What do you think of Sun and Moon so far?

[Likeitornot.]

When the series' poster was first unveiled and its concept detailed, I was definitely interested to see how events would unfold with the series. I appreciated that the anime decided to emulate the games and switch up its own formula, and I often admire a series that is willing to run with a risk. Especially to a tradition that was at the heart of this anime series, a formula that has been repeated throughout its sagas, with people differing on which series rose to cream of the crop on its execution.

The art style and animation, for me, is a breath of fresh air. It is so vibrant and expressive, also it completely fits the tone of the series like a glove - I can't imagine the past style with the atmosphere this series has presented to us. I have said it before, I am a fan of zany facial expressions (being able to express emotion in novel ways is possibly one of my favourite things about Japanese animation) and I feel they breathe life into the series. I don't feel they are the stock facial expressions some series opt for when filtering with unrealistic expressions, they feel varied and interesting each time. I also love how there has been definite art movements mimicked at times, from the cubism in my avatar to a style found on ukiyo-e prints in SM023. I find the animation to be mainly rather fluid and perfect for showing off the atmosphere of the series.

Ash, for once, acts like he's actually ten years old. I don't feel the writers have ever captured how to write his age well since possibly AG, and I think it was at its most unbelievable in XY when he seemed (in my opinion) to behave more like someone who was in middle adolescence, fourteen or fifteen years old, as opposed to ten. While in the original series, Ash showed off his age well by his immaturity and slightly bratty behaviour at times, in Sun and Moon, Ash seems to embody a boundless enthusiasm and cheerfulness that I felt was incredibly lacking in his character in XY outside of battles. This boundless enthusiasm is infectious and it adds my enjoyment of episodes more as I see a bright, effervescent world through Ash's eyes.

I know that the idea of so many companions is a little unsettling to see in this anime, but I feel as long as the writers dole out the right amount of development different measurements appropriate to that member, there isn't as much of a problem. It's too early for me to say whether that's happened or not but what I do like is how the dynamics of Ash with the companions has completely changed. Unlike past seasons where Ash has acted as an adhesive for companions to stick to, ultimately bringing them together, in this series, the companions already know each other beforehand and Ash enters their cluster. In past seasons, interactions between companions have felt stale and forced at times, and I do think the manner in which they ended up travelling together is partially to blame. What I loved from the "Goodbye, Sophocles!" episode was how it conveyed Sophocles' relationships with his respective companions without Ash in these scenes as well as showing the episode from Sophocles' perspective. It adds more depth to the characters and really portrays them as figures independent of our protagonist, which I just like.

Actually, I don't mind the lack of travelling so far. I didn't feel from playing the game that the four islands have that much to offer, and Poni Island has a lot of land that was only accessible post-game anyways. I prefer that they have taken their time, fleshing out the characters, world-building and Melemele Island itself. I think we have seen quite a few aspects of the school, I like how instead of being the predominant focus, its prevalent use is prop up the plot that is running through the episode - I don't think I would have wanted just to see episodes with a heavy focus on the school. We have seen a lot of world-building with it, though and I'm glad they used the concept. I really enjoy how they're unravelling the plot actually - sometimes, they will sprinkle in plot worthy moments in episodes users would otherwise deem filler which makes it feel less manufactured of a story, and it blurs the lines between filler and non-filler. I also love how previous fillers were referenced in later episodes, such as the pancake race - it makes the storyline feel so cohesive and the fillers feel less shoehorned in just for the sake of filling up twenty-three minutes.

Do I have any complaints? Yes, I do feel it could use more battles and action - especially with that fluid animation, it's waste to shy away from them so much. This is speaking as someone who doesn't predominantly watch the anime for the battles, but I do like a good battle when I see one, so I miss them. However, hopefully as it progresses SM adds in more of the action to complement its relaxing, comedic atmosphere for a winning combination.

I've gone on for too long, and yet I can still think of more to say - it's safe to say that so far, this series has really captured my attention.

