The Wind of Beginnings! The Eon Path!! (1226)

[Psajdak]

Glad they avoided the old "mad Beedrill" trope.

 

[Soniman]

While Ash shouldn’t be made to carry a whole series on his own I don’t see anything wrong with stand alone episodes once in a blue moon and I enjoyed this low key opener to this final saga, he’s getting his companions literally next episode so it’s not a big deal. I like his personal interactions with Pikachu, his reserves up and about and building trust with Latias, I actually think it was kinda cool seeing Ash play doctor when he’s completely by himself and though it’s never said there’s an implication Brock’s medical know how rubbed off on him at least a little.

7/10 it was nice

 

[Power Up]

People are aware that Yuyama is pretty hands off in the " Chief Director " role right? I'm guessing people just forgot he was in that position with XY and SM as well.

Would make perfect sense to lay the blame for the mediocrity of the episode at Tomiyasu's feet though Tomioka definitely deserves some of the critique. To be fair, I'd rather Tomiyasu involve himself in this more SoL focused direction with these 11 episodes rather that attempt to shoddily create some sort of overarching plot structure. The disasters evident in SM and especially JN when trying to construct a coherent narrative was proof enough

 

[santiagus]

We are not talking enough about Meowth beeing a creep...

 

[PAndrews]

Funny how Pikachu couldnt destroy that net with Iron Tail yet Sceptile could with Leaf Blades.

To be fair, Iron Tail is effectively a hammer while Leaf Blade is a knife, so if anything all the time Iron Tail did cut something makes no sense

 

[ZarudeSandstorm]

To be fair, Iron Tail is effectively a hammer while Leaf Blade is a knife, so if anything all the time Iron Tail did cut something makes no sense

INB4 Sceptile is stronger than Pikachu

 

[Spider-Phoenix]

The beggining of the end

Spoiler: same old boring play-to-play commentary

- The episode almost feels like it picks up from where the last episode of Journeys ended but I assume that's the idea?;

- Is it me or does Ash's design look... Weird. Really, it almost seems like his face is about to revert back to the SM version;

- Ok, the little bit of Ash and Pikachu goofing off because they are two grown up children was wholesome. Like, we've seen them taking on the mantle of World Champion but they are... Such a kid ;

- I think this one is trying to emulate their rough beggining but showing how far they've gone. Pikachu mocking Ash was somewhat malicious on episode 1 where here it's just two best friends goofing around. That's how I read it anyway;

- The opening is still Saban-tier of cheapness. Some of the clips clash so much with how the anime approach things - specially humour - that it feels like one of those fan videos where they mix up different shows;

- And, man, as much as I like Shudo's work, those clips DO show how much the anime's evolved;

- I'll say though: it's hilarious they put Ash-Greninja on it. The backslash must have hurt. A lot;

- The title card from Journeys. Guess that's another reason why TPCi is counting it as part of the current season;

- Given the different kind of Pokémon in the random forest Ash is... Could it still be Galar? I don't remember if Cherrim was supposed to exist on SwSh but despite narration making it unclear which region he is in, it does sound like that's where he is;

- Now, that's a piece of comedic gag right outta SM. Hope the minisseries pick the GOOD things from that era though;

- Ash swinging on vines... I'll assume Iris taught him;

- I like they've twisted the old gag of showing Beedril as evil... Or at least prone to chase the cast;

- Oak on a bike... Dude must earn millions with his work but still use such a humble way of transportation!;

- Or maybe he is just broke? Bet that'd be a joke Shudo would do;

- I like they are showing the photos from the previous episode;

- Something I didn't notice: The pose of Goh's Greedent... And Parker hugging Cinderace;

- The new TR motto animation... Honestly, I like the previous one better. Animation looked better back then then;

- My favorite is still the first BW one mostly because the effect phrases they used before telling their names was so cool sounding lol;

- I like TR simply turn their back and walk away, probably assuming Ash didn't bring a pokémon with him;

