"High Touch!" and "Ashita wa Kitto" impressions

[Dogasu]

The new opening theme, High Touch! ("High Five") and the new ending theme, Ashita wa Kitto ("Surely Tomorrow") premiered with tonight's new episodes.

The opening is a rather upbeat song featuring Satoshi and Hikari singing, with the chorus of "Hey hey hey!" being sung by what sounds like the kids from "Ippai Summer." No new captures or evolutions are spoiled, but we do get a lot of great scenes including:

- A random shot of everyone on a tiny sailboat as the camera moves around them, not unlike every One Piece opening ever.
- Takeshi cooking while Urimoo looks on.
- A big group shot of all the gang's pokemon which shows Pikachu and Potchama wrestling.
- A nice big shot of Hikari, Nozomi, Kengo, Satoshi, and Shinji (sorry Naoshi fans).
- Everyone running on top of what looks like a map.
- Another pan shot featuring Satoshi's mom, Orchid-Hakase, Masato, Kenji, Haruka, Kasumi, and Shigeru. Everyone's in their most current clothes.
- There are a bunch of random couplings: Buoysel and Eteboth, Mimirol and Naetle, Mukubird and Glion, Pinpuku and Pachirisu, Urimoo and Gureggru, Usokki and Hikozaru, and Pikachu and Potchama.
- Mars, Saturn, Jupiter, and Akagi all get a nice big group shot to themselves.
- Regigigas vs. Darkrai.

As for the ending theme...it's very Potchama-centered. And piano-oriented. In fact, the whole thing reminds me of the first Smile animation, except Satoshi-tachi are replaced with Potchama and the episode clips are replaced with pencil sketches of the group's pokemon. There's a kinda cute shot of the pokemon making snowmen of their trainers, but that's really the only good thing I can say about this.

 

[PKMN_Veteran]

Screens for OP not shown in the other post. For ED shots, the best ones are already in the DP 96 & 97 thread. I hate lag.

 

[Piplup]

- A nice big shot of Hikari, Nozomi, Kengo, Satoshi, and Shinji (sorry Naoshi fans).

I really hoped for Nando to appear in this... but I still don't give up on him returning
At least not until the Hearthome Gym... he was there last time so I think he might appear there to battle Fantina when she finally return to the Gym
Also... Conway didn't appear in any OP/ED yet he appeared again so not appearing in the OP doesn't say he can't return (just saying before people use this as a "proof")

- Another pan shot featuring Satoshi's mom, Orchid-Hakase, Masato, Kenji, Haruka, Kasumi, and Shigeru. Everyone's in their most current clothes.

May! Misty! ^__^
But it's strange Misty appear in the OP before she actually appear in DP
Misty did appear in Hoenn buy wasn't in any of the Hoenn OP

- There are a bunch of random couplings: Buoysel and Eteboth, Mimirol and Naetle, Mukubird and Glion, Pinpuku and Pachirisu, Urimoo and Gureggru, Usokki and Hikozaru, and Pikachu and Potchama.

Not all of them are so "random"
Buizel and Ambipom were traded, Staravia and Gliscor are flying types, Happiny and Pachi are the youngest, Pika and Pip are the mascots


I'll reply here again after I can properly watch and hear the OP
The ED I mostly got to see/hear and it's great for both animation and the song

 

[Musashi]

Animation wise, this is easily my favorite OP. I loved seeing Kasumi, Haruka, and Shigeru. I think it's a great reminder of the past. Loved seeing the Ginga-Dan and J as well. The song itself is really catchy, and I'm looking forward to hearing the full version. My only complaint is that the Rocket-Dan were thrown in there like an after thought. I was specifically hoping to not get something as bad as that OP where they just fly up in the air, and yet that's the exact same thing they give us... Still, it's a really good OP that I can't wait to re watch to catch everything.

Potchama does not need an ED... While not as good as "High Touch", "Ashita was Kitto" is a nice song. The animation was really cute. The only problem is that it stars the overused penguin. Luckily there's enough of the other pokemon to make it pretty enjoyable.

I couldn't help but notice that the OP and ED seem hard to update. It makes me a little worried that we may not get any evolutions for awhile...

 

[Blackjack Gabbiani]

Holy crap. Regigigas is doing Bolo Thunder. I must icon that.

Also, dammit Max--down in front!

 

[Piplup]

At first I didn't really like the OP song
But sometimes I can dislike and even hate a song but later LOVE it... after hearing it again and again this is exactly what happened ^_^
GO GO GO!!!$#@%#@% why not scream it louder? XD
The animation is amazing
I'm surprised there's no Giratina and even not Dialg and Palkia... not even Shaymin... but random Darkrai and Regigigas over Platina/Movie Poké?
EDIT: forgot Regi was in the movie XD but still you'd think they'll use Shaymin/Giratina who got to star and not Regi that appeared for a little scene (I think)

 

[Cybersai]

Nice to see the old characters in the opening, but it always feels like a tease when they put them in openings but they never appear in actual episodes.

I know I've said this a billion times, but they really need a new set of specials. We'll see Gary because he's actually in Sinnoh, but the others probably won't appear all season.

 

[JennyRogue]

Maybe I've just been watching Together for way too long, but I found the new opening amazing. The song's lovely too.

