#do I find that line to be good pokeani writing? no

[potahun]

childhood friends!au

daigo used baby sparkles!  it had no effect.

my response to the ‘battling your Lizardon was my dream’ line + the fact that Alan had no idea who Daigo was when they first met... 

(fun fact: apparently Dande became champion at 10 years old)

[kalosstarters]

a short-ish 2 episode recap of mpm03 and 04:

03:

Ah, Cilan, our favorite everything-sommelier!! Was so good to see him again and hear his dramatic lines. One of my favorite moments was him doing a tasting time with Misty and Psyduck, I love the bond those two have gotten since their challenging times in early OS. And ha, turns out Cilan and Brocko only found out now they’re both friends of Ash even tho they’ve been hanging out a lot. Ash, do you like ever call or write your friends?? (Don’t take me too seriously, btw) One of the minor ‘nitpickings’ I have towards that episode is that I doubt Brock would have given up his doctor training for a girl (I definitely imagine him going back to doing that once MPM is over), if anything you’d think that the Joys around him would motivate him to finish that training. The plot itself wasn’t anything mindblowing to me but it was a nice touch that Brock himself was able to break the illusion. Oh and his reaction to finding out that his newest crush had a boyfriend was a callback to that Professor Ivy situation in OS. Not gonna lie, I got a bit sad when Cilan said his ‘besto wishu’ in the end because this was quite likely the last time we see him (at least with a voice role), but overall it was a nice episode and it was wonderful to see all 3 of those companions together.

04: 

A pretty ‘basic’ story for a pokeani episode, but it still showed wonderfully the best sides of Ash. His refusal to give up, his selflessness and his care for those that many others would have given up on already. One of my favorite moments in this episode was Brock and Misty acknowledging that ‘this side of him hasn’t changed at all’ even tho a lot of time has passed (at least for us viewers :P). Also, loved seeing Gaogaen/incineroar (and obviously talonflame and miiijumiiju too) in this ep, everything that reminds me of Alola makes me :’) Hmm, what else, the bellsprout in the end and miju telling the beartic to try to form the shell were sweet. It was also good tr wasn’t in this episode, as they weren’t really needed.

Am excited to see the og starter trio next week, this series sure is an OS love fest (and I’m not complaining, since I am an OS fan)

[smilingperformer]

SM082 - Thoughts, shorter ver!

Because it’s way too hot to write full-on thoughts but I really want to talk about two events of the episode specifically: Amamaiko’s journey to Amajo and our beloved Rocket Gang! Let’s get started with newest episode:

Won’t You Give Us a Dance Dance Evolution?

When we first saw previews, the episode seemed to not really focus on one character, but throughout the episode, it was clear Mao and Amamaiko were the focus of the day. The theme being PokeDance, the episode consisted of fun scenes with different kinds of PokeDances (and with Satoshi not understanding the concept of Dance... hey, he never did, even if he tried doing it in XY, it makes sense he did what he did!), one being Alola Hula, which is pretty much Pokemon version of Hula Hula Dance! The Old Lady from the Market is finally named as Moani, as Mao and Amamaiko are apparently regular customers at her stop.

But the two sure get inspired by the dance, as they are now practising it for the little Competition at Pokemon School! Even Mao’s Papa lets her off from work early to practice for the dance. Alola Hula seems so fitting for Amamaiko. Shame they can’t showcase their dance in the end, thou Amamaiko being so tranced with the dance sure helped them out of Rocket Gang’s latest scheme! Speaking of Rocket Gang!

They heard Mao and Moani talking about the PokeDance competition while selling Malasada Donuts, and thus started planning on kidnapping all of the Pokemon at Pokemon School. All because Musashi wanted Back Dancers for her show, Kojiro and Nyarth agreeing! First time they do a scheme on School land. I sure hope Kukui does some preparations to improve security. But their scheme, ah!

Their scenes were so lovely to watch, it’s also fitting for Musashi to be so entranced with dancing, considering her career as Performer Musavie! She danced a lot during her Kalos journey!

I want to quickly mentioned how I loved Suiren’s PokeDance performance, and I think she’d do great in Contests/Showcases! Maybe a lil foreshadowing. Or maybe I’m overreading. Tehee.

Back to Rocket Gang thou! Ohmygod I never thought I’d be so happy to see their old days of crossdressing return! I now realise I truly missed it!

