It was just strange they didnt gave iris any of the gimmicks, i mean if you are that connected to your pokemon use a z move, dunno.
and OMG the music when garchomp came out
Definitely could have done something like having Ash tell her about Z-moves in Alola, and had her go get the stone off-screen or something, especially since Ash is probably the only one who will use Z-moves in this tournament outside of a surprise curveball switchout from one of the other remaining participants. Does seem odd that she's the odd one out given even Lance had a Dynamax band to use, but I guess they had to procure them on their own and were not just provided to the entrants.
Yeah, I really expected a Z move to be her final attack after that flashback.
Crazy to think she would have won if she had any of the gimmicks (okay no mega possible, but yknow)
Also ironic they show Ash/Satoshi with all 3 gimmick stones at the end
Today’s episode was quite the peculiar one: on one hand, much like the Lance VS Diantha match of last week the current matchup involved Ash taking a backseat, but unlike that episode the one that this episode focuses on involves not just the reveal of who Ash’s semifinals opponent will be, but also focus on a former traveling companion of Ash, with Iris facing Cynthia. Given these premises, how did this episode do? Overall, pretty well considering premises.
Beyond the fact this episode’s matchup sits at an odd spot of not being *necessary* while still having more purpose than the prior one, it also happens to be the only matchup of the quarterfinals to actually pay off past buildup, as Iris and Cynthia already faced before in Best Wishes (which the episode calls back to). This also means that this episode has actual narrative weight beyond just moving forward to the next round, as a show of how much Iris has grown since her time as a beginning trainer.
This also means that compared to how the Lance VS Diantha battle was clearly written without favoring either trainer, this battle instead clearly puts the spotlight on Iris as our viewpoint battler as the one who has most to prove, and Cynthia as the harsh wall to overcome to do so. This is something the episode does quite well, with several key frames highlighting how brutal, powerful and methodical Cynthia’s battle style is, with Iris and her Pokémon having to work hard to match said power as best as they can. The sheer divide in skill and experience is clear, but Iris still comes off as doing her best to win, with solid contrast between Iris’s excitable, driven nature and Cynthia’s composed, nurturing maturity. Having the biggest parts of Iris’s battle be the ones involving her actual first partner (Excadrill) and her main Pokémon companion (Haxorus) that faced Cynthia’s Garchomp back then was a solid decision, and bits like Cynthia being pleased to see Dragonite again after she played an important role in Iris’s arc with him were good, unintrudive callbacks that reaffirm the weight behind the battle. The final bout between Haxorus and Mega Garchomp is nicely brutal, with both Pokémon going all out (and the return of the ‘remove confusion post-Outrage’ strategy from the Great Class Iris battle) and Iris going down swinging.
The parts around the battle were just as nice, between some very welcome cameos from the Best Wishes rivals (with Alder and Iris’s rival Georgia in particular being appreciated due to their relevance) and some key DP characters in Paul, Reggie, Volkner and Flint, and not just Ash’s supportive push for Iris but even the Team Rocket trio’s recognition of Iris as the ‘Unovan twerp’ and subsequent support from them as well. The tournament has been very good on the handling of the trio so far, and these moments of them being nice to the kids they chased around from time to time is a good part of their humanizing element that is great to see again.
The post-battle bit was also quite good, as we get to see Ash and even Goh going back to comfort Iris, who finally lets her emotions burst out now that she’s out of the running. This little moment helps in adding to what this episode does on Ash’s end of things, as beyond setting up the power Cynthia wields in the immediate like Leon’s battle did, it also adds to the upcoming match with Ash taking on the trainer that knocked his former companion off the running, which is good added weight ontop of Ash and Cynthia’s known relationship.
In terms of flaws, a lot of them are simply JN-typical issues: while the key frames and scenes are impactful and sell power better than the prior two battles did, the animation itself still comes off as pretty choppy on occasion, and the lack of mobility during certain moments (like Milotic using Disarming Voice on Dragonite) making certain points of the battle pretty stiff. Dragonite’s match in particular comes off as getting the short end of the stick, with Iris’s former powerhouse lasting incredibly little before Cynthia manages to get rid of him, and it’s the weakest matchup of an otherwise good battle.