- Ash sends out Noivern! Ash's Noivern, who is big and reliable! They... They are using the reserves?;

- ... And I feel nothing. It's cool but feels "too late" all things considered;

- Donphan is here too... Interesting as both are pokémon Ash's raised from egg... Thankfully Lucario is nowhere to be found though;

- Sceptile! It almost makes me feel better after he missed a dedicated clip in the OP... Almost;

- Ash rotating the reserves is such a good concept... So good... But I can't get excited because of how late it was;

- Ash brought Buizel too;

- I like how diverse the team is this time... But as much as I like Ash's Donphan, I think we could've gone by another Johto mon given it's been in the same team as Sceptile on BF though. Like, I dunno, Heracross. They probably have the bank animation from Goh's they could use reuse;

- By the way:

23:59 - Ash "Guys, we won't be seeing each other for a while so take care!"
00:00 - Ash "ROTATION GOES BRRRRRRR";

- Ash using Potions. Ash taking care of a pokémon on his own? My boy has grown ;

- I like how they animated the bandage on Latias' wing because it looks a bit clumsy so it fits with Ash still having a lot to learn;

- And they actually made the bandage a plot point;

- I like they are letting the reserve out of their pokéballs too. I don't even remember last time the show had that outside training or plot-convenient scenes;

- Sceptile and Buizel with the crossed arms pose was... Kind funny? Seems like they are taking the role of bodyguards very seriously;

- Latias being kind of an ungrateful little witch;

- Yeah, that's totally not the Latias from movie 5. Not that I was expecting she was. Actually, it's kind of funny seeing people thought it'd be the same as the movie;

- Guess while movie 5's was tender and gentle, this one will be a tsundere;

- So... Ash's mons are simply standing there? Yeah, TR did ask "don't you care what happens to the twerp if you try doing something?" but it still feels weird Noivern didn't just fly and tries doing something;

- I like how Pikachu knew what Ash wanted simply by looking at his face;

- (Even if it makes it look like Pikachu has super sight to get a grasp of Ash's face despite it being so far);

- Guess Ash just developed resistance to Pikachu's eletric type moves;

- And now, Noivern is doing something. How reliable!;

- Ah, now Noivern truly graduated as an Ash's flying type: He popped up TR's balloon!;

- Seems like Latias is watching Ash... Capture setup? I guess they want to make up Ash not getting a legendary on Journeys while Goh's got two?;

- So... They are simply recycling the first ending? Right down to using Unsho Ishizuka's Oak? Even with the "borders" in the screen because of how anime was scaled back in the day? They... Didn't even bother having Kenyu Horiuchi sing a new version? You know, just like they had Rika sing (yet another) remix of the OP? I can see where they are going but at the same time, it's strange getting two different Oaks in the same episode;

- They are still doing the TR expedition thing;

- And... They simply run into a Koraidon?;

- Shame they couldn't see the better form of that good boy. And by that I mean, the one the ride one the player can interact with on Picnic;

- I like how they animated Koraidon. The team managed to put some kind of texture effects on his scales. Even if it's not my favorite form (the whole wheel in the chest was a dumb idea), the anime did a good job here;

- Speak for yourselves, TR, Koraidon is a GOOD BOY!

Good episode overall. As a reintroduction to Ash to set up his final arc was pretty nice. We got to see all of the things that make him Ash while also showing he is way far from being the same boy who left Pallet with a stubborn Pikachu.

Reserves being used and with variety was amazing but... Too little too late. Still surprised they haven't been used in the PWC.

All that aside, it's an usual anime tale, except it has the spin of showing Ash by himself, which is rare. I like how this one shows how much better he got at taking care of yourself and other pokémon.

Honestly, I think I'd like this minisseries a lot more if it was mostly Ash travelling alone, with companions being one-episode guest appearances though...

Honestly it seems like a "can’t wait to get rid of this character" than a sendoff

If it wasn't enough resorting to the kanto companions....

Just put my boy out of his misery already

Crazy that the let the frog be on i with how hard they've been trying to bury it.

