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Beware of Shovels!! (965)

Pretty much! Kiawe was hypnotised or something so kudos to whoever predicted that.

Props to whomever predicted Kiawe's possession, that little section as a kid really looked good.

I think I was the one who said that literally because I was dying for it to actually happen within the episode. Glad that we at least got a flashback.
 

TheWanderingMist

Paladin of the Snow Queen
I felt that the conclusion was met a little too sudden. The shovel gets popped into its head and it's all fine and dandy and leaves? Too quick. And then for shizz and giggles it returns at night at Kukui's house? While I found that part particularly enjoyable, there's not much consistency to it. If Palossand still had beef, why did it leave?

I thought it was thanking them at the end and trying to make up for its rampage which was going a little overboard, especially given that they went and got its shovel back from where it could not possibly have gotten it.
 
So I've actually watched the episode now and despite not having a single subtitle I kind of got the idea of what was going on!

I will say one thing - the Kiawe possession flashback was actually kinda creepy. Well-executed, and I did enjoy it, but creepy. Poor young Kiawe...

Also Rotom will always stay an anime fan... to the very end. God I laughed so hard when he was coping through the cold by thinking of his favourite TV series. Rotom was so amusing this ep.

So yeah, I'll probably put this as one of my favourite episodes for Kiawe's soaring bromance, the Sandygast flashback and Rotom.
 

Almighty Zard

He has returned.
it's interesting that palossand only grew to such size because it absorbed sand into it's body rather than just being large after evolving.

That ending though was funny.

I also liked how Turtonator and Chairzard encouraged Litten to keep going as fellow fire pokemon
 

Jangobadass

Surprise!
It's official: SM really IS trying to be Kanto 2.0 (or is it 3.0?) !

This wasn't so bad. We had Litten training and mastering Fire Fang, some Kiwae development, and ALL of the classmates & their Pokemon pitching in.

All & all, a decent episode. Not especially memorable or deep, but at least enjoyable.
 

TheWanderingMist

Paladin of the Snow Queen
It's official: SM really IS trying to be Kanto 2.0 (or is it 3.0?) !

This wasn't so bad. We had Litten training and mastering Fire Fang, some Kiwae development, and ALL of the classmates & their Pokemon pitching in.

All & all, a decent episode. Not especially memorable or deep, but at least enjoyable.

3.0, since BW was already trying for Kanto 2.0, even if it didn't quite work out that way.
 

Daniel31

HopingGaryReturns
This episode had a few funny moments. I loved it when Ash takes a hold of Rotomdex and puts him on top of Sandygast, as Rotomdex is flailing about lol, then it gets stuck for most the episode on top of Palossand. Ash literally using his head to try to break through the ice (same old Ash, always trying to use force to get out of an entrapped situation. :p ) The water Pokemon, inadvertantly swimming into Popplio's balloons, as it was trying to retrieve the shovel (Pikachu and Popplio's reactions were perfect).

Other moments I liked: The Kiawe flashback to his once encounter with a Sandygast and him being possessed, Lana stepping up first to battle or use an attack on Palossand, and seeing Popplio's bubbles coming into good use to get the shovel underwater. Also, seeing Shiron using Power Snow to freeze Palossand and not giving up, thanks to some encourage from her trainer, with Mallow, Lana, etc...helping as well (I also liked how Lillie picks up Shiron, says thank you with a little nuzzle hehe, so cute). Basically, just seeing the classmates and Pokemon all working together to try to free Ash and co is always nice. Oh, and Litten being able to use Fire Fang, after some more training (I always like seeing the Pokemon being trained to use new moves), and hearing that BGM (The Matter's Settled) at the end as well (always liked that track).

Hmm...I do wonder though, if one of the classmates threw a Pokeball at Palossand, and captured it, would Ash be stuck inside the Pokeball then, since he was inside Palossand..? :D


Overall, average episode. ;)
 

lemoncatpower

Cynical Optimist
This episode had a few funny moments. I loved it when Ash takes a hold of Rotomdex and puts him on top of Sandygast, as Rotomdex is flailing about lol, then it gets stuck for most the episode on top of Palossand. Ash literally using his head to try to break through the ice (same old Ash, always trying to use force to get out of an entrapped situation. :p ) The water Pokemon, inadvertantly swimming into Popplio's balloons, as it was trying to retrieve the shovel (Pikachu and Popplio's reactions were perfect).

Other moments I liked: The Kiawe flashback to his once encounter with a Sandygast and him being possessed, Lana stepping up first to battle or use an attack on Palossand, and seeing Popplio's bubbles coming into good use to get the shovel underwater. Also, seeing Shiron using Power Snow to freeze Palossand and not giving up, thanks to some encourage from her trainer, with Mallow, Lana, etc...helping as well (I also liked how Lillie picks up Shiron, says thank you with a little nuzzle hehe, so cute). Basically, just seeing the classmates and Pokemon all working together to try to free Ash and co is always nice. Oh, and Litten being able to use Fire Fang, after some more training (I always like seeing the Pokemon being trained to use new moves), and hearing that BGM (The Matter's Settled) at the end as well (always liked that track).

Hmm...I do wonder though, if one of the classmates threw a Pokeball at Palossand, and captured it, would Ash be stuck inside the Pokeball then, since he was inside Palossand..? :D


Overall, average episode. ;)

I'm thinking that since it's hollow, it'd just be like if Ash was on top of a snorlax that was recalled. It'd basically just disappear and Ash would fall.
 

