I'm digging the Ash/Gou dynamic already. They're peas in a pod, right down to the tendency of leaping off cliffs, but the episode did highlight a crucial difference which I think will play a part in how their dynamic develops. Gou loves Pokemon from an intellectual perspective. On Lugia, he's getting excited about the fins and texture of its skin. Whereas Ash, as we know, has a more instinctive, almost spiritual connection to them. In true Ash style, he can't articulate his feelings very well, but he was able to recognise Lugia's intentions just from its eyes. You could even see this during the scene when Lugia dives into the sea, as Ash is quicker than Gou to realise they're about to go into the water. This really impressed Sakuragi, and is likely why he invited Ash to be a research fellow along with Gou.
With that in mind, my early prediction is Gou may struggle to grasp this sort of thing. It would play nicely with the idea of him wanting to catch everything, in contrast to Ash catching fewer things but forming closer connections. I wonder if this will be a thing at all.
The other tiny bit of intrigue was Koharu refusing to talk to Ash. She left him frazzled on the stairs and then looked mildly alarmed when he spoke to her. Yamper dislikes him already (because Ash got a little too close), so perhaps there's some mistrust there.
Probably because Ash is going to steal Gou from her or something. I expect this will be addressed next episode.
Other random take-aways:
- With how many alarm clocks he seems to break, I bet Delia is secretly happy Ash goes adventuring all the time. She must be spending a fortune on those things.
- The call-backs to old school Pokemon were plentiful. Ash oversleeping, the merchandise in his room, him running into a Snorlax in the middle of the city (nice Gold/Silver reference there), Lugia appearing in a big water spiral, and even Delia telling Ash to eat a healthy diet and change his underwear everyday (actually, not sure she said that last part, but the routine was the same).
- Speaking of, Gou being all "yeah, leave it to me" when Delia asked him to look out for Ash was funny. Kid's gonna be a lady-killer.
- Ash was eating a croquette sandwich. The guy loves his croquettes.
- For a bunch of randos we probably won't see again, I appreciated how they went through some effort to make the trainers appear unique.
- The opening scene of Ash and Pikachu had such adorable animation I thought I was still watching Sun and Moon for a moment.
- The new OST really does give the show a fresh and different feel. Seems its taking some Gen 8 inspiration with the vocals/chanting, as well. And it used one of Sword/Shield's battle themes during the Lugia fight, which was cool, because those games have some tracks.
- Ash is unmatched at freeloading. He's an expert.
Overall: I had a great time! I feel the Lugia scene was a taster of what the show wants to be. It's an adventure with wondrous sights to see, with plenty of jokes and fun to be had on the way. Gou had a strong first impression and I can already envision several ways his character can develop, and I'm glad him and Ash will interact exactly how I thought they would.
