I thought this was one of the best wild battles leading up to a capture in the history of the anime! Good job, Goh and Raboot!
One thing I don't like about the WCS so far is that the stakes don't feel high because the Normal Class and Great Class haven't felt too different so far, so much so that Ash being downgraded back to Normal Class is treated as the B plot of an episode, and they have to shove it in our face that it's supposedly important due to Ash's depression. If not for that, it would just be numbers increasing back to 4 digits and battles remaining similar. Furthermore, battles haven't felt more important since he came to the Great Class. Wasn't Kricketina Kylie supposedly in Great Class? What was more special about her battle than any of the other random 1v1s in other episodes where the battle wasn't the main focus of the episode? And you might say oh Ash finally had his first loss in Great Class, that's what makes it different but the Bea battle didn't feel any more of a spectacle than the Visquez battle for example. Tbh if the Visquez episode happened while Ash was in Great Class, and they just made her rank a 3-digit number I'd believe it. Basically nothing feels different between these two classes except the number of digits in the opponent's rank, and the writers can just make that whatever they want willy-nilly in each battle, and then use that as a MacGuffin to act like it's a big deal that he dropped a class, when it's really not, and is shoved to the B plot of an episode lmao
He was just really discouraged after his loss streak, and when he fought Flygon, you could tell he sounded nervous or unsure about what to do (which, IIRC, also affected his Pokemon who could feel Ash's insecurity), especially since Flygon was strong and fast. He was "fixed" when Goh told Ash that he learned from Ash himself that he shouldn't give up until the very end, which ended up reassuring Ash once more. I would need to see the subtitles to be sure, though.
Basically in the big climax of the fight vs Flygon, it was like Ash and Goh had switched roles. Ash was on the ground while Goh was still standing against Flyon. He was inspired by Ash to never give up, which ended up inspiring Ash again.
Yes, but it might inspire him, but it does not resolve the specific issue of solving how to fight against Grapploct. Watching the episode, I thought whatever Goh's strategy ended up being was going to inspire a strategy for Ash. Stuff like this has happened in past gens like May or Dawn coming up with a strategy Ash uses. With this not being the case here, this was lackluster for me.
Just them reusing strategies.
Why shouldn't you reuse a strategy if it works? this isn't a prom dress
Never expected him to actually finish the battle.
You don't faint a Pokémon to be able to catch it.
These two things are a bit different. Strong trainers losing time to time is acceptable, forgetting type matchups that can even lead to a loss isn't. It would be better if they forced this on other characters.
He didn't actually forget the matchup. He forgot Flygon's type. And correct me if I'm wrong but after some quick searches on various sites, I don't think Ash has ever battled a Flygon before? In fact this episode might be the first type Flygon's Ground typing has ever been relevant in the history of the anime.
Both are understandable. I've beaten every game, and I didn't even remember Steel was imune to Poison, so when Ash forgot about it for a second against Kukui I didn't mind.
The problem is that certain matchups, like Ground being imune to Electric, or Ghost to Fighting, are more well known for us, so it's weird to see Ash forgetting those, but they're not considered "well know type matchups" in the anime, they're as well known as any other.
Ash didn't forget Electric doesn't affect Ground, he forgot Flygon is Ground. Who can blame him? The Pokémon's name is literally made up of the words Dragon and Flying so it's weird that its two types are not the same as its name implies.
It does not mean his confidence was blasted to oblivion
Um, yes it does. That's literally what happened here.
Rust means using electric moves on ground types that you've encountered before?
Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't believe Ash has battled a Flygon before this episode.
It doesn't help some of them look like they are of a certain type but actually belong to another
Exactly! I have many friends with whom I've played Pokémon for decades, and they forget or mix up (especially when trying to do instant recall from memory) the typings of 2-type mons, especially when they change types as they evolve. Flygon's literally a Dragon who flies and has the word fly in its name and the other part of its name comes from dragon. I don't blame Ash in any way
If I remember correctly, it really wasn't done well. It was done a lot better here
Possibly, but this is the best one:
Given the series' format, it is rather impossible to see Goh even being a participant because he happens to be hanging out with Ash. If he were to be a participant, it would make things so weird, because Ash practically lives with Goh in a lab where all of Goh's stuff is. There's also the disparity that is the PWC format. Ash and Goh would be battling too often against each other...and in this setting, Goh simply ends up being more endearing because of his miracle Critical Captures making it so easy for him to achieve his dreams and show off his progress as a trainer and a character (unlike Ash's silly undefined dream that keep resetting every 140 episodes).
This only worked in Alola with Ash and Kiawe because Kiawe simply never did anything remotely close to issuing serious battles against Ash and had virtually no reason to compete against him (despite stupid Kukui trying to make them rivals by the third episode), being relegated as a sparring partner. Not a single episode was dedicated to them being the focus in a battle. Kiawe was simply the third wheel of the saga; a person with status who is only around to support Ash. We had the best chance at the Alola League, but not only did it come way too late, but Kiawe's fate was sealed when he fought Gladion; someone he hardly had any time with who always screwed Ash.
So to make Goh even a participant would Goh against the established criteria. The best we can hope is an Ash VS. May bout at the end at best, an Ash VS. Kiawe poignant battle at the middle, or...perish the thought, and Ash VS. Serena bout at worst.
He said Goh would be in the Galar League, not the World Coronation Series. Ash isn't participating in the Galar League.
I will say Go has been nailing those curveballs, almost as if he's been practicing on the mobile game off-screen or something
Maybe he's been practicing with Farfetch'd, who was able to hit all of Goh's fastballs in its debut episode
I didn't particularly like the changes to Kinsetsu City since it looked a lot different from before, which was unexpected considering that geography of the city wasn't remotely similar to its AG design or even its OR/AS design. I really liked that Gou captured each member of the Nuckrar line, however. We probably won't see Nuckrar or Vibrava as often as his Flygon, but as a collector myself, it's always bothered me when he only captures one member of an evolutionary line and leaves the rest for later.
If that bothers you, then I'm wondering, does it bother you when something happens like what happened in the last episode: he catches Pikachu, evolves it, both are now registered to the Rotom Phone, but he now doesn't have a Pikachu any longer?