Let's Go to the Galar Region! An Encounter with Scorbunny!! (1093)

[Emboar_Rulez]

It's time for another Pokemon review! Go!

So this episode has Ash and Go heading to Galar to learn about the giant Pokemon that are there and meeting the final main character Scorbunny.

This episode was okay. I think that the plot was nonexistent compared to the last episode, but it was introducing Scorbunny to the us. The only thing that was important was that Ash and Go had to wait for the train to get to the wild area, so they get something to eat. The only reason why Ash has to chase the Nickit and Scorbuny around because Ash's backpack had the ticket in there. Which I was wondering why Ash didn't put it in his pocket?

I liked Sorobunny for helping the Nickit get food and making friend with them by putting dirt on itself so it can fit in. It like a combination of Ash's good nature towards others and Go's wanting to make friends. Go does tell Scorbunny to go places and meet people and Pokemon which he is learning as well. This plus the Nickit making the decision to following them was an okay scene. I wouldn't say that Scorbunny is as quirky as Rowlet or risk taking as Froakie, but I do like it has a good heart(which Scorbunny has two heart from the Pokedex) and wanting to make friends. The Nickit also show Scorbunny that they will be okay with out him by showing that they picked up the thing that Scorbunny does so they can steal the food.

There is not much to to say about this episode so I'll give this episode a C-

Because putting stuff in short pockets aren’t really smart since they can easy slide out.He was being smart for once by putting it in his bag.

 

[1rkhachatryan]

I'm actually liking Go more in the dub lol. Guess understanding the dialogue helps.

 

[Lord Starfish]

HAHA! You are so right. I just imagined that scene with Rose battle theme over it, and I can perfectly imagine such a decision being made had Miyazaki still been in command.

Um... what? Okay for one thing neither Shinji Miyazaki nor Yuki Hayashi are in charge of what music gets placed where in any given episode. That has always fallen on the directors of any given episode. It's only in the movies that the composers make music for specific scenes, but even there the director definitely gets a say in what kind of music gets made for what scene. For another thing, claiming that they would play an apocalyptic-sounding choir piece over a casual scuffle is... well I would say it's seriously overplaying any issues of unfitting music placement the show might have but even that feels too mild.

Also if we're trash-talking composers and music anyway: The Hayashi piece that did play during that scene? I hate it. It's the single worst track he's made for the show and it actively annoys me every time it shows up. Granted this episode is not the worst offender (that wouldn't come until episode 20) but the frantic pace of the tune combined with the children shouting just leads to a track that is, in my personal opinion, incredibly grating to listen to. Of course the thing about it being at its worst in episode 20 largely stems from it being matched to a lot of Screamydex lines punctuating the already irritating music with an even more irritating vocal performance. I mean on the whole I'd rank Hayashi's score as perfectly serviceable with the occasional moments of fairly awesome, but if that one track never ever appears again (a far-fetched request being that it last appeared yesterday) it would not be a minute too soon.

 

[Ryu Taylor]

claiming that they would play an apocalyptic-sounding choir piece over a casual scuffle is... well I would say it's seriously overplaying any issues of unfitting music placement the show might have but even that feels too mild.

The team of Shinji Miyazaki and Masafumi Mima (the sound director, for anyone wondering) was responsible for such utterly embarrassing music ****ups like putting the XY Legendary battle theme over Pierre and Aria's introductory dance in "Party Dancecapades!", using the Meloetta Song over the kiss and Litten's training in SM007 (seriously, what the ****?!), putting Future Connection--a fast-paced song--over that slow-paced montage of Dewpider trying to find a new pond, and oh let's not forget about that absolutely ****ing horrid circus music playing over Mewtwo taking everyone's Pokemon (a ****up which was fixed not only by the dub of the First Movie, but also by Miyazaki himself in said movie's own remake; one of the few good things that stupid remake did, mind you). Of course they would've been foolish enough to put something that severe and grandiose over a casual scuffle.

