December 24th: PM2019 092 - Gangar Does Its Best! The Road to Kyodaimax!!

[nuzamaki90]

Or maybe you could not resort to a demeaning generalization, and actually read every comment individually?


Same as above.

The problems I personally have with this have nothing to do with "Gengar getting focus" and "complaining for the sake of it", more so other factors. This 2-parter seems more like a showcase of a gimmick, with Gengar being thrown a bone as a pitiful coincidence, rather than true-blue-genuine development and focus for Gengar. It also doesn't help that Pokemon development is restricted to obligatory focus episodes (which, mind you, Gengar hasn't even gotten even a single one of more than a year and a half since its capture) instead of being spread out and being organic over time. It's even more sad that Pokemon appearances outside those episodes are being treated as some sort of big celebratory moments when this would have been the norm in past series.

Moving on, it's not even actual proof that Gengar won't continue to be mistreated narratively after this 2-parter, just look what happened to Sirfetch'd even after it had a decent mini-arc + evolution. Furthermore, after the last major PWC related mini-arc being botched with all sorts of pacing and narrative decisions that affected its overall quality, the skepticism for this 2-parter only increases even more, not even counting the complete lack of build-up to it.

You taking Gengar getting focus in the most negative way possible has nothing to do with the show mate, that’s just sheer pessimism on your part. We have no clue what either episode is about, so I don’t know how you took the title mentioning Gigantamax as this two parter being nothing but a “gimmick showcase”. Losing battles =/= mistreated narratively, especially when you conveniently take away the narrative context. During the DD arc, Gengar’s brief appearance was of it and Dragapult working together to eventually defeat a G-Max Coalossal. In the Volkner battle, Gengar’s influence directly lead to Luxray going down which both Ash and the announcer made clear.

When Gengar, or any of Ash’s Pokémon appear for that matter, they make their presence known, and none of either Gengar or Sirfetch’d’s appearances have come off as negative, unless you can point me to a specific example? It’s not a generalization when you guys do in fact complain about Gengar’s screentime and its losses, and then reading through the various reactions here and they all are basically saying the same thing.

Also, saying “we don’t have actual proof this will change anything” is pretty hypocritical, because we don’t have actual proof that it won’t change anything either. Like I already described, there is an entire year left of the show and Ash’s current PWC story is no where near finished so we don’t in fact know what’s in store. It’s not “too late” or “too early” because we literally don’t have a clue where things are headed, and even if these episodes happened earlier, it would have made no difference with the episodes that aired this year. Lucario after being absent almost entirely since it evolved, has been showing up plenty since the ME mini arc ended, and Inteleon went from sleeping for 15+ episodes to playing a role in just about every Goh focused episode since it evolved.

And to that last part, it sounds a lot like you are pushing your subjective opinion as objective. The showrunners told you before the series even began how the show would be structured, and the more episodic nature of stories being told. If you still can’t get behind that 2 years into the series, I really don’t know what to tell you. I have been a critic of this show’s unbalanced handling of Ash and Goh’s screentime, but you’re judging the show for what it isn’t rather than what it is.

 

[Soniman]

You taking Gengar getting focus in the most negative way possible has nothing to do with the show mate, that’s just sheer pessimism on your part.

Though I'm looking forward to the episodes myself, if someone who's been very critical and unimpressed by most of what JN has done so far what reason do they have to be over the moon that they're finally doing something that should've been done over a year ago on top of not having the greatest faith in the possible execution of said episodes to begin with? Look at it with that perspective, it makes sense.

 

[nuzamaki90]

Though I'm looking forward to the episodes myself, if someone who's been very critical and unimpressed by most of what JN has done so far what reason do they have to be over the moon that they're finally doing something that should've been done over a year ago on top of not having the greatest faith in the possible execution of said episodes to begin with? Look at it with that perspective, it makes sense.

They don’t, which goes back to my original comment. Again, I don’t understand the whole “should’ve been done a year ago thing” when nothing happened to warrant it. A year ago Gengar’s screentime wasn’t as scattered as it was this year, and there was no real urgency to it because Ash was in the lower Classes and still finding his footing in the PWC. The higher Ash ranks up, the more the competition is going to ask from him, which was also his motivation for seeking out Mega Evolution for Lucario.

I can’t look at it from the same lens because I don’t see the logic. I was very critical of Sun and Moon, but I still watched every episode every week, cautiously interested in what the show would do next and how it would handle things. I didn’t go in thinking things would automatically be bad, but I was wary. I was very critical of Journeys’ first year, but my opinion on the show improved vastly during this second year. So what reason would I have to go into the episodes that everyone’s been waiting for, expecting the worst? At that point you’re going out of your way to watch something you don’t like, knowing you won’t like it.

 

[Red and Blue]

Do you think Gengar's GMax is natural or Max Soup-triggered?

Unless the two parter is in Isle of Armor then Gengar probably already has it. In the anime all Pokemon with a GMAX form appear to already have access to it unlike the games

 

[ash&charizardfan]

Finally some redemption to Gengar, i hope that it learn some new moves!!!

