#hz085

No summaries or staff lists are available as of now, just the titles. I didn't think we'd have the full titles list for February so soon. I think it'll be a little while until we get additional information.

I went over the first two titles for February here.

What am I supposed to feel about this lol.

Starting off from the previous episode, Rayquaza dissipates the clouds above the mountain and goes back to his Pokeball to rest. The RVT explore Rakua. The environment is warm, they discover berries they are unfamiliar with and witness many different Pokemon coexisting together in peace. Pagogo guides Liko and the others deeper in the forest, and after walking all day, they eventually set up their tents in an open field for the night.

At night, Liko, Roy and Dot admire the stars together and reminisce the adventures they've had together, the people they've met along the way, and their Pokemon's growth. Roy and Dot notice that Liko is looking down and she reveals her worry of having to say goodbye to Pagogo now that they arrived at Rakua. Roy and Dot cheer her up in their own ways, and Liko thanks them and decides to focus on enjoying her adventure. Afterwards, they go to sleep, unaware of Spinel's Orbem spying on them.

The following day, the RVT walk deeper into the forest and find a rock hill that reveals a thick wall emitting Terastal energy underneath. They conclude it's the barrier that Lucius and Pagogo created to protect Rakua. In order to get past the barrier, Liko and Paggoo try to bring it down and Pagogo successfully removes it after transforming into Terastal Form. Friede tells Liko, Roy and Dot to stay behind while he checks in for any danger and also adds that they are free to act on their own if anything happens. As he is surveying the area which contains Rakurium crystals, Friede gets accosted by Spinel, while Onyx, Sango and Agate are confronting Liko, Roy and Dot.

--

Lots of characters moments I found nice in this ep. I'll go out of order.

Rayquaza being sleepy and wanting to return to his Pokeball was genuinely an endearing moment? It was unexpectedly cute, and I like when they give these kinds of moments to Pokemon you don't expect to come off as cute. Rayquaza may be a legendary Pokemon, but he still needs rest like anyone else. It was also a nice moment for Roy.. We've seen that the other Heroes can come out of their Pokeballs and go back whenever they want without human interference (Liko isn't the one calling for them whenever they appear, Pagogo is, and they are Lucius's Pokemon). So, I feel like Rayquaza could have gone back to his Pokeball without asking for it, similarly to the others? So the fact that he didn't and actually asked for Roy to return him inside the Pokeball shows that Rayquaza is considering Roy as an individual and that there is some kind of trust growing between them? I think it's definitely a step in the right direction for Roy to become Rayquaza's real partner someday.

In terms of Dot moments.. I really liked when she immediately thought of Botan and wanted to send her a picture of the Eevee that are in Rakua. The fact that it was so spontaneous too. Dot is open about her friendships and she doesn't have to send a picture of her friend's favorite Pokemon (at least I think Eevee are Botan's favorite?), but she is doing it because she cares. Even though Dot isn't at school anymore, I'm glad they are showing that her relationship with Botan is still growing (they interacted back in HZ079, and now we can assume that they are in contact offscreen and send each other messages). Also, the way Dot tried to cheer up Liko and told her that Pagogo probably didn't come to Rakua just to say goodbye to Liko.. She's been doing that for a while now, but Dot giving back to her friends the kind of support they showed to her is just sweet. She is still a bit embarassed about being honest, but she is trying and wants to be there for her friends when they need her.