 

[KenzeyEevee]

For me the episodes go fast and mostly I dont even remember what happend. It is not exciting at all. There are much Z-crystals and moves but they dont do anything with it. At least we ho to the next island.... The humor isnt funny. Pokémon made a mistake wanting competing with Yo-Kai-Watch in humor, it doesnt fit pokémon

 

[marshiyanmisuta]

Ash, for once, acts like he's actually ten years old. I don't feel the writers have ever captured how to write his age well since possibly AG, and I think it was at its most unbelievable in XY when he seemed (in my opinion) to behave more like someone who was in middle adolescence, fourteen or fifteen years old, as opposed to ten.

I seen this complaint before and still don't get it. Satoshi never truly acted like he's 10 year old. None of companions acted like they're underage, or else show's premise wouldn't really work out.

 

[Likeitornot.]

@martianmister I'm not sure if we're using different definitions of the term "underage" but my interpretation of it would be under the age of eighteen, which it would surprise me greatly that you feel the characters have acted consistently above this age since the oldest I personally feel any of the cast has ever acted would be say, fifteen or sixteen (which would have been Brock's character). I definitely do not think any of the main cast have acted like adults, nor have they shown that level of maturity. I'm also surprised you didn't feel OS Ash doesn't embody the maturity of a ten year old: his brash, impulsive behaviour, sometimes a lack of sensitivity and lack of abstract thinking at times as well. These are characteristics a pre-adolescent would tend to have.

I understand what you mean, if we're discussing the agency given to ten year olds in the pokemon universe which would be incredible to us. But - it is aimed at children, with a child character - I would presume children would like to see someone who they can understand and empathise with, similarly someone who they feel could empathise with them if they were real - someone maybe a little older, but still a child like them. It might be unrealistic, the premise but we are talking about a show that has a world inhabited by monsters. I think there are certain suspensions of disbelief allowed but I don't feel one of them is labelling a human character as a ten year old and then portraying him as a completely different age.

 

[Cresselia92]

Personally speaking, I feel like they have de-aged SM Ash a bit too much.

He may behave like a 10-years old boy… from the '90s, though. That makes him seem more old school and from another time, in a sense. Also, his current behavior is in jarring contrast with how he has "grown up" throughout all these years.

Besides, I feel that his depiction as 10-years old is a bit inaccurate. Nowadays, 10-years olds behave pretty much like young teenagers or miniature adults, while the actual teenagers tend to "act more their age", if not behave like young and independent adults. This is mainly because of technological advance, social media and whatnot, which makes them grow up faster than previous generations. Even their biological development is much faster, with girls and boys developing gender-related traits much quicker than in the past.

Hence why I never felt that Ash was portrayed too mature. He essentially fit both Shudo's idea of 10-years old children becoming and being treated as young adults, as well as depicting current young teenagers.

My only complaint isn't how Ash behaved, but more his overall lack of defining traits. He had generic shonen characteristics, which made him seem much more serious and "mature" than how he really was. I bet that if he had more definite traits he wouldn't have been labeled as a bland and static character.

In a sense, SM fixed his lack of defining traits, but that came at the expense of consistency and continuity, which make him appear as a different character altogether, with things like laziness and a newly acquired jerk attitude being his most glaring flaws.

Now, I may understand the premise of making him more relatable to younger children. That doesn't mean that I will approve his character being twisted in such way, though.

 

[Jaye]

In a sense, SM fixed his lack of defining traits, but that came at the expense of consistency and continuity, which make him appear as a different character altogether, with things like laziness and a newly acquired jerk attitude being his most glaring flaws.

You say "glaring" but very little about Ash in Sum and Moon strikes me as lazy, nor have I seen anything indicating a "jerk attitude". Do you have an example of that? I'm genuinely drawing a blank on that one.

 

[Cresselia92]

You say "glaring" but very little about Ash in Sum and Moon strikes me as lazy, nor have I seen anything indicating a "jerk attitude". Do you have an example of that? I'm genuinely drawing a blank on that one.

He is way too relaxed in his goal, which is a contradiction with how he acted in the past, and implies laziness. I mean, he needed Gladion to only get the idea of considering looking for Olivia to get the Rockium Z, when he would have already planned his future Trial and challenges in past series.

I don't recall exactly in which episode he acted like a jerk, but it was toward the beginning. That immediately stuck to me, and rubbed me in the wrong way. I mean, he was somewhat of a brat in OS and was quite arrogant in AG, but he should have already outgrown those traits of him. In this series, it feels out of place.

