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Discussion Pokémon: Aim to Be a Pokémon Master |ST| Ash and Pikachu's last journey

Maronic03

Maronic03

Chain Chomp
Pronouns
He/Him
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After more than 25 years, the (main) pokemon anime series will finally reach its end after one last 11-long episodes mini series. While the key art shows every Pokemon Ash has ever caught, we do not have the confirmation that they will make a direct appearance.

Wait, isn't Ash already a Pokemon master now?
While Ash has indeed deafeated Leon at the end of the master 8 tournament, granting him the title of the strongest Pokemon trainer in the world, the meaning of being a true "Pokemon master" has always been quite vague. Ash himself thinks that there is more to this title than "simply" being the best. This last journey will surely give us an answer.

So far, we have the title of the first 5 episodes, and synopsis for the first 3:

-1. The Wind of Beginnings! The Eternal Road!! (January 13th 2023)

Ash and Pikachu continue their adventure, going wherever the wind blows, interacting with wild Pokémon they meet along the way, while the Team Rocket plots to steal Pikachu... And that's how the days go on this neverending adventure. But one day while traveling through a forest, they encounter the legendary Pokémon Latias, injured...!




-2. Ash VS Misty! A One-on-One on the Beach!! (January 20th 2023)

As Ash and Pikachu continue their journey they reach the sea, where they encounter a wild Clauncher on the beach that Ash attempts to get. However, he's stopped by his former travelmate Misty! Both of them insist on getting the Clauncher themselves, so they decide to settle the matter with fishing, however...?!


-3. Brock, Cilan and the Forest Witch!! (January 27th 2023)

Ash and Pikachu reunite with their former travelmates Brock and Cilan, though Brock seems to feel really down due to a fresh heartbreak... However, he's then suddenly abducted by a wild Hatterene...! Why did this happen?! And can Ash, Misty and Cilan get him back?!


-4. Beartic's Sigh (February 3rd 2023)


-5. Enter the Squirtle Fire Brigade! (February 10th 2023)


This may be the last time we get to see Ash and Pikachu traveling together, if the series had any meaning to you at some point in your life, I feel like you own it to yourself to follow along.
 
Opening of the first episode. It might change to focus on different region in later episodes, we'll see.

 
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Haven’t really been keeping up with the Pokemon anime, but I might tune in for this one. It’s the end of an era, after all.
 
The eng subs are out for episode 1. We get a nice stand-alone story on Latias.

Considering Ash's team in the preview for the next ep is different from this one, it looks me may see everyone by the end of the show.

What stood out for me the most though was the new tracks by Yuuki Hayashi, especially during the climax, it gave me chills!
 
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Haven't watched it in many years but I'd be willing to watch it when they dub it.

What's the dubbing schedule look like for Pokémon these days? How far behind are they and when would they get to this?
 
Chie said:
Haven't watched it in many years but I'd be willing to watch it when they dub it.

What's the dubbing schedule look like for Pokémon these days? How far behind are they and when would they get to this?
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They are released in batches a few months later.

Since this series is only 11 episodes long, they'll probably do them all at once.
 
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The episodes so far have been good, but not the level I expected from "the final chapter in Ash and Pikachu's story". The titles for 4-7 aren't doing it for me either. It all seems like OS pandering filler with the loose thread of Latias following Ash. I was really hoping for something more plot focused that payed its respects to every series, and challenged the mindset of Ash's character.

I'm still hoping we at least get one more episode with Serena before this all ends.
 
TheMindOfThomas said:
The episodes so far have been good, but not the level I expected from "the final chapter in Ash and Pikachu's story". The titles for 4-7 aren't doing it for me either. It all seems like OS pandering filler with the loose thread of Latias following Ash. I was really hoping for something more plot focused that payed its respects to every series, and challenged the mindset of Ash's character.

I'm still hoping we at least get one more episode with Serena before this all ends.
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It's an epilogue in episode form. I'm down with that, though I also felt this was just natural after the climax of Journeys.

I like the we get to see Ash travel with no concrete goal, as it makes it easier to imagine what he's up to once he's actually finally retired from the anime.
 
