Are you happy they replace characters?

[Ashfangirl22]

Some times like this series I am, other times like with May or Dawn I'm not. Its a mix bad for me, I'm curious about what every one else feels, thanks =]

 

[SlimeStack]

I'm very happy.

Ash is going to be in the show forever. He and Pikachu effectively are the show. He's become very stale due to that though, so the cast needs May, Dawn, Iris and Cilan to liven things up.

I mean look at Ash and Brock. We can see they're great friends and like to hang out, but there's just nothing interesting in their relationship in Sinnoh. They're just two stale characters being stale around each other. It got to the point where the writers just couldn't keep him in the show, and no one wants the same to happen any of Ash's other friends.

 

[Hidden Mew]

I mean look at Ash and Brock. We can see they're great friends and like to hang out, but there's just nothing interesting in their relationship in Sinnoh. They're just two stale characters being stale around each other. It got to the point where the writers just couldn't keep him in the show, and no one wants the same to happen any of Ash's other friends.

I thought that their relationship was generally fine. I don't think Brock being stale or their relationship was why he was written off of the show. It most likely had more to do with wanting Ash to be the only returning main character to emphasis how far away Unova was from the other regions and the fact that they finally had a character from the games that could take Brock's place in the group.

I am happy that they replace the characters. While it can be sad to see characters that we like go, regardless of whether they had good development or were wasted potential, I think that it's the overall best choice. It helps to provide a different group dynamics with each series, allows the writers to explore other characters, for better or for worse, and it would honestly be boring, for me at least, if it was still Ash, Misty and Brock traveling around. They need new characters to liven things up. There are series who have the same main cast for years too, but most of those shows have better writing than Pokemon off to pull something like that off and they aren't shows that simply exist to promote merchandise. I can understand why some people wouldn't like since the characters might be wasted potential or they just really like a particular character, but in the end, I think it is for the best that they replace characters and I'm perfectly fine with it.

 

[Ashs Battle Coach]

Honestly, It really depends on who they replace them with. I mean, I have become less than underwhelmed with Iris. But at the same time I've been very happy with Cilan replacing Brock. Dawn was a good replacement of May. She had a similar goal but had a diff personality. So that's good. But the way they handled Iris was Terrible IMO.

It all comes down to who replaces who. If there is a new male companion in the next series and he doesn't compare to Cilan, than I'm not going to be impressed. Same goes for the female. If she's similar or worse than Iris, I will be disappointed. But if she's better ( which IMO wouldn't be hard lol) then I'm all for it

 

[CrackFox]

It all depends on how much I like the characters in question. I'm pleased that Iris and Cilan will be replaced. I like them but I have gotten bored of them, so yeah, right now i'm pleased that the characters are replaced. If you would have asked my at the end of Johto when Misty was replaced on at the end of BF when May left, I would have said I hated the characters changing xD

Looking back on it, even though I may love a certain character, if they had stuck around until this day, I probably would be sick of them by now. So yeah, it's a good thing I guess. I feel like only the female really needs to change. They should have stuck with Brock. I like Cilan but his personality is too overbearing to last the distance.

 

[megaevolvedmushroom]

No, I am not. I'm used to it by now, but that doesn't mean I like it. They can redeem older characters, as shown in BW, so why replace them? Being stale is a writer problem, not a character problem. Furthermore, why should I invest in them when I know they're going to leave anyway? I like Iris, but I'm not invested (when I care more about her than the writers, there is a problem).

 

[Kb77]

Replacing characters make me question he writer's ability. They seem to like introducing a character but they don't know what to do with that character so they replace it.
Brock is a very good example of this.
Ash himself is also a victim, After years of development, they regress him in BW that one might think they didn't know how to develop him further and since they couldn't just replace him since Pikachu is the idol of pokemon, They reset them both.

 

[Almonds]

I like Brock, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't tired of him by DP. He stayed for too long, and he was demoted to comic relief and the group's mom. It's important to give a character a good send-off when they need it.

 

[Magma Bomb]

Replacing characters is a necessity in a long runner series like Pokémon.
Pokémon is not a sitcom where everyone is a static character. People watch these shows to see the characters solving their personal arcs and getting the character development necessary to accomplish their objectives. But once it is done there's not much room left for said character, it is in a sense "complete" and since watching a fully matured character is not interesting they have a tendency to get shoved to the sidelines if not removed from the show.
Of course, you can ramp up the challenges you throw at the characters, but since it is a fighting series it would eventually derail the show. The only way to keep it interesting is to either change the premise or the characters. Ash can't be replaced, so they reset him.
I know it is not nice to say good bye to a character you like, but it is necessary to refresh the series. Watching the same guy over and over doing almost nothing gets stale, forcing changes in the cast that can be well received or not.