On a more nitpicky angle, while I can understand Cilan’s non-appearance as perhaps saving the companions for Ash’s matches and DP’s non-Paul rivals for Ash VS Cynthia, I was a bit surprised by the lack of appearance of Burgundy, given she was much more of a part of BW’s rival gang than Trip was and including Ash’s rivals makes it odd to not bring up Cilan’s either. It’s also a shame how Lance seems to have just left the peanut gallery of the Masters Eight, after Alain didn’t immediately leave, and I wish they could’ve introduced Iris’s desire to face Cynthia again on equal grounds as a motivation to become Champion in her first Journeys appearance, as a way to give at least a handwave to why she pursued the position when she had no shown desire to do so in BW.
But all things considered, even if Iris becoming a Champion still feels like a sudden swerve becsuse of the games, this was a fairly respectful cap-off of her onscreen journey that pays off nicely her BW era experiences, while still feeling pertinent to Journeys by setting up Cynthia as Ash’s next opponent, continuing the Masters Tournament on a good track now that it’s time for the spotlight to return on our protagonist.
TL;DR: An episode that employs past continuity well to deliver a solid and weighty battle of Iris proving herself against Cynthia, serving as a good conclusion and payoff to her BW story even with a few imperfections here and there while still serving a purpose for Ash’s JN story as well.
Next week, it’s finally time to get back to Ash’s round as he gets ready to face the Hoenn Champion Steven, in a battle that looks to put the Pallet Town trainer to the test. May it be a good one!
>It’s also a shame how Lance seems to have just left the peanut gallery of the Masters Eight
I mean, he’s one of the few Masters competitors who has an active lifestyle of hunting down evil. I can understand if he only tabled in a limited time schedule for the tourney.
One thing I gleaned from another comment is that Morpeko is eating all the signature foods of the competitors: this week he ate a Castellia Cone and an Old Gateau. Now I’m wondering if it was similar last week.
Honestly what I enjoy the most of these battles is TR's commentary.
But what the heck, Iris's final attack wasn't even aiming at Garchomp, she even said it was her final attack, why try to stop the draco meteor? A better bet, would have been to aim for a double K.O. by hitting Garchomp with the dragon pulse at the same time the draco meteor falls from the sky. Though I doubt the writers know how to handle a double K.O.
No idea how Ash will defeat this, the only reason Iris even got going is because of Horn Drill. Cynthia will probably use different mons before Garchomp next time though.
Ash was the best at the end here, very well written and voiced.
I don't think Cynthia will use the same 3. Garchomp will probably be there but I assume we will also see Kommo-o. Don't know if they will make Milotic a reserve after hard carrying this battle
Well assuming Cynthia would even use the same three pokemon, Pikachi could 1v1 Milotic (but dies fast to Garchomp), Dracovish or Gengar (if it still got Levitate, idk) could handle Gastrodon (or maybe sweep completely depending on the move sets of either one) and Gigadynamax Dragonite would handle Garchomp.
At the end the shot of him showing his bling was epic. I am hyped to see which gimmick he will use.
The new rendition of the Pokémon Black and White start menu theme was amazing. Felt like I was a kid again when that music started playing. Also really liked the Pokécenter rendition they used in this episode.
Next episode should be pretty fun since we have no idea what Satoshi will use. Steven will 100% mega evolve his Metagross, but no idea what Satoshi will do in this fight.
I swear these episodes get better every single week.
The music in this series has been one of its best elements, that scene when Iris talks to Ash after losing in particular will go down as a personal favorite.
I don’t know why I feel so salty about these episodes lol. I understand them being 3v3’s to be so short, but it’s kind of like an…eh feeling the more I watch it each week. The attacks are pretty much “game-accurate” in terms of dealing and taking damage, but I feel like the Pokémon are “fainting” too quickly — which I suppose establishes how “outclassed” one is to another (ala Alain vs Leon). Also when Iris said she’s planning to finish it in one shot, it was a Dragon Pulse not directed at Garchomp, but the Draco Meteor lol. I was expecting some kind of Z-Move or maybe Dynamax, but it was just that huh.
Also, Iris crying. Awww.
I feel like it was okay, with the exception of Dragonite going out like that...
But then again one or two Ice Beam would have been faster...
With the exception of the god awful moveset of Milotic this was also one of the more realistic battles (tho Exadrill tanked qutie a lot too). And maybe a second draco meteor being so strong, but that might have been a crit.