Kojiro looks absolutely stunning and Musashi looks absolutely amazing in her suit! I keep thinking about Smooth Criminal when seeing her in that outfit and just... ah. Nyarth’s outfit is a reference to some japanese puppet play of sorts, apparently. Saw it linked on twitter.

Their scheme was kind of a typical one, but considering Satoshi hadn’t been trapped liked that since well, long time ago (I think XY had similar ‘Pokemon here and Trainers there’ scheme but I don’t remember clearly), I don’t blame him for not remembering about such occurance. Amamaiko being in a Alola Hula trance of kind thou, she didn’t listen to their instructions and is actually free! So she’s their only hope! Sort of similar to SM018 where Amamaiko evolved from Amakaji! This time Amamaiko is a threat to the plan thou, when last time they didn’t think Amakaji could do anything, until it evolved and double slapped the hell out of them lol.

Some may find it lazy, but it’s sort of a nice touch to make Amamaiko’s evolution episodes have similarities with each other, with added scenarios like Amamaiko’s actually being capable of doing something. Althou, it seems like they prepared for a flaw in their flawless plan (8D), and welp.

Amamaiko gets trapped in Basketball net. Which by the way... was very poorly animated? It literarily had three frames when coming down from ceiling like they usually do. Wonder if this episode’s animation production somehow had trouble? Because some scenes were gourgeus, but this bothered the hell out of me.

But y’know, Rocket Gang obviously thinks Amamaiko’s no longer a threat with her slapper hair trapped. But her legs are still free. :)))) Nyarth, you done goofed. Even more when he tells them exactly how to break the cages. I think he’s been too used to saying his thoughts out loud lol.

Mao and Lilie take action right away, Nyarth trying to fix his mess-up by catching Amamaiko before reaching the top of the cage. Considering Amamaiko cannot use any of her moves atm (her moves involve hands and her hair pretty much!), Lilie helping her out by causing Nyarth slip with Shiron’s Powder Snow was good thinking.

But oh boy, the scene we’ve been waiting for! Since Amamaiko only has her legs free, she’s using them to break the cage! And each time she’s kicking, she’s actually learning Stomp, confirmed by Kukui! You guys know what that means!

HERE WE GO!!!!

OH!

MY!

GOSH!

This whole sequence! ;____;

I told you guys Amajo is happening the moment we had the title Dance Dance Evolution! This was the very first evolution episode I watched without being spoiled, only having speculated of her happening, being super anxious, and then crying out of happiness when it happened ;v; And this is most definitely my favourite evolution sequence in Pokeani up to date! Why? Because it actually shows what’s being changed when evolving, and in what way. It’s not just blue aura changing form. This is something that is extreme norm for Digimon and love it a lot there, and I think I like this evolution scene even more! Sure, quite Magical Girl inspired, but I don’t mind one bit!

I do hate how my mind keeps thinking Waifumon because of watching Vinesauce Vinny’s Pokemon Moon playthrough. God damn it.

Anyway, I love Amajo’s design, and her voice changed exactly how I pictured it to be! And I freaking love how Nyarth is self-aware of the fact that once again, Mao’s partner evolved under their watch, and is gonna screw them up! And oh boy. Amajo’s legs are strong!

Also freaking love how Kojiro says that Amamaiko evolved into a Queen Pokemon! That is beautiful! Oh! I just realised Amajo means Queen of Fruit! Niiiice that explains the Berry Tiara!

Let’s try to end this post thou: Amajo Trop Kicks Nyarth into the other Basketball net in the room, and breaks the cages, letting everyone free! While it looks like there’s gonna be a Alola Squad VS Rocket Gang battle, Kiteruguma comes and grabs the naughty kids back home :)))

Episode finishes with an upgraded MokuShot combo ending up being Amajo’s PokeDance performance, and considering how strong her legs are now, it’s a nice showcase of how much more powerful MokuShot is now as well! Just look what it did to Satoshi:

Cracks on the floor..... someone needs to renovate the place. That was one powerful MokuShot.

End of the episode! Erm. Amajo caused me to talk for a bit long apparently. I just really started adoring Amajo when I finally evolved my Amamaiko in Ultra Moon. She’s so badass!

The episode as a whole was a bit on the weaker side. While I truly enjoyed it, animation was lacking in some places compared to the quality we’ve had throughout the series. I can’t help but be bothered by it. I can definitely see the people who watch Pokemon for battles not enjoying this episode but eh. I’m not one of those. I watch for characters, and their interactions. And this episode did that to me!

