The Semifinals! Kiawe VS Gladion! (1078)

[Mag Prime]

All 4 remaining contestants have at least 3 pokemon. (Well, give Guzma more if he hasn't lol)

Is it too much to ask for the semifinals to the league to be at least 3v3? Honestly, the quarterfinals should have been 3v3 too but I'm guessing they just didn't have enough participants with 3 pokemon or something.

Having semifinals at 2v2 (especially when it's not necessary to restrict them like that) is just bad and the fact that they wasted half the episode and then left the battle incomplete just rubs more salt in the wound.

Not impressed, 4/10

 

[GarchompChain]

All 4 remaining contestants have at least 3 pokemon. (Well, give Guzma more if he hasn't lol)

Is it too much to ask for the semifinals to the league to be at least 3v3? Honestly, the quarterfinals should have been 3v3 too but I'm guessing they just didn't have enough participants with 3 pokemon or something.

Having semifinals at 2v2 (especially when it's not necessary to restrict them like that) is just bad and the fact that they wasted half the episode and then left the battle incomplete just rubs more salt in the wound.

Not impressed, 4/10

Yeah this 'league' is really lackluster.

 

[wolf jani]

Wow. This battle was awesome & exciting I'm hyped for the rest of the league. SM anime as whole has been really bad but I like the league.

 

[situationuk]

Kinda scary that "Alola League Champion Theme" was used when Lycanroc entered berserk mode.

 

[CabochonJaw]

This episode was good until midnight lycanroc got knocked out. Oh well, it is what it is. If they were still doing 1v1s then Gladion would be on his way to the finals, but now we have to wait until next week for one of these guys to move on. Can they go back to 1v1s for the finals? It's a brand new league, right?

 

[GarchompChain]

This episode was good until midnight lycanroc got knocked out. Oh well, it is what it is. If they were still doing 1v1s then Gladion would be on his way to the finals, but now we have to wait until next week for one of these guys to move on. Can they go back to 1v1s for the finals? It's a brand new league, right?

Not sure if serious?

 

[mehmeh1]

Kinda scary that "Alola League Champion Theme" was used when Lycanroc entered berserk mode.

I actually thought the episode was about to end right there, that theme is just great for ending an episode

 

[Ambyssin]

Well, in the preview thread I wondered just how far late into the episode the actual battle would start and the answer was around the halfway mark. Not bad. As I hoped, Kiawe's energy played off Gladion's serious nature really well. Maybe this wasn't intentional, but there were a couple of times that Gladion seemed as (or more) energetic than when he's battled Ash. Turtonator learning Focus Blast was literally a "weird flex, but okay." That look of shock on Gladion's face suggested he really intended to solo this with Lycanroc and now he'll have to think on the fly. Which, given Silvally entered as a normal-type, apparently means tossing him a fire-memory in the heat of battle (pun intended). I... guess they're just allowing that, then. Hey, I'm not complaining. XD

 

[Sham]

Kinda scary that "Alola League Champion Theme" was used when Lycanroc entered berserk mode.

Alola league champion theme for the Alola league champion

 

[Ignition]

Also I like that this episode gave Plumeria some subtle but much needed characterization

 

[mehmeh1]

Well, in the preview thread I wondered just how far late into the episode the actual battle would start and the answer was around the halfway mark. Not bad. As I hoped, Kiawe's energy played off Gladion's serious nature really well. Maybe this wasn't intentional, but there were a couple of times that Gladion seemed as (or more) energetic than when he's battled Ash. Turtonator learning Focus Blast was literally a "weird flex, but okay." That look of shock on Gladion's face suggested he really intended to solo this with Lycanroc and now he'll have to think on the fly. Which, given Silvally entered as a normal-type, apparently means tossing him a fire-memory in the heat of battle (pun intended). I... guess they're just allowing that, then. Hey, I'm not complaining. XD

I wonder WHY he chose the fire memory, Multi-attack is now 1/4x effective on Turtonator and all he's gaining now is a resistance to fire (which he could've gotten with ground too), then again, he probably wanted to make things even more exciting

 

[Twilight-Kun]

No! The first half of the episode is wasting time of Hoshi pulling an Axew lost plot

It literally took five minutes to wrap up the Hoshi section of the episode


Turtonator tanking Outrage and magically learning Focus Blast was absurd and Lycanroc should've been KO'd by the Shell Trap, because that'd have put in a good showing for both pokémon before moving on to the next phase of the fight

If Turtonator lasts more than one move next episode, it's somehow picked up Rowlet levels of plot armor

 

[Red and Blue]

I wonder WHY he chose the fire memory, Multi-attack is now 1/4x effective on Turtonator and all he's gaining now is a resistance to fire (which he could've gotten with ground too), then again, he probably wanted to make things even more exciting

He might of picked the Fire memory out of respect towards Kiawe. Fighting him using his own type

 

[DuquÊ?]