If anything, I'd say the complaints about the "retconspiracy" actually reached them so they had to address it.

Pissed Sceptile was shafted in the OP though

Just watched myself. It was mad underwhelming.

This fanmade OP is genuinely better

This one was great too

I'm still surprised no one never tried doing a fan-made opening with Jam Project's Battle No Limit. Ever since I've heard that song many years ago, I couldn't stop thinking "man it does sound perfect as a hype Pokémon Opening".

The best part is the lyrics match the anime quite well. The only thing specific to Battle Spirits was the "Open the gate" line but that one can pass as just a cool line in english for a japanese song that most anime have.

If I had the skills and the time, I'd try my hand at it. Still surprising they haven't done it though

I gotta say, Koraidon looks amazing. I can't explain why, he just looks so awesome for some reason.

I like what they did to show the texture on his scales. I assume it's a lend of traditional animation with cgi?

 

[SerGoldenhandtheJust]

Apparently in Japan Amazon Prime lists this episode as JN137
Which honestly makes sense to me, for me this is like the DA to BW or OI to OS, it's still JN for me

 

[Megapixel]

The episode wasn't that bad, although it obviously had its problems, like the OP and ED, well, I think the same as many people, a bit lazy, hoping that it will improve as the series progresses, and regarding latias, I suppose he will return later, I don't know if Ash will catch her but she could definitely come back

 

[MegaSalamence05]

Another fascinating reference to M05. Same flower in the Secret Garden is also shown at the end of the episode.

Who knows. But a lot of references. Some may be intentional, some may not be. But it's fascinating.

 

[Panky..]

Another fascinating reference to M05. Same flower in the Secret Garden is also shown at the end of the episode.

Who knows. But a lot of references. Some may be intentional, some may not be. But it's fascinating.

Yeah no, this is a reach. Outside the same color schemes, they don't even look like identical flowers.

 

[MegaSalamence05]

Yeah no, this is a reach. Outside the same color schemes, they don't even look like identical flowers.

My point was there are various different types of Lilies present. (The type of flower itself). The sweet and innocent beauty of the lily flower has given it the association of fresh life and rebirth. If you understand the history of Pokemon and relation to flowers its big actually. 3 different forms of the Lily flower.

What does lily's represent. Rebirth They indirectly referenced Latios is my point. As well as Ash's new beginning.

Latias - Latia Lily
M05 - Madonna lily
JN137 - Generic white lily

 

[Dragonsoldier77]

Honestly, I think I'd like this minisseries a lot more if it was mostly Ash travelling alone, with companions being one-episode guest appearances though...

Same.

I definitely would prefer these episodes be ash solo journey of self reflection and discovery. I really don’t care for misty and brock tagging along for ‘old times sake’ since i don’t really feel like they add anything to the question of ‘what is a pokemon mastedr?’. Definitely would prefer a one and done companion meeting format where ash gets a bit of something from each meeting.

But the first episode and the summaries we have made me doubt how much of the runtime will actually be used to answer the all important question. So i guess just inconsequential filler-ish stuff and ‘nostalgia’ pandering i guess.

My point was there are various different types of Lilies present. (The type of flower itself). The sweet and innocent beauty of the lily flower has given it the association of fresh life and rebirth. If you understand the history of Pokemon and relation to flowers its big actually. 3 different forms of the Lily flower.

What does lily's represent. Rebirth They indirectly referenced Latios is my point. As well as Ash's new beginning.

Latias - Latia Lily
M05 - Madonna lily
JN137 - Generic white lily

How the hell did you even get to lilies? The one in this episode looks dead on like daisies, and the one in the movie is to blurry to even tell.

Sounds like an absolute reach to me.

 

[MegaSalamence05]

How the hell did you even get to lilies? The one in this episode looks dead on like daisies, and the one in the movie is to blurry to even tell.

Sounds like an absolute reach to me.

But yeah I definitely see them being daisies now that you mention it.

