#//deoxys arc take two

[aura-acolyte]

Anyways, I think I might check out that new Battle Frontier they just opened. Bet it'll be fun.

#pokeblogging #pkmn irl #pokemon irl #irl pkmn #//deoxys arc take two #//and just in time for byrd's return how fortuitous #//for me not for her

[ceriseisland]

Can you talk about what exactly blue’s (f) arc was in FRLG?

I have two thoughts on her "arc" in frlg: that it's conceptually interesting and that she also suffered from a nonsensical personality change

FRLG opens with Silver stating that Green has recovered from her trauma with the help of her friends. This is the logical next step to take her development after GSC, but Kusaka decided to essentially remove her personality to show that she's grown as a person. Like, her personality was formed from trauma so we're just taking the whole thing away to show that she isn't traumatized anymore, which isn't how people work. This is similar to how Yellow's bravado and denseness has been slowly replaced by softness and shyness ever since she was revealed to be a girl. It doesn't feel like a logical progression like other dexholders have, but instead she just feels like a new version of the same character

Some things about Green in FRLG are completely different. Why does Red say he doesn't want to involve her in the fight? The arc acts like her parents disappearing in front of her is the most traumatic thing instead of, like, just another traumatic event on the list of shit she's been dealing with since she was five. Her response doesn't make sense when we know that her cheeky personality is a response to growing up having to take care of herself, so completely dropping that especially in the face of stress feels weird. I assume she would revert to her old coping mechanisms under stress, but instead she's more open and vulnerable than we've ever seen her despite the rawness of the situation (compare that to how Ruby keeps reverting to his bad coping mechanisms despite his efforts to change). And Red has seen her overcome her fear of birds by capturing the legendary bird trio and showing up to fight with them, so wanting to keep her out of the fight doesn't make sense either. And why does professor oak insist that she's the most sensible kanto dexholder? The girl he publicly humiliated for stealing? She's definitley not more level headed than them enough to justify only giving her vital information. It really does feel like her personality was yanked out and replaced with Generic Girl personality. It doesn't feel like a realistic next step for her development as a person

On the other hand, her "arc" fits really well into the theme of FRLG (though some of it is just speculation). FRLG is a story about these one dimensional characters in a simple shonen universe growing up and realizing that the world is more complicated than they thought, and suffering because they dont realize it at first. For Green, she starts out in new clothes sitting pretty and proper under an umbrella, waiting for her parents to arrive and everything wrong with her childhood to be righted. But since this is FRLG, it isn't that simple, and her parents get abducted by Deoxys. Then later on we get this exchange

where she admits to her parents that she's changed because of what she went through and she can't go home just yet. It seems to me like Green thought she could make everything go back to the way it was before she was kidnapped. That's why the first full shot we get of her is this

where she's sitting all ladylike waiting for them, and she definitely isn't a ladylike person. I think there's some delusion there about a simple world, like other dexholders in this arc, where she thinks if she just acts like the child her parents lost, they'll go back to being the family they were when she was little. But she changed because she was kidnapped, and it's impossible to go back to who she was before all the bad things happened. I think that's what Kusaka was getting at with her here, that just like with Silver the ending is tragic and bittersweet. It feeds really well into the theme of FRLG, even if it isn't focused on much

[antihibikase-archive]

Thought about the PokeAni Movie plots since the entirety of Relic Castle Arc was inspired by the Entei Movie (and The Book of Exodus), so I came up with post-Relic Castle adventures for them;

Manaphy Movie - takes place a year after Relic Castle, which is how Cheren gets his Manaphy. The Slater brothers head to Oblivia with Noland and Norman only to get entangled in a mission with Rand, Noland and Norman's youngest brother. Hilbert sneaks onboard with Nate and Hugh, and they go through the plot of the Temple of The Sea, with the antagonists being Purple Eyes of the Pokemon Pinchers.

Celebi Movie - takes place around the same time as the Manaphy Movie; Bianca leaves on an assignment to the Sinjoh Ruins from Fennel, and is accompanied by Hilda, Rosa, and N. Trekking through the forest leading to the ruins, they meet a pair of sisters with an injured Celebi, claiming they were transported out of their time and are seeking for a way to return while avoiding the strange people in suits who are seeking to capture Celebi. The antagonists are Archer and Arianna, ex-executives of Team Rocket.

Deoxys Movie - takes place just before SM/USUM arc, so around a year and a half or two years after Relic Castle, with the setting being a newly renovated and technologically advanced Battle Frontier in Hoenn, having been modeled after LaRousse City in the anime following Anabel's retirement. Grimsley and Nikolai came to Hoenn under orders from the league, for Nikolai to look into a meteor that fell in the vicinity recently, while Cheren accompanies Nate in trying out the different facilities.

After Deoxys awakens and unintentionally traps everyone by tampering with the electromagnetic waves, the block bots and robots in the city prevent many from leaving, trapping them in the area with Deoxys and its growing clones, who is searching for something. There aren't antagonists in this story considering it's Deoxys and Rayquaza simply having a misunderstanding and involving the people in the area, but Nikolai takes Tory's place in befriending the docile Deoxys within the meteor.

#BW/BW2 Rewrite - Blur / Blight #((I am biased towards the Hoenn movies. They were my favorite. <3)) #((Also- the sisters in the Celebi Movie plot one are Anthea and Concordia pre-Ghetsis abduction. They get inspired by Hilda and co-)) #((-in their efforts to protect the Pokemon of Sinjoh Ruins' forest and express a desire to protect Pokemon in the future. Unintentionally-) #((-becoming the Anthea and Concordia we know today once they return to their regular time.))

[crystalelemental]

“books-are-my-life-stuff: Yeah, it was a fun story, but I do have some problems too. Kinda wish the whole Zinnia being able to mega evolve her Rayquaza went a bit longer, with her attempting and failing and eventually succeeded. The whole Deoxys going after Steven's Rayquaza was also kinda weird too, it's never explained why, I was as confused as Steven, and somehow Steven defeated Deoxys and formed a sync pair for no reason.“

I expected Zinnia to at least need to find the requisite Meteor, and having Deoxys seeming to appear from the ocean being an indication of its location and having that be a sidequest, but no it just kinda happened.  The Steven/Deoxys thing is also rushed and ill explained, but I give it a pass for being so funny.  Deoxys just wants to kill and he’s like “No, look at my rock collection and chill.”

“The whole Team Rocket stealing Pasio trainers' pokemon scene also went way too quick for it to leave meaningful impression to me. I think the reason why Maxie and Archie didn't look villainous at all here is because, well, I don't think they're villains. I think they're environmental extremists with very different ideology. In the original games, they regretted their actions as soon as they realized that Kyogre and Groudon could cause disasters in Hoenn.  (Maybe my interpretations are wrong, haven't played Hoenn games for a long time, last time was Alpha Sapphire almost two years ago). I do like the bits of Maxie trying to snap Courtney out of it, and Archie too towards Matt, really shows how tight-knit the community of both Team Magma and Team Aqua. They care about each other like families--something that not many antagonist teams have.”

I’d agree, but I think part of my hope, at least, was that Maxie and Archie would get to present as something other than buffoons.  Which I guess they are, but still.  It is cute to see their interactions with their subordinates, once again I like Archie better because they’re bros while Maxie’s mostly just scolding and talking about their regulated expectations, but that’s just me.  The Team Rocket thing was really quick, but honestly my gut reaction was “Wait, that’s messed up, we’re really just going to establish that a bunch of sync pairs had their Pokemon stolen and nothing’s going to be done about it?”  It was surprisingly bleak for a quick shot.

“That's what I want as well. No hecking way Ghetsis will stop being evil, or joining the team, but Ghetsis knows how manipulative Giovanni is from Father or Foe, so I don't think he'll be joining Giovanni. Possibly there will be two threats: Ghetsis and Giovanni at the same time? Lysandre also alluded that he won't be changing his viewpoint anytime soon, so maybe he'll be a villain as well in Kalos Villain Arc? So that makes three villains to take down?”

That seems most likely for Ghetsis, my problem is that it’s likely going to come down to Giovanni winning.  Ghetsis and Giovanni are similar brands of evil, low scale enough that they could hypothetically win and able to be entertaining as pure evil.  But of the two, I’d fully expect Giovanni to be the one that remains after the dust settles, while Ghetsis has to back down.  Which is a bit lame.  It’s also going to likely involve Colress.  My hope is that the event just focuses on Ghetsis and Colress and N, and Giovanni isn’t even around.  Same with Lysandre.  He’s definitely at an extreme and won’t back down, so I am really curious where his story will go.  I kinda expect he gets Cyrus’d a bit, where he’s convinced to stop for a while after losing, and is kinda in this weird almost domesticated state afterward.  But we’ll see.  I just...hope they do something interesting for Lusamine.  I’m really holding out for the “Lillie gets kidnapped” approach, resulting in Lusamine going villain mode in a showcase of yeah she’s turned around how she engages with her kids, but here’s how extreme she can be in defense of her family.  My greatest fear is they go with the mind-control shit USUM tried to pull.  I think I’d actually cry.  But it feels like we’re headed that direction because they don’t seem to want to establish anything but Giovanni as a manipulative big bad, and I just...I am worried now.

“What I also like from Hoenn Villain Arc is...Steven and Zinnia's friendship...though, it's hard to say they're friends, just allies, I dunno. Zinnia didn't like Steven at all in Delta Episode. Hearts United implied that Steven and Zinnia are in better terms, but Zinnia still doesn't feel like talking with Steven for too long. Here, they cooperate--they felt like rivals and allies at the same time. It's still hard to say if they're friends, but I like their alliance.”

The banter was playful and I liked it a lot.  “I’m not giving the job to you, it’s now a race.”  That’s cute, I like it.

