Smells Like Team Spirit! (520)

[Tadashi]

I felt so bad for Chimchar during the entire episode. Paul made it attack, Ash, for heaven's sake! I'm glad we have an intervention... finally :P

I was also impressed at the story of how Paul & Chimchar met... it was a little heavy, but it's nicer than the fluffier meetings we have.

Also, great battle ^^ Turtwig worked so hard for Ash & Chimchar. That Zangoose was scary beyond all reason; no wonder Chimchar was stressed, lol.

Oh, but the end... I kinda teared up a little ^^; I felt so bad for Chimchar, but seeing Ash extend a hand of friendship... it was so beautiful! ;~;

[Shiny qwilfish of doom]

turtwig did great in protecting chimchar. They nearly lost that battle. I also thought it was interesting how paul and chimchar met.

[Torpoleon]

Of course Ash and Paul win.Of course Paul doesn't care about th soothe bell.

[Igottapoo]

Hm a pretty good battle. Poor Staravia, depicted as so weak. =(

[Maiev]

This was a very interesting episode. I thought it was well done, the flashback of Paul and Chimchar meeting was a bit tense, but it showed why Chimchar has such a fear and hatred of Zangoose, like Seviper does, and how it got onto Paul's team. Turtwig was great, helping Chimchar throughout the battle when Paul gave up on it. It was inevitable that Paul would release it, I think he was also expecting Ash to take it himself, judging by the way he acted.

[(s.i.e)]

hm, this was a great episode in my opinion, it had a nice battle in it.

[milenadrg]

Those battles were great, especially when Croagunk was fighting Torterra... It was nice seeing Ash adopting Chimchar and Elekid evoloving. And at the end when Paul threw Bell he won at Ash, hm I exepted something like that from a guy like him...

[Littlemyuu]

Great episode ^^ Paul is so cool...

[S.Suikun]

Thank goodness. I'm done.

This is a fantastic end to the tag battle arc, as well as a fantastic season finale for you dub viewers. Both prominent battles here are excellent, particularly Satoshi vs. Hikari. Each partner continues to satisfy (except Honoka, who leaves prematurely), while the animation and BGM teams really pull this one off nicely. Of course, perhaps the most notable element of this episode is Hikozaru, who after 49 episodes of speculated foreshadowing (okay, most idiots thought it would go to Takeshi, but I'm not "most idiots"), joins the main group. The monkey would have a rough but very developed start in the group, and I honestly enjoy it much more for its story than its battling roles.

Elekid evolving was also a nice and unexpected turn. Shinji concludes this season just as good as he was when first introduced, and it's easy to see why fans get excited over his appearances. If I have a gripe about this episode, it's Honoka leaving early for no apparent reason. It makes me think that the writers had some future plan for her, but never followed through. I also feel as though the Soothe Bells have been forgotten by the time of this posting. But minor long-term quips aside, this is one of Diamond & pearl's finest outings. If anybody has actually been using my grades as their viewing guide for whatever insane reason, watch this entire arc.

A

Well, that concludes my two-month rewatching session of DP: Season 1. Was the waste of 25 hours really worth it? Probably not, but it was good to get a refresher on some of these episodes as we approach its conclusion. I'm not gonna start on Battle Dimension any time soon, but I hope the first 51 serious reviews I've ever written are some help to those of you hoping to jump back into the series with Diamond & Pearl, guiding you to both the cream and the crap.

[STICKTOPIA]

Great episode ^^ Paul is so cool...

Great episode ^^ Paul is so not cool...

[Banana_Split]

This is a great episode. The last tag battle with Paul + Ash vs. Dawn + Conway was one of the few battles who are in my opinion really exciting. The attacks were not too simple and there was really thought about. One of the best episodes from Diamond & Pearl season 1.

[Ash-kid]

Great episode, i loved how Elekid evolved.

And Ash getting a Chimchar was great for him, espacially because it has special force.

9/10

[Ciccone]

Yeah so Chimchar decided to join Ash and Co. and there are a few sad moments when Chimchar is about to cry but then....Team Rocket STRIKES! Always ruining the moment, these guys :/

I never thought I'd see Brock fighting against Ash, ever. But it was refreshing at least. Then Conway and Dawn versus Ash and Paul, and Conway actually has some nice strategies in mind

Liked that at least Paul got something; his Elekid evolved making it a threat to Ash. 9/10

[JohnLee]

Yeah so Chimchar decided to join Ash and Co. and there are a few sad moments when Chimchar is about to cry but then....Team Rocket STRIKES! Always ruining the moment, these guys :/

I never thought I'd see Brock fighting against Ash, ever. But it was refreshing at least. Then Conway and Dawn versus Ash and Paul, and Conway actually has some nice strategies in mind

Liked that at least Paul got something; his Elekid evolved making it a threat to Ash. 9/10

Yep, he ended up getting exactly what he wanted through the process. Elekid becoming stronger by evolution. It was a nice season finale with Ash finally getting chimchar.

[KGB13]

This was such a great episode. I'm glad Chimchar went with Ash because Paul was just way too hard on it. The battles were also really good, I love tournaments in the anime.

[saar]

Here we are, the last episode of season 10.
Conway will always be remembered for me as a good trainer with great tactics. With Dawn their combination was very good, until Elekid evolved, of course. Then, they couldn't really do something. Especially Buizel.