Move along, carry on, nothing to see here

 

[KukuiFanatic501]

Seeing Ash use Potions and the like to take care of Latias felt surreal. The kid has really grown up.

Oh and Gary wasn’t here! So maybe he really is showing up in episode 4..

Which is funny since Ash calls himself a kid in the episode lol, which I don’t think he’s ever done before to my knowledge

Anyway, not the best episode but I got what I wanted out of it and that’s enough for me.

Good setup of addressing what’s next for Ash in-universe with him being on a “directionless” path, the use of reserve mons being in rotation like many people wanted out of JN, Ash recognizing Latias, caring for it, healing it. Makes him look like the veteran we know he is.

And the Meowth bit was actually pretty funny lol.

Hopefully Latias is another “follows Ash” - mon like Oshawott and Krookodile were.

7.5 / 10 for me. The Beginning of the End

 

[KukuiFanatic501]

How is it that both this and the AU Ash episode are both solo Ash episodes yet the latter was far more enjoyable? Only enjoyable moment was obviously seeing the older Pokémon.

My guess is that the AU Ash episode is more original and doesn’t rely on as much nostalgia pandering since Ash in that timeline hasn’t met his goal yet, doesn’t have the reserves like normal Ash and doesn’t know the same people, so the plot isn’t the same rehashing of old stuff.

For sure. I think it will be:

Gary:"How far are you at becoming a Pokemon Master?"
Ash: "Huh?"
*Looks at the sky, remembering all the companions.*
Ash: I am close.

Then Ash casually shows up in the background of the next anime showing he’s still traveling before it shifts to Riko waking up in the Paldea academy u.u

The OP tugged at my heartstrings with their selection of clips halfway through. They had to use some of the most emotional clips from the series.

I wished we’ve gotten a newly animated opening instead of a slideshow. It makes it feel like Ash permanently leaving was a last minute decision.

It probably was. Given the status quo only being dropped so recently and all the news that he was gonna be kept on before the announcement, I wouldn’t at all be surprised if retiring Ash was something they weren’t planning from the start but ultimately chose to do in the end.

Not gonna lie, that it is not Altomare Latias is a big bummer and I couldn't help think "oh boy typical PM click/hypebait that underdelivers at the end".
Looks like there's gonna be some long-running thing with the new Latias. Maybe. But let's be honest the second the Latias appeared on the previews all everyone could think was "No way could it be Altomare Latias!?" no one was asking for a new random plotline with a new random Latias when there's already a Latias with a connection to Ash.

Actually, didn’t the ending in Heroes show there was more than one Latias? Like at least 2 of them? Not that it really matters at this point or anything.

Ending Ash not because they want to conclude his character arc but because the show has become too convoluted is hilarious ngl.

They have exhausted the other options already and a hard reboot would pretty much be another AU Ash XD.

To be fair, if they wanted to continue on with Ash, they could’ve just went along with the current AU Ash who’s journey is entirely different than the main series and hasn’t completed his goal.

Not that it matters at this point for obvious reasons, but just wanted to put this out there.

 

[Caesar XII]

Another fascinating reference to M05. Same flower in the Secret Garden is also shown at the end of the episode.

Usually, I just lurk and read but I would like to put my two cents in. The studio did go out of there way to have this Latias' only known move be Safeguard, just like M05 Latias, and even depicts that move in the same way as it was used in that film despite the different appearances in newer episodes so I wouldn't be surprised if the colors were intentional but I do not believe they're the same flowers. In the episode, it appears to be daisies while in the film, looks to be white daffodils with a yellow cup, they even have what appears to be six petals.

Edit: I had this account for nearly 14 years and this is my first message, nice.
Edit 2: Shoot, completely missed Mega's latest message about the daisies.

 

[Morax]

Another fascinating reference to M05. Same flower in the Secret Garden is also shown at the end of the episode.

Who knows. But a lot of references. Some may be intentional, some may not be. But it's fascinating.

Yeah no, this is a reach. Outside the same color schemes, they don't even look like identical flowers.

