The Dragonite Paradise and the Dragonair Trial! (1099)

[Ace Kenshader]

Out of all the Pokemon I thought Ash was going to catch as the first for this series, a Dragonite is something that came out of left field for me completely lmao.

 

[EmeraldArcanine]

I'm probably the unpopular opinion here but I prefer Ash getting a Dragonite over a Dragonair or Dratini tbh. How do we know we won't have another Gible situation with it? By having it be fully evolved, that problem is avoided, plus we have more chance to see Dragonite develop gradually than say, Goodra who barely got too much screen time with rushed development before going away, or Noibat who evolved fast and was barely used. It makes him having a Dragonite this early in good too, there's more than enough time to work with it without issues about it evolving too fast or not evolving at all or potential issues with its amount of usage coming into play.

And unless I'm misreading which I probably am but, as for people having issues with him having a Dragonite because of Iris... well, she ain't here, and just because she has a Dragonite doesn't mean Ash can't now. I find the complaint on Dragonite because of Iris kinda silly and, if anything, would just be restricting on what Ash can/cannot catch because "His past companions already had one that didn't do well" or something like that.

I will agree on this however.
Had Gou caught the Dragonite instead with a flawless, effortless, and emotionless capture? The episode would've definitely been ruined and would've soured the 2019 anime for me entirely (Which wouldn't be good given the line of bad episodes we've had as of late for the series thanks to the lack of any real direction/plot.) So props to the episode for not ruining itself and shooting itself in the foot.

 

[Spider-Phoenix]

And unless I'm misreading which I probably am but, as for people having issues with him having a Dragonite because of Iris... well, she ain't here, and just because she has a Dragonite doesn't mean Ash can't now. I find the complaint on Dragonite because of Iris kinda silly and, if anything, would just be restricting on what Ash can/cannot catch because "His past companions already had one that didn't do well" or something like that.

Also, it's worthy pointing out that in her special, Iris got a Gible. The same pokémon Ash had on Sinnoh. I'd say that makes them even as far as repeated captures go lol

 

[satopi]

Ash got a Dragonite!!!!! I can’t believe it! Best episode ever (so far)!!! I would’ve been upset if he didn’t get that particular Dratini. I really loved their bonding even if it was pretty short. I already love his affectionate Dragonite. This was a very enjoyable episode as a whole.

Now leave Champion Iris alone!

 

[Ignition]

I really appreciate the fact that the anime acknowledging Go's tendency to just throw PokéBalls and how it won't always work. That was the best part of the episode for me besides Wailord getting KOd by a log lol

 

[Red and Blue]

Just imagine if Iris got the sweet and friendly Dragonite and Ash got the one with the bad attitude

 

[AuraChannelerChris]

Just imagine if Iris got the sweet and friendly Dragonite and Ash got the one with the bad attitude

He would correct its attitude faster than she ever...never did.

 

[Kazuniya]

He would correct its attitude faster than she ever...never did.

I wish Ash had that ability to do that. Instead he just passively goes along with it until the writers alter the Pokemon's personality for Ash's convenience.

 

[Red and Blue]

I wish Ash had that ability to do that. Instead he just passively goes along with it until the writers alter the Pokemon's personality for Ash's convenience.

Well they did give Charizard an arc about learning to respect Ash again. I think they could pull off something similar if Ash's Dragonite was aggressive

 

[mysticalglacia]

This was a fantastic episode. I’ve been harsh with this series, and rightfully so. One really good episode does not automatically remedy all the faults I still see in the series; however, it does help them. This episode is a huge step in the right direction, and even if there aren’t as many captures like this in the future, I’d still like to see episodes exploring the more environmental and habitual aspects of the Pokémon world. That’s something I really enjoyed: the exploration of the Dragonite island. There was an attempt to explain the biology of these dragons and even poke a little fun at a common fan complaint (that was golden). It was interesting to watch and shows effort on the writers’ part.

I loved Ash catching Dragonite. It was pretty unexpected, but perfectly justified. Dragonair struggling to fly and Ash helping it in classic Ash fashion was sweet. Dragonite in personality is pretty adorable so far; I’d go as far to say it’s improving my opinion on the Pokémon itself lol. A part of me wanted it to stay as a Dragonair at least for a bit, just to see it on Ash’s team like that, but I’m fine with the outcome. Finally a Psudeo for Ash that’ll hopefully stay with him. Someone earlier in the thread mentioned that there’s a possible angle here with Go realizing that Pokémon choose to go with Ash, instead of his method of the other way around- that’s a really good thought I’d like to see explored. Go in this episode was already facing some setbacks, which I was pleased to see. Wasting Pokéballs, losing his new capture; I hope this is part of a bigger development that gets him to actually battle before catching. TR was nice here too, they felt more comedic even if their screentime was small.