 

[Spider-Phoenix]

Um... what? Okay for one thing neither Shinji Miyazaki nor Yuki Hayashi are in charge of what music gets placed where in any given episode. That has always fallen on the directors of any given episode. It's only in the movies that the composers make music for specific scenes, but even there the director definitely gets a say in what kind of music gets made for what scene. For another thing, claiming that they would play an apocalyptic-sounding choir piece over a casual scuffle is... well I would say it's seriously overplaying any issues of unfitting music placement the show might have but even that feels too mild.

Also if we're trash-talking composers and music anyway: The Hayashi piece that did play during that scene? I hate it. It's the single worst track he's made for the show and it actively annoys me every time it shows up. Granted this episode is not the worst offender (that wouldn't come until episode 20) but the frantic pace of the tune combined with the children shouting just leads to a track that is, in my personal opinion, incredibly grating to listen to. Of course the thing about it being at its worst in episode 20 largely stems from it being matched to a lot of Screamydex lines punctuating the already irritating music with an even more irritating vocal performance. I mean on the whole I'd rank Hayashi's score as perfectly serviceable with the occasional moments of fairly awesome, but if that one track never ever appears again (a far-fetched request being that it last appeared yesterday) it would not be a minute too soon.

Just to make it clear, what's the track you really hate? If you could point the scene it plays up on episode 24, I'd be thankful. If it's the one I'm thinking I don't like it as well lol

 

[Lord Starfish]

Just to make it clear, what's the track you really hate? If you could point the scene it plays up on episode 24, I'd be thankful. If it's the one I'm thinking I don't like it as well lol

It starts playing when

Spoiler: Episode 24 stuff

Go sends out Nazonokusa to fight Koiking.

 

[Spider-Phoenix]

Thanks.

Turns out it's not the one I was thinking about. But yeah, that one is kind of bad too.

 

[Lord Starfish]

Thanks.

Turns out it's not the one I was thinking about. But yeah, that one is kind of bad too.

Looking again I found that apparently the Pikachu VS Hibunny theme is a different track from the one in episode 24. Though they sound very similar and share the same issue I was describing. But yeah, that specific Pikachu VS Hibunny theme plays again in episode 20, starting when

Spoiler: Episode 20 stuff

Go spots the Poppo and declares he's gonna catch it, before then catching like five more Pokémon in the same scene.

 

[LilligantLewis]

................... ok. Seems like a small one-line off-handed comment I made has turned into some huge fight

 

[Lord Starfish]

The team of Shinji Miyazaki and Masafumi Mima (the sound director, for anyone wondering) was responsible for such utterly embarrassing music ****ups like putting the XY Legendary battle theme over Pierre and Aria's introductory dance in "Party Dancecapades!",

Perhaps a bit excessively over-hype-y but not even remotely comparable to playing an apocalyptic track over a zero-stakes battle against a wild Pokémon.

using the Meloetta Song over the kiss and Litten's training in SM007 (seriously, what the ****?!),

Not tonally inappropriate for a romantic moment or a heartwarming moment of bonding between a young Pokémon and its mentor-slash-father figure.

putting Future Connection--a fast-paced song--over that slow-paced montage of Dewpider trying to find a new pond,

Not tonally inappropriate for a montage of a Pokémon going on its own little adventure. Also a song that Shinji Miyazaki had no involvement with. I will grant that Mirai Connection was used as an insert song way too often, but all the people who likely would have been involved with making that decision? Still on the show.

and oh let's not forget about that absolutely ****ing horrid circus music playing over Mewtwo taking everyone's Pokemon

