Re: Liko’s battle against Diana in HZ108 and the focus on Carbou.
Not even sure where to start with this or what my specific point is writing this, but I need to write something or else.
Anyway, something I found particularly neat about the battle against Diana was the focus on Carbou’s feelings and the fact his noble and admirable traits of wanting to protect others was a drawback/flaw that needed to be worked upon, and specifically something that could be used against him.
(As a reminder to self, Carbou jumped in front of Masquernya twice to protect her from attacks. It worked once and Carbou got a powerup from Diana’s Windie’s Fire-type move, but the second time, Diana saw it coming and used the fact that she knew Carbou would want to protect his teammate to turn the situation to her advantage and defeat Masquernya.)
I found that it made a neat parallel to Liko in the first chapter of Horizons (Liko And Roy Set Off), specifically in ep 20 of Horizons.. Liko’s kindness and considerate nature towards others, if taken to extreme lengths, could become something detrimental for her and others. Liko wanted to forfeit the battle against Wakaba in ep 20 because she knew how much her dream of becoming a Gym Trainer meant to her and Liko didn’t want to get in the way of that.. Except that by forfeiting, she actually upset her opponent even though it wasn’t her intention, she couldn’t fulfill Nyahoja’s wishes and respond to them (wanting to get stronger and continue the battle), and she was stifling her own potential and holding herself back/sabotaging herself by putting others above herself and thus blocking her own path forward.
Similarly here, Carbou’s knightly and protective nature backfired and by wanting to protect, he wound up needing to be protected. It wasn’t Carbou’s intention, but his actions had the opposite of the intended effect, and even though Carbou wanted to protect Masquernya, the latter ended up being defeated because of his own actions.
I think it’s neat because I can’t think of many stories where noble/admirable traits are tackled in such a nuanced manner? Being considerate/kind and wanting to protect others is usually considered an ideal, so I think it’s a mature approach to explore the other side of the coin of such traits and show their downsides. Being considerate is a good thing but it’s a double-edged sword that has to be handled carefully. Taking on the burden of protecting others all by yourself can lead to miscommunication and potentially distrust and chaos down the line? I also like that the answer to this narrative is a nuanced one because at no point they are telling Liko and Carbou to give up on those traits that make them themselves and that are important to have. They aren’t telling Liko to give up on her considerate nature (she was praised and validated for it), but she was just told it wasn’t the answer to everything and to consider her opponent’s and Pokemon’s feelings.
Similarly, Carbou’s desire to protect his friends is considered worthy and praised, though he is told to rely on others/trust others and that friends protect each other (it’s not a one-way street where only one is doing the protecting). It’s also kind of neat that in both cases, older characters taught this valuable lesson to Liko and Carbou (early in their respective character arcs too, because it was in the first chapter for Liko and a few episodes after Carbou’s capture). It was Kabu for Liko in ep 20, and Diana for Carbou in this ep. (I remember thinking that it was cool that Liko learned from Kabu back then, because her grandmother was important to her story, despite the fact we hadn’t met Diana yet at the time, and Kabu was also an older wise figure she was influenced by.)
I think it shows the balanced aspect of this narrative (re: the fact that they aren’t telling the characters to give up on their traits). Wanting to protect others/being considerate are traits that are admirable but shouldn’t be detrimental, the answer isn’t that Liko and Carbou need to give up on them, just that they need to be aware of everything they imply and their potential consequences and act accordingly.. Which is really such an interesting and nuanced narrative to convey. In general, I think Liko really represents “balance” which shows through her traits and aspects of her storyline (she is kind and considerate but her battle style can be calculated and cunning, etc). Diana herself used Carbou’s noble trait against him, turning it into a flaw and showing its consequences. Liko’s battle style with Carbou in this ep was compelling too because it had wild aspects to it. Carbou is a knightly Pokemon, but Liko had him jump on Windie to blind him, or swing Wash Rotom around, etc. Seeing Liko lean into this kind of style and develop it even more has interesting implications, given that Spinel is (what appears to be the final) antagonist? Not only does it draw more parallels between her and Spinel, but it’s like she is growing into the kind of person who can take on Spinel by mirroring some of his traits.. which comes back to this idea of balance that is being portrayed through Liko’s character.
Anyway, I think it’s neat how both Liko and Carbou had a narrative exploring how their better, heroic traits could end up being something that holds them back and hurt them in the long run and that some lines have to be drawn for their own benefit. Again, I can’t think of many stories that explore that in a nuanced way. (Yuki and Mayu from hit anime Wonderful Precure is one of the most recent examples coming to mind. When your desire to protect someone and shelter them from the dangers of the world becomes stifling and suffocating and controlling and strips the person of their agency, and when you have to find a balance between your desire to protect someone and letting them choose things for themselves <3)
Additional things I’d like to add (for now, while I still remember them), is that Carbou jumping to protect Masquernya on his own initiative comes back to this idea of communication.. Which is a major theme in Horizons. How you should communicate to let others know how you feel and to let them know your intentions. Amethio had this same issue in Rakua, and Liko called him out on acting alone and trying to shoulder everything himself. In fact, Masquernya pulling Carbou away with her vine to protect him was a direct parallel to her doing the same for Soublades in Rakua (while she was still Nyarote).. Carbou echoes a lot of Amethio’s behavior. That reckless behavior and eagerness to improve and grow stronger? Loyalty and desire to protect. Which are traits that Liko shares, too.
Anyway, I think it’s neat and I’m happy about Carbou being treated as a full character and given so much interiority. There is a lot of focus on Carbou’s feelings and wishes (I found it cool that Liko was in sync with Masquernya in this ep, while Carbou acted on his own because it shows that Liko and Carbou still need to get closer to reach that level, it highlights that she has different bonds with her Pokemon). Amethio and Diana are both characters who addressed Carbou directly too, they both talked to him and I like it.. Treating the Pokemon as full beings.
Also, this battle was Liko’s 2 VS 2 (Roy’s 2 vs 2 was with Nemo, and Dot was with Botan, so I was wondering when/how Liko would happen.. so it was VS Diana). I’m still thinking about and rotating Liko’s style in my mind, but one thing I want to mention is that I really appreciate her use of Carbou’s Clear Smog.. Made me kind of insane how she used it as a distraction against Amethio and leaned into it further against Diana. It’s interesting for a knight to do something like that.
The more I think about it, the more I feel like Spinel is really the most fitting as her antagonist and seeing the way Liko is leaning into her wilder sides, I can’t wait for her to actually face him.. I have no idea if they’ll actually have a conversation but I’m curious and insane about a potential confrontation between them and Amethio, because Spinel reflects shades of both Liko and Amethio and I want to see more of that.
I just really like Liko’s battles the most because they are used as a vehicle to convey a narrative about the characters and explore them. I love Liko and her Pokemon so much. I probably had more to write.
