Pokemon Horizons Ep 3

Huh… You didn’t tell her!

The 3rd episode of Pokemon Horizons takes a backseat. After having a fast-paced first two episodes, let me just say, thank god!! While it was cool to see two fast-paced episodes back to back, we needed a breather. This episode delivers.

To summarize what happened in this episode. The Rising Volt Tacklers were in pursuit of finding the Explorers and getting Liko’s Sprigatito back. Liko woke up from a dream about her grandmother and conveys an important lesson about Pokemon. She leaves the room where she was sleeping and greets the rest of the team. They insured Liko to not worry and were doing everything for any leads of sprigatito. Friede was flying back from his search and was able to locate the town where the Explorers were. But he lost track of their exact location. Liko wants to search for sprigatito on her own. Friede drops a detail that he failed to mention. He was hired as a bodyguard by Liko’s mom. This led to the rest of the crew all annoyed. Soon, they landed in a nearby town to start their search. Molly asks Liko to help her with a potion order she needed to pick up at the Pokemon Center. Liko agrees to the task. As they approached closer, Molly gives Liko the order form and left.

She enters the Pokemon Center to see a familiar face, Nurse Joy. Liko hands over the form to her. She told Liko it will be a few moments until she gets the potion order. While waiting, Liko sees a trainer with an injured Vulpix. This girl was upset about her Pokemon’s alarming condition. This reminded Liko and her situation. She was worried about the explorers harming her Sprigatito.

Speaking of Sprigs, it was a happy cat. One of the members from Explorers named Cornia was having a blast with the Pokemon. She did realized she ran out of cat food and had to go back to town. Amethio shows up wondering what was Cornia doing and surprises her. His phone rang and it was the male member of the Explorers. He called and let Amethio know that Friede’s ship was located. This prompt Amethio to get his plan in motion.

Friede and Murdock were looking for the Explorers. Murdock’s Rockruff located Cornia in a nearby store due to Sprigatito’s scent. Rockruff barks to alert them of its find. The commotion alerted Liko as she wasn’t far from the scene. 

Cornia panicked and ran off. She calls Amethio that the Rising Volt Tacklers were on her tail. Amethio tells her to direct them into the warehouse. During the chase, Murdock stayed behind due to a nearby citizen was hurt. This leaves only Liko and Friede. They both arrived at the warehouse. Liko wanted to keep going, but Friede stops her and wanted her to stay behind. She stayed firm and wanted to go with him. He sees this determination from her and devises a plan. Both of them walk into the warehouse and confronts Amethio. Friede convinces Amethio for a Pokemon battle to take place. Amethio agrees. He chooses Ceruledge and Friede goes with Captain Pikachu.

While the battle took place, Liko and Rockruff look for Sprigatito. Thanks to Rockruff’s amazing smell, they found the room where sprigatito was trapped. Liko does her best to bust the door open to rescue her Pokemon. She does succeed and was able to make their getaway. Cornia runs into the pair and tries to win Sprigatito’s heart by briding it with food. Sprigatito turns away making Cornia upset. Liko remembered the plan that Friede told her and used Leafage to make their escape. 

Amethio and Friede were at the top of the warehouse’s building. The battle was favored by Amethio who had them cornered. Thanks to Leafage, Friede was able to escape and Liko got away safely. Amethio remains calm. He was one step ahead. One of the other explorers placed a tracker in the ship.

The RIsing Volt Tacklers celebrate Sprigatito’s return and Liko finally has full trust in them. Friede did leave another crucial detail but, was made up with the special team handshake. They initiated Liko as the newest member of their team.

Meanwhile, another character shows up named Roy. He was running towards the beach for new treasure. The episode ends with him finding the Rising Volt Tackler’s flag.

Thoughts

This episode takes a more lax approach compared to the first two episodes. We learned more about the characters and other details tying into the story.

One of the details we learned was about Liko and possibly her grandmother. She does entail a lesson that ties in with the episode. At first, Liko doesn’t understand this concept of what her grandmother has told her. When Liko was rescuing her Pokemon, she realized that Sprigatito being in her life had helped her shape into a stronger person. Her grandmother mentions taking the first step was the most difficult step, but with Pokemon on her side, you can do anything.