Random moments of the trio (Liko, Roy, Dot) I found meaningful: Liko telling Dot that she could take off her coat in Rakua, Liko noticing when Dot was having trouble walking (I just like the way Liko is observant when it comes to Dot and how she thinks about her when it comes to these small everyday things..), Dot wondering if Lucius and Rystal were gazing up at the sky in the past (I felt like it was such an emotional insight from Dot? Not something I would have necessarily expected from her so it was surprising in a good way), Dot complaining about the paths in Rakua (I love that Dot is allowed to complain about the weather or things that she finds difficult to deal with and that no one is holding it against her, they just let her vent because she needs it), Dot pushing through her exhaustion because she wanted to keep exploring (I thought it was courageous of her), Roy's comment about the Pokemon getting plenty of sunlight since the sky is so close in Rakua (I thought this comment was really cute and highlighted the fact that Roy is a kid? In contrast to Friede's analysis of Rakua's environment.. It shows that Roy has the knowledge of a kid in a very endearing way to me). The scene with Liko, Roy and Dot gazing at the stars was beautiful and emotional. Liko's growth is always a delight to watch. She felt comfortable enough to express her worries instead of bottling them up, and decided to enjoy the moment instead of worrying too much about the future (and we do know that Liko had a tendancy to overthink and freeze in situations she wasn't used to, but she is learning to immerse herself in the present).

The parallels between Friede and Gibeon keep growing, too. The way both of them immediately analyzed their surroundings in Rakua and had an analytical approach in order to understand how this kind of environment came to be. Gibeon was curious about the reason this bountiful environment came to exist. Friede had a similar reasoning and was observing everything in Rakua to make sense of it (the soil to explain the warmth, the crater form, the way the Pokemon behaved...). I just really liked Friede in general in this ep. He was as excited as the kids to discover Rakua and had the same wonder for adventure, but his approach was wiser (not rushing and knowing when to take breaks, etc). His VA was great this ep too (the way he delivered some of his lines especially when he was whispering.. too good).

I also liked that this episode addressed the worries that it might be the end of the journey soon since they are in Rakua now. Liko was wondering if Pagogo might leave her too. These are real worries I also have as a viewer, so it's interesting seeing them voiced through the characters? I wonder what will happen. Part of me wants Pagogo to stay with Liko (I don't want Nyarote to lose another friend, among other things), but I also want Pagogo to be free to choose. I also definitely understand Roy and Dot's perspectives that Pagogo chose Liko and may not want to say goodbye either, so it was reassuring to hear a counterpoint to Liko's worries.

I am also not sure what to make of the many "death" flags raised around Friede. Wondering what they should do if they find the Rakurium in Rakua in HZ083. The insistence on the kids growing as adventurers (Friede noticing that they were quick to set up their tents, etc). Friede telling the kids that they should think and act for themselves if anything happens, which shows that he grew to trust their judgment.. and which could indicate that there could be a moment when Liko, Roy and Dot will have to take a decision by themselves? We do know that Friede will be there with the trio when they find Lucius, which could indicate that Friede will win against Spinel (or that Spinel will escape, since I think his aim is mostly to buy time for Gibeon so he can retrieve Zygarde's cells etc?). But that doesn't mean something can't happen after Friede's battle with Spinel.

While I am worried about upcoming events, I like that there is so much unpredictability right now? Like, this is the fun of original anime. You don't know where it's going next because it's not based on an existing story and right now, we have no idea where the story of Horizons is going. This reminded me that I enjoy Horizons to such an extent because it's an original story that has its own tale to tell, and that it's taking Pokemon to new places and exploring a different kind of narrative instead of always relying on the same mould (doing the competition thing, or relying on the game characters to just be game story 2.0..). Please stay peak Horizons, it's all I'm asking from you. Please stay peak after this chapter and until the anime ends.

Also, I had another opportunity to take part in a stream held by the scriptwriter for this ep (Kureha Matsuzawa) after it broadcasted. I sent a small comment with my thoughts on the weekly episode, and the scriptwriter replied to me and elaborated on his thoughts on Rayquaza among other things. I also remember that he mentioned at some point that he was grateful that he got the opportunity to write HZ083 (Amethio's episode). There was lots of interesting talk in general, from what I could understand. Lots of general talk, not just Horizons related talk, but he mentioned his work as a writer.

Overall, just pleasant episode. Loved the sceneries, the depiction of Rakua (a paradise for Pokemon, so it was explained in a way that made it come off as a paradise for them and not humans), the writing highlighting each character's unique traits, emotional and endearing moments.. An episode that makes me feel both anxious and excited for future developments.

Mostly taking a look at the writers list for this month now that the information has been released.