Takeshi Shudo's Blogs

[Karpi]

@ post from previous page

"all other female characters besides Misty are hated"

...

poor jessie...

 

[Musashi]

I think Piplup and Scott are missing the point here. They're important because they help set the show apart from other kodomo anime. (So they'd never not be replaced with someone) They're not stealing time away from the other characters, they're just as much a part of this show as Satoshi and Hikari and deserve time for their own subplot. Not that I agree about them having so much time in the league, but I think all this is a sign that the writers may want them to be even more involved in BW.

As for not doing much in DP... I don't know what you're talking about Scott, because they did a hell of a lot more than in any other series.

 

[Piplup]

I don't know... I could live without them... I don't think they're SO needed

 

[Hestia]

I'm glad I read this, as it is actually really interesting. Only annoying thing is now I want to know more about what happened with Shudo and the other writers.

I think his affection for TR is really sweet, and although I like Misty, I've goota say I think the writers made the right decision choosing TR over her. I really couldn't imagine Pokemon without TR, especially with the nice development they've had recently.

And honestly, I think what he said about Misty having the least clear role in the show was true, and not meant as an insult to her character or anything. Am I the only one who thinks this reason for taking her out of the show is more satisfactory than wanting new eye candy?

I am a bit confused as to why they thought Brock was so necessary though

 

[Warnerbroman]

Ash needs to get a restraining order to get rid of them.

seriously I would love to be the VA's for them they probably get paid more than Bart Simpson.

 

[Kasumi]

I don't know... I could live without them... I don't think they're SO needed

Agreed. I think Shudo gave them way too much importance.

 

[Ranger Jack Walker]

If Team Rocket had indeed been removed, the Aqua-Magma Plots might have handled MUCH better, I think.

 

[Iteru]

If Team Rocket had indeed been removed, the Aqua-Magma Plots might have handled MUCH better, I think.

Really? Galactic seemed fine and we had Rockets. I don't think the Rockets hold the writers back when it comes to plots.

 

[Ranger Jack Walker]

They probably realized their mistake and improved with Galactic. I'm not saying that Team Rocket did held back Aqua and Magma but if they were absent, then Aqua and Magma would have been better handled as they would have been the only bad guys.

 

[Mjolnir]

but if they were absent, then Aqua and Magma would have been better handled as they would have been the only bad guys.

Or maybe, it wasn't the bad guy amount but the bad writing it had instead?

 

[PDL]

Or maybe, it wasn't the bad guy amount but the bad writing it had instead?

That's pretty much it.

The handling of the Magma/Aqua plot could really be attributed to weak writing. It had nothing to do with the inclusion or exclusion of Jessie, James and Meowth.

Keep in mind that the anime never had a plot that expanded several episodes aside from the usual "Competition challenges" plot the show has at it's core. So mistakes had to be made in order to find out the "correct" way to organize things. I wouldn't be surprised if the BW anime manages to improve on what DP presented.

Anyway, after thinking about what Shudo said in his blog, would it be wrong to think that he may actually be a little narsisstic about his own abilties as a writer? I mean, the whole "No one's listening to my brillant ideas for the show" act might or might not be attrubited to an inflated ego. Maybe.

 

[Cybersai]

As for not doing much in DP... I don't know what you're talking about Scott, because they did a hell of a lot more than in any other series.

They did more, sure, but mostly toward the second half. There's a difference between the first 100 eps of DP and the second 100 eps of DP.

I think the reason I feel like they're getting less is they're not stealing Pikachu or the random Pokemon of the day in every ep anymore, so its not like that. Remember those Johto fillers where TR would steal a Pokemon, and it'd take like the entire last 15 minutes of the ep to get it back? TR got screentime by doing stuff like that, even if it wasn't inportant.

What I mean is TR don't *have* to be in every single episode, especially during the Gym and league eps where their appearances are blatantly forced.

I like TR, but there's no reason to shoe-horn them into eps where they're not really needed.

 

[Yotsuba]

What I mean is TR don't *have* to be in every single episode, especially during the Gym and league eps where their appearances are blatantly forced.

I like TR, but there's no reason to shoe-horn them into eps where they're not really needed.

I fully agree, but sadly you can't take them out now. Not only would the TR fans throw a fit (even if they wouldn't be missing anything significant), but the writers seem to treat it as a tradition now. They HAVE to blast off every episode, even if they sometimes realize "Crap, we don't have time to mess with these three losers...blast them off right at the beginning, that way we can worry about the important stuff!"

 

[Musajirou]

Ok, here's my reply to all that "Team Rocket isn't need to be in every episode" topic.

Then you should whine for Satoshi to appear in Team Rocket episodes too Even if they don't cooperate with each other in an episode, it doesn't mean that one of them needs to be out. There are two halves that make the show, actually. One of them is Satoshi (+the main girl since Pokemon DP), the second is Team Rocket.

I'm not sure if you know, but the writers ARE really aware of Team Rocket's position and popularity in the show. They know that there's some percentage of special viewers that watch Pokemon exclusively for Team Rocket. If they were to write out Team Rocket from league episodes, they would lose many viewers for this time. But there's also more to it.

You may think that they're doing nothing in the episode, but the writers think otherwise - they're strong characters to the extent that even with a minor role in the episode, they still stand out - and it's the most important thing when it comes to creating a succesful product. That's why they just can't imagine a Pokemon episode without Team Rocket as they were created originally to become a counterbalance for dull protagonists. More thought was given to them than to any other characters on the show.
(...)
Because they're antagonists, they may do with them whatever they want. The only deal is, to do it wisely.

