My Big Problem with the Pokémon Anime - An Essay and a Rant

[Jaye]

They can't or don't want to?

Both. On a certain level they realised how difficult their task is so they made decisions that would make their job much easier.

However that still does not mean how story and characters couldn't have been much better fleshed out gaining certain layer of depth to themselves. Or how journey couldn't been prolonged through new, more creative ideas and challenges.

...

There existed ideas and opportunities to extend this long journey and let it be filled with more substantial content. While still having space and ways to continue making dozen of new episodes but of at least a bit better, more rewarding quality than what we have got instead. But laziness, lack of motivation and wrongly set priorities did its job.

I agree. They could have done more. However, it's as I've said before: when they're in a comfort zone and in the habit of using formulas and shortcuts they aren't interested in expanding the show to that extent. Episode creation has become routine. Without the threat of another show stealing their viewers or the need to end the show they can get away with sticking to their routine. Just as that interview said.

We can bash the writers for being lazy but, again, I pity them. I would hate to be stuck on a project for so long with my creative freedom hindered. It sounds stifling. This is the human element behind creators that I want people to understand.

Excuse of new kids not watching previous generations is very poor justification for flat out bad writing and low quality.

I wasn't excusing bad writing, though. I was excusing them not making references to events that happened 500 episodes ago.

Pokemon is incomparable to DBZ and One Piece. Those shows take place on a timeline, Pokemon doesn't. Pokemon is a timeless void, much in the same way The Simpsons is a timeless void. Much like The Simpsons, Pokemon is meant to be a show you can watch any episode of without requiring any knowledge of the series itself.

Saying how this show has no competition would be huge understatement. Pokemon popularity has dwindled away considerably doing losing battle on today market with plethora of other anime with similar theme(Yokai Watch is one of them). Which has easier time in alluring new generations of kids than pokemon does.

I mentioned this. Until Yokai Watch started knocking XY down the rankings, Pokemon had no viable competition. When that competition appeared, Pokemon changed. That's how we got Sun and Moon. It emphasises my point about routine and being in a comfort zone. They needed a viable threat to take them out of that comfort zone and make changes to bring their viewers back.

Length should not be obstacle in at least trying to make better work out of something.

Yet it is undoubtedly an obstacle. Every creator that you mentioned thought the exact same thing.

The longer something is, the more you have to stretch content out. When that happens, the content becomes thinner and has to be padded out. For example, DBZ managed to stretch a 80-100 episode show (as Kai showed) to over 300 episodes by adding filler and extending the length of fight scenes to the point where major fights took three times as long to complete. This is not a good thing.

Look at the examples you brought up. Oda had his ending planned for One Piece but commercial success led to it continuing ad infinitum. Now he has to constantly come up with new content that is gradually taking the story away from its actual goal and making it harder to redirect it back towards that goal. That he does it well is testament to his talent as a creator, but the longer and more bloated One Piece becomes, the harder it'll be to tie everything together into a satisfactory ending.

Toriyama brought Goku back for another saga of DBZ, but it wasn't to the story's benefit. Doing so undid the development that took place at the end of the Cell saga (namely, the ultimate sacrifice Goku made to ensure the world was a safer place, and him passing the torch to his son). It marganalised the characters who were supposed to be the heroes (Gohan and Vegeta).

What we have here are two shows that made decisions to maintain their commercial success at the expense of their own story. This is the dichotomy between creator and consumer. Creators have a keener instinct for when something needs to change, while consumers tend to resist to change.

Problem is that this was how Pokémon has always been presented: as "giant body of work". It always sent message of this series being treated as one big entity. Supposedly long on going adventure set in same universe, same timeline and continuity where through eyes of main hero(Ash)and his companions new creatures, regions and mysteries are discovered.

It can't be treated a giant body of work because it's not created to be one anymore. The show isn't presented as one big adventure. It's presented as many different adventures Ash goes on but ultimately returns back to where he started. There is no overarching plot that ties everything together. The main goal is kept deliberately ambiguous. You could remove whole sagas from Pokemon and it wouldn't change a thing.

I think that's one of the big weaknesses I feel in the Sun & Moon anime. What exactly does Alola has to offer that Ash hasn't already learned in the past series? Fishing? Egg-caring? Cooking? Fighting bigger versions of Pokémon? It's this type of problem that causing me to lose interest in Ash's journey right now.

If a series' value is determined by what it has to offer Ash as a protagonist, then Best Wishes and XY are similarly as worthless as Sun and Moon.

 

[Shadao]

If a series' value is determined by what it has to offer Ash as a protagonist, then Best Wishes and XY are similarly as worthless as Sun and Moon.

I disagree with XY as I've never seen Ash be treated as a skilled ace trainer that many come to admire (rather than demean), and the bond between Ash and his Greninja is a major and memorable part of the story. Likewise, while the Gym formula is old and tired out by this point, it still serves a tangible goal for Ash that existed since the beginning of the show, namely winning a League. Whenever Ash advances a rank, that is treated as a big deal. Ironically, if they allowed Ash to win the Kalos League, it would have given more justification for Ash's journey to be revamped as he's won the League and thus where would he go next?

And when I say Alola, I refer to the school aspect that has been emphasized as something new for Ash. I can understanding learning Z-moves and completely trials, as that is something similar yet different compare to Gyms. But why couldn't the anime follow as closely to the game's method? Surely Ash learning under individual Trial Captains would allow easier times to develop both Ash and his fellow captains rather than juggling multiple characters at once. And what exactly does school has to offer that Ash hasn't already learned? If it's something that Ash hasn't learn, like dealing with the Alola Ratatta and Raticate, that's one thing. But the lessons I see from school are the typical Fishing episode and Egg caring episode. For a new main character, that isn't a problem as it's new to them. But for Ash, as he's done it multiple times in the past, it was always treated as regular trainer duty rather something worth being taught in school. In fact, I would find the episodes much more engaging had Ash been a new character altogether.

 

[Jaye]

I disagree with XY as I've never seen Ash be treated as a skilled ace trainer that many come to admire (rather than demean), and the bond between Ash and his Greninja is a major and memorable part of the story. Likewise, while the Gym formula is old and tired out by this point, it still serves a tangible goal for Ash that existed since the beginning of the show, namely winning a League. Whenever Ash advances a rank, that is treated as a big deal. Ironically, if they allowed Ash to win the Kalos League, it would have given more justification for Ash's journey to be revamped as he's won the League and thus where would he go next?

And this hasn't been done before? Ash literally didn't do anything in XY that he didn't already do in other regions. That's why I found your comment strange. You claimed Sun and Moon's biggest weakness was that it didn't offer anything to Ash he hadn't previously learned, but conveniently ignored the fact that Best Wishes and XY were exactly the same.

The things you mentioned for XY have been in the past. Treated as a skilled trainer? AG and DP did that. A strong bond between Ash and his Pokemon? OS did that. There just wasn't a shiny new form for Pikachu or Chairzard to show for it. Gyms? Yeah, think he's done that before. Progressing in the league? Also happened. Kissed by a girl? Yup, that's also happened. Helped take down an evil team? Already checked off the list.

