus her role in the Team Flare arc. She ordered Lysandre’s death. That was actually great. The group dynamic with them and Ash was so refreshing and I just loved how they all interacted. While there could have been a tiny bit more, I don’t mind that there was little conflict, after listening to Iris criticize everything Ash did. I did like how Ash interacted with each character individually, and how Bonnie did, though I do wish Serena and Clemont got more interesting interactions. Aside from that, I really did love this cast. I will truly miss them all.
  
  
• Ash in general: After a rather unnecessary reset, it was so refreshing to see Ash acting competent again. He actually trained hard, he actually used interesting strategies, and he actually matured a bit, to the point of not being so selfish about his own goal and putting Serena’s Master Class ahead of his last gym battle, which I don’t think he would have done in the past. It was nice to see him at his strongest and actually see others admire him rather than look down on him, as Trip and Iris did. Also, I loved to see the progression and development of his bond with Greninja and how he unlocked the power of Ash-Greninja. The Winding Woods episode was one of the best development moments for Ash I’ve seen in awhile. I don’t agree with the writers decision to force him to lose the league cause honestly, this Ash deserved to win it all. So, yeah, I did like how Ash was handled in this series.
  
  
• The Gym Battles: After a generation of mediocre and bland gym battles, like Ash vs. Elesa, the Gym Battles were once again as exciting as they were in DP. They were all very well choreographed and they all had some good strategies thrown in. Visually also, they were quite impressive. I think my favorites have to be Ash vs. Ramos, Ash vs. Clemont, and Ash vs. Olympia, which might have been the greatest Gym Battle in the entire Pokemon anime. This was one of the best parts of the series.
  
  
• The Main Pokemon: I feel like there was so much variety, personality wise, between the Pokemon on the main case, and the main cast had a pretty cool bunch. Greninja was a very stand out, powerful Pokemon with a great story and plus, there were some pretty interesting Pokemon like Hawlucha, Sylveon, and Goodra. Seeing a Luxray on the main cast did make me very happy and plus, I love the interactions between Pokemon like Goodra and Dedenne, Chespin and Sylveon, Hawlucha and Noivern, Bunnelby and Sylveon, aaaaand…
  
  
• Chespin and Pancham: These two get their own plus, because they were definitely my favorites of the main cast because of their personalities and their adorably hilarious rivalry/bromance that continued through the whole series. Every time they were on-screen together I was always looking forward to seeing the antics they’d get themselves into. I think my favorite episode for them was XY 124 when they got stuck with Pikachu in the fun house. I wish though the Chespin errand episode had Pancham accompanying Chespin cause I love seeing them work together. Anyway, I absolutely loved these two and that’s why they get their own plus for the sheer comedy and depiction of their rivalry/bromance the anime had.
  
  
• The Team Flare Arc: While the build up to this was a little slow, this five episode arc was one of the most intense, well written arcs I have ever seen in this anime. Every part of it had me on the edge of my seat as we saw Team Flare take over with everyone fighting to regain control of Lumiose City. The action was exciting, the stakes felt real, and I loved some of the more emotional moments, like Clembot’s death and Bonnie trying to break through to Squishy. Every major character played a role and it was actually awesometo see Diantha and all the Gym Leaders come together to help defeat the Megalith. Perfect Zygarde did not disappoint also and I just loved seeing it in action. Also, while it wasn’t directly said, props to the writers for actually killing Lysandre. There’s no way he survived that. It was definitely an amazing arc and certainly a high point in the anime.
  
  
• The Animation: It was certainly a step up, even more, from BW. BW had some decent animation, but the animation we’ve seen here was just incredible. A lot of the battles had some very incredible visuals and animation, especially battles like Ash vs. Olympia and Ash vs. Sawyer. Serena’s performances as well were so beautifully animated and the special effects were just dazzling. This is some of the best animation I’ve ever seen in the Pokemon anime.
  
  
• The Pacing: I actually didn’t really feel like XY was that rushed at any point, beyond the Kalos League. Gyms often had more than 15 episodes between each of them and it allowed enough time for characters to develop, captures, and such. While the League felt rushed and Pokemon Showcases should have been introduced sooner, the overall pacing of the series was good.
  
