Rad episode, for sure!
Mao finally got her first focus episode of the series centralized around her dreams and aspirations and I wasn't disappointed at all! I hadn't had much of an issue with her focus up until this point, she did give off the vibe of being the "main companion" of the saga and she's definitely the most active of the classmates and makes the most token episodes appearance? This episode really reminded me of the words the theme in the S&M games about Pokemon and humans in Alola living side-by-side and supporting each other like in the game and how they all have so much life. We got Pikachu helping Mao with her dish in a very Pikachu-like way, we got Amakaji doing everything it could to attract the Odoridori with its pheromones, got Mukuroh casually helping find the nectar (with a little cameo by his family too!).
It was really nice little stuff like that that I enjoy and helps me believe the narrative they're trying to sell. Sun&Moon has really been taking its time nicely with fleshing out the Pokemon's personalities and who they are, we didn't get it all in episode one of Satoshi arriving in Alola and I'm happy they really took it all at a nice pace bit-by-bit. We find out Iwanko is doing its own things and mooching off Kukui, we find out Nyabby isn't just some rando wandering around Melemele but is under the care of a senior Mooland, Mimikyu hates Pikachu a lot and only does want it wants and only chooses to fight when it's against Pikachu, in Amamaiko's case she's a server at the cafe. But really though it was cute seeing Mao remembering, interacting with and enlisting Pikachu's help to make her dish and Mamane was pretty cute himself with how he was the only one who could keep eating it despite its sparky side-effects (Electric-type specialist, he is.)
It was nice seeing Mao's family and I really like how so far Sun&Moon has been so focused on fleshing out the lives and families of the cast something that we never really got much of before in anime except with Iris and Takeshi's constant looks at their past. It makes everything feel more rich in its own way, even the Pokemon like Nyabby and Mukuroh have adoptive parents, heck Ashimari was more or less adopted by Suiren too! Mao was great with her overall activity, voice, faces, her drive and fire to get crap DONE and her interactions with Satoshi were great. She's very active, kind of reminds me of Eureka and Iris in a way. The incorporation and worldbuilding on the lore of the Odoridori's appearances changing in respect to what flower nectar they sip was a reallllllllyyyy nice touch.
The evolution was fantastic, I hope they stick to this style of evolving in the future. I can just imagine Iwanko going fully rabid and vicious once it evolves into a "werewolf" and the transformation being so gruesome as its limbs lengthen and sprout ferociously. Amakaji going full Sailor Moon with that mahou shoujo-esque Magical Leaf attack and the poses and all was some nice creativity on the writers (animators?). All Kojirou can do is comment in a horrified look was "KAWAAAIIII??!!!" Seeing her go all heroine-like and jump around to free Satoshi and Mao while "punishing" Team Rocket with Double Slap was so clutch.
Mukuroh just wrecking TR's contraption and ~casually~ flying away like nothing made me smile, I love that owl. Seeing Satoshi wanting to payback TR before they escape was freaking savage, I gotta admit. Yeah its been done before but it's a nice way of being reminded that he might just be getting tired of their crap sometimes. I really appreciate how Mao thanked everyone for their efforts as everyone played a role in helping her find the nectar for her recipe. I'm so happy we get those little end segments in the PokeProblems where we see some little extra footage of the trainer and Pokemon after their focus episode too. Pretty good episode, they did a great job not really spoilering Amakaji's evolution and it was freakig sick despite the fact we found out at the last minute.
This episode completely dissolved my fear that Mao was going to be treated in similar vein to Sana and Amamaiko to Tairenar and I can't wait to see more of the Fruit Pokemon and see what she can do. In a way Amamaiko heroic shoujo style fits Mao who at this point up until now had been looking out for and supporting the other classmates so much. Encouraging Suiren during her lecture, always showing concern for Lillie and her Pokemon, helping Satoshi find Mukuroh, etc. It's all really nice, I think this episode cemented Mao as the classmate I like the most. In terms of interest she comes up the rear next to Kaki and Lillie for me.