But then you say:

And what exactly does school has to offer that Ash hasn't already learned? If it's something that Ash hasn't learn, like dealing with the Alola Ratatta and Raticate, that's one thing. But the lessons I see from school are the typical Fishing episode and Egg caring episode. For a new main character, that isn't a problem as it's new to them. But for Ash, as he's done it multiple times in the past, it was always treated as regular trainer duty rather something worth being taught in school.

As if it's a problem exclusive to Sun and Moon.

It's fine if you prefer XY to Sun and Moon, but why does XY get a pass for this supposed flaw? For that matter, why is retreading old ground and learning old lessons suddenly a problem now when it's been a problem since Johto?

 

[Shadao]

And this hasn't been done before? Ash literally didn't do anything in XY that he didn't already do in other regions. That's why I found your comment strange. You claimed Sun and Moon's biggest weakness was that it didn't offer anything to Ash he hadn't previously learned, but conveniently ignored the fact that Best Wishes and XY were exactly the same.

Did I ever mentioned Best Wishes in my post? And I made it clear it's the school aspect I have the most criticism for. Stuff like Egg Caring or Fishing are not lessons that I feel Ash needs. Unless it's a new technique or if the character has to handle it differently, this could have been a daily hobby.

The things you mentioned for XY have been in the past. Treated as a skilled trainer? AG and DP did that. A strong bond between Ash and his Pokemon? OS did that. There just wasn't a shiny new form for Pikachu or Chairzard to show for it. Gyms? Yeah, think he's done that before. Progressing in the league? Also happened. Kissed by a girl? Yup, that's also happened. Helped take down an evil team? Already checked off the list.

Read my words carefully: A skilled ace trainer that many come to admire (rather than demean).

Ash has been growing as a skilled trainer, but when has it come to the point where Ash is viewed as the superior trainer compare to all of his rivals? There's a reason why I prefer XY to be the last of Ash's adventure. Secondly, acquiring a super mode and dealing with the drawbacks (such as feeling) is something new even if the basics are the same. There's a reason why I would prefer the Island Trials to be more attuned with the games rather than this school stuff. It would have been familiar yet different enough for it to be the logical step in Ash's journey. Not the other way around. Likewise, progressing in the League, even one rank higher, is more sweeter than seeing no progression or worse, a regression. Notice how there are more praises to DP than BW in terms of Leagues? Also note that the Team Flare conflict is well-received not because Ash hasn't fought evil teams before, but because it was made into the grand climax itself and pushed the boundaries of what can be considered for kids. Nothing is comparable to the Flare climax aside from Team Galactic, but that conflict was a side-mission that you wouldn't have really missed.

And kissed by a girl before the Amour? Two on the cheeks and only one that has any romantic implication. In movies that have no bearings on the main series. What is new about Serena however is what writers stated in the interview, seeing Ash from an admiring and romantic perspective. As oppose to a rivaling or plain friendship perspective.

But then you say:



As if it's a problem exclusive to Sun and Moon.

It's fine if you prefer XY to Sun and Moon, but why does XY get a pass for this supposed flaw? For that matter, why is retreading old ground and learning old lessons suddenly a problem now when it's been a problem since Johto?

Here's the thing, they are obligatory episodes in the past. But they were treated as everyday aspects of a trainer's life. And often mitigated by either a professional or a newbie. If Ash is fishing, that is because he just so happens to be in a fishing spot. But when you make school lesson out of fishing, it makes question if this school aspect was even necessary. Again, this is mostly due to Ash's long career. If this had been Sun or Moon, the fishing lesson is acceptable. It's like catching Pokémon. You always have Ash trying to capture Pokémon the traditional way and past the first series, he didn't need to relearn until Best Wishes. And when they did that, fans fumed angrily. There's a reason why many found XY to be favorable in spite of its flaws. Simply put, XY feels to be the logical progression of DP.

 

[Muur]

I really don't think winning a league will make Ash a Pokemon Master, he'd probably get curbstomped being allowed to fight the E4 anyway.

Also you're using the term jobber wrong. A jobber is someone who loses EVERY fight. Ash has gotten to the semi finals multiple times... no jobber would get that far. Hell a jobber wouldn't even get a single badge.

 

[Jaye]

Read my words carefully: A skilled ace trainer that many come to admire (rather than demean).

I don't see the difference. Ash had people calling him amazing and pointing out what a good trainer he is well before XY. XY just made a bigger deal out of it.

. Secondly, acquiring a super mode and dealing with the drawbacks (such as feeling) is something new even if the basics are the same.

Infernape's Blaze was essentially the same thing.

Also note that the Team Flare conflict is well-received not because Ash hasn't fought evil teams before, but because it was made into the grand climax itself and pushed the boundaries of what can be considered for kids. Nothing is comparable to the Flare climax aside from Team Galactic, but that conflict was a side-mission that you wouldn't have really missed.

Pushed the boundaries of what can be considered for kids? What? Since when is a generic plot threatening the world etc etc pushing boundaries?

And kissed by a girl before the Amour? Two on the cheeks and only one that has any romantic implication. In movies that have no bearings on the main series. What is new about Serena however is what writers stated in the interview, seeing Ash from an admiring and romantic perspective. As oppose to a rivaling or plain friendship perspective.

So new it was done before with Anabel and Angie.

Here's the thing, they are obligatory episodes in the past. But they were treated as everyday aspects of a trainer's life. And often mitigated by either a professional or a newbie. If Ash is fishing, that is because he just so happens to be in a fishing spot. But when you make school lesson out of fishing, it makes question if this school aspect was even necessary.

Neither the fishing or egg-caring were intended as lessons for Ash to learn. They were prompts for character focus episodes on Lana and Lillie. The fishing episode spends less than a minute explaining the best way to fish. The egg episode doesn't even bother explaining to Ash that you need to keep egg warm etc. What Ash is actually learning about is his new friends, not these standard trainer things.

You seem to have this perception that Sun and Moon is forcing Ash to re-learn things he should already know when it simply isn't doing that.

You always have Ash trying to capture Pokémon the traditional way and past the first series, he didn't need to relearn until Best Wishes. And when they did that, fans fumed angrily. There's a reason why many found XY to be favorable in spite of its flaws. Simply put, XY feels to be the logical progression of DP.

He didn't have to re-learn in Best Wishes, either. He made one mistake because he was overly excited (he did it in AG as well) and never made the mistake again. Yet I see this constantly brought up to bash Best Wishes. Because it dared to have its protagonist make an honest mistake.

In any case, I'm not asking if people see XY as the logical progression of anything. I'm asking why there seems to be a double standard when it comes to comparing XY to Sun and Moon. Why Sun and Moon is disliked because it has episodes about fishing and egg caring when XY is liked even though it had an episode where Ash had to be taught how to ride a Pokemon.