  
• Team Rocket: SURPRISINGLY, I actually liked them in this series. Yes, this is a positive for me. I like that they didn’t appear in every episode, and it didn’t bother me much when they did. Jessie did get some good moments and development in her showcases was great. Seeing her take a loss with good humor for once was certainly great to see. Plus, James could be pretty entertaining at times, like in XY 124. They truly got to shine during the Team Flare arc, when they took on and defeated the scientists, broadcasted the events to the whole world, and helped Ash and everyone take on the Megalith. I laughed at how they edited the PREVIOUSLY BROADCASTED FOOTAGE THEY SHOT to make it seem like they were the true heroes to Giovanni. Overall, I thought they were good this series.
  
  
• The Sendoffs: Seeing this group depart was sad, but it was very well handled. Much better even than BW’s send off. I loved the emotion between all the Pokemon, especially Pancham and Chespin. Dedenne also did add in a nice emotional moment. Before addressing the big thing that’s got a lot of people talking, I want to say that I like how we got closure for everyone. We got to see Alain and Marin go on their own journey. We got to see Sawyer aiding Steven. We even got to see what Shauna, Tierno, and Trevor were up to. I did like seeing Ash battle Clemont one last time and I did like seeing one last explosion from Clemont’s inventions. I am honestly gonna miss him and Bonnie. I did like how they handled Serena’s departure as well, deciding to decline Palermo’s apprenticeship and going to compete in Pokemon Contests, after Palermo suggested it. I am honestly shocked though that Serena kissed Ash for her goodbye. I will never forget that and honestly, I’m glad that they gave Amourshipper fans that moment. Overall, I did like how they gave everyone the send off they deserved.
  
  
• Alain’s Redemption: I have a lot to say about Alain, but I should get a positive thing about him out of the way. I love how he redeemed himself in the Team Flarle arc and the ending he got. Seeing him wake up and decide to make up for his mistakes helping Lysandre was great and I did like that Ash was the one who made him realize it. He even thanked Ash for it. His role afterwards, was something that I thought was something he needed to do, and that was saving Chespie. I did like how he was the one to do that. In the end, it was nice see him rejoin Professor Sycamore, as his assistant and patch things up with Marin. I’m not gonna miss Alain, but he gets credit for having some good redemption.

• The Music: While the Dub didn't have the best tracks, the Japanese version really hit hard with the music. Volt was probably one of the best Japanese openings and plus XYZ was a great opening as well[IKUZE!] The English dub openings were okay, except XY&Z's. Both series did have some good tracks kept in, like the Hall of Fame theme, Hawlucha's theme, and the trainer battle themes, though the Japanese version gets it for using tracks like the Ash-Greninja theme, Volt, and Serena's theme.

Spoiler: Neutral

• Ash’s Rivals: Looking at Tierno, Sanpei, and Sawyer, they were okay. Tierno was a cool character and I loved watching his and Ash’s battles, but he never posed a threat and didn’t even battle against him in the league as I wished he would. Sanpei was pretty cool as well, though a failed opportunity for a full fledged rival. He was kinda just there for Greninja’s development, though could have been more. Sawyer was the only rival I truly thought was great, because I liked how he developed and seeing him beat Ash before the league did add more weight to the great battle he had with Ash in the league. Overall, as a bunch, they were okay. Alain though….I’ll get to him later….

• Goodra's Release: I think I'm more okay with this? I genuinely don't like it when the writers take away powerful Pokemon from Ash, but at least Goodra can be called back at anytime if Ash wants. Goodra could have left protecting the wetlands to Flogres, though I guess this is okay.
  
  
• Lack of Continuity: I would have loved to see more references to the past, or seeing Ash talk to someone like Professor Oak more often. It would have even been nice to see familiar faces pop up watching the league from their homes. Plus, I kind of wish that Ash mentioned his own Charizard when meeting Alain’s It would have been nice as well if Ash acknowledged meeting Steven before. The lack of continuity though isn’t something I’d put under negative though, because, while it would have been nice to see them make references to the past, I’m okay with the fact that they didn’t.
  
