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Team Rocket's Counterattack (1234)

Dephender

Gizakawayusu
Staff member
Moderator
Comment from Kunihiko Yuyama:
"For this episode I wanted to bring the Rocket Gang's Pokémon back. There's lots of things about the Rocket Gang that are shrouded in mystery, like what Musashi and the others' current standing IS, and why their Pokémon are being returned NOW... And the episode has some breakup-related drama again too (laughs). I guess this kind of slapstick and mystery is pretty inherent to the Rocket Gang, huh?"

Yuyama's retrospective comment on the episode where he talks about how there are so many things about the Rocket Gang that are shrouded in mystery makes considerably more sense now that we know the episode didn't actually clear anything of that up. When I first read it I thought it felt a bit oddly vague for a comment not meant to be seen until after the episode had actually aired.
 

Dragonsoldier77

Bittersweet Satisfaction
Yuyama's retrospective comment on the episode where he talks about how there are so many things about the Rocket Gang that are shrouded in mystery makes considerably more sense now that we know the episode didn't actually clear anything of that up. When I first read it I thought it felt a bit oddly vague for a comment not meant to be seen until after the episode had actually aired.
It’s pretty sad really. Since it basically says ‘there’s all these interesting stuff with TR that we know of, but we won’t address any of them because slapstick takes precedence’.
 

Blue Saturday

Unfurl your Blessed Wings!
I actually quite enjoyed this episode up until Latias just freeze framing the whole TRio army away....lame.

Other than that I adored finally seeing all of their Pokemon again, just as a complete absolute unit working together to finally get Pikachu. I really liked how they remembered Kojirou's softside for Manene and how it didn't battle much but played a role of a distraction or decoy just like in DP and AG. I thought they would play it off as being a wild Manene needing help but nope, Pikachu recognized it just like how he was suspicious of Nyarth's during BW! being a fake. That's one silverlining about MPM giving Pikachu some of his old personality back and desegrating his mannerisms from Satoshi who is just super pure and niave at times. That was a clever way of giving a "weak" TRio Pokemon a main role.

The released Pokemon got a cute little flashback. Then we have the muscle and main fighters of TRio's teams all keeping Pikachu separated from Kasumi, Takeshi and Satoshi so they can nail him down finally. But Pikachu is just too swift. On the other side of the coin it's always funny to see the strongest Pokemon in the world struggling against TRio's Pokemon even if it's multiple targets. You get stuff like Pikachu just not sending them flying with a full power T-bolt because they have to keep the fight going. There were several scenes where I kept thinking back to the win over Dande and it felt a little weird/jarring. Not like these aren't enemy/evil Pokemon.

I loved seeing all the Rocket Pokemon animated and using consistent moves/new moves, you can tell they did their research and tried to keep it all accurate. Also I forgot how massive Habunake is (super inconsistent about that thing's size during AG/DP) There was something cool about Luchabull just showing up and Flying Pressing it to save Pikachu out of the blue like that. The super attack scene was cool but felt like they had to end things too fast and I disliked that because all the Pokemon were assembled and I would have preferred Satoshi using Luchabull, Pikachu and Goukazaru to plow through them (but like I said it was also a bit jarring that Goukazaru wasn't mowing through the two Grass-types instantly unless fights are way faster in Anipoke ala DBZ)

Did not feel like TRio's finish, Latias just yeeting them away was quite anticlimatic. You run into the out-of-universe reasoning of her not just doing that from the get-go but I guess they wanted to further establish Satoshi's trust with her and him saving a random Pokemon from danger first setting up Latios's rescue. Fun episode overall if you take it for what it is and don't think too much. Imagine if this type of episode had 3 or 4 parts to draw it out as a whole real war like how the Avengers all split up to take care of a separate threat or something like that. Good to see best Fighters, martial artist and wrestler. I'm glad at the cute little shine they've given Goukazaru casually as an "overseer" these days.

Good episode. I just wanted more. Also Sonansu withstanding all that felt odd. But dang that guy is bulky and has always been, he took a full Hyper Beam from the Dragon's Holy Land's Kairyu after all.
 

SerGoldenhandtheJust

Deluded Dreamer
I actually quite enjoyed this episode up until Latias just freeze framing the whole TRio army away....lame.

Other than that I adored finally seeing all of their Pokemon again, just as a complete absolute unit working together to finally get Pikachu. I really liked how they remembered Kojirou's softside for Manene and how it didn't battle much but played a role of a distraction or decoy just like in DP and AG. I thought they would play it off as being a wild Manene needing help but nope, Pikachu recognized it just like how he was suspicious of Nyarth's during BW! being a fake. That's one silverlining about MPM giving Pikachu some of his old personality back and desegrating his mannerisms from Satoshi who is just super pure and niave at times. That was a clever way of giving a "weak" TRio Pokemon a main role.

