Folks, it has been altogether too long since we visited the shores of Alola, and I’m very happy to be returning. When last we left off, Ash and Sophocles had just survived their own electric adventure, wherein the two of them got trapped in a locked-down mall courtesy of a fairly dubious plan by Team Rocket. As usual, the narrative itself was mostly just an excuse for rambling escapades and Pokemon-centric competitions across the main cast, and though it was a fun episode on the whole, its mall setting meant it really didn’t get to fully embrace Sun and Moon’s usual visual charm. I can go to a mall any old time – it’s the beaches and forests of Alola that I’m here for, and I’m guessing we’ll be visiting them soon. Let’s explore episode seven of Pokemon Sun and Moon!

Episode 7

“The Marketplace Wanderer, Nyabby!” At last, we return to the show’s best character. Episodes framed entirely from a cat’s perspective are one of anime’s unique treasures, and I’m happy to see Pokemon continuing this esteemed tradition

Apparently “Nyabby” is actually just the Japanese name for Littens in general, which makes sense. It’s fun seeing how Pokemon’s translators work to maintain the spirit of Pokemon names in translation – the actual words used for this pokemon’s name don’t really matter, but “Litten” echoes “Nyabby” as a cat-adjacent term combined with a diminutive, with the cutesy conclusion of the “Nyabby” phrasing replaced by a reference to kittens instead of cats in general

“It doesn’t allow its emotions to be easily seen. Earning its trust takes time. It prefers solitude.” So you’re saying it’s a cat

Ash offers Litten a piece of his sandwich, and Litten grabs the entire rest of the sandwich. Because, you know, he’s a cat

If this episode is entirely “cat performs expected cat behavior,” I will be perfectly satisfied

Fun series of low-angle shots as we follow Litten’s escape path, really drawing us into the cat’s view of the world

Also just nice to explore the winding alleys of this Alolan town

Oh jeez, I forgot how ridiculous the Alolan Persians look. Why did they do that to their heads

As this episode seems largely focused on non-human characters, the soundtrack is taking a much more active role in leading the drama. Instead of general scene-setting pop music, we’re getting an orchestral backing track that actually rises and falls with the ongoing tension of Litten’s story, like in a classic Warner Brothers or Hannah Barbera cartoon (which also frequently used a combination of music and visual storytelling to avoid the need for any spoken exposition), or even a silent film

Persian gets Litten’s sandwich incinerated for no good reason. Dick move, and also believable cat behavior

Persian is exceedingly proud of itself. This is also peak cat owner experience – they knock something off a table or whatever, then strut right over to you, daring you to take offense

The whole class has been extorted by Nyabby at some point

Ash’s expression work when describing his plans for Nyabby is excellent. There’s a terrific looseness to this show’s linework which, when combined with its sharp, dynamic angles, creates a visual effect that feels almost like Hiroyuki Imaishi’s style

This is also facilitated by the show’s focus on Kaneda-style, pose-based animation, which works well with the expressive linework. Of course, the general flexibility and simplified base forms of these designs also means they lend themselves to some great fluid cuts, as well – animators are free to express themselves through heavily exaggerated movement

“The Rocket Gang… is taking today off.” I love this lackadaisical run through their usual opening speech. Megumi Hayashibara really nails that lazy tone

It’s looking like this entire episode will just focus on a cat stealing food. Fantastic

Lots of nice cat mannerisms out of Nyabby. I like this cut of him standing on his back paws to sniff at a berry before accepting it – both the pose and the suspicion feel convincingly cat-like

It looks like Nyabby is actually gathering food for some other, seemingly elderly pokemon

Oh my god, this pokemon is Nyabby’s sensei, and trains him in Pokemon attacks in exchange for food. What is this episode

The classic martial arts narrative structure is one of those things that’s so fundamental and so culturally resonant, it can easily be articulated even without words

Nyabby’s dreams convey basically his whole life story – initially lonely and abandoned, given a family by this big dog pokemon, and now terrified that the dog pokemon will pass away and leave him behind

And here we see Nyabby the next day, once against confronted by that big mean Persian, who is apparently the villain of his little martial arts movie

“Alolan persians are dark types, so they are very sly and cruel.” Wait, dark-type pokemon are actually defined that way because they are personally assholes? I wasn’t aware pokemon typing dictated pokemon personalities – or more likely, this is something like the “are ghost pokemon actually dead” question, and I really shouldn’t think about it too much

Unsurprisingly, Nyabby scratches and bites Ash all the way to the Pokemon Center. Rescuing a cat from certain death isn’t going to make it any less proud or suspicious!

Ahaha, they put Nyabby in one of those veterinarian cones. Fantastic work

Ash picks up Nyabby and attempts to lecture him directly, which is met by a totally blank stare, because this is a cat we’re talking about. If there’s one thing cats pride themselves on, it’s never ever learning any lessons whatsoever when they do bad things. Their response to any attempts at training is pretty much exactly that “this sign can’t stop me because I can’t read” image, and it’s a surprisingly effective tactic

Welp, the Nyabby fell asleep in Ash’s lap. Good luck spending your whole night on the couch, Ash

More excellent cat behavior here, as Nyabby performs a very convincing stretch after waking up, and then immediately starts pawing at the door

The composite’s kinda messy for these scenes of Ash, Nyabby, and Pikachu running around the streets at night. The soft edges of the painted backgrounds make for a somewhat harsh contrast with the hard-lined characters, making it feel like they’re running “in front” of a flat background, particularly for these angled shots where they’re approaching the camera. I’m guessing the muted lighting of the nighttime pallet makes it harder to create a cohesive composition, since the backgrounds can’t pop as much

The resting place of Nyabby’s sensei is a nice visual setpiece, though

Nyabby’s proud smile at bringing food to his friend breaks my heart

Apparently this Pokemon is called a Mooland in Japanese – I assume it’s the evolution of what’s referred to as a Rockruff in English

As with Rowlett, Ash’s intention to catch Nyabby is discarded when he realizes Nyabby already possesses a happy home. Catching a pokemon is perpetually framed in terms of “would you like to join our adventure,” and if some pokemon already has their own journey to follow, Ash is happy to let them continue on their way. His perspective offers a natural lesson to young viewers about the give-and-take of friendships, and the importance of respecting others’ boundaries

I appreciate that Team Rocket really are taking this episode off, and that instead the episode’s “villain” is Nyabby’s own nemesis, that asshole Persian

Nice panning multiplanar cuts for the standoff against this Persian

It is ridiculous charming to see Nyabby and Mooland play out their tiny kung fu movie narrative. Mooland here offering the classic “it’s time, my student. Demonstrate what you’ve learned!” prompt

And Nyabby takes the win, through a couple excellent cuts of attack animation

Lovely shot of Ash running through the town in the early morning, silhouetted against the glowing sea

Nyabby of course maintains his fundamental cat-ness, by refusing to show up even when Ash brings a pile of food. Cats will be cats

And Done

Yes, yes, excellent. Clearly more anime could take notes from Pokemon Sun and Moon, and dedicate some of their own episodes to celebrating the charm and silliness of fire-breathing cats. Until then, I’m still happy we received this episode, which accomplished a great deal of narrative work with a clever minimalism of overt dialogue. Seeing a Litten stuck in one of those vet cones was frankly reward enough, but this was a fun episode on the whole, and precisely the kind of easygoing adventure I was hoping for. Alola continues to be a richly rewarding vacation spot!

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