Pokemon Sun and Moon – Episode 33

Hello everyone, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. You all okay with some leisurely Sun and Moon today? I’ve been scrambling to catch up on work this week, and I could personally use a dose of unconditional Good Feelings. Sun and Moon has been remarkably effective at lightening my mood over these past few months, and considering I’ve started to get cranky comments whenever Saturday isn’t accompanied by a Pokemon post, I assume I’m not the only one.

When we left off, Lana had once again proven her clear supremacy over her classmates, by defending a savage Stoutland with such courage and distinction that it had no choice but to reward her with a Z-ring. Lana now joins Kaki and Ash in her wielding of Alola’s nuclear-grade Pokemon accessories, but I have hopes that Mallow and even Lillie might one day join them – though Sophocles is probably asking a little much. We’ve also gotten a better grip on Olivia’s teaching style, which reflects her own personal pokemon magnetism by encouraging students to develop a closer relationship with their critters. What we have yet to see is a whole lot of Akala Island, so that’s what I’m hoping for as we return to our crew. Let’s see what adventures await on Akala!

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Pokemon Sun and Moon – Episode 32

Folks, we’ve no time to lose. Olivia’s first day as the team’s interim teacher has begun, and it’d be terrible form to show up late for our very first class. Having finally arrived at Akala island, I’m eager to see Sun and Moon explore this fresh new environment, and possibly even move our crew forward on their island pilgrimage.

If this were a pokemon game, I’d say we’re somewhere between the second and third cities at the moment, perhaps right around where your starter evolves into its second form, and your team begins to resemble a cultivated roster, rather than whatever birds and rats you found in your backyard. Ash’s team is certainly getting there, and I expect Olivia’s training to accelerate that – but then again, I’d be just as happy simply to ramble around this new island, and see what its beaches and towns are like. It’s hard to go wrong in Sun and Moon, so let’s see where our journey takes us this time!

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Pokemon Sun and Moon – Episode 31

It is currently November 18th where I’m sitting, a day which I until five minutes ago was mentally categorizing as “the day before Thanksgiving.” As it turns out, and you may already know, Thanksgiving does not fall on November 19th this year – in fact, it would be temporally impossible for Thanksgiving to ever fall on a November 19th, so I’m not really sure what I was thinking.

Anyway, the long and short of this is that I’ve been stressing about an event that I have no good reason to stress about for at least seven more days, and I’d very much like to calm down a bit. And considering there’s no better show for relaxing than Sun and Moon, it seems to me like the clear, obvious choice is to head off to Alola, and once more enjoy a lighthearted adventure in the sun with our delightful pokemon companions. That sound okay to all of you? I mean, presumably you’ll just close the tab and wait for my next article if it’s not okay, but I like to preserve the illusion of choice here. Let’s assume you agree, then, and ship off for a fresh episode of Sun and Moon!

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Pokemon Sun and Moon – Episode 30

We’ve made it, folks. Thirty episodes in, and Pokemon Sun and Moon is still pulling off delightful new vignettes every episode, and still demonstrating animation flourishes that put much shorter shows to shame. One of Sun and Moon’s principle themes is “it’s not about victory, it’s about the journey,” and that maxim comes through clearly in the show’s episodic design, as it offers adventure after adventure with no clear destination, but plentiful fun moments that serve as their own inherent reward.

At the same time, Sun and Moon’s laid-back, slice of life style is serving an ongoing dramatic purpose, the same as it does in any great, atmosphere-focused slice of life show. Through sharing adventures with these characters at the steady pace of their own lives, the audience is also being integrated into Alolan society, coming to understand its rhythms, and gaining a sense of belonging within the familiar walls of Kukui’s cabin, or the Pokemon School. The more time we spend in Alola, the more friendly and familiar it feels; ultimately, while slice of life shows frequently lack lateral narrative movement, they exchange that for a greater sense of texture, solidity, and belonging in their chosen location. The end result is that returning to a great slice of life show feels like returning home – so let’s celebrate that home once more, as we explore another episode of Sun and Moon!