  
• Amourshipping: Okay, I’m more neutral on this, because I didn’t like this being Serena’s driving force for her journey, but it didn’t become the only part of her in the end. Amourshipping did have its good moments though, and I honestly did like the friendship between Ash and Serena. I honestly will never forget the heavily implied kiss Serena gave Ash and she does honestly get the award for the best send off. I think I'm more neutral though cause I'm a Pokeshipping fan more, but this was alright in the end.

Spoiler: Negatives

• Alain as a Trainer: Overall, I admit he had a good character arc in the end, but I have to say, I honestly did not like how they handled him as a trainer. He was just way too perfect to me. It wasn’t really apparent until the 4th act of the Mega Evolution specials,when his incredibly overpowered Mega Charizard X took down 10 Megas in a row, including Malva’s Mega Houndoom. Then we go on to see him defeat Ash twice, and after learning about the league, he gets all badges 7 episodes later. This honestly made his league inclusion feel forced and last minute. It frustrated me how he continually said “I’ll never lose again.” and continued to keep his win streak going, thanks to his overpowered, broken Charizard. Seeing that thing beat Ash in the league, after beating Greninja before, really bothered me, especially considering how much damage that thing took. It took 7 hard hits total, including a powerful super effective hit. Somehow, it still stood. The fact that they never had Alain lose once after Siebold really bugged me, because honestly, I feel like he could have gained some development from it. If it makes sense, I thought losing could have made Alain question his strength and if he was capable of helping Chespie even. This could have tied into his redemption and Ash could have motivated him to keep fighting for Marin and Chespie, if he knew. It would have been great also if he had to learn that he can’t win every battle and that it’s okay to lose sometimes, like the anime apparently tries to teach by having Ash lose every league…The writers had a great chance here, but they didn’t take it. I can give Alain credit for his character arc, but this is why I don’t like Alain as a trainer. He was too perfect.
  
• Pokemon Showcases: First of all, I have to say that I don’t like how they took so long to introduce Pokemon Showcases into the anime. It took about 47 episodes for Serena to decide she wanted to be a Pokemon Performer, and another 13 for the first one. Secondly, the concept felt rather bland, compared to contests. It was basically an appeals round with a random uninteresting entry round like baking. In the end, Aria proved that it was mostly a popularity contest and that actual talent did not matter as long as you were incredibly popular. I thought Serena was far better than what we saw from Aria, but because Aria was more popular, she won, which of course made sense. I think Aria's talent should have been shown in greater detail though. In the end, these just didn't do it for me. If Serena was going to become a Pokemon Coordinator by the end, I wish they just did contests anyway.

• Serena’s Rivals: For the most part, they were very weak. Miette had potential, as she often butted heads with Serena and knew how to get under her skin, but the writers failed to make her a serious threat to Serena’s goal. She didn’t even do well at the Master Class. Nene and Shauna were both very bland as characters and just as with Miette, didn’t pose any sort of threat to Serena at all. Maybe Shauna for a bit, but it became clear that she wasn’t ever going to. Jessie, as usual, was a good part of the rival squad and I loved her development, but in the end, Serena had some of the weakest rivals I have ever seen.
  
  
• The Kalos League: After all the build up to this, the payoff was rather bad. It already started out bad when we saw Alain sweep through Trevor’s team, Ash being forced to battle the ever so unnecessary Everett, and only seeing a small portion of Ash’s battle with Titus. As if it couldn’t get any worse, we’re already at the Top 8 of 64 by the second episode. I wanted to see how Ash got as far as he did. It would have been great if we could see his full battle with Tidus, Astrid, and I would have loved to see him battle Tierno again also, even if he has beaten him 2 or 3 times before. Tierno and Sawyer’s battle was good though, but I didn’t like how we only saw a very brief portion of Ash battling Astrid, who deserved better treatment. It gave me hope when we saw Ash’s great battle with Sawyer and seeing how well the first half of his battle with Alain went. Then...It crashed. When the odds truly seemed to be in Ash's favor, the writers made the worst decision they possibly could have made and had Ash lose to Alain in the finals. Yes, Ash got to the finals, which shows how strong he was, but Alain winning just wrecked this league. I thought it logically made no sense for him to beat Ash a third time I thought and plus, Mega Charizard X should have been on the ground after taking 7 hard hits. It was Ash’s time to win, though he was robbed of it. Plus, it could have given Alain some good character development, though the writers failed to do this in favor of their absurd status quo that should have been kicked to the curb and left for dead. It was one of the worst things about this series.
  