Jersh said:
It's an epilogue in episode form. I'm down with that, though I also felt this was just natural after the climax of Journeys.

I like the we get to see Ash travel with no concrete goal, as it makes it easier to imagine what he's up to once he's actually finally retired from the anime.
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I get the epilogue idea that they were going for, but it has two big problems at the moment:

First off, it's a boring epilogue. Just because Ash is on a directionless journey doesn't mean all the episode plotlines have to feel like filler from OS-XY.

Secondly, it's an epilogue that only pays its respects to one era of the franchise. I know we saw Cilan for a bit, and I know we're getting reserves from every series, but it's drowned out in a sea of references to the Original Series alone. Brock/Misty are the only companions traveling with Ash for the majority of the episodes, and two of the upcoming episodes are focused specifically on OS Pokémon. I would have liked to see Ash reunite with all of his friends one last time, making it a worthy epilogue to the entire journey.
 
TheMindOfThomas said:
I get the epilogue idea that they were going for, but it has two big problems at the moment:

First off, it's a boring epilogue. Just because Ash is on a directionless journey doesn't mean all the episode plotlines have to feel like filler from OS-XY.

Secondly, it's an epilogue that only pays its respects to one era of the franchise. I know we saw Cilan for a bit, and I know we're getting reserves from every series, but it's drowned out in a sea of references to the Original Series alone. Brock/Misty are the only companions traveling with Ash for the majority of the episodes, and two of the upcoming episodes are focused specifically on OS Pokémon. I would have liked to see Ash reunite with all of his friends one last time, making it a worthy epilogue to the entire journey.
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Big disagree at the notion that those two things are problems. First of all because this isn't just an epilogue, it is also a weekly cartoon that has to be eintertaining to the kids that watch it weekly, so "more adventures with Ash" is precisely what they need and specifically if their plan is to end it on a "Never the end, Ash will keep going forever in your hearts!!" which is highly possible instead of Ash just straight up going on some weird episodic ramp about his ultimate destiny that wouldn't fit the characters youthful existence anyway. Second of all because Misty and Brock are two companions that never appeared in the last recent season, Cilan too, so giving them focus IMO makes sense since all of the others already got one last waltz fairly recently (except May of course due to her voice actress known obstacles).
 
Bowser Sr. said:
Big disagree at the notion that those two things are problems. First of all because this isn't just an epilogue, it is also a weekly cartoon that has to be eintertaining to the kids that watch it weekly, so "more adventures with Ash" is precisely what they need and specifically if their plan is to end it on a "Never the end, Ash will keep going forever in your hearts!!" which is highly possible instead of Ash just straight up going on some weird episodic ramp about his ultimate destiny that wouldn't fit the characters youthful existence anyway. Second of all because Misty and Brock are two companions that never appeared in the last recent season, Cilan too, so giving them focus IMO makes sense since all of the others already got one last waltz fairly recently (except May of course due to her voice actress known obstacles).
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I think a child would actually be more enthralled by an epic journey than 11 episodes of what most people would have called filler for 25 years, but maybe that's just me. I know I wouldn't have been entertained by this as a 9-10 year old.

I guess the point about the companions is fair. Brock did technically appear in the Legends: Arceus special, but I know some people don't consider that part of JN (I do). However, I think they could have made the companion returns feel different this time, by giving us proper closure for all of them.

Take the XY gang for example. They all appeared in JN, but not at the same time. They could have used this epilogue as an opportunity to show all of them together again, and give Ash and Serena more time together since their reunion got cut short in JN105 (which to be fair, was a great emotional scene).
 
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Jersh said:
It's an epilogue in episode form. I'm down with that, though I also felt this was just natural after the climax of Journeys.

I like the we get to see Ash travel with no concrete goal, as it makes it easier to imagine what he's up to once he's actually finally retired from the anime.
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I disagree. There still needs to be a small motif like Ash asking himself what to do next. I like that they are having Ash rotate all his old mons and we get to see them spend time together. But it would be nice if Ash was thinking: "I'm going to train the rest of my Pokemon to be as strong as my winning team". Or "I want to find my next calling but I don't know what it is yet" And maybe "I want to go on one last quest/adventure" Because right now instead of it being one lost hoorah. Ash is just going on random adventures like the rest of the show's moreso filler episodes that doesn't have a lasting impact contained in a set of individual stories. Like this isn't a long follow up a few years after the show ended so people can travel with Ash once again. It's supposed to be a conclusion and sendoff.
 
