Controversial opinions

[yab]

Bonnie is the best PokeGirl

Truth. And Lana.

I'm not sure if this is controversial or not, but Veronica Taylor did a better job voicing May than Ash, at least IMO. Ash's voice was fine in the dub, but she truly excelled at May in only half the time since it was 3 years for her vs. 8 for Ash.

 

[FinnishPokéFan92]

Truth. And Lana.

Lana is my favorite Sun & Moon companion character. Hands down.

 

[Hidden Mew]

After finally seeing the episode where Lana captures Eevee, I definitely think that the backlash towards the episode was a bit much. I can understand why thought Ash would capture it and wanted that to happen, but the whole episode was building up to Lana capturing it. Why have Popplio and Eevee spend nearly the whole episode together and have them become good friends if Lana wasn't going to capture it? It already met all of the main cast members' Pokemon before and they were friends, but they made an effort to put more focus on Popplio and Eevee becoming friends. If they wanted Ash to capture it, they would have done a similar setup with Pikachu instead. Eevee's high energetic personality also seems like a pretty good fit for her little sisters. Lana didn't steal Eevee from Ash or anyone else in the cast.

Besides all that, I don't think Ash capturing Eevee would have necessarily been a better option. Sure, he would have gotten a fifth Pokemon earlier and I don't blame people for assuming he would capture so he could have both Pikachu and Eevee on his team, but it's not like that would mean Eevee would get a lot of battles or screentime. Rowlet barely gets to do anything besides sleeping. It's honestly a miracle whenever it actually does do something important or gets any significant screentime. Not to mention it isn't going to evolve due to that Everstone, so being caught by Ash doesn't automatically mean that the Pokemon will get the best possible treatment. Honestly, I was just happy that Eevee finally got a home and wouldn't be lonely anymore.

 

[TheGoldenToon]

While I was never crazy about showcases, I have two opinions about them:

- I don't think Serena needed rivals; It just seemed unnecessary since it doesn't seem as difficult as Pokemon contest or battles.

- I believe showcases should've had professional judges like in contest instead of having the audience vote.

 

[PkmnTrainerV]

Rowlet barely gets to do anything besides sleeping. It's honestly a miracle whenever it actually does do something important or gets any significant screentime.

I do agree with your post regarding Eevee's handling, but I feel it’s not true to say that about Rowlet lately...
Rowlet has had a lot of focus recently (defeating its evolved form, learning two new moves, being the entire reason Meltan was captured in the first place and the Meltan épisodes basically being a collection of Rowlet memes).

I'd say that the second half of Sun/Moon series has Rowlet as the most focused Pokémon (with Lycanroc being focused on in the first half) and poor Torracat forgotten in the mess.

 

[Ryan Massey]

ash is so smart

 

[Hidden Mew]

I do agree with your post regarding Eevee's handling, but I feel it’s not true to say that about Rowlet lately...
Rowlet has had a lot of focus recently (defeating its evolved form, learning two new moves, being the entire reason Meltan was captured in the first place and the Meltan épisodes basically being a collection of Rowlet memes).

I'd say that the second half of Sun/Moon series has Rowlet as the most focused Pokémon (with Lycanroc being focused on in the first half) and poor Torracat forgotten in the mess.

Admittedly, I haven't seen the Meltan episode yet, although I have seen some of the Rowlet facial expressions from that episode. Defeating its evolve form was cool, but it still felt like the first time in ages where Rowlet got to do anything important to me. Lycanroc and to a lesser degree Torracat have gotten more consistent focus and battles. Rowlet still doesn't really have that, at least based on what I've seen. It will still be sleeping in the background more often than not just because that is its main gimmick. It feels much more like Rowlet is forgotten rather than Torracat. I don't know if my opinion will change when the dub gets to the more recent episodes, but I don't know if those episodes are enough to make me think that Rowlet hasn't been handled poorly.

 

[PkmnTrainerV]

to a lesser degree Torracat have gotten more consistent focus and battles.

Torracat really hasn’t had much focus since evolution. It just had a battle with Incineroar, and randomly learnt Fire Blast (which has been forgotten since it learned the move).

Meanwhile...
Rowlet finds a new rival in Dartrix
Learns two new moves (Razor leaf and Bullet seed, with them actually going in depth in learning the move)
Basically the star of the two Meltan episodes. (I've seen the first episode and footage’s of the second, and Rowlet is everywhere in those episodes. In fact, Meltan was caught only because of Rowlet's affection).
The usual gag focus as always.