But it was nice for Mao to debut the full Amakaji evolution line, and I’m extremely happy for her! Next step for her journey would be either getting Z-ring, or something happening with the Aina Cafeteria that could be devastating, or a step-back. I’m not sure. Catching another Pokemon is a possibility as well, thou I wouldn’t bet on it, considering the big cast of characters!

The episode as a whole kinda seems like it could work as a basis for future Contest/Showcase debut in Sun & Moon series. This is definitely me being wishful, but considering how they introduced Gyms, it’d be approriate for Kukui to arrange an introduction to Contests at least!

When it comes to next one to evolve.... Ashimari? Mokuroh? Those are my two guesses!

Pokeproblem post-segment shows Amajo looking sad with her apron being too small now, to which Mao respondes by promising to fix it to fit her again. It’s a nice nice scene <3

Next week, Sauboh is back, and accidentally minimizes Satoshi, Lilie and Mamane, who end up going on an adventure outside the School Yard with giant-sized Pokemon around them!  And apparently Sauboh trying to capture them in a clear pokeball as well!

Also with a return of Ganbalilie hairstyle, with Lilie’s usual outfit! That is wonderful combo! Also...

I can imagine this Persian being the same one from Nyabby’s episode, SM007! I could be wrong, but it would be a nice callback!

SM083 - Satoshi Minimizes

Looking so forward to this episode! Cya all next week!

[sage-nebula]

Top 10 pokeani characters

Alan --- Surprising absolutely no one, especially since he’s my favorite character from anything ever, Alan tops the list. I cry and cry and ride and die for how much I love him. I’ll scream it from the rooftops, I’ll write it with a plane, I will find a way to design it in fireworks and I will love him ten times more fiercely for every ounce of ridiculous hate he gets. Alan is my light, my life, my love, my everything. I adore every part of this boy and probably always will.[deep breath]More specifically, I love so, so, so much of what Alan is. I love how absolutely determined (and he is, he’s a DETERMINATOR and that’s a big part of why Lysandre “liked” him so much!) he is, how his sheer determination to carry on and keep walking the path toward his goals is a big part of his character. I love how brave and courageous he is, how although that can easily slide into recklessness when people (especially those he loves) are in danger, he will still face the destruction of the world head on because it is the Right Thing to do. Alan is a Gryffindor, undoubtedly and absolutely, and his bravery and chivalry (as in knight code---I explain it in the linked essay) absolutely shine. Alan cares not just for his precious people, but for everyone. He cares about and wants to protect the whole damn world if possible, it’s just that sometimes he gets in over his head in his attempts. But oh, does he try. He tries so very, very hard. (To the point where, honestly, this conversation could take place:Person: “Alan, what are you doing?”Alan: “My best.”And tbh it would be 100% believable.)He’s incredibly intelligent, incorporating real-world strategies into his pokémon’s movesets and into his battles, and is shown to be pretty adept at thinking on his feet and coming up with solutions on the fly. He’s compassionate and kind, and just can’t let it go if someone needs assistance. Although he’s very intelligent and very strong, he’s not arrogant, and in fact we see on multiple occasions that pretentious, arrogant behavior actually annoys him and makes him quick to dislike people. And all of these things make him a very relatable character to me, because honestly, same, but I also find him to be extremely relatable because he is a character who has been abused, shows clear symptoms of C-PTSD as a result of that abuse, and who exhibits C-PTSD in very much the same fashion I do. I’ve never related to a fictional character the way I relate to Alan and I’m honestly so, so very grateful that he exists. Light of my life, quite honestly.I could on for like . . . twelve more paragraphs, but I’ll stop there. Alan is my favorite for everything ever, and definitely tops this list. My love for him is ineffable. I’ll leave it at that.

