#hz059

[ianime0]

[amelikos]

Really liking what they're doing so far with the basics and implementation tests with Liko and the others and how each test and Gym Leader they are facing pertains to their specific arcs as characters.

Liko's battles so far having her learn to enjoy the moment (VS Kaede, who is someone who holds back on some level just like Liko does) and allowing herself to go all out and using battles as a way to connect with her Pokemon's emotions which is her goal as a trainer (VS Chili). So her battles are more on the emotional side and deal with passion, which fits her development (especially since she is learning to find things she can be passionate about). Her test against Grusha will presumably deal with that too, since as far as I know, Grusha was passionate about snowboarding and eventually had to retire (in the games, at least), so we'll see how the anime chooses to use his character. He made a comment to Liko after seeing her battle against Chili in HZ056 ("if that's enough to raise your spirits, you must be pretty frigid"), which makes me think their battle could deal with "passion" in general.

Roy is learning to be more observant in general through his battles so far, and he is improving on the technical side of things. He realized that moves could be added to one another, and that battles could be made together with his opponent. Him facing artists of all kinds (Colza, Hassaku and eventually Ryme) also shows that he is learning to perfect his craft as a trainer and taking his time instead of rushing in. (Also, I like that it's specifically Roy who faces the trainers who are artists. You'd think that maybe since Liko likes drawing and has an affinity with art, she'd be more connected to these characters, but it's Roy who is involved with them and it fits really well with his arc.)

With Dot, I like that she is feeling frustration for different reasons during her battles so far. She was frustrated that she lost against Nanjamo in HZ050 but admits that she had fun. She was frustrated that she won against Poppy in HZ055 because she felt like her victory wasn't truly hers and that she couldn't have done anything by herself. And it looked like she was a bit frustrated after her battle against Aoki in HZ059 because she felt she was close to potentially defeating one of his Pokemon. I feel like she is starting to want to win too. Makes sense that she is going through these stages of frustration which will push her to want to improve as a trainer since she only came out of her room to travel outside in this chapter. Liko and Roy went through similar stages before too (Liko was frustrated at not being able to defeat Amethio in HZ007, and Roy felt something similar too when Rayquaza wouldn't look his way back in HZ033 for example, and both times it motivated them to grow stronger).

Also, I was kind of wondering why Dot was made to face Aoki for her implementation test at first, but I like the contrast with him and Nanjamo. Nanjamo is a streamer so she is someone who draws attention to herself and likes standing out, while Aoki is the complete opposite of that and takes pride in not standing out and being a regular person. So this kind of fits Dot in different ways.

[amelikos]

Some character notes and episode notes for HZ059, writing them down for future reference.

First part of the ep had Dot and the others heading to Aoki's gym so Dot could take her implementation test only to find out that he wasn't there and that he was coming back later. Dot was feeling impatient and wanted to take her test quickly and even said she studied Aoki's videos a lot and came up with strategies taking into account her two Pokemon. Kuwassu eventually wanders away from the group after hearing some music and the group follows him to look for him. Kuwassu was watching a dance performance by an Odoridori and its trainer. He eventually joins in and Odoridori's trainer, upon finding out that Dot and the others were looking for Aoki, tells Dot that she'll tell her where Aoki is after they get acquainted with a dance. Ensues a dance session with Kuwassu and Odoridori. Kuwassu learns to improve his steps and even incorporates new ones in his routine, which impresses the crowd who is watching and Odoridori's trainer. After the performance ends, Dot and the others head to the Treasure Eatery, which is where they find Aoki. They introduce themselves to each other. Roy was surprised to learn that Aoki was both part of the Elite Four and a Gym Leader. The restaurant's dining area is then transformed into a battlefield so Aoki and Dot can have their battle.

