• Hi all. We have had reports of member's signatures being edited to include malicious content. You can rest assured this wasn't done by staff and we can find no indication that the forums themselves have been compromised.

    However, remember to keep your passwords secure. If you use similar logins on multiple sites, people and even bots may be able to access your account.

    We always recommend using unique passwords and enable two-factor authentication if possible. Make sure you are secure.
  • Be sure to join the discussion on our discord at: Discord.gg/serebii
  • If you're still waiting for the e-mail, be sure to check your junk/spam e-mail folders

Facing the Grand Design! (857)

Hero of Truth

Lillie Fan
After watching the episode yesterday, I noticed something strange with the mountain's (Grace Tower) design. If you examine it carefully, it may seem like the Ultimate Weapon is concealed with rocks. I mean, just compare the designs of the two, they look extremely similar. I think we 'll see that location again.
 

hottom3rd

Well-Known Member
(new member here after years of forgetting to register, lol)

I enjoyed this episode, necessary development for TR and nostalgic James love for his pokemon.

I have watched the anime series since the first season, I have to say I LOVE how XY is going right now. I genuinely get excited every week for this show like a kid watching kids WB saturday morning when Ash's Charizard beat Blastoise in the Johto finals. Yes true story haha.

The Malamar have me confused and intrigued as evil plot devices.. are they reporting to someone? are they controlled? Weird and interesting.
 

Navin

MALDREAD
Mal's Review:

Pros:
* Ash showed more 'personality' this episode (for the crowd that praises BW for that)
* Psychopath gangster Malamar terrorist trio with the DGAF school of driving - also driving?!
* TR not being useless as usual, with Inkay and James shining in this episode; what a relief
* Inkay and the croissant scene
* Psychopath gangster Malamar terrorist trio and their dastardly plot to change the world
* James willing to leave Inkay behind, and Inkay's loyalty


Cons:
* Hoping for some Clemont and James teamwork and more Bunnelby, but Inkay and James took center stage in this one.
* For some reason, I didn't think James and Inkay were THAT close already, and not to mention, that enchantment broke quicker than I thought.


Thoughts:
* Looks like the psychopath gangster Malamar terrorist trio def will be coming back
* So...I have no idea what those triangles were and why it had to work on some astrologically significant rock, and who these Ctulhus are working for (if not independent) and why. I hope we don't have to wait long to get some answers.


I enjoyed this episode. Some actual villains in XY now. Plus TR got focus.

7/10
 
Last edited:
The entire plot of this episode reminded me of the game Sky Gamblers: Air Supremacy.

In the game Sky Gamblers: Air Supremacy you save the world from aliens with death pyrimids that look very similar to Malamar's doomsday devices. Also, the aliens are chased away, not exactly killed, similar to how the Malamar situation could still someday escalate, just like in the game.
 

SerenaForTheWin

Yusarin >_<
i don't know what got into me that i ended up watching this episode

but after i watch this episode, i can predict that this pokemon malamar would serve as an important villain for this xy series , not counting tr cause they don't do world destruction

and if u ask me if they're coming back, oh yes they will, still have to figure out if these malamr are really solo or someone owns them


- this is the reason why i love this series so much -
 

Soaring Pikachu

Cool Trainer
I gotta say, it was surprising to see that Malamar are not evil by nature and that there were so many good ones.

It was also shocking to watch them driving trucks around. LOL
 
Last edited:

SerenaForTheWin

Yusarin >_<
I gotta say, it was surprising to see that Malamar are not evil by nature and that there were so many good ones.

It was also shocking to watch them driving trucks around. LOL

u better not try to trust the pokedex next time jk , of course if there are evil pokemon - i'm pretty sure there's always good ones even if they're evil to begin with

i believe that's their psychic powers which enables them to drive those trucks, not that those squids have hands to steer the wheel of the truck

- if that happens it should be added to the guinness world records...maybe
 

G4Pokefan

THE AURA IS WITH ME
Wow and i thought there was only one evil Malamar, now they have 3 to deal with?

-I like how Japan does the opening and "WTP" segments better than PUSA. The opening title screen featured a pic of Team Rocket, and WTP featured Malamar. I don't know what PUSA is doing anymore these days.

-I liked how the one Malamar squinted its eyes when he saw Ash and Co. then tried to throw suspicion off.

-Still don't know whether they work alone or if someone is telling them to do these things. THese are the kind of mysteries i like.

