Thread: BW 109 "The Araragi Laboratory! A New Journey!"

I honestly fail to see what the big deal is. It's an established tradition that in every odd-numbered generation Satoshi fights in the League, goes back to Masara Town, and then starts a new journey (for about a year prior to the following generation) from there. He's just doing the same thing here except in Kanoko Town here, and the lame little girl subplot is to make up for the fact that his thirty or forty someodd Pokemon are not all in Araragi's lab, and therefore we can't have an episode based off Bayleaf trying to hug Satoshi. I enjoy these 'back to the hometown' episodes, as they establish the end of a journey and make us all look back at the past few years as well as being given things to look forward to for the remainder of the generation. I don't really consider them to be 'fillers' at all. Plus, the things like the Mamanbou and the starters are part of the aforementioned way that they're bringing us back to when Best Wishes! first started.

Edit: Also, on the topic (someone, I think it was Silktree, brought it up) of old Pokemon appearing in this saga: I suspect that they will simply provide trainers (Plasma grunts with Golbat and Coil come to mind) with old Pokemon, while leaving the wild Pokemon strictly (or perhaps not-so-strictly) Isshu-only. I can see the wailing already, but let's just compare it to, say, the BF saga, where Houen Pokemon were littered everywhere around Kanto--including many wild Pokemon--and nobody raised a peep. Or, something that always bothered me, the fact that the Rocket-Dan went to fucking South America to find Mew, and yet then we see that there is an area not too far from Nibi City where Mew actually presides and it's not that unknown among the populace there. We have already been handed a similar batch of mishegas with Blacky, who was chosen out of 493 old Pokemon in an early Best Wishes! episode as a Pokemon virtually non-existent in Isshu, yet now we know there's some well-established rescue ranger with his own farm and a plane not too far north who has a Blacky. So the worst of it should be over; expect there to be plenty of trainers casually walking their Maril around the block with no one uttering a peep. Worse yet, expect Virgil to continue to appear in Episode N to promote the Eievui merchandise and walk his Blacky into Don George's training facility in Karakusa Town with no one uttering a word of amazement. On the bright side, this means we will likely be spared having to look at the same few Isshu Pokemon for the remainder of Best Wishes!

Nuvema isn't Ash's hometown. When he returned to Pallet after the Indigo League, not only did he decide to leave for another region (the Orange Islands), but also his Pidgeotto evolved, which led to an emotional farewell. When Ash returned to Kanto after the Hoenn League, he battled Agatha in Viridian and met Scott, who invited him to the Battle Frontier. In the following episode, he was reunited with his old friends and Pokémon.

What exactly is going to happen in this episode that will be so special? Nuvema is no more important to Ash than New Bark, Littleroot or Twinleaf were, and he isn't even leaving Unova.

^The only times Satoshi finishes the League mid-generation are in the odd-numbered generations, and he never returned to Mishiro Town (which was in an odd-numbered generation) because in that instance he went back to Kanto to participate in the Battle Frontier. Since they didn't want Satoshi to leave Isshu until the end evidently, this is therefore the first time that he is remaining in a region following a League in an odd-numbered generation. So nothing makes Kanoko more special; it's simply circumstantial in that this is the first time Satoshi has been in a region where he will remain due to the plot now focusing on N. (as well as being so much farther away from the other regions)

My point is that there is no reason why there has to be a "hometown reunion" episode when none of the main characters live in Nuvema. Considering that the episode with Looker and Colress will take place in Floccesy Town, I would think that it would be a better idea to start the new saga in Aspertia City, which we haven't seen in the anime yet.

Maybe this episode isn't entirely pointless and will wrap up Bianca and Trip's stories.

I agree, actually. I don't see why the didn't place it in Hiougi City when it could have just as easily been done, especially as starters are given there as well and it would be a great conclusion for Bel's journey. Perhaps the P2 Lab will be covered earlier. I am just saying that, technically speaking, this 'hometown reunion' episode is a tradition that has been there from the beginning, and that there's no reason to just start complaining about it now and to attribute it to the non-existent inherent tendency for Best Wishes! to destroy what had once been a perfect series with no known flaws or fillers. Best Wishes! has been a regression in many terms, mind you, but let's not blame it for things that the series has always done anyways.