Overall the best episode so far; 10/10

 

[LilligantLewis]

So what do you guys think of this 15-second intro every episode with a bunch of random flashbacks and a narrator voiceover about their 2 goals? It's not a huge deal since it's so short, but it seems like a random waste of time to me tbh, and it's also different from anything before. There used to be no previously in most episodes, and sometimes just one when it's a 2-parter or an arc. Not a repetitive and unnecessary one.

well there's one difference that's clear as day, Iris' was anti-social, Ash's likes people. a complete 180 personality wise.



I said this before, but the only time I got annoyed with her having dragonite, was when she used it against Georgia in that last mini tournament, because she took pride in that win, even though she did not have full control over dragonite, which Georgia even caught onto and called her out after the fight for.

I gotta say this definitely opens a huge door for Ash this season if this is his first official capture of this series, I mean wow.

and as I expected I've already seen people not happy with this, saw that one coming.

Yeah and the bigger problem with that win to me was that that was the only time she ever beat Georgia. So I assume from the writers' perspective it was a good enough way to end their rivalry? I think I would have had less of a problem with it if she had beaten Georgia later on fair-and-square. tbh I don't think the rivals should have disappeared after just 108 episodes. For such a diverse cast of rivals, maybe the most of any region, it's disappointing they awkwardly had their arcs cut short after the league, I'm not sure why they couldn't have appeared in Episode N or Da!

Aweh it sucks but I think I’m done watching the series

Never would have guessed that the episode that would make somebody stop watching after 22 years is the one where Ash catches a Dragonite. Yup! Ash caught a Dragonite! That's my final straw!

 

[lemoncatpower]

Never would have guessed that the episode that would make somebody stop watching after 22 years is the one where Ash catches a Dragonite. Yup! Ash caught a Dragonite! That's my final straw!

LOL! I forgot I posted this, but I've been watching the battles at least! Otherwise I've been watching other anime for now Not sure why a Dragonite was my final straw either tbh lol but I hope it picks up and I'll get back into the episodes! Although not going to lie, Lucario vs Dragonite was not that good imo so it has yet to get better for me. I love gengar though! But his showing vs Mienshao and Lucario was pitiful tooo.

 

[Yuugis Black Magician]

The intro saves drawings and quickly explains the premise of the series. It does it's job.

 

[Lord Starfish]

The intro saves drawings and quickly explains the premise of the series. It does it's job.

I mean it's fifteen seconds of episode time saved. I don't know if those fifteen seconds actually have a meaningful effect on how good the animation could be for the rest of the episode because let's be fair, unless you're looking at an action scene (and sometimes even then), there won't actually be all that many drawings used in your average fifteen seconds of episode.

 

[Yuugis Black Magician]

I mean it's fifteen seconds of episode time saved. I don't know if those fifteen seconds actually have a meaningful effect on how good the animation could be for the rest of the episode because let's be fair, unless you're looking at an action scene (and sometimes even then), there won't actually be all that many drawings used in your average fifteen seconds of episode.

It's fifteen seconds the storyboard artist and episode director doesn't have to worry about, though.

I mean, personally, I want more Evangelion-esque directing (Episode #4, #15, #20, #22, #24-26) with nothing but a single drawing for a minute but fifteen second intros are cute unto themselves. Early Pokemon had so much trouble figuring out good ways to use its drawings as it was, I'd hate to think they're being forced back to the days of 3,000 drawings (or maybe even 2,500) per episode.

 

[Twilight-Kun]

I for one welcome them reminding us of Ash and Go's goals every week because that's 5 days longer than the average attention span nowadays

 

[AuraChannelerChris]

That reminder only works for the Japanese side since the show airs on Sundays.

For us using Netflix to watch 12 available episodes? That reminder is only annoying.

 

[Spider-Phoenix]

I keep forgetting what their goals were.

I think Ash wanted to be the ultimate school drop out while Goh wanted to be a pro on baseball so he tends to randomly do throws during his travels.

 

[dman_dustin]

Really don't understand why people are complaining about the intro when there are plenty of shows that tell you what the series is about in the intro.

For hypothetical example (as in not a real show): My name is Billy Jones, and my parents were killed by the ruthless gang known as Parasytes (spelled that way in the show), growing up I've met a lot of good friends with unique special abilities while I come to terms with my own. With my friends I've decided to hunt down the people who killed my parents. We are "Reluctant Superheroes" *Cue music*

For a real example...CW's Supergirl.

 

[LilligantLewis]

Really don't understand why people are complaining about the intro when there are plenty of shows that tell you what the series is about in the intro.

For hypothetical example (as in not a real show): My name is Billy Jones, and my parents were killed by the ruthless gang known as Parasytes (spelled that way in the show), growing up I've met a lot of good friends with unique special abilities while I come to terms with my own. With my friends I've decided to hunt down the people who killed my parents. We are "Reluctant Superheroes" *Cue music*

For a real example...CW's Supergirl.

Those happen in shows that don't also have a theme song.