Episode 5 and 6 (just like the entore series really) are great at showcasing how Ash has naturally grown, with a different angle. At the end of ep 5, we see him having a mob of fans, cementing himself as a champion acknowledged by the world.
In ep 6, he easily makes connection with Pokemons that he originally struggled with.

This thread explains it very well :

 
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Episode 7 and 8 were respectfully funny and emotional. I won't spoil anything about them for those who haven't watched them yet.

This series has been a home run for me so far.
 
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The latest episode was very good and emotional, but I'm still struggling to see how it's fitting for a finale mini-series. It felt like something that should have been a regular episode in the middle of Journeys.

I get what people are saying about how its showing Ash bonding with Pokémon to become a Master, but each episode has repeated this idea to a degree that it's predictable and uninteresting. We aren't seeing anything particularly different each time. If this is really what they're going for, it almost makes the idea of being a Master look too basic and easy.

I'm very excited for the next episode. A finale for TRio with all their Pokémon (minus the ones from OS and SM) is something that makes perfect sense for an ending saga.

Hoping they can stick the landing with the final two episodes after that. Based on the summary it kind of seems like they're cramming the plot I wanted into the very last episode, which concerns me. I can't help but feel Gary should have asked the Pokémon Master question at the beginning of this, and then have Ash go on his adventure with Misty/Brock.

On a side note the trailer for PM2023 already makes it look like it's going to blow every other series out of the water. Can't wait for the Liko/Roy era.
 
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I am not ready..
Still not huge on this special series, it just... for being a Farewell-Ash sub series sorta, it just feels very weirdly put together.
Also, prediction
Team Rocket will be sent to Paldea, and will still be part of the anime, even without Ash. c:
I kinda hope so. As long as they are not in EVERY episode, I do prefer them to stay.
 
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I haven't seen the episode yet (waiting for subs) but I wanted to share this anyway.

 
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Thank you Ash and Pikachu for these 26 years. These two have existed for pretty much my entire life, hard to not be emotional right now.

I have no problem with the direction this last mini-series went, Ash already had his big climatic final battle, a calm epilogue is perfectly fitting for him.

Gotta say, choosing Type: Wild for the last song is a choice I would have never excpected, but it worked really well!
 
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Yesterday I finally got to the last episode.
I wasn't aware that it was all going away until it was finally over.
Since then I've been crying inside (and sometimes outside).
Thanks Ash, thanks Pikachu. More than 25 years.
 
The final episode was good but didn't feel conclusive enough. Too many loose ends from throughout the anime's history were ultimately left unresolved. A couple weeks later and I don't feel the emotional impact of MPM like I did for Ash's big two league wins or even episodes like JN105. I expected better for the grand ending to such an iconic saga.
 
Maronic03 said:
Like what?
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- The GS ball never returned, being the most blatant disregard of the Chekov's Gun rule in storytelling history. I know theres a long history with this one about how it was originally supposed to be Celebi, and then they tried to have viewers forget about it after they scraped that idea. But for a grand ending, they could have very well had it come into play to finally make it all pay-off.

- Ash never got a rematch against former league opponents he lost to, such as Alain or Tobias. Alain especially deserved to be fought by him once more. Having him be the penultimate boss of the Masters 8 would have made much more story sense than having him be Leon's punching bag. If they wanted to, they could have easily done some MPM episodes about former rivals such as them wanting to challenge him now that he's World Champion, just as epilogue content.

- The roots problem in Kalos was still ongoing. They could have easily done an episode wrapping this storyline up for good while featuring the Ash-Greninja form one last time. This would have also allowed Bonnie and Squishy (Zygarde) to have an emotional reunion

- The Ash x Serena subplot (Amourshipping) - the two never got a proper reunion in Journeys, with the boat scene only teasing us. They could have used MPM to finally have that scene and the kiss from XYZ payoff. Putting shipping aside, I think Serena's character could actually have helped Ash a lot in figuring out his future goals, as they constantly make a point about how their ambitious, goal-driven ideals are similar to each other.