In social media, people have been speculating that Liko’s grandma looked like one of the characters from the predecessor’s series. I kept hearing she was Dawn’s mom or Serena’s mom. From what I see, I don’t see any resemblance. She looks like a brand new character and was voiced by another voice actress that isn’t recognizable from the past moms. So hopefully we get to learn more about her grandma and her Arcanine soon.

Another major detail revealed was what the Rising Volt Tacklers is all about. Friede fail to tell Liko anything. He casually kidnaps her and leaves her in the dark. Poor Liko had to figure out if they were not suspicious and if her life was on the line. They are a Pokemon unit that solves mysteries in the Pokemon World. They have taken this job thanks to Liko’s mom. Originally they were hired as bodyguards. So if this whole mess has never happened, they would have watched her from afar? Since Friede saw what the pendant can do, he wants to learn more about it. Although, I do give props to Friede. This man has his priorities and wants to get paid. I don’t blame Friede. This was one the first instances that currency was mentioned by a main character. So I do wonder, is Liko’s family rich?

On the Explorer’s side, we got to learn more about them. We still don’t know what antagonists do exactly, but I am glad we got more personality from Cornia. She is one of the female cast members from The Explorers. She did make me laugh with her love for Sprigatito. She was having a great time feeding it and playing with it. It was so adorable to watch. I hope we get to see more of the silly side of the Explorers and learn more about their whereabouts. I still haven’t heard the name of the other male member of the group. Hopefully, his name will get a reveal down in the line.

Amethio continues to be focused and composed. He won’t stop at anything to get what he wants. I do give Amethio props. I love how he was able to adapt after battling Friede and his Pikachu. He didn’t fall for the same trick with the Double Team and Thunder Punch combo. Instead, he responded and ordered his Ceruledge to use Phantom Force. While Amethio is hyper-focus on what is in front of him, he did lose sight of Liko and Sprigatito. Although he was distracted, he was still one step ahead of them. His teammate was able to locate the Rising Volt Tacklers’ ship and was able to throw on a tracker. So we know he isn’t done with Liko yet.

What was that about Molly not wanting to step in the Pokemon Center? I did find it unusual that Molly didn’t want to go and leave Liko to do the task. Why does she not want to go in? 

There are rumors that she may be linked to Nurse Joy. Does she have beef with Nurse Joy or was she an inspiring nurse at one point?  As of now, we don’t know. She does resemble with pink hair, and her hairstyle resembles the one loop from traditional two loops from a normal Nurse Joy. Her main Pokemon was a Chansey and wears a Chansey jacket. The icing on the cake was Molly shares the same VA as Nurse Joy. I hope her story will be revealed one of these days.

Finally, ever since Liko got her pendant, Sprigatito’s Leafage stay overpowered consistently. The question I do have; was her pendant behind the boost power up for Sprigatito? It did start happening after the mysterious Pokemon appeared in episode 2. So what secrets can be unlocked? Only time can tell.

Lastly, Captain Pikachu took a backseat in this episode. I love the cute little details and expressions he does. There were a couple of scenes where Captain Pikachu strolling with his arms crossed. 

When he does Double Team, I love the different expressions he does. Especially, the smirk he does in one of the Double Teams. In the Pokemon segment at the end. 

I am in love with the Skitty cup he holds in his hands. One thing I have noticed. Where is he getting his hats from. When he battled, he would throw his hat around but, doesn’t retrieve them back. I am sure this gag won’t have an explanation. But you do love how his captain’s hat magically reappeared all the time.

There are minor details that I liked it that would gone to anyone’s head. Is this the first time of hearing about food allergies in the show? I liked how Murdock asked Liko this question.

 Another minor detail was currency. We rarely heard about people getting paid to do tasks. The only time money was brought up before were from Team Rocket. This was the first time to hear this from a main character. So I do like this realistic approach. Friede has a point, they need money to cover their services and likely their basic needs. 

We do get an update on Liko’s school situation. I love how she will be able to keep up her classes remotely. To top it off, I was glad that Anne was still there. I wonder what she will contribute to the show!