 

[Hidden Mew]

I haven't seen enough of SM to compare it with XY, but I do want to disagree with the notion that the Team Flare arc pushed boundaries of what can be considered for kids as well. It was a good arc, easily one of the highlights of the series, but I feel like comments like that kind of make the arc sound better than I think it is. It was more intense than what we normally see out of the anime outside of movies and there was a lot more going on in each episode than I'm used to seeing in Pokemon, but it was still clearly written for kids and not pushing any boundaries. That just reminds me of fans considering Pokemon Adventures written for older fans when it's also clearly aimed at children.

 

[Shadao]

I don't see the difference. Ash had people calling him amazing and pointing out what a good trainer he is well before XY. XY just made a bigger deal out of it.

A bigger deal and with no rival to put him down. Compare that to AG, where Ash is prone to rashness and egotism that gets scolded by either Frontier Brains or Elite Four Members, or DP, where Ash's cold rival Paul challenges his ideals to the core. Suffice to say, why do you think people accuse Ash of being too perfect in XY?

Infernape's Blaze was essentially the same thing.

By that definition, Infernape and Charizard's relationship with Ash are essentially the same because they are both abandoned starters who grow strong under Ash. Ash-Greninja is not the same as Infernape's Blaze. Blaze dealt with berserk and out of control power on Infernape's side, with Ash being the guide. Ash-Greninja dealt with Ash's own strength as it requires his his sync with his own Pokémon. It wasn't treated as a disobedient problem or a berserk problem like in the past.

Pushed the boundaries of what can be considered for kids? What? Since when is a generic plot threatening the world etc etc pushing boundaries?

It's a method of how it's done. We had never had a villainous team be the climax of a Pokémon series. Nor have we seen the destruction of the city on this magnitude. Nor have every single Gym Leader come to fight against a common threat. Nor have Ash face against the boss in a proper. Nor have a secondary protagonist being developed alongside Ash. Previous villainous teams were wasted potential. Flare was not.

So new it was done before with Anabel and Angie.

With neither being main characters nor have a resolution like Serena's. There's a reason why that kiss became an iconic scene in the history of the Pokémon anime.

Neither the fishing or egg-caring were intended as lessons for Ash to learn. They were prompts for character focus episodes on Lana and Lillie. The fishing episode spends less than a minute explaining the best way to fish. The egg episode doesn't even bother explaining to Ash that you need to keep egg warm etc. What Ash is actually learning about is his new friends, not these standard trainer things.

You seem to have this perception that Sun and Moon is forcing Ash to re-learn things he should already know when it simply isn't doing that.

The issue I have is that so far, school has not given me a reason to exist. What does school have over a traveling group? How does school help Ash when he could be taking the trials like we the players do in the games? I'll be waiting for the moment the school give Ash something new that he didn't or couldn't have on a group. Oh yes, fishing was Lana's focus, but why does it have to be a school lesson? As for the Egg, it's a Liilie episode, but again what has school offered to Ash that he has not done before?

He didn't have to re-learn in Best Wishes, either. He made one mistake because he was overly excited (he did it in AG as well) and never made the mistake again. Yet I see this constantly brought up to bash Best Wishes. Because it dared to have its protagonist make an honest mistake.

In any case, I'm not asking if people see XY as the logical progression of anything. I'm asking why there seems to be a double standard when it comes to comparing XY to Sun and Moon. Why Sun and Moon is disliked because it has episodes about fishing and egg caring when XY is liked even though it had an episode where Ash had to be taught how to ride a Pokemon.

The honest mistake was berated by Iris if I recall. And combined with "Such a kid" catchphrase, along with the Snivy battle, it is easy to see when many people turned against the anime's usage of Ash.

As for the double standard, I believe it's due to how Ash and Pikachu are treated as they are the only variables (along with Team Rocket to a lesser extent) that are still around. If this had been a new Ash entirely, people are more willingly to forgive the school aspect or anything that can be perceived as resetting Ash (heck, the first battle against Viola was criticized for "resetting" Ash in XY). Additionally, the reason why I tend to criticize egg and fishing episode of SM is because in previous series, they were side goals that you can conveniently skip unless a Pokémon is caught in one of those episode. The school aspect brings them into the front however as lessons and was told by the ads that Ash's goal is to graduate from Pokémon School in order to become a better trainer. So you can see why I tend to be hard on Sun and Moon, as I have yet to see something the school teaches that Ash has yet to learn (would prefer trials to be the focus rather than school).

I haven't seen enough of SM to compare it with XY, but I do want to disagree with the notion that the Team Flare arc pushed boundaries of what can be considered for kids as well. It was a good arc, easily one of the highlights of the series, but I feel like comments like that kind of make the arc sound better than I think it is. It was more intense than what we normally see out of the anime outside of movies and there was a lot more going on in each episode than I'm used to seeing in Pokemon, but it was still clearly written for kids and not pushing any boundaries. That just reminds me of fans considering Pokemon Adventures written for older fans when it's also clearly aimed at children.

By Pokémon standards, it was something you don't see everyday even by villainous team standards. Compare to other anime, yes it's relatively tamed. But considering what we've got before, it's a welcome change of pace. There's a reason why fans love to say the Adventures series is darker and more intense. Because it's not something you would expect from Pokémon. Which highlights the dissonance of the anime and the rest of the industry.

 

[Jaye]

A bigger deal and with no rival to put him down. Compare that to AG, where Ash is prone to rashness and egotism that gets scolded by either Frontier Brains or Elite Four Members, or DP, where Ash's cold rival Paul challenges his ideals to the core. Suffice to say, why do you think people accuse Ash of being too perfect in XY?

None of which changes the fact he still received praise and admiration in the seasons prior to XY. XY embellished it but didn't do anything new with it.

By that definition, Infernape and Charizard's relationship with Ash are essentially the same because they are both abandoned starters who grow strong under Ash. Ash-Greninja is not the same as Infernape's Blaze. Blaze dealt with berserk and out of control power on Infernape's side, with Ash being the guide. Ash-Greninja dealt with Ash's own strength as it requires his his sync with his own Pokémon. It wasn't treated as a disobedient problem or a berserk problem like in the past.

In terms of their impact on the narrative and what role they had to play, Infernape's Blaze and Ash-Greninja are very similar. They're both extreme powers that turned battles in Ash's favour. They're powers unique to those Pokemon. They both came with huge risks. They both had to be mastered. They were both mastered by trainer and Pokemon having a tight bond and complete trust in one another. The only difference between them is that Ash-Greninja was somehow this fated power whereas Blaze wasn't.

It's a method of how it's done. We had never had a villainous team be the climax of a Pokémon series. Nor have we seen the destruction of the city on this magnitude. Nor have every single Gym Leader come to fight against a common threat. Nor have Ash face against the boss in a proper. Nor have a secondary protagonist being developed alongside Ash. Previous villainous teams were wasted potential. Flare was not.

