Let's get the TRio more screentime in PM!

[ii kanji]

Now that a new series has started, this thread has probably outlived its utility. Unfortunately, things don't look like they're going to get much better for the Rocket TRio in the immediate future, which is a shame as they were unanimously regarded as one of the few good things in an otherwise uninspiring episode this week.

Fans are not the only ones unhappy with this situation:

Hayashibara: We'll do anything so please, just let the Rocket-Dan appear!!
Miki: It seems like we're more looking forward to getting appearances in the show ourselves than we are with telling fans to look forward to us appearing in it (laughs)
Inuyama: Anyway, please support the Rocket-Dan. We're still in the early stages of recording (for the new series) but so far we haven't appeared all that much... That's why we hope you'll let the staff know that you want them to “put the Rocket-Dan in more episodes!” We're counting on you.

I've seen a couple of you asking how we act on this, so I've taken it upon myself to gather information and formulate a plan of action!:

1. Create a Twitter account if you don't have one already (it took me 5 minutes)​

Spoiler: Rationale

We hit Twitter because it's a quick means of communication that the anime execs are starting to engage with, with their new PR account. Also, whilst we don't have all the facts about BW, we do know that the Rocket Dan Secret Empire Twitter account was the major global platform for Rocket trio fans during the radio's run.

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2. Tweet your love for the TRio, in Japanese or short, simple English sentences. (Emojis are of course an international language...)​

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Spoiler: Some generic Japanese phrases to use

Thanks to @Musajirou and Retsuya for providing these:​

• I'm looking forward to Team Rocket in the new Pokemon series = 新しいポケットモンスターシリーズのロケット団お楽しみしています!
• Team Rocket were awesome this week! I’m looking forward to their next appearance! = 今週のロケット団かっこよかった! 次回お楽しみして!
• I missed Team Rocket this week. = 今回ロケット団出られないから寂しい。
• I hope to see Team Rocket more frequently. = ロケット団の出番がもっと多くなるように祈っています。
• I hope to see Team Rocket again soon. = ロケット団をまたすぐに見たら嬉しいです。

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3. Use the #ロケット団応援団 hashtag (in English #TeamRocketCheerSquad) - Inuko did ask us to cheer them on, and this hashtag is starting to gain traction​

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Spoiler: Other important hashtags

Apparently you're meant to use the other major, relevant hashtags in conjunction to further the reach of the tweet.​

• #ロケット団 and/or #TeamRocket/#RocketDan/RokettoDan/whatever takes your fancy
• #アニポケ and/or #anipoke

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4. Tweet to @anipoke_PR, the official anime Twitter​

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Spoiler: Other potentially relevant staff members you could tweet

• @inuko55inuyama - Inuko Inuyama who voices Nyasu
• @Sunma47 - Masafumi Mima the Sound Director and creator of the Rocket Trio's Radio Show
• @fujimarl - Junichi Fujisaku, screenwriter

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5. Don't be an arse towards anime staff members, duh, and also don't make a nuisance of yourself. Whatever happens the last thing this fandom needs is any more Amourshipping/Dexit type bullshit.​

(I am a Twitter no0b so I've gathered this information from friends/via osmosis. If anyone thinks this strategy can be improved, or knows any other relevant official accounts to Tweet at, or has anything at all to add, by all means say so and I will update this post!)

Let's go get our favourite lovely, charming villains more screentime!
~ @iiiiikanji

 

[Rockapheller]

I don't complain they are not in every episode, tbh. I most definitely wouldn't like to see them like they appeared in Johto, stealing the thunder with a scam which is obvious from the beginning that they will fail by the end of the episode. Their routine appearances kill the creativity of plots derived in my humble opinion. I am fine that they appear when they are relevant.

 

[Galar Adventurer]

I wouldn't mind Team Rocket appearing more often but only if they're handled the way they were in SM where they did their own thing and didn't chase after the Pokémon of the Day/Ash and Pikachu.

 

[Silktree]

I think that a 57% appearance rate is pretty reasonable, although maybe it should be increased to 66.6% or so. I'm going to tweet a picture of Miyamoto and Mew instead.

I like TRio, but they seriously need something more than failed capture attempts and cute interactions with their Pokemon.

