Hello everyone, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today it is too damn cold outside, as it will remain in my state for roughly eight months, before suddenly becoming habitable again sometime in late May. Accordingly, I have already developed my seasonal sniffle-cough, which will be accompanying me for the entirety of this megawinter, regardless of my personal choices. Going out for a jog is now a laborious process; heck, even stepping outside for some fresh air no longer provides that vitalizing rush of warmth and sunlight. Winter is a plague visited upon me for reasons unknown, a gentle reminder that the universe is frequently cruel for no reason.
As you may have gathered, I am not thrilled about winter’s onset, and could very much use a reprieve from its encroaching grasp. As a result, I am extremely pleased to announce that today we’re returning to Sun and Moon, and staging a tactical retreat into the sun-drenched isles of Alola. There are few things that can rally my spirits like a dash of Pokemon, and I hope many of you also enjoy these cheerful adventures. For all I tend to focus on art’s ability to inspire or provoke, providing simple comfort and cheer is also one of art’s great callings, and Sun and Moon absolutely excels at it. Let’s venture on back to the islands of Alola!
Episode 48
What’s this? No pokeproblem of the day!? Outrageous!
Looks like we’re opening right on breakfast at Lillie’s mansion. The lack of a pokeproblem enhances the intimate focus on Lillie’s routine, as does this perspective shot establishing her place at the table
The soundtrack is also distinct, a wandering piano melody that feels perfect for Lillie
Ah, I see. This ostentatious focus on “Lillie in her natural environment” is explained as we see her butler James literally holding a camera. No wonder the initial shots seemed like a Lillie documentary
Some nice layouts and character animation right from the start here. The heavy use of perspective shots accentuates Lillie’s frustration and draws us closer to the drama at once
“A Sleepover in Fully Powered Poses.” Hell yeah, this episode should be goofy as heck
Of course, James was acting on Lusamine’s orders. Lusamine seems to have trouble seeing her daughter as anything more than an adorable pet – she “loves” her, but isn’t really a parent to her in any meaningful way. It’s an interesting twist on the game’s story; she’s certainly not evil or anything, but her preoccupation with pokemon and scientific development here makes her an unsuitable parent in a different way
Fed up with her mother’s rash actions and unavailability, Lillie hangs up on her
“I will now depart.” Great line read here, as Lillie sounds both proudly defiant and on the verge of tears. Introducing her mother has swiftly turned her into Sun and Moon’s most fully developed character; we’re seeing a variety of sides of her, not just the affectation she employs with her friends
Meanwhile, Starcloud is having his data analyzed, and looks a little nervous about all these diodes
“Let me extract your data next time as well, okay?” An odd expression of friendship, but Starcloud seems cool with it
Professor Burnet’s hair is one of the most delightfully impractical looks in this series. It must take gallons of hair gel to get it just right
I appreciate how Nyabby and Lycanroc both sleep in the appropriate formation – Nyabby curled up on herself like a cat, Lycanroc sprawled over backwards like a dog. A great portion of this show’s charm comes from all the clever ways pokemon evoke their real-world counterparts
All the ladies want to check out Ash’s loft. Damn, Ash
The gang play hide and seek with Starcloud
Man, Ash’s loft actually kicks ass! I thought there was just a bed up there, but he’s got a couch, rug, skylight, and everything
From there, we move to a game of Fully Powered Poses with the whole gang. It almost feels like this episode is making up for lost time – after the last several were largely dedicated to moving the overt plot forward, we get an episode of the whole gang goofing off together
Lacking the fully articulated limbs to actually compete, Rotom graciously volunteers to be the announcer. Sometimes it’s tough being a floating viewscreen with stubby wing-arms
Yesss, now the pokemon are also competing. Let the nourishment commence!
Unfortunately Popplio sucks at Simon Says, and manages to get both Lana and Sophocles knocked out in the bargain. I never had much hope for Sophocles, but Lana was one of my top contenders!
“When all three are the same, you have to say the special attack name” is a perfect setup for Kaki getting way too fired up, and outright demonstrating a Z move right in the professor’s living room
Very fun interpretations of the cast’s hair “all frizzed up.” Characters like Ash get the expected fluffy afros, but they have to do some real creative work to translate Mallow into a fluffy form
“I am currently going to start cutting vegetables.” Who the hell gave Lillie a knife
“I was once taught this by my mother.” I love how the camera starts to pan in on her changing expression, as if we’re genuinely going to reflect on Lillie’s complex feelings towards her mother, and the camera jumps as Ash announces the lettuce is done. Goddamnit Ash, we were having a moment here
The gang arguing about which TV channel they should watch, more content I never knew I needed. Of course Lana wants to watch some fishing extravaganza
We switch to a baseball channel, whereupon I’m reminded that there’s a human/pokemon mixed baseball league in this world. Professional sports are taxing enough without the risk of getting stepped on by a Snorlax or whatnot, I salute these players for their bravery
Oh wow, they go all out for this Electabuzz’s pitch. A dramatic shift to thick, erratic linework for this pitch, creating a great sense of coiled tension
Did they actually use that cut before during the baseball episode? I remember seeing it before
Starcloud using his cloud-tufts to gesture at things will always melt my heart
Lycanroc and Nyabby are out engaging in some independent training. Great to see them working, but I will be devastated if Nyabby ever evolves out of his current form. Losing Rockruff was bad enough, I don’t need any more adorable puppies or kittens turning into muscle bound Cat Men
It’s interesting to consider how audience demands might be shaping the changing nature of pokemon designs, and how that subsequently reflects on the tie-in show. It’s clear that the pokemon franchise has been embracing a general change towards more humanoid final forms, like Incineroar or Cinderace, which I presume is because players want to identify closely with their principle champions (since your actual player character is a mute cypher). On the other hand, in the show, we identify more with the human characters, and treat the pokemon as animal-like pets. As a result, the distinct needs of the game and show might be creating a natural point of tension here, resulting in characters like Nyabby never evolving out of their most TV-appropriate forms
Of course, this tension has always existed to some extent. There’s a reason Ash has never evolved Pikachu – Pikachu is goddamn adorable, and the international face of the franchise
I had forgotten about Ash’s amazing Rowlett shirt
As all of the other students reflect on their usual family meals, Lillie tucks her Clefairy doll closer to herself, feeling isolated by her strange circumstances. She doesn’t really have a family; there’s no father to speak of, and both her mother and brother are distant
Seems like there’s room for Ash to connect with her there though, given how far he tends to roam from his own family, and how good he is at establishing new families wherever he goes
Lillie’s quiet reflections are interrupted by Burnet, who assures her that her mother really does care about her, and that she should tell Lusamine about her feelings. It’s true, Lusamine is more easily distracted and emotionally oblivious than genuinely unkind – you need to be very direct with her
Starcloud teleports Lillie to Gladio, but then Silvady jumps forward, reactivating her trauma. Oh dear
And Done
Goddamn, Lillie! This was a relatively lighthearted episode on the whole, but the framing device of Lillie’s relationship with her family was some of the sharpest personal drama this show has ever engaged in. Her relationships with Lusamine and Gladio feel fractured in ways that twenty minutes of good cheer can’t really fix – their family is broken on a fundamental level, and though Lillie puts on a brave face, it’s clear that she’s suffering the most from her familial dysfunction. I very much enjoyed the various shenanigans of this episode’s sleepover, but now I’m even more intrigued by where Lillie’s story will go. Lusamine hasn’t shown any particular instinct towards parenting so far, but with her daughter in need, I’m eager to see this family reunited.
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