Hello everyone. By the time you all read this, I will have returned home from my father’s place. I am also pleased to report that my main computer has finally been fixed after all this time, and I want to start getting back on track of some of what I had planned before. I am also still getting used to the new OS that was installed, however; so I want to do something simple to get back into the swing of things. I have also been wanting to do the subjects of today’s recap ever since I first saw the Japanese version. This is also the last 1-hour special of Pokémon The Series: Sun and Moon so far, so let’s open them up.
We open on a shopping mall on Melemele Island, where everyone is looking for food for their Pokémon, and the students of the Pokémon Academy happen upon a rack of Poké Beans! Ash suggests that Pikachu might like the yellow beans, and RotomDex concurs with a smiley on his screen!
Mallow’s Stenee (who evolved from Bounsweet in a prior episode shown along with these ones) likes the flower-print beans the most! In my games, all of mine seem to like the Rainbow Beans. Really enjoy how Game Freak built on what they learned from the Pokémon Amie feature in Generation VI for the new Pokémon Refresh feature.
Lillie is also looking for some scarves for her Alolan Vulpix, who she has dubbed “Snowy!” It’s not that different from “Snowball” in the Japanese version. Again, even if they can’t always get the letter of the original across, I do appreciate the spirit getting across. Plus, it reminds me of Tintin’s dog.
As Ash continues browsing, Kiawe and Sophocles suggest it looks like the ladies are having fun. Are they? Does Han shoot first?
Anyway, the next stop is a store known as “Alola Sunrise,” but then; Kiawe remembers it’s feeding time on the farm; Sophocles has to go water the flowers back home and even Roto says it’s almost time for “Alola Detective Lucky!” Ash asks if he can just DVR it, but RotomDex insists that a true fan watches live and then DVRs it for later viewings! Ah yes, the wonders of the modern age.
So, with two of his “Bros” and his combination of JARVIS and Siri off, Ash and Pikachu are roped into a trip with Mallow, Lana and Lillie. Again, given this screen cap and the ending of XYZ, I can imagine his relationship status will be set to “it’s complicated.”
After the opening theme, we see the first part of this special is entitled “Partner Promises!”
Anyway, in the midst of all the shopping, one of the keepers tells Ash about a secluded island nearby, and lets him and Pikachu borrow her kayak to take a visit just as the girls finish up!
Making landfall at “Treasure Island,” Ash and Pikachu set off and decide to start exploring the place! Ah, the simple joys of exploration. When this initially aired in Japan, it was to help commemorate the 20th anniversary of the series’ original airing. No joke: I love these episodes, and I am very eager to tell you more in a moment.
There’s also a little bit where all these Crabrawler are sparring while Ash looks on. I don’t know why, but this line just amuses me. I might consider including them on my favorite Alola monsters; especially with Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon on the way with more to come. Unlike some people, I do try to have enough information to make a sound judgement before I make even one keystroke.
While I may not have a problem with the humorous tone like some other people, there are still some bits that confuse me. One example is Roto apparently sneezing when Ash mentions him on the island. I know this gag has appeared before in this and other series, but I personally don’t get it. Not quite as confusing to me as Yo-Kai Watch (which this rebrand allegedly is competing with), but I’m not sure what the joke is in this instance. This is coming from a guy who laughed his ass off at the South Park scenes in FLCL, and I will tell you more when I recap the series in September in honor of more episodes being made.
Amidst a field of flowers, Ash is bestowed with the wreath of another Comfey while Cutiefly frolic in the background!
As Ash and Pikachu continue to explore the island, they come across a herd of Alolan Exeggutor!
I must say, the redesigned art style thankfully isn’t as bad as many detractors of the series would let on. I rather like all the little details you see when you pause the episode at just the right moment. I never really minded the more Western-style animation all that much; since I’m a fan of many other anime that resemble Western series such as One Piece, Cowboy Bebop and The Big O.
After a brief scare with the Exeggutor, Ash then begins climbing all over them and swimming in a secret lake!
I know I have other material on the table that’s going to be a lot worse for a variety of reasons, but for now; I am going to enjoy this. Sometimes, I want to watch an anime that doesn’t make me feel like a nihilist.