Even battle wise, Torracat has been used in literally a single trial (even that wasn’t solo), meanwhile Rowlet has been consistently used in trials.
Torracat's only opponent in this saga seems to be Incineroar.

Torracat has suffered from a lot of recent lack of focus.

 

[FinnishPokéFan92]

Torracat really hasn’t had much focus since evolution. It just had a battle with Incineroar, and randomly learnt Fire Blast (which has been forgotten since it learned the move).

It hasn't been forgotten. It was even used during the practice battle with Kiawe, where it was able to overpower his Marowak.

Learns two new moves (Razor leaf and Bullet seed, with them actually going in depth in learning the move)

Razor Leaf and Seed Bomb, not Bullet Seed. It can't even learn Bullet Seed.

 

[Hidden Mew]

Torracat really hasn’t had much focus since evolution. It just had a battle with Incineroar, and randomly learnt Fire Blast (which has been forgotten since it learned the move).

I haven't seen it learn Fire Blast yet, so I can't say whether or not it has forgotten the move yet.

Meanwhile...
Rowlet finds a new rival in Dartrix
Learns two new moves (Razor leaf and Bullet seed, with them actually going in depth in learning the move)
Basically the star of the two Meltan episodes. (I've seen the first episode and footage’s of the second, and Rowlet is everywhere in those episodes. In fact, Meltan was caught only because of Rowlet's affection).
The usual gag focus as always.

I'm not really sure if they are going for a rivalry with Dartrix or at least if said rivalry is going to go anywhere. Rowlet already defeated Dartrix and since Rowlet isn't going to evolve, I'm not sure what else they could do with the rivalry. Frogadier and Grovyle had a rivalry during XY, but at least they could both still evolve and gain new forms to make their battles more noteworthy. The way Rowlet learned Razor Leaf was also pretty weak. It wasn't even the main focus of the episode. It just absorbed the power from Tapu Bulu's tree to learn one of the most basic Grass type moves out there. It wasn't the result of any kind of training and Rowlet still didn't really do much after learning Razor Leaf, so I don't think that's a good example of Rowlet getting focus, especially when the bulk of that episode and Akala Island arc was devoted to Lycanroc.

Learning Seed Bomb is a better example of Rowlet getting focus since the whole episode was devoted to Rowlet instead of being put in a footnote. I still haven't seen the Meltan episodes, so I can't really judge those, but I don't think that the usual gag focus is a plus in Rowlet's favor. It will be seen sleeping or falling asleep while trying to do something because it's apparently funny, but that doesn't give it much more attention compared to Ash's other Pokemon.

Even battle wise, Torracat has been used in literally a single trial (even that wasn’t solo), meanwhile Rowlet has been consistently used in trials.
Torracat's only opponent in this saga seems to be Incineroar.

While it's true that Rowlet has been used in more Trials, I'm not sure if that really helps it either. The gaps between the Grand Trials are pretty long and Rowlet doesn't really do much beyond its sleeping gag in between most of those battles. If it had more of a presence beyond its running gag, then I think that would have been okay. Torracat's main opponent does appear to be Incineroar, but at least that gives Torracat a goal for more than one episode and give it more personality than just sleeping bird.

Torracat has suffered from a lot of recent lack of focus.

I disagree. Most of the Rowlet focus has been from more recent episodes, while Torracat's focus and presence feels more consistent by comparison. I haven't gotten to the point where I internally say to myself "Oh my gosh Torracat is finally doing something!" like I have with Rowlet anytime it does something other than sleeping. Even just having it fly around to search for a Pokemon is noteworthy because it isn't just asleep for the episode. It isn't uncommon to see Torracat being used in training matches or for it to spare with Lycanroc. Admittedly, that probably doesn't sound like much, but I'd say it's better than the usual gag focus. At least Torracat's strength in battle is believable, while Rowlet can be borderline useless due to it falling asleep. Even with it being motivated enough to learn Seed Bomb after losing to Dartrix, I don't know if I can see Rowlet's strength as believable or that it won't just fall asleep in the middle of a battle. It might be different once I get to the more recent episodes, but the focus on Rowlet now feels too little, too late for me.

 

[PkmnTrainerV]

@Hidden Mew I think that you not having watched the recent episode really doesn’t help the argument since we're arguing from different PoVs.