Ash Ketchum --- However, Ashy-boy is still at number two! And while I do love all versions of Ash forever, I think I should probably specify here that the Ash I really mean, the Ash in my heart, will always be the Ash from the OS. See, the thing is . . . as the seasons went on, I feel like they’ve taken the Ash that we had in the OS, and hyper-focused on certain characteristics there for entire sagas, ignoring everything else. In the XY&Z series they focused on his heroism, his idealism, and his bravery; the one time we were allowed to see him feel down and sulky about his recent loss-streak, he was punished for it and readily adopted a smile back in place by the end of the episode. In the SunMoon series, meanwhile, it seems like they’re focusing on his exuberance and his childlike awe and wonder for the world. And those traits, just like his heroism and bravery, are great traits! And he is ten and should be allowed to act like it (he didn’t in the XY&Z series, tbh---he acted more like he was 13/14). But again, there’s more to him than just that. He is, or at least he used to be, more well-rounded than that.People complain about OS!Ash losing battles or flailing his way through life, and let’s be honest: He did a lot of flailing back then. But I also feel that we saw so many more dimensions to Ash’s character back then. I mean, looking at the first episode alone:- He was idealistic and optimistic and excitable and full of awe and wonder when it came to the mere idea of starting his journey, but similarly when he met Pikachu for the first time (“Oh he’s so cute! He’s the best one of them all!”), and when he saw wild pokémon such as pidgey and rattata. - He was heroic and brave when he shielded Pikachu with his own body and faced down each and every spearow without flinching.- He was feisty and ready to fight both when Gary pissed him off, and when the spearow flock attacked once again.- He was aggravated and a snarky little sassmouth right back at Pikachu when Pikachu was, well, being a brat as well. - His eyes shined he was so happy when Pikachu finally licked his chin.And I could go on. Ash---the Ash I know and love---has so many dimensions to him. He can be excitable and cheerful sometimes, petulant and surly at others, righteous and determined at still others, uncertain and afraid at others, optimistic and confident at others, and depressed and broody at others. Part of Ash’s characterization is that his temperament was somewhat mercurial; he could go through a range of emotions throughout an episode depending on the situation. He was compassionate and all-loving toward pokémon from day one, but he also had his moments of screwing up, such as when he insulted practically everyone in Celadon City by insulting perfume and then refused to apologize about it (and then decided to cross-dress to sneak into the Celadon Gym . . . oh Ash). He didn’t flinch once as he led the originals back out to face Mewtwo in the first movie, but when faced with the pressure of being the Chosen One to save the world in the second, he was noticeably afraid. (“Right now I wish my mom had named me Bob.” Oh Ash. That’s a dub only line, I’m sure of it, but so good.) I still think that this Ash is in the Ashes we see nowadays---I still consider this to be his characterization regardless of what the show says, tbh, just more mature as time goes on---but either way, he’ll always be my Ash. The Ash who makes silly puns (“Maybe it’s a cowterpie!”), who can be absolutely savage with his insults (“Aside from you, what are the other two most disgusting things?”), who loves all pokémon but still doesn’t get why Misty thinks tentacool and tentacruel are cute. And by the way, fuck the haters, because he’s an excellent trainer, and I’ll stand by that.Alan may be my favorite, but Ash is still a close second and always will be. I love him. 

Lizardon --- Of course I cannot mention one of my dragon sons without mentioning the other. I love Lizardon (and it should be obvious, but just in case---I’m speaking specifically about Alan’s charizard, here). I love Lizardon for who he is as well as what he has done to reshape the image of charizard that fandom (and Nintendo themselves!) have held onto for so long. Because while Lizardon is proud of his power, while he is just as determined as his platonic soulmate, and while he likes battling just as much as Alan does, he also loves to be petted, loves to be cuddled, gets really happy and croons when he is praised (or outright cheers when he gets his medal at the end of the series). Lizardon is generally very friendly and open. He loves battling and is confident in his abilities, sure, but off the battlefield he’s a complete sweetheart and he’s not afraid to show it. (And I love the heavy implication that he is male, too, due to the language Alan uses to address him, because boys can be sweethearts! Boys can love cuddles! Boys can like snuggling! Just because he’s a big boy dragon doesn’t mean he can’t appreciate these things---look at Toothless from Dreamworks Dragons! Toothless is once called “big baby boo” by Hiccup, and you know that Lizardon can sometimes be a big baby boo sometimes, too. I love it and I love him.) Lizardon is a sweetheart, but he’s also fiercely protective of his boy (don’t even think he isn’t---there’s a reason Alan moves closer to Lizardon when he feels wary or anxious, as seen in XYZ036). He is a dragon, and a fierce one at that. He just also happens to be friendly and nice most of the time, and considering how charizard have been characterized for the bulk of the past twenty years (mostly thanks to Ash’s charizard), I appreciate it.

Pikachu --- And I can’t forget Pikachu, either. Like Ash, most of the Pikachu characterization I love is in the OS (and early OS, at that) thanks to how sassy and bratty he used to be back then, but also like Ash, I love Pikachu throughout the years as well. Pikachu has his moments of being spunky and sassy (especially earlier on, when he would electrocute someone for accidentally insulting him), but he also is protective and sweet to those he loves, has a hilarious fondness for ketchup (which was one of the very, very, very few bits of continuity referenced in XY&Z!), is brave, clever, and his relationship with Ash is one of the most iconic and most precious in animated history. Pikachu has received so much hate over the years, so much of it undeserved. I love him. He’s a Pikapal.

