Welcome to my full review of Pokémon- Distant Blue Sky. The English dub of this special marks the end of an era for the series; and in my honest view; a good one to go out on. Let’s open this up and get started.
A few things before we begin: the character Ren is called Len, because another character already used the former name. While Soh keeps his name from the JP dub; Sae is called Susan; and their son Haruto is called Sunny. As I go through this review, you’re going to find out why.
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| Courtesy- ShoPro/TV Tokyo/The Pokémon Company |
The special opens on Ash swimming with water Pokémon; and having an encounter with Gyarados! Putting on his outfit, he has a battle with Len and his Machamp. There’s even a nice little moment of Pikachu bonding with other Pikachu by doing a “High Tail” with them.
At a nearby Pokémon Center, Ash takes a call from his mother Delia; who tells him is father will be visiting tomorrow! This special takes place in the I Choose You timeline, and I would not object to seeing more stories in this timeline if possible.
As a familiar looking group tails them, he and Pikachu spend the night in a hollowed tree stump near Gengar shrines. He gets woken up the next morning by a Lickitung, and notices his partner is missing!
Ash meets Sunny, who leads him to where Pikachu was taken! He’s being held by Team Rocket in a glass jar; and though they only have a single cracker to celebrate; more to come is promised. Ash dives down to rescue his partner, simply unlocking the jar with the key while they say their motto.
Sunny and Ash are introduced, and the way he doesn’t reach to take Ash’s hand is an early tell about who Sunny really is. Hijinks ensue as Ash tries to explain how touching a Pokémon feels, including a scene of them having to outrun some Beedrill.
Sunny is familiar with the area, and leads Ash and Pikachu to a garden of Oran Berries. Inside the house, Soh is painting the distant blue sky as Sunny and Ash bond over his favorite painting. Susan gives Ash some of the berries and two loaves of freshly baked bread. Ash offers Sunny a piece, but he lets him and Pikachu have it.
After Ash and Pikachu eat, Sunny asks them a favor. He had a hat taken from him by a group of Mankey, and asks for help to reclaim it. Ash agrees, saying that happened to him before. This also implies Primeape Goes Bananas is canon to the “I Choose You” timeline as well.
Pikachu wants to bring the thunder, but Ash suggests a different approach. He tries asking for it first, which causes the Mankey to throw things at them in response. Ash then proposes an exchange- his own hat; which also explains why he has different ones in the Mewtwo Strikes Back remake and Secrets of the Jungle.
Ash returns to Soh and Susan’s cottage, and Soh asks Ash about the hat. It’s then revealed that Sunny wanted to be a Pokémon trainer like Ash did. He was Soh and Susan’s son; who loved the distant blue sky that Soh has been painting. Sadly, he was also very ill, and he died a year before the events of this special. Moreover, the dub doesn’t try to hide this fact; and adds another factor I appreciate- like many projects that have seen release in recent memory; it’s helped me come to terms with my own brother’s passing.
This scene of their shadows on the painting is also a subtle indicator that I’ve wondered ever since I first saw this- though it’s not outright stated, the implication is clear: Soh is Ash’s father; and we get another hint that I will address in the denouement.
Soh vows to continue his art, painting even more landscapes and Pokémon his son loved as Ash bids him and Susan goodbye. I especially like this line from Susan- “things we assumed would always be around are now something to be grateful for.”
Before Ash leaves, he’s able to bond with Sunny’s essence using his aura; suggesting he has the power to sense aura in this timeline as well. If the opportunity comes, I would love to see more of the I Choose You timeline.
That night, Ash is given his original hat by his father; and as he sits down to a dinner of his favorite croquettes, I can now say I was right about what I suggested when I addressed the JP dub of this special. I am very grateful for the time I have spent with this series indeed.
There’s even an end of an era from a metafictional perspective- this is the last project that James Carter Cathcart completed work on for the series; making him the longest-serving voice actor for the EN dub before retiring due to throat cancer. Not just from the series; but from voice acting as a whole.
The next morning, Ash is given breakfast from Delia as he heads out to find Entei with Pikachu in tow; closing out this special and this era of the anime on a very positive note.
As for what I plan to do next with this anime- I will continue to cover the last quarter-century of legacy content in some capacity. Haven’t quite worked out how I want to approach Horizons yet, but I do have plans for the video games lined up: past, present; and future.With that in mind, “Distant Blue Sky” is an ideal anime to close the book on this chapter of the franchise.
Though I may not know what to expect going forward, I will always be glad to have spent time with this story and sharing my thoughts with you all. Thank you, treasured friends.