CelebiAS

Well-Known Member
Hilarious, serious and interesting. The companions were useful, the conflict wasn't BS-resolved...
9.8/10. I didn't like Sandygast's VA and pretty sure Lillie called Mao, Moe.
 

dman_dustin

Well-Known Member
I felt that the conclusion was met a little too sudden. The shovel gets popped into its head and it's all fine and dandy and leaves? Too quick
Not really, it was the only reason that it went insane to begin with, so of course it would go away once it got its shovel back.

And then for shizz and giggles it returns at night at Kukui's house? While I found that part particularly enjoyable, there's not much consistency to it. If Palossand still had beef, why did it leave?
Pretty sure the ending was just an homage to those cartoons and anime where something ridiculous happens at the end, yet the next episode is COMPLETELY different and unrelated (think Simpsons or even Family Guy for some examples, though I am NOT suggesting it was a reference to them). Basically an homage to slice of life shows. At least that's my understanding of it. It is Japanese, so I could be completely wrong.

I think it was for pure comedy rather than anything to take serious.
 

TheWanderingMist

Paladin of the Snow Queen
Palossand looks a little too OP in the anime. Had somebody caught it, it would truly be a beast since there's so many beach episodes...

It was normal sized at first, which suggests it can only do that on the beach. And, realistically speaking, a body that large would need quite a lot of energy to sustain. Of course, it went like Godzilla-sized at the end but I don't think it was planning to stay that way.
 

Janovy

Banned
Meh episode.

I liked the Litten moments and Shiron contributing by trying to freeze stuff.
 

mystic9899

Pokemon fan
it think it was alright for a filler. did enjoy the teamwork between the classmates and the pokemon in rescuing ash. also the music that played after they rescued him, gotta love that classic track xD.

also, in case anyone didn't see it, the pokeproblem segment at the end showed ash and kukui cleaning up the sand in their house, only to find another shovel and ash freaking out.
 

OshyHikari

c l a r i t y
One interesting thing to notice is that Sandygast's evolution into Palossand used the evolution animation from BW/XY. Don't know why it returned to that animation so suddenly, especially since Steenee's evolution looked very impressive and like a typical transformation scene in Magical Girl-type anime.
 

AuraChannelerChris

Easygoing Luxray.
One interesting thing to notice is that Sandygast's evolution into Palossand used the evolution animation from BW/XY. Don't know why it returned to that animation so suddenly, especially since Steenee's evolution looked very impressive and like a typical transformation scene in Magical Girl-type anime.

That's the whole reason why it was like that.

And possibly because it's a main cast Pokemon.
 

PsychoBoost

Carbon Dioxide
Weird episode. Doesn't like pokemon centric filler and it doesn't help that I don't like the Sandygast line. Outside of the evolution, this was a 24/7 pokemon related filler. Boring.
It was slightly strange, also didn't Ash just fall off a ledge two episodes ago? Still, agree mostly. It's like a filler except really trippy. I think episodes where serious problems can be solved casually is filler-like usually.

I'm impressed with the Sandyghast, be a shame if it doesn't make a more lasting impact. Not as a caught Poké, though, which would be kinda out of character.

I felt that the conclusion was met a little too sudden. The shovel gets popped into its head and it's all fine and dandy and leaves? Too quick
Agree. It was angered by that and in the middle of a fight, kinda.. It might still be aggressive. It might be normal usually, but this episode already went over problems too easily.

Still, at least it wasn't finished.
 
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DatsRight

Well-Known Member
It was slightly strange, also didn't Ash just fall off a ledge two episodes ago? Still, agree mostly. It's like a filler except really trippy. I think episodes where serious problems can be solved casually is filler-like usually.

The anime tends to be REALLY fond of cliff/ledge scares. XY did one nearly every fourth or fifth episode and I think at least two of the movies.

Ash and Rowlet also saved Lillie and Shiron from getting their skulls splattered from a rather oddly placed ledge in their first Team Rocket face-off (I guess them doing the bulk of the rescue this episode was so they could return the favour). Given how the school ground is placed on a dangerously giant hill, I assume they'll be milking this sort of drama as the series goes on. :p

Anyway this was a decent episode. Liked seeing all of Ash's team playing around (interesting cartoon animal dynamic; dog, cat, bird and mouse). Litten already warming to it's team is cool to see, sacrificing itself for Rockruff, warming Ash when Palossand freezes, and being very proud of itself when they praise it's Fire Fang at the end of the episode. Rowlet being the one to comfort Litten at the start of the episode was a nice touch too.

Also liked that, unlike Bounsweet's chain reaction starting a previous episode, Ash and Rockruff's got a few funny 'Oops, boobed it!' reactions. The bubble gag (with tons of interrupting water Pokemon in the background) was pretty funny too.

This was decent for what is mostly a filler. The only thing that's MAYBE off-putting is that Rockruff and Rowlet were mostly dormant (surely Rowlet's Leafage could have been useful blowing Shiron's attack forward) though since the point of this episode was to let the companions have a turn helping this time, it's not that glaring.

Another case of a type specialist companion helping with one of Ash's Pokemon was also a nice touch. I liked how enthusiastic Kaiwe and his tough guy fire types were about training Litten, and the sheer fact Turtonator and Charizard were finally allowed to play a big fairly badass role in an episode.

On a side note I'm hoping they keep to the Pokemon mostly being out of their balls this series. It's really helpful in terms of characterisation and interaction, and since limelight can be moderated this series due to static locations, it has a chance of not getting convoluted.
 
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