Forum Thread

ALOLA!

This first post will explain what's going on!

Hello everyone! My name is Ralsei, and I've never watched the Pokemon Sun and Moon anime. This is going to be a documentation of my journey watching each episode for the first (and, very occasionally, second) time. A review video, if you will, but in the form of writing, haha! I'm very excited to share these reactions with all of you, and here's some general info!

1. I'll be keeping a progress bar to let you know how far into the series I am. I'll also have links to each episode in a separate post, as well as to any other things I decide to add! I don't think there were any Alola movies, so no movie reactions here.

2. I will be watching these as Japanese subbed! Unless there's a request or something to watch special episodes in the dub, I'll be sticking with subbed for a couple of reasons: I love the "Alola!" opening, I like being able to read what they are saying, and it keeps me more engaged.

3. I will not be watching episode previews or trailers! I don't want to spoil myself, just in case!

4. I have been spoiled about some things, of course, but not much. Here's what I know about the characters/plot of the S/M anime:

- Lana fishes up Ash.
- Lillie is scared of Pokemon. Her first mon is Alolan Vulpix.
- Gladion is Ash's rival, and so is Kiawe.
- Sophocles wants to be an astronaut or study space or something?
- Mallow is the resident cook.
- Nebby plays a big part in the story and evolves at some point (Into Solgaleo I think).
- Ash's team eventually consists of Incineroar, Melmetal, Rowlet, Dusk Lycanroc, Naganadel, and Pikachu.
- Litten was taking care of an old Stoutland before joining Ash.
- Ash sort of took care of Poipole for a while? There's a whole plot there but idk much of it.
- Ash, of course, becomes the Alola Champion. (Still a bit salty about this one, but nevertheless I'm very proud.)
- Gladion and Lillie leave to find their father.
- Kukui and Burnet get married!
- Team Rocket have a Bewear that follows them all over the place. They also have a Mareanie. I forget whether Jessie has a Pokemon or not (or what it is.)
- Brock and Misty return


That's about all I know, unless I'm forgetting something (highly likely). This might get changed to be a bit fancier later! One last note: While I would LOVE to chat with you about my reactions/theories/opinions on the anime, please do not post on this thread! Instead, just palpad/PM me and we can chat! Depending on how many people read this, maybe I'll make a discussion type thread.

A little more info!

Here's where I'll keep track of a few more things!

My hopes for the S/M Anime! (You can see this as sort of a wishlist! I'll cross them off or change the text color or something if they happen! This will probably be added to over the course of the series :D

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- Team Rocket uses pitfall trap at least once
- Lillie battles someone (BEFORE all the Aether stuff starts)
- Gladion evolves his Type:Null (I'm assuming he has one, based off of the games.)
- Marshadow DOESN'T appear (not a huge fan of it)
- Blacephalon DOES appear (we stan disco ball head)
- Kukui is the Masked whatever at least once
- Cute shippy moments for Kukui and Burnet before the wedding!
- NO major Ash shippings. please. i am already weak for pokeshipping and amourshipping i cannot take more
- PLEASE give me Hau. I love him. Not too optimistic about this one, though
- At least 1 episode centered around Rotom-Dex! He's super cool
- Ash forgets a type matchup
- Ash has a flashback
- GUZMA
- Team Skull fights Team Rocket at some point
- Wicke?? She's so sweet
- This is a LONG shot but Magearna? Apparently she's an Alolan Pokemon so maybe she shows up? She does have a movie already tho
- Kiawe, Mallow, Lana, Sophocles: at least one of them showing their trial/Ash completing their trial
- Ash actually being smart in school at least once
- I wanna see the other trial captains!
- Lusamine backstory?
- Guzma backstory?
- Darker plotlines! pretty pleeeeease i crave it thanks to XY; i will say that Litten's story gives me some hope there!
- A Z-Move that actually looks cool. AKA, I hate how all of the in-game ones look so maybe they look nicer in the anime.
- SALANDIT BLEASEEEEEEE MY LOVE - EP001
- James wholesome moment with Mareanie
- Jessie catches a Pokemon?
- The Bewear goes missing for an episode and Team Rocket tries to see if it's okay
- An obligatory field trip episode
- Filler episode centered around Delia?
- Filler episode centered around the two Professors Oak?
- I know there are gonna be so many filler eps so please at least have some memeable ones
- A decline in the slapstick comedy over the series (so that it's more Journeys style, hopefully?)
- Pretty space backgrounds
- Obligatory Team Rocket 4th wall break
- Classic "is he your boyfriend??" moment with either Lana, Mallow, or Lillie
- I end up liking at least one of the characters, genuinely (I would be excited to see them again.) This will be challenging. I didn't really like any of them in the games, so we'll see what they're like in the anime. I'm most optimistic about Guzma and Lillie, possibly Gladion and Mallow if they have more personality.
- More mentions of Ash's previous Pokemon
- More real-world sports
- More Delia moments
- We see Rotom outside of the Pokedex at least once
- Mallow, Lana, Sophocles, and Kiawe are actually trial captains
- Rotom dex and Lillie both give a Pokedex entry together
- Jessie catches Mimikyu
- Mimikyu and Pikachu have an episode together

