Pokemon Advance - Opinions anyone?

[Linkachu]

Now that the first season of the dub is basically over on both YTV and KidsWB it's time for people to rate what they've seen. I guess you could say this mainly applies to people who still avidly watch the show and have a good idea of what the newest season is all about.

A few questions for people to think about (don't necessarily have to answer them):
- How do you think Advance compares to the beginning of the Kanto and Johto seasons?
- Are Max and May good additions to the cast or would you like Misty back instead?
- Do you like the idea of Ash's team having more variety or did you like it best when he had all three starters?
- Which of Ash's/May's Pokemon do you like best? Any you particularly dislike (besides the 'chu)?
- Is Pikachu less, more, or the same amount of an annoyance?
- Same question for Ash?
- What kind of events do you hope to see in the future? (No spoilers from Japanese viewers/followers please)

It's cool for viewers of the Japanese version to reply too but try not to include any spoilers in your posts (unless they're clearly seperated from your post with a spoiler warning). So far the dub has only reached the episodes a little after Slateport City. Nobody wants things like Pokemon evolutions spoiled, eh? Atleast I wouldn't


ANYways, making a long rant short, I've been keeping track of both the Japanese & dub seasons , and so far Advance has impressed me a lot. To me it feels like the show has shed a lot of its repetitiveness (minus 'chu and TR), and with May around it really feels like it has two main characters. Ash'll always be the poster child (or should I say Pikachu?) but May sure gets a lot more development time than Brock and Misty ever did. I'm really starting to enjoy her character

Two-thumbs up for the new season. It has really increased my waning interests in the anime ^.^

 

[Baby Lugia]

Hey, Pikachu was funny in the first season, like in 42 - Showdown in Dark City.

"Scyther is told to attack them, and Pikachu had been eating the ketchup, which Scyther slashes and gets all over his eyes. He sees everything in red, and starts slashing at the man, but he brings it back. He says that he has never seen his Scyther so frightened, and Pikachu holds up the broken ketchup bottle, very upset." --Serebii.net

Yup, that was the best Pikachu episode, methinks. Nowadays Pikachu hardly does anything interesting. You'd think Pikachu would be at a pretty high level so why does it seem to be only as strong as Ash's other Pokemon?

Advance was not my favorite season. The theme song kinda stank. The episodes were too unemotionally charged (Pikcahu's Goodbye - now that was an emotional episode). Yeah, what the others have said about shallowness is right.

 

[Doctor Oak]

I aint seen most of it due to rescheduling putting it on at an ungodly hour on the only channel in the UK to actually show it. I have to say i quite enjoyed what i saw. The battles are pretty much all i'm interested in anyway and i got some pretty nice ones.

The Theme song's definitely grown on me, not as much as Waku Waku, but i do definitely like it now.

I love even more the Waku Waku remix they now play when Ash kicks TR's arse. ^^ I really wish i'd gotten to hear it more.

I'm not a huge follower of the anime past the Orange Islands eps but as long as it has some kick-ass battles i'm happy with it.

 

[Linkachu]

The episodes were too unemotionally charged (Pikcahu's Goodbye - now that was an emotional episode).

Bye Bye Butterfree and Pikachu's Goodbye have probably been the most emotional episodes of the entire series. Nothing much has been able to touch them since, minus a few random things like when Charizard left. Just can't beat the classics I guess.

 

[Doctor Oak]

I know I cried when Charizard left. Cried as in shouting "WHAT THE BLOODY HELL ARE YOU DOING!" At the TV. -_- Bring Chary back and keep him in it forever! Pikachu may be the favourite among the merch-luvin' 3 year olds but Charizard's the fan-favourite.

Also, it has to be said that Ash finally gaining Charizard's trust in the Orange Islands was very emotional. It's the closest thing to a death the anime's ever had - ironic considering that Charmander began off as being near-to-death when Ash caught him.

Also, the first episode of AG was fairly emotional. Probably the only ep in the entire series they ever gave any character consideration to. It really showed just how much Ash cared for Pikachu and how much Pikachu cared for him. The back of my neck tingled when Pikachu realised he'd bit Ash and licked his arm.

Also, Also... Yes... I was one of the people almost close to tears with Bye Bye Butterfree and Pikachu's Goodbye... Damn it.

 

[QuagsireQing]

Close to tears? Heck, I was there.

Advanced has been enjoyable (hard to believe the seventh season starts in just a couple weeks), but not the best. The Orange Island saga was my favourite, with Kanto at number two and now Hoenn in third place. I like May and Max, although they don't come close to filling in for Misty, and while May was annoying and whiny at first, she's developped nicely. The theme song is also probably my favourite, I just wish it had been remixed for Jirachi Wish Maker... I get the feeling movie remixes are over: the seventh movie doesn't have one, either (at least in Japanese).

 

[Linkachu]

Close to tears? Heck, I was there.

Agreed ^^;

But now that I think of it, there was a Hoenn episode that had tears rolling down my cheeks. The episode where Weezing and Arbok left. Those two were never really favourites of mine but what Jessie, James, and Meowth did for them was so freakin' touching. Even though they'd been beaten silly they didn't stop battling until they were sure their Pokemon were safe... I mean, damn, talk about Ash caring for his Pokemon; TR totally out-showed him that time.

 

[Meangreen]

The fact TR is "evil" makes episodes where they show their feelings more touching than Ash and his best buddy being happy all the time.

 

[QuagsireQing]

I remember that episode. I'd forgotten how moving that one was.

On the subject of Pikachu, I think it's the cutest in this season it's ever been! (Okay, I admitted it, go away.)

 

[Doctor Oak]

Prepare to be in floods of tears my friends:

http://www.pokecharms.com/random/ByeByeButterfree.wmv

2.76 MB of pure gut-wrenching sadness... which you may only download ONCE. And will vanish soon, to keep our bandwidth from dying.

I tell ya, after watching the ep for the first time in a good couple of years, it nearly had them damn tears there again.

I'll see if i can get similar clips made for Pikachu's goodbye and that TR one (which i never saw due to it being on Pokemon Advanced)

 

[NonAnalogue]

Having watched this morning's episode (What You Seed is What You Get), I can safely say that Grovyle and Natasha have two of the most annoying dub voices ever.

 

[QuagsireQing]

Aw, you're ahead of us by one episode. Watt's with Wattson? airs here today.

And Grovyle being one of those awkward intermediate evolutions, I'd expect it to have an annoying voice. Like the teenager of the chain.

 

[NonAnalogue]

Hah! Finally, something ahead of you! :twisted:

 

[Yoshimitsu]

Bwahaha! Watts with Wattson has already bee aired here! About a month ago, but I stopped watching after that. Getting up at that time is evil.

 

[QuagsireQing]

This week is gonna be good. I'm excited to see the opening song for Advanced Challenge.