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Review JN132: The Finals IV: "Partner"

Wow! That scene with Pikachu seeing a vision of all the Pokémon who has fought by his side through all the years. Seeing Butterfree after all these years made me remember how I watched OS as a kid and spoiled myself by reading Japanese magazines lol. I guess it's not only Digimon Last Kizuna that can make me cry! :bulbaLove:

It's nice seeing May and Serena together. I hope they make an episode about their friendship (?). But wouldn't it have made more sense for Dawn to hang out with May since they already know each other while Serena joined Chloe at the stadium?

I hope the last episode has a reunion with all the old companions at Pallet Town. The way they portrayed this battle feels like it is a big deal unlike the Alola League which felt more like Ash having some fun with his classmates.
 
While I do like Ash, and don’t really care for the moments when he was cut down, belittled, insulted and/or humiliated; I‘ve still gotta say, I’m still not entirely sure about how to feel about this momentous occasion.

I mean, I’m glad that Ash won and everything, but now that he’s been crowned the World Coronation series Champion and declared the strongest trainer in the world, where exactly does he go from here?
 
Srebak said:
While I do like Ash, and don’t really care for the moments when he was cut down, belittled, insulted and/or humiliated; I‘ve still gotta say, I’m still not entirely sure about how to feel about this momentous occasion.

I mean, I’m glad that Ash won and everything, but now that he’s been crowned the World Coronation series Champion and declared the strongest trainer in the world, where exactly does he go from here?
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Based on his episode with Leon, seeing what new the world has in store for him. He may have won the PWC that was fought between Kanto to Galar but with the Pokémon world always expanding, there’s always something new to find.
 
I have only seen it in Japanese, but the final showdown is absolutely epic. I cannot believe I got emotional watching it.

We were all proud when he won the Alola league, but this is next level. He should now be recognised by every recurring character as a force to be reckoned with. That should make for some fun moments when he travels a new searching for new adventures. I don’t know where he goes from here, nerfing him to start again in Paldea feels wrong now.

My only wish is that he used his reserves more; but damn his team put up an exceptional fight. Long live the king!
 
Pikachu vs Charizard was the most spectacular 10 minutes of Pokemon anime I've ever seen, topping even the end to Pikachu vs Tapu Koko. The animators deserve all our thanks for what they accomplished there.

It wasn't just the outstanding animation, but how they conveyed power with the sheer weightiness of each blow. Pikachu and Charizard came off as the absolute monster powerhouses they are, while also showcasing their individual strengths: Charizard's force and bulk, and Pikachu's agility and flexibility. It really does not get better than this.

I was lukewarm on the Ash/Leon thing, but I appreciated how the narrative of the battle evolved and culminated. The time for gimmicks and tricks was over. It was time for a battle of pure will between two trainers and their strongest Pokemon, both expressing their love of battling in its purest form, illustrated perfectly by them clashing heads. Leon was seeking a new high and found it in Ash, who only grows stronger when presented a difficult challenge, and in the end he comes up short. Simple, but effective.

What I found interesting was the contrast in teamwork. Leon made a point of explaining his strategy of using his entire team to whittle Ash down so Charizard could finish things, perhaps implying Ash was unable to see the bigger picture and was too focused on the individual. Ash's strategies are very in the moment and typically not coordinated efforts using all his Pokemon, so Leon might have had a point, but the trust and faith Ash has in his Pokemon - and his Pokemon have for each other - is second to none. In the end, the battle swung Ash's way because in the dying moments, Pikachu drew on the strength of its bonds with EVERY Pokemon Ash owns, whereas Leon and Charizard only had each other to fight for.

That scene was the ultimate fanservice and almost impossible not to choke up tp. Pikachu remembering its very first encounter with Ash, and then being encouraged by the original team, including Butterfree and Pidgeot, was beautiful. They even showed Primeape, Lapras and Larvitar! Don't let anyone tell you Pokemon doesn't care about its older fans. We ate very, very well today.

Now, for some gripes. The exceptional middle was flanked by a flimsy beginning and abrupt ending.

After all the set-up that went into Cinderace - it being this very tricky problem Ash had to overcome - the thing going down to a single attack was a massive anti-climax. It screamed of the writers realising they wrote themselves into a corner and needed to get the thing out of the way to get to the meat of Pikachu vs Charizard, so they contrived this scenario with Eternatus to excuse it.

The end was strange. I'm not sure what they were going for with the fade out, but it didn't really work, since they just showed us what happened anyway. They would have been better off showing the finale in its entirety, rather than a weird attempt at faking out the audience. The trophy ceremony was rushed, as if they ran out of time on the stage they hired and needed to get out before somebody switched the lights off. There was no time to reflect or let things breathe, so I really hope one of the upcoming episodes makes up for that.
 