  
• Releasing Greninja: By now, I can accept Goodra’s release, because Goodra can be called back at anytime, as we were shown in the league. Greninja though? Just...No. While it wouldn't call it bad writing necessarily, I did not like how forced it felt. Aside from not liking how they took away Ash's first fully evolved Water type starter that was on par with Mega Evolutions, I felt like going off with Squishy and Z2 help protect Kalos felt forced because of this. We clearly saw how powerful Zygarde is and the fact that they created this new vine issue that only Greninja could see really downplayed the power of Squishy and Z2. The issue should have been solved when Perfect Zygarde eliminated all the vines, so creating this reason is why Greninja’s release feels forced. I would have been okay if he was left with Sycamore for some reason, but this is definitely one of the worst releases in the entire Pokemon anime.

Spoiler: Final Verdict

The XY series was certainly a huge improvement over the Best Wishes series. It was great to see Ash back to his DP level of competency and skills and plus, I absolutely loved the main cast. There were many things that have improved over the Best Wishes series, including the animation, battles, and even the writing at times, especially during the Team Flare arc. The series did have some huge blunders though, particularly in the form of the Kalos League, which was a complete disaster. Plus, the decision to release Greninja at the end felt forced as could be. The bad things dragged down the score a little bit, but there are still tons of positive things about this series. In the end, I think the XY series was a pretty great series. I give the XY series an 7.75/10

 

[SammyW27]

The Good:
+ The best, most gorgeous animation the TV Show has ever seen. On level with the Movies and even better looking than the older ones.
+ Ash at his best
+ The TRio the best they've been since the OS
+ Breaking tradition in several places
+ Pokémon with a decent amount of personality and depth
+ Hawlucha
+ The most dramatic and dire situations since DP
+ Bonnie, before the title change
+ Serena's crush (poor fool, she makes me laugh)
+ Team Flare
+ The Gym Leaders
+ The Mega Evolution Specials

The Bad:
- Showcases.
- Most of the Rivals--be they Trainers or Performers--being underused, underdeveloped, and underwhelming, doing well off-screen as the plot required, but being chumps when we actually saw them. (I almost wonder if they stole those Badges and Princess Keys...)
- Very underpopulated, with recurring characters going long stretches between appearances, the COTD population the highest it's been since the OS or early AG, the Joy and especially the Jenny populations the lowest they've ever been, and an almost record breaking number of episodes where Ash-tachii, Jessie, and James were the only humans around.
- Clemont becoming a nigh-useless background character after his gym battle with Ash
- Ash-Greninja
- Bonnie, after the title change
- Squishy being Togepi 3.0 most of the time (Axew was 2.0)
- XY&Z fillers
- Jessie and James only getting one new Pokémon each. This the one tradition they shouldn't have broken...

 

[Arceus the Dragon]

The entire Kalos series ended up being awful in the end for me. Goodra's release the first time stung but I got over it. Then they overhype the league by making people think that Ash was going to win but he didn't. Now we say goodbye to not only Goodra again but also Greninja. Sorry but that crossed the line for me. This made the series another Kanto/Unova and it couldn't be redeemed after Greninja's release.

 

[SonansuMan]

- Jessie and James only getting one Pokémon each. This the one tradition they shouldn't have broken...

What do you mean? Jessie had two Pokemon. If you're referring to the amount of Pokemon they CAUGHT in a region, it isn't necessarily breaking tradition because Jessie and James only caught Yanmega and Carnivine in Sinnoh, respectively.

(I'm still kind of mad at James only having one Pokemon)

 

[WatcherMark]

- Jessie and James only getting one new Pokémon each. This the one tradition they shouldn't have broken...