#books-are-my-life-stuff

[infizero]

pokespe reread: firered & leafgreen chapter - closing thoughts! 🔥🌿

we've come to the end of FRLG! i really like this chapter. its great getting to see these guys again when they're a little older, and seeing silver interact with the kanto dexholders outside of just blue; alongside everything with him and giovanni of course. let's get into it!

first off, i think this is the first arc where there's been such a clear overarching theme. im sure if i really sat down and thought about it i could come up with something for the other chapters, but this is the first one where it's felt so obvious. that theme of course being family - specifically family meeting either for the first time or the first time in a while

we start the story with blue going to finally reunite with her parents, who she hasn't seen since she was five. giovanni and silver are both looking for each other, having been separated when silver was only two. later we find out that deoxys' has red's blood, which connects them biologically and makes deoxys want to seek him out.

and in the end, the day is saved by mew, coming to the rescue of its offspring, which mewtwo appreciates bcuz it's never really gotten to meet mew before. there's also green and professor oak. other than those two, they're all people who are biologically connected and either haven't met or have been separated for a long time.

i just think it's really cool how pervasive this theme is, and how it manifests in different forms! specifically the fact that we get that kind of relationship between humans, between pokemon, and between both. i think thats cool

sort of going off of that, i think the flashback to blue and silver escaping in the beginning is a great opener, even if it takes a while to come back. i actually didnt know until this readthrough that that story was originally its own individually published thing and not technically part of the FRLG chapter!

i think even with that in mind, it serves the purpose of reminding the reader of their backstories, which is specifically important in this arc since both of their origins are explored. it reminds you just how much they've been through and how much reuniting with their families would mean to them, which makes everything that happens with that later in the chapter hit way harder than if we were only reminded of their past in brief mentions in dialogue or whatever.

silver's character in general is really strong in this arc, you really feel for him. and like i mentioned before, it's really cool getting to see him interact with yellow and green! i like both of their dynamics with him, and i think it's especially nice to see how green and silver are on better terms compared to the end of GSC lol

going onto his dad. i really love giovanni in this chapter. i love how he's still a villain but when it comes to silver he's actually like. a good dad? and super dedicated to trying to find him again and protect him etc etc.

also with all the talk of silver becoming the future leader of team rocket, it reminded me of how in RGB giovanni initially offered red a position in team rocket as his right hand man. back then i mentioned how perhaps in a way, he was seeking to fill the void his missing son left behind, and i definitely think that's true even if he wasn't consciously aware of it.

moving on, MEWTWO!! i love seeing mewtwo work alongside red and the others, and i really like its dynamic with deoxys, im happy they got to be friends in the end. i like how mewtwo fights giovanni bcuz it doesnt want another pokemon to suffer at his hands like it did :( i just really like how mewtwo is portrayed in pokespe in general

last note on the more minor characters in this arc before i get to the more major players - yellow finally gets to be an official dexholder!! yay!!

i will say that i wish they still looked more androgynous; yamamoto definitely draws them more overtly femininely in this chapter. but at the very least we got the "for some reason, she chose to hide her identity as a girl" line in their bio which is a massive win for me. i wont elaborate lest i ramble about non-binary yellow for 5000 years again

anyways. RGB BABEYYY

i love them sooooo much, i love how much they care about each other ToT seeing blue and green get to actually fucking talk to each other was very much appreciated. and the scene where blue talks to red thanking him for saving her and reassuring him was sooo sweet.

i already kinda said a lot of this, but i like how green and blue react differently to red's little crisis (we'll get there in a second.) blue's been through a lot of shit, of course she wouldn't look down on red for being scared and respect his decision to just stay out of it.

meanwhile green is more hotheaded and so when red, who never gives up, decides to just give up and not even try, green of course gets frustrated. he doesn't really think red is a coward or anything, he just gets frustrated when red shuts him down without even trying to hear him out.

on the topic of red and green specifically, i LOVEEEEEEEE their dynamic in this chapter. i love how much it's shown that they are best friends and they care about each other. even with them arguing, by the end you're never led to believe they're anything other than best friends. getting to see them smile at each other and hang out (and the implication that they hang out one-on-one a lot? at least enough that yellow just assumed that red would be with green) makes me so so happy

and i loveeee how green is constantly looking out for red in this chapter. there's like 3 separate instances where red can't stand and green supports him, and just in general stuff like green always making sure he's ok......... its really really sweet i love their dynamic in this arc specifically so much

alright and now we get to the big one. ohhhh red i love you you have so many issues

red's crisis in this arc is sooooo gifted kid core. like. he's been this fantastic trainer from such a young age, he became champion, he literally brought down a crime syndicate when he was 11, etc etc.

so of course when he loses to deoxys, he immediately spirals into "oh im a failure im washed up i actually dont deserve to be a dexholder im useless lol". he does not know how to deal with failure.

and the thing is, this definitely stems from his defeat on mt moon. these feelings aren't new, this is definitely something he's thought about before and this experience was just the breaking point. being defeated on mt moon was his first big failure but this one establishes it as a "pattern" in his eyes which is why he freaks out so much.

from the way he apologizes to his pokemon afterwards, it's also very clear to me that he still has a LOT of lingering guilt about what happened on mt moon. this was already shown in GSC when he left pika behind in order to protect him; he clearly felt extremely guilty about pika getting injured on mt moon and didnt want something like that to happen again. so obviously when something like that happens again here, he gets super upset.

speaking of what happened on mt moon, him being so open to working with lorelei feels a littleeee weird to me? but to be fair they are in a tough situation where they really need to work together and red is a very nice purehearted person so. shrugs. idk i can buy that

another thing about that is how easy it is to read red as still having lasting damage from being frozen in this arc. the instance i found particularly notable was when he and green are undergoing ultima's training.

they both go through the same amount of strain, but while green is just winded, red gets exhausted to the point where he can't physically stand anymore and has to be supported by green, which lines up with his issues with standing after being frozen which were explored in GSC.

it's never actually stated that red got fully healed at mt silver technically? iirc. but i feel like thats supposed to be the implication, since sabrina sends him to the extra special spring that's supposed to work more thoroughly and quickly, and we don't see him have any more issues related to that damage - at least that are pointed out in the story itself as stemming from that. but subtle stuff like this to me reads as him still having at least some damage even after mt silver

which also can tie into his whole gifted kid mentality in this arc. (this part is more interpretation, bear with me) it's not just about his battling skills, but also him being physically weaker than he was pre-mt moon. i can imagine that that would be something that would continue to frustrate him. even if he's able to know his limits (sometimes lol), he doesn't like the fact that those limits exist in the first place, yknow? he wishes he could just be perfectly able-bodied like before and the fact that he isn't contributes to the feelings of unworthiness he struggles with during this arc.

i guess in summary, as @/sugarglider-s put it. men will literally have a breakdown on the beach about not being able to beat deoxys and therefore deem themselves worthless instead of getting a mobility aid

on a lighter note. this blank tank top is the best and gayest red has ever looked 10/10 no notes

and that's about all i have to say for FRLG!! hope they're cool with just chilling in that stone for a while, because it'll be a lil bit before we get back to them. it's EMERALD TIME baby!!!

im excited for emerald purely bcuz. i get to see my little guy again. but also because it's probably the arc i remember the least? like i could tell you shit about the other chapters but i have literally no memory of wtf happens in emerald other than. well. emerald's there. so we shall see!!! see you then!!

#serena.txt #pksp reread #frlg reread #WOO. i always underestimate how long it takes me to write these lmao

[medea10]

Medea Plays Pokemon Sword: Part IV

So since last time, I earned my eighth and final badge and so I can compete in the Challenger’s Cup.

So...no Elite Four?

Not to complain, but even Alola had an Elite Four.

Instead, we get something that’s almost similar to what the anime does during Pokemon League arcs. Whatever! Off to Wyndon...

You’re not fooling anybody. This is fucking London!

Huh.

I seem to recall obtaining an in-game trade during the Red/Blue games involving a Mr. Mime with that exact, same name.

Nice call-back, guys.

What the shit?

I would not put the fat squirrely with the apple pokemon in the same room.

Fat Squirrely can’t be trusted.

Well, before I go to the stadium, I think it’s time I do some last-minute training and exploring in the wild area again.

And flee for my life! Gallade is a fast fucker. Meanwhile...

Gardevoir doesn’t chase me. I guess some pokemon aren’t scary in this area.

And then this happened...

A trainer by the name of Tracey gave me something in his pocket and disappeared.

*sniffles*

Life just loves to give me an invisible Tracey. Life, thou art cruel.

Oh yeah, because it was Thanksgiving a few days ago, I thought I would have a few family get-togethers.

Father Zoro and daughter Rei were quite peaceful during their time together.

Then I got a bunch of Eeveelutions together (they’re all brothers and sisters btw).

Mic liked what Leafy’s done with his hair.

And Bolt kept challenging everyone to a race.

Pokedex entry time?

Nice, you made that reference! At least this reference didn’t involve a Dubwool being turned inside-out like in South Park.

So...it’s doing self-harm in order to “play” the guitar. Dang!

Okay, time for Champion Cup!

FINALLY, SOMEONE AGREES WITH ME!

I have my own speculations of who the dude might be. Right now, the top choices are Professor Oak, Samson Oak, or that one guy at an anime convention that dresses like a buff Diglett.

First match is against Marnie. I kicked her butt.

And then I put Hop in his place (for the whatever number it was) time.

After two battles, the champion decided to pay us a visit.

Not before hamming it up for the peanut gallery. Hey, at least he’s treating us to dinner. However...

Turns out Leon is with the chairman.

This is awesome. Piers, Marnie, and the fat bastards of Team Yell are going to team up with us.

As expected, I can’t trust this bitch. And I was right to believe so because she has hired goons to “take care” of us at every turn.

And what have we learned from the Red/Blue games? Never trust a goon who’s staring at a wall or poster on a wall.

We end up at the monorail station with more of Oleana’s hired goons blocking our path. This looks like a job for Piers!

I just love how he pulls out a microphone out of literally nowhere and starts singing in the middle of the station.

It worked though.

See, even Marnie is suspicious. This guy has gotta be a shifty mother fucker!

Yeah, this is totally not an innocent meetup between Rose and Leon.

Oleana’s hired goons are totally threatening. I think the bloke on the right really wants my corpse.

Why, do you plan on throwing our bodies off the edge?

Your hired goons all had steel-type pokemon. My level 70 Cinderace laid waste to these fuckers in 5 minutes or less.

Jesus Shit!

Okay, if the anime ever gets to this plot, PLEASE have Oleana be played by Miki Itou.

See, I knew this woman and the chairman are full of garbage. And to add to my point...

This bitch has a pile of garbage as a dynamaxed pokemon.

Called it.

Lysandre and Cyrus vibes, guys! Come on, I called it months ago that this guy was going to be the bad guy!

Anyone else still trust this guy? Show of hands!

OH FUCK ME, NOT THIS TURD AGAIN!

Okay kid, let’s see if you can redeem yourself.

Blaming me for shit that was your own fault. Yeah, I still hate you. But you’re down a few tiers, so there’s an improvement.