Current theories/predictions!

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- Tapu Koko got the Z-Ring from a lab, possibly Kukui's, or even from the Aether Foundation. Maybe.
- Lilie hiding behind someone will be a running gag.
- Ash getting run over by Pokemon will be a running gag.
- Ash's first catch will be Rowlet.
- Ash will have a fight with Kiawe before anyone else.
- Lillie will look to Ash for protection more than any other member of the group (in the future, anyways.)
- Guzma will get at least partially redeemed.
- Tapu Koko shows up to battle Ash every now and then
- There will be episodes centered around Kiawe's delivery service and Mallow's restaurant, respectively.
- Mimikyu will be hard to catch
- Mimikyu will beat Pikachu in battle at least once

Things I was right about!

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- Ash gets lost in the first episode.
- Ash meets Kukui in the first episode.
- Ash meets...Lana first? Either Lana or Mallow I think.
- Ash...stays with Kukui? It would start to explain why everyone is like "omg kukui is like ash's dad"
- Ash tells everyone about how he got the Z-Ring
- Ash makes his first attempts to perform a Z-Move
- Bond between trainer and Pokemon is talked about
- Tapu Koko will battle Ash at some point
In episode 3:
- Ash excited about Rotom-Dex
- Rotom-Dex shenanigans
- Ash takes Rotom-Dex to school

Things I was wrong about...oops!

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- EP002's school lesson is about Z-Moves
- They will talk about Kiawe's Z-Move in EP002
- Ash and Rotom-Dex argue in EP003

Next Episode to watch: EP004: "Enter Mokuroh! I Got a Pokémon in Alola!!"

Previous Episode's Review: EP002



Current Progress: 3/144

Current Season: Sun and Moon: The Series

EP001

Alola! New Islands, New Pokemon!


Predictions for this episode:


The notes I took for this episode:


Summary (from Bulbapedia): It’s a beautiful day on Melemele Island in the Alola region. Ash and his mom are on vacation there, along with Pikachu and Mimey, and having a great time! Our hero is thrilled to meet so many new Pokémon, and his exploration leads him to Professor Oak’s cousin Samson, the principal of the Pokémon School. It’s a beautiful, sprawling campus where students work with Pokémon and learn alongside them! As Ash learns more about Alola region tradition from new friends Mallow and Professor Kukui, his interest grows. When vacation is over and his mom heads home, he decides to stay behind and become a Pokémon School student himself!

My Reaction!