I'll take one Pokemon with a good amount of focus over two Pokemon with no focus whatsoever... I could happily do without "Oh hey, let's throw a random Pururill and Morobareru onto their teams" again. I really hope Maaiika stays on for SM, although I think Pumpjin has had her day.

 

[ScienceRules]

Bonnie was actually very well handled for a younger character and her proposal gag wasn’t too annoying, until the end. I also loved how she interacted and bonded with Squishy, plus her role in the Team Flare arc. She ordered Lysandre’s death. That was actually great.

That's pretty creepy, to say the least......
Imagines Lion-Cub creepily saying in Flowey's voice..
"In this world.. it's KILL OR BE KILLED...."

 

[Jukain]

Well, I will repeat what I said before that I'm glad I gave Kalos another chance, this has been one of the best sagas in the anime. I came in being highly skeptical after BW. In fact, I was no longer willing to tolerate even the slightest of flaws. Nothing else had my attention, it was all on Serena to bring something interesting to the show, since I've already seen everything else on the other fronts. Having nothing to gauge progress by, I ragequit at about the Chateau ep, having felt like Serena was never going to do anything, and there had been too much filler to keep me otherwise interested. I didn't pay attention to the anime again for almost the whole saga, only peeping in at the Korrina arc to see how the anime was handling Mega Evolutions. A misinterpretation led me to be dissatisfied with that as well, and I proceeded to ignore the rest of the saga.

Then, at somewhere in the neighborhood of 2 months and 3 weeks ago, I was made privy to a review that touted all the amazing things XY has done in the course of it's run. I at first believed it to be little more than fan exaggeration, and out of a desire to determine it once and for all, I binged all of the Kalos saga in about 3 days or more, ending on what was then the newly aired first half Ash vs. Alain.

It was everything they said it was. All of that filler between the first and second gyms was virtually the only section of filler in the entire saga. Even then, some of the eps that I had dismissed at the point actually had larger importance to the whole saga. There were still a few fillers, and some were even interesting in their own right. I was amazed at how they had finally managed to have things going on even between gyms and Tripokalons or whatever they're called. That was one of the things that made me immediately rescind everything I had ever said about the matter. Even though Serena's plot only started to get going later than any other companion, it made up for it with an experience I would equate with Dawn's Contests. My complaints about Mega Evolution were also shot down when it was rightfully explained to me.

My favorite moments include the first evil Malamar ep, as I have not seen such things since the first movie, and it was incredible to see something be that big of a threat again. (too bad nothing came of it) Next was the Korrina arc, mostly because it was the most intense battle I have seen in a long time. Then, there was the Pokeball factory episode, as Pikachu faces his biggest nemesis yet: his own pokeball. This also gets points for being TR's best scheme since Nimbasa, although they were once again foiled by Pikachu himself. Of note also is the Rotom episode where they time travel, which was so off the wall, I had to make note of it.

The crowning jewel of this saga, of course, is the Mega Evolution series and the Team Flare plot by proxy. Everything having to do with this is so well written that you would think it's a different show. The two middle acts of Mega Evolution should even be a movie in their own right. All of this culminates in the final third of the Kalos saga, where the two paths finally converge, and elements that would've been worthy of a third game in this gen are featured. Now Ash has the power to stand against Mega Evolutions himself, but first has to master this new power. Meanwhile, they end up involved in Team Flare's plot, which manifests itself near the end of this saga in an event bigger than anything that has ever been attempted by the anime, ever. I swear I had feelings akin to the D-Reaper arc at the end of Digimon Tamers, although this was far more tame, but the stakes were just as high. There were parts of it that weren't what I expected it to be, but it was still fairly satisfying. This will be something long remembered.

Finally, I guess I will address the giant elephant in the room that is the conclusion of Ash vs. Alain. My analysis left me, like many, hoping that they would actually let Ash win. The plot actually had justification this time, and the plot always won in the end before. Unfortunately, they chose another route that was equally valid, but caused worldwide outrage across the fandom. I will not condone this decision, but I can see the logic that they were going for. Seeing Alain be crushed by the truth was all the vindication I needed. Winning is not all that's important. I wish the rest of the fandom would see it that way, but apparently, they won't. I will agree that this is the biggest insult ever, but it is not worthy of the negativity it's gotten. I still liked the rest of the saga and the TF arc and will happily tout it as the peak of what the anime has accomplished thus far.

