March 22nd: SM67 - Pika Pika Sparkling Love! Bevenom Spins Round and Round!!

[AznKei]

I'd rather just save the TR battles for Pikachu, since Mimikyu is about the only TR Pokemon that can make things interesting right now (besides Wobbuffet who they NEVER use).

The girls just need more involvement in ANYTHING in the series right now. It doesn't even have to be battling. TR is often too much of a cheap fix for this because TR battles usually involve zero effort. The girls need to use their Pokemon in a way that's meaningful.

Well, in the 2nd Goomy episode of XY, Bonnie and Serena blasting off Team Rocket was the highlight to me, which barely happened during the whole series, as Ash is the only one blasting them almost everytime. So I won't mind to see the Alolan girls blasting them as well for a change.

 

[Mega Altaria]

I'd rather just save the TR battles for Pikachu, since Mimikyu is about the only TR Pokemon that can make things interesting right now (besides Wobbuffet who they NEVER use).

To be honest, I feel that Pikachu using Thunderbolt on Team Rocket was really overused back then so I think will be alright this time. But this time, I feel that Bewear rescuing Team Rocket all the time is getting overused and in this episode there should be another way how Ash and his classmates get rid of Team Rocket maybe by making them run away scared this time.

 

[DatsRight]

Well, in the 2nd Goomy episode of XY, Bonnie and Serena blasting off Team Rocket was the highlight to me, which barely happened during the whole series, as Ash is the only blasting them almost everytime. So I won't mind to see the Alolan girls blasting them as well for a change.

It was a pretty poor battle though. Serena gets beaten down in two on one spam attack, then Bonnie come in and makes it a reverse spam attack. No interesting counters or skill displays from either side. Just who can out-spam the other with numbers and generic attacks.

This is my problem with villain face-offs, they're always farcical, the writers can never resist taking advantage of the fact they're meant to be comeuppances over proper accomplishments by the heroes, so either make them pathetically one sided, or use Road Runner physics or have more and more heroes intervene over having the heroes do anything competent or impressive to win. It's karma because TR are bad guys, but yeah, in all of them Serena and Mallow are still crap battlers in rigged or one sided matches. To punctuate there's more slice of life episodes this series where the heroes actually have to do something impressive or character defining to make the episode's end.

It gets worse when they keep interrupting official battles, the token points the heroes are SUPPOSED to show their stuff, in favour of more TR farces.

 

[AznKei]

It was a pretty poor battle though. Serena gets beaten down two on one spam attack, then Bonnie come in and makes it a reverse spam attack. No interesting counters or skill displays from either side. Just who can out-spam the other with numbers and generic attacks.

This is my problem with villain face-offs, they're always farcical, the writers can never resist taking advantage of the fact they're comeuppances over any real accomplishment by the heroes, so use Road Runner physics or have more and more heroes intervene over having the heroes do anything competent or impressive to win. It's karma because TR are bad guys, but yeah, in all of them Serena and Mallow are still crap battlers in rigged or one sided matches.

Then you're expecting alot for this show than I do. I knew already the writers are going to put all the cool and intense battles for the boys, so I was already grateful that the girls were doing something at least.

 

[DatsRight]

Then you're expecting alot for this show than I do. I knew already the writers are going to put all the cool and intense battles for the boys, so I was already grateful that the girls were doing something at least.

Even besides battles, they can make interesting stories where the heroes actually have to DO SOMETHING INTERESTING for the third act, not luck out or call a couple barebones attacks. Hell SM's been churning out decent examples of such a thing. The problem is even those are still mostly reserved for the guys (and maybe the odd one for Lillie).

I don't think it's expecting a lot just to want the heroes of this show to have more developed involvement than the Road Runner does against Wile E Coyote. It only furthers the idea the anime's protagonists are vanilla and can't hold a story on their own.

 

[SinnohEevee]

Even besides battles, they can make interesting stories where the heroes actually have to DO SOMETHING INTERESTING for the third act, not luck out or call a couple barebones attacks. Hell SM's been churning out decent examples of such a thing. The problem is even those are still mostly reserved for the guys (and maybe the odd one for Lillie).

I don't think it's expecting a lot just to want the heroes of this show to have more developed involvement than the Road Runner does against Wile E Coyote. It only furthers the idea the anime's protagonists are vanilla and can't hold a story on their own.

The writers see the TRio as nothing but comical relief that should always lose every Pokémon battle easily.

 

[DatsRight]

The writers see the TRio as nothing but comical relief that should always lose every Pokémon battle easily.

The problem being there was a VERY long period where 'beating TR very easily' was the twerps' track record for practically every episode.

Even besides that though, I see plenty of comic relief villains that are still thwarted in entertaining ways. The OS had pitiful TR, but the ways the twerps won against them weren't always generic as hell. You thought Ash was pretty funny and competent in stopping them.

 

[SinnohEevee]

The problem being there was a VERY long period where 'beating TR very easily' was the twerps' track record for practically every episode.

Even besides that though, I see plenty of comic relief villains that are still thwarted in entertaining ways. The OS had pitiful TR, but the ways the twerps won against them weren't always generic as hell. You thought Ash was pretty funny and competent in stopping them.

It seems the writers just prefer using the easy/lazy route, hiding behind the fact that the TRio are b ad guys and comical relief. I personally find the boring, but the writers like repeating boring/annoying stuff it seems.

 

[DatsRight]

It seems the writers just prefer using the easy/lazy route, hiding behind the fact that the TRio are b ad guys and comical relief. I personally find the boring, but the writers like repeating boring/annoying stuff it seems.

As said SM is an improvement, ESPECIALLY for Ash and the male companions, but the girls still spend a lot of time doing nothing unless TR or some other dumbed down task is around.

