My little review on this episode as it deserves one:
It's been ages since I enjoyed a Pokemon's episode. The most wonderful thing in this episode being the stars, Ash's Pokemon.
The episode started with a recap of the last episode, which I admit were good battle scenes. Crustle Rock Sliding Golurk and then Golurk blasting it away followed by Crustle's inability to dodge it and Dragonite saving it was a wonderful sequence.
When I saw the preview last week, I expected Crustle and Dragonite to get owned immediately and fall down. But they did stand.
Cilan's idea to stop the incoming army of Conkeldurr, Timburr with Rock Slide and Iris reinforced it with Ice Beam. They were cornered, and their Pokemon surely had very low chances of fighting a horde and survive. So using a temporary defense and then hide was a good plan. I thought Cedric was a reductive character but they did made him do a few things, hehe.
The scene shifts to Ash and N, who are worried about what was happening on the surface, they decide to find a way out.
Conkeldurr, Timburr, and Golurk break through but Dragonite and Crustle hold them at bay. The scene left a bad taste in my mouth as it was stock footage from a scene few minutes ago. Dem lazy animators!
Dragonite and Crustle stand as a two-man army against the army of Plasma. I am really really glad, because Iris and Cilan have their own sequence of actions unlike in AG where May, Brock were mostly ignored. Iris and Cilan are holding their own against their villains. They may not be doing much damage, but they're doing their best to save their own skins.
Cedric's role in this episode: He did a good job noticing Colress activating the machine. Having no other option Cilan and Iris were forced to return their Pokemon. But little Kiba wants to play hero, and try to attack. But luckily Iris knew better than to let the little guy out.
Also, yes Hair can block lasers
Nextly, is it just me or are Iris and Cilan subjected to the most violence ever? Seriously ever since season 1, except for a few episodes in the OS, people were very rarely attacked by the villains. Even in Episode N2, James's Amoongus attacks Ash directly with a Body Slam on his back. Now that would have really hurt.
Aand they are finally locked
Looker and the Crowbar: Seriously they should make a action movie out of this. Who else in the world can use a crowbar so adeptly other than the Interpol's Handsome? They should've seriously considered a gun...but then that'd raise complications because then ghetsis would need a gun. So let's settle with there are no guns in Pokeworld. (don't count the banned episode).
N loses hope, Ash asks if he heard any 'voices'. N is worried more because there weren't any voices. Ash seems to recite a verse from the Pokemon Unovan Legend: The Black chapter or something. He says something Cedric said to him once, it's along the lines "Never give up" or something. My Japanese is poor.
Ash seems to be more adult-like in this episode. When I say adult-like, I mean he isn't the usual childish idiot Best Wishes has been showing. Even his drawing seems to be so. If I didn't know better, I'd say Ash looks a bit older than ten.
The highlight of this episode: The Pokemon Interaction.
Ash sends out all five Pokemon at once. Oshawott comes out first, his usual proudself. Pignite comes out next, snorting flames, perhaps a remember of the previous episode where he couldn't use flamethrower thanks to the seeds in his snout. Oshawott ofcourse is scared by it.
Then Snivy and Krookodile appeared together. The animators must have done this to show us the contrasting sizes. Krookodile gives Snivy a smug look, but Smugleaf only gives an even smuggier(?) humph.
Of course when the big boss comes out last, everything inside the caving trembles. One of these days Charizard will destroy something with that power.
Ash asks the Pokemon for help. And surprisingly, instead of Ash commanding them, the Pokemon plan among themselves. Oshawott uses Hydropump to soften the mud, then Krookodile goes in with dig and Charizard with Helicopter-Dragon Tail. Pignite, Snivy and Pikachu join. Oshawott tells its trainer to lend a hand. Ash joins them and begin his digging. N is very impressed at the team work and lends a hand too.
Ghetsis and Helicopter.....Ghetsis looks less villainish if that's even a word.
Angie is panicked, and of course Brad is ordered to do something. Brad comes out with the most intelligent move his brain could afford, blast the hole (seriously lol).
Ah and the next scene is my most most most favorite one. Krookodile comes out and becomes the center of attraction of the deadly glares....and the poor guy scurries away to let the big boss handle things. Seriously, the writers are doing a good job with Charizard, they are obviously making him Ash's team leader but at the same time he isn't hogging screen time.
Plasma once again goes to the extreme and orders to attack N, mighty Lizardon comes to the rescue but taking Shadow Balls wasn't so easy, (coming from high-level Plasma Pokemon?)
Pignite jumps for his Nii-san (seriously I think that's what Pignite calls him in Pignitese)
Nii-san!(Yeah I watched too much of full metal alchemist)
The interaction between Charizard and Pignite is really such, even Charizard seems to like Pignite. They do a double-bro-flamethrower.
Krookodile doesn't like to be overshadowed, he uses his new power-upped dig, Oshawott and Snivy do their attacks too and Pikachu cheers them all (really, now?). This episode is really a 'hey let's take a back seat Pikachu' day.
Colress plans to capture Ash's Pokemon, Ash takes two of them in but he isn't fast enoug, luckily Looker comes to rescue with the Crowbar!
And fails in an epic fashion. (Next time, get a better weapon, sir.)
Ash is relieved because all his Pokemon are back into their balls safely....really....?
I liked the amount of drama when Ash realizes Pikachu's still out, and Pikachu gives an innocent 'Pika' (man Pikachu's really cute when he does that).
The next scene is once more violent than the usual Pokemon ones. Pikachu thunderbolts Iris and Cilan while they run for their lives, hands tied. (That really deserves a laugh. I'm gonna sig it after this review perhaps.)
Ash gets bolted like crazy. Thunderbolt is called 10,000 volts in Japanese. Now I just wonder how the hell does Ash survive a thunderbolt, let alone stand after that? Maybe they shouldn't have over-glorified Pokemon's battle powers.
Ash and Pikachu collapse, holding one another as Colress releases Pikachu out of the hold (after N agrees to trade the stone with Plasma). Here again, Ash seems slightly older than what Best Wishes showed till now. I really wonder if the writers want him to be ten or not.
Everything is all set by the time Ghetsis comes back (He must be proud of his Angie and Brad Pitt).
Ghetsis starts the ceremony by himself(no sages -_-?). N says things will be a repeat of last time, Reshiram will destroy everything. Ghetsis simply laughs and says, I have the control machine for that. (Seriously N, with super high IQ, you should've figured that by now, even I did!)
Ash gets up as the ceremony begins. The stone activates....and the final image comes. (Cilan always looks cool in these.)
I am really looking forward for the next episode. This saga was rushed like hell, but it was at least good. Best Wishes has redeemed itself a bit.