Serves me right for being late. Heh. Like Reyna said, the pacing rather jars after the showdown with Drew (which was incredibly well done) and proving once again, the writers can't pace. While this isn't the first time they've pulled this (Groudon/Kyorge, the Silver Conference), this is the one time it's the most irritating. Of course, the most insulting is the fact May's match with Saori (I don't want to use her dub name) being woefully underwhelming as we see this budding Coordinator who pulls off an incredible victory against an established contender become a pathetic bumbler, whose Pokemon couldn't even launch one single attack.
Irony being that we know better with her. The ignomious battle itself started 20 minutes into the episode, so there was some time to pace out a mini-battle, alas, that wasn't meant to be.
Now, this isn't the first time a character becomes de-powered in order to promote another, but this is a bit crossing a line given all the build-up May has had and the focal point of the episode (success over Drew). Or, on the other hand, as we learned in May's first Contest: no matter what you do or how good you are, there are plenty of people are simply better. But unlike the first event, this one offers deeper shades of humilation, if only by what we were shown.
And of course, Saori, who like Tyson/Tetsuya, who wins the whole event. Unlike Tetsuya, who had proper separate coverage/characterization/pacing with his matches, she seems like she was created only compliment Drew and once that was explored, any traces to strengthen her character all but disappeared. That said, given her lack of turmoil, overwhelming strength, her charming looks, you could almost say she's a Mary Sue. Heck, even Morrison had more than that. Now, if she had another episode to explore herself rather than her relationship with Drew, then this defeat wouldn't be as hard to take.
Anything I want to further explain is laced with upcoming spoilers, so I'll wait. Either way, my top theory would be that this would be the sequel to the Silver Conference finale or simply, May's take on it: defeat the Big Bad rival, lose (but unlike Ash's loss as it was an cropped up, humilating way to go), and the episode would quickly dispatch with the finer details of the Festival. The following examples here would be a lack of exploration with the other trainers that washed out, an actual reason why the Rockets didn't perform their usual tricks given their infiltration, the fact Overheat is now the middle class Flamethrower and Torkoal further having the shaft, a Vivian/Lillian reunion, etc. One minor positive is the fact we have an actual winner here, nothing like the mysterious "Jon Dickson" (or whatever his Japanese name is, I think it's Toshiya?)
That all said, I don't come off that negative. The battle itself between May/Drew is excellently done with nice continuity (such as Ash remembering Tucker's fusion move), music, battle flow, Combusken and Squirtle proving themselves nicely, the resolution of the wandering Aipom (which deserves a separate heading), the voice cast finally getting comfortable in their roles (in this case, it would be the triangle: May, Harley, and Drew), and Brock -- who has supported her from the beginning -- and Ash -- who initially didn't as he focused on himself, but since rectified that -- providing more than fitting comfort. The latter scene was a nice homage to Ash's friends doing the same for him at the end of the Indigo Plateau arc. All in all, it offers several nice effects, but not enough for the dangling plot threads.
Another interesting point I forgot to mention is the fact the writers have given Ash yet another unexpected Pokemon during the arc. Just as he got the bizarre Glalie during the first Festival after only catching the Snorunt a handful of episodes before. Sorry I forgot that given all the parallels that's been thrown around with this Festival. Heh.
Complete with nice closure to the real focus of the Festival arc in the final minutes: Drew and May. Actually, if you ignore Saori, this arc would have turned out nicely. And even the dub fared well. Here is hoping the next Festival will have the continuity and pacing of the first and all the character building of the second.
This episode: 6/10. Great until the Saori battle.
The arc: 7/10. Nice focus on Drew and great growth on May, but other than that....