Sure, he has shown some kindness as well, especially toward Litten and when he cheered up Sophocles, but for other stuff he seems quite inconsiderate and insensitive.

That's just my overall impression, though.

 

[Johtohfiller]

The de-emphasis on battles has me wondering, are Japanese kids not into action as much these days? I know I would have been disappointed with SM's format shift if I were 8 to 12, but I'm not a contemporary Japanese kid.

As a kid in the late 80s and early 90s I liked Disney's tv cartoons. They had adventure aspects and the episodes that emphasized that were my favorites. Then they brought out Goof Troop which ditched the adventures for "everyday life" scenarios, and it bored the crap out of me. SM is a similar experience for me. I'll probably still watch though, for Team Rocket if nothing else.

 

[marshiyanmisuta]

I'm also surprised you didn't feel OS Ash doesn't embody the maturity of a ten year old: his brash, impulsive behaviour, sometimes a lack of sensitivity and lack of abstract thinking at times as well. These are characteristics a pre-adolescent would tend to have.

I disagree. These are all common traits in "shonen" teenagers and I don't see anything in their personalities that shows they're ten year olds. Satoshi is a mix of Ranma and older version of Goku, Kasumi is a mix of Akane and Bulma, Takeshi is child friendlier version of "pervert old guy" trope. Only main characters that act like actual ten year olds are, quite ironically, Masato and Eureka.

 

[Twilight-Kun]

The best parts of SM for me at the moment are Team Rocket and Team Skull.

Litten's various episodes are also must-watches and episode 21 had me shedding tears; using Snowbelle City's music was perfect for the emotional gutpunch

 

[Likeitornot.]

I disagree. These are all common traits in "shonen" teenagers and I don't see anything in their personalities that shows they're ten year olds. Satoshi is a mix of Ranma and older version of Goku, Kasumi is a mix of Akane and Bulma, Takeshi is child friendlier version of "pervert old guy" trope. Only main characters that act like actual ten year olds are, quite ironically, Masato and Eureka.

Perhaps our disagreement on this stems from what measures we are using - I am talking psychologically rather than by stereotypes perpetuated in shounen media. Though, it's true, teenagers would be the most impulsive (on average, fourteen tends to be the peak age for a lack of impulse control, which is why adolescents tend to be described as "risk-taking"). If we were to take Piaget's stages of cognitive development, I would say Ash falls into stage three (concrete reasoning), as opposed to stage four (ability to consider abstract, hypothetical properties, more abstract moral reasoning) - maybe not strictly to the letter of the stages (at times, there's a little of stage four in XY) but predominantly, and most definitely in OS - he was more of a stage three to me. Stage four is for teenagers, by the way so if the teenagers in your examples are not behaving in a manner to comprehend abstract thought, then their development isn't strictly normative. (Son Goku wouldn't be an example I'd necessarily use, as in my opinion, even as an adult - he could display concerning levels of immaturity at times). Eureka - acts like a six year old in my view and Max would be more like an eight year old.

Even without the strict psychological application (sorry, maybe I am overthinking it by including them haha), I feel Ash's behaviour is still more like a ten year old's in OS than a teenager's - teenagers are immature, I won't argue with you there, but the degree of his immaturity as well as the lack of agency portrayed made me feel he was more like a ten year old or a pre-adolescent.

May I ask what age do you feel SM Ash acts then?

 

[marshiyanmisuta]

May I ask what age do you feel SM Ash acts then?

Depends on the episode. But generally more closer to 10.

 

[Twilight-Kun]

Ash acts like any kid who goes to a new place and meets new people, which I like.

Kalos Ash was a Pokemon Trainer and felt much more mature than previous incarnations, which was enjoyable for that series.
Alolan Ash is an excited kid on a caffeine high, which suits Alola's (current) atmosphere.

Once the heavy stuff starts coming into play, I hope Ash matures. If there's slapstick where Ultra Beasts or Aether Foundation is concerned, I'd consider the episode to be a failure.

 

[KenzeyEevee]

It takes tooo long for Ash to get new crystals. In SM I had never the feeling of "wow something interesting".tbh the humor is bad