Overall, this was a solid episode. The kidnapping with Sprigatito got resolved. We got to know Friede and what the Rising Volt Tacklers do. The Explorers weren’t going anywhere. We finally got a glimpse of Roy. We got a lot of answers, but this episode doesn’t stand out as much compared to the first two, and that’s okay. It was a breather more than anything. The art style was so-so at best except for the battle scenes. I am glad the battles aren’t going to be losing quality. So overall, I would give it an 8/10.

Pokemon Horizons is breath of fresh air!!

Review episodes 1 and 2

Pokemon Horizons has one of the best introductions I have seen in a long time. The last time I saw something captivating was back in the Pokemon XY era. That was years ago. My Pokemon history hasn’t been the greatest. I’ve been watching the series since when Ash started his journey. I had this cycle going. I stopped watching it and then pick it up again when something was captivating to me. I was thinking of quitting the series after Ash departed from the series. I didn’t want to keep up with the anime weekly. But my friends convinced me to give Pokemon Horizons a shot and here I am with the review.

The two episodes that have aired, it is setting a tone that is different from the previous series, and it was something that needed to be done years ago! Pokemon Horizons is doing its own thing. They are not tied to the game’s plot which was standard up to Journeys. All the characters are original to the anime. What we don’t know is if this world is an alternate universe from Ash Ketchum. Right now it’s too early to tell.

To summarize what has happened so far, we get introduced to a girl named Liko. She is quiet and a shy girl. She traveled from Paldea to attend a boarding school in Kanto. While in school, she meets her roommate Anne and the two do hit it off immediately. While school was in session, she was given her starter Sprigatito.

The two don’t get along at first, but as time passes by, they slowly started to understand each other. One night, Liko opens a box that has the pendant that was given by her grandmother. Anne sees Liko with the pendant and tells her she should wear it with pride. The plot thickens once when the school goes on a small break and Liko stays behind. A strange man who goes by the name Amethio was looking for Liko.

At first, Liko became suspicious that Amethio was asking for her pendant and handed over a letter written by her grandmother. Without hesitation, they run off. Amethio alerts his teammates to keep a lookout for her. Liko was quickly found and cornered. Before she surrendered, a man with a Charizard came flying down.

Just like Amethio, he was looking for Liko and her pendant. Both men duked it out in battle. While they were distracted, Liko escaped. Amethio uses a ceruledge against the Charizard’s trainer. He orders a Psycho Cutter which misses charizard but goes straight to Liko and Sprigatito. Liko’s pendant reacts and makes a barrier to protect against the attack.

In the following episode, it was revealed it was a brand-new Pokemon that hasn’t been discovered yet. Online sources speculate it is the preform of Terapagos. The turtle-like pokemon reverts to the pendant and Liko falls again before being rescued by the Charizard’s trainer.

He brings Liko back to his ship’s headquarters which is named “The Brave Asagi.” Liko couldn’t compose herself to ask any questions and soon arrived. Not far behind, Amethio and his team were in pursuit. The group lands on the ship’s battlefield and two unidentified individuals part of the ship’s crew circled the pair.

They scold him for not telling Liko their identity. From the arguing, the Charizard’s trainer was named Friede. The rest of the crew introduces themselves as Molly and Murdock. Murdock introduces his partner Rockruff who becomes fast friends with Sprigatito. Not long after, their alarms went off alerting them that Amethio was nearby. Liko sticks with Molly while Friede and Murdock go back into the ship. We do get introduced to another member of Friede’s crew. A girl named Orio, who works in the engine room to power the ship.

Liko wanted to ask Molly questions, but the ship went into a blackout. Molly checks the telescope and identifies Amethio’s group as “the Explorers.” Friede gets to the driving area where his Pikachu was introduced as “Captain Pikachu.” Friede takes over the steering wheel and steers toward the upcoming storm. The explorers made it to the ship and started attacking the protective barrier. Molly alerts through the rotom phone and had to head to the Wing Deck to retract the battlefield, leaving Liko alone. Concerned, Freide leaves the driver’s seat to Murdock and headed back to the chaos.