Turtonator learning Focus Blast was literally a "weird flex, but okay." That look of shock on Gladion's face suggested he really intended to solo this with Lycanroc and now he'll have to think on the fly.

I have the feeling that Kiawe just tried to pull a Brock during steelix vs turtonator when he started to flex along during the focus blast.

I'm surprised and satisfied M-lycanroc went down. It sure emphasizes how much you shouldn't take Kiawe's over the topness as just an act. Dude isn't fodder when he's serious.

 

[Ambyssin]

I'm surprised and satisfied M-lycanroc went down. It sure emphasizes how much you shouldn't take Kiawe's over the topness as just an act. Dude isn't fodder when he's serious.

Correct. And now people can stop comparing Edgyroc to Alain's Zard X... since the only thing that could take it down was Siebold's Mega Blastoise and Primal Groudon's Precipice Blades.

 

[Twilight-Kun]

Pretty sure she was cheering loudly for gladion to win, she even was happy when lycannroc defeated marowak. I am curious what would be her reaction when ash and gladion face each other.

Family trumps casual acquaintance you barely interact with

Compared to past series, Ash's interactions with the opposite gender in Alola had been more-or-less nonexistent

The shipping scene for Alola is emptier than Ash's chance of becoming a Pokémon Master, and it's great

Correct. And now people can stop comparing Edgyroc to Alain's Zard X... since the only thing that could take it down was Siebold's Mega Blastoise and Primal Groudon's Precipice Blades.

And Ash-Greninja, since it almost fell at the end of their battle but was too large to actually fall over while Greninja was a twig

Same thing happened with Pikachu vs Meowth in Hoenn, since Meowth could take a knee to catch its breath while Pikachu’s arms were too short to catch itself when it collapsed

 

[mehmeh1]

I have the feeling that Kiawe just tried to pull a Brock during steelix vs turtonator when he started to flex along during the focus blast.

I'm surprised and satisfied M-lycanroc went down. It sure emphasizes how much you shouldn't take Kiawe's over the topness as just an act. Dude isn't fodder when he's serious.

Heck, when he had Marowak use Flare Blitz, he moved pretty much just like Brock did when he mega evolved Steelix (though then again, the same animator did both scenes, so it was probably due to that).

Correct. And now people can stop comparing Edgyroc to Alain's Zard X... since the only thing that could take it down was Siebold's Mega Blastoise and Primal Groudon's Precipice Blades.

Heck, Precipice Blades DIDN'T take him down, he was injured, but didn't go back to base form

It literally took five minutes to wrap up the Hoshi section of the episode


Turtonator tanking Outrage and magically learning Focus Blast was absurd and Lycanroc should've been KO'd by the Shell Trap, because that'd have put in a good showing for both pokémon before moving on to the next phase of the fight

If Turtonator lasts more than one move next episode, it's somehow picked up Rowlet levels of plot armor

Dude, Lycanroc had previously taken a Splintered Stormshards to the face while confused and tanked it, he wasn't going down that easily

 

[hottom3rd]

good episode. so happy edgyroc gets smoked out by turtonator

 

[Twilight-Kun]

Dude, Lycanroc had previously taken a Splintered Stormshards to the face while

Radial Edgestorm is absolutely pathetic and has about as much stopping power as wet tissue paper

They did not do it the justice it deserved and it's pretty telling when Shiron gets a better-animated Z-Move it only used twice

 

[lolipiece]

After finally waking up and spending several hours binge-watching other anime, I'm finally here to give my proper review.

It was really cute to see our resident chuuni being awakward around Mimo. It's always nice to see serious characters let their guards down every so often, especially when it's not in a serious moment.

The scene with Team Rocket was obvious padding. It went on for far too long. Also, I don't know about you, but if I saw honey dripping out of an orangutan's nose, I definitely wouldn't eat it. Is

Nice touch having Olivia referee the match with the people who beat her before. It's a good callback.

I'll save my full thoughts on the battle for next ep as per usual, but good god, Lycanroc is a monster. I especially loved its evil grin while it was in Outrage mode. It's also a nice fit that Lycanroc, a Pokemon that fights by countering its foe was defeated by Turtonator, a Pokemon with a similar fighting style.

Turtonator learning Focus Blast was surprising, but if it's using Shell Smash in the next episode preview, what move did it replace?