One Journey Ends, Another Begins... (Pokémon the Series: Sun and Moon)
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One Journey Ends, Another Begins... (ニャビー、旅立ちの時！Litten, Time to Begin the Journey!) is the 21st episode of Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon. This episode is known for its depressing tone and heartbreaking ending.
Plot
The stray Litten that Ash has met before asks him for help. It appears the elderly Stoutland that Litten lives with is on its last legs and Litten desperately wants it to get better. During their time together, the bond between them begins to change forever.
Why It Rocks!
- This episode's premise of coping with the death of a loved one is handled brilliantly.
- Like the Mimikyu episode, it isn't the only episode of the season that handles dark themes efficiently.
- Throughout this episode, leaves keep falling from a single tree, giving the episode poignancy and urgency about Stoutland's impending death.
- Ash is surprisingly mature in the episode, helping the mischievous Litten who had caused problems for him before because it's the right thing to do.
- Litten's reaction when it finally realizes that Stoutland isn't coming back is utterly gutwrenching.
- The ending: A gust of wind blows the last leaf on the tree away, causing Litten to chase after it before seeing a rainbow and a cloud that resembles Stoutland form in the sky.
The Only Bad Quality...
- Although this sounds rather nitpicky to you, the remaining minutes show Litten joining Ash's crew and the episode returns to the pacing and feeling of your typical Sun & Moon episode.
Reception
This episode received overwhelmingly positive reviews from critics, audiences and fans of the Pokémon franchise. It's one of the episodes that YouTuber Lumiose Trainer Zac gave a 10/10, quoting "Gotta give it to Sun and Moon. They handled this beautifully.", and it has an 8.6/10 rating on IMDb.