Does the anime give Pokemon a bad reputation?

[Codface]

Anything without death violence and sex is kiddie.....society itself has the bad rep. Pokemon is just a family friendly series.

 

[UnovaCastaway]

The anime debuted in the West before the games did, so many people judged the franchise by the anime and compared it to the games. (think of all the kids naming their character "Ash" in Gen I) The anime was, and maybe still is, the most visible form of Pokemon. It's easier to turn on a TV if you have basic cable than go out and buy a video game. Pokemon was clearly marketed toward children back in the '90s, although with most original fans growing up it's become something more "geeky" than "childish."

Today, the anime and lots of merchandise are clearly aimed at kids, even though many adults like it too. The games are a bit less childish, especially since Gen V, and can be enjoyed by all ages. They're kind of like Disney movies or many superhero comics: appropriate for children, but enjoyable by adults. The anime usually takes the kiddy angle a bit further, barring the movies and a few episodes.

 

[Almonds]

Yes, it does. Some people I know think of the games as being childish even though they're not, but they're just thinking that because of the anime. If the anime wasn't around, I doubt the games would be seen as as childish by the non-fans.

I'm not going to lie. If the anime hadn't been around, then maybe the games could have been regarded as somewhat more mature - not some kiddy thing for toddlers who barely know their ABCs.

 

[SwifTer]

A lot of them probably haven't really given the Pokemon Games a go and just assume it's childish. Personal opinions I guess. But for the Anime causing a bad rep, in some ways I think it kinda does. The anime probably gives a bad impression to viewers and just assume the rest of the franchise is just the same.

 

[Robo-Floatzel]

To an extent, yes it does.

Yes, we know it's a kids franchise, but sometimes, the anime can be rather immature in comparison to the games, especially since it appears to have a lower target audience than the games and manga do, even then, the anime could act a bit more mature than it has in the past.

 

[Musashi]

Maybe if the anime had a proper dub it wouldn't get such a bad rep.

 

[Caseydia]

The anime is fine. Best Wishes is leaving a bad taste im my mouth compared to the other sagas so hopefully they will never do kanto rehashes like that again.

 

[HumanDawn]

The Pokemon anime has its own reputation. If it does something bad, then it's only hurting itself, and not the franchise as a whole.

 

[Glitchipedia]

I can't even begin to recount the number of people I've met who think the games are based on the anime. Combined with the all-around poor execution of the show, I'd say yes, it makes the games look bad.

 

[Haxorus31]

Personally, I think the game does more to hurt the Anime then the Anime does to hurt the Game.

Most criticisms I pick up on is like "Why doesn't *insert random game detail* occur in/work like it does in the Anime like it does in the game?"
People tend to obsess with how the game works that they can't understand why the anime doesn't more closely follow the game,
Even though most details in the game are only present because of the Limitations of the game system.

Exactly my problem with one of the complaints brought up about the anime. Who wants to see a battle between a lv.100 and a lv.40 in the anime? without the levels it's less predictable to see who will win based on training experience and using different strategies also interesting.

And for my answer for the thread, I always get the impression that anything that isn't seen as "mature" or "dark and edgy" is bad which the Anime (mostly) and the franchise in general has that stigma. Also I always thought most of the hate from the anime comes from on how it's compared to the manga. Arceus forbid you make the mistake of calling Ash 'Red' (although it's understandable since they're based on the Gen I protagonist).

 

[Cybersai]

I'm not sure it makes a difference really.

For example if the anime never existed, the games would just be viewed as one of Nintendo's franchises, just a set of RPG games where you battle with monsters.

 

[Legacy]

The anime and the games and the entire franchise are aimed at kids. Not a bad thing.

I do not believe the anime gives the franchise a bad rep. I believe exactly the opposite.

As stated in the post above, the anime helped launch the franchise from just a popular video game into one of the most popular media franchises in history. Without the anime, I'm betting the Pokemon phenomenon that has lasted since the mid-90's would not have seen such longevity and popularity.

