KyseL
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Feb 25, 2013
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- 617
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But they had to make him flawed. Especially if you want him to have an actual character arc (aka OS) instead of just a power fantasy (aka XY/Z). Having someone start from anywhere but the bottom makes them less relatable and unless a character is written with the specific purpose of being detached from the viewer (like One Punch Man) there's no real reason for them to be there at all besides wish fulfillment.It was a mistake to make Ash so flawed and naive at the start of the show, and in turn it brings down the quality of the OS. Beyond nostalgia, it's not terrible, but it's not all that special either.
Like, I'm not saying make Ash overpowered and perfect, but how naive and reckless he is at first borders on difficult to believe in its own right. It might be that they wanted him to be extra flawed to be more of an equal to kids who aren't familiar with Pokemon, but it's kind of weird when you consider that Ash actually lives in the world. There's genuinely more on the line and more risk for him, plus he's directly exposed to a culture where Pokemon are part of everything. In that case, he should be a bit more invested in doing it right than someone who's just playing a game, and there are times when his ignorance and overall attitude doesn't make much sense.
If you like Pokemon so much, shouldn't you have at least studied the basics more as a natural consequence of liking them? Like I don't expect him to be swallowing down college texts, but what about all the children's books and educational kids shows you'd think there'd be? Wouldn't Delia have wanted to make sure he knows these things before he left?
Even as a kid, I had many moments of "Ash should've known better" or "He's lucky that didn't go worse".
It's even weirder that they go on to use the concept of "smarter/more studious newbie" for certain rivals, making Ash's character back then seem even less necessary.