Pokemon Sun & Moon E02 Review: Totemic Tutorial

Pokemon Sun & Moon, Episode 2: The Guardian Deity Tapu Koko Appears

This episode was broadcasted alongside the first episode of Sun & Moon as a two-episode special pilot, and it sort of shows. This is where the actual "Ash goes to school" bit end up being implemented and... and it's significantly less exciting than the wonder and curiousity that Ash sees the region from. Where the first episode moves very quickly through things in the region, this one is happy to just... dial things back. The result is a far more mellow episode that doesn't really give a whole ton to talk about. We get to see a bit of everyone's personalities. Sophocles is a geek who loves technology. Kiawe is a little resentful that Ash is a special protagonist that immediately gets a Z-Ring from a goddamn god-like being, but not an asshole. Lillie's afraid of Pokemon. Mallow's excitable. Lana... Lana's there.

A good chunk of the early part of this episode is just a conversation between Kiawe and Ash, and... and I actually kinda wished that Kiawe had been a bit more confrontational just to add some excitement and conflict to this episode, but at the same time, I do like that we're subverting the "first arc, main character and his future best buddy have to have a misunderstanding." We also get a tutorial about the new in-game mechanic, regional variants. It features Alolan Exeggutor and its butt-head, and anything that features Alolan Exeggutor is worth watching in my book.

The middle part of the episode is a continuation of the "let's give every supporting character a bit of a spotlight" as Ash goes through the most friendly hazing ever. It's... it's cute, and Sophocles, Lana and Kiawe all get to compete with Ash and Pikachu in different things. It goes for a bit long, but before Ash can battle with Kukui as the final part of the hazing ritual, Tapu Koko, god over the silly peasants living in this island, descend and basically lead Ash to a battleground in the forest and... and we basically get a video game tutorial, yeah? Tapu Koko essentially teaches Ash how to do a Z-move, much to the shock of everyone else, and Pikachu unleashes a Sparking Gigavolt attack onto Tapu Koko, who shrugs it off in his totem form.

I do like that the entire area is bathed in a yellow glow from Tapu Koko's Electric Terrain attack, which is a nice little visual gimmick. The Z-crystal shatters or disappears or something, so it's one of those game tutorials that allow you a taste of one of the end-game weapons, but immediately takes it away afterwards.

It's a pretty scene, if nothing else, and I'm a sucker for the entire action scene in general. Part of it is probably because I jumped straight from the first season straight to a show produced more than two decades later, but at the same time... it's a pretty sequence. The episode itself is all right. It's utterly bland on its own, but as the second part of the two parter it's actually pretty neat. I sort of wish that they did more, because take away the pretty animation and the whole hazing ritual is kind of banal filler. But... eh. Not particularly bad, but nothing really for me to talk about, really.

Pokemon Index:

• Pokemon: Eevee, Sableye, Electabuzz, Elekid, Popplio, Togedemaru, Bounsweet, Pikachu, Alomomola, Goldeen, Sharpedo, Finneon, Braviary, Fearow, Alolan Exeggutor, Komala, Rockruff, Corsola, Luvdisc, Tapu Koko
• Humans: Lana, Sophocles, Lillie, Mallow, Kiawe, Professor Kukui, Ash, Samuel Oak

Assorted Notes:

• So what's the point of the hazing? Like, Kiawe wants a race on a Tauros, sure, but anyone with half a brain can realize that Togedemaru, a Pokemon with "spiky" right there in her name, will win in a balloon-popping contest with or without the lightning rod gimmick, and anyone can figure out that a seal can swim faster than a mouse.
• The school bell is a Komala whacking its log on a fake Bronzong and that's adorable, actually. 
• SUPAKKKINNGGUUU GIGAVORRRUTOOOO