-I gotta say that although this ep showed some bond between James and Inkay, this seemed like the perfect ep. for it to evolve. I'm guessing maybe in a future ep when the Malamar return.
 

AuraChannelerChris

Easygoing Luxray.
It was way too soon for James to show that super deep bond with Inkay. As a result, I only saw their interactions as unnecessarily hammy and really cheese for me to care. The last scene was also unneeded as it heavily implied James was letting go of Inkay...very soon.

I hope people stop thinking those truck-driving Malamar are with Team Flare.
 
Last edited:
This was a pretty good episode especially the strong bond with James and Inkay.
 

thetamale

Well-Known Member
As much as I like Team Flare the idea of having these Malamar being evil by their own accord is a more interesting story. I don't think that's really been explored before. Maybe they could have the ultimate weapon (Xerneas/Yveltal) threatening the ecosystem (Zygarde) plots being their doing, I don't know. Time will tell.

It was a brilliant episode overall.
 

Bguy7

The Dragon Lord
I thought it was a great episode, and it was wonderful to see Team Rocket finally show some character, since they haven't since Sinnoh, but at the same time it was too out of the blue. James and Inkay have never developed any deep bond that we have seen. While it is completely within James' pre-Unova character to be so loving towards his Pokemon, it's out of place because post-Unova James shows no such personality. I hope this means that Team Rocket is going to start returning to their roots now.

Also, am I the only one who thinks that Inkay should wrap its tentacles around James' face in a some sort of hug whenever it's sent out?
 

Ѕhiny Missingno

Well-Known Member
It's always refreshing to see that Team Rocket can do stuff other than stealing Pikachu and messing around. Though, they are still far away from pre-BW TR which, although annoying sometimes, still had some personality. It's nice that James loves Inkay and vice versa but seeing that bond more actively would help. And the same is true for Jessie and Pumpkaboo. I don't think Jessie has shown any kind of emotion towards Pumpkaboo, even while catching it. So there are still ways to go for TR but this episode is a good start.

Hopefully we'll see those Malamar again in the future soon.
 

Vipsoccermaster

Well-Known Member
Good episode. This episode sure is full of mysteries. James and Inkay are good here, and it's nice to see them help out Ash and Co. every once in a while. It seems that we may as well see the evil Malamar again in a future episode. They're really up to something.
 

MidnightMelody

Hopeful for Gen 8
Wait people are saying XY TR is different than DP TR? I thought they were getting hate for being too much like DP TR. Very confused. Anyway I have loved every version of TR even BW TR myself. (Still wish they had more communications with Giovanni)
 

AuraChannelerChris

Easygoing Luxray.
Wait people are saying XY TR is different than DP TR? I thought they were getting hate for being too much like DP TR. Very confused. Anyway I have loved every version of TR even BW TR myself. (Still wish they had more communications with Giovanni)

Pre-BW TRio and first episode TRio are the only different personalities of every other TRio appearance, so they're not any different when comparing the DP and XY selves.
 

Orton155

Pokemon Enthusiast
I wondered when Malamar was going to return and it came back with friends!

This episode was brilliant as there were so many great components. First of all the evil Malamar plot is original and they are genuinely threatening the Pokémon world as we know it and I am intrigued to see when they will show up again. Secondly, Ash, his friends and Team Rocket worked together which, in my opinion, creates a whole new dynamic within the episode and leads to a more interesting one. Lastly, James and Inkay were great in this episode and to show James' love for Pokémon is always a sight to enjoy.

Fantastic episode, onto the next one!
 

Bguy7

The Dragon Lord
Wait people are saying XY TR is different than DP TR? I thought they were getting hate for being too much like DP TR. Very confused. Anyway I have loved every version of TR even BW TR myself. (Still wish they had more communications with Giovanni)
Pre-BW TRio and first episode TRio are the only different personalities of every other TRio appearance, so they're not any different when comparing the DP and XY selves.

Obviously in Black and White, they grew overly serious. In X and Y, they still have yet to recover. While they are somewhat back to what they used to be, they are no where near as goofy or fleshed out as characters. They are over all one-dimensional compared to what they used to be. If you look at James, he used to have a deep bond with his Pokemon, with the exception of this episode, he no longer shows that bond. Jessie was egotistical, and was always trying to steal the spotlight, while she still sometimes acts this way, it's not in the same manner that actually gave her personality.
 
Top