As Ash and Pikachu lie together on the beach, I am glad that I have finally gotten to look at this special; and I will tell you more reasons why in the next half. To celebrate 20 years on the air of delighting children and the young at heart; something as simple as a young man reaffirming his goal and sharing a day in a new land with his best friend is truly worthy of its lineage.
Then, as Ash and Pikachu take a nap on the beach, they’re given a rude awakening by an infestation of Wimpod! I bet Guzma would be happy, especially as one of them clamps onto Ash’s leg and another one steals their goody bag!
They’re able to recover their bag of Poké Beans and Malasadas (I bet Hau would like the latter), and after Ash’s clothes dry from the swim earlier, he and Pikachu decide to head back to Melemele Island.
However, before they leave, they notice a Wimpod has been left behind from the pack and is trapped in a cave! Before he goes, Ash decides to help get it out and get back to its comrades! Even though he does get a bit messed up trying to scale the cliffs, I do like his idealism; backwards hat and all. This is close to what I wanted, and my head canon of him as well as my player characters in the Alola games are heavily influenced by the likes of Bill and Ted.
As for Rowlet falling off the roof of Kukui’s lab when Ash mentions him: again, I don’t really get this bit. Maybe it’s something that’s lost in translation on me, but I usually don’t get the idea of people talking about me when I’m not around; much less shocking me awake. At least, it’s not a toilet joke like in Yo-Kai Watch. I am potentially interested in Elegant Yokai Apartment Life, though.
Ash then devises a plan to get Wimpod out of the cave: with the help of one of the Exeggutor from before, he manages to get in the cave from the top; so Pikachu can clear the blockage with Iron Tail!
After that, Wimpod is able to return with the others in the sea just as night falls!
Before Ash goes back to Melemele Island, however, the guardian of Akala Island appears overhead, Tapu Lele!
Tapu Lele heals Ash and Pikachu’s wounds, and after Ash gets back to Kukui’s lab, he tells the Professor and Roto everything about what happened that day as we close the first half of this special!
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| Tapu Lele will return in Thor Ragnarok. |
As a way of celebrating a milestone of 20 years on the air, “Partner Promises” is an ideal way to help kick off the festivities that such an achievement would call for. The series is now tied with “Gunsmoke” as one of the longest-running TV series ever, and is officially the longest-running TV series based on a video game ever; even having more episodes under its belt than The Simpsons! So, let’s keep this train rolling as I enter the next half of this special!
The second half opens with Ash, Pikachu and RotomDex picking up groceries in town. They’re headed back to Professor Kukui’s lab when a donut falls out of one of the grocery bags and is caught by the elderly vendor from the last recap I did of this anime. I wonder if they’ve got any rice balls.
Anyway, the vendor tries to return the donut; but Litten snatches it and runs off! He brings the donut to an old Stoutland under a bridge, and it’s been established prior to this that Litten has imprinted this Stoutland as a surrogate father. However, the Stoutland is quite infirm; and is the other side of the coin in this milestone that I’ve also wanted to address for some time.
Now that this episode has aired in the US as part of a 3-hour marathon on Disney XD, it is entitled “One Journey Ends, Another Begins.” Apparently, Polygon was under the impression that this episode would be skipped due to its subject matter even though the events are a vital part of the plot of the series overall. They were wrong: it wouldn’t be the first time they misgauged how audiences would react to something, and knowing their reputation, it won’t be the last. Besides, it isn’t the ‘90s anymore: they may have skipped episodes before that ended up creating plot holes later; but given how Disney XD has aired plenty of dark, but engaging content with Gravity Falls, Star VS the Forces of Evil and Star Wars Rebels, I found their reasoning odd to say the least.
Ash and Professor Kukui then try to determine the next course of action; given how Litten has been reluctant to trust others in the past. This episode is essentially a culmination of a starter that had been set up fairly early on; and I’m actually glad that the writers went with the approach they ended up doing. Didn’t want them to pull the trigger too early even if some fans did.
