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Little Wishiwashi Isn't Lacking, It's the Lord of the Lake! (976)

Bguy7

The Dragon Lord
Well, it wasn't a perfect episode, but at least it had a clear goal and climax to work towards, unlike 80-90% of Sun and Moon episodes, so I found it alright. I'm little confused as to why it was Lana who did the trial instead of Ash though. Are we just going to have to watch this trial again later when it come time for Ash to do it? (If you people watching the Japanese version know, please don't answer that last question.) Seems a little lame, but also the only real option.

This episode also seems to confirm that Trial Captains and the actual test part of the trial just don't exist in the anime, which is strange. That's essentially 2/3 of the trial they're cutting away. I guess they had little choice on the Trial Captain part, as that would make most of Ash's friends captains, but still.
 

Ryu Taylor

Unwavering beliefs. Richter Taylor is my name now.
"I get enough wishywashy with you," Meowth says to James, proving that TPCi isn't afraid to give some much-needed personality to this show. Thank God for that.

Three over-the-top-anime(one of few occasions I'll ever use that word)-reactions in a row, and they brought back the klutzy Olivia joke. Those are drawbacks...
Here's another "Master Fisherman" to add to the list. Not a bad or good thing; just an observation. Speaking of whom, man, I get on the JP version's case for overacting, but oh my... if that style of acting made it into the dub, it'd sound like that guy and then some. Oh, and Lana still underacts.

Pikachu, you dip****. When did you forget how to swim??? Anything to get him out of the action, I guess. This was Popplio's moment, anyway, and it was a marvelous one. I'd say it's second only to Ash's battle against Hala in overall excitement. And Popplio got a new move out of it, and Lana got a Z-Crystal out of it. This is why I love it when this saga gets to the important stuff; it makes the best spectacles out of them.

So, the soundtrack.
I've seen people complain about how "Alola!!" gets misused (a complaint I don't need to see JP episodes to agree with, having gotten to know the JP version's sub-par music scoring style; plus, that complaint warms my heart (why yes, I do have one)), so it pleases me to see its dub equivalent "Under the Alolan Sun" get used more sparingly and logically. But the highlight of the soundtrack is the entire set of themes used for the Totem battle, which included some brand new stuff that's showing that like Mr.Munchlax said, Mr. Goldfarb is getting even better at composing battle themes, which used to be his one and only Achilles' Heel.

Unimportant note: that was such hilariously perfect timing for that DuckTales promo to come up right when Ash turned to dust. It looked like his "dust" created the structure Huey, Dewey, and Louie was climbing on, while somehow changing from white to gold.

This was a very good one. I hope this keeps up.
 

Zoruagible

Lover of underrated characters
I really HATE Lana's gag, it makes all the other characters look ****ing stupid.... especially Ash. He should KNOW you can't catch wild Mega Pokemon, this ain't early XY.
And them giving away a Trial.... something that is Ash's goal, to a side character is just insulting.... all he did was battle an Alolamola.... a pathetic one at that given it went off crying like Nene.
And more Ash being a butt monkey like usual....
Also, there was NO way Popplio could take on a Totem....

The only enjoyable parts were with the TRio and Kiawe's group. The only good part about the fishing half was the Master Fisherman, his character was actually funny with the fake scars and that stuff.
Dub TRio is best TRio.

Another 2/10
 

Vipsoccermaster

Well-Known Member
Great Lana episode! I enjoyed it as much as I did with the Japanese version, only better now that I can understand what the characters are saying.

And really, Master Fisherman? 99 years and 2 months? Thing is, you don't even look 99 years and 2 months old... And even if he did, he's been doing it since Wednesday, July 31, 1918... Or Tuesday, July 30, 1918... (September ends with 30 days).

Again, great to see Lana taking on the trial at Brooklet Hill, taking on Totem Wishiwashi, and earning the Waterium Z. She now has a Z-Ring, can perform Z-Moves (more on that later), and even Popplio learning Aqua Jet (good for Ash knowing the move).
 

1rkhachatryan

Call me Robert guys
OMG Wishiwashi's dub voice my ears :(...

Also I really liked the slowed down version of Alola that played here, it sounded great :).
 

OshyHikari

c l a r i t y
I thought that this episode was by far one of the strangest I have ever seen to date. I mean, how can Popplio just defeat the Totem Wishiwashi with Aqua Jet and Lana ends up getting Waterium Z. I mean, why couldn't Ash get it? Is it because he doesn't have a Pokemon who can use that Z Move?

