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Review JN037: I'm Back, Nice to Meet You, Alola!

I find it a little too awkward how intense Kiawe was the entire time when he went on Goh trying to make a point that Ash has a goal and Goh should be the one to keep up with him. Even though Kiawe was the most battle enthusiastic one among all the classmates (barring Ash), he has never been this intense when it comes to Ash and his ambition. Heck, Ash was not even into battles in SM series as much as prior to SM series before the Alola League arc. And why should Goh take all the responsibility? It's like asking Ash to catch all sorts of Pokémon to keep up with Goh. I don't understand what the writers were up to making Kiawe look like a bad guy.
 
Rockapheller said:
I find it a little too awkward how intense Kiawe was the entire time when he went on Goh trying to make a point that Ash has a goal and Goh should be the one to keep up with him. Even though Kiawe was the most battle enthusiastic one among all the classmates (barring Ash), he has never been this intense when it comes to Ash and his ambition. Heck, Ash was not even into battles in SM series as much as prior to SM series before the Alola League arc. And why should Goh take all the responsibility? It's like asking Ash to catch all sorts of Pokémon to keep up with Goh. I don't understand what the writers were up to making Kiawe look like a bad guy.
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It does make a certain amount of sense. It’s a prospect of encouraging him to want to be strong not just for his friends and Pokémon but for himself as well. It’s about teaching him to be able to stand on his own 2 feet rather than being left behind by Ash in terms of strength. It’s a good lesson to teach him as it instills in him not just to think in terms of how many Pokémon he catches as a measure for his growth as a trainer but the responsibility in helping these Pokémon he catches to grow. In such, it’s basically one of the themes of Alola; helping one another to grow.
 
Willy said:
Did someone noticed that Satoshi/Ash know already about Lei/Rei?
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Given how close he became to Kukui and Burnett, I could see them staying in touch. They see Ash as family and I don't think they'd be the type to just never say another word to Ash again after he left.
 
A Wild Luxray said:
Given how close he became to Kukui and Burnett, I could see them staying in touch. They see Ash as family and I don't think they'd be the type to just never say another word to Ash again after he left.
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I think it was the first time they cleary showed that Satoshi/Ash was in contact with someone from his past.
 
Just finished watching the subtitles. Kiawe tells Goh that as "Ash's rival", he should be trying to help Ash achieve his dream. Goh, however, disagrees, saying that he's not Ash's rival, and he has no intent on supporting Ash, since he sees dreams as something you have to achieve on your own. They're just research fellows, partners, and friends.

And in the end, Goh says that they'll definitely visit Alola again someday, and Ash says it's a promise.
 
I'm interested in reason why Ash/Satoshi twitched when Suiren/Lana was reading Lilie letter and was mentioning all the names.
 
Kurolegacy said:
It’s a good lesson to teach him as it instills in him not just to think in terms of how many Pokémon he catches as a measure for his growth as a trainer but the responsibility in helping these Pokémon he catches to grow
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Well, okay that was definitely not the moral of the story there. For once, producers don't even consider Goh catching lots and lots of Pokémon a bad/unsufficient theme in the first place. Besides, Kiawe might have tried to point something out, but his attitude and approach is awkward, not what he's trying to build up for Ash to establish in the end.
 
Rockapheller said:
Well, okay that was definitely not the moral of the story there. For once, producers don't even consider Goh catching lots and lots of Pokémon a bad/unsufficient theme in the first place. Besides, Kiawe might have tried to point something out, but his attitude and approach is awkward, not what he's trying to build up for Ash to establish in the end.
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Well than that’s my mistake from not having seen the sub and in that case, it’s a missed opportunity for what would be good character development for Go.

As for his attitude, I see nothing wrong with it especially as one who had developed as both a friend and rival of Ash’s. He seemed to be at it to test Go’s strength as Ash’s companion hence why even in unleashing his ultimate attack, he had Marrowak there to get them out of harms way. And it’s not as though he was disappointed with Go at all. He acknowledged him as someone to look after him and supports him in his dream once Go shared it.
 
FinnishPokéFan92 said:
Just finished watching the subtitles. Kiawe tells Goh that as "Ash's rival", he should be trying to help Ash achieve his dream. Goh, however, disagrees, saying that he's not Ash's rival, and he has no intent on supporting Ash, since he sees dreams as something you have to achieve on your own. They're just research fellows, partners, and friends.
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That was a weird and dickish thing to say (and contradicts what he did in the previous episode). Rivals should help each other but friends shouldn't? Uh, ok.