Which isn't late,rowlet started getting major screentime after 00 when hau and meltan came in the picture.

Friendship ended with Diamond/Pearl 2 Parter

Now Gengar G-Max 2 Parter is my Best Friend

Yeah now ash will amnesia and will forget about his other friends until other old companion pops up.

 

[Deleted member 384931]

Which isn't late,rowlet started getting major screentime after 00 when hau and meltan came in the picture.

That isnt true, it learnt Zmoves and it learnt moves with Tapu Bulbu. Gengar did nothing since JN018 of development

 

[ImBeVillain]

That isnt true, it learnt Zmoves and it learnt moves with Tapu Bulbu. Gengar did nothing since JN018 of development

Alola team has more learned moves on screentime.

Pikachu - Electroweb
Incineroar - Fire Fang, Flame Charge, Revenge, Fire Blast
Lycanroc - Rock Slide, Crunch, Stone Edge, Counter, Accelerock
Rowlet - Razor Leaf, Brave Bird, Seed Bomb, Feather Dance
Melmetal - Double Iron Bash

 

[DayQuil95]

That's already better than what poor Torterra got for sure.

 

[Jangobadass]

Hmmm...a two-parter about Gengar and Ghost-types?

And if so, please tell me a Ghost-type expert will show up to help out.

 

[RileyXY1]

Hmmm...a two-parter about Gengar and Ghost-types?

And if so, please tell me a Ghost-type expert will show up to help out.

It's looking like it will actually be a Psychic-type expert, that being the Saffron Gym Leader Sabrina.

 

[Red and Blue]

It's looking like it will actually be a Psychic-type expert, that being the Saffron Gym Leader Sabrina.

We don't know that despite the possibility of her being one of the Hyper Class opponents. We don't even know if Gengar Gigantamaxing is related to the PWC

 

[Ignition]

I’m just wondering why they couldn’t spread out its development in between its capture episode and now when Ash has had multiple Pokémon receive focus at once in the past. Farfetch’d and Drizzile had this same issue. It’s not even like his Pokémon are doing anything most of the time outside of PWC battles. Not going to tell anyone they can’t be happy for this but it’s still odd that his second capture this saga is just now getting major focus and that people are celebrating the bare minimum now lol

 

[AuraChannelerChris]

That isnt true, it learnt Zmoves and it learnt moves with Tapu Bulbu.

In the most underwhelming ways possible.

I still remember it learned from Bulu by literally sleeping.

 

[mehmeh1]

I’m just wondering why they couldn’t spread out its development in between its capture episode and now when Ash has had multiple Pokémon receive focus at once in the past. Farfetch’d and Drizzile had this same issue. It’s not even like his Pokémon are doing anything most of the time outside of PWC battles. Not going to tell anyone they can’t be happy for this but it’s still odd that his second capture this saga is just now getting major focus and that people are celebrating the bare minimum now lol

One of the main issues in JN overall is that it can only focus on one thing at a time and when it does so it ignores everything else

 

[AuraChannelerChris]

One of the main issues in JN overall is that it can only focus on one thing at a time and when it does so it ignores everything else

Unless it's Goh capturing something in 10 seconds.

 

[lolipiece]

Gengar getting G-Max sounds cool on paper, but I'm worried about it being Galar-only.

All of Ash's PWC matches have to be in Galar from now on if we want even a chance of seeing it again over Mega Lucario and 10 Mil Thunderbolt.

I guess we're guaranteed it showing up in the Masters 8 (provided it's like the Alola League where everyone gets to shine and not the Kalos League where only a single Pokemon matters)

Man, I wish the DD arc ended with Etrnatus making it possible to use Dynamax in every region.

 

[divinepokemonXZ]

People are being overdramatic.

Anyway, I hope this means we are seeing Allister.

 

[AuraChannelerChris]

Man, I wish the DD arc ended with Etrnatus making it possible to use Dynamax in every region.

Yeeeah, only Galar is used to Dynamax, but not a "rampage" of multiple Dynamaxed Pokemon. The rest of the world isn't ready for even one instance. Not to mention every gym out there isn't big enough to hold one Dynamaxed Pokemon.

 

[Joltik-Kid]

Good, Gengar's been extremely overlooked and I'm tired of it. Weird too given it's popularity

 

[Blue Saturday]

I really miss S&M’s approach of giving Pokémon every episode appearances outside their balls, whether that be a comedy scene, personality scene or just a quick little training skit. I think it was a writing choice due to the drastic change in formula for S&M and the organic almost family like connection Alola had to Pokemon and people.

I was rewatching the episode where Kaki got Garagara and it was nice to just have Nyabby appear to participate in the crown ceremony even if it didn’t do anything pertaining to the main plot with Garagara’s capture or Mukuroh’s family randomly joining it to tutor it Feather Dance to deal with Juni’per.