But you’re still at the same shit-level as Dilandau Albatou. You two both desperately need a punch in the face.

After that little disruption, on with the actual battles.

Okay, I’m on board with shipping Sonia x Nessa.

After taking on Nessa. I took out Bea...

And Raihan’s selfie-obsessed ass!

So now it’s time to take on the big ham, Leon.

Or not!

Oh gee, this guy is the bad guy. Who could have seen this coming?

Um, I did. The second he was shown in the PV, I knew this fucker was bad news. I don’t mean to lay it on thick, but...

This.

Afterward...

Hop and I returned to that spot near Route 1 and run into legendary doggos.

And go grave-robbing (taking the sword/shield on the ground).

When we went to Hammerlocke, we came across some actual concern.

You sent literal hired goons to try and shut me down. I’ll deal with you later, lady. Right now, I gotta take down this genocidal dickhead.

I have to admit, I expected more from Chairman Rose and the Marco Cosmos group in this game. I don’t know if I’m alone in this, but it feels a little light compared to a lot of the other bad teams in the past, and that includes Team Skull and Aether Foundation.

So after I kicked the chairman’s ass in a battle, we came across this hammy dumbass doing something stupid.

He tried to catch a mythical beast in a regular pokeball.

This. This is what happens when you try to do that.

Plus, you’re up against Satan’s tapeworm here.

Now we gotta take care of this demonic fucker and I can’t even use an attack on it.

This looks like a job for the legendary doggos!

They take the rusted sword and shield and turned into the actual promotional legendaries we know them for.

And after a long battle, I caught it...

With what you’re supposed to use! Geez, even Brandon in Pokemon Generations had enough sense to use an Ultra Ball on a Deoxys.

I guess homie’s gonna be in the slammer for some time.

Oh well, on with the final match.

Take a seat, junior. It’s time for me to take your ass out to the cleaners.

Yeah, kinda make sure your pokemon are higher than this level.

Regardless, I still won.

I made a grown man cry!

Now that I think about it, I’m pretty sure I’m way older than Leon by at least 10-15 years. That would probably look bad, but whatever.

He shook it off.

Thank you. Now hopefully he’ll stop acting like a show-boating, ham every time he’s in front of a crowd.

Oh nice, my “mum” came with Munchlax.

I gotta do this.

WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS

WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS

NO TIME FOR LOSERS

BECAUSE WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS

Or is it?

To be continued.

#pokemon #pokemon sword and shield #chairman rose #leon #hop #piers #marnie #team yell #oleana #charizard #eternatus #machoke #leafeon #gallade #gardevoir #bede #nessa

[smilingperformer]

Hm. Next week is written by Shõji Yonemura. The one behind Guzzlord two-partner, Necrozma Arc, Guzma debut, Lusamine capture, Gekkouga’s release episode, etc etc etc (just now realise this guys’s been writing for pokeani since OS days, wow.) I think the episode’s gonna be good, but it does make me wonder why Kartana and two Hoenn legendaries (Rayquaza and Deoxys) are put into same episode. There’s got to be a meaning to it? With so many legendaries showing (which is 100% done for usum post-game promoing), could something be happening soon? I’m still waiting on that ‘take care of your Alola‘ plot the Guzzlord two-parter sorta gave a hint at. Which I may have overread lol. Anywho. It’s gonna be an interesting start of June.

#pokemon #pokeani #pokemon sumo #mythical arc #sm124 #discussions #speculations

[seviiscript]

                WHY CELIO NEEDS YOU TO GET HIM THE                                 RUBY AND THE SAPPHIRE

                                                          BROUGHT TO YOU BY PIGEON

Hello folks, it’s your favourite Celio stan here with yet another headcanon post that literally nobody asked for. I know, I know, none of you could ever thank me enough. Especially since it’s a headcanon about Sevii and we all know everyone is just. So hype about Sevii. Am I right. I mean it also has a lot to do with Hoenn but Sevii also… Am I right………… Sevii’s totally… more popular… ANYWHO ONTO THE HEADCANON

Why did Celio need the protagonist to get him the ruby and the sapphire in order to make his invention fully operational? The answer takes a mixed verse — it takes looking into both PokéSpe and the games simultaneously to ascertain how two gemstones are supposed to be able to make a giant supercomputer teleporter thingy suddenly start working. Before anything else it’s pretty important to note that Sevii as an archipelago is basically a sort of melting pot of the first three regions. Administratively it’s technically a part of Kanto, despite locals referring to people from Kanto as… People from Kanto, and people from Kanto referring to people from Sevii as though they aren’t part of their region. Most of the Pokémon found within Sevii are originally part of the Johto dex, and superficially a lot of the music used as BGM in the area are remixes of tracks that play within Johto — there’s also the Tanoby Key acting as a sort of link to the Ruins of Alph in Johto since they both house Unown, and then there’s Navel Rock, where Ho-Oh and Lugia reside ( presumably their resting place after originally fleeing from their Johto homes ). Culturally and climate-wise it’s got plenty in common with Hoenn; they’re both tropical island chains, they’re both the only locations within the games with braille ruins laying around, and they’ve both got similar landscapes, as well as a sea link through the S.S. Tidal ferry service between Sevii and Lilycove so they aren’t very far apart geographically. There’s also Deoxys on Birth Island, but the important link to Hoenn here is the braille. In the ruby and sapphire rooms you find braille messages:

RUBY ROOM:

Everything has meaning Existence has meaning Being alive has meaning Have dreams Use power.

SAPPHIRE ROOM:

Let the two glittering stones, one in red, one in blue, connect the past. Two friends sharing power open a window to a new world that glows. The next world waits for you.

In the manga these rooms are never shown. However, the braille found inside them is referenced at the very end of the Ruby/Sapphire arc — by Giovanni.

According to bulbapedia the ‘Two friends sharing power / open a window to a new world that glows’ bit is prophesying Bill and Celio creating a device together that allows the player to transport and trade Pokémon with the Hoenn region, but here it’s in reference to Giovanni’s upcoming plans with Deoxys. For the sake of this hc I’m going with the games more than the manga. The reason the manga is important here is because originally in the manga the ruby and the sapphire are the fragmented remains of the Red and Blue Orbs that Giovanni picks up in the aftermath of the Groudon vs Kyogre wreckage. Assuming the braille message still applies directly to the ruby and the sapphire and that the ruby and the sapphire within the games are also remnants of the red and blue orbs, the braille within Sevii means that the Red Orb and the Blue Orb aren’t originally from the Hoenn region. They were created in Sevii, or at least kept there for a long enough period of time for these braille ruins to have been constructed around them and for the stone chambers they’re in to be there. That would mean that these are by no means any regular run-of-the-mill ( admittedly really big ) ruby and sapphire, but a ruby and sapphire that in the manga have the power to amplify a climate-changing machine to a region-wide scale and that in both the manga and the games can summon and command Groudon and Kyogre. They’re the leftover parts of the construction of the red and blue orbs.

The ruby and the sapphire aren’t what make the Network Machine’s signal reach long distance. They aren’t amplifiers; they’re power sources. Thermal power on a massive scale in an incredibly small package emulating the heat Groudon given off in the form of the ruby and the perfect Kyogre-emulating counteracting coolant the world could provide in the sapphire; the problem wasn’t with the Network Machine itself, it was that there was no way to get it to generate enough power to work in such an out-in-the-middle-of-nowhere location like One Island. ‘But Pigeon,’ you might ask, ‘In the manga just touching the Red and Blue Orb can make someone go wild with violent behaviour. Why aren’t the protag and Celio possessed by Groudon/Kyogre?’ Well first off, asker, it’s because A: this is still primarily gameverse and none of that nonsense happened in the games as far as I can remember, B: because they’ve been rendered incapable of doing that anymore, and C: Pokémon is hecking nonsense. Giovanni also says this:

They aren’t the Red and Blue Orbs anymore. They’re the ruby and the sapphire now. Their ‘tasks’ have been completed; that part of them has been spent. They’re just weird magic rocks now that some island hermit nerd wants to shove in a computer.

TL;DR: just complete the FRLG postgame and give the boy the rocks he wants to shove into his hecking computer he’s a good boy

#✿ EXPANDING THE POKÉMON WORLD! / HEADCANON #(( I have so many nonsense hcs and so many of them are so long god @ past me why ))

[its-whitetomorrow]

Deoxys movie doesn’t really strike me as exceptional and it was actually pretty lame from what I can remember - but the damn soundtrack, oh, it IS exceptional among Shinji Miyazaki’s scores.

Funnily enough, it captures the essence of how UB/Ultra Holes would look like in the anime if it was done in a more mysterious way following the Mother Beast climax... rather than a more lighthearted, friendly and plot-less take on UBs/Nekrozma, for the most part devoid of Ultra Holes and interdimensional travels, which is what we got. Now, I can easily imagine an UB arc with discoveries of more Ultra worlds, dangerous UBs causing serious trouble, which culminates in some kind of imbalance and Nekrozma covering the whole of Alola in darkness... with Team Rocket involved throughout all of this once it gets more intense (due to Giovanni’s interest in Ultra Holes) which leads to a shorter but more focused TR-oriented arc towards the very end of SM with some kind of multidimensional troubles this may still happen in some capacity since Matori Matrix... well, sounds weird and why the name?. Something like that, while of course, in-between there would be still plenty of time for trials, some sweet stuff and light, super crazy adventures.

But here is the thing though: SM characters (like Hau) or main premises (like school, Royal Mask, Team Skull’s plot, TR’s Malasada) would be firmly established/resolved much earlier, with big UB arc more heavily underway at this stage and Nekrozma climax hinted at but incoming in 2-3 months maybe (not already behind us). Then, when it finally happens... you would hear this damn score and experience the culmination of it all. With UBs, adventure, heroics, actual Nekrozma’s darkness and fun, crazy alien worlds. Oh well, yeah yeah, I know they don’t really use such old music pieces in the anime (a shame) but it would be just perfect...

While the evolution of the anime shouldn’t really be about “how can we beat the previous climax in terms of scale/crisis”... one needs to admit SM had such a great setup and amazing things to work with thanks to addition of UBs, other dimensions, Rainbow Rocket etc. and the anime is always allowed to do some different things with these game elements and improve/reimagine. That Aya Matsui & the team didn’t really use some of these concepts... and UBs come across as less mysterious/fascinating than some random “Pokemon from space” episodes... well, that’s a shame, really. This is why we can’t even talk rivarly in terms of plot expansion/plot culmination. Because, including Mega specials, this guy/plot still have the lead IMO.