The Explorers managed to break in and confronted Liko. Sprigatito tries to defend Liko but was caught by one of the Explorers. Not wanting to cause any more trouble, she complies with Amethio. Soon after, Friede jumps in. Friede and Amethio introduced each other. Friede introduced themselves as the “Rising Volt Tacklers” and he was their leader. Since they both wanted Liko, they decided to battle each other. Friede chooses Captain Pikachu and Amethio chooses ceruledge.

The battle raged on until Ceruledge’s Psycho Cutter was causing damage to the ship and nearby Pokemon. Liko not wanting any more fighting steps in and stops the fight. She tells Amethio that she will comply with his demands. Sprigatito not feeling the same sentiments jumps out of Liko’s arms and convinces her not to give up.

She gets the confidence she needed and orders a Leafage. Many leaves pour out of sprigatito and were able to hit ceruledge and break the battle barrier. This caused chaos and everyone was doing their best to shield themselves from the strong winds! Sprigatito gets blown away. Unfortunately, Amethio’s corviknight catches it and kidnaps poor sprigatito. This is where the episode ends.

Thoughts

The first two episodes really delivered. I didn’t think they would be so enjoyable. It has a story, it is action-packed, and a mystery element that I longed wanted for some time now! The series so far is darker than its predecessor. Kids getting kidnapped isn’t a common theme in Pokemon. They did a great job introducing Liko who is one of the new protagonists. The heroes and villains of the series are the Rising Volt Tacklers and Explorers. Both teams were after Liko for her pendant. Her pendant is going to be one of the driving forces of a mystery that needs to be solved and we as an audience will learn as the show goes on.

I felt Pokemon needed this. After 25 years of reusing Ash and Pikachu, it was very obvious from the writing staff they lost that spark. Keeping Ash at 10 years old was detrimental to his character since they couldn’t explore milestones that would happen if Ash was aging. Ash did mature as time went on. He did mellow out and was a happy-and-go-lucky kid. They kept reusing Ash and stuck with the same formula of him obtaining the badges and winning the Pokemon League, it was getting tiring. It was growing more unrealistic that he can explore 8 regions in months and stuck him on a floating timeline. There were attempts to change the formula in the last 7 years to keep the story fresh. But fan reactions have been mixed at best, so it made sense to retire Ash. He will be missed, but his legacy will live on.

Liko did have a great first impression from what she was shown in the first two episodes. She is this shy, timid girl who was unsure of herself. She constantly would talk to herself and do monologues in her mind. She does often worry about the safety of others and does her best to protect which is one of her admirable traits. I did love that she kept a diary and sketches her adventures. I hope that trait of hers continues.

One of the funny moments I did enjoy was she was realizing why everyone was after her and her pendant. She even freaks out that she is viewed as a heroine in her own story. The lightning bolt cemented that fact.

Another major moment was when Liko was finally able to stand up to the explorers and yelled with passion for Sprigatito’s Leafege. I loved how she owned that moment!!

Her Pokemon Sprigaitito was so adorable. It acted like an actual cat, not wanting to do as Liko asks for. While their relationship was rocky at the start, Liko started to take notes and learn about her Pokemon by exploring its habits and understanding its traits better. The only skill she hasn’t mastered as much was battling. Although as of now, we are not sure what kind of trainer Liko wants to be, so I am hoping more will be developed down the line.

Another character that stuck out for me was Friede and his Pikachu, Captain Pikachu. Boy, Friede knows how to make an entrance. Friede embodies Ash’s spirit to the tee. He does remind me of Ash since he is very impulsive and does things without thinking. Friede doesn’t even tell Liko who he is when they first met. Liko has to find out his name from Molly. He may be reckless, but he is very tactical.

While at first, he drove the ship to the freaking storm, wreckless at first sight, there was a reason to do so. It gave more field advantage to his pikachu. As there was a moment where Captain uses the lightning to power up. He is the leader of the Rising Volt Tacklers and named its ship The Brave Asagi. We still don’t know what the Rising Volt Tacklers do, so I hope to learn more about them in near future. He is likely the adult supervising Liko and Roy.

