Review S17 EP39: Summer of Discovery!

[Hidden Mew]

XY039 - Bulbapedia, the community-driven Pokémon encyclopedia

Please keep all discussion regarding future episodes in spoiler tags. Thank you.

 

[Beth Pavell]

Not a bad episode to start an arc off with. Y'know, I stick by my assertion that I never minded Serena having no immediate dream at the start of the series. What bugged me was how so often when she did anything for herself she was asking Ash what he thought (Shippy shippy hint hint). So now it looks like the thread's being picked up and she's starting to get focus that's actually about her and not just damn pairings. I like it, in short, and I hope it continues throughout the arc.

Tierno's a lot less annoying than in the games. I actually found break-dancing Squirtle to be quite amusing, and since it actually fits onto his battling I can actually buy it. The other two, eh, they're ok. Both Shauna and Trevor have a bit more pop than in the games - I'm kind of glad that Shauna's not just another manic genki girl.

It's a shame that Meowth's paper-thin disguises keep letting the TRio down. Their disguise designs have generally got better in XY, and the chef guises are the best yet

Overall, good, I enjoyed it, not a lot to rave about

 

[Moe]

I'm certainly impressed by the dub voices for Tierno, Shauna and Trevor - even if some of Tierno's expressions would have been dated when the show started, let alone now.

Something that I didn't pick up when seeing this episode raw was that Shauna and the others aren't travelling together - I suppose growing up together is enough to make them close friends, but it makes me wonder why they'd travel where they would without much reason to go to particular locations. Trevor especially - why not go travel the world to see more Pokemon?

I also wonder if that means we will get episodes with one of them, rather than the whole group - it's hard enough balancing screen time in each episode over the 4 characters on the main cast, let alone 7.

The scene with Trevor first meeting Serena, referring to her as the 'really pretty girl', followed by Tierno going into fangirl mode is such an odd thing for the anime to deal with for a main character. Ash's absolute obliviousness to Serena's interest in him is more stark when you have other male characters having such a totally different reaction to her. Serena getting attention from everyone except Ash has got to be depressing.

I'm also not sure how Clemont's on a 'journey to make his dreams come true' as Serena implied while being all worried about how she didn't have anything to aim for while everyone else did. Clemont's comments about Ash teaching him new things about Pokemon puts him way too close to Cilan's justification for following Ash around. To me, Clemont's reason to be on a journey is just as unstated, if not less so, than Serena.

Anyway, as the episode is mostly about introducing the new characters, I can't fault it on that.

 

[Sakuraa]

Great episode and a nice start to the arc.

First off, Sycamore's introduction at the beginning of the episode was nice to see. I also like how these guys are given teams, but I wonder how they choose them. I mean Ash's group just so happens to be Team Froakie while Tierno's crew is Team Squirtle? Of course, maybe it's because Sycamore knows what Pokémon they have. I'm guessing each person just tells them one Pokémon they have and that becomes their team name.

Wow, that had to be a weak-ass Conkeldurr to get K.O.ed by one attack from a Squirtle. At the same time, I love how Tierno incorporates dancing into his battles. It was so cute seeing Squirtle mimic him as they danced. Tierno’s voice really surprised me. I just expected him to have this deep-ass voice. Not just because of the Japanese version either, I just always envisioned him having a deep voice. Despite that, I think this voice actually fits.

Damn, Tierno is fast. I can't believe he just ran over and grabbed Shauna like that! Though at the same time...that was cute. Anyway, nice to see that they recognized Serena from her Pokevision video. Shauna's video was nice. Pretty simplistic, but nice. Ecept whe she mentioned that Bulbasaur has a cute voice. C’mon, that thing sounds like it’s hoarse or something. Also Bulbasaur...wow. And I thought Fennekin was rather snobby. But no, it’s shy. Yeah. Oh gosh Chespin. Please stop. Please don't become another Pokeball popout guy. At least he didn’t steal everyone's food today. I wonder why Ash just randomly decided to send out Froakie. I mean, obviously outside of the fact that the writers wanted to show every starter together. He has 3 other Pokémon in their Pokeballs and he just choses one to come out at meet everyone? I guess he just wanted a “Sycamore Pokémon Playdate”. Ya know again, outside of the “all starters must be together” rule.

And now we have Trevor and Charmander. Charmander seems pretty cool, unlike Trevor who seems to share Clemont's athleticism or lack thereof. Damn! What's with his Charmander?! Why'd he try to bite Pikachu and Fennekin? He just likes battling that much that he tries to randomly kill other Pokemon. So it seems like Trevor takes pics of Pokémon in addition to wanting to see them all. Again, surprised with Trevor’s voice. I thought he’d have a high pitched voice, but his is pretty deep. Wonder why they decided to do that? Though just like Tierno, I still think it fits.

I wish the battles would have been longer, but whatever. Fennekin got some battle experience and Serena sees that she needs more training. And I loved Squirtle's dancing. Seriously. He and Tierno are so in sync. Speaking of which I like how all of the Pokémon-trainer relationships between the groups seem to match. Tierno and Squirtle seem pretty similar like Ash and Froakie. Serena and Fennekin share interests like Shauna and Bulbsaur, with the Pokémon sometimes being more snobby (or shy) than the trainer. And Clemont and Trevor are a bit more reserved while their starters are pretty wild. I like that. I think this arc will be really interesting.