[wind21]

The conclusion of the Tag Battle tournament is Paul's chance to shine, after being completely out-classed and out-battled by Ash in the previous two episodes. In both battles so far, Paul has been ready to essentially concede, first with ordering Chimchar to use flame wheel against Rhydon's surf (though I do think this command suits Paul's battling style) and second his turning away as Chimchar succumbed to its fear during the battle with Zangoose. Ash has come to the rescue both times, first using Pikachu's iron tail in an imaginative way against Rhydon and second imploring a badly damaged Turtwig to assist Chimchar. Ash also finishes the second battle by commanding Chimchar when Paul refuses to, and after the battle, Paul releases Chimchar. Ash asks Chimchar if it wants to come with him, and this episode starts off with Chimchar accepting.

For the next round match against Brock and girl COTD, Ash chooses Staravia while Paul, interestingly, goes with Torterra. The trainers call out their first attacks in near unison, with Ash, in his excitement to battle Brock, going for an Aerial Ace against Croagunk. I remember when I first watched this and having seen the previous 2 episodes in the same sitting, getting excited by Ash's attitude and wondering just what strategy Ash would use against Brock. Well, Paul is the last to call out his attack in the sequence, and he orders Hyper Beam (another Hyper Beamer, I remember thinking). Torterra launches the Hyper Beam....and watching it is like getting ice water thrown on you. The Hyper Beam blasts through the air, disrupts Staravia off its Aerial Ace, and explodes into Farfetched, knocking it out. Unbelievable moment, especially coming in the context of the last 2 episodes where Ash has looked like the superior trainer to Paul. Brock tries to take advantage of the aftereffects of the hyper beam by having Croagunk attack, but Torterra recovers without too much trouble and Leaf Storms Croagunk for another knockout. The difference in power is just stunning after the close battles that Ash and Paul have been involved in so far in this tournament. In fact, Croagunk vs Torterra has a very similar feel to Cynthia's Garchomp vs Torterra.

Ash congratulates Staravia, causing Paul to ask what exactly did Staravia do? At first, this just looks like a rude, mean question from Paul, but I actually think he is being serious here. Paul pulled out what may have been his best Pokemon for this battle, and for the first time he fought solely to win rather than looking for training conditions (I should tell that to Turtwig, right? Turtwig would like to know how getting Flame Wheeled had anything to do with Chimchar's training). Torterra does all of the work in winning the battle, and still Ash praises Staravia. It is something Paul just cannot understand, and the fact that he is asking (well, I'm looking at it this way, but I understand this could just as easily be interpreted as an insult) shows he's really starting to respect Ash.

The final is the first battle in this tournament to lack the League atmosphere for me, but it still is really fun to watch. Ash and Paul, and Conway pull off some neat moves, with Dawn pretty much listening to Conway's instructions. Chimchar's flame grows in the battle w/o being hit by fire type moves, and its increase in power is demonstrated by its flamethrower able to keep Buizel at bay midway through the battle after being overpowered at the start. Ash is already starting to connect with Chimchar.

Paul's Elekid evolves into Electabuzz, causing Conway's first error in strategy as he decides to attack head on. This gives Ash the opening he's been looking for, as Chimchar finally connects with a Flamethrower. Electabuzz nails Buizel with a Thunder, and that is pretty much the match. Ash tells Paul how important his Elekid's evolution was for the battle, which is a sign of some respect from Ash. Paul, in turn, makes a remark that Chimchar is not strong enough as its flamethrower should have instantly beaten Heracross (after being Thundered, Buizel collided with the flaming Heracross, causing an explosion that provided the finishing touch). But Ash smiles it off, saying Chimchar is for him. As Brock remarked at the start of the battle, Ash was trying to make a pt to Paul by choosing Chimchar. And I think maybe this is it in a nutshell: Chimchar's flamethrower is not as strong as a flamethrower should/could be, but that is still okay with Ash. I don't think, when Paul made the remark, that he really expected Ash to release Chimchar. It's another question, or sign of respect, from Paul (although he certainly is not satisfied with Ash's answer; and there is no reason to be at this pt).

Well, that's the Tag Battle arc.

I'm going to hold off going on to the next season until the next episode of the Sinnoh League airs. Part of that is b/c I'm not so familiar with those episodes; all of the ones I've done in this season I've been able to do mostly from memory with some help from the pictures. I'll actually need to re-watch the episodes for the next season.
Also, a new episode about the Sinnoh League will be great inspiration heading forward.

Sorry, one more thing. The winner(s) of the second side competition for our heroes is Ash (and Paul). The first was the dress-up competition, won by Brock.

[Lance The Champ]

Paul's torterra knocked out both wingull and croagunk with one hit each... Now thats pure power

[G50]

This episode was very cool. It was great to see that Chimchar decided to join Ash after all. Interesting how the Tag battle ended up being Elekid and Chimchar together. It was cool to see Elekid evolve into Electabuzz, and then being able to finish off the opponents and win the battle. I'm glad Ash got the Sooth Bells after all. It was cool how Torterra was able to take down Brock and the girl's Pokemon because it was so strong.

99/100

[TheEpicGoomba]

This episode was alos awsome. Great to see Ash use Chimchar for the first time. It was cool seeing Elekid evolve I love Electabuzz. Paul was mean when he threw the Sooth bell at Ash 10/10