His pikachu on the other hand stole the show for me. I didn’t think I would love this Pikachu so much. Captain Pikachu was introduced in his chair, standing on his tail which his arms crossed. I love how that is Capatin’s signature pose and it did make me squeal in excitement.

For one, this Pikachu does not miss his Tail Day workout! It does give a nod back to the original series from episode 14. When Pikachu stands on its tail dodging Raichu’s thunderbolt. So I am happy it making homage to one of my favorite episodes. Cap does put on a serious demeanor and does have the battle skills to back it up. I was so happy to see Volt Tackle again! Oh, how I miss that move so much. He also rocks Double Team and Thunder Punch, which is a more physical moveset compared to Ash’s Pikachu.

I do have a small request and it would cement Captain all the way to the top. I want this pikachu gets anal if he sees a scratch, does a close-up, and goes after the person or Pokemon that made that scratch. That would put Captain Pikachu in legendary status for me.

Liko’s roommate Anne is such a riot! She is messy, unorganized, and outgoing character. I love her design, and they gave her an Arboliva hairstyle and her little fangs are so cute. She became fast friends with Liko and was interested in learning more about her. She insisted to have Liko wear her pendant and wear it proudly. She like Liko gets her first Pokemon. She chose Oshawott and the two bonded faster compared to Liko and Sprigatito. She did have a funny moment where she said she had never been outside of Kanto. I hope this isn’t the last time that we see her. I wouldn’t mind seeing her again!

The rest of the Volt Tacklers, Molly, Murdock, and Orio seemed to be an interesting bunch. I love how each member had an important role. Molly seemed to be the caretaker for the Pokemon on the ship. Murdock is like a chef and feeds everyone. Orio is in charge of keeping the ship going. She works with the fire Pokemon that helps power the ship. There is an elderly gentleman who is also on the ship, but his name hasn’t been revealed yet. So hopefully, we keep learning more about them.

Finally the antagonists, the Explorers. Wow, they do not mess around. Amethio came into the picture and was going to do anything to get his hands on that pendant. This is a welcome change for serious villains. He had no problems trying to adduct Liko and Sprigatito. While they are seen as a threat at the moment, not much about their organization is known. My question is how does Amethio know Liko’s grandma? Has he been pursuing Liko’s family for a while? I hope these questions get answered.

Amethio did crack me up a bit when he battled Friede. Friede decided to do Pikachu, and Amethio thought that the match-up was like a joke. Hearing that comment, made me wonder if this is an alternative universe from Ash’s world. Amethio not taking Pikachu seriously makes me wonder if he was not familiar with Ash’s Pikachu. So this line did make me chuckle. Plus, Captain Pikachu shined in that battle!

Judging from the first two episodes, Pokemon Horizons are taking things to a different approach. There are a few sprinkled nods that the show tosses in there.

One of them was Sprigatito being disobedient and doing whatever it wanted parallels Ash and Pikachu’s relationship when they first met. But at the end of the episode, Sprigatito and Liko were getting along.

Sprigatito’s voice is familiar. It is voiced by Jessie’s VA, Megumi Hayashibara.

Another nod was Liko’s hairpin. Her hairpin looks so much like Ash’s league hat.

The last notable nod was introducing a new Pokemon that no one knows. The second episode showed a preform of Terapagos. This hasn’t happened in a long time. So it was cool that we got to see the new Pokemon. Of course, a few days later, the Pokemon company tweeted out the new Pokemon…

The differences do show right away from what I explained earlier. This show is more plot-driven than anything else we ever received. I am excited to see where this story will take us. Roy hasn’t been as promoted as heavily compared to Liko, so I feel we start hearing from him very soon. I do spy a Quaxly on the ship. Is the Nidorina cosplayer in the Brave Asagi? Are we going to get a character dive to the other main cast members? My ultimate question is, will Pokemon Horizons be continuous like its predecessor? Or will it take breaks and air for a certain time and take a break for several months? The other major question that I asked earlier is whether Liko’s world is tied to Ash’s world.