 

[Daenerys]

I love TRio as much as the next person, but I thought that the amount of screentime that they got in SuMo was sufficient. I mean there's only so much TRio shenanigans that the series can handle before it starts getting repetitive, so imo the less attention they get in this new series the better. Hopefully it'll mean that the writers are actually gonna write quality scenes for the TRio when they do show up. Anyway, I'll help out just because I like social causes involving the Pokemon franchise.

 

[Dogasu]

Anything less than 75% is unacceptable.

 

[ii kanji]

Although I don’t agree that their SM spawn rate was adequate, I understand the concern about them not appearing where unneeded. Even other TRio fans were irritated by some of their mandatory appearances during DP.

However there were a number of dull fillers during SM which people (including some of those who actively dislike the TRio!) felt would have benefitted from their presence. I really think a little more strategically placed TRio will do a world of good for everyone. Especially in a series with such a small core cast...

Anything less than 75% is unacceptable.

Totally agree, which is why Dogasu can you please give the #ロケット団応援団 hashtag a signal boost? I think you have a few more followers than me

Thanks to those of you who have joined the efforts so far!

 

[RetroPokeFan]

I'd be up for more Team Rocket...
just as long as they get to do far more like with Sun & Moon and not just constantly attempting to catch Pikachu or some other random Pokemon over and over again which would get old fast.

 

[Gabo2oo]

If there's anything I've learned recently is that you have to ask for the 200% in oder to get a 10%. So if I want the TRio to appear more, I would never tweet to say "I love Team Rocket and see more of them! But not TOO much though..." It's impossible they'd revert to DP-style "mandatory" appearances just because we ask to see more of them so that's definetly not something we have to worry about.

I think as long as we give feedback and make the staff realize that Team Rocket are beloved characters, it could mean more frequent appearences. The writers would have to come up with ideas for them, but they're clearly aware making them steal the Pokémon of the week is a tired concept. They'd naturally find the potential for stories with them because they do indeed have tons of potential as characters.

The only problem here is that the Rocket fanbase is mostly composed by young adults, as far as I see. Not to say kids don't love Team Rocket, but maybe they aren't so vocal online about it as us, and it's obviously them who really count for the higher-ups.

 

[Beatsy Ray]

Not trying to get burned at the stake, but I think using Team Rocket more conservatively could be a very good thing for them. In my eyes and many others, SM Team Rocket was them at their absolute best, and I think their more limited screen time had a lot to do with that. Team Rocket are some of my favorite characters, but when they're forced into every episode it becomes really hard to appreciate them, and in some cases I'm just inclined to skip their scenes because of how predictable they've gotten.

Having fewer episodes will also allow them to have a story arc of their own that isn't constantly interrupted by the required daily 'Pikachu get' attempts. Think of Diamond and Pearl where Jessie seemed way more interested in contests than stealing Pokemon, and James and Meowth were fully on board. It was a great storyline that once again hinted at how successful these three could be if they quit the team, but it was soured by the filler in between requiring the trio to revert back to their generic schemes just for plot's sake. Not to mention that leaving Team Rocket out of more episodes would force the writers to think of actually interesting conflicts other than 'Ash discovers Pokemon--Team Rocket appears--Beats team rocket--To be continued...'. That's especially important if this series is going to be as filler heavy as it sounds.

 

[Twilight-Kun]

If TRio only appears in 20% of the new series, it'll only be a good thing so they don't become forced plot contrivances to kick off a conflict.

 

[RustyTrubbish]

I think it's a case of too little too late. The Team Rocket trio has steadily been getting less and less screentime as the years pass and it all started nearly a decade ago in BW with no improvement in sight. I do feel bad for their voice actors cuz they're probably getting paid less now that they don't record as many lines, but at this stage maybe it's time to just deal with it and...

 

[Johtohfiller]

The only problem here is that the Rocket fanbase is mostly composed by young adults, as far as I see. Not to say kids don't love Team Rocket, but maybe they aren't so vocal online about it as us, and it's obviously them who really count for the higher-ups.

My view might be skewed since I was already older than the target audience when the series debuted but I doubt the Rockets lack kid appeal. Though I don't know how they'd gauge that other than maybe toy sales.

I think it's a case of too little too late.

I mean it's not like they actually listened when fans didn't like the Super Serious Rockets.