Okay. So how does any of that "push the boundaries of what can be considered for kids?"

With neither being main characters nor have a resolution like Serena's. There's a reason why that kiss became an iconic scene in the history of the Pokémon anime.

And yet despite not having Serena's "resolve", they got just as far in their romances with Ash than Serena did. None of them told Ash how they felt and Ash loved none of them back. Serena's love was just drawn out for longer. There's really nothing special or new about it.

Oh yes, fishing was Lana's focus, but why does it have to be a school lesson? As for the Egg, it's a Liilie episode, but again what has school offered to Ash that he has not done before?

Why does it matter if its a school lesson or not? The important thing about those episode is that they're character focused. What you keep dismissing as just side activities are either hobbies of the characters or an important catalyst for character development.

Here's a question: what does adventure offer Ash that he has not done before?

See, this is where I'm not getting your logic. Sun and Moon doesn't offer anything new to Ash, therefore it's not very good. But by this point there are very few things Ash hasn't experienced. What I'm trying to show is that for every thing in XY you believe is a new or different experience for Ash actually isn't that new or different. If you apply the same logic to XY, it's no better or worse than Sun and Moon is.

 

[marshiyanmisuta]

I haven't seen enough of SM to compare it with XY, but I do want to disagree with the notion that the Team Flare arc pushed boundaries of what can be considered for kids as well. It was a good arc, easily one of the highlights of the series, but I feel like comments like that kind of make the arc sound better than I think it is. It was more intense than what we normally see out of the anime outside of movies and there was a lot more going on in each episode than I'm used to seeing in Pokemon, but it was still clearly written for kids and not pushing any boundaries. That just reminds me of fans considering Pokemon Adventures written for older fans when it's also clearly aimed at children.

Pushing boundaries doesn't mean it's not for kids.

 

[Hidden Mew]

By Pokémon standards, it was something you don't see everyday even by villainous team standards. Compare to other anime, yes it's relatively tamed. But considering what we've got before, it's a welcome change of pace. There's a reason why fans love to say the Adventures series is darker and more intense. Because it's not something you would expect from Pokémon. Which highlights the dissonance of the anime and the rest of the industry.

I agree that it's a welcome change of pace for the anime compared to most of the other evil team arcs, but in terms of pushing boundaries for what is for kids, I disagree. I think that considerably oversells the arc. It's true that people wouldn't expect something dark and intense from Pokemon Adventures, but again, I think fans tend to oversell/overhype that series too for the same reason. They make it sound like the series is aimed at an older audience than the anime, but it's really not. Even some of the more infamous moments like Arbok being cut in half were toned down or flat out changed later on, such as Koga indicating that the Arbok did survive that attack.

Pushing boundaries doesn't mean it's not for kids.

Except I don't think it was pushing boundaries. Even by Pokemon standards, I wouldn't describe the arc as such. It was just a more dramatic and intense set of episodes than people would normally expect from Pokemon. I wouldn't say that it was pushing boundaries for kids either.

 

[Shadao]

Here's a question: what does adventure offer Ash that he has not done before?

See, this is where I'm not getting your logic. Sun and Moon doesn't offer anything new to Ash, therefore it's not very good. But by this point there are very few things Ash hasn't experienced. What I'm trying to show is that for every thing in XY you believe is a new or different experience for Ash actually isn't that new or different. If you apply the same logic to XY, it's no better or worse than Sun and Moon is.

On the interest of time (aside from noting that Ash not loving Serena back is debatable given that the storyboard mentions that Satoshi is awed by the kiss rather than confused), I'll answer this.

If you know my thoughts on the anime, you would have been well aware that I have favored a new protagonist for the anime rather than keeping Ash. I had hopes that the BW anime would have taken Ash's journey to a whole new perspective with N and his philosophy, but that did not happened. And combined with a botched attempt to reset Ash, it solidified my stance on Ash's journey needing to end. But I do not want his journey to end on this BW note. I want it to be a high note and something to remind people of where he would be after 16 years of traveling. The ace and master. Someone that is not a relatively good trainer in a sea of trainers, but rather the one of the best there is.

Ash in previous series has always been the underdog and there is always someone better for him strive for. That is not the case here in XY. Ash is not simply a good trainer, but a trainer that many of his rivals have a hard time living up to. Even Alain, the only person who beat him, has to concede to Ash of being the superior trainer. If there is any place to end the series, it would be this one.

I was opened to Sun and Moon's new premise... provided that it offers something new and something that logically follows what XY started. However, I am not impressed by what the school has to offer. Only thing to look forward to are the trials but even that begs the question of what would Ash do when he mastered all of them. The benefit of Gym Quest is that you know there's a League tournament at the end from the very beginning.

 

[ii kanji]

I want it to be a high note and something to remind people of where he would be after 16 years of traveling. The ace and master. Someone that is not a relatively good trainer in a sea of trainers, but rather the one of the best there is.

Bring me the sick bowl, I cannot stomach sentiments this sickly sweet! How can you idolise a (very average) 10yo boy this much?!

I'm afraid I also find your comparison of XY and SM fundamentally flawed. The standards you are comparing them against are leveraged with your own bias, rather than objectively measuring the similarities and differences between the two.

 

[Shadao]

Bring me the sick bowl, I cannot stomach sentiments this sickly sweet! How can you idolise a (very average) 10yo boy this much?!

I'm afraid I also find your comparison of XY and SM fundamentally flawed. The standards you are comparing them against are leveraged with your own bias, rather than objectively measuring the similarities and differences between the two.

Personally, I find Satoshi to be someone of great potential in the first episode. Someone who does have what it takes to be a Master.

And bias... bias.... I think I made it clear on what I felt and that remains true to me. Just like how many people would defend Ash's continued journey in spite of many other fans' grievances. It's a debate cycle with no end. I made it clear in the past that Kalos was the last shot of taking Ash anywhere of worth. Once that show is over, there is little else for Ash to go. And I stand by it, make no mistake.

And I currently have more interest in reboots of Ash's journey now these days than what is going on right now. Sun & Moon has not gotten interesting for me. And I believe that sentiment is felt for a good amount of fans in the last three years, am I right?

 

[ScienceRules]

@Shadao
You said:
There's a reason why that kiss became an iconic scene in the history of the Pokémon anime.

yaaaawn..... that was a very iconic 5 seconds. Additionally, that is a slightly subjective statement to make, given that Sun and Moon has just started and everybody has already forgotten about Serena.

Also Sun and Moon has the potential, just like XY, to bring a lot of new things to the table
It has brought many things that are poor(terrible animation, weakly choreographed battles,etc.) but it also has the potential to give:

A chance for Ash to become the first League Champion!
Z-crystals which will give a chance for every Pokemon in his team to shine
A cool rival who is technically not mean(Gladion).
Ash can use ride pagers..
and so on...

I would just like to see you be a bit impartial when regarding XY.

