Pokemon Journeys: Thoughts So Far

[Kurolegacy]

If I have one gripe, it's that I miss the group dynamic so typical of Pokemon. I get why they've gone for a more individual approach this time, and I'm not saying its bad, but one thing I've always liked about the show is the strong comradery that develops within the group. Ash/Gou and Chloe are basically separate entities most of the time who aren't supporting each other in their respective endeavours as much as I'd like despite them being friends. A big part of this is also the severe lack of interactions between the Pokemon this time. I can't say I felt excited to see any of Ash's Pokemon. Despite how strong and popular his Pokemon are, it's by far my least favourite team of his for the simple reason I don't see enough of it outside of battling.

You know, speaking of group dynamics, this does make me wonder, are Ash and Koharu friends at this point? I mean, sure she isn’t aloof towards him like she had been at the start of the series and they are friendly towards one another but the series doesn’t really feel like it’s established a friendship dynamic between the 2 where you can say without the shadow of a doubt that they’re friends.

Like, I haven’t really them having Koharu really show much interest in Ash’s goal even doing something as small as being there to see any of Ash’s PWC matches and cheer him on even when she began to travel more. The fact that we’ve never really seen just Ash and Koharu without it being Ash, Go and Koharu to really show a dynamic it kinda makes you wonder if she sees him as a friend or just as a friend of a friend.

 

[Blob]

If I have one gripe, it's that I miss the group dynamic so typical of Pokemon. I get why they've gone for a more individual approach this time, and I'm not saying its bad, but one thing I've always liked about the show is the strong comradery that develops within the group. Ash/Gou and Chloe are basically separate entities most of the time who aren't supporting each other in their respective endeavours as much as I'd like despite them being friends. A big part of this is also the severe lack of interactions between the Pokemon this time. I can't say I felt excited to see any of Ash's Pokemon. Despite how strong and popular his Pokemon are, it's by far my least favourite team of his for the simple reason I don't see enough of it outside of battling.

Honestly, this was my issue with BW. Clemont and Iris often did their own thing away from Ash. At least the Pokémon development was a bit better...

 

[Unireon]

I would like an episode focused only on Satoshi and Koharu; if relationships with or between Pokemon aren't as important now, at least develop those among the human main cast.

 

[Die-Hard Dragon Devotee]

You know, speaking of group dynamics, this does make me wonder, are Ash and Koharu friends at this point? I mean, sure she isn’t aloof towards him like she had been at the start of the series and they are friendly towards one another but the series doesn’t really feel like it’s established a friendship dynamic between the 2 where you can say without the shadow of a doubt that they’re friends.

Like, I haven’t really them having Koharu really show much interest in Ash’s goal even doing something as small as being there to see any of Ash’s PWC matches and cheer him on even when she began to travel more. The fact that we’ve never really seen just Ash and Koharu without it being Ash, Go and Koharu to really show a dynamic it kinda makes you wonder if she sees him as a friend or just as a friend of a friend.

Well, in one of the episodes featuring Dawn's return, Chloe mentions to Dawn when Dawn was mentioning Ash that she "has a friend just like that" and she was referring to Ash, so it's safe to assume she at least thinks of him as that much.

 

[Enzo]

Well, in one of the episodes featuring Dawn's return, Chloe mentions to Dawn when Dawn was mentioning Ash that she "has a friend just like that" and she was referring to Ash, so it's safe to assume she at least thinks of him as that much.

Well, yeah. But we don't really see them interacting.

At first she was a bit rude and condescending towards him, but she did change. But it's just that I literally cannot describe their relationship. Like, what they do together, what things they bond over, even moments where they interact all by themselves. I don't recall a single moment they had that Goh wasn't around, really. I feel like @Kurolegacy explains this one better than me and I make their words mine.

 

[Unireon]

At first she was a bit rude and condescending towards him, but she did change. But it's just that I literally cannot describe their relationship. Like, what they do together, what things they bond over, even moments where they interact all by themselves.

It's the same thing that plagues Journeys....

Just Tell and Don't Show. Expecting that we'd accept that.
Why couldn't they make an episode that showed that development?

It could have been a good plot.

 

[Jewel the Quaxly]

Honestly, I'm just waiting for Goh's backstory to show up again in a way that isn't contrived. Like, I want to see an episode dedicated to showing how Koharu first became close with Go. What made her approach him? Did they bond over something? How did they first formally meet each other? Go's story of never being able to make any friends and how it was showcased in the Drizzile episode really felt like a waste to me, even more so now that Drizzile has evolved into Inteleon. If they weren't going to use it properly, then why not use it to flesh out the literal protagonist and Chloe?

 

[Unireon]

I doubt that the writers would do that.

To them, his backstory is just a plot resource to use when needed.
That's why it comes as cheap drama.

I'd rather focus on Koharu, her episodes has been the best of this series.

 

[marshiyanmisuta]

Even though they're nominally friends, I think she still see him as Gou's weird partner.

 

[Unireon]

It is really hard to feel anything towards those Pokemon.

They aren't real characters, the series never bothered to develop them.

 

[Reborn Talonflame]

It is really hard to feel anything towards those Pokemon.

They aren't real characters, the series never bothered to develop them.

I deleted my comment cause I couldn’t really get my point across as I wanted to, but, pretty much.

 

[Reborn Talonflame]

It just dawned on me after the mentions of Rainbow TR and the Cyrus connection in the upcoming Winter Arc, there’s no evil team/antagonists to Journeys, and poor TR can’t even get a nose in (we’ve known that for quite some time).
S&M really didn’t have Team Skull until fairly late in the series, but the idea behind establishing the characters and their family dynamic, with their own set goals on each island, was enough to carry the show. That’s when you consider the impact left by the Lusamine and Nebby arc, the show was never really left without a drive and edge. D&P and Advanced had them throughout, whilst the series that lacked engagement through little goals asides from Ash’s, B&W and Johto, didn’t have reoccurring bad-guys.

Perhaps that’s another reason Journeys seems stale at times, the lack of themes portrayed against the protagonists by opposition. There just isn’t enough against them to make a challenge. Well, does Journeys need an evil team? I’m not really sure where they would fit, but when I think about it, seeing an exclusive-anime evil team would have been cool, which attempts to become the strongest organisation, via completely taking over resources from around the regions (Pokemon, Mega Evolution, Dynamax, Z-Moves, rare items from towns, etc.). They could of tied them into Project Mew. It could just be a more in-depth TR, but seeing Giovanni again would be too much.
At this point, I honestly would think it would just be lazy and completely pointless to bring back Chairman Rose, as he would come across more like a joke villain than anything serious, and what storyline would he even offer at this point?

Well, I guess there’s the chance Project Mew might have antagonists, right? Besides poachers? Surely there’s someone out there that wants to be evil enough to gain this information? Hunter J is still alive, somehow? Maybe Journeys doesn’t need one. We struggle enough with too many plot-points wanting to be juggled.

 

[Greninjaman]

Well, I guess there’s the chance Project Mew might have antagonists, right? Besides poachers? Surely there’s someone out there that wants to be evil enough to gain this information? Hunter J is still alive, somehow? Maybe Journeys doesn’t need one. We struggle enough with too many plot-points wanting to be juggled.

Seeing as Mew is involved, I would not be surprised if there are antagonists.

 

[PkmnTrainerV]

Honestly, what I want from Project Mew is a compelling reason for us to root for Goh. Why does he in particular deserve Mew when there are trainers who have done much more, trained their entire lives and gone though many difficult trials to even get a glimpse at it? Why does he deserve it more than, for instance, Professor Oak? Or Gary? Or any other member of Project Mew?

 

[Reborn Talonflame]

Morty’s Gengar - Lost to Ash’s Noctowl
Acerola’s Gengar - Lost to Kiawe’s Marowak
Fantina’s Gengar - Lost to Ash’s Buziel
Drake’s Gengar - Tied with Ash’s Lapras
Ash’s Gengar - One Victory, from three battles (Luxray, potential victory, and Miensaho switched out; Raichu, Lucario, Rotom, Electrode outcome determined with one victory, and three losses, one of which it got battered in)

Wow. Journeys doesn’t just give Gengar a rough time, the WHOLE anime does. For quite a favourite Pokemon among fans, they really haven’t done it justice have they?
Kind of makes you think, what did Gengar do to the writers? Does it have a type of the Porygon writing rule?

 

[Nicolas721]

Morty’s Gengar - Lost to Ash’s Noctowl
Acerola’s Gengar - Lost to Kiawe’s Marowak
Fantina’s Gengar - Lost to Ash’s Buziel
Drake’s Gengar - Tied with Ash’s Lapras

All of those characters were gym leaders or hurdles that were meant to be beaten so it's completely natural their Gengar was defeated. You could make the same case for Onix, Magmar, Arcanine, Scizor and other Mons that have been spammed in battles.

Since the series is written from a protagonist point of view, if a Pokemon isn't in the main cast and isn't a rival or champion's ace chances are that it's battle record is going to be terrible.

 

[Reborn Talonflame]

All of those characters were gym leaders or hurdles that were meant to be beaten so it's completely natural their Gengar was defeated. You could make the same case for Onix, Magmar, Arcanine, Scizor and other Mons that have been spammed in battles.

Since the series is written from a protagonist point of view, if a Pokemon isn't in the main cast and isn't a rival or champion's ace chances are that it's battle record is going to be terrible.

Those are good points, it’s just I find it hilarious to look at and had to file. Like, you’d think there’d be at least more than one win somewhere along the line, especially for a favourite like Gengar.

 

[Ghost Diplocaulus]

Those are good points, it’s just I find it hilarious to look at and had to file. Like, you’d think there’d be at least more than one win somewhere along the line, especially for a favourite like Gengar.

Well, Agatha used a Gengar against Ash at the start of the Battle Frontier arc and it beat Pikachu pretty handily.

 

[Die-Hard Dragon Devotee]

Well, Agatha used a Gengar against Ash at the start of the Battle Frontier arc and it beat Pikachu pretty handily.

That's also a good point. Anybody happen to remember that ancient, giant Gengar from The Ancient Puzzle of Pokemopolis? That one was almost like a god and nigh unstoppable! Of course, that particular Gengar was quite different from normal Gengar, but I thought I'd bring it up nonetheless.

 

[Kurolegacy]

Anyone else notice that Ash’s Galar Pokémon really seem to be getting the short end of the stick this saga? Pikachu has been consistently used and has both a Z-Move and G-Max, Dragonite is a Titan in battle, Lucario has gotten Mega Evolution and even Gengar, who hasn’t been too hot, is getting G-Max. Meanwhile Dracovish barely has a presence even for how badly they’ve been at showing Ash’s Pokémon and Sirfetch’d seems to job all over the place and hasn’t gotten to shine since its evolution. Add that to the fact that, for the current Gen being 8 yet Ash only has 2 Pokémon of that Gen and it just hasn’t been a good showing.