Pokemon XY Anime: 10 years later

[Die-Hard Dragon Devotee]

(I just realized, this'll be my first time starting a thread here on the forums! Only took me two years! )

Not sure if the X and Y: 10 years later thread that Finnish started was for the XY games, the anime, or both, but I'm going to assume the former, which is why I'm making this thread, so we can all talk about my favorite series of the entire Pokemon anime: the XY series.

 

[Dr. Gro 3001]

I'll say this about the X and Y anime. It had some of the best gym battles in the entire series. The only battles that I have any issues with are the battles with Wulfric. I am not a fan of how inconsistent they made his Avalugg. Sure, with Ice Body, it is able to tank tens upon tens of hits. But in the rematch, it falls to a few attacks. Otherwise, I did like the batles being an obstacle for Ash and Greninja to overcome to master Ash-Greninja. Plus, Mega Abomasnow vs. Ash-Greninja was still pretty fun to watch.

 

[Daren]

So here's something I read fairly recently on a Japanese wiki that's "interesting if true" (both in regards to the original statement AND assuming the translation turned out accurate)--supposedly, the way XY was written was at least partly in response to the B/W2 animated trailer, after many fans were talking about how they wish the anime was like that instead of what it actually was.

 

[Max1996]

To me, XY(&Z) is the peak of the Ash saga of the anime.

 

[RetroPokeFan]

Even if it's still got some bad bits here and there (but then again every series does) XY was still a great series that finally got the show back on track after Black and White went completely off the rails by the end.

Serena, Clemont and Bonnie were great companions. The battles were great and featured the 3D camera giving them an incredible depth never seen before in the series. I loooved the Mega Evolution Specials (and still do) with the characters from them eventually migrating over to the main series. Ash-Greninja brought the hype train through the roof for many (even if Alain and BLASTO BUUURN Charizard brought everyone back down to Earth with the last time Ash would lose a league) and the Team Flare arc...

oh that arc, what a fantastic way to bring the main story to a close. It did wonders for Lysandre and the others who were lacking in the games.

 

[skynerel]

Almost skipped XY after how awful BW was. Then realized that they corrected course with this series and decided to catch up. It was a wonderful watch! The animation and choreography for pokemon battles was the best. The evil team climax was the best, not that it had much competition to begin with…

 

[PokeMasterLA]

I can’t believe it’s been a whole decade since the XY anime. This series had the best animation and art style, that it doesn’t even feel like it’s from 10 years ago.

This would also be the last series (as of this writing) that followed the original gym quest formula that started in OS.

 

[Nicolas721]

The animation is truly amazing and is what Pokemon deserves. The cities are extremely detailed, the natural environments look good, characters are at their bests, there is a lot of experimentation with shadows and the battles can become very dynamic with crazy camera angles and calculated Pokemon movements.

But everything else...hasn't aged that well to be honest. Ash and Serena's arcs feel like inferior versions of DP Ash and May's, Clemont and Bonnie are likeable but are often pushed to the background, rivals range from very underdeveloped to okay, continuity is laughably non-existant, villain arc only starts 2/3 through the series and doesn't become the main plot until the end, there is a Johto-level amount of fillers at the beginning...

I do not hate this series, it's still Pokemon, but looking back at how SM surpassed it in drama and JN in battles and payoff, it really feels like it has less value nowadays than what the fans give it.

 

[Daren]

I do not hate this series, it's still Pokemon, but looking back at how SM surpassed it in drama and JN in battles and payoff, it really feels like it has less value nowadays than what the fans give it.

I personally think XY is hurt a lot by the fact it was ultimately chained to the status quo--and was in fact the last series that was--so despite their high ambitions they couldn't do anything with any long term effects.

Edit: Truthfully, at times I wonder if frustrations with that is why several writers left after it concluded.

 

[Alola]

I do not hate this series, it's still Pokemon, but looking back at how SM surpassed it in drama and JN in battles and payoff, it really feels like it has less value nowadays than what the fans give it.

I disagree - I think XY(Z) had the best battles, when you consider the whole picture. Most of the fights, even battles Ash would have on the road, were dynamic, had great music, were well choreographed, completely lacked blurred backgrounds (!), had very detailed environments (ex. Viola's greenhouse, Olympia's platform, etc.) and were interesting overall. We also got them more often than we did in Journeys, whose notable battles mostly come from the show's last quarter/final year of episodes. Screentime was also better spaced out too regarding Ash's party (though not perfect; here's looking at Noivern & Goodra), whereas Journeys focused a lot on Pikachu, Lucario, & Dragonite, to the detriment of the others.

