The Semifinals IV: Impact (1214)

[TheNewGuy]

I think the tournament has been way more good than bad (Leon's two battles have been duds, but Diantha/Lance is maybe my favourite non-Ash battle in the show apart from Lana/Guzma and the others were all at least good). The problem has been the breaks, but in hindsight or when binge-watching you won't have to deal with those.

And in Ash/Cynthia they have delivered an all-time classic better than any battle in most other leagues (Ash/Paul beats it on emotion, Ash/Sawyer beats it on animation, Ash/Kukui beats it by being good - though not quite as good - in both).

Thinking about it this might have the edge on Kukui just personally. Beating Cynthia is a titanic achievement in a way beating Kukui wasn't; there wasn't as much proof of his strength as there was with Cynthia. And Cynthia was a more interesting, strategic battler.

That's not to criticise Ash/Kukui, which was also fantastic.

 

[Sham]

Thinking about it this might have the edge on Kukui just personally. Beating Cynthia is a titanic achievement in a way beating Kukui wasn't; there wasn't as much proof of his strength as there was with Cynthia. And Cynthia was a more interesting, strategic battler.

That's not to criticise Ash/Kukui, which was also fantastic.

What a kid. You’ve gotten overly excited that Cynthia lost to Ash even going as far to say that she got embarrassed and posting random irrelevant memes from OS.

It’s crazy because in other threads you hyped up how Ash’s JN team is the best ever then say Cynthia has so much shame in losing to Ash when you said yourself this is Ash’s strongest team based on his “experience”and that’s why they’re strong. Why is Cynthia embarrassed?

Will wait for translations before giving a proper review but this was a step down from the previous episodes. Togekiss really didn't achieve much with Dynamax to warrant not Mega Evolving Garchomp (Extreme Speed could've served a similar role to Max Airstream's Speed boosts for instance). Mega Lucario vs Garchomp felt very short and didn't wow me as much especially with how much focus they give Garchomp as the match gets closer, I'd expect more. Pacing felt like they were really pushing to make this 3 episodes imo. Not a bad episode but nowhere near things like Ash vs Paul/Kukui/Sawyer/Alain. Maybe above Ash vs Gary but that's not saying much.

Agreed with all of this honesty

 

[Ragnarok4]

I liked Togekiss, but this third part is a bit meh tbh

1) Ash vs Paul
2) Ash vs Sawyer
3) Ash vs Kukui
4) Ash vs Alain
5) Ash vs Cynthia

This is my top of Ash battles

 

[Ignition]

Agreed with all of this honesty

What's funny is that while I still find it to be a misstep, Dynamax Togekiss was my favorite part of the episode. Here's hoping Leon's match has a satisfying end though. At the very least I want this match to fully deliver.

 

[TheNewGuy]

What a kid. You’ve gotten overly excited that Cynthia lost to Ash even going as far to say that she got embarrassed and posting random irrelevant memes from OS.

It’s crazy because in other threads you hyped up how Ash’s JN team is the best ever then say Cynthia has so much shame in losing to Ash when you said yourself this is Ash’s strongest team based on his “experience”and that’s why they’re strong. Why is Cynthia embarrassed?


Agreed with all of this honesty

I like how you've gone from directly trying to provoke me by making 84 posts about Dynamaxing Togekiss, realised that hasn't worked, and resorted to direct insults

Chill, your tone in that other topic was a little ott, we've all done it

 

[Morax]

Furthermore it's the least important battle in terms of stakes

Lol pokemon battles never had stakes to begin with. It’s just sports, the closest we got to an actual ‘must win or risk losing everything’ situation was infernape vs paul but even that was resolved with le <<friendship is magic!>>.



Ash vs Kuku man tho, easily top 10 anime battles of all time!

 

[Sham]

What's funny is that while I still find it to be a misstep, Dynamax Togekiss was my favorite part of the episode. Here's hoping Leon's match has a satisfying end though. At the very least I want this match to fully deliver.

Based. Togekiss is one of the best Sinnoh Pokemon if not in general. Don't like what did actually with dynamiting Togekiss who didn't do much. Hopefully the Leon vs Ash match will be better.

I like how you've gone from directly trying to provoke me by making 84 posts about Dynamaxing Togekiss, realised that hasn't worked, and resorted to direct insults

Chill, your tone in that other topic was a little ott, we've all done it

Such a little kid, I don't think about you, I don't sub you and I don't care to provoke you. The fact that you think any of this is delusion and hallucinations. You're not that important.

What I did say is being happy for Cynthia downfall and posting an irrelevant meme of OS while hyping Ash's team is cognitive dissonance. Cynthia didn't get bodied when it was ace to ace. Losing to Ash isn't embarrassing

 

[IcySealeo]

The last battle should have been M. Garchomp vs M. Lucario. It just felt so anti-climax and we were left wondering what could have been if Cynthia wasn't using Dynamax but rather ME.