Kalos not only opened the eyes of this tired old fan, but it also made them endure the lowest point I've seen since BW. I don't believe I will like SM, but I will have no hard feelings departing from it like I did after BW. I have enjoyed myself immensely and maybe there'll still be moments worth my time.

 

[WatcherMark]

I genuinely don't understand the absolute hatred towards the league ending. I mean, people are calling "Bullshit" on it, and upon reflection (and seeing the direction Sun and Moon is likely going in) it does seem like the wrong choice, but I can't think of a single league loss other than Johto that couldn't be called cheap. Let's have a look:

- Satoshi loses because his Lizardon goes to sleep.
- Satoshi loses because Pikachu can't beat a Nyarth.
- Satoshi loses to a trainer who's brought a team of Legendary Pokemon to the competition.
- Satoshi loses to an idiot who thought the Isshu League was held in Johto, had to be reminded to sign up, thought a 'full' battle was 5v5 yet still managed to have his Riolu/Lucario power through three of his Pokemon (two of which had taken no damage up to that point and one of those having a type disadvantage.

Compared to those, Satoshi just losing to an advanced trainer with a team of powerhouse Pokemon doesn't even factor in comparison to me. Certainly not to the point where some people were getting a massive pleasure over seeing Alan suffering in the episodes that following and desperate to see him thrown in prison afterwards.

 

[Galactic_V]

Good:

-Satoshi's development
-Satoshi's 6 Pokemon all reaching their final stage (except for Luchabull who's got no evolved form)
-The main cute starter not hugging that much screentime like before
-Awesome openings
-Awesome battles, with strategy usage
-Good companions, although I don't care about Eureka the slightest
-Trio's focused episodes (I just love the one they crossdress as Satoshi-tachi and the Calamanero vs Maiika one
-Good Flare-dan arc
-All of the Elite 4 having appearences (something we just had in DP)

Bad:

-Lack of references to the past series
-Way few Pokemon in the main cast
-Satoshi's Numelgon and Gekkouga released being so rushed and forced
-No closure for the bad Calamanero who just vanished
-Satoshi not mega evolving any Pokemon (I really wanted this - and no, I don't count Satoshi Gekkouga as a mega)
-Rushed league (final four in the 2nd episode, REALLY?!)
-Serena's long wait for a goal decision
-Trio's stock motto animation (which dragged for the entire series)
-Lackluster endings (hated all of them except for Serena's main one and the other one-shot of each main character)
-Satoshi not using his old Poke in the league
-Orchid's strange absence for the entire series

I guess that's it... After all I really wanted Hahakomori, Gantle and Waruvial battling again (my favorite reserves), and maybe Tsutarja with a different moveset (lol!)

 

[kantoskies]

The good:

• The art was much more consistent this time around (and usually very appealing), as compared to older series where it almost seemed each episode had different model sheets
• The animation itself was definitely a step up even though it was still pretty rigid in many episodes
• The best villainous team storyline/climax
• It had my personal favorite ending/character song (DoriDori) and two of my favorite openings (Volt and Mad-Paced Getter)
• There weren't any over-used gags this time. Bonnie's proposal gag was what Brock's should have been as it wasn't every episode (and wasn't creepy).
• Team Rocket for the most part was great. Some of their most interesting schemes (Fake!Ash, Pokeball Factory) and finally a return of their character-centric episodes. I'd have liked them to play a bigger part in the Flare climax but it was still ok.

The meh:

• A lack of older music, and as a result many of the same pieces were used all the time for similar scenes, giving the series a very "same-y" feeling
• The travelling companions were charming but their dynamics at times were pretty boring. Everyone getting along is nice and I'm glad there wasn't petty drama every episode but they missed out on some interesting episodes since everything was smiles all of the time
• The Serena/Clemont dynamic was super underdeveloped.
  
