Yeah okay, that episode ranged from boring to funny from time to time. Highlights were of course Dawns new combo, Piplup being teased as always and... Ash teaching the fundamental things of being a Pokemon trainer - how you throw your Pokeball.
Boring was when Brock was given the task of... showing how to FEED Pokemon. Yeah okay that is important to know that you have to feed them but a child can fill a plate and drop food in it. No need to learn that in school.
It was interesting that Jesse won a Contest but bad that we didn´t got to see more of it. We do know that she will be a serious threat in the GF (however she will not advance longer than Dawn). And then one just feel bad for Ash who only got encouraging word from Johanna. Well well, she said something important one hopes.
I actually found Dawn's appeal training the most dragging part of the episode.. Actually, this entire episode moved quite slowly, if you get what I mean. I actually felt like I was wasting my time watching it. I'm not all bad bones about this episode though, the few times that it did make me chuckle was when Piplup and the boy actually were having fun together at the end. *yes the 'first strike your out' on Piplup did make me chuckle, but the moment didn't last very long..
Buneary and Pachirisu with a combo is cool. They are practically Dawn's least used Pokemon. I also liked seeing all of the gang's Pokemon out at once, although it was not for a long time.
I liked seeing that Pachirisu couldn't work with Mamoswine. Mamoswine being the backdrop for another ice combo, would've been too much. Remembering that Buneary has Ice Beam is great thinking on Dawn's part. Furthermore, now that Mamoswine and Cyndaquil are a duo, and Pachirisu and Buneary are as well. I'm willing to bet that the last combo is going to be Piplup and Togekiss. I actually also see them having some problems since, according to the title, Togekiss is a contest
princess, and Piplup also has an ego.. so maybe there will be some friction. Though Piplup worked well with Buneary, so I don't know..
It's almost as if this episode was solely made as an excuse for Jessie to nab her 4th ribbon, with the main plot with Dawn being written as almost an after-thought. I'm never thrilled by ice appeals, much less practice ice appeals, but at least the animation was pretty.
I agree partly, especially on Jessies part. I'm thinking that they're partnering up Dawn's pokemon, but doing this for an entire episode would be too much. The same thing happened in DP 155, where Zoey got a ribbon. So maybe when Togekiss and Piplup get teamed up, we'll see either Jessie earning her fifth, or a cameo of Ursula.. I'm betting on Jessie though. I can't argue with you on the Ice appeals though, but with Mamoswine being an ice type, and Buneary having a limited movepool, it's unavoidable to see a ice combo.
The animation was pretty good, as expected from Iwane, but when all the pokemon came out of they're pokeballs, there were few things that looked bad. Furthermore, there was a scene where Ash & co were on the beach, along with the kids.. it just seemed as though they're were pasted on to the background, which I also found as a minor point of critique. That being said, this might just've been Iwane's worst in Sinnoh. With the good quality it had overall, is something of a compliment.
I rather like how this episode mirrored the beach setting of Route 222, which should be the the route they're using to head to Lake Valor.
That's true! I didn't realize it that way. What do you make of the gang walking along a cliff, with an island in the distance? My gut is telling me they're still going to Battle Island.. though it was explicitly said that they're travelling to the GF.. Did Johanna say anything to change their minds?