 

[TRNatalie]

...I think people are confusing ‘we want the Rockets to appear more’ with ‘we want them to be forcibly shoehorned into every episode doing the same old routine’. Of course we don’t want the latter, nobody wants that, we just want to see them more than once or twice in a winter, being the goofy but good hearted villains we love with bonds with their Pokémon, sympathetic backstories that could be explored further (along with entertaining characters and Pokémon that people would love to see return), even expressing empathy towards the main heroes (like Lillie, Nyaheat, Ash’s Charizard, Serena’s Braixen) or even a character of the day on occasion (Orville the Pidgey, those old villagers with the Diglett). I get people’s concern of going back to the old formula and them being forced into every episode but I think the numbers from the last few sagas reflect that that will not be the case. A friend of ours did the math and here’s their appearance rate for the last three series:
BW=57.74%
XY=84.28%
SM=57.53%

Now we can argue quality over quantity and I can say I would gladly take the TRio’s writing in SM over XY’s many but confused appearances... but come on, can’t there be an appearance rate between 58% and 84%?! Why not 65%? 70%? 75%? Heck, 60% would be good! I know people say part of why SM was good was because they limited the Rockets appearances to when they were necessary but honestly I found way more instances where harm was caused by them being absent especially during the Poni Island drought.

First of all, their Pokémon especially Mimikkyu. Now don’t get me wrong, I love Mimikyu but I cannot stand it post Poni Island. For those that don’t know, from the span of SM 38 to SM 91, Mimikkyu obeyed Musashi just fine as long as Pikachu wasn’t around. Then jump to SM 111. While it’s friendly towards the TRio when they’re just hanging out, it’s reverted back to its pre-SM 38 state of not fighting anyone but Pikachu even when the group is under threat (which you could argue goes against its SM 25 character). While I can’t a hundred percent say that this was why, I fully hold the 20 EPISODE LONG DISAPPEARANCE of it between SM 91 and SM 111 responsible, which came a large part from the TRio’s long absences during that time, for that sudden drop in it’s character development. Also Hidoide needed a lot more screen time than she ended up getting. Also can I just say how unfair that drought was to poor Nuikoguma. It got reunited with it’s mother and became part of the group in SM 96... and then got swept under a large Team Rocket drought and the return of Brock and Misty and once it finally was able to start getting screen time, it spent most of it’s time offscreen with Kiteruguma. While we still were able to get some nice moments between it and the TRio (like Musashi snuggling with it in SM 113 or it trying to make Nyasu feel better in SM 114), how much more impactful would TRio saving it in SM 122 and SM 139 if it had gotten more screen time devoted to it and we (along with the TRio) spent more time with it, time that instead went to a fake-out goodbye for Rotom, lots and lots of talking about cooking in the Poni Island arc, etc. I honestly would not be surprised if part of the reason the writers have the TRio the gacha machine is because of their absences and how that would impact any actual catches the TRio would have.

Two, the Rockets very limited interactions with the main character group, not just on a stealing Pokémon front but from a character interaction standpoint. We didn’t get any work together episodes, no stuck with each other episodes. We did get some fun interaction episodes like the baseball episode of SM 28, the play episode of SM 93, Nyasu and Nyaheat’s thing, and even the TRio standing up for Lillie in SM 49 but there was so much more that could’ve been done but because their screen time was so limited, we didn’t get much. For example, how much more fun would the shrinking episode, SM 83, have been if they’d gotten into shenanigans at TRio’s food truck for a while or just happened to pass by and the TRio wonder if they were going crazy or are the brats tiny? And even when they did have interactions with other characters (or there were characters where there were lots of potential cough cough Hau along with their main job of being donut and malasada salesmen cough cough Alolan Persian cough cough), they mostly got dropped by the the time the Poni drought came to an end (The Skull Gang trio, Nyaheat, their friendship with Acerola and Nanu, the Royal Mask announcer jobs and Kojiro’s fan friendship with Faba, even Kojiro’s thirst for vengeance against the Meltan). I don’t think Nyasu even knows that Nyaheat evolved (at least canonically).

Not to mention the missed opportunity that was Memories in the Mist. There was a perfect opportunity to reference Miyamoto but because the TRio weren’t around at all in the Poni Island arc, a golden opportunity was lost. Now that we have a third chance with a character that’s entire goal is finding Mew, I don’t want another opportunity to be lost because Musashi isn’t appearing in episodes. Also there was the whole dropped “trying to get jobs at the school” subplot and the gang rivalry between the Skull trio so yeah, there were more issues that came from the trio’s absences then benefits.