More like because Ash doesn't have a Water-type in his Alola team and likely won't get one since the only other Alola Water-types not owned by someone else are unsuitable for him due to being something that functions better in water and not on land.

I mean, Kalos did break the streak of Ash always getting a Grass-type so Alola could break his streak of always catching a Water-type.
 

lolipiece

Pictured: what browsing Serebii does to a person
Staff member
Moderator
Well, it wasn't a perfect episode, but at least it had a clear goal and climax to work towards, unlike 80-90% of Sun and Moon episodes, so I found it alright. I'm little confused as to why it was Lana who did the trial instead of Ash though. Are we just going to have to watch this trial again later when it come time for Ash to do it? (If you people watching the Japanese version know, please don't answer that last question.) Seems a little lame, but also the only real option.

This episode also seems to confirm that Trial Captains and the actual test part of the trial just don't exist in the anime, which is strange. That's essentially 2/3 of the trial they're cutting away. I guess they had little choice on the Trial Captain part, as that would make most of Ash's friends captains, but still.

To be fair, each and every trial ends the exact same way: defeat the Totem.

So you don't actually need a Captain. Heck, the final trial in SM has no Captain assigned to it.
 

Bguy7

The Dragon Lord
To be fair, each and every trial ends the exact same way: defeat the Totem.

So you don't actually need a Captain. Heck, the final trial in SM has no Captain assigned to it.

True. It's more of the trial itself that's lacking, at least when it comes to function. The Trial Captain is more of a lack in the substance of the trial. The Trial Captain served as the face of the trial. Even if they don't directly participate in the trial, the captain made the trials feel more important by association.

And despite my love of the Dragon-Type, the Dragon trial was easily my least favorite, with one of the major reasons being the lack of a Trial Captain.
 

LilligantLewis

Bonnie stan
Lol the Master Fishwrman guy was so funny, but his increasing experience gag would have been funnier without Rotom.

I wish Ash had just kept his fishing rod from Ambrette Aquarium. Speaking of which, I wonder whether the Golden Magikarp was a Totem Pokémon.

I think Lana likes Ash.

I knew the Wishiwashi's bandage would be used to identify it later, just like the Venipede in Castelia City.

I thought Popplio was going to evolve when they kept zooming in on its face watching Lana struggle
 

TheWanderingMist

Paladin of the Snow Queen
Lol the Master Fishwrman guy was so funny, but his increasing experience gag would have been funnier without Rotom.

I wish Ash had just kept his fishing rod from Ambrette Aquarium. Speaking of which, I wonder whether the Golden Magikarp was a Totem Pokémon.

I think Lana likes Ash.

I knew the Wishiwashi's bandage would be used to identify it later, just like the Venipede in Castelia City.

I thought Popplio was going to evolve when they kept zooming in on its face watching Lana struggle

Rotom is hit or miss, depending on the episode, but npthing it does will ever beat Dexter's EP01 snark.

He probably did keep it (he kept Misty's lure ever since she sent it), but you have to remember, he wasn't planning to stay in Alola so he definitely didn't pack a fishing rod for a vacation. Gold Magikarp is just Shiny and big.

Given that she has Popplio, if this Gen didn't have Lillie, she'd be the Poké Girl.

Bandage one could've been a call back.

You and everyone else except its haters.
 

LilligantLewis

Bonnie stan
SM Ash has his memories intact. He just remembered Alomomola before Rotomdex scanned it.

Which is funny because he barely interacted with any Alomomola during BW. In fact, I don't think he even said its name for the first time until Episode N.

It reminds me of how in the Alolan Persian episode I thought it was a joke that Ash freaked out at its appearance because he's literally seen a grand total of one regular Persian.

I could be wrong but I think Olivia might of suggested that Lana and Ash were going on a date or something to that effect. The blush reminded me or when Lana's sisters asked if Ash was her boyfriend.

It's so awesome that you were able to figure out what was being said just from the blush. It shows a great consistency in art style.

I'd love for Mallow to get the Grassium Z as well, but the problem is that unlike Lana, it doesn't look like she's going to get a Z Ring any time soon. Episode 35 just seems like Totem Lurantis will be defeated, and I highly doubt Mallow's going to get a Z Ring there. So obviously if she can't get it, Ash will be using the Grassium-Z instead.

I do like your idea of Totem Mimikyu and Nanu giving out Decidium Z and Incinium Z though. It makes sense since the Decidium Z and Incinium Z are actually Ghost and Dark type anyway.