Maybe they could introduce Touko and/or Cheren in this episode? Nuvema Town is their hometown, and they've yet to be featured in BW.

Although I have a feeling the writers don't care about including them in BW at this point. So this probably just wishful thinking. (Best Wishes, wishful thinking...hahaha. /shot)

Originally Posted by ArginX

Perhaps the P2 Lab will be covered earlier.

That's what I thought at first since we know that N will be there eventually, but Ash and co. will be in Floccesy in BW112, and I can't imagine that BW111 is going to be a story-driven episode considering that Pokémon Fan didn't cover it.

I am just saying that, technically speaking, this 'hometown reunion' episode is a tradition that has been there from the beginning, and that there's no reason to just start complaining about it now and to attribute it to the non-existent inherent tendency for Best Wishes! to destroy what had once been a perfect series with no known flaws or fillers. Best Wishes! has been a regression in many terms, mind you, but let's not blame it for things that the series has always done anyways.

The Pallet reunion episodes were far more interesting than this one seems to be. But I'd agree that Dawn's special was equally bad, although at least it aired months after the end of the DP series.

Why everone hates TR you should hate ash if ash dissapears TR dissapears everyone happy.
Talking about the episode is not a filler in introduces the plot for future episodes and TR return ah and N appearing the plot overused (That girl loks dumb(well like every filler charachter in this series)) the best of the episode will be of course TR with his new weapons (I think W and Y are still in JJ teams but they have to introduce Frilish and Amonguus ).

PD:Frillish apparently knows Psychich. Interesting...

Hopefully all of Ash's reserves will be seen in this episode since the main characters are going back to Professor Juniper's laboratory. It's strange that Palpitoad is the only member of Ash's Unova team who has never been seen outside of a battle.

Originally Posted by Silktree

What exactly is going to happen in this episode that will be so special?

He will presumably find out about the White Ruins from Araragi-Hakase, which will then set this whole "Episode N" storyline into motion.

Originally Posted by smalllady

Maybe they could introduce Touko and/or Cheren in this episode? Nuvema Town is their hometown, and they've yet to be featured in BW.

I feel like Hugh is much, much more likely at this point.

The BW111 episode would be about N continuing to tell his backstory. The scans only said that Ash will meet N on 24th January.

About why this episode is in Nuvema, you needto differenciate between the idea that Ash has and the info that we know:

Remember that Ash has ended the League. All other times that Ash has take part of the League Ash has returned to Kanto. The first idea that Ash will have (and I expect that) isn't going to gthe White ruins: It's going to return to Kanto with his new friends. But because Unova is too far from other regions AND SPECIALLY because Ash has 10 pokemon on his roster and he can't take more than 6 pokemon at one time, Ash will need help to transport his pokemon. And I think that Ash will need Juniper's help or a help with one of her assistant (if it's one of the assistants, we can imagine who is) when Ash goes to Pallet.

I'm almost sure that Ash has planned returning to Kanto after the Unova League.* And Ash is supposed to go to Juniper's lab to take his reserves to Kanto. Although we already know that Ash will stay in Unova because Cedric want Ash's gang to find the White Ruins. Here meets N and ...

*One more thing of this episode: This episode could partially explain what Ash needs to do when Ash really leaves Unova.

Man oh man. You might as well just skip the eppy. This will be a hold out for the next :yao:

Yeesh. The arc doesn't have the epic start a lot of people were hoping for and everyone whines like a buncha brats

Sometimes, an episode's main catch is something small and setting up. Heck, I'm just happy TR's back (never thought I'd say that )

And hopefully the following eppys will make up for it.

Dengeki mag: (I think it's Dengeki)

Originally Posted by ArginX

Perhaps the P2 Lab will be covered earlier.

P2 lab will be covered quite early on... not sure if this scan was posted yet or not, but i scanned it for now in case.