What the hell, TR can cook? Well then why do they always seem to be scrapping for food, even to the point of stealing?

And lastly, I like how we had the scene of Serena at the end where she reflects on everyone else having a dream, deciding that she needs one. I hope this is the kickstart to some real development with her. Really nice overall. 9.9/10.

 

[Beth Pavell]

What the hell, TR can cook? Well then why do they always seem to be scrapping for food, even to the point of stealing?

It's not the first time they've cooked to earn some cash. And being able to cook isn't the same as being able to afford food

 

[Sakuraa]

What the hell, TR can cook? Well then why do they always seem to be scrapping for food, even to the point of stealing?

It's not the first time they've cooked to earn some cash. And being able to cook isn't the same as being able to afford food

Well, James is rich so he can definitely afford some food for them. But still, the fact that they know how to cook means that they should be able to cook for themselves rather than resort to buying or stealing.

 

[garrison-san]

What the hell, TR can cook? Well then why do they always seem to be scrapping for food, even to the point of stealing?

It's not the first time they've cooked to earn some cash. And being able to cook isn't the same as being able to afford food

Well, James is rich so he can definitely afford some food for them. But still, the fact that they know how to cook means that they should be able to cook for themselves rather than resort to buying or stealing.

James isn't rich. That vast fortune belongs to his parents, not to him. And they won't grant him his inheritance unless he agrees to marry Jessiebelle, which he has staunchly rejected.

 

[Beth Pavell]

What the hell, TR can cook? Well then why do they always seem to be scrapping for food, even to the point of stealing?

It's not the first time they've cooked to earn some cash. And being able to cook isn't the same as being able to afford food

Well, James is rich so he can definitely afford some food for them. But still, the fact that they know how to cook means that they should be able to cook for themselves rather than resort to buying or stealing.

You still need to buy the raw ingredients. Although come to think of it, this episode does kind of highlight one of the lesser-mentioned anime clichés: the characters always eat delicious food, except on rare occasions when it's comically dreadful. Nobody ever seems to make merely average food

 

[Necrozma]

I'm also not sure how Clemont's on a 'journey to make his dreams come true' as Serena implied while being all worried about how she didn't have anything to aim for while everyone else did. Clemont's comments about Ash teaching him new things about Pokemon puts him way too close to Cilan's justification for following Ash around. To me, Clemont's reason to be on a journey is just as unstated, if not less so, than Serena..

Well if you think about it, at least Clemont knows why he's travelling. He didn't just randomly decide join Ash. The point is that everyone is travelling with some sort of purpose, they know what they want to do, they know who they want to be. Clemont knows that he wants to become stronger and braver like Ash and he also knows he wants to become an inventor and create inventions to help Pokémon (which he said in the original according to the subs, not sure whether the dub kept that line).

Serena doesn't, which makes her an entirely different case.

Serena is travelling...just because.

She doesn't know where's she going, what she's doing or what she wants to do. She's been a character without purpose up until this point and this right here is when Serena comes to realize just that.

 

[Sakuraa]

You still need to buy the raw ingredients. Although come to think of it, this episode does kind of highlight one of the lesser-mentioned anime clichés: the characters always eat delicious food, except on rare occasions when it's comically dreadful. Nobody ever seems to make merely average food

I just find it odd that they have ways to make all their crazy inventions to try steal Pikachu, but they can't come across some money to buy food or food ingredients. Not to mention that like you said, they can work for food money. Though I suppose I shouldn't be trying to look for logic in this show anyway

 

[Beth Pavell]

You still need to buy the raw ingredients. Although come to think of it, this episode does kind of highlight one of the lesser-mentioned anime clichés: the characters always eat delicious food, except on rare occasions when it's comically dreadful. Nobody ever seems to make merely average food

I just find it odd that they have ways to make all their crazy inventions to try steal Pikachu, but they can't come across some money to buy food or food ingredients. Not to mention that like you said, they can work for food money. Though I suppose I shouldn't be trying to look for logic in this show anyway

Oh, I think you're right that it's odd, even though in a couple of episodes they make a point of mentioning how they blow the budget on the inventions. Hell, they are excellent entrepreneurs - I never found their reasons for remaining criminals all that convincing

 

[EvilChameleon]

Fun episode. Great start to this Summer Camp story. Loved the voices, and none of the characters are as annoying as they are in the games, so thank god for that.

 

[Grabbergirl]

Nice episode! Ugh I hate Trevor's voice!

 

[Gabo2oo]

You still need to buy the raw ingredients. Although come to think of it, this episode does kind of highlight one of the lesser-mentioned anime clichés: the characters always eat delicious food, except on rare occasions when it's comically dreadful. Nobody ever seems to make merely average food

Average food was probably eaten during the Orange Islands and Kalos as well. Tracey and Clemont don't seem like specialized cooks, so I always assumed the comments on Clemont's food were mostly compliments, as a way of saying he cooks well, but not necessarily exceptionally well like Brock and Cilan's food.