Tbh, I was surprised myself to find out that the writers think of Team Rocket as of being prominent, while they regarded the main protagonists as uninteresting. Especially if I've been complaining for years how TRio is badly treaten in the series, as they were nothing else but punchbags and comic reliefs (they're not as much of comic reliefs in Japanese version, but it was the time when I watched only dub). But I can see Shudo's point of view. Let alone his fatherly affection towards Team Rocket, he regards them as the characters with stron individualities that makes Pokemon series stand out. He couldn't achieve it with any of the main characters as such kind of characters you can find anywhere in shounen anime/manga.

Personally, sometimes I think that I wouldn't mind if Team Rocket appeared every few episodes myself, under condition they get a major role in the episode they appear in. But when I'm thinking like this, I think it would be a total disaster and Team Rocket would lose a lot of charm like this.

If the writers think they should be in every episode, and they keep doing this for over 13 years already while ratings for the show are still high, then they must be right. Fans would always complain, no matter what they do. That's why the writers should think on their own, not to rely completely on fans' opinion. And they're not biased here. Even if some fans kept telling Shudo to give more Team Rocket, while Shudo wanted to give them major roles deep inside, he couldn't do it. Writers can't listen to fans, even if their opinion is the same as theirs, that's why they can't go into extremes. Instead, they should think of solution that would please the most. They can't give Team Rocket major roles, because that would mess the whole point of Pokemon, but at the same time, they can't kick them out of some episodes, maybe even for the same reason.

 

[Cybersai]

Do all the writers care about TR as much as he does?

There are a lot of eps where TR only get like 5 minutes of screentime, even regular filler eps. I can think of many eps where you only see brief scenes of TR, and the combined total is no more than 5 minutes of an ep.

 

[Piplup]

I still fail to see how TRio are so needed or how they're more "interesting" than the twerps
Ash was very interesting to me in DP (his rivalry with Paul, his funny interactions with Barry, training with his Poké, the friendship with Dawn, etc)
Dawn was my favorite character of the whole show (well, maybe I still prefer Ash a little because I'm too attached to him... but Dawn is awesome) and brought new ideas to the shows (being depressed for a few eps and get over it, learn to rely on her friends instead of her mother, etc)
Brock wasn't really interesting but he did make me laugh a few times... and the eps that focused on him were nice - so for me Brock and TRio are about equal in how interesting they are to me

I say the show can do well without TRio or a replacement of them
Just Ash and whoever travels with him... with more focus on plot, development, training and similar stuff
My dream would be that at the end of BW the TRio decide to turn into "good guys" (possibly after hearing TR doesn't exist anymore, or maybe after successfully giving Giovannie Pikachu only for Giovannie to scream at them that he doesn't want it XD )
Then in gen 6 they can still appear for almost every ep (not every ep, but really close to that) usually without any relation to the twerps, but sometimes they'll meet... and TRio will be like recurring friends and rivals to the twerps - Jessie can be a rival of the girl Coordinator (well, assuming they continue Contests and the main girl doing them) and James can get something to do to interact with Ash or the third main cast member...
Then gen 7 can start with just Ash as the returning character, with no TRio or any older character in a main role... and possibly end Ash's story at the end of this gen (though I can see them also keeping Ash forever or for a long time if they want to)

 

[Cybersai]

LOL, Piplup why are you talking about Gen 6 or Gen 7? Seriously, stop it. At the rate of every 4 years, we'll be in the year 2025-2030 by then.

The show won't still be going.

 

[pokemon fan 132]

I still fail to see how TRio are so needed or how they're more "interesting" than the twerps

I agree,i mean Team Rocket was good being great for comic relief having sometimes their 5 minutes of glory,but main characters were definitely more interesting to me.

Ash,Misty,May etc were all alot more intresting to me than TR having great personalities,interesting pokemon and plots.

I say the show can do well without TRio or a replacement of them
Just Ash and whoever travels with him... with more focus on plot, development, training and similar stuff
My

It could work,but seeing how writers favor them more over main characters,not wanting to get rid of antagonists who follow twerps with rival ambitions pretty much guarantees this concept not changing any time soon.

 

[Hidden Mew]

LOL, Piplup why are you talking about Gen 6 or Gen 7? Seriously, stop it. At the rate of every 4 years, we'll be in the year 2025-2030 by then.

The show won't still be going.

If the games are still popular and the show continues to do well enough, then I think that the show would still be going. After ten years, the idea of Pokemon airing for another ten or so years doesn't sound crazy to me.

Anyway, I don't actually mind Team Rocket showing up in every episode. I accepted it long ago as just a part of how the series works. I understand that there are some episodes where they don't seem to do that much, although the same can be said for the protagonists in some episodes as well. I don't see them starting to not give Team Rocket an appearance in every episode, just like I don't see them replacing Ash. They're both firmly established in the series, so as long as the series goes on, they'll continue to be in it.

 

[Piplup]

LOL, Piplup why are you talking about Gen 6 or Gen 7?

Because we know TRio are in gen 5, so I speculated about the next gen and the end of that gen

Seriously, stop it.

When you stop saying the stuff you always say... (never)

At the rate of every 4 years, we'll be in the year 2025-2030 by then.

Why?
BW 2011 2012 2013 2014
Gen 6 2015 2016 2017 2018
Gen 7 2019 2020 2021 2022

I don't see 2025 anywhere, sure not 30

The show won't still be going.

You know it will