Controversial opinions

[FinnishPokéFan92]

Ash's Butterfree is overrated. It was under Ash's ownership for less than 20 episodes, and between its capture and release, the only noteworthy thing it did (besides evolving) was when it was temporarily traded. People mainly remember it because of its heartbreaking release.

Speaking of which, Butterfree's release episode is also overrated. It has mainly remained in the memories of fans due to the last few minutes, because otherwise, it's basically just your everyday Team Rocket plot. No one would hold that episode in such a high regard if it wasn't for Butterfree's release. Yes, the release itself was sad, but the majority of the episode was pretty average, which many people seem to forget or neglect.

 

[Kurolegacy]

Ash's Butterfree is overrated. It was under Ash's ownership for less than 20 episodes, and between its capture and release, the only noteworthy thing it did (besides evolving) was when it was temporarily traded. People mainly remember it because of its heartbreaking release.

Speaking of which, Butterfree's release episode is also overrated. It has mainly remained in the memories of fans due to the last few minutes, because otherwise, it's basically just your everyday Team Rocket plot. No one would hold that episode in such a high regard if it wasn't for Butterfree's release. Yes, the release itself was sad, but the majority of the episode was pretty average, which many people seem to forget or neglect.

In the same vain, I find release/giving away plot points in general to be overrated. While, yes, there’s the whole world building, emotional and social prospect of them, I’ll never understand why the writers think it’s a good idea to devote plot points to getting rid of a Pokémon in a series where the motto is literally ‘Gotta Catch ‘em All’ . Not only does it result in that the released Pokémon can’t be used in the future but it contrary to the point of the franchise. Heck, I thought we were done with it happening and then the end of XY comes along with having Ash release both Goodra and Greninja (seriously question what the writers were thinking on this one given its popularity).

 

[FinnishPokéFan92]

In the same vain, I find release/giving away plot points in general to be overrated. While, yes, there’s the whole world building, emotional and social prospect of them, I’ll never understand why the writers think it’s a good idea to devote plot points to getting rid of a Pokémon in a series where the motto is literally ‘Gotta Catch ‘em All’ . Not only does it result in that the released Pokémon can’t be used in the future but it contrary to the point of the franchise. Heck, I thought we were done with it happening and then the end of XY comes along with having Ash release both Goodra and Greninja (seriously question what the writers were thinking on this one given its popularity).

All of Ash's other released Pokémon at least did something notable while under his possession. It's just that I find it exaggarated that Butterfree's popularity is mostly based around its release, not what it did while belonging to Ash, which wasn't much.

 

[Kurolegacy]

All of Ash's other released Pokémon at least did something notable while under his possession. It's just that I find it exaggarated that Butterfree's popularity is mostly based around its release, not what it did while belonging to Ash, which wasn't much.

Sad thing is, based on Butterfree’s ability to learn psychic attacks, it really would have been a useful battler in the future had Ash kept it.

 

[LazySpy]

I still don't understand how not being referenced in episodes not connected to them makes the episode filler either, so again, the complaint just sounds more like another way to complain about SM more than anything else.

I also disagree with TK, but I think the point he is trying to make is that events that are supposed to be big (Alolans litelary discovered an unknown allien Pokemon species!) are not treated with such releavance as they deserve?

Do we ever see the impact the discovery of Ultra Beasts had on Alolan culture? Do we ever see someone else than Ash and his classmates trying to stop them? Why are there no people concerned that children like Ash and his classmates are too young and inexperienced to take the responsibility of stopping them? Why do we never see people trying to eleminate UBs in belief they are too serious of a threat to let them live? In reall life after such events, Alolan region would be considered dangerous place to visit, and tourism would drop significantly, but do we ever see that? And while on it, do we actually see tourists outside of the first episode?

I haven't seen all UG and SM episodes, so correct me on any of those if I am wrong, but I don't think the impact of those events is explored in a way it should be.


Also, I am a but confused on your statement. Is complaining about Sun and Moon a bad thing? Is it an absolutelly flawless series and anyone complaining about its flaws is a tasteless douche?

