RE: "Road to Humilau!" (Ep.747) - 1/5/12
Alright, I apologize for my delayed response on this episode, I've been in the process of moving this weekend and dealing with no easy internet access. But that's all done with now, so lets talk Pokemon.
Sometimes it's kind of hard to pick apart a simple filler episode like this. We know it's just a filler because the episode didn't really contribute anything to the overall plot of the main story (Ash's story)- anyone can feel free to disagree with this! But the impression after watching the episode is that it was pretty much thrown in there to accommodate the fans (myself included) who were waiting to see the progression of the anime into B/W2. We really only saw this transition as soon as Ash went to challenge Roxie for his final gym badge.
That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed it, which is nice because i'm not always happy with the quality of the filler eps. I thought that Marlon's voice acting was excellent as well, it fit his character very nicely. I like Marlon's character in general actually, so I really hope he has some other part in the story (we know he does in the games, but that's not always true for the anime). I'm looking forward to seeing Cameron in the Unova League as well, because I think his character is really fun. He comes off as ignorant or irresponsible sometimes, but the writers have brilliantly made it seem humorous. And of course, the usual cast was acceptable, although I can never really look at Iris the same anymore after a distasteful fan fic that I came across the other day.
As for the actual gym battle, I'll probably admit that I was expecting a little too much from it. When we witness gym battles, it's usually more intense, suspenseful, and of course with Ash battling. This battle was hardly worth calling exciting and there were a few elements that I didn't particularly enjoy. For example, the fact that Cameron seems to never remember what Pokemon he has available to him (lol), or that Marlon's difficulty seemed under-par (which could have just been because of the generally unexciting battle due to the writers not investing as much into the episode.) And puh-lease can we just talk for a moment about the Mantine that was flying? Are they supposed to do that? Because I've clearly missed something in the last 4 generations. I will say however, that the little charade courtesy of Jellicent via cursed body was priceless. The battle in panorama was entertaining, but slightly disappointing due to the rushed feeling and overall lack of intensity (being Cameron's 8th gym battle) but I really shouldn't complain about that because it's just a filler/side episode after all.
Despite my criticisms, I'm glad they made sure to include this episode. There are elements that occasionally bug me sometimes, but I love every episode regardless of that. What are your guys' thoughts? We'd love to hear it.
