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Review HZ049: Dot and Gurumin!

Great start to this Dot focused two parter (once again Dot hasn't had a single dud as of yet). I love how it seems that the tables are turning on Dot since she's been spending a lot of time in the Nidothing costume and this time everybody's getting their phones out and showing Dot off in person.

And all that while Iono's just basking in the glory of it all, cause she's Iono.
 
An alright episode for Dot to overcome crowd attention instead of live stream in Gurumin suit that she wear all the time. In the peak of showing up, Varoom stole it suit. But was able to retrieve back Thanks to the distraction of crowd focusing on Dot battling it. It finally decided, she must face Lono in person for the Terastal test.

Overall rating: C+
 
Really great episode. Dot, Quaxly, and Iono always guarantee a good time. I loved seeing the sheer duality of Dot here. She's over the top and wacky when in the costume, but is camera shy to the point of not being able to do anything outside of it. I really liked how determined Liko, Roy, and especially Quaxly were in trying to get Dot to become more confident. It will be nice to see how her growth here shows in her Terastal Test next time. 8/10 episode.
 
I wonder if the original plan for this episode was that it would be revealed that whole Varoom incident was a setup to get Dot to face her fear and it was dropped at the last minute when the staff realized it would make everyone, including Quaxly, look like assholes for forcing that on her. That would explain why Quaxly and Varoom became friendly with each other for no reason.
 
There’s something messed up about insisting on filming someone that clearly looks uncomfortable & anxious about it. Iono only cares about those internet points, rather than providing Dot or any of her students with a test. It’s disappointing that Dot won’t be battling Iono as Gurumin, since I think there was space there for a friendly rivalry.
 
skynerel said:
There’s something messed up about insisting on filming someone that clearly looks uncomfortable & anxious about it. Iono only cares about those internet points, rather than providing Dot or any of her students with a test. It’s disappointing that Dot won’t be battling Iono as Gurumin, since I think there was space there for a friendly rivalry.
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On the contrary, Iono was considerate for Dot and initially allowed her to take the test as Gurumin so that she'd be more comfortable battling in front of a live audience. But after seeing Dot battling the Varoom in public, Iono changed her mind and decided that Dot is now confident enough to take the test as herself. And considering how Dot reacted at the end of the episode, Iono was right.

Iono even commented that battling Gurumin would've generated significantly more hype for her livestream compared to just battling some random trainer. So going by internet points, having Dot take the test as Gurumin would've technically been the more selfish option here. Instead, Iono decided to help boost Dot's confidence in herself because "doing stuff like this every now and then is fun."
 
Funny scene of the episode:
Screenshot 2024-05-12 001931.png
 
VetProf said:
On the contrary, Iono was considerate for Dot and initially allowed her to take the test as Gurumin so that she'd be more comfortable battling in front of a live audience.
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I know that we are supposed to see Iono as the friend who is pushing Dot to be more confident. It just rubs me the wrong way that not wanting to appear in front of a camera is presented as a flaw in this episode. The test is about terastalization, not about performing in front of an audience. In retrospect I get that being in front of a camera is relevant to Dot as a streamer, but I think they could’ve handled her shyness & anxiety with more tact, rather than simply putting her in uncomfortable social situations until she “gets over it” because it most certainly doesn’t work like that in real life.
 
skynerel said:
I know that we are supposed to see Iono as the friend who is pushing Dot to be more confident. It just rubs me the wrong way that not wanting to appear in front of a camera is presented as a flaw in this episode. The test is about terastalization, not about performing in front of an audience. In retrospect I get that being in front of a camera is relevant to Dot as a streamer, but I think they could’ve handled her shyness & anxiety with more tact, rather than simply putting her in uncomfortable social situations until she “gets over it” because it most certainly doesn’t work like that in real life.
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Yeah, that bugged me about this episode too. As someone who is also really camera shy, I didn't like that Dot was basically forced to "get over" being camera shy whenever she's not in Gurumin mode. For all we know she might have valid reasons for not wanting to appear on camera except as Gurumin. Maybe she was cyberbullied, has performance anxiety, or is terrified of people seeing her real self and possibly using video footage of her as a weapon against her. Forcing people into situations they can't handle doesn't make them get over it, it only enhances their fears.
 
I really like Dot as someone with social anxiety and other socialization issues like her. As someone who related a lot to Goh, it is nice to have another character who struggles with those same issues. Liko shows really good emotional awareness (while Roy is totally oblivious) when observing Dot, which is a good step for her dream f understanding Pokemon. The relationship between Dot and Quaxly is also really good.

I liked that we got to see more of the RVTs this episode. The Brave Asagi is being repaired in Levinicia and is honestly looking a lot better already. Orio is just cracked at mechanics. Murdock continues to be the overbearing uncle perfectly.

I wonder if they showed us the Crocalor and Quaxwell ads as a tease and not just as a nod to the games.
 
It turns out Dot can't handle being on camera outside of her costume but she gets over it by the end of the episode. Roy has so few victories in battle that he was happy winning even against an opponent who didn't give any commands. Liko and Dot continue to have a really good relationship. Nanjamo acknowledges Dot as Dot rather than just as Gurumin without the suit.
 
Juliko said:
Yeah, that bugged me about this episode too. As someone who is also really camera shy, I didn't like that Dot was basically forced to "get over" being camera shy whenever she's not in Gurumin mode. For all we know she might have valid reasons for not wanting to appear on camera except as Gurumin. Maybe she was cyberbullied, has performance anxiety, or is terrified of people seeing her real self and possibly using video footage of her as a weapon against her. Forcing people into situations they can't handle doesn't make them get over it, it only enhances their fears.
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I don't think Dot was being forced to get over it, considering the Varoom battle was not planned. What I got out of the episode was that by focusing on the battle instead of the cameras, Dot is no longer anxious and can just battle as usual. You can also interpret this as Dot going outside her comfort zone and getting out of her shell, which she has been doing in previous episodes. Plus, it wasn't revealed to anyone else that Dot is Gurumin so her secret wasn't exposed.
 
I did like Dot yelling at Liko and Roy. Friends with close bonds can still snap at one another over personal issues, even if the ones they are snapping at are just trying to be supportive. It shows that the main characters don't need to constantly bicker (like the original trio would at times) for there to be engaging conflict, even if it can be entertaining.
 
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Karakuri18 said:
No, because it's a bit too early. Especially since we have Terrastal Quaxly in OP, so the chance for evolution is slim in the near future.
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Except openings have changed multiple times to show evolutions in the past

the episode title card also has a lot of empty space to show off Quaxly and Fuecoco's evos; probably by the end of this arc everyone will be middle-stage
 
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