Conclusion

I am excited that we have a brand-new series! All new characters, new stories that weren’t ever told, and mysteries to be unraveled. I am looking forward to more of the episodes every week. My rating for these 2 episodes is a 9 out of 10. This was a strong opening and I hope it continues on this path in the future. I do recommend it to Pokemon fans who were hungry for something new and different. Thank you for reading ^^

Top 10 favorite Pokemon episodes revised 2022

So I started this project back when the pandemic was raging in 2020. At the time, everything was closed and there wasn’t much to do. I do admit it was exhausting to watch so many Pokemon episodes, but it was fun. I thought I had it done before the summer ended. But life got in the way, I forgot about it until the following summer. I started up again, but then my school life got in the way so I had to put it on hold until the new year. I finished school in late February and have free time.

In 2017, I made a favorite pokemon list. All I did at the time, was do it purely out of memory. By doing this, it was somewhat a bad idea since the Pokemon anime has been out for over 20 years and it’s very easy to forget. For the majority of the episodes, I was more likely to watch it once or twice. The following year, I realized my list wasn’t how I felt truly, so this is how this project was born.

Here is my old list if your interested: https://lolli4587.tumblr.com/post/159315654668/day-7-april-7th-free-day-i-going-to-use-my

So what I did was, I picked the episodes from each season and the ones I liked. Most of the episodes I did like were ranked 7 or 8 out of 10 or higher if I would have rated them. I didn’t start ranking episodes much until I was in the pokepod. When I started, the list was 375 episodes, over time it jumped to 438 episodes. So, I watched all 438 episodes in my 2 year run. I divided it up into seasons. The top episodes would be in a running for my following list the top tier episodes list. Each season differs in a number of episodes I liked. To make it fair, I decided every 5 episodes would equal 1 episode for top ranking.

Ex: Season 3, I liked 10 episodes. So 5 epi = 1 epi top tier

10 epi = 2 epi top tier there are certain episodes I put together since I viewed them as an arc. I bunched those episodes together as a whole. There are a couple that I broke the arc formula because I didn’t like said episode.

Finally were the top tier episodes. I ranked them differently. I had to rewatch the top tier episodes because some were nearly 2 years at this point. There were 101 episodes I had to rewatch. I broke it up into 10 different categories: summary, characters, focus, special moments, uniqueness, story, battle, entertainment factor, references, and test of time. Summary, characters, and focus I didn’t include in the rating since it was more for me what I was dealing with. Not all episodes had those said things, so some were omitted. I did this to keep it fair.

So now my top 10 panned out, so here are my results….

#10: Electric Shock Showdown

Wow, so this was shocking. I honestly have said this was my all-time favorite episode for years and now it is at the #10 spot. What happened? There are 9 episodes/arcs that did better than my old favorite. The Kanto saga had so much experimentation going on, and overall it isn’t perfect. I still get the thrill watching this episode because we get to see so many beginnings which became standard these days. Ash’s unorthodox battling style was blossoming (It started with 5 episodes prior against Giselle and Cubone). This was one of the first times that he listened to Pikachu’s needs and wants. When it came to the thunderstone, he let Pikachu decide. Pikachu gained more self-confidence. I really liked that Surge wasn’t gonna let Ash win out of pity, he made him work for it. After over 20 years, his Japanese voice still makes me laugh. I can’t stop laughing when he tries to speak in English, and he even swears. In English, I always loved his line delivery with “what.” In spanish, I learned pet was “mascota.” (Huge talking point in my 15th birthday lol) My only wish I have is for Ash to have a rematch with Surge in the near future. Because there was an episode that was acknowledged by his successor and I am losing hope this won’t be a thing anytime soon ;-;

#9: Battling at Full Volume!

This one is another electric-type episode that made me smile and fell in love with the character of the day (COTD) and his Pikachu. I always loved the guitar riffs and it brought me joy. So this episode is famous for Serena cosplaying as Ash. Ash was sick with a fever and COTD Jimmy comes in and wants to battle Ash and his Pikachu. Serena, without thinking much, decides to wear Ash’s clothes. She didn’t want to wake Ash from Jimmy's loud presence. Serena really pulls off Ash really well. Jimmy couldn’t tell the difference until Bonnie and Clemont comes back and then there was Team Rocket. I really loved Jimmy’s Pikachu Spike, he was too adorable and I loved how he knew how to fight. I love Bonnie nearly blowing Serena’s cover. Her teasing brought me joy, she knows Serena likes Ash. Then there are the reactions afterward. There were so many fun moments. I still enjoy watching this episode!

