Thinking that the Momowarou (the Mochi Pokemon) showing up in ep 123 is actually Diana's Pokemon?
She had a talk with Hamber at the beginning of ep 107 about a fearsome opponent that she had caught with his help and it's a Pokemon that gave both of them trouble (and they are both skilled, veteran trainers).
Diana was revealed to have two new Pokemon in ep 108 (Burororoom and Rotom) but they seem to have been caught by her in other circumstances (Rotom just started living in her old washing machine one day) and don't really feel like they fit the picture of fearsome opponent. And Diana told Liko that she had caught "lots of other Pokemon" before their battle in ep 108, which seemed to indicate that there was someone else other than Rotom who hadn't been revealed.
Today's ep was clearly done with fun and Pecharunt marketing in mind (and to time it with PokeMas, clearly), but, more importantly:
Armarouge is happening next ep, Diana brought the armor that Carbou needs to evolve. AND it's actually used in a manner next ep that makes sense, as in, Carbou dresses in it and is battling in it before evolving lol. I love that!!!
Also, Amethio and RVT are raiding Exceed base, not entirely sure if they found out where the Six(/five) Heroes are or what, but basically I got what I wanted, Amethio being there for Armarouge lol.
I guess it's to be expected for the evolution to come next, but damn is this fast pacing lol. What exactly are they gonna do for the rest of the plot, because think about it: They need 18 tera types. And they need to be of same strength as the six heroes. I would not count our main cast 'mon as such. Pecharunt, maybe. So that's six + zygarde + pecharunt. So 10 more needed. If they retcon the power level need, then I guess we got all the tera types. But otherwise need about 10 more?
So yeh. I liked today's episode lol. And am hyped as fuck for the next in two weeks.
Writing them while they are still fresh in my mind.
Seeing Uruto's "room" (and how messy it was) at the beginning was a nice detail. I think it gives a lot of personality to the characters seeing them in grounded settings like that. (Also, the fact that Uruto leaves the couch for Yamirami to sleep on is sweet.)
Masquernya using magic tricks to play with Carbou was very good and important. Carbou's reaction was so cute (the tiny knight was impressed!!). Knowing that Carbou is going to evolve soon (probably in the next episode), I'm happy we got more moments of Carbou being the baby sibling of Liko's team while we still could. Masquernya seemed to be a bit bored playing with Carbou back in HZ118 (like she had to put up with babysitting), so it's also nice seeing that she can play with Carbou spontaneously and because she wants to. I think it mirrors relationships between siblings well, because sometimes you want to play with them and sometimes you just don't want to (and Liko's team has been compared to relationships between siblings given how Ann could see herself in Tebrim as "the middle child" of her family). I really enjoyed Carbou being portrayed as the baby sibling trying his best, and I look forward to how the team dynamics will change after the evolution. One thing that breaks my heart a bit, though, is that Pagogo won't be able to carry Carbou anymore after the evolution and these were all moments I liked a lot (Pagogo carrying Carbou in ep 104 when they were in Amethio's house was so endearing).
Liko and Dot talking on the ship deck at night was good.. I like simple moments like this with them.
I thought there was lots of good Pokemon focus in this ep. Murdock's Lugarugan acting puppy-like and wanting affection (and Murdock praising his Pokemon!), Welcamo's love for dance shining through was really fun (I feel like we haven't seen Welcamo in a while so him getting casual focus like that was good, and Dot holding on to him when she got startled in the kitchen was cute), Yamirami noticing things in the dark (which highlights that it's a Pokemon usually living in caves and used to darkness in general), seeing more of the Pokemon on the ship.. it felt lively in general.
The way they fully leaned into Diana and Hamber being the old couple from Momowarou's story was insane. Like, ok. These two have insane chemistry. I do like how their interests are similar (the narrator of Momowarou's story referring to them as people who love adventuring), and how well they work together. Hamber's reaction to being called "old" and realizing that he is, indeed, an old man was funny. I like that he shows such sides around Diana. He is comfortable around her.
Diana's story was interesting, I liked the parallel between Diana standing up for Momowarou and apologizing in its stead to the villagers and Lucius defending Basagiri from villagers. Both Diana and Lucius trying to understand Pokemon who are outcasts and giving them a chance and befriending them. I like that Diana has a Pokemon who can control others? I thought the same when Dot caught Collecurei. It's interesting that heroic characters get to have Pokemon who have the capacity to manipulate others. It makes things more nuanced. Spinel has a Pokemon with such traits too (Orbem, who can erase memories).
Diana and Hamber both having Rotom Pokemon (Diana having a Wash Rotom and Hamber a Cut Rotom), similar to how Liko and Amethio share Pokemon from the same line (the Carbou line). It could mean anything or nothing.
Momowarou's story is the bit which gave me lots to think about, because some lines really stood out to me and struck me as relevant. Diana saying "if I want something, I'll get it for myself" and "I don't want anything that was gained by controlling others" made me think of Spinel and the Strong Spheres.. People relying on the Strong Spheres instead of trying to get stronger with their Pokemon on their own and accepting something that is "given" to them instead of getting something by themselves. The whole bit about control was reminiscent of Spinel.
I feel like some aspects of Momowarou's story fit my interpretation of Spinel's character. Momowarou was described as someone seeking greater affection and attempted to bestow upon [the old man and the old woman] the treasures they yearned for. And in order to achieve that, Momowarou controlled others and wreaked havoc.. It feels like Spinel seeking to get Gibeon's affection and recognition and doing heinous things to achieve what he thinks is their shared dream. Something about the theme of control to please others. Momowarou assumed that Diana would be happy if she got what she wanted, but she wouldn't be happy getting something that was gained by controlling others. It reminds me of Spinel assuming things about what would make Gibeon "happy", except it wouldn't necessarily.. Like, I see similarities between Spinel and Momowarou's story. Something about the need for control and the desire for acknowledgment, love, acceptance. Which can become twisted, if pushed in certain directions.
I like when the themes are explored in simple instances like that.. Like, I see potentially deeper things going on here. It reminded me of HZ019 (Murdock's episode about his break up with his former friend, and eventual reconciliation), which came off as innocuous back then, but I felt like it would play into wider themes when it aired.. And it did, because Murdock and his friend were kind of like an early snippet of what would come later on with the original Explorers (Lucius, Gibeon and Rystal, friends who fell apart because of a lack of communication, and the eventual reconciliation between Lucius and Gibeon). Communication was really important in Momowarou's case too, because Diana keeps reminding it to not cause trouble and explains that she wouldn't be happy if she got something at someone else's expanse.
I need more time to form thoughts on Diana giving Liko the armor for Carbou, because I kind of wanted Liko to be more involved in this case. Though, there is something really funny about Diana having lots of stuff collected over the years just laying around and collecting dust. I love how much Diana thinks of Liko and cares for her.
Carbou wearing the armor in the preview is really cute. Like, wearing clothes that are too big.
The fact we get Liko and Amethio working together in HZ124 right after an episode which depicted Diana and Hamber's efficient teamwork. Much to think about.