Misty Waterflower --- My girl Misty has to make the list. I already talked a lot about her last night, so I won’t go into it all again, but essentially what I love about Misty is that she was such a well-rounded character---she was allowed to be so much, in that she was a tomboy, sure, but she was also allowed to be feminine at times and this wasn’t disparaged, nor was she ashamed of showing those parts of herself. There were parts surrounding the writing around her that could have been better, but Misty herself was a great character and she, too, doesn’t deserve the hate she gets.

Jessie & James --- This is cheating, technically, but honestly they’re so inseparable in my mind that I can’t have them here any other way. Like, it doesn’t matter how they’re together, they just have to be together. I refuse to consider them separated. Jessie and James are soulmates, absolutely, and what I love most about them (aside from their individual backstories and the like) is the role they fulfill in the show---how they are, despite the times when they actually do terrible things (as they do sometimes) so very much like Ash’s weird big brother and big sister. Like, they’re frienemies, but at this point Jessie and James have been there with him the longest (aside from Pikachu, of course). They’ll continue to be with him the longest. And while I can understand criticisms that some people are tired of them, for me it’s hard to imagine the show without them. I love Jessie and James and, personally, I’m glad they’re here.

Professor Sycamore --- I was honestly surprised with how much I came to absolutely love Professor Sycamore considering the fact that I was not wild about him in the games, but here we are. Sycamore is great for a lot of reasons, but I would be lying if I said that the reason why he makes this list is any reason other than the fact that he is, without doubt, Best Dad™. I absolutely love how perfect of a father he is for Alan, how understanding and compassionate and encouraging he is, how you know that Alan’s life would have been very different without Sycamore’s presence in it, but how Sycamore himself obviously doesn’t feel like Alan owes him anything. (Alan’s feelings on the matter are a different story.) But at the same time, Sycamore’s still great with all the other kids, too. He readily picks Bonnie up so she can pet Gabrielle. He’s protective of all the other kids (Bonnie and Serena in the kidnapping episode, Manon when that Flare grunt tried to start some shit at the start of the Flare crisis), and he’s so openly encouraging of everyone finding their own path and their own thing to do. Sycamore is great. He is Best Dad™, and I’m so happy that he can be right there at the head of this dragon hugging family. (Well, almost everyone in the family has hugged dragons. //pointed look @ Meyer and Clemont)

Tracey Sketchitt --- HATERS WILL HATE, BUT I LOVE TRACEY. Tracey is so passionate and enthusiastic and knowledgeable. He’s Best Navigator™ and it is a crime that he was not brought along for Johto, honestly, I’m going to forever be salty about this. Pretty much all of the Tracey backlash was just because he wasn’t Brock (and I mean, Brock’s great too, but come on), and it was completely undeserved. Tracey is observant, smart, dedicated, and kind, and I love him, and he deserves more appreciation. TRACEY 4 ALOLA 2K17. (This is a joke, but if anyone was going to make a comeback . . .)

Iris --- Iris doesn’t deserve all the hate she gets, either, but like Misty, I talked a bit about Iris yesterday. Iris is adorable, sassy, brave, and smart; she has a well-written and interesting character arc, and to this day I have yet to see one legitimate reason for hating her (since most of it is outright senseless bashing). I’m still salty she never got her cameo in the Kalos series, and istg Serena better stay tf away until Iris gets her proper cameo. Iris 4 Alola 2k17. (Again, a joke, however . . .)

Bonnie --- Finally, I have to mention Bonnie, because I love this little girl. I love how Bonnie was allowed to act her age, how she doesn’t always know how to handle new pokémon, but how she is so enthusiastic about it, so full of excitement and awe and love for the world around her. This is a girl who found a Zygarde core, didn’t know it was a Zygarde core, named it Squishy, made up a song for it, and then used that song to get through to the rampaging dragon. She is the third member of the family to hug a dragon (and so far last---come on, Meyer and Clemont, snap to it!), and my god that was one of the most powerful moments in the series. That scene (in Japanese at least) still makes me tear up. Bonnie is amazing, and I still think she’ll make a fantastic Top Ranger one day, reaching pokémon the world over through the power of her feelings and friendship (rather than monster balls), and being an international superheroine while she’s at it. Rock the fuck on, Bonnie.