The released Pokemon got a cute little flashback. Then we have the muscle and main fighters of TRio's teams all keeping Pikachu separated from Kasumi, Takeshi and Satoshi so they can nail him down finally. But Pikachu is just too swift. On the other side of the coin it's always funny to see the strongest Pokemon in the world struggling against TRio's Pokemon even if it's multiple targets. You get stuff like Pikachu just not sending them flying with a full power T-bolt because they have to keep the fight going. There were several scenes where I kept thinking back to the win over Dande and it felt a little weird/jarring. Not like these aren't enemy/evil Pokemon.

I loved seeing all the Rocket Pokemon animated and using consistent moves/new moves, you can tell they did their research and tried to keep it all accurate. Also I forgot how massive Habunake is (super inconsistent about that thing's size during AG/DP) There was something cool about Luchabull just showing up and Flying Pressing it to save Pikachu out of the blue like that. The super attack scene was cool but felt like they had to end things too fast and I disliked that because all the Pokemon were assembled and I would have preferred Satoshi using Luchabull, Pikachu and Goukazaru to plow through them (but like I said it was also a bit jarring that Goukazaru wasn't mowing through the two Grass-types instantly unless fights are way faster in Anipoke ala DBZ)

Did not feel like TRio's finish, Latias just yeeting them away was quite anticlimatic. You run into the out-of-universe reasoning of her not just doing that from the get-go but I guess they wanted to further establish Satoshi's trust with her and him saving a random Pokemon from danger first setting up Latios's rescue. Fun episode overall if you take it for what it is and don't think too much. Imagine if this type of episode had 3 or 4 parts to draw it out as a whole real war like how the Avengers all split up to take care of a separate threat or something like that. Good to see best Fighters, martial artist and wrestler. I'm glad at the cute little shine they've given Goukazaru casually as an "overseer" these days.

Good episode. I just wanted more. Also Sonansu withstanding all that felt odd. But dang that guy is bulky and has always been, he took a full Hyper Beam from the Dragon's Holy Land's Kairyu after all.
W Wobuffet literally deflected Giratina's attack back at it lol in the Hoopa movie, it's always been a chad
 

Soniman

Break the Limit
I actually quite enjoyed this episode up until Latias just freeze framing the whole TRio army away....lame.
instead of a beautifully animated sequence of TR and their Pokémon flying off together they just used the layer > move > rotate > scale method to get it done in 10 minutes. I get it was for comedy but damn man that was probably their last blast off lol
 

Risrhayne

Well-Known Member
The Latias Ex Machina at the end easily ruined this episode for me. While I liked that Latias finally showed herself and gave her explanation as to what the heck’s been going on, I really wish it didn’t happen after she literally yeeted TR out of the story as if she were saying “the adults are talking now”. I don’t care about Latios nearly as much as TR right now. I don’t wanna see Ash save Latios like we all know he’s gonna do, I wanna see TR get back together and get the biggest Rocketshipping hit I’ll ever get and-

-It’s disappointing that TR’s possibly penultimate appearance had to share the spotlight with the “pLatias”, but given this season’s premise, it was inevitable. TR will most likely appear again in the final episode, but because this season is ALSO about Ash earning the trust of Latias, they have no choice but to take the backseat.

…why couldn’t this season just be about Ash reconnecting with old friends to help them out one final time, why do we NEED another Latios and Latias story?!
 

Ignition

We are so back Zygardebros
Ok episode. Mime Jr, Seviper, Yanmega, & Carnivine all returning made this DP fanboy super happy. Wish Dustox and Cacnea were here :'). Seeing Infernape and Hawlucha was also neat since they're both my favorites from their respective teams. Everything else...just happened? It was such an odd way to set up their finale. It's also funny seeing Jessie and James with a full team.
I was legitimately expecting the end of the episode to reveal this was all a dream and for them to say "Nah, not worth it".
 

Dephender

Gizakawayusu
Staff member
Moderator
…why couldn’t this season just be about Ash reconnecting with old friends to help them out one final time, why do we NEED another Latios and Latias story?!

We don't. Yuyama's comments in animedia basically explained that they had a general concept for this series ("Satoshi just traveling around being a kid") and a finale ready, but everything else is basically there because they needed to fill some additional weeks, and the stuff that happens in them happens because someone said "why not do this?".

