Has Dawn been Forgotten About as DP has Progressed?

[PDL]

I didn't know it was bad to wear girl clothing or do anything feminine. Good to know.

 

[Blue Harvest]

Yeah but whatever Dawn doesn't have strong pokemon like May did anyways

Mamoswine says hi.

 

[Ho-oh]

Mamoswine is still reletively weak compared to May's Pokémon, and indeed Dawn is still overall the weaker trainer.

 

[PDL]

Mamoswine is still reletively weak compared to May's Pokémon, and indeed Dawn is still overall the weaker trainer.

Considering that Dawn has a bit more to go in her development, it's hardly fair to compare her to May now (Who's now in "post-development". Most of her Pokémon have now evolved, save for a few like Skitty and Munchlax, this pretty much reflects her skill as a trainer).

The anime always needs to have a "newbie" in the group to initiate newcomers to the Pokémon franchise and get them familar with the terms. It's also far more interesting to see someone start off inexperienced, and see them grow and develop then to see someone who's already "developed" and leave it at that.

 

[Juuchan17]

Eh, I have to agree - Dawn has been placed on the back-burner despite her still being there as a part of the main group.

I remember the first set of eps were mostly focused on her being a new trainer and the whole "Contest" thing, but I feel that now the subject is moving towards other things . . . (gyms, battles, that sort of thing) and she's just a witness in my opinion.

And yeah, I feel the dub over time has totally made Ash the "star character" - the show is all about his main journey and Dawn is just joining him for the ride in Sinnoh (yes, the crazy, crazy ride that usually leads up to EPIC battles, legendary sightings, and other weird/cool events). (Remember the dub of Cardcaptor Sakura? GAHH.) Pokemon seems to be made out for a young-male audience in the US, so it's normal for her not to be as important as Ash . . . but she is a main character. (Meh, I think I just confused myself.)

However, I also feel that Dawn's role does seem to be almost equal to Ash thus far - we have to remember that she is new to this whole thing, so don't get upset if she acts like a brat or something.

Also, we could obviously play the "but she's a girl" card here . . . I've noticed that female characters are usually made into these characters that sometimes do something to help the main character but are usually left just to observe and pray for the best. I hate stuff like that, but meh.

I think that Dawn's just there as "fanservice" for the fans. Besides, if she wasn't there, somebody'd be pissed at the lack of a female main character. (We probably would know some people who would do that.)

But . . . I do hope she actually gets more focus. She's just as important as any other character on DP so far, so why not let us remember why she's here in the first place?

- Juuchan17

 

[Sleet]

I don't really think the writers are obligated to write her in equally as much as Ash. If he weren't the most important character, why has he been in (almost?) every episode, even as regions change? I don't mind Dawn losing focus, as long as nothing is forced, and she actually gets enough lines/plots to justify her existing.

 

[Olaf-symbiote]

I wish the writers would give her Pokémon other than Piplup some screen time.

Once we'll get to the possible BF arc, the writers will likely focus on her more with the new contests.

 

[PDL]

Yeah, I also kinda agree that they've written Dawn into a corner in terms of what Pokémon is on her team.

Piplup, being the second mascot of DP is much like Pikachu in that it's not going to evolve.

Buneary is probably not going to evolve either because not only do Pokémon that need happiness to evolve take an extremely long time to do so in the anime, but it would be strange to have a Lopunny on the team. They may also lose the running gag of Buneary's crush on Pikachu (if they ever reference it again...)

Pachirisu can't evolve.

Currently, the only Pokémon on Dawn's team right now that can receive some character development would be Mamoswine. Dawn just needs to be able enough to control such a beast.

The other option would be for Dawn to catch a new Pokémon, which would be pretty unlikely for the time being...

 

[Cybersai]

I just wish the Ambipom fiasco didn't happen. That was by the worst mistake they made, not only because we all thought that stuff ended with Kanto/Orange, but because now it seems like all that development and screentime Aipom got was now wasted.

Funnily enough Ambipom is still in the Japanese opening with Buizel, they're either too lazy to edit it out or its possible we might see it again.