Not long after this, however, Litten comes to Ash for help, even roasting Team Rocket when they try to confront him!
The elder Stoutland is gravely ill, and even with all the jokes people have made; I am honestly surprised that Ash can lift Stoutland without injuring himself. Has he been juicing? I’m no doctor, but it’s surprising given Stoutland’s weight in the Pokédex. It’s 134.5 pounds standard, 61 Kilograms metric.
At the Pokémon center, the outlook is grim. The elder Stoutland is hooked up to an IV and an EKG, and even though it’s not outright said; it’s heavily implied that he’s dying.
Even in his waning moments, Stoutland does manage to pass on the technique of Fire Fang to Litten as a parting gift to him.
Then, as night falls; Litten falls asleep beside the elder Stoutland. While the first part of this special honored the idealistic side of its lineage; this part is doing the same for the more emotional side.
Litten’s dream is also the image of Stoutland in the sky, and from this point forward; the episode takes a turn away from the tone that had been established before.
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| Stoutland... (Translation: Litten, you must take your place in the circle of life...) |
As morning comes, the combination of the falling rain, the leaves falling from the old tree; and the couch that Stoutland was using as a bed caving in on itself make it inherently clear that Stoutland is gone. While there have been Pokémon that have sacrificed themselves before such as Latios and Lucario, this marks the first time in the anime that a Pokémon has died of natural causes. Today, a Stoutland died in Alola.
Moreover, the episode is surprisingly effective at exploring the concept of grieving over the loss of a loved one. Death, typically, is not a common subject matter for a “kid” anime, but the episode does make effective use of downplaying the more idealistic elements that were common before and using a more muted color palette for these scenes in lieu of the normally bright environments. Notably, the usual optimism and bright colors don’t return until the episode’s denouement.
Even Team Rocket can’t bring themselves to try any of their schemes, to the point where the usually comedic Bewear can tell Jessie, James and Meowth are upset by this matter and is trying to console them about it. The dialogue is also minimal at best, which is something I’m again pleased the dub retained. It’s tricky, but there are many times when a story can be told without having to explain everything to the audience; and simply lets the animation and gentle music advance the plot.
Days go by, and after a battle between Litten and Pikachu to help reignite Litten’s fighting spirit, Ash is finally able to capture Litten and have him join his family as they look toward a new future over a hearty supply of berries!
So, as Meowth watches the whole thing from the bridge; we close on a rainbow and the elder Stoutland as a cloud in the sky! Feel free to pour one out for elder Stoutland if you’ve got it.
When the anime was initially being rebranded for the Sun and Moon series; it was a point of contention among many longtime fans. While some like me were onboard, others were sharply divided. Even though some fans simply weren’t interested in how the style and tone varied so much from the XY series (still regarded as one of the best sagas in recent years), others were much more vocal in their disappointment. They even went so far to suggest that in an attempt to compete with the upstart Yo-Kai Watch, that this anime was incapable of having any moments of nuance or the same level of quality that its seniors had.
“One Journey Ends, Another Begins” is the counter-argument to that belief. While some were dismayed that the capture didn’t happen much earlier in the series, I definitely think this way ultimately worked in their favor: a slow burn that still leaves more room for their friendship and the series to grow. The animation and story structure still show that while Generation VII may have had many shakeups to the series, many of the new elements in play are working in the series’ favor in my honest opinion. I also still agree with my associate Kohdok that this series is an anti-Yokai Watch in many respects, and it also helps that even after all these years; Ash definitely has a thing for fire-types with rough lives. Both episodes make up an ideal special to commemorate the anime’s milestone 20th season, and I am glad I have gotten to share it with you all.
This is also going to be the last episode recap for a while, once again, I want to get back on track doing more of the movies in honor of the recent premiere of Pokémon The Movie: I Choose You. I also ask that people don’t send me any spoilers, I will most likely be watching the movie myself as soon as I can find it online. I will also not officially recap it until it’s dubbed in English and released stateside, which probably won’t be until later this year. I also still want to do some of the stuff I couldn’t get to last month, least of all the bad mecha series and other video game anime I had in mind. That will be all for now. Bang.
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