Okay, there was a LOT going on here! Still hate the art style, but I do appreciate the lovely landscapes. I thought that Ash was "on vacation" the whole series (or at least most of it), so the knowledge that he's NOT certainly clears up some confusion. I do hope that we see Delia more, because her interactions with Ash in this episode is something we rarely see and was really sweet. I'm not sure whether I like the cold open in Alola or not, because I think I would have liked a bit more setup and seeing Ash's real first reaction to Alola, but I also appreciate them jumping straight into it. As I mentioned earlier, I absolutely love the first Japanese opening song, and this will give me a great way to memorize it, haha!

I was pretty surprised with how quickly Ash met all of the core characters, especially Lillie. While I did expect him to get acquainted with them soon, I didn't expect to see Lana around 2 minutes into the episode, and then everyone else midway. Even Team Skull got introduced in this episode! While it was nice to get a character lineup, I definitely think it was a bit rushed. I would have liked to see Ash meet them over the course of a few episodes rather than all at once. Team Skull, while hilarious, was certainly too early. It would have been cool to see them plotting or something instead. Also, Z-Moves were introduced in this episode - also incredibly early. I think it would have been awesome to have Tapu Koko gift Ash the Z-Ring without him knowing what it was or what it did!

It was very shocking for me to see Lillie so early. While I knew that she would be a part of the main cast, I figured she would be added later and would be a bit more mysterious. However, I actually like this a lot! It gives her a great chance to be good friends with everyone before her life starts to blow up around her...poor girl. It also seems as though she doesn't have Nebby yet, so that will be interesting. This is also the first time Ash's "travelling" companions already know each other! I'm going to be hoping for some fun backstory shenanigans there. Kiawe is less intimidating than I thought he'd be, and I appreciate that he let Ash help even though he didn't seem to want the help; I think he figured Ash was a new trainer and was trying to teach him (which is super sweet aww.)

Tapu Koko! He's certainly taken an interest in Ash. It definitely makes sense, because it's the Tapu that loves Pokemon battles, so Ash is a great pick (and in the hindsight of him being the future champion, that's pretty awesome.) I have no idea where this Pokemon got a Z-Ring, so hopefully that will be explained at some point. With the timeskip, I'm unsure if we'll get to see everyone's reactions to the Z-Ring, which would be pretty disappointing.

Here is some explanation for some of the notes:

- Pyukumuku is the first Alola Pokemon that Ash sees (presumably)!
- Pikachu and Ash racing was fun.
- The fossils in the Pokemon School looked very cool.
- I was surprised to see kids playing basketball.
- Disappointed that the "Pikachu patting its cheeks when using Thunderbolt" trend hasn't started yet.


Overall:

New hopes/wishlist additions:

- More mentions of Ash's previous Pokemon
- More real-world sports
- More Delia moments

New predictions/theories:

- Tapu Koko got the Z-Ring from a lab, possibly Kukui's, or even from the Aether Foundation. Maybe.
- Lilie hiding behind someone will be a running gag.
- Ash getting run over by Pokemon will be a running gag.
- Ash's first catch will be Rowlet.
- Ash will have a fight with Kiawe before anyone else.
- Lillie will look to Ash for protection more than any other member of the group (in the future, anyways.)
- Tapu Koko will battle Ash at some point.
- Guzma will get at least partially redeemed.

Predictions/theories proved right in this episode:

- Ash gets lost
- Ash meets Kukui
- Ash meets Lana (before the others)
- Ash stays with Kukui

Predictions/theories proved wrong in this episode:

- None :)

Prediction for plot of next episode based off of the title:
"Enter the Guardian Deity Kapu-Kokeko! Let Us Attempt to Master Our Z-Move!!"

Ash tells everyone how he got the Z-Ring and makes his first attempts to perform a Z-Move. The school lesson is also about Z-Moves and probably about the bonds between Pokemon and Trainer as well, which Ash and Pikachu show off spectacularly. More discussion about Kiawe's Z-Move, perhaps some jokes about the poses and Ash failing at them?

EP002

Enter the Guardian Deity Kapu-Kokeko! Let Us Attempt to

Master Our Z-Move!!