And I haven't seen the ending yet, but I'm finding the reaction to it beyond hilarious.

 

[Amazed4587]

The opening was amazing, it was so cute, and I love the Hey hey hey and go go go parts. I remember I was wondering that it be Dawn and Ash singing and it came true. I probably won't sick of the song for a while, but have a feeling it might be changed fast since most openings after the intial doesn't last so long. It better than Together, that song just got in my nerves after the first month it came out.

 

[Kairyu]

The opening was okay.

The thing that bothered me is the whoring out of Potchama. Seriously, it's next to Pikachu in every single fu**ing scene in the opening. Go away damn penguin.

And on top of that, it gets all the screentime in the ending as well.

 

[Piplup]

I find it completely ridiculous that people complain about Pip but don't complain about Pika doing exactly the same thing for much more time
It's nice to see another Pokémon "star" like that other than Pika
Get used to it already... the complaining about Pip are getting MUCH worse than how the "overuse" of it might be
I think we should get a rule against complaining about Pip... it gets as annoying as the complainings about the VAs so why not?

 

[QuietDragon]

Hikari's singing is cracking me up.

It's very, very in-character for both of them. So silly and cute! I absolutely adored the animation and art in the opening, though! Much love.

J and Ginga-dan especially!

The map part was oh-so-cute too! And I really liked all the old characters too.

The ending song's very quiet and kind of sad. It reminded me a lot of Smile too, but with Pochama. I rather liked the high-fiving Pikachu and Pochama. A nice way to round it all off on the same theme.

 

[Princess Ketchum]

=]]]]]] yay for misty and may in the opening! and ash had amazing shots

 

[Cybersai]

I have to say, its funny how before the ending aired, people claimed it wouldn't be another Piplup-centric ending because the summary said "and all their other Pokemon."

The ending is all about Piplup and all the other Pokemon get still shots in the background. Can't say I'm surprised, really.

 

[Argy]

I hate the "go go go" and the little noise that accompanies it in the opening.

 

[Rosakai]

Okay, I'll be honest. I miss Together.

I don't like this opening at all. The song is just...urgh...so annoying. Seriously. They make us endure the same opening for nearly 100 episodes and then give us something like this. WHY?

GO GO GO! Shut up. Seriously. Hopefully the remix of this song (and there's bound to be one eventually...at least, I hope) will be better.

Haven't seen the ending yet, but from what I've heard and the pics I've seen, it's about Piplup dreaming to overtake Pikachu as the main mascot of Pokemon. Keep dreaming, Piplup, it's not going to happen-you'll just have to make due with being second.

 

[Snake Bandage]

I'm really really thrilled about like, EVERYONE being in the opening (including Max! YAY MAX~), but what does Team Rocket doo? Team Rocket? Rockets? *restless*

Meanwhile the ending depresses me because OH MY GOD WHY POCHAMA WHHHYYYYYYY. D=

 

[Chatsy]

I absolutely adore the new opening song. It's nicely upbeat, although "Satoshi" sounds odd sometimes during the song, but it's not that bad that I'll care about it. The animation's nice and I love how so many characters were crammed in there. Unlike Together, though, no Prof. NANANANANAKAMADOOOO or Dawn's mom this time around, whereas Ash's buddies hogged the spotlight - which, btw YAY GARY

The ending on the other hand.... It's actually cute.
I can't help but love the ending just for the hate too. I also adore how it's apparently official that Piplup's trying to steal Pikachu's spotlight, making it helluva funny - the writers must be reading here. Srsly.

It appears that whoever animated "Kaze no Message" also animated the new opening.
[/random observation]

 

[Hyatt]

The ending on the other hand.... It's actually cute.
I can't help but love the ending just for the hate too. I also adore how it's apparently official that Piplup's trying to steal Pikachu's spotlight, making it helluva funny - the writers must be reading here. Srsly.

Yeah, the ending is absolutely adorable. Poor Pochama.

Ya know, I realized something. The opening and ending share a similar theme thingie to it. They have this similar riff. Interesting.

I like the opening video like when they're running over that map. The song is just poorly done, like how the DP rap was done. I'll always be a Together girl.

I don't like this opening at all. The song is just...urgh...so annoying. Seriously. They make us endure the same opening for nearly 100 episodes and then give us something like this. WHY?

GO GO GO! Shut up. Seriously. Hopefully the remix of this song (and there's bound to be one eventually...at least, I hope) will be better.

I know. Yeah, I'm also hoping for the token remix although I hope it comes quicker and stays longer.
And it feels like they just shoved that Go Go Go crap in in the end. It feels like this song was taped together with duct tape. And it doesn't help that the song was partly sung by Rica Matsumoto whom I don't why she's so popular X_X

*sigh* At least Together was really good.

 

[Argy]

I think "High Touch!" needs more music and less volume on the voices. The seiyuu are singing in-character, so they're not up to their usual level of performance. I think the best OP so far has been "Spurt!" — I like ones with lots of action and big music. I hate the scenes like in "High Touch!" where they are running on the map. They're such a waste of time when they could be showing the Pokémon or other characters.

This seems like a filler OP to me. No Elite Four or Shirona?