Review SM146: Thank You, Alola! Respective Departures!!

[Emelie]

At first I disliked the idea of Mao/Mallow releasing Shaymin because it felt like it was a gift from her departed mother. But I think the scene was very well done. It felt like Shaymin symbolized acceptance and Mallow coming to terms with her grief. I like how the flowers could be seen in the background when Mallow looked up at the sky. I wish they had played something else than Type Wild, maybe something more emotional.

Mallow feels a little lonely at the end but sometimes saying goodbye is part of life. I think this was a much more mature portrayal of parting with somebody than the episode when Sophocles thought he was going to move away and threw a tantrum.

I also wonder why Team Rocket chose to leave behind their strong Pokémon. Maybe they didn't want to give them away to Giovanni like they did with their BW Pokémon. It would have been better if there had some reason why they left their Pokémon behind, now they just came across as a little bit cold.

Interesting how neither Musashi or Mimikyu seem to really care about splitting up? I could never really wrap my head around their relationship. The last scene with Mimikyu made me wonder if it secretly regretted joining Team Rocket and actually wanted to be friends with Pikachu and Satoshi...?

I think the scene when Mimikyu sees its own reflection in the water is really interesting, because it was like Mimikyu realized that it wasn't a monster to begin with but slowly became one because it let its own dark thoughts corrupt it.

 

[Vengeful Ghost]

For all we know, Burnett could have given birth the next time Ash is in Alola and yet Ash will still be ten. Hooray for the sliding timeline!

 

[FinnishPokéFan92]

in the water is really interesting, because it was like Mimikyu realized that it wasn't a monster to begin with but slowly became one because it let its own dark thoughts corrupt it.

I think it was just it seeing its true form and falling victim to the same thing that hit Meowth several times.

 

[Emelie]

I think it was just it seeing its true form and falling victim to the same thing that hit Meowth several times.

Hmmm... So you think it even curses itself?

Life is hard for Mimikyu...

 

[El Squibbonator]

No more Mimikyu! BOO!

 

[Galar Adventurer]

Animators Masaaki Iwane and Takashi Shinohara's tribute art for the Sun & Moon series:

Spoiler

Shinohara:

Iwane:

 

[Alola]

Animators Masaaki Iwane and Takashi Shinohara's tribute art for the Sun & Moon series:

Spoiler

Shinohara:
View attachment 127550


Iwane:
View attachment 127551

It was lovely until I reached Hau and Gladion, small with their backs turned away; seems like a disservice to their characters. I'd either include them wholly, or leave them out.

 

[BugCatcherinVF]

For all we know, Burnett could have given birth the next time Ash is in Alola and yet Ash will still be ten. Hooray for the sliding timeline!

What if Gou is Kukui and Burnett's son and they are both 10 in next series.

 

[Gabo2oo]

At last, a series finale that does proper justice to Team Rocket's Pokémon. I'm glad they could fit in their interactions with each other because they were a bit underdeveloped in that sense, plus we hadn't seen them in action for months now. The pacing for that whole subplot was perfectly executed, nothing felt rushed. The short battle between Mimikyu and Pikachu was pretty well animated, especially Ash's "Iron Tail" command. I'm not sure if those shots were recycled but if they were, they did well in choosing those.

I'm still a bit unhappy on how they handled Ash's classmates, especially Sophocles and Lana (then Kiawe and Mallow). We only got a couple of shots of their departures and we're calling it a day. But honestly, seems like that was something the previous episode could've built up for better, so it's not just a problem with this one. Another thing I think we should've seen more of is Ash's Pokémon, I think we didn't even see Ash talking to them.

On the other hand, Lillie's departure was decently done. I like how they handled this whole Mohn thing, there obviously wasn't enough time to make her find him at some point during the series. Plus it feels like a more "concrete" goal for her to pursue than just "continuing to be stronger" or something, which already happens a lot among this show's main characters after they leave. A family trip is also a more unique way for a character to leave, especially for this show.

