#hz100

Quick summary of the episode.

Liko, Roy, Dot and Uruto end up battling the Explorers at Karna's factory. After witnessing their battle, Orio decides she wants to help them as part of the Rising Volt Tacklers. As the crew reunites, they receive a message from an unknown sender who turns out to be Friede. 

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Something, something about the battle emphasizing communication (which is a core theme of the series) and how the two Explorers and their Pokemon couldn’t communicate and weren’t on the same wavelength, while Liko and the others are fully in sync with their Pokemon which is what made them stronger. I think the analysis of the Strong Sphere and their influences on the Pokemon in this ep kind of reframed Spinel using the Rakurium on Blacky in HZ064 to me.. Which is a scene that emphasized unconventional trust but created a kind of distance, too. I think it’s an interesting nuance. Either way, I liked that everyone was able to work together seamlessly. Uruto didn’t feel like someone who got in the way and he genuinely managed to fit in with everyone and work with their respective strengths.. I appreciated it. 

Something that made me happy is Sango and Onyx being mentioned during the battle by Roy. The fact he remembered them and thought about their previous battle in this situation. It was the first time Roy said Onyx’s name too. 

Liko being headstrong and telling the Explorers “even if you use the Strong Spheres, you can never beat us” was so cool of her.. I love when she gets intense and stands her ground about her beliefs. The fact she grew to such an extent, too. I thought it was even cooler because she used a polite form at that moment, yet still said that they would not win. Being confident while she states this, but still being polite and not getting her point across by using familiar language. I also like that Liko says words such as “you can never beat us” in situations like that. She brings up her strength in specific scenes, such as when she told Murdock that she grew stronger which meant that he didn’t have to worry. There is always a specific purpose to it. Wanting to reassure someone, wanting to protect, stating her beliefs which have to do with her love for Pokemon, etc. It’s not bragging about strength for the sake of it. It’s more interesting this way. 

Liko being the one to initiative the RVT handshake was really important to me. It reinforced the fact that Liko, Roy and Dot are all taking after Friede in different ways. Roy being the one who resembles Friede physically the most. Dot being the one who takes over the Professor Friede seminar slot, with everything that entails (she’s always been the one who was most into Friede’s research). Liko was the one who stated that she felt like Friede was still with her and that she knew he would have taken the same path. She didn’t waver when she said this, because she knows him that well. Liko is like Friede because what she values the most about him is his ability to give courage to all those around him (what she talked about in her report in HZ035). Liko is courageous, cunning, quick to adapt, brings people’s hearts together.. The fact she is the one who initiated the handshake shows that she is the glue keeping everyone together. I love the ways she is similar to Friede. Very magical girl of her, too.

Uruto.. The way he acted all high and mighty and wanted to be the captain of the ship, yet quickly realized that this spot was taken by Cap and just went “wait, really?” was cute.. He was just surprised but didn’t try to claim that it should have been him or anything. It’s good, and I like how it’s never treated as a joke either. Cap is genuinely respected as the captain and everyone looks up to him and finds him dependable.

I thought it was super cute when Uruto noticed that Roy’s Achigator wanted to eat when they were all at Karna’s factory and gave him a bowl of food. I thought it highlighted his closeness to Roy since he was quick to notice that Achigator wanted food, and it was a very kind gesture showing that he deeply cares about Pokemon and their wellbeing.. Later on, he also took care of giving food to the Pokemon on the ship, so I wonder if that’ll be his duty in the crew? I wonder how he’ll manage to fit in the crew. I thought it was funny when Mollie pointed out “who even is this” because she didn’t know Uruto.. A meta way of acknowledging that Uruto does stand out because he is a newcomer and that the others don’t all know him, and that he is still not used to how things work. I thought it was endearing how he was lost and clueless and couldn’t really follow the others when they were doing the RVT handshake. 