#8: Memories in the Mist!

So this episode came in for a surprise. I didn’t think this episode would get me so emotionally and it is very relatable. Sun and Moon were one the series that tackled death, and they did a great job. Almost every time I watched this episode, I would be sobbing all the time. Mallow isn’t my favorite character, but what she went through was heartbreaking. Mallow’s mother passed away at a young age. She catches a Bounsweet to look over Mallow. At her final moments, Mallows tells her mom that she hates her and soon passes away. Sadly she had to live the guilt the rest of her life. This was something I was afraid to say to my loved ones. I was taught to say I love you because you never know when that said person would be gone. Luckily for Mallow, she had a second chance to make peace with her mom. I personally have experienced the death of my loved ones and I loved the message behind it. Torracat was simply adorable when reuniting with Scoutland. I loved the continuity for those two to be training.  

#7: Lights! Camera! Pika!

This episode was so cute. I loved it the first time around and still love it when rewatching it. I fell in love with movie-making episodes, and this one takes the top spot. It was so cute to see all the different outfits of PIkachus, and the COTD Frank is such a huge fan of Pikachu. I loved all the Pikachu-related items he owns and watching to pour his love into his Pikachus. It was so much fun watching the making of the movie and how Ash, Bonnie, Clemont, and Serena helped behind the scenes. This episode had the full package for me. I loved that they showed the anime version of Pikachu’s VA Ikue Otani. What cemented it for me was the bloopers. It was funny to see Clemont fall from embarrassment to Pikachu messing up. It was great, I would watch that part over and over.

#6: Tag! We're It...!, Glory Blaze!, Smells Like Team Spirit!

We reached the 1st arc in this list. This one was more of the unique saga on the list. The dynamics in these arcs were so out there. Never in the million years, we would ever see Ash partner with Paul. When they were paired, they just couldn’t stop fighting and agree with anything. What makes it special for me was when Ash finally catches Chimchar after Paul was abusing it. We did learn about Paul and how Chimchar came into Paul’s possession. It made me feel so bad about Chimchar and made me care about its development. I did enjoy the dynamics with Dawn and Conway, and Brock and Holly. I do admit, Conway does creep me out. When Conway isn’t bothering Dawn, he was a formidable opponent and came back multiple times. Poor Brock, Holly looked like one the few who liked Brock for who he is and then gets abandoned after they lose in the tournament. Holly mainly used Brock in my eyes, but anyways…This arc had a lot of moments and I am sad to learn we didn’t have another tag tournament in the series since then.

#5: Destination: Coronation!

What, I have a Journeys episode in my Top 5!! So, a couple of years ago I wrote a review about this episode. I mentioned I might have this in my Top 5 and turns out I was right. Ever since I watched this episode, I fell in love. I instantly fell in love with Surge’s replacement Visquez. She was a badass, I really loved her style. Huge props to Pokemon for finally adding a female character who has muscles.  I was happy she gave Ash a run for his money. What put it over the top for me was they mentioned Lt. Surge. Surge told everyone about Ash’s match against him. That gave me chills.  I loved the references and made this episode stand out on its own. As of now, this is still my favorite PWC battle and I am a bit sad it's been underwhelming. But regardless of that, this episode won my heart. And also, Raichu with dumbbells <3 I can’t get over it.

#4: The Moment of Lumiose Truth!

This gym episode won my heart. I had to watch this episode in Japanese since the dub ruins the battle scenes with their BG music. But this is one of the best companion battles I ever saw. I really admired Clemont for leaving the group so he can give Ash a proper gym battle. And boy, Clemont did really come out. He literally had Ash on his toes. The battle scenes and shots were amazing. I loved how the battle started as a continuation of the 1st episode of XY with Pikachu and Bunnelby. There was so much going on. Clemont was one of my favorite companions. He won me over early on, and I was so happy with how he progressed from the beginning. He was my inspiration for me to go back to school. Then Ash was super slick as well with these comebacks. At the end, the whole scene was so wholesome.

