RESOURCES Official interviews the particularly interesting ones are 1 4: https://www.pokemon.com/us/pokemonnews/meetmizutamarihigashitheillustratorbehindpokemontwilightwings/?cid= Note: For Interview 4 w/ yama and Yoh Watanabe read the interview on Sakuga Blog for a slightly better translation linked in the thread below. Blog posts also includes translated credits and spoilers: https://twitter.com/Yuyucow/status/1309918154341130241 Resources about specific episodes will be linked below under their respective episode s. 1 https://twitter.com/Yuyucow/status/1217439742150750208 https://twitter.com/PurpleGeth/status/1217436738349608961 https://artistunknown.info/2020/01/31/sakugaweekinreview11jan132020jan192020/ 2 https://twitter.com/Yuyucow/status/1229762751834226688 https://twitter.com/PurpleGeth/status/1229785519959289858 Goddamn... it just keeps getting better and better There were so many details in this episode with how it portrayed Beas tunnelvision with how she left her phone in the cab how she left in a sandstorm since she didnt want to put the Corviknight in danger probably also for her own training all the way down to the climax of the ep. when she foundhttps://www.sakugabooru.com/post/show/112825 their way out of the cave. With the light shining on her face the prospect of success blinded her and took her focus away from what was right in front of her. She was so laser focused on her future that she didnt realize her present mental and physical condition but her Pokemon were able to snap her out of it with their kindness. 128557 3 https://twitter.com/Yuyucow/status/1239920778826711046 A Hop and Wooloo ep lots of great tidbits here. A recurring theme is definitely the characters having big ambitions and looking too far into the future and this especially makes sense with Hop considering his character arc in the game. Wooloo feeling inferior thinking that Hop would rather it be big and strong like Leons Charizard This also ties in nicely with EP. 7 SPOILERS how this differs from Leons goals of wanting to inspire his audience to pursue their own dreams not for the glory of being a renowned figure. The scene of him looking down at Milo showing his love for his own farm of Wooloo was particularly good making us believe that Hops Wooloo was feeling envious towards them when in reality it was just a needed reminder that Hop feels the exact same way towards it that he wants to get to the Pokemon League with Wooloo as Wooloo not posing as anything else. This is the good shit 128557 kViN makes a great point herehttps://blog.sakugabooru.com/2020/09/26/twilightwingsthepokemongeneration/ and Yamashita himself points out herehttps://blog.sakugabooru.com/2020/09/26/pokemontwilightwingsinterviewseriesdirectorshingoyamasahitaassistantyohwatanabe/ the parallel between Hop and Johnwhereas Hop views Leon as an aspirational figure as a goal for his own journey as a Pokemon trainer John merely watches Leons matches in awe not really believing he could become a trainer himselfhe states that his lifelong dream is to watch Leons match inperson not become a trainer himself. 4 https://twitter.com/Yuyucow/status/1251132706714537991 https://twitter.com/PurpleGeth/status/1251021038810468352 This episode speaks for itself but also read the two threads above absolutely incredible... An ep by yama himself and ADd by team iMS legend Sunao Chikaoka these unique creators led the production perfectly by letting each individual creator show their own idiosyncrasies exemplified most notably by none other than BAHI JDhttps://www.sakugabooru.com/post/show/117959. 5 THE MAKARIA EPISODE https://twitter.com/PurpleGeth/status/1268787537281200128 https://twitter.com/Yuyucow/status/1268970459644690433 Moaang... Especially with a character like Oleana the technical proficiency to convey emotion through a characters movements is especially important without the straightforward dialogue thats usually relied upon. That montage is especially great with how busy these boards are and the variety of locations she finds herself in in the span of one day and her outward appearance leads people to believe shes taking it all in stride. The part at 2:12 was especially great where that stride is literally interrupted by an unforeseen mishap that she dutifully and begrudgingly fixes. Having the montage end with her wearilyingly take a seat that you can feel her throw her weight into at the end of a long day was such a great way to cap it off while being a reprieve from the energy for both the character and the viewer. The episode ends with the days final ride in Corviknight and we see with how she only allows herself to fully indulge in her interest in Dynamaxing around the chairman that what drives Oleana is the way that he recognized her unique skills and ambition at a time when everyone else neglected her. Definitely read kViNs threadhttps://twitter.com/Yuyucow/status/1268971019991158796 the way he noticed these visual parallels and how they applied narratively to Oleana and the environment around her... I wish I could be that observant and be able to connect the dots like that. 6 https://twitter.com/PurpleGeth/status/1278932973849542656 https://twitter.com/AshitanoGin/status/1278940349923307526 https://twitter.com/Yuyucow/status/1279119493940289541 wowowow this episode... For it only being 6 minutes long its incredibly dense with information without feeling overwhelming at all. Kariyas supervision being expressive varied yet deliberate is a given and you should read the threads above to see more about