The adults RVT.. In general, I liked that they tried to keep on going with their “normal lives” but decided to take the first step by themselves after being inspired by the kids. It shows that Liko and her friends have taken the mantle and have become trainers who can inspire the ones who helped them grow to this point, and gives more agency to Orio and co in regards to their own dreams. Friede was the reason they embarked on a grand adventure and they just went back to normalcy once he was out of the picture, even though they struggled to fit with social conventions. The fact that they managed to take a step forward without Friede shows that they can find themselves without him. They don’t “need” him anymore to inspire them or to push them forward because they can do that for themselves. It’ll make it much more significant when they all travel together again because they all choose to be together. They could be anywhere else, but still decide to be with him because this is where they belong. They have experienced other things in life, and the Brave Asagi is ultimately the place they feel most comfortable in. 

Also, the fact that it comes full circle with the adults asking Liko, Roy and Dot to join their Rising Volt Tacklers. They took what they valued about the RVT that Friede founded and made these things theirs. Which fits with the themes of legacy, too. I think Friede might ask the kids if he can join their RVT too, once he comes back. Or something along those lines. It also made me think that Amethio will probably continue the Explorers in his own way.. The RVT and the Explorers are the two factions in this show which were initially defined by the “older generation” and the timeskip shows that Liko, Roy and Dot are slowly but surely fully growing into people who take on the mantle and keep crafting their own stories.. Amethio fits right in with Liko, Roy and Dot, so I wonder what he will do in regards to the Explorers, especially since the original vision of the Explorers is currently being tainted by Spinel. 

Mollie’s scene with her mother especially stuck out to me for several reasons.. The fact that Mollie admitted that she was practically running away from home last time she boarded the ship, and took that first step to talk to her mother and tell her what she really wanted to do. Highlights the themes of communication and Mollie’s parallels to Liko too. Mollie thought Liko was brave for facing her father and telling him that she wanted to keep traveling with the RVT back in HZ011 when they had their heart-to-heart in the forest. Liko struggled to put her feelings into words but she still did because it was important for her to be honest about her desires.. Mollie is doing the same thing now, and she fully owns who she is and what she wants. I thought Mollie’s mother's reaction was interesting too. I liked how they kept their relationship nuanced because her mother told her “you were never comfortable settling down”, so maybe part of her hoped that Mollie eventually would someday.. It wasn’t exactly reluctance on her part, but it wasn’t fully “open acceptance” either. I think it was something in the middle. Mollie’s mother accepted, I think she realized that Mollie wanted to leave the nest and do what she wanted and that she was not going to change her mind about it.. So there was no use trying to make her change her mind or try to convince her one last time. Mollie herself said that she got her family’s approval this time, so she knows how her mother communicates her approval even though it’s in a roundabout way. I like these kinds of complicated relationships. 

Random things I liked. Landau randomly showing up on the ship was really funny. Loved how they gave no explanation to it except that he felt the vibes of his ship and knew that it wanted to travel again. 

I liked that they pointed out that Karna’s factory is small and that it was surprising that they ordered production from her.. made things feel grounded and answered some of my questions too, since I wondered if Karna was the only one crafting the Strong Spheres parts. 

Mollie’s reaction to Orio’s call. Mollie is usually composed, so seeing her excited and emotional always hits differently. 

Friede.. I need more time to phrase my thoughts because one week wasn’t enough. Either way, I missed hearing his voice. I knew he’d still be alive but I was still happy to see it confirmed. I am still curious about how he survived the fall (and I wonder if they’ll give an explanation on this), but I think it’s fitting for him that he decided to keep pursuing the mysteries on his own because he is not the type to stand still. I wonder what he meant when he said that the Explorers were after him, but the fact he wouldn’t want to get anyone involved when he is in danger is understandable.  