 

[pokemon fan 132]

In general? No i am not happy in slightest about this. Only those which ether dislike or don't care for characters would be happy of seeing those they grew to like ending replaced.

But if you care and enjoy when writers flesh out story of character making us learn about him, growing as person. If you like his personality, pokemon and background. If you are eagerly awaiting to have him learn new things and advance his goals, establish friendship with Ash and others bonding with them i certainly don't see any reason not to do build up on story and personality of companion we grew to like already going through deeper growth, have us learn more about him and past , watch him advancing his career receiving sequel?

Personally i don't support alternative and encourage having someone dropped unfinished with potential for further growth ending wasted, being in favor of encouraging writers to put more work and thought into them keeping them fresh and enjoyable through new unexpected plots,.

Otherwise whats the point of writers bringing him/her in first place in this show if all established growth about him and started storyline is going to be flushed down the toilet and unfinished when he leaves in favor of getting rehash of someone going through rudimentary steps all over again through someone else?

While effectively having previous characters left to rot forgotten, unresolved and abandoned in past like they never mattered or left any impact just to see whoever comes in their place experiencing same faith with writers throwing him out without finishing what they started and established about character.
Such as Misty unfinished water master career being left undefined in what direction she will go in future offering room to be done much more having connections with E4 and specialists like Wallace(let alone chance to learn more about her past, family and way to overcome her pokemon weakness to type disadvantage and deal with existing obstacles in making them competent like Psyduck), May and Dawn unsolved contest dreams having potential to expand on story, learn new things and explore on their characters and past, Brock whose story was put in new light allowing to take him in new direction etc.

You cant sell me how there was no space left to expand on them, when there clearly exist predispositions to take them forward.

Therefore constantly adding new companions is pointless, even unnecessary for me when there exist fresh potential and multiple variables through which already molded characters could be taken forming groundwork toward stable cast, anime filled with continuity and follow characters grow in more complex new ways.

I see sayings how its better to have someone leave before he becomes "stale". To, what? See new character taking his place becoming stale as well?

"Broken" characters can be reworked breathing new life into them through new plots , retrieving appeal they used to have and regain purpose by fixing mistakes made with him being took in new, creative directions.

But damaged and messed up storyline is much harder to rectify if you constantly cycle through cast. Since it promotes unstable cast, lack of continuity and connected with past storyline, consistent following and chance to experience deeper, more meaningful growth.

Given how any history, established friendship and story created in previous region instead of being transferred to new region doing continuation is discarded getting restart and same old approach of Ash meeting new friends who pass basics, create friendship and learn lesson or two with any prospect to pick up on things established before taking things forward by expanding on it being discarded.

Ditching someone away in favor of new character won't help resolve issue made in first place and change things for better with writers in this way only sweeping problems under the rug, rather than directly confronting and solving them. Since they don't have to create innovative, fresh directions through which pokemon series and its characters can remain enjoyable delivering us lower quality.

And that's my take on whole thing with cast changing being only reflect on writers lack of skill and motivation of putting more effort in story and companions they created and breath life into in first place.

 

[Sweet Veil]

Yes, I'm an avid fanatic of character replacing. I need fresh blood in order to really invest myself in the show more. Even Dawn was entertaining in early DP but lost that afterwards with Piplup essentially substituting for her personality.(and failing) I need fun, lively and entertaining characters in this show with different dynamic traits that clash with each other. It's one of the things I like most about PokeSpe, Platinum without her snobby ass attitude would be boring to watch. Otherwise she would be the bland generic Pokegirl that her anime and in-game incarnations are. You need at least one character with a little edge and intensity to have entertaining character interactions among a group. I call her snobby but that's what makes her so fun to watch....err...read. It's not as if she's a one-dimensional morally reprehensible creep like Skyla was portrayed as during that Cilan episode.

As for Ash. Meh he can stay. It'd feel like a waste of time or whatever if they boot him off now. Like it'd feel like one of those stories that they could have ended 500 pages ago but never did because it had to be so freaking long and drawn out. Sometimes I want him gone and sometimes I'm just defending adamantly that he should never leave the show. Regardless I doubt he's ever going anywhere and have accepted Ash Ketchum's yo-yo-ing and still ever-so-vague raison d'être as the norm. I like Brock but he was getting boring. The writers could have done more with Brock's goal, they just never did. That could have livened up his character but they were probably more interested in giving Ash and Dawn more screen time, though becoming a Doctor and being booted with some small things in-between was the best way to go for him at least. Raising Bonsly from a baby and raising Happiny from an Egg, Pachirisu sickness, Battle Frontier sick Pokemon episode, giving him a Chansey, etc.

