The Great Alola Pancake Race! (956)

[TheWanderingMist]

For some reason I was expecting Shiron would be called Snowy in the dub, I think it's way cuter than Snowball

I think Snowball fits better if female (still unconfirmed as of EP029). Snowy is Tintin's male dog.

 

[Golden_Latias]

Snowy

Nebby

Yeah, I'm fine with Snowy.

 

[Frozocrone]

Snowy, Snowball, I'm fine with either.

VA were fine. I applaud the use of 'Welcome to Alola!'

 

[mystic9899]

so shiron is called snowy in the dub?

lillie is tintin lmao.

 

[KingMinun]

Is that Dawn's voice I hear? Its been so long! Emily Jenness/Bauer playing the announcer! Funny that she has blue hair also haha!

This episode was still enjoyable in the dub too.

 

[DatsRight]

Right on cue, the ending immediately updates with the new addition, but it felt a little too rushed...

Wait the dub actually kept the update to the credits? After the whole of XY saw them use the first episode's cue card this is surprising.

Is that Dawn's voice I hear? Its been so long! Emily Jenness/Bauer playing the announcer! Funny that she has blue hair also haha!

This episode was still enjoyable in the dub too.

Dawn's VA still stays on as Giovanni's secretary and some one time characters. Actually it's a shame most of the TPCI onwards main characters don't return since the dub actually keeps using most of their actors.

 

[LilligantLewis]

Mallow for sure likes Ash!
Too bad we still haven't had a Mallow focus episode though! We even had an episode about a restaurant today, but it was not Mallow's family's restaurant! Why!!! When will it show up?

Wow, Alolan Raichu is so cool! I didn't know it could float! Cool that it air-surfs on its tail. Its design is for sure a reference to Puka. I also now know where WaterShuriken's avatar is from!

I like Meowth's Rapidash reference... maybe a reference to another race episode???

Lastly, I like that the ending's been updated with Snowy replacing the egg. I also now understand TheWanderingMist's signature, so I learned things about two users today!

 

[Ryu Taylor]

Well, that was the most unnecessary narration ever at the beginning. Wish the dub had cut it out.

Is Pikachu ever going to be friendly to a Raichu?? Muk isn't exactly an ideal cleanup crew, but okay. Picking Turtonator to be the racing Pokemon is just asking to come in last.

"Don't blow your stack!" Did anyone else immediately think "HEY! PHRASING!" when Meowth said that?

Raichu's got a fun little dub theme. And speaking of themes, the Fashion Theme got an islander remix; one of the only XY dub themes I've heard return, albeit in a modified form. The maintained JP track was too dramatic for a race, even if it was the penultimate stretch. Wishing the dub hadn't kept it, but at least it went back to dub music when Meowth turned the boosters on. Still, it's a pity that Mima still hasn't learned to quit making mountains out of molehills music-wise, especially since his picking of a good track to play over Lillie's egg hatching seemed to indicate that the JP music was finally learning to calm itself down.

Speaking of Lillie's new Vulpix, its name is Snowy. To be honest, I like it better than my (and everyone else's) original guess of "Snowball."

This episode was fun, but next week's is one I've been looking forward to the dub of, as back when I made the grave mistake of watching this saga in Japanese, this was when I started outright skipping TR's scenes. Starting next week, I can start seeing what I missed.

 

[AuraChannelerChris]

Is Pikachu ever going to be friendly to a Raichu??

Forget that. Most of the Raichu are jerks, including this one.

 

[LilligantLewis]

I don't really understand the title. Why racing TO a big event? The race itself was the event.

I liked that Pikachu and Raichu had an "electricity between the eyes" rivalry like Iris and Georgia and Serena and Miette, although the latter of which only had electricity between their eyes in Miette's debut episode XY26.

I like Jessie using Wobbuffet as a Parasol.

Bewear Plushie for James.... Interesting. Was this ep supposed to come before the Mereanie episode?

It is interesting that he didn't use Mareanie. Is there any other evidence that the episodes were switched?

