Ta-Dough! Burn with Passion, Mallow's Family! (1015)

[DatsRight]

It was used in the Starter trio episode (the whole reason they got lost in the first place), the first two Nebby episodes, and the climax of the AF arc as well.

In the final example a bad guy Pokemon uses Sweet Scent. I don't know whether to be more unnerved by the fact Rowlet only glomped it when it let it or the fact the bad guy did LESS harm to Rowlet than Steenee does.

It's not just that it's overdone but that it's about the ONLY facet of character Steenee has and it's not very likeable. Sure Ash finds out Kiawe is....aggressively passionate about Z Moves but that's a zillionth of his full characterisation. Even Marowak, with his bad temper and habit for starting so many fights, gets character development to redeem him like the recent farm episode (and his violent side comes back to haunt him more than Steenee, which makes him at least a jerk you can pity).

 

[satopi]

It was used in the Starter trio episode (the whole reason they got lost in the first place), the first two Nebby episodes, and the climax of the AF arc as well.

In the final example a bad guy Pokemon uses Sweet Scent. I don't know whether to be more unnerved by the fact Rowlet only glomped it when it let it or the fact the bad guy did LESS harm to Rowlet than Steenee does.

It's not just that it's overdone but that it's about the ONLY facet of character Steenee has and it's not very likeable. Sure Ash finds out Kiawe is....aggressively passionate about Z Moves but that's a zillionth of his full characterisation. Even Marowak, with his bad temper and habit for starting so many fights, gets character development to redeem him like the recent farm episode (and his violent side comes back to haunt him more than Steenee, which makes him at least a jerk you can pity).

Steenee is underutilized but you're taking her hitting Rowlet a bit too seriously when it's not meant to. Who knows, maybe They'll develop more character into Steenee that isn't just a cute assistant. As mehmeh1 mentioned, they used this gag in a pretty important role and I think that's better than nothing.

 

[DatsRight]

Well yeah it's meant to be slapstick, but I'm just saying that after a while a character whose ENTIRE personality revolves around abusing a character that's mildly annoying them isn't particularly enticing or likeable. Even Pancham and Chespin's rivalry, despite being done to death, was more varied since they had moments of being nice to each other and did stuff individually. Rowlet similarly interacts with WAY more Pokemon and events, but nearly everything Steenee does is connected to that same damn gag.

 

[Twilight-Kun]

Truthfully I'm getting sick of it, it's became too much of a 'petty abusive anime girl' gag that eclipses so much anime/manga, especially since we know now that Rowlet isn't even trying to eat Steenee. While I like Steenee got to do something else besides that gag, it's annoying how nearly every bit of relevance is connected to that gag over her developing with anyone else. It's not even expanded as a chemistry with Rowlet in particular, I could stand it if they had other interactions or Steenee was a proper Tsundere that cared about Rowlet deep down, but it's just this one gag non stop. Rowlet is ten times the Pokemon you are, Steenee, stop leeching already.

I imagine once Rowlet evolves, it'll become Steenee's boyfriend and by the end of the series we'll have Tsareena and Decidueye

...Can they breed in the games?

It's kinda eerie how similar their evolution lines are

Ball, Bipedal, Basically Human

 

[Satomine Night]

Well yeah it's meant to be slapstick, but I'm just saying that after a while a character whose ENTIRE personality revolves around abusing a character that's mildly annoying them isn't particularly enticing or likeable. Even Pancham and Chespin's rivalry, despite being done to death, was more varied since they had moments of being nice to each other and did stuff individually. Rowlet similarly interacts with WAY more Pokemon and events, but nearly everything Steenee does is connected to that same damn gag.

Like satopi said, I think you're taking Steenee's gag a little too seriously. It's not like her entire personality revolve around abusing Rowlet. She may not have as interesting a personality as some of the other Pokémon, but she does have more to her personality than you seem to be suggesting. In a comedy anime, especially a slapstick comedy, abuse seem to be part of the course (not that that's a good thing, but that is something I've noticed about a lot of comedy anime).

 

[Frozocrone]

I imagine once Rowlet evolves, it'll become Steenee's boyfriend and by the end of the series we'll have Tsareena and Decidueye

...Can they breed in the games?

It's kinda eerie how similar their evolution lines are

Ball, Bipedal, Basically Human

No, the Rowlet line are only part of the Flying egg group.

Probably why Steenee keeps whacking the poor thing, they prefer to play with other Pokémon.

 

[AznKei]

Probably why Steenee keeps whacking the poor thing, they prefer to play with other Pokémon.

Also, Steenee's sepals are very hard & strong, where it can use them like bats, while Rowlet is shaped like a ball, hence the baseball pun on it.

 

[Leonhart]

Mao deserved much better than what she got here. I thought that her winning at the Alola Bread Festival was decent, but it felt like a consolation moment just to make it seem as if Mao progressed.

 

[Sceptile Leaf Blade]

Watched this episode again in Dutch. I liked it a bit better this time. I still don't really care for Ulu, he's just not my type and he's too in-your-face creepy with how he approached Nina and he also broke his promise to her. He'd make bread for her every day if he won, and then when they win he takes off on his journey again. It makes him look very selfish as if he didn't actually care about his promise or about her, but only about getting together with her.

Ulu aside, I do like how they treated Mallow in this episode. She's assertive and manages to win the bread festival through her own skills instead of needing Oranguru or a surprise evolution to do everything for her. Although her goal might not be very pokémon-related, this episode at least managed to involve Steenee and Lickitung into her cooking skills, and I think that's also part of what Sun and Moon is about. Living together with pokémon and going after your goals together in a huge variety of ways.