 

[Shadao]

@Shadao
You said:
There's a reason why that kiss became an iconic scene in the history of the Pokémon anime.

yaaaawn..... that was a very iconic 5 seconds. Additionally, that is a slightly subjective statement to make, given that Sun and Moon has just started and everybody has already forgotten about Serena.

Also Sun and Moon has the potential, just like XY, to bring a lot of new things to the table
It has brought many things that are poor(terrible animation, weakly choreographed battles,etc.) but it also has the potential to give:

A chance for Ash to become the first League Champion!
Z-crystals which will give a chance for every Pokemon in his team to shine
A cool rival who is technically not mean(Gladion).
Ash can use ride pagers..
and so on...

I would just like to see you be a bit impartial when regarding XY.

5 seconds or 5 minutes, a scene does not have to last long to make an impact. Especially if there is build up to that scene. And really, forgotten is not what I see. More like everyone is taking a break, especially if they are not interested in the future. Some left Pokémon during XY, and others since OS.

But regardless, I have my doubts on some of these aspects:

1) We do not know exactly how the League will play out if there is one to begin with. And just because there is no champion doesn't mean that they couldn't deny Ash a victory (by definition, Gary should have been the champion and final boss for Ash in the Indigo League). Of course, I'm thinking old school. If the backlash against the Kalos League was severe enough, they might rethink twice about the whole League formula and ending.

2) Just because one is aiming for all the Z-crystals does not mean all of Ash's Pokémon will get the spotlight. Already, we have some iconic starters in the hands of his companions, and haven't seen much focus since. Plus, Ash's Pokémon can only hold (and use) one Z-crystal at time, with six at max for the entire team.

3) I'm not sure if Ash using ride pagers are that special. In the games, they were convenient HM devices .

There is potential, yes. But new things on the table I have yet to see and get excited for. Especially when a certain movie is going to be released.

As for being impartial to XY, I am right now in the mood for the next movie. As a means to retrace why I consider I Choose You to be one of the best. And I am not in the mood for another XY/SM debate. Especially when it does not address the core problem that this topic wishes to talk about. Ash and his role in the anime.

 

[pokemon fan 132]

Both. On a certain level they realised how difficult their task is so they made decisions that would make their job much easier.

So in other words mix of laziness, indifference and no motivation, care to do better work. If not absolutely need.

Far from ideal formula leaving no space for creativity, dash of enthusiasm added to storytelling and character development.

I agree. They could have done more. However, it's as I've said before: when they're in a comfort zone and in the habit of using formulas and shortcuts they aren't interested in expanding the show to that extent. Episode creation has become routine. Without the threat of another show stealing their viewers or the need to end the show they can get away with sticking to their routine. Just as that interview said.

You can only so many times use exact same formula, exact same ideas and keep things static and in endless loop. Until viewers themselves, but anime as well experience fatigue.

And this formula proved how it cannot withstand tooth of time with pokemon show unlike games and manga becoming less and less popular with each day. Ratings are shameful being shadow of their former self.

Interest in this anime is low being viewed as something which cannot be taken seriously. Alienating viewers from emotionally investing in characters and storyline since everything present by time they start watching will be gone or regressed anyway.

And since staff assigned to producing pokemon anime does very little or nothing to reward older fans loyalty keeping them loyal, and stagnation and repetitive loop compared to other shows with similar theme is doing less than good job in effectively attracting new kids in it.

Is primarily reason behind pokemon doing losing battle in keeping people interested in it. Due to empty places older viewers leave when quitting with pokemon are more numerous than number of new kids joining pokemon series with each new generation. Who alone cannot anymore fulfill needs and generate high enough number to bring satisfying ratings, income of money and popularity so that amount of invested effort and energy doesn't exceed this causing company to lose money.

Causing as side effect viewers and fanbase itself shrinking more and more.

Because in this day and age there exists numerous other anime like i said with similar theme fighting for people attention, as television industry is slowly pushed aside by internet and new kinds of technology.

With franchise which use anime as one of ways to make money and promote products in order to secure longevity absolutely needing to have well established and relatable characters with who people can create emotional connection and attachment watching. Needs to have sensible and consistent story, good continuity and cooperation between present and past in order to establish coherent plot and objective toward which protagonist themselves are working to reach eventually. Regardless of how long it may take.

They need formed brand about themselves. Someone who can reliably bring hype, promotional value and rewarding experience which could allure more of customers and viewers into it. And Ash and Pikachu alone aren't capable of delivering that if their roots and backstory are non existent with story they're carrying on their shoulders lacking substance.

We can bash the writers for being lazy but, again, I pity them. I would hate to be stuck on a project for so long with my creative freedom hindered. It sounds stifling. This is the human element behind creators that I want people to understand.

Im not only blaming writers. They are in unenviable position, i agree. Minus possibly few which themselves are lazy and even if had their hands untied still wouldn't bother.

Im directing constructive criticism mainly toward those in higher positions like pokemon anime director, chief directors, various producers and CEO which do cooperation between pokemon anime and games Gamefreak and Ninendo comes up with.

Being relentless and ignorant in allowing writers themselves to have their hands loosen a bit. In order to add more creativity and set up predispositions so that they could express their suppressed talent and ideas out there.

Pokémon anime has several capable writers proving to know how to do much better job with characters and adventure in this show. Some provide or did provided their service to other shows like Fairy Tail or DBZ.

But executives meddling and not wanting to do even one step away from status quo is causing so much harm to artistic freedom and anime story itself.

Hence why I brought up one of head writers blogs(Takeshi Shudo)expressing his disappointments and disagreements with superiors during time he worked on show. Mentioning more than once how writers and directors had several disagreements getting in clash over how should anime be handled. While stil promoting new games.

Because to make irony greater even pokemon games have more continuity and overarching plots transferring themselves to new generations(like BW did with World Tournament, including old gym leaders and various NPC characters in new generations). Yet anime does not being perfectly possible to have constructed story with strong continuity, better character development and defined direction.

While still advertising new pokemon, new features and novelties from games. But any attempt of creativity and more balanced middle ground between anime storyline and marketing is oppressed and restricted by those sat highest positions involved in producing pokemon.

Because why invest more time and money, when they can just try beating dead horse in ground for as ling as possible.

Strategy which started to backfire.

I wasn't excusing bad writing, though. I was excusing them not making references to events that happened 500 episodes ago.

Pokemon is incomparable to DBZ and One Piece. Those shows take place on a timeline, Pokemon doesn't. Pokemon is a timeless void, much in the same way The Simpsons is a timeless void. Much like The Simpsons, Pokemon is meant to be a show you can watch any episode of without requiring any knowledge of the series itself.

Than they shouldn't bother to have any character development, development of personalities, establishing any long running goals or ambitions. Let alone plots and subplots extending to future episodes. Why even introduce any new character sticking to just select few iconic ones?

When they could just save themselves money, time and effort turning Pokemon in true definition of sitcom. Slice of life cartoon similar to Doraemon, Simpson, Tom and Jerry and many others. Based solely on comedy, action and development being framed within single episode with future ones not having any acknowledgement of that?

