Operation Oinkologne Friendship! - Pokémon Horizons Episode 36 Review - Gender Confirmation: The Episode

The odd jobs saga continues in Pokémon Horizons this week as Liko and Roy are tasked to help one of Nidothing’s viewers with a problem. The viewer, who goes by the username Yunorin, wants to join the Tag Battle Tournament being held in Pigton Town, but her Oinkologne isn’t too thrilled about partnering up with another Pokémon. What could be the issue? It’s nice that the kids are the main focus of this week's episode without adults interfering this time around.

If I were to describe this episode, it’d be "Gender Confirmation: The Episode" as there were so many gender reveals alongside showing off gender differences between the two Oinkologne. Liko’s Sprigatito was confirmed to be female along with a few other swine Pokémon, as they were affected by the armoa of Renta’s male Oinkologne, Prince. Dot's Quaxly and Roy's Fuecoco on the other hand were not enamored, confirming they are both male. It's nice that staff aren't dragging this out any further, so viewers don’t have to continue speculating about their genders.

Although Dot wasn’t present in the town, her Quaxly was, and he was really the star of the episode. I love his little dance. Since he’s both male an an avian Pokémon, it made me think of mating dances that some male birds often do to attract females, which really fits given just how flamboyant Quaxly is. The only downside is that Quaxly and Dot weren’t together in this episode. It’s a shame because I really wanted to see them bond. I get that she has to fulfill her role as Nidothing for Yunorin's issue though.

Yunorin, actual name Yuno, is the character of the day and she’s really cute, bubbly and energetic. I really like her personality a lot. She loves her female Oinkologne, Kuru-chan ("Twirls"), a lot too. I’m glad that Liko, who wants to be a Trainer who understands Pokémon’s feelings, was able to give some solid advice to her, which lead Yono to ask Twirls to talk about her worries. Yuno cares so much about Twirls that she’s willing to ask her childhood friend Renta to partner up with her because Twirls likes Prince. There are also hints that Yuno herself has feelings for Renta. I was also glad that Twirls managed to stand up to Prince’s arrogant attitude, and attacked him when he sprayed mud on Quaxly.

For me, romance subplots in Pokémon can be a bit hit or miss. What about this episode? Honestly, I think this was fine. Kids are kids, so they can either be honest or dishonest about their feelings. I do like that the issues with Yuno and her hinted crush on Renta are resolved without much intervention from third parties. Kids can resolve their issues in their own ways, they don’t have to gain ten levels in maturity to resolve romantic issues. Emotions are a fickle thing, after all. While Renta was a bit of a jerk, I’m glad that it didn’t escalate into something worse, and he did come around and accept her in the end. Poor Dot though; she got roped into being cupid.

Overall, I really liked this episode in that it gave the kids a lot of spotlight. I’d love to see another episode where it’s just the kids doing things without the need of adult intervention from the rest of the Rising Volt Tacklers. How about you? Would you like to see another episode similar to this, where it’s just Liko, Roy, and Dot helping people and Pokémon?