*Only the Lusamine/Nihilego arc/climax came very close to it but even then it’s hard to compare since these two were vastly different things, and Faba was just an opportunist villain. Furthermore, it did establish characters and first encounter with UB so it wasn’t a culmination of things yet.

Thus, XY had a crappy series with crappy execution with very little going on in terms of conflict, tension. But it had a grand, legendary, dramatic climax. SM has a well-executed series (for the most part) with plenty of things going on and nice occasional conflicts/family dramas. But its climaxes are kind of less big, not that dramatic, and they never really make you grab for your pillow with the big what the heck is even going on slogan all over your head. Well, maybe something like that will occur for the final part of SM... but I wouldn’t really expect this.

#pokeani #anipoke #pokemon review #ultra beast #ub arc

[mala-sadas]

what did you like/hate the most about the remake arcs?

Well, in all the remake arcs, I liked seeing the Dexholders being a little older - closer to my age, and a bit more mature. My favorite thing about FRLG is undoubtedly the subplot with Silver and Giovanni (I’m a sucker for familial bonds and conflicts). My favorite thing about HGSS is...pretty much everything with Crystal; she’s really great in that arc. My favorite thing about ORAS is...well, this is kind of an unpopular opinion, I feel, but I honestly really liked Zinnia and how she was used. She’s not exactly a sympathetic antagonist, like she was in the games, but she’s still has some valid concerns and you can kinda understand where she’s coming from, even if you don’t agree with what she’s doing about it (kinda like Lysandre and the rest of Team Flare in XY).

As for what I hate about them...that’s easy. In FRLG, the whole Deoxys thing is just...no. How they were created, their connection to Red, the two different entities and trying to remember which one is which...it’s just too contrived in my opinion. Plus, then there’s the Deoxys that appears for like 2 panels in ORAS - is that Entity One? Entity Two? A different Deoxys altogether? Who knows? Who cares? Kusaka doesn’t.

In HGSS, the pacing of the arc just feels off. We get two chapters of just Gold screwing around at the Pokéathlon, and then everything else from there is important plot point after important plot point. The quality of those plot points is also debatable, but quality aside, it’s just...so rushed. Like, for example, Silver gets the location of all the Plates from Morty and then he just...gets wild Sneasel and Weavile to retrieve them for him? And like, they kinda set up the idea that Arceus is gonna be the “final boss” of the arc and then...Suddenly Arceus. I know why it was rushed, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t bother me.

In ORAS, it’s Archie and Maxie. I can accept that they were sent to the Distortion World instead of dying. I can accept the convoluted explanation for how they learned about Primal Reversion and Mega Evolution. I can accept how their personalities switched. What I can’t accept, however, is why the hell Kusaka went through all the trouble to bring them back and explain the reason for their being there and then make them disappear right before the final battle so that Blaise and Amber have to take control of the Primals! If you’re going to pull so many strings to make a character come back from the dead, use them to their fullest potential before you kill them off again! Instead, they just seem like a total waste of everyone’s time and energy - the fans who read and theorized about them, and the characters who had to deal with them.

...but, um, ORAS is still my favorite of the remake arcs, so there’s that.

#sorry got a little salty there at the end #pokespe #frlg chapter #hgss chapter #oras chapter #anon ask #thanks for the ask!!

[poliwhirl42]

In a Nearly Perfect Pokeani World...

So I’ve been seeing a lot of M20 salt going around, including my own, and my friends and I thought it would be a great idea to dream up a perfect, ideal Pokémon anime. Beware- this is a VERY long post, but we’re talking 20 years worth of changes here. I tried making it as realistic as possible to the anime we’ve grown to know and love, but added/removed certain events on my own accord. Like I said, this is my personal opinion so feel free not to agree with everything- it’s all in good fun! And thanks to my friends @djsockpuppet, @itstimetodrew, @dentos-wife, @floaromanights, @mistyisbae and @rosssquirtle for giving me their contributions as well! 

Ash isn’t eternally 10. He’s aging slowly, but his age is never brought up again after the first episode. He does make references in the future series, however, to the fact that several years have gone by since he started his journey.

Game logistics are taken into consideration: Ash can still be a brash, bumbling fool in the first season, but there are no cop-outs (such as the sprinklers weakening Onix or Erika awarding him the Rainbow Badge after saving Gloom, etc.). He wins them fair and square- maybe not in the smartest way possible, but he finds creative solutions. 

The water ballet and Team Rocket chaos in the Cerulean Gym happen in one episode; Ash and Misty have an actual, uninterrupted gym match in the next episode. Ash wins and gets the Cascade Badge.

The gang spends more time in game locations and less time in obscure silly anime-exclusive towns never to be talked about again. Another episode in Saffron featuring Silph Co. would’ve been cool. 

There is a special right before Mewtwo Strikes Back that directly echoes the Rocket CD drama on Mew’s origin. We see Miyamoto recording the cries of Mew (in an anime or game-exclusive location, NOT the Andes Mountains to avoid confusion about the real world and the Pokéverse), and also see her put Jessie into foster care. Madame Boss and a younger Giovanni are also shown.

Jessie and James recognize each other when they are paired as partners in “Training Daze.” We find out what happened after they dropped out of Pokémon Tech and joined the Bike Gang. 

There’s an episode where some crazy scientists find out Meowth can talk and want to conduct a dangerous experiment on him. Ash and co., and the TRio, help him escape and he makes it his goal to be the sole Pokémon interpreter for the rest of the series (of course, he vows use his interpreting skills in Team Rocket’s favor).

4Kids is still dubbing the anime, and all of the original voice actors (save for Maddie, rest her soul) are still intact. All of the dumb “painted” edits are nonexistent. All dialogue is accurate and similar to what’s being said/done in the sub. ALSO, NO DUB MUSIC. 

We find out why Brock left Professor Ivy and came back home. 

There is a GS Ball arc that leads up the events of Pokémon: 4Ever.

The TRio, similar to the SM series, does not appear in every episode. Yes, there are fillers but it’s not the same “CoTD/TRio-shows-up formula” every single time.

That being said, LESS FILLERS IN JOHTO. I loved them personally, but it did drag on.

The TRio’s assistant, Mondo, appears from time to time video-chatting them from Headquarters. He’s responsible for all the crazy mechas they use and he complains about them destroying his hard work, which becomes a gag throughout the series. 

The Johto admins (Ariana, Petrel, etc.) are introduced in the Lugia Arc. Butch, Cassidy and Namba are still there but are working underneath the higher-ups. Silver replaces the CotDs and helps Ash and co. stop Team Rocket. It’s hinted that Ariana is Silver’s mother. 

Silver is also known to be Jimmy’s rival in “The Legend of Thunder.”

There are more battles between Misty and Ash! Misty acts as a bit of a coach from time to time. 

Speaking of Misty, SHE wins the Whirl Cup.

Misty also gets her own ending.

There are more episodes featuring Casey and Ritchie! Maybe a fun baseball game episode where the Electabuzz team comes to play at a stadium in Johto!

More Gary episodes in Johto. Gary has an ending too. Why the hell not. It would be the last ending of the OS series, showing his dream of becoming a Pokémon Researcher as well as his relationship with Ash.

Lots of foreshadowing hinting at Brock’s eventual decision to become a Pokémon Doctor. Give him his own developmental arcs in AG and DP. 

EVOLUTIONS IN OS: Not all have to evolve, but SOME should have.  

An episode where Ash and Pikachu get into an argument and Pikachu runs away (nothing too drastic). This would kind of give a realistic approach to relationships and how even theirs isn’t perfect 24/7.

MAY CATCHES THE SWABLU. AND USES IT IN HER CONTESTS.

Ash’s arrogance in AG bites him in the butt at some point. He suffers a devastating loss in one of the gym battles and realizes he’s been a bit of a jerk about rushing his companions along. He offers to support May in her journey more and not be as brash. This kind of leads to his mellowing     out/maturing in the DP series. 

Make the Hoenn League not as boring somehow. This kind of heads into “Should Ash have had a rival in AG?” territory, and I’m personally not sure how to weigh the pros and cons of that since this series was so well done.

Max gets his own ending. 

Solidad is introduced in the first episode of Battle Frontier. She gives her whole “I know Drew” spiel to May early on and says she’s planning to enter the Kanto GF. She appears a few more times until the GF. She still wins the GF, but there’s at least more buildup and she has more of a     relationship with May.

Drew appears in Destiny Deoxys and assists the gang, as he obviously knows his way around LaRousse city.

The “Mastermind of Mirage Pokémon” does not exist. A better 10th anniversary arc is in its place, featuring a good portion of the current cast.

Lance and Steven get better cameo episodes. In fact, the entire Elite 4 is shown in their respective regions throughout the series. 

May is a bit more emotional about the group splitting up. She’s happy to set out on her own journey, but it would’ve been more meaningful to see her just a teensy bit sad about leaving Ash and Brock. 

There’s more backstory on Dawn and Johanna, and what made Dawn want to be a coordinator as opposed to a trainer. Some tension between the two would’ve been interesting- maybe Johanna could’ve been more of a “stage mom” putting some pressure on Dawn, or maybe Dawn put the pressure on herself to be perfect because of her mom, and that would be the very core of her developmental arc, to which she realizes her way of thinking is wrong and begins her goal of coordinating for herself and her pokémon.

Barry is introduced as Dawn’s childhood friend alongside Kenny; none of them travel together though obviously and all somehow receive their starter Piplup at different times. 

More bonding moments between Brock and Dawn.

Less fillers in DP. There can be fillers, just less and the pacing is evenly balanced between fillers and gym battles/contest episodes. 

Ursula is introduced early on. She beats Dawn in a contest at least once.

Scrap the Kenny vs. Ash battle at the end of the series. Make it one final onscreen Dawn vs. Kenny battle instead.

More exposure with the Sinnoh rivals in general. Replace the fillers with more episodes featuring Conway, Barry, Nando, and the coordinators. 

Some foreshadowing for Buneary’s modeling career with the Hearthome Collection! And while we’re at it, a few more PokéStylist episodes.

Marina makes a special appearance to judge a Pokémon Contest, particularly one Dawn loses. Backstage, she finds Dawn and encourages her to keep going despite the odds. Marina’s appearance would also further promote HeartGold and SoulSilver. She references Jimmy and Vincent in a flashback. Ash remembers Vincent from the Johto League. Also, in the Johto League, his name was Vincent. No Jackson nonsense.