The Latias subplot is there because they wanted a running subplot about a Pokemon following Satoshi in order to make the episodes connected, and it's Latias because "why not?", not because they had any Latias-specific plan in mind. Takeshi and Kasumi are back because Satoshi needs some travelmates and "why not them?", not because anyone had any grand plans for those particular characters. And today's episode exists because "why not bring back all the old Rocketmons?", not to do a big finale for the Rocket trio.

It was never meant to be a big finale series tying up loose ends or revisiting old plot threads, nor was it meant to be chapters in a story exploring what it means to be a Pokemon Master. It's just the staff coming up with stuff to fill weeks with because they have weeks of "Satoshi traveling around with no particular goal in mind" to fill until they reach the finale.
 

vondecayle

Well-Known Member
The soundtracks in this episode were music to my ears.

At least the plot of this ep felt planned. However I don’t get why they didn’t try to defeat TR pokemon on the spot instead of conveniently separating each other at every encounter.

This episode made me wish they had received their reserves sooner. Using all of their pokemon at the same time is how they should operate.

Frillish and Yamask laughing at Psyduck was great and it shows they are not just battle bots.

Laughed at Ludicolo dancing while TR pokemon looked confused.

Mime Jr. was really nice in this episode.
 

Shego

The Pokémon Explorer
Jessie, James and Meowth has split up for their constant failures, such as go to their separate ways. Which is that's the end of Team Rocket. :)
 

AuraChannelerChris

Easygoing Luxray.
Yeah, no wonder why Ash didn't take Infernape to fight the "big" battles.

TRio's little disband is most certainly a fake out, but I'm a bit disappointed they didn't get fired.

This episode didn't need Latias at all. Her being here makes TRio more of a joke than Ash cheaply blasting them off in one big Z-Move finish.
I genuinely cannot believe there are actual real life people in this thread who honestly in all sense of legitimacy actually think that this last minute breakup fakeout was for real this time despite the director laughing about it in the interview we all just read two days
I don't think most people are fooled about it.
 

Zoruagible

Lover of underrated characters
Everything about the episode was great apart from how it ended :/

I hope they wrap it up in the finale and don't make us wait an eternity for them to show up in the new series, I don't plan on watching it nor do I want to. TR are why I stuck around as long as I did
 

santiagus

I watched Pokemon anime for 20 freaking years
People spreading on twitter that Team Rocket is over and they ABANDONED his Pokemon are really something else, that goes for that liar of Centro Pokemon.

The last image was meant to be a visual of how they go each way, not abandon.

Some tell that the way they're separated is OOC, but it makes sense, they design a pretty well plan that even had backups in case things gone wrong like Gourgeist using his contest Seed Boombs in case they escaped and they failed due to bad luck because If Latias was not there they would have succeded.

When you plan something this big specially after beeing reunited with your partners and you fail is normal that you blame the other part.

This leaves something as a clinhanger and really interesting for the Rocket fan to look at the final episode as this mark the first time ever that Team Rocket ends an episode which his own ways. (Not counting the Meowth epsiodes in BW since it was only him)
 

DuquÊ?

Too lazy to pick a pic
We don't. Yuyama's comments in animedia basically explained that they had a general concept for this series ("Satoshi just traveling around being a kid") and a finale ready, but everything else is basically there because they needed to fill some additional weeks, and the stuff that happens in them happens because someone said "why not do this?".

The Latias subplot is there because they wanted a running subplot about a Pokemon following Satoshi in order to make the episodes connected, and it's Latias because "why not?", not because they had any Latias-specific plan in mind. Takeshi and Kasumi are back because Satoshi needs some travelmates and "why not them?", not because anyone had any grand plans for those particular characters. And today's episode exists because "why not bring back all the old Rocketmons?", not to do a big finale for the Rocket trio.

It was never meant to be a big finale series tying up loose ends or revisiting old plot threads, nor was it meant to be chapters in a story exploring what it means to be a Pokemon Master. It's just the staff coming up with stuff to fill weeks with because they have weeks of "Satoshi traveling around with no particular goal in mind" to fill until they reach the finale.
This 11 episodes series could be called "Why not? Pokemon Master", then.

It's like tell episode 11 is the only one you should watch.
 

doofinc

get rillaboomed
That was an episode.

Glad we got the XY Team Rocket theme. This being 1 episode definitely hurt the intensity though, they were definitely cooking a solid plan and it could've been a great 2 parter.

Instead we got Latias just yeeting Team Rocket out like it was nothing like ??????????????

Abrupt ending is surely a fakeout but they got done dirty this episode. No real setup and no real stakes. I hope there's something better for them in the last 2 episodes but man.

+3 points for the Brock/Ludicolo/Croagunk dance number, but -5 points for no Bewear and the copout flashbacks for released Pokemon.
 
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