A few notes on today’s Pokedoko.
It aired after the broadcast of HZ129.
They talked briefly about the next episode that will be airing (ep 130, Hamber vs Sango, Onyx, Agate). The weekly quiz is about Onyx.
Some thoughts on Hamber, Sango, Onyx and Agate.
[[MORE]]So, the weekly quiz mentioned that Onyx used to have a nickname in the city he was at before joining the Explorers. I think the two answers were either a) street fighter Onyx, or b) solitary gourmet Onyx.
The answer is probably going to be the first one, and it has some interesting implications to me considering the way Onyx has been portrayed (especially in the first four chapters). The way I see it, it feels like street fighters in Pokemon probably want to grow more powerful, act on their own, and battle as much as possible? Which contrasts interestingly with the way Onyx has been paired up with Sango, works in tandem with her, and has shown to care for his teammates (Kyojiohn knowing protective moves, Onyx sacrificing his Pokemon to protect his ally in Terastal Debut, etc).
It kinda drives me batshit insane in a way, because I feel like Onyx is the kind of person who wants to devote himself to someone (for a cause, a goal, and finds value in protecting others), in contrast to Sango’s weird and unique loyalty. Remember that when Sango lost her shit in the climax for chapter 1 at Diana’s castle (ep 25), it was in direct reaction to Cap defeating Onyx’s Kyojiohn, that was what made her lose it and makes the scene feel meaningful because she partly reacted that way for a teammate. That, and her constantly asking where Amethio was when he was excluded from missions by Spinel because she just expected him to be there, and being willing to hear Amethio out when Spinel framed him. She has a pretty unique loyal streak, imo.
Anyway, something about Hamber pairing these two together in missions. Onyx seemingly going from someone who battled on his own with no specific goal in mind, to someone who covers and looks out for his teammates (maybe his desire to protect his teammates was awakened within the Explorers?). Sango seemed like someone who went around rampaging (not sure against who?), and she became able to work with someone else too. Idk, it makes me severely lose it. Because I interpret Onyx as someone who wants meaning (which is kinda supported by the fact that he questioned the meaning of being a trainer in ep 125), and he finds some meaning through his bond with Sango. And it’s so good, because his tendancy to protect doesn’t even come at Sango’s expense either and her agency is never taken away from her. Because Sango doesn’t need protecting. And yet, they are still two people who stay together because they want to. And it’s meaningful. It’s so good, idk what they put in this dynamics and I’m thankful to Hamber for being the reason they met. Literally what the hell is going on there.
Anyway, in general, I do like that Hamber has bonds outside of Amethio. He is not just Amethio’s butler (even if that relationship is very important, of course), he is also an adventurer and friends with Diana, and he recruited Sango, Onyx and Agate. Ever since they revealed that Hamber was the one who trained them in ep 83, I hoped that they’d explore these dynamics and it seems like they’re doing it now.
It’s also neat because it falls in the continuation of the mentor/teacher and mentee/student themes we’ve had, especially post-timeskip.. We had Dot vs Nanjamo, and Dot managed to win against her for the first time, which is quite symbolic of her growth. Now, we’re going to have Hamber vs his three students.. I don’t really think they’ll manage to surpass their mentor.
The Pokedoko hosts said about next ep “will Hamber manage to convey the importance of the bonds with Pokemon to [them]?”, so it seems like there is a specific goal in this battle. I wondered all this time if Hamber somehow felt guilty of responsible for Sango, Onyx and Agate. After all, he is the one who chose them and they joined the Explorers because they met him. They took on a wrong path after Spinel took over (Agate seems to follow Spinel out of her own volition and for her own goals, while Sango and Onyx come off more as misguided and besides, they are clearly unsatisfied with their current lives so there is potential for them to do something else..), so I wonder if Hamber feels responsible for that. He may feel like he needs to do something and that as their mentor, as the one who found them and trained them, it’s his responsibility to set these three on the right path. So he won’t be left with any regrets.