Still miles better than the godawful Binacle episode.

I actually liked this episode a lot (SM013) whereas your word "still" here implies that it was bad (and that the Binacle episode was worse)

A lot of episodes are better than that one. But it doesn't excuse this episode of doing exactly the same thing. Not that people seem to be trying to do that as of right now.

The difference here is that they were just goofing around and had some funny moments while that episode was superficially trying to make some connection between the Binacles and Zygardes that didn't really work.

Oh wow I didn't even realize until just now that that's the connection that episode was trying to make

-Lillie should definitely race with the egg.

Too bad that would require the writers to acknowledge that a year has passed.

I'm a lot less ecstatic this review. So sorry for the short one. Will do better next review!

Don't apologize to us!! Your posts are longer than many on here, I love them!

I was hoping for Mimikyu to get disqualified the moment it started to form a Shadow Ball. How did neither the referee (if there even was one) nor the commentator notice that, when the whole thing was televised?

My understanding of the rules is that it wasn't actually illegal to use a move unless it was used on another Pokémon. Which actually makes me wonder why Pikachu didn't use Quick Attack

Aside from building up to the Bewear joke at the end, the only thing I don't get is why James didn't use Mareanie for the race.

Still, for Sun & Moon's first 100% filler episode (or 95% if you count the ending), it was pretty good. The plot was interesting, the jokes were funny, & Pikachu got some character development.

SM006 was a filler. Because we didn't see Sophocles's home or any of his family members as we did Lana's and Kiawe's, it was very limited in any character development for him.

I wasn't expecting the result of that race/

Same! And especially when that last commercial break cut in before the finish, I was at the edge of my seat!

Wait the dub actually kept the update to the credits? After the whole of XY saw them use the first episode's cue card this is surprising.

First of all, "One for the Goomy!" had a Bonnie title card.

Second of all, this is the first time the dub has even ever had an ending animation, so i'd say there are no patterns for us to go on to be surprised that it's updating it

 

[DatsRight]

First of all, "One for the Goomy!" had a Bonnie title card.

Second of all, this is the first time the dub has even ever had an ending animation, so i'd say there are no patterns for us to go on to be surprised that it's updating it

And I'm very impressed they managed to keep that one title card, I'm sure.

I'm pretty sure it was the same for all the opening sequences they kept though, the DP and BW title credits that were updated to add a new character lineup in the Japanese edit were never put in the dub, which just kept the first edit.

I suppose, unless this turns out to be a one off like the XY titles, this plus the SLIGHTLY better compromise of dub and Jap tracks is some small sign they're trying a little harder this time round. Fix up the dialogue and keep a few more game tracks and this might be up to standard again.

 

[Vipsoccermaster]

Good episode. Some funny moments during the race, of course, such as Kiawe trying to pull up Turtonator, who is heavy. It's funny how Komala can keep the pancakes upright nearly 95% of the time without spilling during its roll to the finish line. And it even won the race. Seriously, Pikachu and Alolan Raichu were totally surprised about Bewear and fake Bewear that they didn't realize until after Komala caught the lead that they were still in the race, and they could have won together. Mimikyu was an idiot, but it chose ti do it because it could not keep its temper and jealousy about Pikachu every time it is in presence. If it wasn't for Bouncweet, Pikachu would have been disqualified along with Mimikyu. But Bounsweet and Popplio were just there for plot purposes.

Another reason Komala and Samson Oak won first place was so Oak can do the "GOLDeen" pun. After this, even in the Japanese versions, where are Samson Oak's free all-you-can-eat pancakes for a year?

As for the ending, so it turns out to be Snowy, from Shiron. I'm fine with the name Lillie decided for Alolan Vulpix. The opening made sense with Lillie still having the Egg, and the credits was updated to match with Lillie having Snowy. Excellent. Now ensure Snowy is there in place of the Egg for Lillie in the opening from Episode 14 onwards.

 

[LilligantLewis]

And I'm very impressed they managed to keep that one title card, I'm sure.

