Pokemon X & Y Episode 2 'Lumiose City Pursuit!' Review

The premiere episode of the Pokemon X & Y anime was pretty average. Ash Ketchum arrived in the Kalos Region, met two friends, and of course battled Team Rocket. Since I just played X, I found it mildly entertaining. It wasn't bad, but wasn't very amazing either. Episode 2 fixes many of the problems seen in it. There's a sense of danger, and Ash is actually pretty cool.

It starts out right from where the previous one left off, with Ash going to deliver a wounded Frokie to Professor Sycamore. The Professor's place of residence is quite a mansion, housing some pretty interesting research. Team Rocket pops in however, and manages to get a rage-inducing collar on a Garchomp living there. After he blasts a them away, he goes on a rampage through the city. Yes, the story is pretty interesting, especially when Garchomp goes on a rampage. If only every episode could be like this.

It opens up however with Serena. She appears to be an extremely light-hearted version of the character seen in the game. I suppose the anime is trying to make her more of a likable character, but I just don't know yet. I'll have to see how she interacts with the outside world because once again we only see her at the house with her mom. The action is over at Professor Sycamore's lab. It's cool how Sycamore gets to appear, his portrayal is lifted straight from the game. While the scene with the Professor explaining to Ash why every trainer returns Froakie to him is pretty emotional, (as emotional as the show can be) the best part of the episode is Garchomp's rampage through Lumiose City.

Team Rocket appears, and while they are extremely annoying, they are a catalyst to the biggest plot point in the whole thing. They manage to get a pain-inducing collar onto the Garchomp living in Sycamore lab. I can forgive their inclusion this time. So, Garchomp. He was first established as a very likable free-roaming Pokemon, so when he starts going into rage mode thanks to the pain-inducing collar, you feel for the guy. The actual rampage was pretty awesome to say the least. It reminds us how deadly Pokemon can be without a trainer holding them back. Hopefully we'll see some more renegade Pokemon like this as the series progresses.

Clemont and Bonnie don't really contribute much. The only thing Clermont does other than get tired from running, (seriously, how does his little sister run faster than him?) is use his science skills to open a door. Bonnie is just there to be the cute little girl. Still, they aren't bad side characters. Ash thankfully is not his annoying self from the previous episode. The whole scene on the roof of Prism Tower reminds us why we like the guy. The final act has the return of Mega Blaziken and his mysterious trainer also appears. You can bet we'll see them down the road.

Overall, Episode 2 of Pokemon X & Y is an improvement over its premiere. The entire rampage through the city is one of the very best Pokemon scenes I've ever seen. Ash is actually likable and not annoying. If the show can be like this consistently, we'll have a winner.

4/5