Oh, that shot was undeniably creepy, but at the same time I couldn’t help but smile during this scene since it shows that Naganadel still has had Poipole’s playful personality! One thing Sun & Mohn does 1000 times better than most seasons is giving bigger & more powerful Pokémon more room to actually emote and show their characteristics rather than turning them into blank powerhouses, and Naganadel is no exception to this so I’ll forgive the few seconds of nightmare fuel
Same, I love seeing such a unconventional example of a Pokemon with an endearing personality.
Generally I find myself really invested in this match, I love how character driven it is. It also kinda makes me disappointed most of Kukui's Pokemon didn't get actual screen time before now, especially Braviary who only got a handful fleeting character scenes beforehand.
Wasn't expecting Lycanroc to end up the jobber of this match, I'm all for letting the other guys get a moment (Torracat needs some MVP time to make up for not being in any of the Grand Trials) but it is a shame Lycanroc only got in one win the whole league (even if it was THE win). I get the feeling the writers knew this, hence having the cast emphasise Rowlet owed his win to Lycanroc leaving an achilies heel ready for him. We get it guys, you had to do it.
Rowlet once again surprises and gets in a more standard KO, I truthfully like Rowlet dumbfounding his opponent with his comedic battle style, has a kind of Kung Fu Panda-ish charm to it. He also puts in a clever move against Venosaur, even if it ultimately doesn't help get any damage.
Torracat gets the KO, and let's be fair, he deserves one by now.
Strange Pikachu got in even less than Lycanroc, getting trounced by Empoleon for the large part, though I suppose they are saving him for the final round.
Melmetal gets a win against Empoleon. It's realisation that it's screwed against this lug is priceless. Melmetal goes toe to toe with Incineroar for a while, but expectedly type advantage and experience wins. Surprised they still haven't gone with the in-game 'melting' faint animation again.
Naganadel is in, I admit to loving that pause as it basks around playfully within the audience. Really feels like an alien welcomed into a new world. But Ash has barely any experience with this guy (unless they stick in a training flashback next week, he knew it had X Scissor somehow), wonder how this will go?
Ash and Kukui's bonding is sweet and the crowd scenes didn't bug me this time round, as mentioned the reactions were fun and vibrant instead of just generic exposition or token quotes. I love how damn invested even the Pokemon are here. Anyone notice however that somehow Snowy and Shaymin had got back to their trainers at some point? (doesn't seem to be animation mistake either, they're gone in the Pokemon group scenes.)
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