Dawn gives Ambipom to Princess Salvia instead of that dumb “O” guy, when Salvia gives her Togekiss. 

After Ash defeats Paul, Paul basically “apologizes” to Infernape in his own words. This provides some good closure. 

Brock and Dawn get their own goodbye flashback sequences. Brock’s montage especially highlights everything he’s done during the past 12 seasons. 

May and Dawn get their own spinoff series, in which they are protagonists of a show that solely focuses on the coordinator sphere. The episodes flip-flop back and forth to show May in Johto, competing against Drew, Harley, Solidad and new rivals here and there, and same with Dawn in Hoenn. The Wallace Cup arc stays the same, except the episodes following portray May and Dawn as buddies keeping in touch and checking in on each other. The Sinnoh coordinators also make frequent appearances. Serena eventually joins the show as a novice coordinator, whom Dawn and eventually May take under their wing.

The Chronicles never ended; this time, newer protagonists sans the coordinators are added and we get to see frequent glimpses of their lives. We learn how Gary started working for Professor Rowan, we see Brock’s adventures on the journey to becoming a Pokémon Doctor, we see Max start his journey as a novice trainer, and of course there are plenty of episodes that still feature Ash’s previous pokemon, Delia, Tracey, Ritchie, Butch and Cassidy, etc. 

Ash isn’t terribly incompetent in Best Wishes, but he suffers a bit of a setback not being used to battling so many new and unfamiliar pokémon. This is the first time he’s completely alone without Brock and with     completely new people, so it’s a huge culture shock. Iris and Cilan are there to help him get back on his feet. Still, battles such as the Elesa     one and first battle with Trip aren’t completely ridiculous. 

There’s no Pikachu reset at the beginning of every region. Pikachu, like all pokemon, wins some and loses some, but the losses aren’t outrageously     ridiculous, such as the loss against Trip’s Snivy (which Ash would win here). 

Cilan and Iris get their own endings.

Cilan catches more pokémon. 

Iris is secretly in training to become the next gym leader of Opelucid, and she is the last gym leader Ash battles. Good plot twist, eh?  

Dear lord, develop the Connoisseur thing. This is the whole point of Cilan’s journey, so it’s so important to have the PCA be on par with the exposure May and Dawn’s journeys got. 

Have Pokémon Connoisseur “Conventions” be the goal for both Cilan and Burgundy, maybe starting during Season 2. These conventions could be comprised of two rounds in which Connoisseurs give “public evaluations” to up-and-coming trainers and then later evaluate pokémon-human relationships through battles. A series of judges gives them criticism and ranks them and whoever has the highest score wins; it’s very similar to the Contest structure.

^Imagine an arc where Cilan has to evaluate a trainer’s Purrloin and he flops terribly because of his fear. We eventually find out why he’s so afraid of Purrloin and Ash and Iris help him overcome this fear somehow. The next time he competes in one of these conventions, toward the end of the series, he has to evaluate a Liepard- and now, with his fear completely gone, he does extremely well. 

Develop literally ALL the BW rivalries more. Cilan/Burgundy and Iris/Georgia for the most part. These rivals were amazing characters, they had so much potential so it would’ve been great to see them more aside from being shoved into the Club Battles and Junior Cup. Have the rivals travel to the Decolora Islands as well, so that they’re not shafted after Season 2.

Speaking of the Junior Cup, have Dawn do a little more during her cameo. She felt kinda invisible. Also, slow down her battle with Ash. 

Introduce more Pokémon Connoisseurs, geez. Ricard could be a great antagonist similar to Harley- maybe he tries rigging the system at one of these conventions. Bring back that female Connoisseuse from “A Connoisseur’s Revenge!” and introduce Santo in THIS series so we have a familiar face at the Pokémon Showcase in XY.

The Rocket vs. Plasma arc airs sometime during the BW era. Ash and Giovanni recognize each other from the Mewtwo incident at Mt. Quena. 

Episode N is done completely differently; N is introduced at the beginning of the series and is a recurring character.

Cameron doesn’t exist, or at least he exists as one of the menial trainers Ash defeats in the Unova League preliminaries.

Ash vs. Trip isn’t the first round. They have a heated match in the semi-finals, but their battle is interrupted when the Plasma castle rises from the ground. And bam- the main Plasma arc begins. 

Give Cress his own episode! Chili got one, after all!

Speaking of, give the Striaton brothers their own flashback episode. How they got the elemental monkeys, how they became gym leaders, etc.

A more emotional goodbye episode for the Best Wishes trio, seriously! They had an amazing dynamic and were very close; it was surprising to see them so chipper on the train. Also, clarify their goals for the future a bit better.

Ash’s XY (and going forward) personality is a combination of that of all the previous series. He’s not as bumbling as he was in OS but not as brash and impatient as he was in AG, either. He’s a combination of all with just a tad more maturity. He makes references to his previous traveling companions and makes the occasional snarky quip here and there. 

Ash isn’t blind to romance, but it’s not his main concern. Hints created solely by the dub to promote [insert ship here] are nonexistent. 

In this case, Ash isn’t completely blind to the fact that Serena has feelings for him, but his main concern is battling and helping people and pokémon. He does get a little blush-y after the kiss, though. Fans are free to interpret this whichever way they want.

No matter what happens though, Ash and Serena come out of this series as good friends. There are more moments beyond the “Serena’s-got-a-crush” moments where they battle together and help each other out, reaching the “in-sync” level Ash and Dawn had.

More bonding moments between Ash/Bonnie, and Serena/Clemont.

The XY rival trio is handled better. It was nice seeing Shauna for the most part, but give Tierno and Trevor something to do too. They, along with Serena, could’ve also had a better role in the Flare Arc.

Speaking of which, slow down the Kalos League. It sucked that it was shafted for the Flare Arc. Ash doesn’t have to win, but it felt very rushed. This is where Tierno and Trevor could’ve came in and not have been shafted after the first few rounds. 

Serena does more before her decision to become a Pokémon Performer. It could be anything as easy as entering a Rhyhorn racing competition or battling more. 

IRIS GETS HER CAMEO IN XY DAMMIT.

There’s more buildup/episodes featuring the relationship between Ash and Froakie/Frogadier/Greninja. We get a little taste of Greninja’s feelings as opposed to just Ash’s. 

Greninja doesn’t leave and winds up getting Oak’d. Let the Zygarde figure things out on their own lol. 

Delia, Oak, Tracey and possibly others are shown watching the Kalos League on television, and worriedly watching the news during the Flare Arc.

Gary visits the Kalos region to work on another project. Serena recognizes him as the bratty grandson from the Oak summer camp and the two engage in some banter.

A few Pallet Town episodes in between generations, geez. Let Delia see her son! In the meantime, have Ash check in with Gary, Tracey and possibly Misty and Brock. 

Oh yeah, one last thing. M20 would’ve had this plot instead.

#pokeani #pokemon anime #M20 #to make things fair I strayed away from shipping #and to make things realistic I only added a few game characters

[zdbztumble]

Well, this is it...unless Veronica Taylor comes back for M20, this is the last time I’ll go into a pokefilm fresh and hear the original English cast. Salute, 4Kids. Your consistently solid cast, cast in appropriate roles, will be missed. At least I have many, many, many, many, many episodes left to catch up on with you.

I suppose you could call this the Zoroark of AG (or is Zoroark the Deoxys of DP?) The other films of the gen get plenty of fan attention, but I never see anyone mention this one. And, as with Zoroark, I’m not surprised upon seeing it.

There’s no reason why such a heavy sci-fi concept as aliens should be out-of-place in Pokemon. All the tech of the world fits neatly into the “soft” science fiction category, and there are a good number of Pokemon that lean in that direction. So when I say that the idea of aliens in a pokefilm just rubs me the wrong way, understand that I can’t even explain to myself why I have such a problem with it. Maybe it’s because so much emphasis is given to the Legendary and Mythical Pokemon in each gen, and because the world as a whole is much more fantasy than sci-fi. At the end of the day, aliens just weren’t something I ever wanted to see in one of these flicks, so that hurt my interest right away.

Though I knew better, a small part of me held out hope that this would be the one movie to give Brock a proper story line. After all, Jirachi gave an arc to Max, Lucario to Ash, and Ranger to May. If any gen was going to toss ol’ Brock a bone, you’d think it’d be AG. But no - no arc for Brock. Not here, and not in any of the twelve movies to feature him. Spell of the Unown was the only one to give him a prominent role, but a decent turn as a supporting figure for Ash isn’t the same as a proper arc.

Of course, this film doesn’t give an arc to Ash or the others either. Other pokefilms have had the CotD be the de facto protagonist, but this film more than any other centers the plot around the guest star, Tory in this case. It takes the main cast nearly fifteen minutes to appear, and when they do, they’re basically along for the ride with Tory. The plot tries to position Ash in the same sort of mentor role he had in Jirachi, but it doesn’t work nearly as well this time around. Ash and Tory don’t have the sort of established rapport to build off of that Ash and Max had, and Tory is a pretty dull character if I’m being frank. And unlike Jirachi, Deoxys can’t resist letting Ash save the day at the end, regardless of how little he’s done to earn that role in a story sense.

And for all the complaints I’ve made about padding in previous reviews, this is, hands down, the worst offender on that point. It’s not quite as long a film as Ranger, but it’s longer than it needed to be, and feels it. The faux-rival for Ash is obnoxious and eats up screen time. The musical number in the middle of the film, which would’ve been the credits in any other movie, stops the plot dead. Once Deoxys invades the city, too much time is spent in a loop of “grabbers attack, we run, we hide.” And the plot is saddled with extras that are pointless at best and take away from greater opportunities at worst.

On the former point - Rayquaza is an unnecessary plot complication that’s quickly and arbitrarily neutralized at the end. On the latter - the three little ones. The antics of  Plusle, Minun, and an oddly civic-minded Munchlax are very cute, and they would’ve made great fodder for an episode of the show, but they are wrong for this movie. Munchlax never has any meaningful pay-off in the larger plot, so he could’ve been an easy cut. Plusle and Minun do have a pay-off, by feeding in to Tory’s fear of Pokemon, but it’s one they shouldn’t have had. Tory’s friendship with the disembodied Deoxys could’ve served as an emotional core and anchor for the film, had more time been devoted to it. A major step in that direction would have been: once Tory learns that his friend is a Pokemon, he gets freaked out by it, struggles to communicate with Deoxys anymore, only to ultimately come through for him in the end. The green cube of Deoxys would’ve followed Tory into the thick of things in this instance, and there could’ve been more made of the rush to get him to the regeneration center. And Tory could’ve been the one to save the day, the role that, narratively speaking, is his to take given the construction of the plot.

