Ash and Goh! Setting Off Anew!! (1225)

[Ignition]

This episode was SO lost in all the surprise, shock and sadness to Ash confirmed to be leaving and the hype shock and excitement of the new anime and just everything in between it never got to breathe on its own

Glad I rewatched it before the end in some hours from now. A lot of the dialogues here hit way harder than back then

Specifically TRio saying "The word again is too boring for our dictionary, until we capture Pikachu and give him to Giovanni we are here to stay forever and ever" seems like pretty set in stone confirmation what's gonna happen to them in the finale lol in regards to their open ending

And so many of Ash's dialogue, specially what he says during the Lugia ride "This is why I wanna go out on a new journey and continue journeying, I wanna meet and befriend lots and lots of new more Pokemon", definitely playing into his ending as well, especially after we see Latios's rejection of him in the penultimate episode.

But man, Goh and Ash's farewell actually hit hard this time compared to when I first watched it. Especially the music. Idk there's something even more final knowing this is it for Ash. It hit harder coz unlike Ash just continuing as always, it's the final companion goodbye and by extension, the FINAL Goh appearance and episode ever....
Honestly that Goh, Chloe and Ash segment is the proper ending for them, along with the narrator saying "their lives and adventures will keep on going. They will go on if i said so!"

Was fun to see the Yuyama Lapras trainer reference and Mewtwo flying thingie and noticing them this time around

I feel like that while yea this is a pretty definitive Ash ending too, it's also an Ash, Goh and Chloe ending TOGETHER

I figured the writers also wanted to show a more just Ash ending once before moving on and doing stuff they got left to do, reuniting Misty Brock and Ash trio, meeting Cilan, meeting Lapras Squirtle and a certain other old friend in the finale again, and answering what a Pokemon Master actually is to Ash now that he's the Pokemon World champion.
So if anything, MPM is the writers loving Ash too much to want to give him a more personal ending rather than ending it here on a JN ending note, doing things left with him they wanted to do along with Trio and then sending them off. It's just underwhelming because we always viewed MPM as the finale instead of the epilogue and JN as the finale, and well nobody was that excited for an open ending that we are definitely gonna be getting

Well, that's all. Bring on the Ash finale. Distant Blue Sky is the only episode I'm rewatching next before the finale airs

Sorry you didn't rewatch all 1000+ episodes, movies, and specials so your comment is void (seriously though good analysis)

 

[Starswirl Pikachu]

I suppose I would describe this as a "victory lap" episode. First I'm still not sure whats going on with Lugia deciding not talk or nothing, like maybe it could be a different Lugia? But I am almost certain that there cant really be all that many of them?! Next I like that Goh tried to throw a poke ball at Lugia but the look in its eyes communicated that nah, they were not gonna be capturing it anytime soon.

Then suddenly Lugia chooses to be friendly again and saves Ash and Goh from falling off of a cliff. I can only assume that means that the legendary pokemon just wanted to have a practice battle or test their strength or something. Anyways following the battle we get to see some rare pokemon cameo's which is not bad.

Ho-oh was an often unseen mystery back when it first appeared a whole gen ahead of its time and is still something of an elusive sight in the anime to this day. Eventually Ash and Goh part ways and at least they chose a day with nice weather for this. Everything seems to wrap up for the most part although I wonder if Ash will have to defend his Pokemon champion title at some point in the future?

 

[AuraChannelerChris]

Lugia is literally the anime's lucky baby that became an official Pokemon, which is why it's got multiple of it spread everywhere (and even got a baby form (within the anime land), which is utterly unheard of to any other species).