 

[Akromatic]

Of course I like replacing characters. If you don't like a character, don't worry, they'll be replaced by the next region. If you do like that character, don't worry, they'll be a guest star in the new season.

 

[Peppermint Phoenix]

I like it. Even though I liked Misty there wasn't much they can do with her. I like it just fine I just consider myself unlucky with the currect cast and I was bored with Brock.

 

[pokemon fan 132]

If you do like that character, don't worry, they'll be a guest star in the new season.

After that one time guest visit watch them end up abandoned and forgotten going way of previous companions, ending unfinished with potential to offer more threw aside.

I like it. Even though I liked Misty there wasn't much they can do with her. I like it just fine I just consider myself unlucky with the currect cast and I was bored with Brock.

We could learn more about past (like why she fears bugs, why she decided to become water master, learn more about family), we could see her advancing her goal of water master entering tournaments breaking new grounds by doing continuation from Whirl Cup, give her rivals with who she could compete presenting obstacle on her path, take advantage of Lorelei being her idol and her goal of becoming strongest water trainer being linked with E4 pursuing position of E4 apprentice or member eventually training and battling evaluators, passing tasks to see if shes worthy for position, train pokemon like Psyduck(teaching it to battle or even evolve) and develop defensive moves against types which have advantage over water like electric or grass etc.
Take ideas from manga having her involved in arc with legendary water type like Suicune learning how to bond with them on closer level and establish connection honing her skills etc.

But that's beside the point because even if writers wrap up certain plots going for character with his initial storyline coming to an end, there is nothing stopping them in doing sequel to his story, continuing from where they stopped. By taking character in new directions advancing further his own goals and evolving as person/trainer, introducing new obstacles put in front of them having to learn on mistakes and how to overcome them along with being revealed more about their past bringing up things they forgot to include first time around.

Only reason writers replace them, at least its been basically confirmed in girl case is to bring new fanservice for boys on table and way to try out swimsuit and various designs Ken Sugimori comes up with on them. Like they couldn't do same with previous ones.
As showed in interview with Masamitsu Hidaka from 2008.

 

[foxkrystal]

I think there are some reasons for replacing characters, but if there is still possible character growth in them that can be further developed in the future, then I see no reason why they should be replaced. I would like to see how well the XY series will go based on development because the anime series IMO has yet. I have also seen possible character growth in the DP series and the OS but from the current status of the anime, there are no hints showing that there are specials/episodes that any character can be further developed. I hope that XY will have better execution than the previous series' and writer's and developers can learn from the reviewers who have shown reasonable disappointments in their latest works.

 

[Sakuraa]

Initially I didn't like character replacing since I was just a child when it first happened and I disliked seeing one of my favorite characters leave and be replaced by an annoying newbie. Then it got worse when Dawn came.

However, now I'm okay with character replacing since I've become much older and become easily bored with watching the same people do the same thing over and over. I need new characters with different goals and personalities to add a scene of freshness to the show. Not to mention seeing a large variety of Pokémon on the main cast. So I truly am happy that characters do get replaced once their saga is over.

 

[The Thin White Duke]

Meh. I liked Brock in the original series, but as Spectrum Achromatic said, he was getting rather tiring by DP. I would flip if Iris was laid off (which she inevitably will be. Looks like I'm hiding in my depression corner come October.), so I like it when characters that have stuck around like gum on the roof of your mouth are laid off, but I don't mind when characters like Misty who was in it for 4 or so years are laid off and later return.

 

[Supreme Leader Palpitoad]

I think Dawn should have stayed otherwise it is fine. And I am happy about Brock being replaced.

 

[Darth Darkrai]

Not Really because you get use to them after a time.

 

[Pokémon Master Ash]

Both yes and no, really. Yes, because I hate to see some of my favorite characters on the show being mutilated and completely changed in personality and appearance (and in voice as far as the dub goes). No, because we're going to reach an absurd number of characters in the show, and you shouldn't fix what isn't broken. I think it's time the writers really work with what they have, though. I'd like to see the dub rehiring the original voice actors in their main roles if Natochenny and company are unable to continue as the characters as well if illness or injury etc. occur. :ksmile: