About the episode, it was messed up but it wasn't awful, or terrible, it was just messed up, I don't like the league focusing on the rivals. It just doesn't make any sense to me.
The series is about Ash and Ash alone, as far as the league, it's his time to shine, and time for his Pokémon to get some serious crap going on for them. When the league focuses on Ash's rivals, it's distracting, and not the good kind of distracting.
It's just the league's way of shoving unnecessary filler into something even though it's not needed. And as a result, Ash's Pokémon get screwed over like Quilava....and Torterra because it wasn't used to win in another battle. There's going to be hell to pay (well not really) if we have to deal with Virgil's full battle and Kotetsu and Virgil's three on three.
I just don't get why the league can't revolve around Ash. We have other episodes revolving around the main characters. Why can't there be just Ash getting most of the focus, which he isn't. You know Sinnoh was great until they shoved that stupid Barry vs Paul, just to screw over Barry in the process. Though again Team Rocket screwed over Ash's battle with Nando. And that I don't get, that was supposed to be most focused battle in the episode, and yet for some stupid idiotic reason they put unneeded filler stuff like Team Rocket.
If there must be filler and stuffing, then I would take character interaction, pre or post battle over watch the rivals battle. But I guess Bianca winning and seeing that is better than nothing.
However I don't think it's necessary to show the rival battles. I mean just because they are entering doesn't mean they need to get the focus.
And yet that's why someone is getting screwed over in this league, because if said person loses a round later then what they are losing, then they'll have to focus on that rival with another random battle that'll take even longer. But why the hell do you (writers) feel the need to actually show us. Is five second shot of said character beating the random character really that a problem. Does the battle really have to show up to 30 seconds to a minute? I don't see why that has to be the case.
I guess people do enjoy watching other characters battling, but we definitely don't need a full episode devoted to it. How much would it have hurt if Ash actually got to have a little more time devoted to the Grumpig Girl and less focus on Barry getting demolished. Barry did not put up a fight. The battle could afforded to cut down a few minutes. I don't think it's fair when a character's "suffering" is extended longer than necessary. And before you even argue, Barry still lost 3-0, no matter how you look at it, Barry was suffering in that battle, he no reprieve whatsoever, which would've only occurred had a beaten one of Paul's Pokémon.
Any way back to this league, Like I said, I just don't like it. I like the rivals to have some kind of mystery, so HEY they might use Pokémon we weren't expecting.
And quite frankly Ash vs Cotd is better than Rival vs Rival, or Rival vs Cotd any time. Because at Ash's Pokémon are more important than rival's Pokémon. But I guess some showing of rival battles, isn't awful, just when it impedes on Ash's battling time.
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Anyway things I did like about this episode:
Everyone pronouncing "Kenyan" right, and the writers making it seem like they've always said it right, as if the whole mispronouncing Kenyan was all in Kenyan's head. Absolutely hilarious writers, I'll give you credit on this one. Making it seem like Kenyan was crazy the whole time is hilarious as if everyone mispronouncing his name was all in his head.
Despite my dislike of showing the rival battles, what I did like is how the rival battles (or some of them) didn't finish, almost as if they'll be finished next episode. It really had a strange interesting impact on the story. Like so you saw some rival battles, but we'll stop now and go onto the next battle, it was pretty nice.
The animation was pretty gorgeous and nice to see.
Nitpicky things I didn't like:
1.) Pikachu getting in the gym flashback four times. And making me realize that Pikachu starred twice in a row (after I had purposely tried to forget). 3rd and 4th gyms. God I hate that rat.
2.) If Trip is going to have a hax and unbelievable Serperior, no one has any right about some "DEM" strategy that Ash pulls off to beat it. The damn thing shouldn't be as fast as it is. It's like a Pokémon trying to battle a Dragonball-Z character, it's just not right, and it's not fair. So I don't care how Pikachu beats Serperior just that it does.