You cannot sit at same time on two chairs. Which is something pokemon directors are doing(trying) and enforcing orders to writers themselves. Treating this anime with such disrespect that it turned in joke. As far as adventure, storytelling, progression of those involved in it and continuity goes.

ill repeat once again. Anime which has single driving force behind itself following his/her long adventure and trying to reach goal(Ash in this case), anime set in same timeline and continuity.

Yet it has little to zero references to past, previous important major characters abandoning their started plots and development making their influence in this show irrelevant and pointless.

Which sets clock of character evolution in psychical sense to beginning and eradicates legacy from past times by denying it of any real continuity.

That is anime with no real theme, no identity, no background and no soul and heart present within it.

My words may offend more passionate show lovers. But exactly because i care not condoning actions made by those in charge of pokemon series and how are things directed and carried out in work. is why im speaking with this passion and determination.
Because i know and feel this anime series deserve better. Just like its viewers and fans do.

I mentioned this. Until Yokai Watch started knocking XY down the rankings, Pokemon had no viable competition. When that competition appeared, Pokemon changed. That's how we got Sun and Moon. It emphasises my point about routine and being in a comfort zone. They needed a viable threat to take them out of that comfort zone and make changes to bring their viewers back.

Either they are completely unaware of what viewers want or underestimate number of fans who ask for change. Because this cosmetic changes is not something generations of fans asked for during all this years.

People want: more stable continuum.
Which has its own characters, plot, character development, patterns and direction to follow. Only borrowing elements from games to expand on story, rather than completely succumbing continuity, universe and characters to games. Pay attention to its history, important characters which left influence on main plot and main protagonist acknowledging their existence and unfinished stories.

Anime which dont forgets its roots and development, sense of progression made in previous seasons and sagas continuing and building it forward in future ones. Anime which is attributed by emotion, original and creative new ideas, actual depth and novelty in planning out and progressing narrative etc.

Yet even when ratings and popularity of pokemon series is endangered we get none of that. Because this requires more work, better planning and more organized cooperation between writers, directors and game producers.

Trying to compensate through minor and insignificant changes.

But this cannot and wont work forever. Like i mentioned above this strategy by those in charge started to backfire and cannot work forever.

Yet it is undoubtedly an obstacle. Every creator that you mentioned thought the exact same thing.

The longer something is, the more you have to stretch content out. When that happens, the content becomes thinner and has to be padded out. For example, DBZ managed to stretch a 80-100 episode show (as Kai showed) to over 300 episodes by adding filler and extending the length of fight scenes to the point where major fights took three times as long to complete. This is not a good thing.

Look at the examples you brought up. Oda had his ending planned for One Piece but commercial success led to it continuing ad infinitum. Now he has to constantly come up with new content that is gradually taking the story away from its actual goal and making it harder to redirect it back towards that goal. That he does it well is testament to his talent as a creator, but the longer and more bloated One Piece becomes, the harder it'll be to tie everything together into a satisfactory ending.

Toriyama brought Goku back for another saga of DBZ, but it wasn't to the story's benefit. Doing so undid the development that took place at the end of the Cell saga (namely, the ultimate sacrifice Goku made to ensure the world was a safer place, and him passing the torch to his son). It marganalised the characters who were supposed to be the heroes (Gohan and Vegeta).

What we have here are two shows that made decisions to maintain their commercial success at the expense of their own story. This is the dichotomy between creator and consumer. Creators have a keener instinct for when something needs to change, while consumers tend to resist to change.

Your missing the point in here. Because its not about whether stretching out story is a good or bad thing. But whether its possible for pokemon anime staff to make content of good quality, complex storyline and substantial character development for something that lasts almost 1000 episodes like Pokémon does.

Examples i brought up such as Dragon Ball which if not reaching will come very close to that milestone or One Piece(it will definitely go well over 1000, judging by how mug content and story was left untold it could come even close to 2000) emphasize on fact how length isn't major impediment behind pokemon in particular doing suich a bad job in several fields as it does.

And for multi billion franchise like pokemon which can hire highly renowned VA's or writers if they wished to do so. Which has more than enough money and resources to invest in animation, storyboard, writing scripts and planning in advance in comparison to many other anime out there. With smaller budget, yet doing much better work.

Its a pretty big shame that this TV series are caring and investing in its anime content so little, yet expecting lot to return to them in advance. Now how to expect that when consumers(their fans and viewers)are marginalized getting almost nothing for their spent money, loyalty and attachment?

Furthermore story of some work isn't always extended just because of commercialization. What you overlooked in One Piece case is fact how creator himself Eiichiro Oda made decision himself to go much further than he originally intended. Not so much for greedy reasons, but because he enjoyed in characters, world and adventure he created too much not wanting it to end or to be more precise not feeling that his work and he himself are ready for that.

Sure beating dead horse and dragging something more than needed to the point exhausting everything is not a good thing.

But at same time offering bits and pieces in certain work just telling basics with lot of things being left hidden in dark is a whole another pair of sleeves. And in this examples cases minus some bad decisions(every work has these), decision to add more meat to characters and story of Dragon ball, One Piece or some other examples i brought up served only purpose of opening door toward deeper, more profound character development.

It gave viewers chance to follow protagonist they developed affinity for in developing over long period of time gradually growing, more being revealed about their past. Gaining more dimension to their personality and characterization as various issues which haunted them from past obstacles, problems they had to face and overcome left effect on them maturing. Along with seeing them coming closer in accomplishing their dreams and ultimate objective giving out impression to many loyal followers of characters in this anime growing with story taking them somewhere.

Having on going plot which uses past as guidelines through which future is created unfolding out on unknown aspects of main story points and characters becoming more complex and multilayered as time goes on.

That being said based on overall popularity and comments i read online for most of long lived protagonists from this anime long stay wasn't mistake but chance to explore characters and story more gaining more meat and depth over tme thus making it even more engaging to follow.

Even if we conclude how expansion was unnecessary, can anyone for pokemon anime claim how writers and directors overdid it in character development and narrative construction?

Of course we cannot. Story and long on going journey is barely going forward. Ash alone was barely explored(past, his goal, family ties, personality and bonds with others, various mysteries tacked on him later to be forgotten about are /were completely unresolved).

Every of past main characters left before even reaching climax, let alone dusk of his/her potential and capabilities to tell consistent, natural and well enough fleshed out story. Because even when fans got sick of certain character in pokemon cause was stagnation, neglect barely being done anything with their own plots or beating same things over and over again into the ground. But it was never because of someone being overdeveloped lacking juice and material to be done more. Since expansion of their roots, personality being permeated with more depth, dreams and ambitions being fleshed out to satisfying degree never happened to begin with.

It can't be treated a giant body of work because it's not created to be one anymore. The show isn't presented as one big adventure. It's presented as many different adventures Ash goes on but ultimately returns back to where he started. There is no overarching plot that ties everything together. The main goal is kept deliberately ambiguous. You could remove whole sagas from Pokemon and it wouldn't change a thing.