 

[Kurolegacy]

I also disagree with TK, but I think the point he is trying to make is that events that are supposed to be big (Alolans litelary discovered an unknown allien Pokemon species!) are not treated with such releavance as they deserve?

Do we ever see the impact the discovery of Ultra Beasts had on Alolan culture? Do we ever see someone else than Ash and his classmates trying to stop them? Why are there no people concerned that children like Ash and his classmates are too young and inexperienced to take the responsibility of stopping them? Why do we never see people trying to eleminate UBs in belief they are too serious of a threat to let them live? In reall life after such events, Alolan region would be considered dangerous place to visit, and tourism would drop significantly, but do we ever see that? And while on it, do we actually see tourists outside of the first episode?

I haven't seen all UG and SM episodes, so correct me on any of those if I am wrong, but I don't think the impact of those events is explored in a way it should be.


Also, I am a but confused on your statement. Is complaining about Sun and Moon a bad thing? Is it an absolutelly flawless series and anyone complaining about its flaws is a tasteless douche?

To answer your question about repercussions, none exist aside from Poipole having been with Ash. Each Ultra Beast episode might as well exist in their own void as they are never spoken of or referenced to again and affect nothing beyond themselves.

 

[RetroPokeFan]

Speaking of the Butterfree release episode, you could say the same about the Goodra two parter.

It’s really not that good to be honest.

 

[Daenerys]

Speaking of the Butterfree release episode, you could say the same about the Goodra two parter.

It’s really not that good to be honest.

I was actually thinking about the Butterfree release episode a few days ago and I realized that I really don't like it. It isn't nostalgic to me nor is it sad since I didn't really like Butterfree that much. He was only in the cast for what, like 20 episodes? And he didn't really do that much when you look back. I also hate the Pikachu's Goodbye episode for similar reasons; it tried to be sentimental in a very forced kind of way and it was just a cheap stunt in the end since Pikachu didn't leave Ash anyways.

And don't even get me started on Goodra's farewell episode...

 

[Hidden Mew]

I also disagree with TK, but I think the point he is trying to make is that events that are supposed to be big (Alolans litelary discovered an unknown allien Pokemon species!) are not treated with such releavance as they deserve?

Do we ever see the impact the discovery of Ultra Beasts had on Alolan culture? Do we ever see someone else than Ash and his classmates trying to stop them? Why are there no people concerned that children like Ash and his classmates are too young and inexperienced to take the responsibility of stopping them? Why do we never see people trying to eleminate UBs in belief they are too serious of a threat to let them live? In reall life after such events, Alolan region would be considered dangerous place to visit, and tourism would drop significantly, but do we ever see that? And while on it, do we actually see tourists outside of the first episode?

I haven't seen all UG and SM episodes, so correct me on any of those if I am wrong, but I don't think the impact of those events is explored in a way it should be.

I can understand some of those issues. I think that the issue of no one else besides Ash and his classmates trying to stop them ties in more with how Ash's class is seemingly the only group of students within the Pokemon School. However, I think most of those questions don't really fit with the tone of SM or make sense with the franchise in general. Ash and his friends were specifically chosen to become Ultra Guardians because of their efforts to save Lusamine in the Nebby arc. Granted, the fact that most of Ash's friends had to rely on some of his Pokemon during the climax of that arc definitely doesn't help with making them all competent enough trainers for this job, but that's why people don't worry about children taking on this responsibility. There was a scene where Lusamine was worried about the Ultra Guardians going through an Ultra Wormhole to fight Necrozma though, but I think that had more do to with how they wouldn't know where they were or that communication would be difficult to maintain instead of thinking that they're too young and inexperienced to handle the job.