It seems a continuation of the edgy stuff he said in episode 3 which IIRC they haven't touched on since. I guess it fits with his loner tendencies but I hope he relents on it sooner or later. I want to see him as a sparring partner with Ash a la Dawn, not as someone who just happens to share screentime with him.
 
Johtohfiller said:
That was a weird and dickish thing to say (and contradicts what he did in the previous episode). Rivals should help each other but friends shouldn't? Uh, ok.

It seems a continuation of the edgy stuff he said in episode 3 which IIRC they haven't touched on since. I guess it fits with his loner tendencies but I hope he relents on it sooner or later. I want to see him as a sparring partner with Ash a la Dawn, not as someone who just happens to share screentime with him.
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It especially seems like such a weird thing to say that in this series much less the series that followed SM where a key theme was about your friends and family lifting you up and helping you to grow and accomplish your dreams. I swear the writing for Go just seems to clash with basic themes of the series more and more by the episode and for whatever reason, they keep doubling down on it.
 
Kurolegacy said:
It especially seems like such a weird thing to say that in this series much less the series that followed SM where a key theme was about your friends and family lifting you up and helping you to grow and accomplish your dreams. I swear the writing for Go just seems to clash with basic themes of the series more and more by the episode and for whatever reason, they keep doubling down on it.
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I really hope they're setting him up to learn a lesson and it isn't just Paul all over again.
 
I'm back with my actual review, and I'll preface it by saying this is hands down my favorite episode of Journeys thus far. Was it perfect? No, but the absolute joy I felt watching this episode means a whole lot more to me, especially since a majority of episodes have at least some kind of flaw.

Might as well start with the obvious here since I haven't stopped beating this drum since Journeys was announced: getting to see Kukui, Burnet, and THE BABY was absolutely perfect. I have been waiting and hoping for this since SM ended, and I'm honestly amazed we actually got it. I straight up lost it the second we first saw Kukui. Ash's Alolan family was such an important part of SM and they did that justice here. Lei is beyond precious (they literally couldn't have made a cuter baby) and as soon as Burnet called Ash his big brother...so perfect. That scene really got me because it felt like such reciprocation between the fans and the show. People have called Ash this baby's brother since the SM finale, and seeing the writers incorporate that was just really special.

I also adored the parallels between Ash's first day in Alola to Goh's, right down to Lana fishing Goh out! Her "Mr. Soaked" line had me rolling; Lana is a treasure.

And we can't forget the quickie cameo from the Rocket mons! While I still feel it was best to not shove that reunion in here (and still have hope for it down the line) it was so nice to see that they were not forgotten about and, in the very first episode back in Alola, we got to see them as their own little family unit.

Lillie and Gladion scene was also fabulous. I really think we might just get that Mohn resolution down the line!

Now here's a potentially unpopular opinion: I don't have a problem with how Kiawe acted. I honestly think that because we're so used to him now, we forgot what he's like when he's not familiar with someone. At the beginning of SM, Kiawe also acted pretty gruff with Ash. He's really passionate and can get super intense, and that doesn't really change until you get to know him. I mean, you could tell the other classmates were kind of used to it. They were all pretty wary with him, but it's not like they were totally thrown. By the end of the episode, he was the sweet, supportive Kiawe we've all become accustomed to. And what do you know: it looks like he became Goh's closest friend there!

Similarly, I don't have a problem with the role Goh played here. I was worried about it, but after watching the episode, I have to give the writers credit where credit is due. Honestly, I think Goh kind of needed a fire lit under his ass. He's relatively passive and kind of awkward; that's his character. But we've never really seen Goh totally pushed out of his comfort zone to the point where he feels he needs to stand up for himself (which is yet another reason I'm okay with how Kiawe acted). And while I will agree that the "friends don't help each other reach their goals" line was pretty jarring, it does fit in with Goh's character, sad as that is. I genuinely feel this is the reason we may see more of Ash's former companions: Goh is gonna learn that actually yes, friends DO help each other reach their goals. Ash did not get to where he is by himself. That's literally the entire point of the show. Ultimately, Goh is going to need more of these experiences in order to learn that for himself.

Now for the cons: this episode was crammed. Too crammed. I was legitimately disappointed when it was over because it did not feel like it was 23 minutes. The fossil episode easily could've been pushed back by one; this episode really should've been two. I'm sure we'll be going back to Alola, but it doesn't change my opinion that the initial return would have benefited from having two episodes dedicated to it. Also, how did we not get a SINGLE mention of Ash being the champion of Alola? That was a bummer.

Overall, a beautiful episode. It hit all the right emotions for me, and I'm so grateful we were treated to this little slice of sunshine.

Also, admit it: you all cheered when Rotomdex interrupted Goh's Rotomphone. That was just straight up cathartic right there.
 
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