I just find it odd that they have ways to make all their crazy inventions to try steal Pikachu, but they can't come across some money to buy food or food ingredients. Not to mention that like you said, they can work for food money. Though I suppose I shouldn't be trying to look for logic in this show anyway

This pretty discussed "contradiction" about the Team Rocket trio actually answers itself. They spend the little to no money they manage to get on making their mechas, so they don't have anything left for food. That's how far their obsession with achieving their goal is. Of course, this doesn't apply anymore because since Best Wishes, the organization affords their devices, and as seen in an early XY episode, they were eating croissants at a café with no problems.

 

[Queen Cynthia]

I'd call it a so-so episode.

On the one hand, it was quite a nice introduction to a hopefully good and interesting mini-arc, but on the other hand, there were a few points that I have to talk about:

My main point of criticism is that there seemed to be way too much talking and too little action in this episode. Sure, all those people still have to get to know each other but some of the dialogs were really repetitive if you ask me! Case in point: Ash mentioning once again that his dream was to become a Pokemon Master. Well, Ash, instead of constantly talking about it, how about doing some SERIOUS training to at least have a small chance of achieving your goal?

Also, can you tell me, why Ash's battle was suddenly interrupted by the judge? Froakie was far from being defeated?! While it was already a pity that we didn't get to see more battles in general, that scene was really illogical and disappointing.

Last but not least, I didn't like the new characters' design. Tierno was a fat boy with an extremely ugly haircut and a Vanillite-shirt. Seriously?? That kind of gives me the creeps!!
Shauna was quite o.k. but I still don't get what she stands for. And finally we have Trevor: Come on, that guy looks more like a girl than a boy...totally crazy! Unless they do something really interesting in the next few episodes, I guess I won't like our heroes' new friends.

What I found really entertaining, though, was the fact that Trio can actually cook. Also, I'm not surprised in the least bit that the great cooking was mainly James' achievement. I'm convinced that he has always been the most skilled and intelligent member of Team Rocket while Jessie loves to see herself as the boss and Meowth actually isn't as bad as he seems to be.

All in all, a decent episode but next time, I'd like to see more action, please.

 

[CrashBash]

Also, can you tell me, why Ash's battle was suddenly interrupted by the judge? Froakie was far from being defeated?! While it was already a pity that we didn't get to see more battles in general, that scene was really illogical and disappointing.

Because Squirtle touched Froakie. "First-Touch-Battle" and all that.

 

[Team Gaara]

College can really make reviewing these episodes tough. I'll keep this one short and simple. Note that I am going off of memory of seeing this ABOUT A WEEK AGOOOO! so please, bear with me.

This arc seems interesting. I don't quite understand why Sycamore's doing this random camp thing, but we get to see the XY Rivals, so why not?

The three are pretty cool in the Anime. Tierno has the best voice ever and is pretty funny with the dancing. Shauna's voice seemed a bit weird at first, but it seems pretty fitting for her. And Trevor's was pretty good, too. Highlight would probably be Tierno grabbing Shauna and running with her like a football. I still don't see how this PokeVision stuff works, but it seems to be that any random derp can become famous off of them. Also, Shauna's video, tho? I didn't think one could be more boring than Serena's...why are Trevor and Tierno so enthralled with her? Being pretty is one thing; that video of her's was sh*t!

Anyway, the Kanto starters were also pretty unique. We have a Bulbasaur that makes Serena's Fennekin look like an angel, a Squirtle who's just as much of a boss as his trainer, and a Charmander who's nothing like his trainer. Seems legit!!

We also get Serena's first real battle. Ain't it about time? -_- Figures she'd be the one to lose to a Grass-type with a Fennekin, but it is Serena and at least she realizes that she sucks. So maybe, just maybe, we can hope that she might FINALLY consider training Fennekin!

And finally, we once again have Team Rocket sliding their way into the mini arc by pretending to be profession chefs or something now. And we have another boss who just won't take her eyes off of them and somehow thinks they're awesome. Won't this be interesting? -_-

Best of all, though, we have Serena finally, FINALLY realize that she ain't doing sh*t and needs to get her ass in gear and do something with herself and quite taking up space on the team. It took this long for her to realize this, but it's really better late than never at this point.

Overall, I think this'll make for an intriguing arc. Seeing the XY rivals is pretty exciting. Hopefully they'll be a little more fleshed out than their game counterparts, which already seems to be the case. Better yet, let's hope Serena get's a goal in mind by the end of this, if not sooner. 8.5/10

 

[Muur]

Jessie cut her hair? Her face looks different...

How does a Squirtle beat a Conkeldor, should've been Gurrdur at most.

I just wanted to hear Shauna's voice. Not disappointed.

See this is why I wanted others to have Pokedexs, then Ash doesn't have to scan Pokemon he owns...

Teams are lopsided if Ash's has 4, with Shauna's having three. Shouldn't Bonnie battle?

...hows that'a win for Squirtle?

Eh, just a general intro episode. Hope the rest is fun.