 

[DatsRight]

Watched this episode again in Dutch. I liked it a bit better this time. I still don't really care for Ulu, he's just not my type and he's too in-your-face creepy with how he approached Nina and he also broke his promise to her. He'd make bread for her every day if he won, and then when they win he takes off on his journey again. It makes him look very selfish as if he didn't actually care about his promise or about her, but only about getting together with her.

Ulu aside, I do like how they treated Mallow in this episode. She's assertive and manages to win the bread festival through her own skills instead of needing Oranguru or a surprise evolution to do everything for her. Although her goal might not be very pokémon-related, this episode at least managed to involve Steenee and Lickitung into her cooking skills, and I think that's also part of what Sun and Moon is about. Living together with pokémon and going after your goals together in a huge variety of ways.

I think it's the fact it revolved around some agenda relevant to her character without any interruptions. When your character isn't a battler, there's no point having them beat up someone for the bulk of their limelight.

Sadly after Steenee evolved they just seem to be going more and more for making her superficially badass and beating up jobbers (stuff Ash does on his lesser limelight moments), leading me to think this was the best they could do with her goal-wise.

 

[p96822]

Really the problem with this episode is that they do nothing of putting a challenge in front of Mallow and just give the win already. There is nothing intressing in this episode that make Mallow grow as a character and her brother is kind of bland without some of the Brock charm

 

[Ryu Taylor]

We've got a winner for the most boring and completely unnecessary Ultra Adventures episode here. I mean, WOW; I have literally NOTHING to say about it, it was THAT boring.

 

[LilligantLewis]

Ash wants a late lunch at 2:20.

A boy version of Mallow! Nvm, an Alolan version of Brock!

The Raichu chick!

Omg Ulu's hitting on her

Lol, Lana calls Ulu Mallowbro

Nina: Bye!
Raichu: RAI!!!!

LMAOOOOOO

Mallow really fees like the fifth wheel of this show.

Well actually the sixth wheel, so you'd only need her if your spare also went flat. Actually, that happened to me last November. I could have used her then. Instead, I had to get towed.

So mallow get zero development and no real progress in her goal.

What exactly do you think her goal is? Her goal is cooking, so winning a cooking competition is definitely progress in her goal.

While it was nice to see Mallow's brother, him returning for only one episode just for the Bread festival felt lame.

Agreed. I thought he was done with his journey and might stay now. And where exactly is he traveling anyway? I also thought he should have at least accepted the trophy with her before leaving.

He'd make bread for her every day if he won, and then when they win he takes off on his journey again.

Oh wow, good point, I hadn't even thought about or realized that.

We've got a winner for the most boring and completely unnecessary Ultra Adventures episode here. I mean, WOW; I have literally NOTHING to say about it, it was THAT boring.

SM058, 059, and 062 were worse.

 

[DatsRight]

It truthfully gets pluses over the rest of Mallow's episodes since it's about the only one she:

1. Has an amusing foil.
2. Has her Pokemon do something relevant to her personal agendas (if still very briefly).
3. Doesn't require the 'straw loser' effect to hide how bland she is (eg. having a generic Team Rocket interruption/curbstomp to pad the whole thing or for Ash to suck at whatever she's doing).

 

[Dragalge]

We've got a winner for the most boring and completely unnecessary Ultra Adventures episode here. I mean, WOW; I have literally NOTHING to say about it, it was THAT boring.

> Most unnecessary episode in SM
> Considers it more unnecessary then the Ilima two-parter and the Komala episode.

Call it boring all you want but to say it's the most unnecessary episode is objectively wrong no matter what you say or feel.

 

[Twilight-Kun]

If you don't like Mallow, then yes, it's an unnecessary episode

Same goes for...literally every other episode of pokémon, so...

 

[Mega Altaria]

If you don't like Mallow, then yes, it's an unnecessary episode

Same goes for...literally every other episode of pokémon, so...

Personally I didn't feel that this episode was the best in SM but at least it still shows their dedication to their goals just to show that you shouldn't give up as a result of a moment of failure.

 

[DatsRight]

It did feel like the only episode Mallow really got something of a personal challenge. A very mundane one, but one that befit her goals and personality.

I do wish she'd do something more creative with her Pokemon though. Steenee wasn't useless, but using Sweet Scent once wasn't exactly a developed combination.

 

[Ryu Taylor]

SM058, 059, and 062 were worse.

Things actually happen in those ones, so, no they are not.

> Most unnecessary episode in SM
> Considers it more unnecessary then the Ilima two-parter and the Komala episode.

Call it boring all you want but to say it's the most unnecessary episode is objectively wrong no matter what you say or feel.

Most unnecessary episode in SMUA, I said. I stand by that because at least things happened in those other episodes mentioned and I could say things about it. This one was a half hour of basically nothing.

If you don't like Mallow, then yes, it's an unnecessary episode

I do like Mallow. I don't like it that the show barely gives her anything to do.

 

[DatsRight]

This episode at least had her doing something uninterrupted, no Team Rocket curb stomp, no Ash slapstick, just her doing something relevant to her goals and character.

I do find it a shame the show can't give more life to what she does though. After so many third wheels that were cooks, having one that did as a profession was the perfect way to give that role new life, but she doesn't really have enough variation to how she does, her Pokemon barely contributes at all and there's seldom new challenges or goals added to it.

She's also arguably the least game of the cast to the series' humour and 'antics'. Even in this episode, her brother was brought along to do most of the character humour. I feel this is why she keeps resorting to the old formula because the others are more capable of holding an episode through personality and foibles alone. This was the writers TRYING with her, which wasn't awful, but does show the problem.