Second part of the ep featured the actual battle. Dot says that Kanuchan has no battle experience (as in, official battle) so she decides to send out Kuwassu first. Aoki sends Nonokotchi. Kuwassu is soon paralyzed by Nonokotchi so Dot returns him and sends Kanuchan (and there was a cute moment of Kuwassu coming out of his Pokeball to cheer on Kanuchan because she was scared of Nonokotchi at first). Kanuchan does a good job against Nonokotchi all things considered, but Aoki returns his Pokemon and sends out Mukuhawk who soon defeats Kanuchan. So the end the battle comes down to Mukuhawk and Kuwassu. Dot loses her composure a bit because Aoki is always one step ahead of her and counters all her plans, so he asks her if plans are something she executes by herself. So Dot understands that she needs to take into account Kuwassu more and is more in sync with him afterwards. Kuwassu eventually evolves into Welcamo during the battle and Dot uses Terastal. Aoki does as well, and eventually defeats her. Dot is frustrated about losing and was surprised about passing her test. Aoki explained the reasons for passing her and considered that she did great work in implementing what she learned in her basics test. Liko and Roy congratulate Dot for passing her test, and they end up eating special onigiri at the Treasure Eatery (paid by Aoki, he was nice for offering them all onigiri).

Anyway, this was overall a nice episode. The battle was fine. Ep was written by Naohiro Fukushima (he wrote lots of Dot-centric eps at this point, he was also the one who wrote Dot's basics test with Nanjamo).

I loved seeing Dot's many different sides in display this ep. The way she comforted Kanuchan at the beginning by hugging her after Kanuchan fell on the ground and cried was adorable (back in HZ044, she didn't how to handle her crying so she called her back in her Pokeball). I loved how the previous ep and this one shows that Dot is more comfortable handling Kanuchan now, and how her tender side always comes out with her. She also showed that she could be impatient (she wanted to take her test quickly). Dot can also be smug and prideful (the way she bragged about Kuwassu being a hardworker was cute, that's her partner she is proud of!). She also can be goofy (the way she danced and moved around during her battle was fun), or shy and embarassed around strangers (she didn't know what to say to the staff at the Treasure Eatery.. and the way Liko naturally talked for her was a nice touch, Liko probably saw that Dot couldn't handle the situation and took over). I just like that Dot is a full person who has all these sides to her. Dot's arc with food will never get old either (she keeps trying lots of new stuff this chapter, like the onigiri at the end, and isn't scared of eating new things).

I also liked the way her relationship with Kuwassu (and eventually Welcamo) was showcased (seeing more of Kuwassu's playful side at the beginning was great too, he is usually more serious so seeing him excited over things he likes was a change of pace). Dot said that she thought they were both growing together but he passed her on again and she wants to catch up to him. It reminded me of the way she didn't want to stay on the sidelines anymore back in HZ045 and wanted to get actively involved with Liko and Roy and stand by their side as an equal. Dot was afraid that she had missed on a lot of things (when she admitted her fears to Liko in HZ027) but she is still trying either way and even though she admits that even her Pokemon can be ahead of her sometimes, it just motivates her to catch up. I also think it's interesting to have a trainer and Pokemon relationship like Dot and Welcamo in the anime. Kuwassu was always generally more put together than Dot and encouraged her multiple times in times of doubt (I remember reading that Dot feels like the middle child in her own team and it's kinda true w). Dot admits that too. In general, I just like the way the trio's relationships with their partners are depicted because they all feel distinct and varied. I keep enjoying the way Pokemon evolutions in Horizons are linked to the growth of both the trainers and Pokemon and showcase the emotional growth too (and that you know they will evolve, there is no doubt about that either).

I also thought that Dot being surprised that she passed her test was reminiscent of other instances in which Dot couldn't see the good that she did. Similar to the way she had a bit of difficult time acknwoledging Liko's compliments in HZ027 (Liko reassured her that she was doing lots of good things for everyone on the ship, but Dot had only focused on how she had been tricked by Spinel). This time too, she focused on the battle outcome (her loss) and couldn't initially see that she had learned a lot of things and applied them during her battle. Anyway, I really like the way the Terastal course is set because of this. I wonder how Dot will grow in terms of battles. She tends to prepare in advance a lot and studies her opponents (just like Spinel by the way), but I think she'll need to adapt on the fly against the Explorers for example (she doesn't know the way all of them battle etc…).