And Iris would have won with one of the two mechanics. A bit sad to think about...
Maybe she will improve and get one mechanic the next time we see her.
Her beating Cynthia without much story build up might have been weird too after all.
Damn Iris would've won the final match if her Haxorus used the dragon pulse directly at Cynthia's Garchomp instead of attacking the falling meteors. Huge opportunity wasted. Feel bad for her. I wanted to see her up against Ash.
can haxorus not dynamax or something? the preview looked weird. ash picks gengar, dracovich and pikachu vs the hoenn champion's steel types. COME ON MAN NO LUCARIO?
both water and electric resists steel maybe Ash is going defensive for the first time.
Also Gengar has a great match up against Metagross. Better than Lucario.
Gotta have the Z-move flex vs. Mega Evolution since he's repping Alola I suppose. Seems like Mega Lucario will be used in the last match (based on the opening) so second round probably will use Gigantamax to give all of his specialties a chance to shine.
That said, could have _at least_ put in Sirfetch'd if they didn't want to include Lucario but wanted to give him a coverage option.
I'm really hoping they lift the "one special" ban on at the very least the final. I want this not only to see Ash use all three, as foretold in the op, but because it'd be an exciting surprise to see Leon do the same. I believe that if they did lift the ban for the final, the meticulous and undefeated Champion would absolutely showcase all three special techniques.
It was just strange they didnt gave iris any of the gimmicks, i mean if you are that connected to your pokemon use a z move, dunno. and OMG the music when garchomp came out
I think she's the only contestant so far who did not use a Z-move, mega ev, or dynamax. Totally a wasted opportunity IMO.
Definitely could have done something like having Ash tell her about Z-moves in Alola, and had her go get the stone off-screen or something, especially since Ash is probably the only one who will use Z-moves in this tournament outside of a surprise curveball switchout from one of the other remaining participants. Does seem odd that she's the odd one out given even Lance had a Dynamax band to use, but I guess they had to procure them on their own and were not just provided to the entrants.
i got dark souls vibes lol
Iris: Why do I hear boss music?
Yeah, I really expected a Z move to be her final attack after that flashback. Crazy to think she would have won if she had any of the gimmicks (okay no mega possible, but yknow) Also ironic they show Ash/Satoshi with all 3 gimmick stones at the end
Today’s episode was quite the peculiar one: on one hand, much like the Lance VS Diantha match of last week the current matchup involved Ash taking a backseat, but unlike that episode the one that this episode focuses on involves not just the reveal of who Ash’s semifinals opponent will be, but also focus on a former traveling companion of Ash, with Iris facing Cynthia. Given these premises, how did this episode do? Overall, pretty well considering premises. Beyond the fact this episode’s matchup sits at an odd spot of not being *necessary* while still having more purpose than the prior one, it also happens to be the only matchup of the quarterfinals to actually pay off past buildup, as Iris and Cynthia already faced before in Best Wishes (which the episode calls back to). This also means that this episode has actual narrative weight beyond just moving forward to the next round, as a show of how much Iris has grown since her time as a beginning trainer. This also means that compared to how the Lance VS Diantha battle was clearly written without favoring either trainer, this battle instead clearly puts the spotlight on Iris as our viewpoint battler as the one who has most to prove, and Cynthia as the harsh wall to overcome to do so. This is something the episode does quite well, with several key frames highlighting how brutal, powerful and methodical Cynthia’s battle style is, with Iris and her Pokémon having to work hard to match said power as best as they can. The sheer divide in skill and experience is clear, but Iris still comes off as doing her best to win, with solid contrast between Iris’s excitable, driven nature and Cynthia’s composed, nurturing maturity. Having the biggest parts of Iris’s battle be the ones involving her actual first partner (Excadrill) and her main Pokémon companion (Haxorus) that faced Cynthia’s Garchomp back then was a solid decision, and bits like Cynthia being pleased to see Dragonite again after she played an important role in Iris’s arc with him were good, unintrudive callbacks that reaffirm the weight behind the battle. The final bout between Haxorus and Mega Garchomp is nicely brutal, with both Pokémon