Ackshually……that’s inteyvat, the national flower of Khaenri'ah. It is the flower that Lumine has been wearing in her hair since she woke up after the events involving her separation from Aether. Ash confirmed to be involved in the cataclysm that destroyed khaenri’ah 500 years ago?

I mean we already broke the wall so why not go further beyond?

 

[TheCrazyMaster]

Well, I finally watched the sub yesterday, so I may as well give my review.

I feel like the beginning of the episode did a great job setting the mood, just showing Ash and Pikachu going with the flow, with no particular goal in mind, though admittedly I feel like it dragged on a little to long. Interestingly we don't get a confirmation on where in the world Ash is, and I have a feeling that this entire series is probably going to be region fluid. I also feel like this episode did a good job at portraying him as a competent individual, using the right Pokemon for particular situations best suited for them and just in general doing everything he can to help Latias recover its strength.

Team Rocket felt like they were handled the was they'd usually be handled in most episodes of the anime, and I found the Meowth gag during the relaxation scene to be pretty funny. Interestingly they didn't actually recognize Latias when they saw it, which I found to be odd, but I actually can't recall if they met it in the fifth movie or not.

I think the biggest highlight of this episode for me personally was the return of the reserves as well as the fact that Ash is finally rotating his team. It felt so good seeing so many of Ash's Pokemon from across generations share the screen together! On top of that Ash actually kept them outside of their Pokeballs for the entirety of the episode, and it was nice seeing Sceptile and Noivern standing guard while Donphan and Buizel resting outside. Maybe it's not the most notable thing in the world, but it is refreshing considering how Ash's Pokemon are usually treated in most episodes of the anime. Most of them used their most iconic moves at least once in the episode for the right circumstances, like Noivern using Boomburst, Donphan using rollout to deflect the attack coming back at 2x power, and Sceptile using Leaf blade to cut Pikachu out of the net (oh and Sceptile used leaf blade the correct way this time!) Buizel was also utilized quite well, as Ash has used it for water transport in the past. Something that I find interesting is that is seems as though Professor Oak hasn't actually had any contact with Ash recently, which I found odd considering the lineup. Does Ash just have access to all of his Pokemon whenever? I suppose there's a convenience factor to that, and I assume Ash will never use more than 6 Pokemon per episode.
That said I do have some quibbles with their appearance this episode. I feel like outside of saving Pikachu and helping Ash and Latias get back to shore, they didn't really do all that much. The most useful one was Noivern, who along with Pikachu helped locate Latias and make sure she and Ash got to shore okay, it was the first to jump into action when the both of them fell and it got the honor of giving TR the final blast of, but other then that the rest of them were just kinda... there. Don't get me wrong, they still got a better portrayal than Ash's Pokemon usually get, but considering this is the final series and all of Ash's Pokemon are set to appear, this is probably the last time we'll ever see these guy (save for a possible montage in the final episode). Speaking of all his Pokemon showing up, I'm slightly concerned with the fact that Ash only had a total of 5 Pokemon on hand this episode, but I suppose that Mr Mime takes up the honorary 6th "slot" this episode, even if it wasn't on Ash's team.

A lot of people were suspecting that Ash might catch Latias this episode. I originally didn't want Ash to catch it at all, as I feared it would either overshadow the other team members in upcoming episodes, or be a case of to little to late, but I feel like they made an interesting setup by revealing it following Ash in the end. Latias could show up every now and then each episode without overshadowing the reserves, and if Ash does catch it by the final episode, we'd have seen enough of it to feel at least somewhat satisfied by its capture if it happens.

All in all, I feel like this episode was decent overall. A little rough around the edges, but felt like a nice introduction to the setting of Aim to be a Pokemon Master. Looking forward to the next one!

 

[Caesar XII]

Interestingly they didn't actually recognize Latias when they saw it, which I found to be odd, but I actually can't recall if they met it in the fifth movie or not.

Yeah, Team Rocket never got the chance to meet Latias in that film.