#3:  A Towering Takeover!, Coming Apart at the Dreams!, The Right Hero for the Right Job!, Rocking Kalos Defenses!, Forming a More Perfect Union!

So this arc is one the best ones I ever saw. This was the build-up from all of XYZ with Bonnie’s friend Squishy and the reveal of Team Flare and their ultimate plan. This arc had everything, a very strong storyline, the majority of Ash’s companions were doing something, and then towards the end, all the gym leaders and champions assembled. It was always something I wanted to see. It reminded me a bit of the Avengers End Game (obviously they did it way better).

 It was amazing to see everyone take part in it. This had some heavy emotional scenes. 

I did cry when Clemont lost his Clembot, and when Bonnie was trying to break that control they placed on Squishy. 

Ash also had some awesome scenes. There was the one scene he says to Lysandre, I just love to play it over and over. And one of the few episodes I don’t mind in the dub.  I loved that delivery. At the end, Bonnie get to cheer Squishy on at 100%. Lysandre doesn’t know what hit him. There were so many great moments, and I had to place it near the top of my list.

#2: Familiarity Breeds Strategy!, A Real Rival Rouser!, Battling a Thaw in Relations!

Wow, I really love this league fight. On its own without watching in context, the battle is very action-packed and super engaging. The added bonus if you watch the entire DP series, it slaps so much harder, and this was the case for this arc. Ash finally gets to battle Paul and this was a rematch. Almost every time that Ash fought Paul, he couldn’t ever surpass him. They both had different ideas and approaches when it came to their Pokemon. Ash always incorporated kindness and listened to his Pokemon needs. Paul always cared for powerful Pokemon and gave them what he was looking for. If they don’t meet his standards, he would discard them and this angered Ash. 

This wraps Infernape’s story, in this league fight, he carried over for the team and it got to show his true power which Ash was able to tap into and control it. The last match with the cinematography blew me away. I loved at the end Paul and Ash have an understanding. They promised each other they would battle again. I did hear he was coming back on Journeys. I am praying his character does not get butchered. Fingers crossed. This was one the fights that aged very well and still a favorite over 10 years later.

#1: Analysis Versus Passion!, A Riveting Rivalry!

This is my new favorite episode. What won me over was that Ash and Sawyer both gave their all in their match. Sawyer was this trainer Ash met in the early XY 70s. He was a beginning trainer that traveled from Hoenn. He admired Ash so much, he started to take notes and improved his battling style. Eventually, he surpassed Ash which shook him up and Ash was doubting his abilities.. Sawyer knew Ash’s style so well, he had ways to counter them. With that, Ash made some unpredictable moves. One of my favorite battle moments was when he told Pikachu to throw the wood at Aegislash to prevent the king’s shield. That was genius. A lot of the battles were super engaging. This episode, I was really happy with all the battles, which is rare for me. There was usually one or two that stands out, and this one had multiple that kept me excited.  

I felt Ash and Greninja performed better in this battle, but I do admit, he did well against Charizard at the end. But in this one, Ash and Greninja overwhelmed Sawyer and Sceptile. I love the expression of Sawyer freaking out before his Sceptile gets hit by the huge water shuriken. That moment, I would replay that scene over and over  because of the emotion and he knew he lost. There were many great moments, and it is very deserving to be my new #1 favorite Pokemon episode in the entire series.

So there you have it. When I made this list, I noticed a pattern and it reflected off from Electric Shock Showdown. But I do have my love for electric gym leaders and trainers. I do like episodes that run my emotions, movie making and for Ash defeating his toughest rivals. I love Pokemon Battles that thrills me. At my age, it just gets harder to impress me. Now these days, I come in with low expectations and how something will blow me away. Happy 25 years Pokemon, I can’t believe you have been there for a quarter of my life. I hope the franchise keeps going. Thank you for reading.

How about it, what is your favorite episode? I would love to hear them!!