that but this episode being both about Allister and continuing the threads introduced in ep 1 makes for an incredibly compelling episode. The first scene in the hospital is incredibly telling in how close Tommy is to John even though its of them getting into a fight. Just as he related to Johns dreams of someday getting discharged from the hospital and becoming a Trainer so too did he relate to Johns feelings of stagnancy and frustration. And just as Allister overcame his fear of people to protect their shared dream look at this good detailhttps://i.ur.com/k0B8ctv.jpeg of his Pokemon pushing him along 128557 so too did Tommy overcome his own hopeless feelings towards his own dream in order to support John with his own dreams to overcome his own struggles and weak physique. That shared connection between not just with people but with their Pokemon as well having these figures on the same journey as them to support them on their own journey has always been the most compelling part of Anipoke and in this little miniseries Yamashita was able to lead a team to convey that message more powerfully than anything else in the franchise. Also Im not entirely sure about the implications herehttps://twitter.com/Yuyucow/status/1310137444931690496... The only thing that seems plausible is that Tommy is actually dead which is why he had to ask Allister to indirectly make things up with John in his place by giving him an invitation to Leons match otherwise why wouldnt he just go talk to John at any point during the day?. It checks out as well if you ignore the dub... since no one actually talks to Tommy himself except for John who seems to have a special connection to Tommy or maybe hes just an imaginary friend of his. If this is the case it completely changes things because then John wouldve seen firsthand a case where someone had the same dream as him and wasnt able to achieve it. The series would then have this interesting new angle that you could look at it from where Tommy isnt just a friend but a symbol to John a constant reminder of the possibility of failure and the constant irreversible state of leaving the world with the regret of not being able to fulfill his dream... There is a resolution to this though that ultimately keeps the message positive and uplifting. With the ghost of Tommy encouraging John to reach for his own dream in spite of his own failure to never give up on overcoming the obstacles that Tommy wasnt able to and for John to view his journey as entirely as his ownhe shouldnt compare himself to the unfortunate end of Tommys journey nor to the absolute ideal of his dream that Leon symbolizes for him. And ofc this is just one interpretation of many that could be made. Remember Yamashita made it intentionally ambiguous precisely to allow for different interpretations of the series that encourages each viewer to pay close attention to every detail on screen. You should always rewatch the series and decide what feels the most emotionally resonant to you. Personally I like the simpler version where Tommy is alive bc it focuses on how close the two are and how they share all the same feelingsboth the positive and negative ones. And Tommy encouraging John being as much of a message to John as it is to himself is such a positive look on their relationship that I cant really think about it in any other way. 7 https://twitter.com/PurpleGeth/status/1291415605137080320 What a way to top the series off... To have the ambition to dream bigger no matter the circumstances. This is what John sawhttps://i.ur.com/2EUcGks.jpeg inhttps://i.ur.com/XNN4e8f.jpeg Leon the first time he watched him that underneath the fact that hes an accomplished trainer in his own right what he really wanted wasnt the fame nor the glory but to inspire people just like John to never compromise on their own dreams. Thats what makes this parthttps://twitter.com/PurpleGeth/status/1291419432636633089 so powerfula visual parallel that has an actual narrative purpose behind it. So fitting then that Johns first encounter with him inperson isnt in some grand stadium but on an unplanned random canyon that Leon found himself in after getting lost. This recontextualizes Leons role as champion in Johns mindnot as this unreachable figure but as someone who has his own flaws and got to that point by overcoming the struggles on his own journey. By wearing his individuality on his sleeve he leads by example not by means of pedastalizing himself. And to have the final aftercredits scene be the player characters hitching the same ride to the same open blue sky that John shared with Leon the message is clear as can be: through the immersive world of Pokemon were encouraged to do the very same in our own lives whatever our ambitions may be. This is what makes the pure passion on displayexemplified through the utterly breathtaking and flashy action setpiecesnarratively justified. This is coming from an entire team of artists creators most of whom have grown up just as we have in the Pokemon generation with Pokemon as a pivotal influence in their lives. This series is serving as a benchmark for their own accomplishments in their respective careers theyre all normal people who are striving for their own dreams so theres no reason why you cant do the same. Pokemon is an escapist outlet for many of us which in itself is now more important than ever but even beyond that is able to inspire real positive change in the lives of many and no other installment in the series illustrates this more clearly than Twilight Wings.