 

[p96822]

Really the male companion have really done anything just like the female characters

 

[DatsRight]

Really the male companion have really done anything just like the female characters

While they're still not developed goal wise, I tend to find they stick in more entertaining roles for the male characters, while the girls often end up in background roles, sometimes even in episodes that are supposed to be theirs.

A lot of people loved the dynamic between the three guys in the Charjabug race for example, they all bounced off each other well and had noteworthy importance. Similarly episodes like the Alolan Meowth episode or the Battle Royal had the guys playing part in some amusing way while the girls were just in the background.

It's not dripping with development and whatnot but it's showing the three of them have enough personality to make a story fun on their own. Lillie's had some good episodes and moments, but Mallow and Lana still feel like they're struggling to stick out.

 

[Golden_Latias]

I think Lana has proven she can carry an episode as well in the likes of SM05, SM33, and SM40 (everyone got some focus in SM32 IMO). she's just kind of faded into the background since mastering Hydro Vortex.

 

[DatsRight]

I think Lana has proven she can carry an episode as well in the likes of SM05, SM33, and SM40 (everyone got some focus in SM32 IMO). she's just kind of faded into the background since mastering Hydro Vortex.

Lana's a step above Mallow, in that she can at least hold as a character if the central focus is on her. In terms of supporting roles however, she barely does anything at all, hence her coming off as 'demoted' in between the points she gets a limelight episode.

To compare Kiawe's only had two episodes he's the central character, and yet he gets loads of noteworthy appearances because they can think of fun ways for him and his team to be useful or entertaining. I struggle to think of a single episode Ash doesn't get to do something memorable. Lillie and Sophocles are sort of the middle ground. They have the odd good supporting role, but usually stick out best in their limelight episodes. Mallow on the other hand has a minimal track record, even in her own episodes another character is often heavily padding things for her.

Team Rocket as usual have great limelight episodes, and are funny enough as comic relief in the twerps' episodes, but as antagonists they often lack, and often just feel like a bare bones way to pad a third act. I'm hoping this episode might do better, though it looks rather 'plot device-y'.

 

[Golden_Latias]

Lana's had decent supporting roles every now and then. SM31 wasn't focused on her, but she and Popplio still got to help out with the Wailmer. SM22 wasn't focused on her, but Popplio was still integral to finding Pallossand's shovel.

I have a feeling this is exactly what you were driving at, but Lana's problem is that she's hindered by her specialty type in a way that Misty wasn't. She can't/doesn't really do much outside of episodes in an aquatic setting. You can even see that in her focus episodes. Aside from SM32 (where everyone got some focus anyway), every single one of her focus episodes were set in and around the water. And it doesn't help that while Popplio doesn't quite have Goldeen/Horsea syndrome in that it's completely useless on land, it is by far the most aquatic Water starter yet and the least mobile on land. She needs a Water type that's more mobile on land than Popplio, otherwise she'll continue to be useless outside of episodes with aquatic settings. That's another point for Dewpider/Araquanid being her second capture. Bonus points if the writers actually play into this, and Popplio develops jealousy toward Dewpider/Araquanid because they get used more often due to being more mobile on land. Extra bonus points if Popplio has evolved by then, because as a Brionne, it would hide the jealousy from Lana.

Otherwise, I pretty much agree with the rest of your post. We're kind of getting off-topic here, though. I don't think the girls are going to do much in this episode and wouldn't be surprised if this was like SM16 where most of the focus was on Pikachu and Poiple.

 

[DatsRight]

Fair point. I'm kinda hoping Popoile's presence doesn't drive the anime into another mad rush like it was when Nebby was around, because a quick running arc means less time for the supporting cast who aren't connected to the Pokemon in any way.

 

[mehmeh1]

Fair point. I'm kinda hoping Popoile's presence doesn't drive the anime into another mad rush like it was when Nebby was around, because a quick running arc means less time for the supporting cast who aren't connected to the Pokemon in any way.

given the following ep is about team skull stuff and the pokemon center, it seems like it won't, but then again, recent signs lead to gen 8 being 2018...

 

[Golden_Latias]

We're not going to bring the "when is Gen VIII coming" debate coming here, although I personally feel it's highly unlikely.

But yeah, seeing how the episode after this one is most likely a filler that has nothing to do with Poiple or the UBs, I don't think Poiple is going to be another Nebby.

 

[i2i]

We're not going to bring the "when is Gen VIII coming" debate coming here, although I personally feel it's highly unlikely.

But yeah, seeing how the episode after this one is most likely a filler that has nothing to do with Poiple or the UBs, I don't think Poiple is going to be another Nebby.

The only two things Poipole it has in common with Nebby is both being from Ultra Space and the can evolve which neither will lead Poipole to a Nebby scenario.

 

[Golden_Latias]

The only two things Poipole it has in common with Nebby is both being from Ultra Space and the can evolve which neither will lead Poipole to a Nebby scenario.

I think DatsRight was referring to the fact that Nebby's presence and the AF arc being a self-contained arc pushed the Trial Captains to the background for basically the entire time.

Which it doesn't look like the Ultra Guardians arc is going to be like that, at least.

 

[Master Pikachu 11]

The only two things Poipole it has in common with Nebby is both being from Ultra Space and the can evolve which neither will lead Poipole to a Nebby scenario.

Well if Ash doesn’t capture Poipole then it will most likely be another Nebby where he takes care of it and it follows him but he doesn’t own it. And I wouldn’t mind if they repeated that scenario again but make it last longer then Nebby and drag it out. Only because it would be better to do this way then make Ash have to release at the end of the arc/series.