Something I guess I don't agree with most people here is that Shaymin's departure felt rushed? Despite how beautiful and significant Shaymin's debut scene was, it was terribly underdeveloped throughout the rest of the series, and if I recally correctly, even its presence was never explained, questioned, or hinted at in the first place. If it were for me, it shouldn't even have had a departure scene in the first place! That whole minute and a half could've been used to fit in a scene with Ash and his Pokémon earlier in the episode, or at the very least, to make the other characters' final scenes (especially Sophocles and Kiawe) more than just two-shot-one-liners.

That said, I'm glad we got those few glimpses of the recurring characters afterwards. They did something similar for XYZ but it wasn't quite the same either. All in all, I'm liking these latest finales feeling more than just regular episodes in regards to how they handle the presentation (different or no narration, end credits inserted within the episode, unique "To Be Continued" phrase, no opening theme in this case, etc).

Random thoughts:

- The scene with Lillie running back gave me some strong XYZ-vibes and, considering Lillie's feelings for the player character in the Sun & Moon games, I was genuinely scared for a second there.​

- No Samson in sight but honestly, the lead-up to SM and the first episodes made it look like he was going to be a much more important character that he ended up being.​

- You can tell they were running short of time when even the Dare Da segment is skipped ​

 

[BigDocFan]

Shaymin certainly had potential but that potential was wasted, Mallow uses it in the Alola league, we only see the aftermath of a battle that it had with help from Sandy. Its a Mythical Pokemon for a reason

They rush the ending giving it around 2 minutes of screen time when they could have had Mallow head to Sinnoh herself and dedicate an episode/special to it

 

[ii kanji]

Hidoide really hates Musashi LMAO

Spoiler

 

[BigDocFan]

Well at least Mareanie didn't imagine Jessie having to swim back to Kanto or cling desperately to the plane lol

 

[Kurolegacy]

You know, with the plot point that Ash left his Pokémon with Kukui, it kinda makes Naganadel’s departure last episode feel kinda pointless since it wouldn’t have left Alola anyway. At that point, they might as well have shown it could open Ultra Wormholes on its own so that it could remain with Kukui as Ash’s Pokémon but come and go to its home as it pleased.

 

[Gabo2oo]

Something I forgot about; I like the idea of Ash leaving his Pokémon with Kukui. Regardless of practicality, feels more genuine to leave them with him rather than with Oak in a town they barely know at this point. This stands for this particular series and not any others, because Ash and his Pokémon lived at Kukui's place for so long in this case.

 

[Beatsy Ray]

Best moment of the episode.

 

[BigDocFan]

Burnet was adorable to watch this episode

She helped give Ash a mother figure and her hugging him just shows it

 

[techitisJ]

I'm not crying, someone's just dicing a bowl of onions beside me. Oh who am I kidding yes I'm freaking sobbing right now!

While I don't get the whole gist of it, due to not finding the episode with subtitles yet, I can definitely get the visuals, and everything just felt so right. The Rocket's goodbye with Bewear was sweet, and I definitely started tearing up at Lillie's thank you to Ash. I was definitely crying by the time Ash said goodbye to his Alola family, but I think what wrecked me more was the final one, with Ash on the plane and seeing all his friends and Pokemon. Definitely a satisfying conclusion indeed. And that little bit at the end showing off that Burnet is pregnant was the best addition.

I hope with the next series we get plenty of cameos of the previous series characters, especially cameos for the friends Ash has made in Alola.

Truly a heartwarming episode

 

[BigDocFan]

Watching the shot of the Team Skull grunts facing Guzma, it looks like Tupp is using a Yungoos

Or is that some other Grunt

 

[emerson.brant]

I'll miss alola, really.

 

[MarshiyanMisutaa]

The scene with Lillie running back gave me some strong XYZ-vibes and, considering Lillie's feelings for the player character in the Sun & Moon games, I was genuinely scared for a second there.

Scared of what, her jumping from the ship and swimming back for a kiss scene?
Someone should make a fanart of this.