I hope we get some insight on Hamber’s feelings on that matter, because his relationship with these three fascinates me. He doesn’t exactly have the same sense of duty towards them that he does towards Gibeon (he was trusted to raise Amethio and acts as a parental figure towards him). They are “outsiders” that he found promising for some reason (we might learn that next ep), and he brought them in the world of the Explorers. They wouldn’t be where they are currently had they not met him. He manages to get Sango and Onyx to listen to him for the most part and they defer to him. It seems like he also made them into people who are more driven towards a specific goal..?
His relationship with Agate is a bit more mysterious on the other hand, but I think it’s compelling that they have a kind of mentor/student dynamics going on considering that Agate is an adult. Usually, mentor/student relationships are with an adult and a younger character. In Hamber and Agate’s case, there is an interesting struggle for power, as she is the only one who had the upper hand over him on some occasions (spying on his moves, threatening him to get him to step back from the battle in the climax for Mega Voltage, and even in the preview for ep 130, she seems to keep up with Hamber and uses Mega Evolution, while Sango and Onyx are shown to be overwhelmed by Hamber’s power). Besides, Agate is a teacher too, so both Hamber and Agate perform the role of the “teacher” in a sense.
Anyway, I’m so excited for next ep. I have rewatched the preview so many times already. It’s immaculate. The banter between Sango and Onyx. Agate casually fitting in, showing her humorous side, and revealing her favorite food (and the fact that she has a Mega Evolution too). Hamber being cool as hell. He looks so composed, yet overwhelming with power. I hope Hamber manages to knock some sense into Sango, Onyx and Agate somehow. I’m not sure what they plan to do with Sango, Onyx and Agate after that, and we know that there will be only three eps left this month (a one-hour special on March 13, and one episode on March 20).. Feels like it’s too short to wrap up this arc, but it seems like it..? Anyway, I wonder if Hamber and co will be part of the 18 Tera Type Trainers. Sango and Onyx have shown reluctance and doubts multiple times about Spinel in general, so I could potentially see them being temporary allies. We know they have Terastal too. Unsure about Agate. Though, the Tera Types Sango and Onyx have are already taken as slots by Liko and co’s friends (Sango’s Onipurin’s Tera Type is Fairy -> Botan’s Nymphia’s Tera Type is Fairy, Onyx’s Kyojiohn’s Tera Type is Rock -> Lucius’s Gouging Fire’s Tera Type is Rock).
Anyway, I hope next ep will be good for Sango, Onyx and Agate. I’ve wanted to know about their pasts since forever (I wrote so much about Sango too, she had me think a lot about her circumstances ever since chapter 2). This kinda makes me hope Spinel’s past will be explored too, but Rising Again wrapping up soon-ish (seemingly) worries me. The thing with Spinel is that unlike Amethio, Sango, Onyx and Agate, he doesn’t exactly have anyone who could convey his thoughts to the audience..? Amethio’s past (ep 83 etc) was revealed because he opened up to Zir and Conia, and Zir and Conia later on relayed some information to Liko in ep 104. We’re getting Sango, Onyx and Agate’s backstories through a confrontation with Hamber, who is the one character who’s known them prior the Explorers. So we’re not getting that information through our main characters.
Spinel keeps to himself, but at the same time, it’s so necessary that his circumstances are showcased, even briefly. Not even necessarily to the characters in-universe, but to the audience. Idk, that’d be unforgivable if it never happens. He is such a pivotal figure in the narrative (and has so many parallels to important characters), so we need to know his circumstances on a personal level to some extent, the way we learned about Gibeon’s, and everyone else in the Explorers. I guess we’ll see but I love Spinel ok. I’m also curious/nervous about what’ll come next for the anime. I need Liko, Amethio and the Explorers to slay until the end of the story. That’s always been my highest priority, and it hasn’t changed.