- Chairman Rose was never caught. He escaped at the end of the Darkest Day arc only for nothing to happen with him afterward outside of a very minor blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo in Ash vs Leon.

- Giovanni/Team Rocket wasn't defeated. I know Giovanni isn't really a villain with a lot of big meaning to Ash, but he appears so many times throughout the anime that having him not involved in the finale at all seems like a big missed opportunity in regards to paying off setup. A Rainbow Rocket arc could have worked really well as endgame material.

- Most of the companions didn't really get proper closure. Yes, they all appeared again, but for many of them it didn't feel like their arcs ended or we truly said our final goodbyes to them. There are some exceptions, notably Lillie and Serena, although the latter still needed a proper reunion episode with Ash as I mentioned previously.
 
TheMindOfThomas said:
- The GS ball never returned, being the most blatant disregard of the Chekov's Gun rule in storytelling history. I know theres a long history with this one about how it was originally supposed to be Celebi, and then they tried to have viewers forget about it after they scraped that idea. But for a grand ending, they could have very well had it come into play to finally make it all pay-off.

- Ash never got a rematch against former league opponents he lost to, such as Alain or Tobias. Alain especially deserved to be fought by him once more. Having him be the penultimate boss of the Masters 8 would have made much more story sense than having him be Leon's punching bag. If they wanted to, they could have easily done some MPM episodes about former rivals such as them wanting to challenge him now that he's World Champion, just as epilogue content.

- The roots problem in Kalos was still ongoing. They could have easily done an episode wrapping this storyline up for good while featuring the Ash-Greninja form one last time. This would have also allowed Bonnie and Squishy (Zygarde) to have an emotional reunion

- The Ash x Serena subplot (Amourshipping) - the two never got a proper reunion in Journeys, with the boat scene only teasing us. They could have used MPM to finally have that scene and the kiss from XYZ payoff. Putting shipping aside, I think Serena's character could actually have helped Ash a lot in figuring out his future goals, as they constantly make a point about how their ambitious, goal-driven ideals are similar to each other.

- Chairman Rose was never caught. He escaped at the end of the Darkest Day arc only for nothing to happen with him afterward outside of a very minor blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo in Ash vs Leon.

- Giovanni/Team Rocket wasn't defeated. I know Giovanni isn't really a villain with a lot of big meaning to Ash, but he appears so many times throughout the anime that having him not involved in the finale at all seems like a big missed opportunity in regards to paying off setup. A Rainbow Rocket arc could have worked really well as endgame material.

- Most of the companions didn't really get proper closure. Yes, they all appeared again, but for many of them it didn't feel like their arcs ended or we truly said our final goodbyes to them. There are some exceptions, notably Lillie and Serena, although the latter still needed a proper reunion episode with Ash as I mentioned previously.
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I had admittelly forgotten about couple of those, but I guess it's a testament on how this series was always about the episodic nature for me.

I certainly can't join you on the whole "rematch/defeat team rocket". Ash loves battling, but he's not a nekketsu or a hero of justice.
The potential rematches were irrelevant the moment Ash became the world champion. He doesn't need to prove anything as a trainer, he already beat Leon, the stongest trainer ever (especially Tobias, who is barely a character and more of a living plot device).
Ash never had the ambition of taking down the big bad organisations. When he happens to encounter a villain, he'll stop them, but he wouldn't go out of his way to start an epic quest to defeat a crime lord.

The Ash and Serena subplot was resolved with the kiss. Her feeling were unrequited and that was the end of that, their brief encounter in journeys clearly showed she moved on (at least to me).

The companions got their endings in their respective series. They're kids, very much like Ash, they don't need to be given a precise end point, they have their whole life ahead of them.


I noticed you used the word "grand ending" twice now to descrive what you thought MPM should have been. You're far form being the only one to do that.
While MPM was airing many people expressed their disappointment because it wasn't the "grand finale" they excepted, but it's something they just decided themselves. The annoucement never implied this was some sort of climatic finale, because Ash already had his grand finale, when he fought and beat Leon. MPM was an epilogue, one last relaxing mini-adventure to say goodbye.
 