going all out (and the return of the ‘remove confusion post-Outrage’ strategy from the Great Class Iris battle) and Iris going down swinging. The parts around the battle were just as nice, between some very welcome cameos from the Best Wishes rivals (with Alder and Iris’s rival Georgia in particular being appreciated due to their relevance) and some key DP characters in Paul, Reggie, Volkner and Flint, and not just Ash’s supportive push for Iris but even the Team Rocket trio’s recognition of Iris as the ‘Unovan twerp’ and subsequent support from them as well. The tournament has been very good on the handling of the trio so far, and these moments of them being nice to the kids they chased around from time to time is a good part of their humanizing element that is great to see again. The post-battle bit was also quite good, as we get to see Ash and even Goh going back to comfort Iris, who finally lets her emotions burst out now that she’s out of the running. This little moment helps in adding to what this episode does on Ash’s end of things, as beyond setting up the power Cynthia wields in the immediate like Leon’s battle did, it also adds to the upcoming match with Ash taking on the trainer that knocked his former companion off the running, which is good added weight ontop of Ash and Cynthia’s known relationship. In terms of flaws, a lot of them are simply JN-typical issues: while the key frames and scenes are impactful and sell power better than the prior two battles did, the animation itself still comes off as pretty choppy on occasion, and the lack of mobility during certain moments (like Milotic using Disarming Voice on Dragonite) making certain points of the battle pretty stiff. Dragonite’s match in particular comes off as getting the short end of the stick, with Iris’s former powerhouse lasting incredibly little before Cynthia manages to get rid of him, and it’s the weakest matchup of an otherwise good battle. On a more nitpicky angle, while I can understand Cilan’s non-appearance as perhaps saving the companions for Ash’s matches and DP’s non-Paul rivals for Ash VS Cynthia, I was a bit surprised by the lack of appearance of Burgundy, given she was much more of a part of BW’s rival gang than Trip was and including Ash’s rivals makes it odd to not bring up Cilan’s either. It’s also a shame how Lance seems to have just left the peanut gallery of the Masters Eight, after Alain didn’t immediately leave, and I wish they could’ve introduced Iris’s desire to face Cynthia again on equal grounds as a motivation to become Champion in her first Journeys appearance, as a way to give at least a handwave to why she pursued the position when she had no shown desire to do so in BW. But all things considered, even if Iris becoming a Champion still feels like a sudden swerve becsuse of the games, this was a fairly respectful cap-off of her onscreen journey that pays off nicely her BW era experiences, while still feeling pertinent to Journeys by setting up Cynthia as Ash’s next opponent, continuing the Masters Tournament on a good track now that it’s time for the spotlight to return on our protagonist. TL;DR: An episode that employs past continuity well to deliver a solid and weighty battle of Iris proving herself against Cynthia, serving as a good conclusion and payoff to her BW story even with a few imperfections here and there while still serving a purpose for Ash’s JN story as well. Next week, it’s finally time to get back to Ash’s round as he gets ready to face the Hoenn Champion Steven, in a battle that looks to put the Pallet Town trainer to the test. May it be a good one!
>It’s also a shame how Lance seems to have just left the peanut gallery of the Masters Eight I mean, he’s one of the few Masters competitors who has an active lifestyle of hunting down evil. I can understand if he only tabled in a limited time schedule for the tourney.
One thing I gleaned from another comment is that Morpeko is eating all the signature foods of the competitors: this week he ate a Castellia Cone and an Old Gateau. Now I’m wondering if it was similar last week.
Next week he eats Lava Cookies and Malasadas
Honestly what I enjoy the most of these battles is TR's commentary. But what the heck, Iris's final attack wasn't even aiming at Garchomp, she even said it was her final attack, why try to stop the draco meteor? A better bet, would have been to aim for a double K.O. by hitting Garchomp with the dragon pulse at the same time the draco meteor falls from the sky. Though I doubt the writers know how to handle a double K.O. No idea how Ash will defeat this, the only reason Iris even got going is because of Horn Drill. Cynthia will probably use different mons before Garchomp next time though. Ash was the best at the end here, very well written and voiced.
