Best BW episode beside the Litwick mansion story. If only Iwane'd swapped and animated this ep instead of last week's... thing.
The dialogue was so utterly refreshing that I watched without fast-forwarding here and there for the first time in ages. The usual "Yay let's go", "Yay league", "Yay battles" stuff we get to hear about every other week was quickly dealt with in the beginning of the ep, leaving lots of room for hilarious lines and antics once the story got rolling.
I can't remember the last episode that did such a good job at keeping the trio in-character while showing unusual sides of them at the same time. Okay, making 2/3 of them crossdress might have helped tremendously, but still ;P Given that Iris was the star this time, it must've been tempting to not put much effort into the rather minor roles the boys played and make their lines similar, but they made sure Ash's and Cilan's reactions to the whole ordeal had different nuances.
There isn't much to say about Cilan. As far as I'm concerned he's awesomeness personified and this episode was no different. Interesting that they made him and Pansage fail twice, and quite mercilessly at that. Crossdressing doesn't seem to bring him much luck, huh? XD Mamoru Miyano's attempt at saying "**~*~+BULLET SEED+~*~**" had me in stitches.
Iris was the ultimate beast this time and I loved every second of it. She developed a grudge, hurled herself at it and clung to it like a maniac all the way until a punishment was dished out that she deemed satisfactory. That's what I adore about her character: She's definitely a kind person, but she also doesn't let others get away with bull****. Granted, it's never been as pronounced as today, but there's a distinct "meanness" (in a good way!) about her that makes her a more convincing and realistic character. The boys are definitely tamer in that regard, so I appreciate this trait a lot.
Ash was the cutest of the three (c'mon, 3 ribbons!). I was so unhappy about the generic, ever-recurring lines he'd been getting in the vast majority of previous episodes, so seeing such a colorful palette of expressions and tones made me all the more ecstatic. He was the only one who never managed to fully adapt to the situation and spent lots of time looking uncomfortable as hell. He's usually not the sarcastic type, but his grumpy muttering definitely made for some dry humor. I was a bit puzzled why they couldn't have all three of them battle by giving the first or second battle to Ash and Snivy. That way, Iris would've still starred since she was facing the leader of the opera troupe and she would've taken revenge with the Pokémon whose honor she wanted to defend most, Emolga. It would've required a title edit, but who cares.
Still, while the Iris-Cilan-Iris setup seemed a little nonsensical, I have no objections about the way it came to be. Iris may have butted in on Ash a little when she asked to borrow Snivy, but this whole revenge plot was more about Iris than the others to begin with. Snivy was insulted by the girls too, but Ash was ready to let it go while Iris was the one who insisted on kicking their sorry butts. This was her fight and I'm happy they made Ash recognize how important it was to her by stepping aside without much hesitation. As wonderfully silly as this episode was, one cannot deny that it's a HUGE deal for Ash to be unfazed by the fact that both of his friends get to battle, one of them even twice, while he watches on the sidelines.
Finally - greatest ending ever. The boys' cover remained intact till the very end which I didn't expect, plus the hasty "Uh, we're done here so bye" exit without a single exchange of niceties is quite uncommon for this anime. Bonus points to Ash for being considerate and asking Iris if she was feeling better PLUS complimenting Cilan for his girly performance. Lulzy stuff.