Maronic03 said:
The Ash and Serena subplot was resolved with the kiss. Her feeling were unrequited and that was the end of that, their brief encounter in journeys clearly showed she moved on (at least to me).
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The kiss was the resolution to the plot in XYZ, but her feelings weren't unrequited and it was supposed to be more of a tease for a potential future. This was said by the the director of the XY series, and the writer of that episode:
The kiss scene is indeed meant to be Serena kissing Satoshi, and his reaction to it is surprised awe, any ambiguity the scene has is so they could get it on TV in the first place. Likewise, you're meant to hope and assume the two of them are going to become a couple later.
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I believe that wording is technically paraphrased/summarized from a full interview, but the general idea of the scene was to give hope for their future, not to definitively end the notion of them becoming a couple later as you seem to have misjudged it as.

I'll admit the boat scene is a little more ambiguous and can be interpreted in different ways. However, there's enough evidence to suggest showing her continued feelings was the intent: Her eyes sparkle as she looks at Ash, Sylveon senses deep feelings from her as she looks onward, and the presence of the green light on the dock has been noted by many, including myself, as a potential reference to other pieces of media in which a green light is used in a romantic context.

FP4BTirakAERDXl.jpg


There is an ancient legend in Northern Europe: As long as one sees a green light in one's life, one's wish will come true; Because as long as white light, orange light, and yellow light deflect into the horizon, green light will appear. As long as you see the green light, you can see your own mind and your lovers mind.

- From the film adaptation of The Great Gatsby
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When the liquified emerald, as the painter describes it, flashed at the two lovers, they were at that moment gazing into each others eyes, missing out on the scientifically verifiable flash of green light

- From Jules Verne's Le Reyon Vert
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These two quotes alone near perfectly match the scene from the episode, and signal some undertones that are quite different from "Serena moved on from Ash". Technically just theory, but this is how I and many others read that scene.



I certainly can't join you on the whole "rematch/defeat team rocket". Ash loves battling, but he's not a nekketsu or a hero of justice.
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I completely disagree with this notion. His character bio for JN literally described him as "A boy with a strong sense of justice". Ash constantly goes out of his way to help others and bring justice to people and Pokemon, including in Mezase Pokemon Master itself. He likely wouldn't seek out Team Rocket to take them down, but if they became a global threat, you can 100% bet he would get involved and help.
 
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TheMindOfThomas said:
The kiss was the resolution to the plot in XYZ, but her feelings weren't unrequited and it was supposed to be more of a tease for a potential future. This was said by the the director of the XY series, and the writer of that episode:

I believe that wording is technically paraphrased/summarized from a full interview, but the general idea of the scene was to give hope for their future, not to definitively end the notion of them becoming a couple later as you seem to have misjudged it as.



I completely disagree with this notion. His character bio for JN literally described him as "A boy with a strong sense of justice". Ash constantly goes out of his way to help others and bring justice to people and Pokemon, including in Mezase Pokemon Master itself. He likely wouldn't seek out Team Rocket to take them down, but if they became a global threat, you can 100% bet he would get involved and help.
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Your first point is very interesting because it made me realize Ash is somewhat similar to a comic book character. In the sense that many peple worked on his stories, who all had a different interpretation, leading to different interpretations from the audience as well (like it's clearly the case with the both of us).
If we're only talking about the Ash during the XYZ era, I actually don't disagree he very much seems like a more traditional shonen protagonist.

About the second point, when I said that Ash wasn't a hero of justice, I meant that the notion of vanquishing evil is not the main motivation that drives him forward.
As we agreed on, he will never hesitate to stop someone's evil deeds if he happens to encounter them. That being said, the rocket trio has stalked him this entire time, he knows Team Rocket exist and that they are stealing Pokemon, he has personally suffered from it hundreds of time. Despite all that he never decided that he had enough of this and it was time to fix the problem at its source.
If MPM started with Ash going 'TIME TO TAKE DOWN TEAM ROCKET" it would have been super out of character.
 
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