 

[SolgaleoGX]

To an extent, yes. The constant use of silly filler and throw away of continuity really doesn't help. Mind you, I personally feel the anime got a hell lot better after Jouto. AG and DP are superior to the OS in my eyes. But ignoring all that has happaned and not using material from the source to it's fullest really gives a bad image. All the times this writers could've used characters or ideas from the games and they don't in favour of made up OC's and BS no one gives a damn about. The pseudo-reset of Ash and Pikachu. None of it helps. BW is where it has treaded into the realm of plain absurdity.

 

[Cybersai]

Let's put it this way, despite the anime always existing, the games have continued to break sales records and each game sells millions of copies.

So anyone who thinks the anime is somehow preventing the games from selling is craaaaazy.

 

[YamiiDenryuu]

Let's put it this way, despite the anime always existing, the games have continued to break sales records and each game sells millions of copies.

So anyone who thinks the anime is somehow preventing the games from selling is craaaaazy.

In fact, the anime existing probably pushes game sales up a bit. How many of those people who decided Pokemon as a franchise sucked because they didn't like the anime would even care about the games if they hadn't been exposed to the anime, anyway?

 

[SolgaleoGX]

Because the games are genuinely enjoyable, and really good. People realize that. I know far more people who are into the games than the anime nowadays. I say to an extent for a reason, the anime, at least in America, isn't considered the same way it was considered during the AG-DP days and specially not how it was considered during the OS/Jouto days by people. But the way the anime has been handled really doesn't help it much. It'll always have an audience because it's all there is animation-wise for this franchise.

 

[Hellomello]

How much more "mature" are the games compared to the anime anyways? Aside from a more focused plotline (which is to be expected considering it's a game and not a 100+ episode series), I don't see how much more "serious" or "dark" it is compared to the anime, which so many seem to claim.

As for the topic itself, I agree with one of the posters here -- that people who haven't watched past the OS (and therefore claiming it to be 50% filler, "unwatchable" in later seasons etc.) tend to give the anime a bad name, which in turn gives the franchise in general a bad name. Though tbh, even if the anime did suck as much as so many seem to like to think, I don't think that it alone would be enough to muddy the reputation of the entire franchise. It's only one part of the franchise after all, and the games themselves are an equally large, if not larger, part of the franchise. I'm not denying that it contributes to the "kiddy" stigma that Pokemon seems to have, but honestly, even if the anime never existed, I still think that the franchise would largely be seen as "aimed for kids". It all comes down to the integral concept of catching monsters and training them to battle. With a core concept like that, people are naturally going to categorize it as a children's game, regardless of how well it is written or how "mature" the story is. Most people would take one look at Pokemon and instantly lump it together with all the other similar franchises aimed at kids (ie. Digimon, Gundam, Beyblade etc.), all due to the inherent concept that is integral to the franchise.

Hell, the story of the games and Pokemon Special aren't even all that mature or complex when you take the anime out of the equation. The only reason why so many in this fandom think so is because we play the games/watch the anime/read the manga so deeply that we no longer see Pokemon as merely a "children's franchise". When non-fans think of Pokemon, they'd instantly think "oh, it's for kids". But as fans of the franchise, when we think of Pokemon, the first thing that comes to mind would be the sense of enjoyment that we'd gotten out of the series and all the memories we have of it -- we have sunk in deeper beyond the children's label, and that's why we are able to appreciate it whenever Pokemon has its' deeper, more mature moments, while most others would probably look at said moments and shrug and say "meh, I've seen this in other media before."

My main point is -- no, the anime on its own does not give the franchise as a whole a bad name, or even the "kiddy" stigma. Outside of this fandom, Pokemon is always going to be seen as primarily a children's thing due to the integral concept that it has built itself upon, and honestly, I'm okay with that.

 

[Morningstar]

I think all this boils downs to mostly people with the childlike desire for approval from adults and thus think that anything childish would make them as a social pariah. This in spite of the fact that things like Disney, Mario, most Cartoon Network shows and My Little Pony enjoy an adult fan-base to this day. People who haven't realized that its okay for adults to like these things to or try to deny it.

Such people tend to stop watching the anime since childhood (early childhood at that). Others seen a rerun of certian episodes and think they would all be like that. (Though it takes a special kind of Luck to watch reruns of Bye Bye Butterfree, Pallet Party Panic, Viva Las Lapras, A Poached Ego, and Crossing Paths without much else )