Kindergarten Chaos immediately grabs the audience's attention by beginning with Ash & Co. having already encountered another trainer. It is hard to remember the last time a Pokemon episode started with a trainer battle, so it was certainly a pleasant surprise to see the writers break away from the traditional exposition-laden opening. It really gave a jumpstart to the episode, and the battle itself was entertaining and even quite funny as Froakie fell to the opposing Sylveon's Attract. Sylveon's trainer, Penelope, made the battle more interesting by laying down some stakes beforehand: if she wins, Ash has to come with her; she also referred to Ash as "sweetie" a couple of times. This peculiar setup of course sent Serena into a panic as she believed that Penelope was making an advance on her crush. This was actually the first real Amourshipping moment since Giving Chase at the Rhyhorn Race! a whole six episodes prior. While some may have different opinions as to how the Pokemon anime--which is primarily targeted at a child audience--should handle romance, it is difficult to deny that it certainly makes episodes and the saga as a whole a lot more interesting. In this anime's 17-year history, we have been exposed to countless forgetful fillers and bland, throwaway plots; at the very least, Serena's crush on Ash and the possibility of him reciprocating said feelings adds an overarching plot line to the saga that holds the audience's attention throughout each episode as the viewer eagerly anticipates what will happen next and when.
Back to the episode. Penelope is actually a teacher at a kindergarten, and (to Serena's relief) she just wanted to bring Ash back to the playground so he could show her students his Pokemon. If this sort of plot rings a bell, its because the Pokemon anime's done it before. Many times, actually (The Purr-fect Hero (EP055) for example). However, things are a bit different this time around. Why? Well, because this episode continues the XY saga's trend of depicting Ash as a pretty awesome dude, as previously established in Lumiose City Pursuit! (XY002). He acts as a great role model to Randall--a shy kindergartener who's afraid of Pokemon--and helps him overcome his fear through some very mature guidance. When Team Rocket nabs Pikachu and Sylveon and drives off, Ash doesn't think twice about jumping on the back of their truck and busting inside to save the Pokemon. Sure, Ash has done some cool and courageous stuff before, but the writers and animators seem quite keen on characterizing the XY Ash as a true hero through deliberate writing decisions and calculated heroic imagery.
This episode had everything. A fun battle, lots of Pokemon, teases of romance, and action-hero Ash all come together to make for a fantastic filler episode. Sure, the episode's plot has already been done what feels like a thousand times already, but this installment in particular manages to feel fresh. It goes to show that filler is not a bad thing when done correctly. Now if only the other XY fillers were more like this...
Grade: B+