But they didn’t do that. They shoehorned in two cute critters who are more than a little derivative of Pikachu, never set a clear anchor for the story, dragged their feet throughout, and left us with what is, IMO, the worst of the pokefilms. That’s right - I think this one’s worse than Genesect.

Eighteen down, and one to go...

#critique #commentary #pokemon #pokefilm #destiny deoxys #film school training at work #z's crits

[tigerlover16-uk]

Anime I Need to Watch (March 2017 update)

I was debating whether I should do these list updates at the start or end of each month, and whether it was worth updating it right now since I only made that list a week ago. But, I did want to add some things I forgot, and I’m too impatient to wait until tomorrow or the end of April. So, screw it, I’ll do this now and update these lists at the end of each month.

There’s not a lot of stuff that needs updating, but so far I did manage to watch a few things. I’ll describe what anime I’ve watched this month and how I felt about them briefly down below.

First off, I finished Trigun. And honestly, I really enjoyed it... but I’m not sure if I’d put it in my top 10 anime just yet.

I dunno, I enjoyed the series and it was really good, but something about it just kinda felt like it was really good, but not great. But I think this is a me thing, I’ll admit I’m not really a big fan of westerns and there wasn’t much wrong with Trigun, it’s a really good show with a lot of heart, good action, okay comedy and some good writing. There’s some stuff that made me pretty emotional too, and I really like Vash and Wolfwood’s characters (Meryl and Milly were just kinda okay to me). I really don’t know, maybe I just need to re-watch it again when I’m in just the right mood. I enjoyed Trigun a lot, don’t get me wrong and I’d gladly re-watch it again sometime. I’m just a little confused that I feel I didn’t enjoy it quite as much as I should have, but I can’t really describe why I feel that. Maybe it’s just hype backlash or something.

I also got a chance to watch the Fist of the North Star movie from 1986, since Linkara recently got around to reviewing a chapter of the manga through patreon request I thought I might as well watch something from this franchise. Aaaand...

It was alright.

Yeah, the movie was firmly in the realm of okay for me. It’s pretty clearly dated and with the way a lot of it’s written you can definitely tell it was a very condensed version of the manga story, a lot of stuff could have been fleshed out and explained better, and the fights were really nothing to write home about. And that ending felt so forced and out of nowhere.

But that said, the movie does have it’s charms as an 80′s action flick. I liked the heroic characters well enough, and while I don’t usually like ultra violent and gory stuff, this film did make it’s gory action kinda fun in how over the top it got. And while the production values haven’t aged well, there is something charming about the film’s animation, there were plenty of cool moments and some good music.

So, yeah, nothing special and the film has some problems and could be kinda dull, and a tad stupid and confusing at parts, but I enjoyed it. I also decided to watch the first episode of the Toei anime adaption of Fist of The North Star and I enjoyed that a bit more, so I’ll probably watch the whole anime at some point soon after I get through the next two shows I’m watching. However long that takes.

Most notably, I decided to start watching Yu Yu Hakusho, which my buddy @dbzebra considers his second favourite anime after Dragon Ball. Seeing how we share a lot of the same interests and I trust his judgement, I decided to give it a watch. I just finished the whole first season, and so far, I’m LOVING it!

Honestly the show got me hooked by the end of the first episode, and it’s only gotten better since. I’ll probably go more into detail on my thoughts on this one in next months progress report, since it’ll probably take me most of April to finish the show considering it’s over a hundred episodes, but honestly if it keeps being as good as it’s been so far, it’ll easily make my top 5 favourite anime by the time I’m done, maybe top 3. I really love the characters, the story and just the general feel of the show. So yeah, thanks DBZebra, I probably wouldn’t have watched this if I didn’t know you liked it so much.

So, yeah. That’s my anime bingeing progress for the end of March. So far my plan for April is to finish Yu Yu Hakusho and also get back to Shokugeki No Soma (Food Wars!), an anime I was watching on the suggestion of my friend Hayley566 and I was really enjoying, but I got distracted after watching episode 9 and I haven’t got back to it. I hope I’ll finish it by the end of the month. After those shows I’ll probably go with something shorter, like Yuri on Ice or One Punch Man.

I also just got the Ghibli movie Only Yesterday in the post today, so I’m going to watch that right now. I’ve also ordered the dvd’s for Akira, Pokémon Destiny Deoxys and The Tale of the Princess Kaguya, so I’ll have watched those movies soon, and hopefully more before the end of the month.

And again, I welcome any recommendations I get from people. Not that anyone’s really interested in hearing me ramble on about my stupid viewing habits, but oh well.

One Punch Man (Seen four episodes a while back, looks good)

Mobile Suit Gundam

Outlaw Star

Cowboy Bebop

Digimon Frontier

Digimon Data Squad

Digimon Fusion

Yu-Gi-Oh 5D’s

Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal

Yu-Gi-Oh Arc-V

Sailor Moon (Watched the entire first season and was about halfway through season 2. Should really get back to watching the full series)

Sailor Moon Crystal

Yu Yu Hakusho

Ranma 1 ½

Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure (2012-onwards series)

Hunter x Hunter (2011)

Fullmetal Alchemist

One Piece

Astro Boy (Any series. I just want to be able to say I’ve watched something from this franchise).

Kill La Kill

Gurren Lagann

Fairy Tail (What? Why’re you looking at me like that? I like cheesy stuff like this, alright!)

Little Witch Academia

Tenchi Muyo!

Death Note

Yuri On Ice

Fist of the North Star

Soul Eater

Code Geass

The Devil is a Part Timer

Food Wars: Shokugeki No Soma (I watched about 9 episode, need to catch up)

Your Lie in April

Puella Magi Madoka Magica

Mob Psycho 100

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex

Phoenix Wright anime

Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid

Movies:

The Tale of the Princess Kaguya

Your Name

Garden of Words

Paprika

Tokyo Godfathers

The Boy and the Beast

5 Centimeters per second

Millenium Actress

Only Yesterday

Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro

The Digimon Adventure Tri Movies

Yu-Gi-Oh: Bonds Beyond Time

Yu-Gi-Oh: The Dark Side of Dimensions

Half of the Pokémon movies

Akira

Ghost In The Shell

Memories

Perfect Blue

Naruto: Ninja clash in the Land of Snow

Naruto: Legend of the Stone of Gelel

Naruto: Guardians of the Crescent Moon Kingdom

Naruto Shippuden The Movie

Naruto Shuppuden: Bonds

Naruto Shippuden: The Will of Fire

Naruto Shippuden: The Lost Tower

Naruto Shippuden: Blood Prison

Naruto: Road to Ninja

The Last Naruto Movie

Boruto Movie

#anime #trigun #fist of the north star #yu yu hakusho #food wars

[crystalelemental]

Two alts are left in the Hoenn villain arc, and there are two obvious Pokemon candidates for it, given the obsession with Legendary Pokemon: Jirachi, and Deoxys.

Jirachi seems likely based on the wishing star thing.  We had that flash with Zinnia, and it’s very likely Jirachi would be present based on that hint.  But functionally, I kinda disagree with Jirachi appearing.  It has absolutely no direct association with the weather trio, it would just show up to be there.  There’s not a functional purpose to it, it’s just checking a box.

Deoxys feels much more reasonably associated, at least via Rayquaza.  Deoxys and Rayquaza’s feud is very well documented, and feels very likely to occur.  Especially considering falling meteors and strange power and all that.  Then again, that could just be associated with the mega Rayquaza outcome for Zinnia.  It’s hard to say for sure.  Regardless, these are the two most likely hinted options to show up.

I don’t like them.

I talked a bit about Jirachi, but the bigger frustration is who would it be with.  I like Jirachi well enough, and any of the options would be disappointing to me.  I don’t really like Zinnia as a character, so her getting Jirachi wouldn’t exactly excite me.  It’d be another Steel type that’s like...fine.  Or worse, it’d be a good Psychic type and I’d have to because Psychic user, but I feel that’s much less likely than Doom Desire being a focus.  If Zygarde has to be Dragon because of Core Enforcer despite three other Ground-type options, Jirachi is almost certainly Steel because of Doom Desire.  Which means the other option is Steven.  And Steven with Jirachi would make me sad because I really, really want the man to get Mega Aggron.  There’s always the backup of Peony, but I’m not convinced Peony’s ever getting in.  We don’t even have the other half of Galar’s gym leaders yet, and I’m supposed to believe this mostly gag character from the DLC stands a chance?  I just want Mega Aggron, and Steven’s the perfect option.

Deoxys is a bit harder, but comes down to similar issues.  Again, not a Zinnia fan.  But moreover, I feel like it’s pretty decisively not going to Steven?  He’s got his own Rayquaza, after all, I can’t imagine it makes sense to pack both.  Which would also kinda rule out Zinnia on similar grounds, barring potential Delta Episode tie-ins.  Which...would kinda leave Wallace.  And that’s...man, I dunno.  I don’t think I’d love the idea of Wallace and Deoxys as a partnership just for the sake of getting a legend in.  It just doesn’t sit right with me.

There’s the incredibly improbable outcome that they go to Maxie and Archie, and the antagonists get alts, but this would be really odd.  Like, who gets which one?  And why would the antagonists pick them up when the narrative is supposed to focus on their bonds with Groudon and Kyogre?  It just feels like it would be a bizarre direction to take things.

Basically, I think it’s best if we don’t bring in Jirachi or Deoxys.  I don’t really like either of them as picks for anyone left.  Or at least, anyone that makes sense left.  If they want to blindside me with Tate and Liza alts because of their association with the space center, I am all ears.  That’s just ridiculous enough to be great.

#pokemon masters speculation

[astraygenius]

Origin Science Theater 3000: Chapter 2

Chapter One | source material | Chapter Three

Here we go again!

Chapter 2: Judgment

Arceus paced around the living room of the Hall of Origin. The living room was decorated in a tasteful gold and white color scheme, not unlike the colors of Arceus herself.

Arceus: So I not only have a throne but put it in a public room? I don’t need a throne!

"Arc, is there something wrong?" Giratina asked. He was reclining on the couch; the one thing in the room that was not gold and white. Instead the couch had black arm rests, gold cushions and a red back.

