Eternal Blessing - Pokmon Horizons Episode 54 Review - Exceedingly Suspicious
To be honest, when it comes to Pokémon Horizons episodes, I really like things like this week's episode where the episode is building upcoming plot points for the story. Not only do I get to see more Spinel, but I just love learning more about Horizons’ main story. Having a story-driven Pokémon anime really does wonders for me, and gets me as invested in things as the characters are. There are three sides to this episode: the kids, Friede, and the Explorers, and all tie in very well.For the kids, it’s more focused on Ann as she reunites with them. She learns about Terapagos, and even aspires to challenge the Pokémon League. I honestly love the friendship she has with Liko; she even befriends Roy and Dot too! They both encourage each other in a way. Liko’s stories about traveling aspired Ann to go to Paldea, while Ann was the one who told Liko that the decision to make a big step forward was her Pokémon, encouraging Liko to believe that Terapagos was the one taking them to Laqua and not the other way around. Their friendship is so wholesome. I don’t get why some people have this ridiculous theory that she’s a spy for the Explorers, or is going to betray Liko. I think the cutest thing about the kids is that they all have their Pokémon outside of their balls. Yes, even Roy's large sized Kilowattrel is out and about too. All four of them have two Pokémon each, so it’s probably easier on the animators to give them distinct personalities and more hilarious interactions like Ann’s poor Dewott running away from Dot's Tinkatink because she wanted to smash its scalchops.
Friede’s side of the story in this episode is the highlight, in my opinion. He’s digging for more information about Terapagos in a couple of different ways, asking Liko and Roy about the pink haze that appears whenever a Hero Pokémon shows its memories, and going back to the company he used to work for. Remember back in Episode 18 where it was stated that he quit his job and was just idling on about before forming the Rising Volt Tacklers? Well, we finally get to see what company he worked for before quitting! I really like that they've done more to develop Friede's backstory in this episode. The company Friede used to work for is called Exceed, and it harbors a mysterious crystal called the Eternal Blessing—also known as the Laquium.
Maybe it’s just me, but there’s something a bit suspicious about that company. Friede’s former boss Crave says that he’s ordered to hold onto the Laquium, and it’s an order he cannot disobey. From who, I wonder? There’s also the fact that Spinel snuck in with ease, and was even able to eavesdrop in on Friede and his junior researcher Yanga’s conversation. Furthermore, when Friede went to the basement floor to find the Laquium, he was attacked by three security Pokémon despite having ID and permission from Crave. That’s really suspicious, isn't it? Also, the fact that Spinel took the item, and that Zirc and Onia were spying on him shows that he has some separate objectives to the rest of the Explorers.Speaking of the Explorers, a huge reveal has happened. Gibeon has finally been shown, and he’s revealed to be Amethio’s grandfather! I wonder if he’s his actual grandfather, as in the father of one of his parents, or a "grandfather" from way back who happened to live a long time. Since he knows who Lucius is and Lucius has descendants of his own, one of them being a grandmother, I’m assuming that would make him at least his great-great-great-great grandfather; I’m sure Amethio says grandfather as a bit of shorthand more than anything else. I'm not sure how it's done in Japanese, but if it's anything like English, anything beyond a single great- just gets very unwieldy very quickly. Amethio also mentions having a father, and it’s implied that his father took a different path from Amethio and Gibeon, one that has left his son feeling scorn for his father. Given the suspicious nature of Exceed and how Crave got his hands on the Laquium, I theorize that Crave could be Amethio’s father and Gibeon’s son-in-law. There should be a reason why half of Amethio’s hair is black, right?
According to Orla in this episode, the Brave Olivine is halfway complete! She’s focusing on upgrading it though, so who knows how long that’ll take. Given that each chapter seems to take about 24-25 episodes, it seems safe to assume that the third chapter will end somewhere around Episode 70 or so. I honestly can’t wait to see what the rest of the arc has in store, because I’m really enjoying it! I also really liked how calm this episode was, in a way. What are your thoughts on the big reveals and plot progression we had this week?
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