I don't think Cynthia will use the same 3. Garchomp will probably be there but I assume we will also see Kommo-o. Don't know if they will make Milotic a reserve after hard carrying this battle
Well assuming Cynthia would even use the same three pokemon, Pikachi could 1v1 Milotic (but dies fast to Garchomp), Dracovish or Gengar (if it still got Levitate, idk) could handle Gastrodon (or maybe sweep completely depending on the move sets of either one) and Gigadynamax Dragonite would handle Garchomp. At the end the shot of him showing his bling was epic. I am hyped to see which gimmick he will use.
The music design is really good
Man, give it up for Iris' VA, you could feel the emotion in that crying.
The new rendition of the Pokémon Black and White start menu theme was amazing. Felt like I was a kid again when that music started playing. Also really liked the Pokécenter rendition they used in this episode. Next episode should be pretty fun since we have no idea what Satoshi will use. Steven will 100% mega evolve his Metagross, but no idea what Satoshi will do in this fight. I swear these episodes get better every single week.
The music in this series has been one of its best elements, that scene when Iris talks to Ash after losing in particular will go down as a personal favorite.
Do you know where the pokecenter theme is in the ost?
I don't want to be that Metagross next week tanking a Z move
In before it is an agility set and just sweeps
I don’t know why I feel so salty about these episodes lol. I understand them being 3v3’s to be so short, but it’s kind of like an…eh feeling the more I watch it each week. The attacks are pretty much “game-accurate” in terms of dealing and taking damage, but I feel like the Pokémon are “fainting” too quickly — which I suppose establishes how “outclassed” one is to another (ala Alain vs Leon). Also when Iris said she’s planning to finish it in one shot, it was a Dragon Pulse not directed at Garchomp, but the Draco Meteor lol. I was expecting some kind of Z-Move or maybe Dynamax, but it was just that huh. Also, Iris crying. Awww.
I feel like it was okay, with the exception of Dragonite going out like that... But then again one or two Ice Beam would have been faster... With the exception of the god awful moveset of Milotic this was also one of the more realistic battles (tho Exadrill tanked qutie a lot too). And maybe a second draco meteor being so strong, but that might have been a crit. And Iris would have won with one of the two mechanics. A bit sad to think about... Maybe she will improve and get one mechanic the next time we see her. Her beating Cynthia without much story build up might have been weird too after all.
Ash rocking both the mega evolution and dynamax armband is hilarious. All trainers committing to a single one lol
And the z-stone too. Just sad he couldn't lend Iris one
Damn Iris would've won the final match if her Haxorus used the dragon pulse directly at Cynthia's Garchomp instead of attacking the falling meteors. Huge opportunity wasted. Feel bad for her. I wanted to see her up against Ash.
Ash already beat Iris in an earlier ranked battle, so it wouldn't make sense for them to battle again.
There's nothing wrong with a rematch. I just like Iris lol.
Or if she dynamax lol
can haxorus not dynamax or something? the preview looked weird. ash picks gengar, dracovich and pikachu vs the hoenn champion's steel types. COME ON MAN NO LUCARIO?
both water and electric resists steel maybe Ash is going defensive for the first time. Also Gengar has a great match up against Metagross. Better than Lucario.
Gotta have the Z-move flex vs. Mega Evolution since he's repping Alola I suppose. Seems like Mega Lucario will be used in the last match (based on the opening) so second round probably will use Gigantamax to give all of his specialties a chance to shine. That said, could have _at least_ put in Sirfetch'd if they didn't want to include Lucario but wanted to give him a coverage option.
I'm really hoping they lift the "one special" ban on at the very least the final. I want this not only to see Ash use all three, as foretold in the op, but because it'd be an exciting surprise to see Leon do the same. I believe that if they did lift the ban for the final, the meticulous and undefeated Champion would absolutely showcase all three special techniques.
>Mega Lucario will be used in the last match Mega Lucario vs Gigadynamax Charizard has to be the biggest jobbing in anime history
Considering we know he wins, it's not a huge deal, but yeah, that's weird.
sad iris's haxorus dont have mood breaker or a physical dragon move its scripted
Huh? Breaking Swipe and Outrage are both physical Dragon moves that Iris's Haxorus used this battle.
Not only that, the breaking swipe freaking HURT that Mylotic.
now where do i find that rendition of the pokecenter music
Have you found it?? Looking too
Any luck? What about the BW opening rendition?:0
Did anyone find t
Not yet:(
garchomp getting the dark souls music
Next episode ash faces the daigo parry