Predictions for this episode:


The notes I took for this episode:


Summary (from Bulbapedia): Now that Ash has decided to become a Pokémon School student in the Alola region, his classmates throw him a welcome party! Three of them challenge him to various competitions—a balloon-popping contest versus Sophocles and his Togedemaru, a land-and-water race between Pikachu and Lana’s Popplio, and a Tauros race against Kiawe. Finally, Professor Kukui challenges him to a Pokémon battle, but Tapu Koko interrupts. It wants to battle Ash instead—and it wants him to try out his very first Z-Move, Gigavolt Havoc! As Pikachu unleashes an astonishingly powerful burst of electricity, Ash’s Z-Crystal shatters. He decides to undergo an island challenge trial to earn a new one!

My Reaction!

Again, there was a lot going on here! I'm very glad that we did in fact get to see everyone's reaction to the Z-Ring and the story behind it. Kiawe is asking the right questions - "Where did it get the Z-Ring?" - so that question will definitely be answered! Yay! It was nice to see the small interactions between the school characters and their Pokemon, and show a little more of their personalities.

Lillie will likely be my favorite character, at least as far as these first two episodes have shown me. She's a lot less shy than I thought she would be, which is different from her game counterpart. I really like that she seems to be the bookworm of the group, and I love that while she's uncomfortable around Pokemon, she does truly like them and is fascinated by them. I think she and Ash will get along really well.

The "Alolan Surprise!" was very cute and sweet of the group to do, and they clearly see that Ash loves a bit of competition (and battling!) I'm enjoying having an actual adult along for the ride for once. While we've had characters like Brock and Cilan in the past to be more mature and steady amongst the travelling companions, it is really nice to have Kukui be part of the action as well. It gives a bit more insight into what's happening as well as a different perspective on events - this is also why I'm a huge fan of Dande (Leon) and Sakuragi (Cerise) in Journeys!

I was very happy to see a classic "Pokemon steals Ash's hat" again, especially from a legendary this time (reminds me a bit of Latias, just...much more intimidating, lol.) The battle with Tapu Koko was a great way to show off the gorgeous Electric Terrain animation! I really loved the moment where Koko rushed at Ash and he raised his arms in defense and it stopped short and tapped the Z-Crystal - that was a great bit of animation and character for Tapu Koko. The Z-Move was alright, though I wish Ash had a little more trouble executing it, but the shattering of the crystal afterwards made up for that.

Interesting that we still haven't seen Team Rocket. I wonder what they're up to? Vacationing as well, maybe?

Here is some explanation for some of the notes:

- I wasn't sure if the Charizard Kiawe was using in the first episode was actually his. Very cool that he owns one!
- I think there may have been some minor telepathy between Ash and Tapu Koko, but I'm not positive.
- I thought the Z-Crystal was the Pikanium Z one, but it makes more sense now that it's broken that it was just a regular Electrium Z.
- Lillie's explanation of Tapu Koko's behavior was great. Its more temperamental side reminds me of the Greek gods.
- Ah yes, classic "it's not that simple" speech.
- Oak's Exeggutor costume...interesting.
- Kukui's cooking looks great.
- Ash was late, of course.
- The OST is taken almost directly from the games at points, which is really nice.
- The little challenges from the party were like mini-trials.


Overall:

New hopes/wishlist additions:

- We see Rotom outside of the Pokedex at least once
- Mallow, Lana, Sophocles, and Kiawe are actually trial captains
- Rotom dex and Lillie both give a Pokedex entry together

New predictions/theories:

- Tapu Koko shows up to battle Ash every now and then
- There will be episodes centered around Kiawe's delivery service and Mallow's restaurant, respectively.

Predictions/theories proved right in this episode:

- Ash tells everyone about how he got the Z-Ring
- Ash makes his first attempts to perform a Z-Move
- Bond between trainer and Pokemon is talked about
- Tapu Koko will battle Ash at some point

Predictions/theories proved wrong in this episode:

- This episode's school lesson is about Z-Moves
- They will talk about Kiawe's Z-Move in this episode

Prediction for plot of next episode based off of the title:
"Good Rotomorning, I Am the Rotom Zukan Roto!"