Torracat has done nothing of note in the recent episodes, and Rowlet is feeling too at the face for me with all the focus it’s getting. The last noteworthy Torracat focus (learning fire blast) was like a footnote, like the Rowlet and razor leaf you mentioned.
Torracat and Lycanroc sparring also seems like a thing of the past, and I don’t remember the last instance of it happening.

Torracat seems pretty absent to me these days, whereas Rowlet's getting focus.

The difference arises from the fact that you're speaking with the earlier (comparatively) episodes in mind (where Torracat did feel consistent) whereas it feels absent in the newer episodes.

Razor Leaf and Seed Bomb, not Bullet Seed. It can't even learn Bullet Seed.

That was an error on my part. Bullet seed was a prominent part of that episode (and the move Rowlet was trying to learn before it accidentally performed seed bomb) so I guess I accidentally said that.

I just feel Torracat needs focus from someone not named Masked Royal. It pretty much relies on Masked Royal and Incineroar for major development these days.

 

[Kurolegacy]

I do agree with your post regarding Eevee's handling, but I feel it’s not true to say that about Rowlet lately...
Rowlet has had a lot of focus recently (defeating its evolved form, learning two new moves, being the entire reason Meltan was captured in the first place and the Meltan épisodes basically being a collection of Rowlet memes).

I'd say that the second half of Sun/Moon series has Rowlet as the most focused Pokémon (with Lycanroc being focused on in the first half) and poor Torracat forgotten in the mess.

For me that kinda represents a problem with the saga as a whole. Sure Rowlet is actually getting developed but considering it was Ash’s first capture, why wait so long to start developing. The fact that it’s one of Ash’s Pokemon and has been little more than a gag Pokemon that barely does anything but sleep until over 100 episodes in is kinda an issue.

 

[Hidden Mew]

@Hidden Mew I think that you not having watched the recent episode really doesn’t help the argument since we're arguing from different PoVs.

That's a fair point. I still prefer watching the dub, even though I usually hear about most of the recent developments in the Japanese version simply due to being a Pokemon fan online, so that is going to give me a different perspective on some points compared to people who watch the Japanese version.

Torracat has done nothing of note in the recent episodes, and Rowlet is feeling too at the face for me with all the focus it’s getting. The last noteworthy Torracat focus (learning fire blast) was like a footnote, like the Rowlet and razor leaf you mentioned.
Torracat and Lycanroc sparring also seems like a thing of the past, and I don’t remember the last instance of it happening.

Torracat seems pretty absent to me these days, whereas Rowlet's getting focus.

The difference arises from the fact that you're speaking with the earlier (comparatively) episodes in mind (where Torracat did feel consistent) whereas it feels absent in the newer episodes.

I can't really speak on how Torracat learning Fire Blast went yet, but they'll still show Lycanroc and Torract sparring or doing some kind of small fighting. It isn't much, but it does show how their relationship works, even if it's just the two of them sparring in the background. While I'm aware of some of Rowlet's more recent focus, I don't know if that would make it feel like Torracat is more absent or that Rowlet is too in my face. Given how Rowlet's focus has gone for me as I watch the series dubbed, there's probably a pretty good chance that I'll still think to myself "On my gosh Rowlet is doing something!" when they get to the Meltan episodes.

For me that kinda represents a problem with the saga as a whole. Sure Rowlet is actually getting developed but considering it was Ash’s first capture, why wait so long to start developing. The fact that it’s one of Ash’s Pokemon and has been little more than a gag Pokemon that barely does anything but sleep until over 100 episodes in is kinda an issue.

Yeah, that's a big problem for me as well. Rowlet may be getting more focus/development now and that's nice, but there's a reason why I said it might be too little, too late for me. Rowlet has been primarily used as a gag Pokemon for most of the series. I thought it showed some promise during the first couple of Grand Trials, but it just sleeps most of the time. I've honestly wondered why Ash even caught it if the bulk of its screentime is devoted to its sleeping gag. It couldn't even fly over a small hill to get a berry, couldn't fly around to find its own trainer when Ash became really small or for a more recent example, fell asleep almost instantly during the first battle against Hau's Dartrix and wasn't even fully ready to battle until after it lost. In most other Pokemon series, that would be considered a problem and Ash would need to train Rowlet to be more battle ready, but since falling asleep is Rowlet's gimmick, they just let it sleep. It really doesn't seem like Rowlet is useful for Ash's team, or at least I find its strength much more questionable compared to Lycanroc and Torracat. I'm not sure how much focus/development could really improve my opinion on Ash's Rowlet or its amount of screentime over the course of the series. Rowlet's facial expressions are funny, but that doesn't change that it has been basically just a gag Pokemon for most of SM.