 

[Daren]

I disagree - I think XY(Z) had the best battles, when you consider the whole picture. Most of the fights, even battles Ash would have on the road, were dynamic, had great music, were well choreographed, completely lacked blurred backgrounds (!), had very detailed environments (ex. Viola's greenhouse, Olympia's platform, etc.) and were interesting overall.

It's honestly wild comparing the way XY battles were animated to the other series'. It's a huge shame it turned out too difficult to keep up the animation quality once Ash was finally allowed to start winning.

 

[Nicolas721]

I disagree - I think XY(Z) had the best battles, when you consider the whole picture. Most of the fights, even battles Ash would have on the road, were dynamic, had great music, were well choreographed, completely lacked blurred backgrounds (!), had very detailed environments (ex. Viola's greenhouse, Olympia's platform, etc.) and were interesting overall. We also got them more often than we did in Journeys, whose notable battles mostly come from the show's last quarter/final year of episodes. Screentime was also better spaced out too regarding Ash's party (though not perfect; here's looking at Noivern & Goodra), whereas Journeys focused a lot on Pikachu, Lucario, & Dragonite, to the detriment of the others.

Both JN and XY had screentime issues, but I'll give the edge to Journeys even if it is for that final year. Goodra and Noivern having like 3 battles each was inexcusable, and there was zero reason for Talonflame to be used in every gym. Also, every member of the JN team had set roles and moves that sinergized with certain strategies, Talonflame was just the fire bird.

Spectacle-wise it's up to preference, I did mention XY's strenghts in my post, but I think Ash having only two battles in the Kalos league (the one-shooting of the Altaria guy not counting) is a gigantic disappointment.

 

[Alola]

Goodra and Noivern having like 3 battles each was inexcusable,

They actually had four each.

For Goodra:

• Double Battle against Tierno
• Gym Battle against Clemont
• League Battle against Sawyer
• League Battle against Alain

For Noivern:

• Trainer Battle against Alain
• Trainer Battle against Sawyer
• League Battle against Sawyer
• League Battle against Alain

I know you said "like" as an approximation, but I felt it necessary to clarify since Dracovish had five battles under its belt when its series ended, only being just one up over the pair of Dragons. But I agree with you - they should have been featured more in some capacity. They could have hurried Noibat's evolution so it could do the Double Battle with Frogadier instead, but keep the same Flying partner aspect.

and there was zero reason for Talonflame to be used in every gym.

It wasn't used in Clemont's Gym, but if we look at the rationale for the other choices:

• Type advantage over Viola
• Knew a super-effective move for Grant; Grant's rules also had challengers use their entire party against his team, which Ash followed
• Type advantage over Korrina
• Type advantage over Ramos
• Knew a super-effective move for Valerie
• No objective strategic reason for Olympia
• Type advantage over Wulfric

So, 4/7 Gyms it participated in was because it could hit most of the opponents super-effectively with STAB and it had coverage for 2/7, leaving only one where it wasn't necessarily needed. That being said, we also have to remember that Ash's party was small throughout most of Kalos - so, the odds of seeing Pikachu, Hawlucha, Froakie > Greninha, and Fletchling > Talonflame battle in a Gym would statistically be high.

Also, every member of the JN team had set roles and moves that sinergized with certain strategies, Talonflame was just the fire bird.

I'd say you can argue the same for his Kalos team, so I find this moot. Pikachu is Pikachu, Greninja is the ace & powerhouse with a gimmick, Talonflame for physical aerial support, Hawlucha for speedy physical combat, Noivern for special aerial support, and Goodra as the former ace who can tank & wall; Goodra even boosted Greninja's Water Shuriken with Rain Dance. Talonflame was also instrumental during the Olympia fight, supporting Frogadier various times with flight assists, carrying it around when it was paralyzed, and disorienting the Meowstic's attacks. I think the whole thing was also a neat reference to the Hoenn Gym Battle, given this was the second Psychic Gym Battle to be the seventh of its region, be a Double Battle, and see Ash use his flier against levitating Psychic opponents to support his second, grounded, combatant.

I also think Talonflame was excellent representation for avian Pokémon in the anime, as Ash's fliers often didn't share the same battle spotlight as their grounded peers; it's also one of Ash's handful of Pokémon to go up against a Legendary Pokémon. Most of them are relegated to popping balloons, doing search and rescue, or only having a handful of battles. So, it breaking that stereotype was nice to see. The only exception was Swellow, who also battled just as much and as hard as the rest of its teammates. When you consider that, it was more than "just a fire bird."

but I think Ash having only two battles in the Kalos league (the one-shooting of the Altaria guy not counting) is a gigantic disappointment.