It actually wasn't kept - it was a Dedenne title card in the original and was changed to Bonnie for the dub

If it wasn't for Bouncesweet, Pikachu would have been disqualified along with Mimikyu. But Bouncesweet and Popplio were just there for plot purposes.

Not trying to be mean here, but just trying to help you out, since I think you actually don't know the correct spelling it is Bounsweet

 

[Vipsoccermaster]

Not trying to be mean here, but just trying to help you out, since I think you actually don't know the correct spelling it is Bounsweet

Thank you. Edited to fix the name.

 

[roguedr4g0nite]

Snowy makes a whole lot of sense. Snowball is the rabbit from The Secret Life of Pets which also aired in Japan if I recall since YUKI sang the song from the Volcanion Movie in it. They probably have to deal with the fact that Vulpix has the same name as an edgy rabbit.
Anyways this episode was great. Although I don't like the fact that all Raichu and Pikachu have to be rivals...sort of wish there would be a Poképark 2 scenario. Mimikyu just couldn't keep its cool. Perhaps we'll get a bonding episode where it will grow to learn to listen to Jessie. I was so wanting the egg to hatch this episode and I'm so glad it did. I thought we'd have to wait the next episode. The art style seems to work on this variant of Vulpix.
9/10

 

[TheWanderingMist]

I don't really understand the title. Why racing TO a big event? The race itself was the event.

I liked that Pikachu and Raichu had an "electricity between the eyes" rivalry like Iris and Georgia and Serena and Miette, although the latter of which only had electricity between their eyes in Miette's debut episode XY26.



It is interesting that he didn't use Mareanie. Is there any other evidence that the episodes were switched?



I actually liked this episode a lot (SM013) whereas your word "still" here implies that it was bad (and that the Binacle episode was worse)



Oh wow I didn't even realize until just now that that's the connection that episode was trying to make


Too bad that would require the writers to acknowledge that a year has passed.


Don't apologize to us!! Your posts are longer than many on here, I love them!



My understanding of the rules is that it wasn't actually illegal to use a move unless it was used on another Pokémon. Which actually makes me wonder why Pikachu didn't use Quick Attack



SM006 was a filler. Because we didn't see Sophocles's home or any of his family members as we did Lana's and Kiawe's, it was very limited in any character development for him.



Same! And especially when that last commercial break cut in before the finish, I was at the edge of my seat!



First of all, "One for the Goomy!" had a Bonnie title card.

Second of all, this is the first time the dub has even ever had an ending animation, so i'd say there are no patterns for us to go on to be surprised that it's updating it

I'd say the Egg hatching was a pretty big event. The title was actually rather well thought out in that regard, as no one would've expected the Egg to hatch this episode.

 

[LilligantLewis]

I'd say the Egg hatching was a pretty big event. The title was actually rather well thought out in that regard, as no one would've expected the Egg to hatch this episode.

True! Good deeper meaning that I didn't think of!

 

[AuraChannelerChris]

...Why would you race to an event that's not even connected to the race itself.

 

[Bguy7]

This episode was fun. It had a good central focus, unlike many Sun and Moon episodes, and I loved Team Rockets part in it. I'm surprised that we had an episode with Alolan Raichu and pancakes, but there wasn't a single reference made to the fact that pancakes made Alolan Raichu what it is.

And what was up with entirely random egg hatching at the end? Why didn't that just wait until next episode and have an entire episode focused around it? That was odd.

Muk isn't exactly an ideal cleanup crew, but okay.

Actually, the entire purpose of Alola Muk is that it was literally bred to be the clean-up crew.

 

[roguedr4g0nite]

Rewatched this in Spanish. It was great. Voice acting as awesome as always. IMO this Ash's VAs in Latin American Spanish are always the best. He's always voiced by a male. Anyways they named Vulpix "Níveo" which means Snowy White. Spanish dub tends to use better vocabulary than the English Dub for some reason. I wonder if the Spanish Dub improvises on English lines.