 

[Pulsaro23]

Besides all that, I don't think Ash capturing Eevee would have necessarily been a better option. Sure, he would have gotten a fifth Pokemon earlier and I don't blame people for assuming he would capture so he could have both Pikachu and Eevee on his team, but it's not like that would mean Eevee would get a lot of battles or screentime.

Just curious, but how is this scenario any different than what we have now? It's been almost 4 months since Lana caught Eevee and it's done nothing noteworthy, outside of being cute and playful.

 

[yab]

To be fair, every time we've had an Eevee on the main cast it barely does anything but act cute and then eventually only there to evolve. Only reason Lana's may not is because of Let's Go Eevee and Vaporeon is such an old pokemon the writers probably won't bother.

 

[Hidden Mew]

Just curious, but how is this scenario any different than what we have now? It's been almost 4 months since Lana caught Eevee and it's done nothing noteworthy, outside of being cute and playful.

That is probably due to Lana not being into battling, as well as how her Eevee may not evolve to further tie in with Let's Go Pikachu/Eevee. Being cute and playful was pretty much Eevee's gimmick from the start. If Ash had caught it, more people would be upset over it not getting to be in more battles and wanting to see what it evolves into.

 

[FluffleFi]

So Pikachu, Rowlett, Lycanroc, Torracat, an Ultra Beast in Poipole and now Meltan, a mystical Pokemon. Just what the heck is up with Ash's team this season? Is Poipole set to come back so he can have a full team of six? Gen 8 is practically around the corner, so does the anime even have enough time to give him a brand new Pokemon and give it enough development to stand with the rest of his Pokemon?

 

[Kurolegacy]

To be fair, every time we've had an Eevee on the main cast it barely does anything but act cute and then eventually only there to evolve. Only reason Lana's may not is because of Let's Go Eevee and Vaporeon is such an old pokemon the writers probably won't bother.

I wouldn’t say that that’s what happens every time. May’s Eevee didn’t evolve until after she left and it was a pretty active member of her team and while Serena’s did evolve in the saga, it at least had development over its time as an Eevee. Can’t really say we’re seeing that with Lana’s. It just kinda exists and that’s it.

So Pikachu, Rowlett, Lycanroc, Torracat, an Ultra Beast in Poipole and now Meltan, a mystical Pokemon. Just what the heck is up with Ash's team this season? Is Poipole set to come back so he can have a full team of six? Gen 8 is practically around the corner, so does the anime even have enough time to give him a brand new Pokemon and give it enough development to stand with the rest of his Pokemon?

I’d say at this point, best case scenario is Poipole returning to complete his team and worst case is us getting another Gible scenario.

 

[FinnishPokéFan92]

That is probably due to Lana not being into battling, as well as how her Eevee may not evolve to further tie in with Let's Go Pikachu/Eevee. Being cute and playful was pretty much Eevee's gimmick from the start. If Ash had caught it, more people would be upset over it not getting to be in more battles and wanting to see what it evolves into.

Actually, in today's episode, Lana was actually pretty fired up when the Alola League was announced and didn't hesitate for a second to accept the invitation to participate.

So Pikachu, Rowlett, Lycanroc, Torracat, an Ultra Beast in Poipole and now Meltan, a mystical Pokemon. Just what the heck is up with Ash's team this season? Is Poipole set to come back so he can have a full team of six? Gen 8 is practically around the corner, so does the anime even have enough time to give him a brand new Pokemon and give it enough development to stand with the rest of his Pokemon?

I’d say at this point, best case scenario is Poipole returning to complete his team and worst case is us getting another Gible scenario.

I'm personally thinking Poipole will pull a Goodra and return for the League. Hopefully it'll have evolved when returning or evolve soon after that.

 

[Kurolegacy]

Actually, in today's episode, Lana was actually pretty fired up when the Alola League was announced and didn't hesitate for a second to accept the invitation to participate.

That kinda makes me wonder, what is the qualifications for entering supposed to be? I mean, if it’s just an open invitation, that feels a bit anticlimactic since at that point you really don’t have people having proved their metal to be there and is less of a tournament of the best of the best and more like a Clubsplosion tournament from Black and White.