Orio.. I liked that she mentioned that she needed this time when she was talking to Karna before leaving (and the fact she gave a Pokeball she made herself to Karna, just like Karna did for her.. Orio’s Pokeball not being “perfect” but still full of personality). I found this line very important because Orio wasn’t shamed for her feelings at all. She needed time to reflect and to come to terms with her own feelings, and nothing she did was a waste of time. Which is similar to Liko at the beginning of Mega Voltage, too. Liko felt like everyone was moving forward except her and she felt stagnant, even though that wasn’t true. A small step forward is still a step taken, etc. Orio needed time to think, and the year she spent with Karna was important for her. She doesn’t constantly need to be traveling for things to matter. Orio’s relationship with Karna is really great, and this two-parter definitely elevated Karna’s character to me.. Karna knew that a day like this (Orio leaving) would come eventually, which reminded me of when she knew Orio would turn down her offer to work together in HZ029.. because she could see the way Orio was talking about Friede and how they worked together. Orio’s reaction to Friede’s message… Very effective and I loved how her VA conveyed her relief and emotions when she broke down. Mollie comforting Orio when she was crying really got to me, and looking at Orio when she said “Friede will be coming back someday”.. The framing of Orio’s feelings and the way her reactions are highlighted in a different way is interesting to me. (I think the way they parallel Friede/Orio to Lucius/Rystal in this specific way has enough implications. The thought of their relationship shifting to something else once they reunite makes me think it fits the themes of the passage of time. I’m interested in Friede’s reactions once he reunites with Orio. That’s her man.)

Spinel.. I already wrote a bit about him here. It should have been me being petted by the ikemen president.

Either way, I really liked the affectionate scene with his Pokemon and all the implications.. The fact that it’s not performative. The fact that it’s one of the few things he is honest about. He was probably putting on a facade when he told the Explorers that “everyone meets with failure on occasion” (as sweet as I thought it was that he was capable of saying these kinds of things given how Amethio never got that treatment from him, I wonder how honest he was about it). But if there is one thing he is genuine about, it’s his affection for Blacky.. And in a series that is about Pokemon and the relationships between humans and Pokemon, I think that’s important. It is literally the one good thing about Spinel. Also, I couldn’t help but think about Gibeon, Crave and Friede while Spinel was in his office.. Maybe Gibeon had been in the same office once upon a time. Crave and Friede opened up to each other in that very same place when Friede decided to go to Crave to ask him about the Rakurium and apologize about suddenly leaving the company in the past. It’s a significant place for these characters. 

Anyway, Spinel is ikemen.. I also just realized in this episode that Spinel actually had dark bangs(?)? I don’t know how it took me such a long time to realize when I’ve been into him ever since he showed up. For some reason, the black part of his hair really stood out to me in this episode. 

Overall.. Very good ep. I love when Horizons focuses on characters’ emotions the most. The scriptwriter for this ep (Kureha Matsuzawa) discussed this episode among other things after it aired and I got to listen to some of his words. One thing that really stood out to me is something that was along the lines of: “Liko and the others acted on their own, not necessarily for Friede’s sake, and as the result of that [their own actions], they learned that Friede is okay.” Which really highlights what I like (and is in line with my interpretations, which means that I’m picking up on the things that were meant to be conveyed), that Liko and co are acting independently right now, that nothing is a waste, that they don’t “need” Friede anymore to push them forward which means that when they are going to reunite with him, it’ll be fully by choice because they want to stand alongside him as equals.. I think it’s peak. I just love Horizons a lot, and I’m in disbelief that it keeps such a high level of writing after so many episodes. I’m witnessing peak Pokemon in real time and I fear it’ll never reach these heights again. 

I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT!!!

Not only our found family is SO back, but also it's confirmed that Friede is still alive! (not much of surprise but still nice that we now know for sure).

and when they played Dokimeki Diary??? Aaaaaaaaaaahhhhh words can't describe how much I was smiling! :DD

sidenote: music in the montage overall got me like:

The link for the monthly calendar is here (it's a cute illustration).