Long story short, SM’s Rockets weren’t good because their screen time was 57%, it was good because the writing for them was good and because their characters matched the nature of the series (goofy, mostly lighthearted but occasionally dark, taking place in a limited few locations with focus on how characters live their lives when they’re not busy traveling and doing their usual shtick). There’s a reason why many people have said SM was so much better when it was following them.

Also I have to say it; Megumi (Musashi) and Inuko (Nyasu) are already voicing Hibunny and Yamper respectfully, why shouldn’t they get to play the characters they love? The seiyuus have been very vocal about how much they love the TRio and how much of a part the TRio is of them. If not as fans, shouldn’t we ask for more TRio for their sakes?

Anyway sorry for the long essay but I’m definitely helping out with this. I’ve never had a Twitter before and I don’t know how to write in Japanese but I will help in every way I can.

 

[Dogasu]

I think some people need to review their outdated talking points. The idea that all the Rocket trio ever does is just show up, try to get Pikachu, fail, and then blasts off hasn't really been true for over a decade now at this point.

 

[Cybersai]

I think some people need to review their outdated talking points. The idea that all the Rocket trio ever does is just show up, try to get Pikachu, fail, and then blasts off hasn't really been true for over a decade now at this point.

It's still true more often than not, especially back in XY. I remember after BW ended people wondered what the TRio would be like. They were in almost every XY episode again doing the same things they did in AG/DP.

Speaking of that, I find it odd people act like just because of SM, we rarely see TR since BW started. I think TR only missed about 6-7 XY eps overall. They were basically AG/DP TR again in XY.

 

[Dogasu]

Well, XY=84.28%, as shared by TRNatalie, so it's a fair bit more than "only 6-7 XY eps."

And also they didn't just "show up, try to get Pikachu, fail, and then blast off" in every AG or DP episode either.

 

[SonansuMan]

At this point I'd rather them have gotten a proper sendoff in SM to save the disappointment of barely getting to see them (or even their personalities) this series. I know it's still fairly early, but only appearing once out of 7 episodes is concerning.

 

[Rocket Messiah]

I Dont know

I was excited for this series I mean it was something different at the begining a world tour, It sounded good.

And now I just want this to be a Galar Region series AS IT SHOULD BE, please Pokemon GO have been here for 3 years and its been declining long since, why we have all of this now??

There is a lot of things wrong with our favourite Team

1-Why are they not there? They could have appeared in today episode for example its in Kanto Team Rocket main territory why they were not there? I know we should give importance to our favourite Yaoi couple but come on WE NEED ANTAGONISTS THIS IS NOT YOKAI WATCH
2- Rental Pokemon!!! Tauros c..... TRio have benefited of Pokemon who love them and viceversa if you remove that then this is not the TRio.
3- Are they confined in Kanto or what, why are they not interested in Galar??
4-The excuses of not having a plot cause its on Sundays? What is the point of this we need and objective Go has Mew? How is he going to catch here? Does he have a plan? HELLO WE NEED A PLOT THIS IS NOT YOKAI WATCH
5-TEAM ROCKET IS UNDERUSED

No more questions your Honor

 

[Gotapennaame]

Two, the Rockets very limited interactions with the main character group, not just on a stealing Pokémon front but from a character interaction standpoint. We didn’t get any work together episodes, no stuck with each other episodes. We did get some fun interaction episodes like the baseball episode of SM 28, the play episode of SM 93, Nyasu and Nyaheat’s thing, and even the TRio standing up for Lillie in SM 49 but there was so much more that could’ve been done but because their screen time was so limited, we didn’t get much. For example, how much more fun would the shrinking episode, SM 83, have been if they’d gotten into shenanigans at TRio’s food truck for a while or just happened to pass by and the TRio wonder if they were going crazy or are the brats tiny? And even when they did have interactions with other characters (or there were characters where there were lots of potential cough cough Hau along with their main job of being donut and malasada salesmen cough cough Alolan Persian cough cough), they mostly got dropped by the the time the Poni drought came to an end (The Skull Gang trio, Nyaheat, their friendship with Acerola and Nanu, the Royal Mask announcer jobs and Kojiro’s fan friendship with Faba, even Kojiro’s thirst for vengeance against the Meltan). I don’t think Nyasu even knows that Nyaheat evolved (at least canonically).

Those forced to work together episodes are my drug man. I do need more of thoose.