• A new LGBTQ+ forum is now being trialed and there have been changes made to the Support and Advice forum. To read more about these updates, click here.
  • Hey Trainers! Be sure to check out Corsola Beach, our newest section on the forums, in partnership with our friends at Corsola Cove! At the Beach, you can discuss the competitive side of the games, post your favorite Pokemon memes, and connect with other Pokemon creators!
  • Due to the recent changes with Twitter's API, it is no longer possible for Bulbagarden forum users to login via their Twitter account. If you signed up to Bulbagarden via Twitter and do not have another way to login, please contact us here with your Twitter username so that we can get you sorted.

Do we use the term "writers" too much?

Peppermint Phoenix

The one once known as Alphaphlare
Joined
May 7, 2010
Messages
3,365
Reaction score
862
Do we? I have no idea. When people talk about the anime they say the writers this or the writers that. But what about the producers and editors? Are they not responsible for what happens in the story? Should the credit or blame for good or bad character development go to writers only. I don't know but I'm leaning towards no. What do you think?
 
It's bad enough that I have to use the term "writers" frequently when I'm talking about why certain characters suck so I don't get assailed with "omg it's not the charcter's fault don't blame them blame the writers!11" whining and bitching. Even though I figure it goes without saying that I'm referring to the people behind the show when I talk about how most aspects of BW suck even if I'm not mentioning them outright. But nope, I have to be ultra-specific so people don't think I'm some deluded loony who's blaming animated characters. Only reason I bother to concede to that (to a degree) is because it's far too annoying to deal with the derails of those who don't understand that.

I'm certain the directors and producers also have a lot to do with the low points of the series, too. It's just... you know, it's annoying enough having to go out of my way in the middle of my lengthy rants to specify people that should be a given. Going in depth beyond the writers is just too much for me.

Besides that, it's harder to pinpoint what exactly to blame the higher-ups for. The writers are the one who write the episodes, so when it comes down to it, 99% of the time the things we bitch about in the show are something the writers had a hand in anyway, regardless of whether or not they were directed to do so by their bosses.
 
There is one head story constructor who has been doing the last 3 series and roughly 5-7 other writers who have been with the show since Kanto.

Takeshi Shudo is the only big writer who left the series in mid/late Johto.
 
I wouldn't say it's used too much. It's a blanket term for the human beings behind the production of the series, not really specifically just the writers. The people that ok the production as a whole. They're the ones responsible for the final product, so if we have issues with the final product I think it appropriate to refer to the writers.
 
I wouldn't say it's used too much. It's a blanket term for the human beings behind the production of the series, not really specifically just the writers. The people that ok the production as a whole. They're the ones responsible for the final product, so if we have issues with the final product I think it appropriate to refer to the writers.

Couldn't we use the word "developer" though?
 
Developer doesn't have the same je ne sais quoi. Developer sounds too much like you're talking about a video game. People complain about the way the things play out, which have to do with the way it's written, so writers is adequate.
 
I would say we (definitely including myself) use the term "writers" too much. The writers don't get full say over the show. They don't have a choice but to promote whatever new game/game event that Nintendo/Game Freak does. We should really use producers (remember how back in Shudo's day Omae-sama called the shots?) and advertisers more. Developer doesn't really make sense in this context.
 
One of the biggest thing people complain about is personalities, or lack therof, which I don't really think is something the producers likely nit pick about. They probably have more of a say about evolutions and air time for certain pokemon which are more promotional than others. Even if the producers are saying shove Mijumaru down their throats, the writers are the ones writing that personality and not really giving other pokemon time even if just in the background.

Battles is another thing I don't think producers would have too much care about other than possibly pokemon they're fighting or maybe even moves used. The writers are the ones who make it like quick two move kos as opposed to more interesting battles.

I think the main reason is that we aren't entirely sure of the line between producer and writer, and the writers just seems like the people closer to the creating of the material.
 
Yeah, if I can blame the big guys for anything, it's the merchandise-driven nature of the show. I'm not sure who runs that, but I know it's not the writers' fault. I will also agree, however, that a good writer would make the best out of a bad situation and fulfill the demands of the company while still making it interesting. Unless the higher ups really have more control over the plot than that, which would be unsettling to say the least. It's like when comic book editors want to take something off on a wild tangent for no reason, even if it violates everything established. Yeah, maybe it's not right for me to blame the writers, but I guess it's the first thing that pops up in our heads.
 
I would say we (definitely including myself) use the term "writers" too much. The writers don't get full say over the show. They don't have a choice but to promote whatever new game/game event that Nintendo/Game Freak does. We should really use producers (remember how back in Shudo's day Omae-sama called the shots?) and advertisers more. Developer doesn't really make sense in this context.

I completely agree with this, and it's something I've sometimes noted when talking about the things that are outsides of the writers control (i.e. the Pokémon themselves, the number of pokémon for each type, the locations, the things that are very much ingrained in the games) and it's true that a good chunk of the decisions that we attribute to the writers don't stem necessarily from the writing team but from other people (producers, advertisers, etc.) That being said, I also agree with GreatLiver. I think that writers has become a blanket term and the way that we use it, takes on a slightly different meaning and encompasses more than just the writing team. It's a shorter way of saying the production team.
 