Giratina: You get an entire room and I get a couch?

Arceus stopped her pacing. "I'll call a meeting." She then closed her eyes and sent a wave of psychic energy throughout the entire dwelling.

Lugia: Arceus, can you...actually do that?

Arceus: I’ve never tried. You all seem to be able to handle things on your own without me stepping in most of the time.

Darkrai sat up in his bed as he received the psychic message. He had been sleeping just before the message. He tossed the blankets aside and hovered down to the ground. He looked around the darkened room. All that he saw was the barely visible black dresser with a statuette on it. The statuette was a perfect image of Darkrai himself, right down to the glowing blue eye.

Groudon: Whoa. Jarring scene change is jarring. And why does that creep have a statue of himself?

"Someone's watching me," he muttered. He then peeked under the bed and saw two magenta eyes staring back at him.

Latias: (singing) I always feel like somebody’s watchin’ me~ And I have no privacy, whoa-oh~ I always feel like somebody’s watchin’ me~ Tell me, is it just a dream?

Latios: Not now, sis.

"Cresselia, I know you're there. Get out from under my bed," Darkrai said, pointing to the door.

Cresselia, floated out from under the bed. "Fine," she replied. "I just wanted to ask when we can go out together."

Kyogre: That’s just not right. There is no possible dimension where that could be right.

(Palkia coughs pointedly.)

Giratina: I warned you. *munches popcorn*

Dialga: NO YOU DIDN’T.

"For the last time, I will not go out with you! Get out of my room!" Darkrai shouted.

"Fine. In any case, I have to because Arceus is holding a meeting," Cresselia said. She then floated out of Darkrai's room, leaving him alone with the statuette.

Darkrai sighed. "At least she didn't try to steal my statuette like she did last time," he muttered. He then petted the statuette as he floated out of the room.

Groudon: Yeesh. Somehow the author made him even creepier.

Dialga was lying on Lugia's bed and staring at the wall. Lugia's bedroom was decorated in a unique combination of white, silver and dark blue. A blue and white dresser rested against one wall and several paintings were plastered on the walls. Lugia himself was painting something in the corner opposite the bed.

Lugia: That sounds perfect!

Dialga: I COULD HAVE DONE WITHOUT THE WHIPLASH.

"WHY DID PALKIA HAVE TO DO HIS SCULPTING INSIDE OUR ROOM?" Dialga asked with a sigh.

Palkia: I WASN’T AWARE HUMANS THOUGHT OF HOBBIES FOR US.

"Can you talk normally?" Lugia responded without taking his eyes off his canvas.

"BUT THIS IS THE WAY I ALWAYS TALK." Dialga responded.

"Well, your normal voice is too loud!"

"TOO BAD. I CAN'T CONTROL IT."

(Laughter all around.)

Lugia sighed. "Then how about saying nothing at all?"

"FINE," Dialga responded. He then got up from the bed and peered over Lugia's shoulder.

"WHAT ARE YOU PAINTING?"

"A recollection of the time when 'The Chosen One' and I had to prevent Zapdos, Moltres and Articuno from destroying the world. When will those three learn that even gods cannot do as they please? You should have seen how mad Arceus was at them."

Lugia: If I ever talk like that, please, hit me with something heavy. 

Several minutes later, Lugia had finished and framed his painting. He then looked at Dialga. "Do you always sound like you're talking in all capital letters?" Lugia asked.

"YES," Dialga replied.

Dialga: HEY, THE AUTHOR MADE THAT JOKE ALREADY.

Lugia facepalmed. "In any case, I can hear Arceus calling us for a meeting," he said, flying out of his room.

Arceus: Wait a minute. If we assume that Lugia was painting at the same time Darkrai got “my” psychic message, wouldn’t he and Dialga have gotten it at the same time, too? I may be a Normal-type, but I know how Psychic energy works.

Dialga then followed him out to the hall. The hallway was unremarkable save for the wallpaper.

Dialga glanced at the wallpaper in disgust. "WHY CAN'T WE HAVE A PLAIN SILVER AND BLUE WALLPAPER? THE FLOWERS ON IT ARE NASTY," Dialga commented.

Giratina: Wait, what?

"Blame Shaymin for it. She's the one who picked it out. And we're lucky Arceus drew the line at the wallpaper or else we'd have gracidea flowers everywhere," Lugia replied

Giratina: Oh.

Lugia: Why would Arceus even have wallpaper?

"Don't like the wallpaper, eh?" a voice said.

Dialga and Lugia looked around the hallway. All that was visible were the silver light fixtures on the wall and a large black spot on the dark blue carpet

Latios: And the wallpaper. Don’t forget the wallpaper.

"WHO ARE YOU?" Dialga demanded.

"Dialga, Lugia, you should know who I am," the voice responded. Darkrai then rose out of the floor in front of the two.

Giratina: Strange. I’d thought Darkrai would hold a grudge against Dialga because of the Alamos Town incident.

Dialga: (facehooves) THAT WAS THE WORST MISUNDERSTANDING IN THE HISTORY OF MISUNDERSTANDINGS.

Palkia: AGREED.

"SHOULDN'T YOU BE AT THE MEETING?"

"I was on my way there," Darkrai responded, "But since I overheard you talking about the wallpaper, I thought I'd listen in. Having the ability to sink in and out of the ground at will allows you hear a lot of things. Did you know that Mew still…"

"In any case, let's continue," Lugia said, cutting Darkrai off.

Kyogre: I guess we weren’t meant to know Mew’s dirty little secret anyway. 

The group then continued down the hall into the living room.

Lugia, Dialga and Darkrai arrived at the living room just in time to see all the Legendaries gathered in front of Arceus's throne. Except Giratina, he had not moved from his couch.

Arceus: See? Instantaneous Psychic energy.

Arceus hovered just above her throne. Her empty bowl of tortilla chips was still by her feet. In front of her sat all the Legendaries with the exception of Mewtwo, Ho-Oh and Deoxys. All of them chattered amongst themselves while they waited for Arceus to speak. After a few moments, Arceus raised one of her forelegs to signal for silence.

Lugia: Oh, come on, Ho-Oh’s not that busy.

Palkia: NEITHER ARE YOU. ALSO, THE AUTHOR REPEATED THEMSELVES AGAIN.

"As you are all aware, the recreation room and some of the surrounding area has been completely destroyed, thanks to Groudon and Kyogre fighting over some inane reason," Arceus said.

"I propose we exile them from the Hall of Origins for a millennium. This sort of behavior will not be tolerated," Entei said.

"I second that motion," Suicune added.

"I third that motion," Raiku said.

Kyogre: That’s the second typo in as many chapters. Most of our names aren’t that hard to spell! 

Lugia: I knew Entei was the more serious one, but dang. That’s a little excessive.

Latias (slyly): I guess you could say Entei’s kind of a...grumpy cat.

(Good-natured groans all around.)

Arceus nodded. "Okay," she said, "so we've exiled them for a millennium. We don't have to worry about Kyogre and Groudon wrecking anything else. Now the problem remains, we have to fix up the stuff they've damaged. Now is anyone here willing to pay out of their own pocket or work to earn money for the repairs?"

Kyogre: We get money?

Only Lugia and Articuno agreed.

Lugia: To work or to pay for it ourselves?

Arceus looked at the two. "Exactly." she said, "So, any other suggestions?" She then looked over the crowd and spotted Latios raising his arm.

"Yes, Latios?"

"How about we make Groudon and Kyogre work off the damages they caused?" Latios said.

"I second that," Latias said.

"I third that," Darkrai said.

Latias: I’m surprised nobody thought of that sooner.

Arceus thought a moment. "Perfect. Now all we have to do is to wait for Mewtwo, Ho-Oh and Deoxys to finish calculating the damages." She then spotted Jirachi flying above everyone's heads. "Jirachi, please sit down," she ordered.

Lugia: Oh, that’s what Ho-Oh’s up to. OK, cool.

Jirachi floated down to the ground and landed next to Shaymin, who was apparently asleep.

"Hey Shaymin, wake up," he said, prodding the sleeping Legend. It was after repeated prodding that "Shaymin" fell over and broke.

Arceus: Oh my.

Everyone turned their heads at the sound of breaking porcelain and spotted Jirachi hovering next to a broken flowerpot, a mound of dirt and some scattered gracidea flowers

Latios: Interesting. I guess Shaymin’s Land Forme would make a pretty cute flowerpot.

"I MADE THAT AS A GIFT FOR SHAYMIN!" Palkia exclaimed. "DO YOU HAVE ANY CONCEPT OF APPROPRIATE BEHAVIOR?! FIRST, YOU STEAL ARCEUS'S CHIPS THEN YOU BREAK MY FLOWERPOT!"

Palkia: JIRACHI IS A CHILD COMPARED TO US. I SEE NO BENEFIT IN YELLING.

Jirachi sniffled slightly and floated away from Palkia. At the same time, everyone turned and stared at Palkia.

"DISREGARD ME," Palkia said, blushing slightly.

Palkia: NEITHER DOES MY ALTERNATE SELF, APPARENTLY.

Inside the water drenched and battered rec room, Ho-Oh, Mewtwo and Deoxys were examining every nook and cranny.

"East wall shows significant water and impact damage. It will need to be replaced. Furthermore, the door has been completely destroyed. It will also need to be replaced." Mewtwo said, examining the rear wall. 

Arceus: This author doesn’t know Mewtwo very well, do they?

He then levitated up to the ceiling and examining the hanging lamp or what was left of it. "The lamp has been obliterated. Palkia will need to be commissioned to make a new one. It should be the same type as the previous one, a red and orange sphere hanging from a gold chain. It should not exceed ten inches in circumference," he said.

Groudon: That sounds pretty cool, actually.

"Got it," Ho-Oh replied. She was busy writing everything down on a clipboard.

Giratina: How? Only...five of us have hands!

Deoxys was examining large hole in the north wall. Latias and Latios's room could be seen through the hole. Deoxys then peered through the hole and chuckled.

"What's so funny?" Mewtwo asked, floating down to ground level.

Lugia: Didn’t anyone teach him it’s rude to snoop?

Arceus: Lugia, think about who you’re talking about there.

"Look for yourself," Deoxys replied.

Latios: Oh, this oughta be good.