It's also a weird concern to me since even within the games, children are frequently the only ones capable of stopping evil teams from pulling off major threats to their worlds. I'm pretty sure that Ash has been in far more immediate danger throughout other series and movies too. I also don't think it would make sense for people to react to Ultra Beasts that seriously. They still pose a potential danger, but I don't think that they have been shown to be that dangerous to where people would want to kill them. Getting the Ultra Beasts back to their world is a way to help them as well as the people and Pokemon of Alola. Not to mention that really wouldn't fit with the tone in SM. Since Ultra Beasts show up rather infrequently, I don't think it would make Alola that much more dangerous to live in, especially compared to other regions, or reduce tourism. I'm pretty sure most of the Ultra Beasts have appeared only on Melmele Island as well, so it's hard to say how much of an impact these Ultra Beast sightings have on all of Alola or how many people outside of the main/supporting cast even know about them. Aside from Nihilego and Guzzlord, none of the Ultra Beasts were shown to be that dangerous in the games, which is why they had more serious appearances in SM compared to the other Ultra Beasts.

I can definitely some of the complaints about the Ultra Beast episodes. There have been two, or possibly three episodes if we count the Pheromosa episode, where I think that the Ultra Guardians were shown to be too incompetent. To be fair, I think that they just made Pheromosa too overpowered, but the fact that they wouldn't have been able to catch it without Bewear showing up still didn't make them look that good to me. But at the same time, I think that most of these complaints just wouldn't really fit with the tone of SM or how the Ultra Beasts have been depicted in general. It feels more like fans want the concept to be explored more seriously, even though I don't think that would have been a good fitting choice. Even in the games, the Ultra Beasts are a glorified post-storyline sidequest instead of a more immediate serious threat.

Also, I am a but confused on your statement. Is complaining about Sun and Moon a bad thing? Is it an absolutelly flawless series and anyone complaining about its flaws is a tasteless douche?

To be completely clear, I never called anyone who complains about SM "a tasteless douche" nor would I agree with that sentiment. I hope that I did not give that implication and I apologize if I did. The point that I was trying to get that the whole notion that "these episodes are filler because they aren't referenced in episodes that aren't connected to them" comes off more like another excuse to complain about SM rather than a more reasonable/legit complaint. There are complains about SM that I don't agree with, but still come off as reasonable points.

 

[Galarebel]

SM is just really boring. Not trying to start a war just going with what the the topic says. If you like SM that is cool I'm not saying it is bad just not sure why people are so into it personally. I'm just more into action and edgy aesthetic and not so much into the cute stuff so maybe that is why.

 

[FinnishPokéFan92]

I personally don't mind the Ultra Guardians. I knew from the start that the Sun & Moon was going to be a more comedic series, so I personally don't mind the sillinesses that the UG episodes contain. Plus, I grew up watching the 1960s Thunderbirds show, which often reused stock footage for launch sequences, so I don't mind the Ultra Guardians using stock footage for their dressup and launch sequences.

 

[Kurolegacy]

SM is just really boring. Not trying to start a war just going with what the the topic says. If you like SM that is cool I'm not saying it is bad just not sure why people are so into it personally. I'm just more into action and edgy aesthetic and not so much into the cute stuff so maybe that is why.

Definitely agree here. I really haven’t been a fan of quite a few of Sun and Moon’s changes with the anime. I find that taking away the adventure in favor of a localized slice of life detracted from the overall experience especially when they had Ash attending school for things that just felt superfluous as he would have learned them traveling the region anyway. Do I think SoL can’t work in Pokémon? No. I fact I’d definitely watch an OVA of the city that Everyone’s Story took place in as it seemed like an interesting blend of the Pokémon world and our own with just how life went on there. But it just doesn’t work for someone like Ash at least not in long bursts. IMO, Ula’ula Island had among the best island arcs as it basically put Ash on his own away from any school things and thus felt more traditional.

I also haven’t been a fan of the more comedic tone as it felt like they leaned too much into the comedic at the expense of the experience. If I wanted to watch a slapstick show with exaggerated reactions, I’d watch one but Pokémon is not that kind of series. It has slapstick, yea, but they took it to the extra mile to the point that it just felt forced for the sake of the easy laughs and nothing showed that better than the over use of meme faces throughout the series.

I also find that Ash suffered as a trainer in this series as his training of his Pokémon is much more laid back compared to previous regions resulting in his Pokémon suffering as a result. Not only did he not even manage a full team but things that are detrimental like Rowlett sleeping all the time are left completely unchecked despite that being something that would have been addressed in any prior generation. As a whole, Ash’s team just doesn’t feel up to snuff here.