I do wish that Ash's other Pokémon were actually used instead of just being a spirit bomb cameo but that unfortunately decided long before this episode. It doesn't feel like a cheap trick but it worked on me in moment so that's all that matters
 
Omg, I didn't think an episode of the anime could make me this emotional. Like damn..I don't think I've ever been so excited watching an episode since I was like..a pre-teen. I don't now how to describe this episode other than..glorious. That animation was just chef's kiss. Do I wish the battle against Aceburn was a little longer? Yes. Do I wish more companions were watching it in person? Yes. But none of that matters because this episode overdelivered in every other way.
Also lol, Lizardon got no wins in this match, who would've thought that was possible before the finals started? I love how it looked like I got hit by a train by the end of the match. But that scene with Pikachu remembering its past teammates from the first group to present, that shit was breathtaking. 10/10 idc
 
I had the outcome and cameos spoiled for me but I still found myself crying and smiling harder and longer than I ever have before to the point where my face hurts. Pikachu vs. Charizard was absolutely incredible, every single second of it. Hearing Pikachu breathing heavily, seeing all of Ash's Pokemon to this point, and that final attack... I'm genuinely starstruck.

I never doubted that Ash could do it from the beginning and I'm happy to finally be proven right! Ash is my hero.
 
Peppermint Phoenix said:
I do wish that Ash's other Pokémon were actually used instead of just being a spirit bomb cameo but that unfortunately decided long before this episode. It doesn't feel like a cheap trick but it worked on me in moment so that's all that matters
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It was certainly much better executed this time than when they did it with Lucario back in the Raihan battle since we’ve actually seen Pikachu’s bonds with its teammates for ver the years compared to them having to make up a dynamic with the Journeys team for Lucario. My only gripe is that they again threw in the Mimey retcon of saying it’s one of Ash’s Pokémon despite them pulling it out of their asses this series.
 
Well, this was truly a wonderful thing to finally return back to the forums for. I haven't watched Journeys in quite a long time, most of my knowledge being accumulated from news sources or articles or comments made on Bulbagarden itself...but making the decision to just watch the final episode of Ash vs Leon was a breath of fresh air and honestly reminded me why even after all the criticism I have, after all the toxic arguments in this fandom I've been in online, after all the strange rabbit holes I've fallen into this fandom...it reminded me why I still keep coming back to it.

It makes me feel like a kid again.

And, judging by the majority of everyone's responses, I can tell I am not the only one. This episode was emotional, intense, and an excellent way to cap off Ash's journey for this series. It truly felt like an actual finale, with well timed flashbacks and the absolute intense focus on the animation. Oh, and the animation was truly wonderful in a way I did not expect. Kudos to the anime staff for sticking it out and working hard on this episode, even with less staff and numerous production problems. The score and music was beautiful too. Excellently timed, paced extremely well(I was on the edge of my seat the ENTIRE episode), and the writing...well, the writers certainly gave it their all as well.

It made me really happy to see how expertly Pikachu's determination was shown, how tense everyone in the stadium was, how excited Leon was, how much Ash was truly in his element...and all of this was shown in a combination of their expressions, the dialogue, and their actions. The moment where Pikachu nearly blacked out was, as everyone else has already commented on, truly a treat to see. It was an excellent look into Pikachu's character, a great way to move the battle forward, and goodness was that a well timed fake-out.

I loved this episode. I couldn't stop grinning like an idiot the entire time, cheering excitedly in my mind for Ash and Pikachu to win, and oh, I would love to watch this again with my younger siblings. I'm sure they will love it just as I have.

This episode was epic. Truly, the best way I can say it. :bulbaLove::bulbaLove::bulbaLove:
 
FinnishPokéFan92 said:
Japanese material has counted it as one of Ash's Pokémon since at least BW.
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I don’t care what material says. Considering nothing presented in the actual anime actually supports that, it’s still a retcon. Unlike every Pokémon that has been presented as his, there’s no event that happened in the anime for them to have even made that claim in the first place. It genuinely feels like someone didn’t do the research and that mistake ended up perpetuated.
 
What I love the most about the entire PWC, not just this episode, is how Pikachu is represented. It has speed, strength, an array of tricks, a fun battling style, and from that final clash, unbelievable determination. Pikachu has been acknowledged as a true powerhouse, and after all this time, I adore it. I know this isn’t really related to the thread, and I would applaud if anyone was to make a thread for this particular topic, but is it too much to say Pikachu is Ash’s strongest Pokemon as of right now, out of all of them?

There’s no doubt in my mind that Pikachu beats Infernape and Charizard, especially after performing so well against Cynthia and Steven (knocking out two of their Pokemon), but after beating a Charizard that demolished Alain’s team, on top of a tricky Cinderace, I would consider Pikachu to be stronger than Greninja.
Admittedly, there’s no real way of knowing - power-scaling as a whole is a mess, relying on previous feats that consistently get one-up’d by future events - but, again, it’s nice to see Pikachu be the top-dog/mouse, even after all of its previous spotlight.
 
Please note: The thread is from 1 year ago.
Please take the age of this thread into consideration in writing your reply. Depending on what exactly you wanted to say, you may want to consider if it would be better to post a new thread instead.
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