 

[janejane6178]

High light of this ep is seeing Diantha and TR
Low light is seeing Ash winning against Cynthia with his boring and un developed team and seeing the man with two pants

 

[TheNewGuy]

Based. Togekiss is one of the best Sinnoh Pokemon if not in general. Don't like what did actually with dynamiting Togekiss who didn't do much. Hopefully the Leon vs Ash match will be better.



Such a little kid, I don't think about you, I don't sub you and I don'care to provoke you. The fact that you think any of this is delusion and hallucinations. You're not important.

What I did say is being happy for Cynthia downfall and posting an irrelevant meme of OS while hyping Ash's team is cognitive dissonance. Cynthia didn't get bodied when it was ace to ace. Losing to Ash isn't embarrassing

Sorry but that's in no way convincing - given your very specific memory of a series of arguments I've made in numerous other threads - but let's move on. It's not like I can prove your weird need to provoke me into an argument and it's an easy denial on your part, though it doesn't change the fact.

(Also, gatekeeping levels of enthusiasm for a show on a forum dedicated to said show is beyond strange)

I'll just defend myself because I at least understand your confusion here if you've been following my posts to that degree:
I wanted Cynthia beaten and I love that she lost. Of course Ash is strong as hell now, but he's still the same character that did all that dumb **** and this is the closest we'll ever get to her being really "humiliated" so I'm going to take that and run with it. My points about the relative strength of Ash's team stand, this is just me having fun with what is maybe the show's most cathartic result ever.

 

[Bortgreen]

What's that orange aura thing that keeps appearing with Togekiss? Is it healing it or something so it can keep coming back from Lucario's attacks?

It was speed boost from the Dynamax move
But I actually want to know what was that glow thing Milotic had in the previous episode, it was just randomly glowing

 

[Bortgreen]

This whole climax structure FELT like Alola's win so so so much!!!
What with the battle being decided with a fourth unused move of Reversal/Counter, doggo getting the win, Ash's shocked expression and the whole reaction that came afterwards!!
Absolutely in love with the idea they are treating this as their version of Ash vs Gladion and Leon is meant to be Kukui. I WANT that level of quality!!

Don't forget how the final battle was very physically intense and the G-Max Aura Sphere really reminded me of that crazy Z-Move clash vs Kukui

Very good finish to the battle, and personally I think it had proper tension, I, while always being an Ash vs Leon believer, thought he could lose there(and seriously do people here really want to compare RDR2 with POKEMON ANIME)

Garchomp is finally down, history has been made, and let's hope the Leon battle is even better than that even if he isn't as hyped as Cynthia
But first... More recaps

 

[Ignition]

It was speed boost from the Dynamax move
But I actually want to know what was that glow thing Milotic had in the previous episode, it was just randomly glowing

Maybe it's a reference to its Platinum Dex entry: "Its lovely scales are described as rainbow colored. They change color depending on the viewing angle."

 

[Sonic Boom]

For a battle ostensibly 10 years in the making, they sure made it seem like Cynthia is the only character we ever saw from Sinnoh during this.

Cool factor, hype factor, or choreography of a battle is secondary to the emotional weight I feel for it, and that emotion is not there if the supposed buildup isn't reflected here. When the only non-Oak cameo for a battle with the Champion of a region we've come to know for years, is for a Kalos frog Pokemon, you know something fumbled.

tl;dr, where's the sinnoh character cameos dammit.

Ah well, at least Greninja's out of the way.

 

[Power Up]

Four breaks and three clips shows and this was the result? Had hoped that they could have pulled something nice off for this episode but it didn't happen. The Dragon Claw/Bullet Punch exchanges between the two of them were especially comical and came off as incredibly underwhelming and lacking impact.

Honestly, it's a bit harder for me to feel the kind of narrative satisfaction when the visuals aren't exactly selling the whole shebang as some bloodcurling battle

 

[AJ97]

My headcanon is that that Rhyperior was Palmers and that he was the prior Sinnoh Champion prior to Cynthia.

Don't see Barry shutting up about it if his Dad was the former Regional Champion.

 

[Yce288]

I just hope Ash VS Leon will be like Ash VS Kukui and Ash wins properly without his opponent being nerfed.
i dont want to complain too much since a win is a win,but its feel the same as the last battle of the Alola league being 3 VS 3 and the Kukui battle felt like a proper last battle.

 

[BlobbiBoi]

Really liked the final clash. It was a brutal slugfest at that point because neither Lucario or Garchomp had much left in the tank.

 

[Shneak]

Well, there’s the result that everybody expected. The audacity of Ash being shellshocked after.

I find Lucario’s battle style boring to watch so this was anticlimactic. That Togekiss was a tank though.

 

[AJ97]

The audacity of Ash being shellshocked after.

Tbh, I loved this part of the episode. It further emphasises how Ash held Cynthia in such high regard. The last time I remember him being this shocked while defeating a person in particular; was Gary back in the Kanto League