 

[ii kanji]

Well, I've heard the suggestion of League ---> Masara Town ---> Kuchiba City (where Eteboss is?) ---> via that boat ---> Asagi City.

So maybe they'll see it/pick it up again if they do that route?

 

[Duckgon Z]

Yeah, I also kinda agree that they've written Dawn into a corner in terms of what Pokémon is on her team.

Piplup, being the second mascot of DP is much like Pikachu in that it's not going to evolve.

Buneary is probably not going to evolve either because not only do Pokémon that need happiness to evolve take an extremely long time to do so in the anime, but it would be strange to have a Lopunny on the team. They may also lose the running gag of Buneary's crush on Pikachu (if they ever reference it again...)

Pachirisu can't evolve.

Currently, the only Pokémon on Dawn's team right now that can receive some character development would be Mamoswine. Dawn just needs to be able enough to control such a beast.

The other option would be for Dawn to catch a new Pokémon, which would be pretty unlikely for the time being...

True, I've noticed that when "character development" happens in this show, it almost always happens with the help of a few evolutions. With Dawn only gone through 1 Pokemon evolving (Ambipom left), how does she show her "growth" when she leaves? She's got Mamoswine already, so unless Buneary evolves in Dawn's last episode, we have no real measuring stick to see her development.

 

[PDL]

True, I've noticed that when "character development" happens in this show, it almost always happens with the help of a few evolutions. With Dawn only gone through 1 Pokemon evolving (Ambipom left), how does she show her "growth" when she leaves? She's got Mamoswine already, so unless Buneary evolves in Dawn's last episode, we have no real measuring stick to see her development.

I've mentioned it already, but the other option would be to have Dawn get a new Pokémon to work with. They had Ambipom leave for a reason. (Aside from not much else they can do with it... They've already established all it can do.)

Despite what some people may think, there's still quite a bit of time for Dawn during this DS era. With HGSS on the way, there's a distinct possiblity that they'll give Dawn a Pokémon that "represents" those games. In much the same way May received Bulbasaur and Squirtle.

 

[Weedle Mchairybug]

Despite what some people may think, there's still quite a bit of time for Dawn during this DS era. With HGSS on the way, there's a distinct possiblity that they'll give Dawn a Pokémon that "represents" those games. In much the same way May received Bulbasaur and Squirtle.

There's also the distinct possibility that they'll just replace Dawn with the HGSS girl instead (especially since, by the time Ash competes in the Pokemon League, Platinum's going to be outdated and HGSS will be most recent.).

 

[ii kanji]

It's a possibility, yes. But distinct? No. Did they replace Haruka Leaf for BF#1?

 

[Weedle Mchairybug]

It's a possibility, yes. But distinct? No. Did they replace Haruka Leaf for BF#1?

You do realize that Emerald was most focused on when they did BF, right? I still don't like the fact that they didn't give Leaf a main role, or heck, any appearance, for that matter. However, since HGSS is going to be more recent, and besides which HGSS Girl is going to also be a secondary character, they may replace Dawn with her.

 

[Ampharos King]

Dawn/Hikari has always been a major focus in DP, but I agree, her role in the series is fairly downplayed at this point.
Up until the Wallace Cup, Dawn was always the main attraction of the series. The majority of the episodes were spent on training her pokemon in contests, or otherwise meet people like herself who doubt their abilities. Now, her importance has lessened to the point of being important in about 1-2 episodes out of every 15-20, roughly the time it takes her to receive a ribbon.
I believe it is because Dawn herself has already established a team full of powerhouses, even with Ambipom gone, that there is little point in trying to convey her more as a main character. The only pokemon in her possession we have yet to see contest development is Mamoswine/Manmoo, and it is safe to say it might very well be used in a contest for the fifth ribbon.

 

[JB88]

I think this is a natural occurrence in the anime. It happens with all the secondary characters. I guess I've to live with the fact that everyone goes ordinary and don't stand out like always in their premiere episodes.

 

[Cybersai]

Does anyone want to speculate why most of her Contests are only 1 episode? You'd think that they would make them all 2-parters.

 

[Mooites]

Because Dawn's contests are boring? They used all the juicy stuff with May, Dawn's are stale.

 

[Dogasu]

There was no need to bump this thread.