Will you kindly stop with the italicized bolded red letters? It bleeds into the forum background in a rather unpleasant way. Also an example from over 20 years ago. Also ignoring entirely that the intent of that track was to convey panic and confusion and a general sense of disarray, and that as that exact scene went on the music got more tense as the stakes became more personal (aka, as Mewtwo caught more and more of our heroes' Pokémon and singled in on Pikachu who was actively resisting capture). Am I saying that there was nothing wrong with the music in that scene? Not really, it did feel kinda goofy. But you are seriously overplaying how unfitting it was. In fact I would argue the remake's track is arguably a worse fit by being in full doom-mode from the get-go. Heck, the first few notes are more ominous than the music during Pikachu's chase scene (and even the later fight between the clones and the originals, you know, the part that's supposed to be horrifying?). Also from what I have heard from composers describing how the workflow of composing for movies or video games or such things tends to work, it's likely that this scene only sounded the way it did because Kunihiko Yuyama requested that kind of music. Though you are right that evidently someone, be that Yuyama, Mima or Miyazaki, later decided that that piece wasn't really a good fit, so... I'll give you that one.

So yeah. Not a single one of your examples are anything even remotely comparable to playing an outright apocalyptic piece over a battle to get a backpack back from a mischeivous wild Pokémon. Heck, I struggle to think of a single piece of music in the show's rotation for as long as I've been watching that's even been that ominous. And again you are disregarding that what music goes where in any given episode wasn't up to Miyazaki, and that the people in charge of making that decision would still be the exact same even if Miyazaki was still working on the show. So they likely would have picked a piece with a similar tone. Something like "Catch Pidgey?!" from M20, perhaps. Or a new piece written for this show, idk, in this hypothetical alternate world where Miyazaki was still composing it's still possible that they would decide to wipe the musical slate entirely clean and start over with only new compositions even though I see no good reason why they would do this.

 

[Pikachu52]

Goh actually told Scorbunny he didn’t want to catch it, because he had already decided his first partner would be Mew.

Mew, the legendary Pokémon.

I had to take a moment to process that. This kid, the apparent know it all from the first episode, thinks his first catch, actually technically his starter Pokémon, should be Mew. Mew’s apparently just going to get in the ball when Goh asks him to. And this kids a Pokémon research fellow? It was kind of cold too, given he knocked backed Scorbunny’s obvious affection and desire to be with him in favour of a fantasy. At least initially. Which is odd, given the theme of show is centred around friendship, love, making connections and trusting one another.

I don’ think there’s ever been a trainer character turn down, if only temporarily, a Pokémon who wants to join theit, becasue they want someone else instead.

Paul maybe - but he wasn’t one of our heroes.

 

[AuraChannelerChris]

Goh actually told Scorbunny he didn’t want to catch it, because he had already decided his first partner would be Mew.

Mew, the legendary Pokémon.

I had to take a moment to process that. This kid, the apparent know it all from the first episode, thinks his first catch, actually technically his starter Pokémon, should be Mew. Mew’s apparently just going to get in the ball when Goh asks him to. And this kids a Pokémon research fellow? It was kind of cold too, given he knocked backed Scorbunny’s obvious affection and desire to be with him in favour of a fantasy. At least initially. Which is odd, given the theme of show is centred around friendship, love, making connections and trusting one another.

I don’ think there’s ever been a trainer character turn down, if only temporarily, a Pokémon who wants to join theit, becasue they want someone else instead.

Paul maybe - but he wasn’t one of our heroes.

Goh's a big dreamer who may as well be far more childish than even BW Ash was.

(Had Iris been here, she would prefer to tease him and forget Ash is there.)

 

[Spider-Phoenix]

Yeah, the thing with Goh is that he is too deadset on the goals he sets for himself so that's what lead him to turn the Kanto starters than Scorbunny as well (though he changed his mind for the later)

I'd say the meeting with Scorbunny is what made Goh really appreciate Pokémon as a whole and change his plans for Mew.

 

[AuraChannelerChris]

I'd say the meeting with Scorbunny is what made Goh really appreciate Pokémon as a whole and change his plans for Mew.

*once realizing this, Goh's hands produce Quick Ball marks on their own*

Goh: Huh.