Animation is a collaborative medium, so the writing staff getting all the blame does seem a bit unfair. Who knows, maybe that mandate was because of the Director, or the Storyboard Artist/Team or an Executive Producer or maybe TVTokyo/The Network themselves. This does hold true for every other form of media.
 
In my episode reviews, I refer to The Powers That Be (TPTB for short), which would encompass the writers, animators, producers, and everyone else. We could use that.
 
I don't mind just discussing in terms of the characters - because they are the end result of whatever the process to create them is. To the end viewer it doesn't matter who the particular decision maker was that created the result, you're talking about the finished product and the flaws in it.

Just because something is the work of fiction doesn't mean you have to pass all discussion through a filter of 'the writers have made' or 'the production staff have caused'.
 
I wouldn't say it's used too much. It's a blanket term for the human beings behind the production of the series, not really specifically just the writers. The people that ok the production as a whole. They're the ones responsible for the final product, so if we have issues with the final product I think it appropriate to refer to the writers.

I agree with this. I'm sure most of us are aware of the merchandise-driven nature of Pokemon and know that if there's an event going on, they have to try their best to promote it, or that certain plot points in the story have to be highlighted. It just seems to the most natural to use the term "writers" because they're the people who make the characters come to life, regardless of the prerequisites forced on them.

I think of the production team like a restaurant. The Executive Producer is like the manager, while the writers are like the cooks. The manager has a say in what goes on the menu, how to prepare the dishes, and how to cater to their customers while it's the cook's job to prepare the food. Bad cooks will make a bad meal. And when the meal goes wrong, it's usually the cooks that get the brunt of the blame, even if it wasn't their own recipe or preparation method.
 
I think it's just an overall general term for indicating everyone who's got to do something with the pokemon TV animation. The screenwriters, the producers, the director, the whoever, yadda yadda yadda...

So even if we say "writers", I guess it's just whoever creates the anime.
 
Yes we do. And it's because it is what it is. The writing is alittle on the down side in this series. But in DP I didn't even have to think about the word "writers" because everything was almost perfect. Sorry if others didn't believe it so well. But I had no complaints. Only except of Tobais.
 
Last edited:
I don't understand why people can't blame the writers for some episode mishaps. The overall cast/pokemon/direction of the series is decided by marketing, but not the actual writing for the team handling, character development, or the way the Gym are handled, or how the rivals are written.

And I honestly think the writers have more freedom then you guys are implying. Why else would an old Kanto character like Brock last through four generations? Why are we seeing Hilda, who can advertise BW far more than Iris, being completely ignored?

Why do certain game characters never show up at all? Its pretty damn obvious the writers are given a level of freedom to ignore MANY aspects of the games that otherwise they would probably be forced to promote.

The fact that they also didn't return Ash and co. to Johto, and completely ignored the second Battle Frontier, pretty much proves they're not completely "forced" to advertise every single aspect that is going on in the current games. The only thing they're forced to do is have the next anime ready when a new gen starts.
 
I think we should be able to blame the end characters more, like others have said and for pretty much the same reason: they are the end result.

It is slightly silly that we are blaming the writers for many things in a show that's of the type which is known for it's lack of creative control: merchendise driven. That said, when often we have no idea who exactually is to blame for any one decision. I don't blame people for just using the lump term 'writers'.
 
I don't understand why people can't blame the writers for some episode mishaps. The overall cast/pokemon/direction of the series is decided by marketing, but not the actual writing for the team handling, character development, or the way the Gym are handled, or how the rivals are written.

And I honestly think the writers have more freedom then you guys are implying. Why else would an old Kanto character like Brock last through four generations? Why are we seeing Hilda, who can advertise BW far more than Iris, being completely ignored?

Why do certain game characters never show up at all? Its pretty damn obvious the writers are given a level of freedom to ignore MANY aspects of the games that otherwise they would probably be forced to promote.

The fact that they also didn't return Ash and co. to Johto, and completely ignored the second Battle Frontier, pretty much proves they're not completely "forced" to advertise every single aspect that is going on in the current games. The only thing they're forced to do is have the next anime ready when a new gen starts.
This. Maybe some of us, including myself (though I'm sure I do still try to use the correct term where appropriate), do use to the term "writers" as the default term for everything, but they are still the ones who call all the shots for the plotlines, even if they may not be in charge of the general outline of the structure of the show.
 
Agreed. Its also obvious now the writers decide the main cast, nobody else. If that wasn't the case, I assume they would have been forced to use Hilda on the main cast. Brock didn't have to last as long as he did and could have been replaced a while ago, the writers just made the decision to keep him.

While of course they do use new characters to advertise the new games, its what characters they use that's up to them.
 
Please note: The thread is from 12 years ago.
Please take the age of this thread into consideration in writing your reply. Depending on what exactly you wanted to say, you may want to consider if it would be better to post a new thread instead.
Back
Top Bottom