• I didn't hate the Showcases but there was a lot of missed potential. Also see my post in this thread about why Serena should have been a boy and how it would have made her story a billion times better.
• The movies were pretty underwhelming and the art style in them was weird

The bad:

• The whole Ash-Greninja thing was....bad. It dragged on for too long and got a weird amount of focus. Don't even get me started on that obnoxious transformation animation.
• They tried making Ash look like a badass but like.....they're Pokemon battles between children for christ's sake, not some epic power struggle between two great forces.
• That TR stock motto animation that was used all but maybe 5 times
• Hardly any references to the past. Especially since the 20th anniversary is right around and we got Hoenn remakes it would've been nice to see more older character cameos.

Overall it was a solid series but nothing amazing. I'll definitely miss it but I'm also really excited for Sun&Moon to start.

 

[IncineROAR]

Overall I was a fan of the XY(Z) series, but I'm still extremely sour grapes at the release of Greninja. This will mark the first time in the entire series' history that Ash did not come back to Oak's lab with a regional starter.

 

[csrdevil]

IMPORTANT - This was meant to be a separate thread but for some reason, the respected website administrator here at bulbapedia decided to merge it. This thread is clearly a review of the entire region. Mine was only meant as a goodbye note, I was not discussing the Kalos region in depth. Anyways not that I can do much about it when the site admin keeps merging and removing my threads without permission.

Hello again Pokefans.

"csrdevil" back again with another update, this one a bit more emotional than the last ones! I'm talking of course about the final episode (minus the OVAs) of the essentially lackluster Kalos saga. Recurring naivety and a lack of silverware (in Ash Ketchum's case) can leave a Pokefan frustrated, some more than others such as your truly. And then a particular region ends, the time comes to say goodbye and you suddenly realize that after nearly three years you have to abruptly part ways and look the other way, but you really don't want to. My deepest of condolences to those who immensely enjoyed the Kalos saga, I know how hard it can be (I was shattered after Ash's enthralling Sinnoh league campaign ended with a whimper). In truth even us skeptics couldn't help but feel sad and consequently nostalgic as the Kalos saga finally drew its curtains.

There were several friendships that sadly had to be left behind, unrequited love (bummer Pokeshippers!), some unsaid things, but I'm sure a lot of great memories (not many for me though). But with hope in our hearts we look towards the future with renewed verve, with the hunger to explore newer avenues (Aloha) and the fire rekindled again in our eyes. That all sounds cliched and I admit to a certain extent that was essentially what the final episode was about, and yet I'm sure (don't lie now!) people ended up watching the episode twice.

A special mention goes out to Junior Lopez from New York. My heart goes out to this person and all those who helped him in his petition (on change.org) to reprise Serena's role in the Sun and Moon installment. I am not sure of he is aware of it already, but that is sadly not happening (according to the teaser trailer anyway).

Right then. Because today I am aiming to keep this as short as possible, here is Kalos in 5 points.

The Kalos Region Flatters To Deceive

1. It is simply astonishing how how developers keep churning out brand new Pokemon for each generation. A truly stellar job on all 72 new Pokemon introduced in Kalos.

2. To be honest, I don't care if everyone else in the world liked it. I've stuck with this show for the best part of 14 years and Mega Evolution is one of the most poignant scars that have been left on the anime side of things at least. I'm sure it makes for a great feature in the video games though.

3. Features the most protracted and intricate story-line yet (the Z saga). Opinions here are purely subjective, some may like it some may not. I did not. Period.

4. The Kalos League breached the norm and saw the protagonist (Ash Ketchum of course) reach new heights by making the final of a major Pokemon League tournament for the first time. Despite all the rumors that he will go all the way so that Pokemon can celebrate its 20th anniversary in style, it was not to be.

5. If there is a reason Kalos will be remembered, it will most definitely be Ash's Greninja-EX. They sadly parted ways just before the finale. A shame, it was one of Ash's most prized assets up to date. Interestingly enough that also marked the very first time Ash returned to Kanto without a regional starter at hand.

So, that was it for Kalos guys.

