• Hi all. We have had reports of member's signatures being edited to include malicious content. You can rest assured this wasn't done by staff and we can find no indication that the forums themselves have been compromised.

    However, remember to keep your passwords secure. If you use similar logins on multiple sites, people and even bots may be able to access your account.

    We always recommend using unique passwords and enable two-factor authentication if possible. Make sure you are secure.
  • Be sure to join the discussion on our discord at: Discord.gg/serebii
  • If you're still waiting for the e-mail, be sure to check your junk/spam e-mail folders

Rivals for Goh?! The Road to Mew!! (1157)

Satomine Night

The Power of Z!
CONTINUITY, BABY! I am loving the continuity in this series.

Finally, Goh is given a goal other than catching every single Pokémon in the world.

Goh gets along so well with Ash that it's easy to forget he's actually not that sociable—at least, not with other humans. The fact that one of his reasons for initially refusing to join Project Mew is he doesn't like being part of a team highlighted that, and I appreciate that the writers haven't discarded (or forgotten about) that aspect of his character. Sure, he has changed since befriending Ash (who apparently has magical powers that promote character development in people), but he still has a ways to go.

I like how this episode has Gary set up not only the Project Mew organization, who seem to have a trinket-based system that you know is going get those who like their quantifiables and check-lists going hard, it also has Gary internally inspire Goh to seek out a rival of his own that he can grow alongside and be motivated by, with, ideally, an eventual bond that mirrors the one Ash has with Gary.

Like, this episode does a handful of things, but it does so in a very good way. Gary has often been the catalyst springboarding a character's continued progress, so I like how he does the same thing for Goh here, two-fold: first by being the one who introduces Project Mew, albeit stealthily/indirectly, and also by inciting within Goh the idea of finding and fostering a rivalry with a like-minded individual.
I appreciated that, as well. Gary spring-boarded Ash's growth in earlier series, and it's nice to see him reprise the rival role, but this time, as Goh's rival. I hope the writers actually develop this rivalry.

Goh's initial interaction with Gary reminded me of his discomfort when meeting the Alola gang. Goh is socially awkward, and it's most evident when he meets Ash's old friends. He is the odd man out (just look at the frustration on his face when Ash and Gary are catching up), and he doesn't react well when people (Kiawe, Gary) challenge his worth as Ash's friend, especially since they narrow in on his skills as a Pokémon Trainer (though let's face it, he's not exactly a good one). Gary can be a real jerk, and he spent most of this episode stabbing Goh's pride in typical Gary fashion, but in some ways, I think that just might be what Goh needed.
 

J. D. Guy

Well-Known Member
Goh gets along so well with Ash that it's easy to forget he's actually not that sociable—at least, not with other humans. The fact that one of his reasons for initially refusing to join Project Mew is he doesn't like being part of a team highlighted that, and I appreciate that the writers haven't discarded (or forgotten about) that aspect of his character. Sure, he has changed since befriending Ash (who apparently has magical powers that promote character development in people), but he still has a ways to go.
Well said, and well put, too.

Based on some of the (oft deliberately) misaimed takes Goh is saddled with, you'd think he was an Ash-clone now. But he's not. Goh's gotten familiar with Ash, like he has with Chloe (who was Goh's only longform friend for the longest time), and while he has picked up a number of Ash's mannerisms and methodologies, episodes like this one show that how he has begun to behave around Ash isn't the new rule, but the second (basically) exception. Goh is still socially awkward. And as you pointed out, this social awkwardness shows itself most blatantly nowadays when Ash meets old friends who he is shown to have close bonds with, making Goh feel insecure in the process and drudging up his social anxieties to the surface. (Iris's episode is probably the least apparent about this for Goh, but you can still tell that Goh was the third wheel there, same as with Gary, to the point where he spent most of the time with Drayden, it being a battle episode notwithstanding.)

So that means the strength of the continuity present in this episode not only comes from past series continuity. It also comes from the strong display of inter-series continuity with Goh's character. And that was wonderfully handled!
 

DayQuil95

Well-Known Member
Looking back at this episode, I find it hilarious to imagine how Moltres reacted to Infernape challenging him, only fighting him for like 10 seconds, and then having to fly away after fighting 4 Pokémon while Infernape was chilling.
 

Starswirl Pikachu

Well-Known Member
Gary meets Goh and becomes a semi rival for him. I thought some of the highlights were Blastoise and a rare appearance from Moltres. I also liked Prof. Oak giving an inspection to Goh's collection of pokemon.
 
Top