But if we do count it, as we technically should, that brings him up to 3. This is the same amount as the PWC Finals (Steven, Cynthia, & Leon). And even if you don't, then it's 2 to 3, which I wouldn't see as a difference worth being gigantic personally.

 

[Rockapheller]

XY is my favorite series. I remember back in those years I would be hyped to see the new episodes each week. This is when I felt inspired the most to write a Pokémon fan fiction. The hype of the battles, Ash's quest to the league and overall dynamics felt just so different than how past series did to me. This is also when I felt that the animation was the most competitive by the animators. BW battles were more like playing Gen I games and imagining the battlefield in our minds. They never let go of using stock images and stale background effects. XY gave the battle sensation to the core. Then XY&Z dropped and things got even better. The music just perfected the battles. Never once have I skipped XY&Z opening. Even Team Rocket motto got a rock style soundtrack. I was so hopeful for the future of the series back then and only wished it carried on the same way. I grew a liking to SM series and I enjoy JN series, but nothing beats XY in my book.

 

[LuxrayOfTheWild]

XY(Z) is still my favorite series to date. I loved the cast and their interactions. While we didn't get much interactions between some, it was still an enjoyable cast. I especially enjoyed Serena and her story, though I wish they really began it sooner. I enjoyed the Pokemon on the main cast as well and the interactions they had, like the adorable father-son relationship Hawlucha and Noivern had to the frienemy type relationship Chespin and Pancham had. This series also had some of the greatest battles, namely Ash's battles with Clemont, Olympia, and his final with Sawyer. Also gotta mention the Team Flare arc being among the best in the anime thanks to its incredible 4 part finale. The only major thing I can fault this series on was the horrendous decision to force Ash to lose the Kalos League to Alain and never give him and Greninja the chance to beat him. Sorry, but XY should have been his first major league win, then Alola he becomes Champion, then World Champion in Journeys. I will always love this series regardless.

 

[Falaish]

I finished rewatching it some months ago and I do think the saga takes awhile to get going. After the first 5 or so eps XY has a ton of filler between Viola, Grant and Korrina's Gyms. Like I remember people being a little underwhelmed back in 2014 after it got started because it felt like nothing was really happening for awhile

Thankfully once you get to Korrina's arc, XY takes off from there for the most part. There's still the obvious issues people complain about, serena's goal and showcases needed to be done better, Ash's team could have had better handling, etc.

It's kind of hurt in the end since Ash should of won the Kalos League but since he didn't it makes XY feel like "just another saga." Had he won the Kalos League going from that to Alola Champion and then overall world champion would have been great progression. It's a real shame the writers just didn't think what backlash they would get from Ash losing to Alan for the third time and after all that AshGreninja buildup.

 

[Die-Hard Dragon Devotee]

It's a real shame the writers just didn't think what backlash they would get from Ash losing to Alan for the third time and after all that AshGreninja buildup.

Oh, and that backlash was huge.

 

[FelipePR]

After 10 years of the Pokémon XY Anime, I can say that some of the points that stand out most in the anime, for me, were the group of protagonists themselves and their interactions with each other.

That is, the adorable and comical relationship between the Lumiose siblings, the sisterly relationship between Serena and Bonnie, the enthusiastic and supportive camaraderie between Clemont and Ash and, why not, the non-outspoken and, sometimes, difficult to convey mutual understanding and consideration between Ash and Serena.

Furthermore, in my opinion, XY, in addition to the Original Series, managed, most of the time, to be on point in the comic part, which was already very worn out throughout the series. To that, I must congratulate, especially, Clemont and his Pokemons.

Finally, as others have said, XY has some of the best animation and image quality, especially the Pokémon battles, which are, in my view, the most, visually, beautiful in the entire series and only comparable, in this aspect, to those in Pokémon Journeys.

In short, XY was the continuation that I had been waiting for since DP, and it was very important for my reconnection with the franchise.

As a criticism, I must highlight, however, that the highly focused Ash was one of the character's low points for me, since he lacked spirit and suffered from empathy in this series, when the focus was not on his relationship with the other main characters. And although I love these Pokémon, I can't help but highlight, as a negative point, the excessive protagonism given to Greninja and, in a certain way, to Charizard, in this series.