Yet its still set in same timeline and continuity. Ash is still main character with exact same goal he chased after day one of wanting to become pokemon master. TR as criminal organization is still present popping up to acquire world domination. With anime and those behind it emphasizing on pokemon anime being one big story set in same universe which follows long journey of Ash and his friends.

Small bits and pieces of continuity once in a blue moon. No scratch that its even more rare than that. Of sometime referencing to older pokemon and traveling companions. Or doing throwback to past storylines(like how was Charizard acquired), sometime Ash past achievements being mentioned etc only further reinforce how pokemon is supposed to tell message of one big consistent adventure, In theory.

But reality is completely different having absolutely terrible continuity with all bridges to past regions being burned out. We have highly static and unavailing character development for Ash and others. Since everything accomplished before, all those strong relationships and bonds made with others, every main character being treated as expendable(minus Ash), past plots started in previous region but never transferring to next one become pointless ultimately in end.

Since whenever new region starts most is either erased and reset to square one or is just conveniently forgotten.

If those in charge of pokemon anime want to be credible and stay faithful to one of these things. Either treat pokemon series as single entity following adventure which builds on itself. Meaning bigger effort and work invested in planning and writing.

Or just do complete reboot never bringing up past again, previous storylines and might as well erase all characters tied to pokemon roots(meaning even Ash himself being branwashed of everything happening before that permanently). Treating every new region as brand new pokemon anime with basically different characters.

Because doing mix of both while doing very bad job out of it is not helping neither this show story, characters and those who write for it either.

 

[Jaye]

So in other words mix of laziness, indifference and no motivation, care to do better work. If not absolutely need.

Far from ideal formula leaving no space for creativity, dash of enthusiasm added to storytelling and character development.

It's not ideal but that's just human. The longer you work on a single project the less enthusiastic you become. When there's little accountability for screw ups there's little motivation to improve, because a human can only motivate himself so much before he needs help from external factors.

I should add, I have few doubts that the staff working on Pokemon are very passionate and very hard working. It's just their thinking and creativity that's become stuck.

You can only so many times use exact same formula, exact same ideas and keep things static and in endless loop. Until viewers themselves, but anime as well experience fatigue.

And this formula proved how it cannot withstand tooth of time with pokemon show unlike games and manga becoming less and less popular with each day. Ratings are shameful being shadow of their former self.

Interest in this anime is low being viewed as something which cannot be taken seriously. Alienating viewers from emotionally investing in characters and storyline since everything present by time they start watching will be gone or regressed anyway.

And since staff assigned to producing pokemon anime does very little or nothing to reward older fans loyalty keeping them loyal, and stagnation and repetitive loop compared to other shows with similar theme is doing less than good job in effectively attracting new kids in it.

Is primarily reason behind pokemon doing losing battle in keeping people interested in it. Due to empty places older viewers leave when quitting with pokemon are more numerous than number of new kids joining pokemon series with each new generation. Who alone cannot anymore fulfill needs and generate high enough number to bring satisfying ratings, income of money and popularity so that amount of invested effort and energy doesn't exceed this causing company to lose money.

Causing as side effect viewers and fanbase itself shrinking more and more.

Because in this day and age there exists numerous other anime like i said with similar theme fighting for people attention, as television industry is slowly pushed aside by internet and new kinds of technology.

With franchise which use anime as one of ways to make money and promote products in order to secure longevity absolutely needing to have well established and relatable characters with who people can create emotional connection and attachment watching. Needs to have sensible and consistent story, good continuity and cooperation between present and past in order to establish coherent plot and objective toward which protagonist themselves are working to reach eventually. Regardless of how long it may take.

They need formed brand about themselves. Someone who can reliably bring hype, promotional value and rewarding experience which could allure more of customers and viewers into it. And Ash and Pikachu alone aren't capable of delivering that if their roots and backstory are non existent with story they're carrying on their shoulders lacking substance.

You're throwing this all at me when I didn't even disagree. I said it clearly: there are things they can do to make the show better. All I'm trying to do is speculate - because nobody really knows for sure - why the show turned out the way it did and what the conditions were when the show was being produced in that way. Rather that throw criticism at everything, no matter how justified it may be, I'm trying to look at it from a creator's perspective.

You brought up an interesting word there: fatigue. The use of formulas and repetition of ideas absolutely leads to fatigue for writers and fans alike. But even if the show did everything you wanted to do, there would be still be fatigue. Because nothing can last that long, at such a relentless pace, without people getting fed up or worn out. Now I'm not saying this is justification for not making a better show, but ultimately all paths lead to the same destination. The problems the show have now - namely, the loss of interest and viewers - would still be a problem even after we apply all the "fixes".

And for all that, Pokemon, until very recently, never dropped out of the top ten of most watched anime in Japan. The numbers decreased, but the numbers have decreased for every show. The way people watch TV has changed drastically in the last seven years to the point where TV ratings are no longer a reliable measure of popularity and success.

Im directing constructive criticism mainly toward those in higher positions like pokemon anime director, chief directors, various producers and CEO which do cooperation between pokemon anime and games Gamefreak and Ninendo comes up with.

Being relentless and ignorant in allowing writers themselves to have their hands loosen a bit. In order to add more creativity and set up predispositions so that they could express their suppressed talent and ideas out there.

If you're in those positions, the primary concern isn't making the Pokemon anime an excellent and gripping story. It's making money. You'd be surprised how thin the connection between the two are.

As far as they're concerned, as long as the games are still selling by the millions, as long as merchandise is flying off the shelves and as long as their brand is still highly recogniseable, the actual quality of their products aren't that big an issue for them. Does that sound wrong? Of course it does. But every big franchise in the world behaves in this way.

This is especially significant as Pokemon, and by extension Nintendo, have a reputation for playing it safe. They're not going to shake up their creative staff or give them more freedom because there's a risk of the product venturing away from its money-making groove.

Either they are completely unaware of what viewers want or underestimate number of fans who ask for change. Because this cosmetic changes is not something generations of fans asked for during all this years.

People want: more stable continuum.
Which has its own characters, plot, character development, patterns and direction to follow. Only borrowing elements from games to expand on story, rather than completely succumbing continuity, universe and characters to games. Pay attention to its history, important characters which left influence on main plot and main protagonist acknowledging their existence and unfinished stories.

Anime which dont forgets its roots and development, sense of progression made in previous seasons and sagas continuing and building it forward in future ones. Anime which is attributed by emotion, original and creative new ideas, actual depth and novelty in planning out and progressing narrative etc.

Yet even when ratings and popularity of pokemon series is endangered we get none of that. Because this requires more work, better planning and more organized cooperation between writers, directors and game producers.

Trying to compensate through minor and insignificant changes.

But this cannot and wont work forever. Like i mentioned above this strategy by those in charge started to backfire and cannot work forever.

Your argument falls flat because it's a massive assumption. How do you know what every Pokemon fan wants?

