The Signature Pokémon is Kingambit!? - Pokémon Horizons Episode 58 Review - The Kingambit at Anything Eatery

Did you know that the events of this week's episode were foreshadowed all the way back in Episode 21? In that episode, there was a scene where Friede mentioned that he once went to a restaurant and had his appetite spoiled because of a marital spat he heard in the kitchen. This episode had one of the restaurant owners, Nandi, mention that “the adventurer guy” hasn’t stopped by their restaurant recently, and Nandi and Mokichi are a couple who argue constantly. There’s only one character I know that looks as if he’s dressed to go on an adventure and that’s Friede. I like how they added in continuity from a very obscure piece of dialogue, which shows how detail oriented Pokémon Horizons can be.

This episode actually had some really good development for Dot! She’s usually so shy and awkward around people, but here for once she’s actually being assertive and talkative! She gives constructive criticism on how the couple should serve the food in the restaurant, and even uses the opportunity to lure in people using her Quaxly, both from him acting cute, and then using him for a Pokemon battle against Sidian. Dot did worry a bit about butting in and being intrusive for the business, but Mokichi doesn’t seem to mind the help. Her experience with live-streaming seems to have helped with giving constructive feedback!

I like how Medali being a gourmet hub in-game is carried over to the anime! A lot of restaurants are shown, and even Treasure Eatery is mentioned! Because of there being so many restaurants, competition is extremely high, hence why Anything Eatery was getting very little customers to the point that they resorted to ruining their signature udon with so many unnecessary toppings. It shows how competition can change a business.

I thought Kingambit was very funny in this episode. It just waned to help out in the restaurant and make udon, but it’s terrible with customer service. It’s pretty much a parody of the ‘looks like a scary guy, but is actually very sweet’ trope commonly seen in anime and manga! While making udon is its specialty, I do think it was a wasted opportunity for the episode to not focus on making people learn that Kingambit is a huge softie underneath its scary appearance. But I suppose that since the episode is about a restaurant, taste is king.

I also liked how it’s not Coral, but rather Sidian with a food-related struggle this time around. Coral has previously been seen throwing tantrums over sweets, while Sidian does seem as if he gets a little irritated when famished. He’s usually calm and composed, so for him to misunderstand a simple bump on the legs as a challenge felt a little out of character, but it still feels understandable because people do the craziest things when they’re hungry. I also liked seeing a sillier side to Sidian! At least he enjoyed the food at the end!

Larry showing up at the end was a nice little detail. Nandi mentioned that other than the adventurer guy not showing up, they also have a bone-tired salaryman coming by every now and then. Larry is a tired as heck salaryman, so the description fits. He seemed to enjoy how simple the noodles are, and even said that simple is best, referencing his preference for the Normal type. I honestly can’t wait for the battle with Dot and Larry… which will be in two weeks.

Yes, there is a break next week, meaning that the awaited Dot vs Larry battle will have to wait in two weeks. Judging from the previews, it’s finally time for Quaxly to evolve! Waiting two weeks is going to be arduous! What were your thoughts on the episode?