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Pokemon Sun and Moon – Episode 29

It’s currently raining outside my house; a cold, grey rain that promises no clear skies or emotional catharsis, but simply the inevitability of more storms, as I endure one more damp and dreary New England winter. Rain is a useful dramatic tool, but a lousy weather condition; though perhaps that’s a contradiction in terms, as it is only our personal experiences with rain that give it such strong narrative resonance. Either way, the short of it is that the weather here sucks, and I am once again employing that as an excuse to ship off to the shores of Alola, where it only rains when the drama absolutely demands it. Without further ado, let’s see what Ash and his companions have been getting up to this week!

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Pokemon Sun and Moon – Episode 28

Hello everyone, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. It’s friday for me right now, and though the particular conditions of my employment mean I don’t have a “work week” so much as an unending stream of content production responsibilities, it still feels nice to end the theoretical week with something lighthearted and fun. And I’m guessing you all know what that means: we’re heading back to the Alolan islands, back to the Pokemon school, and back to the adventures of Ash and his exuberantly animated friends. Last episode finally introduced Gladio into the show’s lineup, progressing the show’s actual, overarching narrative enough to clearly earn a retreat back into goofy episodic shenanigans. But whether this episode offers comfort or continuity, I’m confident we’ll all have a resoundingly pleasant time. Let’s get back to Sun and Moon!

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Pokemon Sun and Moon – Episode 27

Folks, I’ve been consulting the relevant sages, and it is absolutely time for some Pokemon Sun and Moon. They foretell of pleasant, lighthearted adventures under the Alolan sun, and perhaps even a generous dash of expressive, comically exaggerated character acting. They also mentioned a crew of characters it is impossible not to love, accompanied by creatures who are equally comfortable chilling out as cute pets or battling each other through sumptuous cuts of fight animation. I frankly think I need not have bothered consulting these sages in the first place, as all of their predictions seem suspiciously obvious, but I nonetheless agree with their fated prediction. Let’s enjoy another new episode of Pokemon Sun and Moon!

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Pokemon Sun and Moon – Episode 26

Hello everyone, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I’ll hope you pardon me for engaging in what has become one of my favorite traditions around here, by rambling my way through another episode of Pokemon Sun and Moon. Traditionally, this would be the week where I’m frantically rushing through new premieres, suffering through the worst indulgences anime has to answer for, and ultimately doing things like jogging in place or jumping jacks while watching, purely to stave off the onset of full brain death.

Instead, I’m not doing that. Due to the support of you folks, I can now mostly spend my time working on projects I enjoy, tackling shows I’d appreciate even if it didn’t pay my bills. Sun and Moon is one such show, and I’m eternally grateful to you all for letting me celebrate shows like this every day. Without further ado, let’s see what Ash and his friends have been up to on the shores of Alola!

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Pokemon Sun and Moon – Episode 25

Hello everyone, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. I hope you’ve been having a nice day so far; personally, I stayed up far too late last night with some friends, and so I’m now hopelessly behind schedule on today’s work. That’s alright though, because I was already planning on treating myself to some Sun and Moon, and frankly can’t feel stressed while watching Pokemon regardless of my other temporal circumstances. Devastating Nyabby episodes aside, Sun and Moon is an emotional oasis, and so I hope you join me as we all chill out and enjoy some relentlessly pleasant cartoons. Without further ado, let’s slip back to the beaches of Alola!

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Pokemon Sun and Moon – Episode 24

Hello everyone, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. I’ve tried to deny it as long as possible, but autumn is truly in full swing over here, and the temperature has plummeted accordingly. New England has a pretty quirky seasonal schedule, in that we generally get around two months of summer, two weeks each of spring and fall, and around nine months of winter each year. In light of that, I’m doing my best to enjoy the rapidly falling leaves, as they’re essentially our one decent seasonal attraction, which makes for some unintentionally damning travel literature for anyone who actually lives here. “Come see the falling leaves, they make this frigid, unfriendly slab of coastline look nice for twelve days every year!”

All of this is to say that it’s cold and I’m mad and we’re watching some goddamn Sun and Moon. The show’s previous episode was a delightfully absurd Dugtrio-centered rock opera that made great use of Team Rocket, and I’m eager to see what our young trainers get up to next, be it continuing their island pilgrimage or just finding a weird rock in the forest or something. Let’s get to it!

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