If Ash actually does get both Decidueye and Incineroar, I really hope Decidueye doesn't get shafted for Incineroar the same way Torterra was shafted for Infernape. Especially since it will be Ash's first Ghost-type Pokémon, it deserves better

Then explain over half of Ash's Kanto badges. If making someone laugh is enough to get you a badge, but helping to defeat a Totem by eliminating its ally isn't enough to win a trial, then people need to shift their priorities.

Really? You're going to use Kanto gyms to defend Alola trials when everybody and their mother hate Kanto gyms and know they were all pure trash?

He probably did keep it (he kept Misty's lure ever since she sent it), but you have to remember, he wasn't planning to stay in Alola so he definitely didn't pack a fishing rod for a vacation.

Oh true
 

Pokemon Fan

Knuckle Trainer
It reminds me of how in the Alolan Persian episode I thought it was a joke that Ash freaked out at its appearance because he's literally seen a grand total of one regular Persian.
Nit picking, but he's seen at least two regular Persian. He battled one back in the Orange Islands, and then of course Giovanni's Persian. And I'm sure he's seen a number of others that were background pokemon through the series.
 

CMButch

Kanto is love. Kanto is life.
It wasn't bad... but it's kinda bad how Pikachu could've easily beat T-Gumshoos and Hala's Hariyama who is above T-Wishiwashi, but can't do sh*t against T-Wishiwashi.Sure it's in the water, but Thunderbolt would do the thing or Electro Ball.
 

TheWanderingMist

Paladin of the Snow Queen
It wasn't bad... but it's kinda bad how Pikachu could've easily beat T-Gumshoos and Hala's Hariyama who is above T-Wishiwashi, but can't do sh*t against T-Wishiwashi.Sure it's in the water, but Thunderbolt would do the thing or Electro Ball.

Ash was not the one fighting Wishiwashi. Lana was. Therefore, only Popplio was allowed to battle Totem Wishiwashi.
 

CMButch

Kanto is love. Kanto is life.
Ash was not the one fighting Wishiwashi. Lana was. Therefore, only Popplio was allowed to battle Totem Wishiwashi.

Wishiwashi was after Pikachu like it's about to hurt/eat(?) him, like it was some dangerous situation. Pikachu could've easily hit it with iron Tail/Thunderbolt for defense mechanism, that way it would swim peacefully to the shore. If Popplio wasn't there( if he fought Alomomola for example),according to that; Pikachu could've just swam peacefully, Wishiwashi would catch up and hurt him? Nah. Also that Pikachu expression at the end showed it was in real danger like if Popplio didn't save him, it'd be over for him, it didn't look like some Pokemon who beat Totem before.It's either a stretch, or making funny faces is started kicking in really high...
 

Leonhart

Imagineer
I didn't really like that the Rocket-dan trio received so little screen-time here or how they just ended up getting kidnapped by Kiteruguma again, but the Satoshi and Suiren scenes were fantastic. I liked that Suiren got a Z-Crystal, and seeing the Yowashi antics and a Hinbass again was enjoyable, too.
 

AuraChannelerChris

Easygoing Luxray.
Remove Ash from this episode. Please. He was extremely annoying with his over-the-top reactions to very simple things. Lana doesn't need him as his audience for her jokes to have such reactions. Or for that matter, the Master Fisherman guy suffering from severe Alzheimer. Ash was only there because Lana lacked a second team member and someone needed to deal with Alomomola.

Also, the Master Fisherman was basically game!Lana except far more annoying and cheap. Girl, your spot has been usurped and you don't know a thing.

At least the episode was her episode, but everything else (*cough* Ash *cough*) bogged her spotlight down several times.
 

LilligantLewis

Bonnie stan
Remove Ash from this episode. Please. He was extremely annoying with his over-the-top reactions to very simple things. Lana doesn't need him as his audience for her jokes to have such reactions. Or for that matter, the Master Fisherman guy suffering from severe Alzheimer. Ash was only there because Lana lacked a second team member and someone needed to deal with Alomomola.

Also, the Master Fisherman was basically game!Lana except far more annoying and cheap. Girl, your spot has been usurped and you don't know a thing.

At least the episode was her episode, but everything else (*cough* Ash *cough*) bogged her spotlight down several times.

What's the point of the exclamation point in game!Lana?

Why can't you just say "Fisherman was basically game Lana"

It means the same thing without the exclamation point, but at least now it becomes proper punctuation?
 

Leonhart

Imagineer
In hindsight, since Suiren was given so much focus here, I now wish that she had captured Yowashi since she only had one Pokemon and could've benefited from a new one.
 
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