Is it all bad? No. In fact one thing that I find that future series can take from Sun and Moon is giving some time for important locations to breath and feel real as opposed to just a spot Ash stops by for a pit stop for a badge. It’d be great if in the future, we could spend a couple episodes getting to know the cities that are major and set up for Ash’s upcoming gym battle, possibly give his traveling companions some time to shine in that period. Sun and Moon also had a flare of legitimate drama that does work that the anime could use in the future. So I say, take what worked especially well and tweak what didn’t. The main key is just to find the right balance.

 

[Daenerys]

SM is just really boring. Not trying to start a war just going with what the the topic says. If you like SM that is cool I'm not saying it is bad just not sure why people are so into it personally. I'm just more into action and edgy aesthetic and not so much into the cute stuff so maybe that is why.

There are a lot of words that I could use to describe SuMo - some of them being against the rules so I won't say them - but 'boring' isn't one of them. If anything, one of my problems with SuMo is that there's often too much going on. It's like the characters can barely stand still for longer than 5 seconds before they start face faulting and fidgeting and in one case, twerking. I get the distinct impression that the animators have the characters move around a lot because we're in the age of short attention spans and they're worried that kids will tune out if they aren't constantly stimulated by what's happening on the screen.

 

[Kurolegacy]

There are a lot of words that I could use to describe SuMo - some of them being against the rules so I won't say them - but 'boring' isn't one of them. If anything, one of my problems with SuMo is that there's often too much going on. It's like the characters can barely stand still for longer than 5 seconds before they start face faulting and fidgeting and in one case, twerking. I get the distinct impression that the animators have the characters move around a lot because we're in the age of short attention spans and they're worried that kids will tune out if they aren't constantly stimulated by what's happening on the screen.

I believe the term you’re looking for is Pokémon on ADHD.

 

[Daenerys]

I believe the term you’re looking for is Pokémon on ADHD.

That's what I was attempting to imply, yeah. I just didn't say that specific acronym because I was once warned for using the word 'seizure' since apparently it's offensive, so I didn't want to take another risk. But SuMo is really the kind of series that anyone who likes bright colors and lots of energy would enjoy, so I wouldn't call it boring or dull.

 

[Galarebel]

That's what I was attempting to imply, yeah. I just didn't say that specific acronym because I was once warned for using the word 'seizure' since apparently it's offensive, so I didn't want to take another risk. But SuMo is really the kind of series that anyone who likes bright colors and lots of energy would enjoy, so I wouldn't call it boring or dull.

It is? That is like me saying cancer or even something like illness and people being offended. Yikes

 

[HiroHunter]

Why did Lana get Eevee? She has done nothing with it the whole time she had it. In fact the writers haved done nothing with Eevee its not even being used to show off Lets go because it hasn't learned any of its special moves from the games.

 

[Galarebel]

Why did Lana get Eevee? She has done nothing with it the whole time she had it. In fact the writers haved done nothing with Eevee its not even being used to so off Lets go because it hasn't learned any of its special moves from the games.

Wow that is sad they could have gave Ash a full team

 

[Kurolegacy]

Why did Lana get Eevee? She has done nothing with it the whole time she had it. In fact the writers haved done nothing with Eevee its not even being used to show off Lets go because it hasn't learned any of its special moves from the games.

Yea for all that they did with it, they could have given Ash Eevee and Lana the Dewpider from the one episode especially since Araqaunid is Lana’s main Pokémon in the games. The only thing about her Eevee that advertised Let’s Go was the unique haircut but other than that, it was a waste being a glorified plushie.

 

[Galactic_V]

Although I eventually changed my opinion, as a kid I never cared for Butterfree. Always thought it was weak (not that off I guess, I mean, how many battles it's won? I just remember the ones against Trio). I don't quite remember the reason, maybe because I missed the Bye Bye Butterfree episode the first time it aired, but I hadn't realised it was gone until someone told me xDDD