Mewtwo stuck his head through the hole in the wall and looked around. The Lati siblings' room was decorated in a red, blue and white color scheme. There were two dressers, two beds and two nightstands. Latios's furniture was blue and white, while his sister's furniture was red and white. His eyes fell on life sized plushies of Latias and Latios, each of them sitting on their respective dressers. He suppressed a chuckle. "Aren't they a little too old to have plushies?" he asked.

Latias: There are plushies of us?

Deoxys shrugged. "What they do isn't our business. They could be screwing each other for all I care."

Latios and Latias: Gross!

Giratina: I’m sorry you had to learn that humans are strange the hard way.

"That was not an image I needed in my head," Mewtwo said with a sigh.

Everyone: Agreed.

"You two! Stop snooping and get back to work!" Ho-Oh snapped.

Deoxys and Mewtwo did as they were told.

Latios: Thank you.

Mewtwo levitated up half a pool table. "Anybody found the other half?" he asked.

Deoxys pointed to a pile of wood and green fabric. "There's the other half," she said.

Arceus: I’m sorry, what? Deoxys doesn’t have a binary gender.

Dialga: NEITHER DO MOST OF US. OBVIOUSLY, THERE ARE LATIOS AND LATIAS, AND I STILL DON’T KNOW ABOUT HEATRAN.

Giratina: Heatran’s a whole subspecies by this point.

"Add that to the shit we need to replace. One regulation size pool table, green felt top, integrated ball storage and integrated chalk holders," Mewtwo said with a sigh.

Ho-Oh wrote that down.

Latios: Wait, what?

Latias: I’ll tell you when you’re older.

Latios: I am older.

Deoxys looked around the room. "I think the pool table's the last thing in here," she said.

"Good, we'd better bring this to Arceus," Ho-Oh said, flying out of the room.

Mewtwo and Deoxys followed her. As soon as they left the room, the large bay window, which was teetering precariously, fell down and shattered with a mighty crash.

Lugia: How does a window fall over, anyway?

Ho-Oh, followed by Deoxys and Mewtwo entered the living room.

"Ah, so you're done calculating the damages?" Arceus asked.

"We are indeed." Ho-Oh replied, "When labor is factored in, the damages come out to roughly 957,500 Poké. And that's not including the stuff that we can't buy."

(Kyogre mimes a spit-take)

Groudon: As the humans say, “Holy shit.”

"Like what?" Giratina asked. He had finally moved off his couch and was now standing next to Dialga.

"Palkia's custom made lamp and…"

Kyogre: (as Ho-Oh) Alternate Groudon’s dignity, such as it is.

Groudon: Are you insulting me?

"GROUDON, KYOGRE! EXPLAIN WHY YOU DESTROYED THE LAMP THAT I MADE AS A GIFT?" Palkia demanded.

Groudon averted her gaze. "Well, a Solarbeam isn't selective. It destroys what it hits. Think of it as my gaze, I can't not look at Ky…"

Groudon: That’s not what averting means. Avoiding, yes. Also, “her”? I’m pretty sure I was male this entire time. Unless it’s talking about you, Palkia?

Palkia: I DOUBT THAT.

"Enough of that." Arceus said sternly, "And Palkia, don't interrupt."

Palkia grumbled but remained silent.

Ho-Oh cleared her throat. "In any case, Palkia's custom made lamp and sculptures along with Lugia's custom wallpaper and carpeting are the irreplaceable items destroyed."

Lugia: I thought they said my hobby was painting.

Arceus nodded. "I have decided the penalty for Groudon and Kyogre. You will have to work off the damages in addition to 250,000 extra Poké. You will be working together as a rescue team under Wigglytuff's Guild." She then looked at Rayquaza. "One other thing, don't think you can help them get over their punishment faster by working in the guild alongside them," she added.

Latios: But Rayquaza’s supposed to keep an eye on you two, right, Kyogre?

Kyogre: If by "keep an eye on” you mean “come down from the heavens to stop us from killing each other.”

"Can we work with the guild if we need some spending money?" Mew asked. He was flitting above everyone's heads.

"Yes. But your earnings will not be counted towards their penalty. And Mew, please spend wisely, Celibi's a little upset that you kept mooching off her for money."

Dialga: NOW THAT’S JUST RUDE.

Giratina: Mooching off Mew or spelling Celebi’s name wrong? Either way, I agree.

"Yes, Arceus," Mew responded with a giggle.

"This meeting is over. I have to speak to Guildmaster Wigglytuff regarding the punishment," Arceus said. She then turned to Regigigas. "Regigigas, please ensure that the Hall of Origins is still standing when I return."

Arceus: There’s only one origin, author. Come on now.

"I WILL DO AS YOU COMMAND," Regigigas said.

The Legendaries dispersed to do their own things as Arceus summoned a swirling blue portal. She then stepped into the portal and vanished.

Missing periods: Two.

“In any case” count: Three.

Comma-period substitutions (either for either): Six (thirteen total).

Jarring scene change count: Two (three total).

#pokémon #fanfic mst #this is a thing #long post is long

[slanax]

Dumb little PSMD review thing, main story edition

Now that I’m done with the main game (for the second time) I thought I’d give some of my opinions on the game, at least pre-credits. Most of which I assume a lot of people agree with me on, but hey.

Story (Consider this your spoiler warning)

Differs from the average PMD story in that actually founding a team (and even meeting the partner) happens rather late. A lot of mysteries are opened right at the beginning, such as Deoxys commenting on Rayquazas unusual behavior, the Beheeyem showing up, and the obligatory man-character-is-human-and-also-has-amnesia trope, staple of the series. Unfortunately, the story picks up really slowly, despite it being very generous with dropping new chapter titles every few minutes. A lot of school (read: tutorial) stuff is hindering its flow, though with the new and different mechanics it’s somewhat understandable. This does mean that the villagers and school kids get plenty of time to establish their characters, something I feel was missing from the Expedition Society, with the exception of Ampharos. Nevertheless, their quirky personalities and hilarious writing make for a light-hearted, enjoyable story.

Then the “petrification arc” starts and shit gets intense. Characters show their serious sides, specifically Ampharos’ leadership qualities. The plot twist with Nuzleaf and Yveltal was pretty well done IMO, with Nuzleaf being established as the first ally in the game, and taking the children’s side multiple times throughout the early stages of the game, like when “defending” them from Carracosta or sneaking out with them against the rules of the other adults, who conveniently were mostly portrayed as stuffy buzzkills so players wouldn’t get as suspicious why going there was forbidden in the first place.

The appearance of the legendary beasts as characters is disappointing to frustrating though. First they let Krookodile do what he wants, then they let Nuzleaf do what he wants, then they let Yveltal do what he wants, then they blame it all on you. Their bevavior is explained, but not well. There’s ways of being cold and distant without being openly insulting. Maybe they just suck at socializing. Or acting. Or both.

Multiple layers of betrayal in the lategame keep the player on their toes. Both Beheeyem being honest about helping the player and Espurr actually being a double agent could be foreseen, but may as well have gone the other way. The various roles of the legendary Pokemon during the finale work great (and finally resolve the appearance of Deoxys and Rayquaza at the very beginning) and the final plot twist of the game, turning the usual player-needs-to-leave trope the series is known for on its head. I’ll chalk up the fact that it’s not as much of a tear-jerker than the previous titles to me being accustomed to it, as well as older.

(Also in the end, we didn’t get to see a Mega Ampharos/Mega Mawile moment. Bummer about that, might’ve been worth including in the Yveltal battle.)

Gameplay

PSMD’s gameplay is stellar and a vast improvement over Gates to Mediocrity. While it does keep plenty of elements from earlier titles, the changes made are enough for it to feel like a completely different game.

An overhaul of ranged attacks, with their range now varying beyond “melee” and “however long you want” as well as making them able to bypass allies to balance that, goes a long way to make the partner able to contribute more in battle, especially in hallways. It also places bigger significance on the order your team is walking in. Making the basic elemental moves 2-range was also important to avoid certain starters being straight-up better than others. Multi-hit and room-wide moves are still fucking overpowered and the bane of every player, though at least this time they can’t waste multiple Reviver Seeds.

Speaking of starters, the inclusion of choice egg moves in their movesets greatly differentiates them, which otherwise would be a lot harder since early on their learnsets are practically identical, and later their different evolutions aren’t present to differentiate them that way.

Changes to items, dungeons and enemies mean that the game plays surprisingly different than previous titles. Tougher enemies result in a need for more healing and higher HP, making Oran Berries even more invaluable than before, to the point where it’s not impossible to run out completely if one routinely eats one or two at the beginning of the dungeon, just for the HP boost. This higher pressure by enemies ties in nicely with the abundance of Reviver Seeds, now in different tiers, likely so Elixirs and Apples wouldn’t become completely redundant. Shorter dungeons overall fit the harsher belly meter and prevent the game from becoming too stale with the longer battles, the default partner AI is now more than just a mirror of the player’s movements (to the point of incorporating things other installments needed IQ skills for, like not stepping on a fucking trap) and pushing is great. The ability to leave certain party members behind without wasting Reviver Seeds on them (even the partner if you want to!) is also helpful, and Looplets bring a nice dynamic to held items as well.

Unfortunately, the story progress is incredibly linear, to the point of being frustratingly so. A concrete list of requests to finish rather than the usual random ones sounds great, and it’s something I do like about the game, but when the game forces you into the next story dungeon with no way to clean out those requests and get them done so they don’t silently taunt you from the menu, it gets annoying. Even just picking up a reward at Cafe Connection has to wait when the game decides that you want to do story now. For a game about exploration, this is unacceptable.

Somewhat related to this issue is the fact that pretty much every partner Pokemon you ever team up with outlevels you greatly. You and your partner are the weakest Pokemon on the planet, and you get carried by literally everyone else around you. A fact that you can’t do anything about since, you guessed it, grinding isn’t something the game allows you to do. This also more than likely causes you to be underleveled for the final dungeons and getting oneshotted a lot, which no matter how many million Reviver Seeds the game throws at you is frustrating nonetheless. I do appreciate the fact that the game gives you ways to take out pretty much anything using the right wands.

Difficulty wise, I’d locate this game at the top of the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon series, at least when talking about the main storyline. Though it stands to argue that bad luck can easily put Red and Blue Rescue Team in the top spots. The difficulty in PSMD is a lot more fair compared to that, in that it gives you ways to overcome it more easily.

Overall, the game does have its flaws, though most of them come from the limitations of the main story. I’m definitely looking forward to how the postgame plays, as that’s new ground for me as well.

#pokemon super mystery dungeon #psmd spoilers #long post