Ash is enthralled with Rotom inhabiting his Pokedex. Shenanigans ensue with Rotom-Dex and maybe Ash takes it to school with him and causes some chaos. Ash and Rotom-Dex probably argue at some point in the episode.

EP003

Good Rotomorning, I Am the Rotom Zukan Roto!


Predictions for this episode:


The notes I took for this episode:


Summary (from Bulbapedia): Professor Kukui has a gift to help Ash get started in the Alola region. It’s an unusual Pokédex that’s inhabited by the Pokémon Rotom—a Rotom Dex! Team Rocket is just getting started in Alola, too, and their first meeting with a new Pokémon turns frightening when a mysterious Mimikyu draws Meowth into a nightmare. But when they encounter Ash and his classmates, Mimikyu decides to battle on Team Rocket’s side—until an enormous Bewear grabs Jessie and James and carries them off. Ash is a little disappointed that he couldn’t catch Mimikyu, but he soon sets off in search of more new Pokémon!

My Reaction!

Aha, here's Team Rocket! It looks like they're on orders from Giovanni (nice to see him again, and good to know Meowth still hates Persian) to catch/steal Pokemon in Alola - same old, same old. From there it went right to the Rotom-Dex, which was a great intro to Rotom. I loved seeing Rotom zoom around (making AWESOME noises) before entering the Pokedex. It was really great to see Rotom behaving like a Pokemon, as it was really new to everything and didn't understand some phrases like "that's awesome!" Rotom-Dex has a great personality and I really like how it interacted with each of the characters.

Mimikyu is here! It was very creepy and I appreciated that SO much. I love hearing the extremely unsettling noises, the fact that Meowth and Wobbuffet were constantly creeped out by what it was saying, and the nice animations of the moves like Shadow Claw really added to the creepy factor. Ash finding Mimikyu after Team Rocket was neat, since it isn't often that we see the two of them legitimately competing over a capture. I really like how Mimikyu joined Team Rocket because of its hatred for Pikachu, which actually makes a lot of sense and is good motivation for it.

Bewear was hilarious. Everyone's reactions were great, from Jessie and James just calmly (and confusedly) asking Bewear to please put them down and Ash and the gang with extremely bewildered looks and Meowth dragging Mimikyu and Wobbuffet to go save them. While I wasn't expecting to see Mimikyu here, it made a lot of sense with the introduction of Team Rocket alongside it.

There was a bit less to talk about for this episode, but I still quite enjoyed it! It's also cool how they keep showing shots of Komala, Litten, and other Alolan Pokemon. Also, that thing with Gardevoir, Lopunny, and Glaceon was really, really weird, please no more.
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Here is some explanation for some of the notes:

- It was really fun to see everyone from the "perspective" of the Rotom-Dex
- I love that Rotom-Dex takes pictures of every Pokemon it encounters.
- Sophocles wanting to take apart the Rotom-Dex to see how it worked was very funny and reminded me of something (but I can't remember what).
- The Pokedex entry where someone is said to have died of shock after seeing Mimikyu's real form was a wonderfully unsettling addition once Meowth realized how much danger he was actually in.


Overall:

New hopes/wishlist additions:

- Jessie catches Mimikyu
- Mimikyu and Pikachu have an episode together

New predictions/theories:

- Mimikyu will be hard to catch
- Mimikyu will beat Pikachu in battle at least once

Predictions/theories proved right in this episode:

- Ash excited about Rotom-Dex
- Rotom-Dex shenanigans
- Ash takes Rotom-Dex to school

Predictions/theories proved wrong in this episode:

- Ash and Rotom-Dex argue

Prediction for plot of next episode based off of the title:
"Enter Mokuroh! I Got a Pokémon in Alola!!"

Ash catches Rowlet! The class is either about starters or it just continues from where episode 3 left off. If so, then I think Jessie will catch Mimikyu and maybe there will be more information about Bewear.