This is where us being in our late-teens or in our 20s, posting on internet forums, hinders our perspective. What you read on Bulbagarden, Serebii, and other forms of social media suggests that people want better continuity, characters, etc etc but what we don't realise is that we only represent a very small percentage of the overall Pokemon fanbase. What we want is in no way indicative of what the overall fanbase wants. And that's not even accounting for the diversity of opinion within our own "section" of the fanbase.

Case in point, your generalisation of what Pokemon fans want doesn't apply to me. I actually don't care nearly as much about continuity, plot and character development as much as you do. I used to, but I discovered different reasons to watch the show. I value different aspects of the show, and I know a lot of other fans are the same.

I'm not pitting one side against the other here, rather just pointing out not everyone wants the same thing. From the staff's perspective, when making changes to the show to bring viewers back they have to weigh these various wants and needs against each other fully aware they won't be able to satisfy everybody.

Here's something to consider: Pokemon XYZ made a lot of the changes to the show that the "majority" was assumed to have wanted. It was action heavy, slightly "darker" than before, with a highly competent protagonist who had a legitimate love interest, with an actual storyline with references to things that had happened in the past, and a finale that was novel as far as the rest of the show was concerned. There was character development and progression to some form of goal. It was pretty and had wonderful animation. Great music as well.

Yet, for all that, it still lost out to Yokai Watch. It did not fix anything. For every fan it brought back it drove away another. Because not everyone wanted Pokemon to be that way.

So calling the changes made for Sun and Moon "cosmetic" and "minor and insignificant" greatly understates what they are actually changing. Their experiments with XY and XYZ didn't work, so they're going in the opposite direction. They're going in a direction which they believe will resonate with young viewers. Time will tell how successful it is, but there's actual evidence now that the things us older fans thought the show needed to improve didn't change much of anything. We had misdiagnosed what the actual problems with the show were.

Ultimately, it's impossible to satisfy both the young and older parts of the fanbase. They have to choose one and they went with young viewers. Older viewers have to accept they're never going to cater to us.

 

[CrystaI]

VTP-Dawkins93, you actually mentioned an interesting keyword that basically fits the overall status of Pokemon Anime very well: experiment.

Pokemon Anime, right from the start, and even nowadays, it is still a kind of experiment use to testing the water. Unlike any other anime out like the Japanese Anime Industry, Pokemon Anime doesn't have a fixed theme nor a fixed story plot that the creator(s) wanted to tell, it didn't even affix a specific story genre to its overall story. It is heavily customer-focused, hence everything about it is inconsistent, highly influenced by the customer trend of that time.

This, in terms of story creation, it is of course never a good thing. Because it means Pokemon Anime is contentless from the very start, its content fluctuated because it all depends on the reactions and feedbacks of its audience. I'm sorry, but one just cannot deny Pokemon Anime is in fact meatless without a fixed determined goal, not even during OS era before the start of EP001. Yes the former head-writer Shudo Takeshi mentioned in his blog that he wanted to give ending to Ash's journey, but the method was never mentioned. Was it by having Ash winning Kanto League? Not necessarily. Was it to have Ash eventually drop out from the journey? Could be. Was it to have a full-out war between Pokemon and Human and resolve it and then call it Grand Finale? May be. Could it be all was just a nostalgic dream and final episode was the old Ash waking up from bed like every other morning? Not entirely impossible. So do you see the problem? Not even the series constructor had a clear image about where Pokemon Anime should head towards to, how can we the audience go bluntly assume the ending?

That's why, Pokemon Anime is an experiment, it is there to test the "possibilities" of many different story plots in the context of Pokemon World, and the calibration and measurements being the feedbacks of audience (I doubt financial performance is one measurement, because it is difficult to judge how much influence does Pokemon Anime had on the overall Pokemon franchise).
Back at the OS saga, it was there to test a new show by adapting a well-known game. Starting from AG, it was to test the extension and elongation despite original head-writer's disagreement. In DP, I assume it was to test the generic plot formula they finally adapted themselves to. BW proved to be a credential of its customer-focused nature by testing itself in renewing characters (half-heartedly), then due to the backslash it suddenly change back its tone and direction. XY is testing the audience by doing exactly the opposite of BW as it was heavily bashed and unliked. Now for SM, I would doubt it is testing itself to go to a different route because the XY redemption in creator's eyes doesn't seem to "do its work". But will SM this time able to "hit the bull's eye" of the audience and bring back the lose popularity? No one knows yet, as such giant experiment takes time to calibrate its success, not until it had broadcast for at least several months or a full year, we would not know is the current "experiment" successful or not.


So my point of the argument is, do not look at Pokemon Anime as one dramatic story there to narrate the epic adventure of a fictional character. It is rather an "experiment" in the form of a narrative story testing the popularity of the well-known franchise Pokemon.

One may disagree all you wanted. But may I just ask, for the nowadays children that didn't start watching from OS, did they start to watch Pokemon Anime because "It had an interesting story that drags my attention", or is it because "It is an anime about Pokemon"?

 

[Jaye]

Pokemon Anime, right from the start, and even nowadays, it is still a kind of experiment use to testing the water. Unlike any other anime out like the Japanese Anime Industry, Pokemon Anime doesn't have a fixed theme nor a fixed story plot that the creator(s) wanted to tell, it didn't even affix a specific story genre to its overall story. It is heavily customer-focused, hence everything about it is inconsistent, highly influenced by the customer trend of that time.

You can see their attempts to experiment with things by the way each new season from AG onwards starts out with new ideas but fall into a monotonous rut of filler after about a year. There's an initial burst of originality to draw their new audience in but once they have them they go full formulaic until the next season. Then the cycle just repeats itself. Best Wishes and XY especially had very strong beginnings but gradually dropped in quality as they went on.

You'll also find that each season tends to compensate for flaws in previous seasons in one way or another. Just some examples off the top of my head:

AG didn't have a rival for Ash, so they gave him two in DP.
DP was a bit bland in its presentation so they made BW very colourful.
BW didn't allow Ash to shine much as a trainer so they made sure in XY that he was always shining.
XY was considered to be too action-focused so SM came along with a slower pace and more comedy.

And there are probably tons more. For one reason or another they never manage to pull everything together, and every change they make comes at the expense of another aspect of the show.

This, in terms of story creation, it is of course never a good thing. Because it means Pokemon Anime is contentless from the very start, its content fluctuated because it all depends on the reactions and feedbacks of its audience. I'm sorry, but one just cannot deny Pokemon Anime is in fact meatless without a fixed determined goal, not even during OS era before the start of EP001.

I'd add to this that, in the first place, the source material they were adapting them was very bare bones. Red/Blue/Green didn't have a story or in-depth characters, so adapting it required a lot of expansion. The games would improve their storytelling and characters over time but still didn't provide enough content to fully adapt into three year seasons. So for every new season there's always that question of: how can this be expanded? And not all the answers turn out well.