Plenty of promise, but in the end well short of expectations. In flashes it demonstrated its potential. But an unnecessarily prolonged (and mostly mediocre in my opinion) story-line, incoherent and sparsely explained concepts like Mega evolution and EX evolution, a close and yet bitterly disappointing league campaign all built towards this massive house of cards which was destined to collapse eventually. At least they returned to their roots and showed some pride in the last episode by delivering what was a truly emotional curtain closer. As expected.

So guys this will be my last piece on Kalos, in fact my last piece on Pokemon for a while really. My next review will appear after the first season of the new Sun and Moon saga finishes. By then I would have plenty of time to analyze things and conjure up something hopefully you all will read! So until then this is goodbye. Make sure you read my other Kalos posts for comprehensive reviews, information and discussions on the Kalos region. Until then keep watching the greatest anime show on Earth.

 

[Arceus the Dragon]

Kalos had become a huge joke in my opinion. Permanent release of Greninja, Goodra staying at the swamp, Ash's dragons losing in league battles without a win, Ash losing the league for the 6th time in a row and the amour rubbish. Kalos is one of the worst series in the anime and is tied with Unova and Kanto. Nothing could make up for this region in anime.

 

[csrdevil]

Kalos had become a huge joke in my opinion. Permanent release of Greninja, Goodra staying at the swamp, Ash's dragons losing in league battles without a win, Ash losing the league for the 6th time in a row and the amour rubbish. Kalos is one of the worst series in the anime and is tied with Unova and Kanto. Nothing could make up for this region in anime.

Hear hear.

 

[csrdevil]

Overall I was a fan of the XY(Z) series, but I'm still extremely sour grapes at the release of Greninja. This will mark the first time in the entire series' history that Ash did not come back to Oak's lab with a regional starter.

Hey I didn't realise that! Wow another landmark moment!

 

[Nicolas721]

The XY series was a mixed bag for me. While it did some things good it always had something holding it back from greatness.

-XY001-XY027: Freshness, good animation and some funny episodes were held back by a lack of plot and an overabundance of fillers.
-XY028-XY052: Good plots and interesting secondary characters were held back by an over reliance on Team Rocket.
-XY053-XY080: Amazing character development, great episode plots and fast-paced nature was held back by Goomy's sloppy development and conclusion.
-XY081, XY083-XY087: Let's pretend this never happened.
-XY088-XY093: Nice ending overall to the XY series, wrapping up Eevee's deveopment and starting Frogadier's.
-XY094-XY115: The much needed return of drama to the normal series and some epic moments were held back by the return of Johto fillers that took a lot of time.
-XY116-XY122 (Ash Greninja Arc): Great and surprising moments were held back by the random dropping of elements from one episode to other: Pulse-o-meter, Avalugg's ice body, Ash fainting...
-XY125-XY 131 (Kalos League): I don't think I need to repeat it.
-XY132-XY136 (Flare Arc): It was great.
-XY137-XY140: Some nostalgic moments were held back by polemical decisions and unpolished episode plots.

 

[csrdevil]

The XY series was a mixed bag for me. While it did some things good it always had something holding it back from greatness.

-XY001-XY027: Freshness, good animation and some funny episodes were held back by a lack of plot and an overabundance of fillers.
-XY028-XY052: Good plots and interesting secondary characters were held back by an over reliance on Team Rocket.
-XY053-XY080: Amazing character development, great episode plots and fast-paced nature was held back by Goomy's sloppy development and conclusion.
-XY081, XY083-XY087: Let's pretend this never happened.
-XY088-XY093: Nice ending overall to the XY series, wrapping up Eevee's deveopment and starting Frogadier's.
-XY094-XY115: The much needed return of drama to the normal series and some epic moments were held back by the return of Johto fillers that took a lot of time.
-XY116-XY122 (Ash Greninja Arc): Great and surprising moments were held back by the random dropping of elements from one episode to other: Pulse-o-meter, Avalugg's ice body, Ash fainting...
-XY125-XY 131 (Kalos League): I don't think I need to repeat it.
-XY132-XY136 (Flare Arc): It was great.
-XY137-XY140: Some nostalgic moments were held back by polemical decisions and unpolished episode plots.

Hey man, how's it going?