I'm not a tremendous stickler for gym battles, so this episode is adequate to me at best. Ash didn't lose any Pokémon but he wasn't that long a stride from losing any, either. I was also very gratified to hear the tracks that were kept; they're good, lucid, have eliciting and tense beats, desperation yet stimulation in tone, and remind me of why I favor the Japanese BGM. And Crasher Wake's dub laughter reminds me just a might bit of Wattson's.
Pikachu's rivalry with Buizel did feel a tad pried but I have a feeling that it may forebode that which isn't seen in the immediate moment... dunno, I just feel something worse may come of it as future rivalries may impend along the horizon, but that's just me. As for the animation? Yes, it could have been better given how much more dynamic and bettered in quality the animation has become over the years, but seldom do I gauge an episode's quality in animation. That's not the kernel of greats for me. I didn't gauge the Kanto episodes by that. To me it's like saying video games are determined solely by their graphics when it comes to quality as an overall - not the case for me at all. Animation doesn't lower the impact of my enjoyment as I'm more or less neutral on the matter, but again, that's just me.
In brief, the episode was basically what I expected of it. Not fantastic but not horrendous either. Passable.