Weekly Anime Discussion - You bet your ass there's spoilers

[Satoren]

Re: Weekly Anime Discussion - You bet your ass there's spoil

So Episode N has its own opening and it's pretty freaking badass. Charizard out of nowhere still feels really weird though. Actually, this whole arc feels kinda surreal. It's kinda like an OVA but not really. Speaking of which, since Genesect is somehow involved in Plasma's plans, could this be the first case in which events in the anime actually lead up to a movie?

The movies have always been rather vague as to whether or not they're actually canon, save for a couple who are offhandedly mentioned in the anime (like James referencing the 2000 movie and the fact that Ash knows what Aura is because of Movie 8 ) For the anime to come out and say that a movie is actually very much canon and for it's plot to be related to events that already occured in the anime is...odd. It's not really that big a revelation but it does feel strange xD

 

[precita]

Re: Weekly Anime Discussion - You bet your ass there's spoil

I can't get that interested in seeing Charizard yet again, its come back so many times now that the impact is lost a bit. Then again when you realize Charizard's last appearance was back in 2006 when AG ended, and that was 7 years ago....yeah, I guess it has been a long time since Charizard appeared.

I'm just hoping we see Ash's other older Pokemon too. We know when the 6th gen begins they'll go back to the "clean slate" routine and Ash won't use any older pokemon till after the league again, so the next 8 months are really the only chance to see Ash's older pokes for the time being.

On an interesting note this is the first time a generation has gone without any of Ash's older friends appearing in the opening. It seems like Dawn was the only older friend to get a guest appearance this gen, its safe to say we won't see anyone else. This will also make the second full generation where Misty did not appear at all, (since she didn't appear in the DP series at all either), so I guess its safe to say the writers don't want to bring her up anymore. Can't say I'm surprised, they're been purposely phasing her out for a long time now, and I guess the same will happen to May and Brock as well.

 

[Coreysawrus]

Re: Weekly Anime Discussion - You bet your ass there's spoil

I'm hoping we see some of Ash's older Pokemon too. I would like to see some of the more unappreciated Pokemon he has like Glalie, Kingler and Tauros. I would like to see Squirtle and possibly Pidgeot make a return.

Also if they bring Max back or Ash gets an abandoned and abused Fennekin then they really need to get new people writing the anime.

 

[Linkachu]

Re: Weekly Anime Discussion - You bet your ass there's spoil

I finally watched the last episode of the Unova League...

Worst. League. Ever.

Even the Indigo League was better than the mess that was Unova's league, and that's saying something! I liked Ash's battle with Kenyan but his match with Kotetsu only became entertaining closer to the end. Both Ash and Kotetsu made so many dumb choices during that battle... Leaving an already injured Pignite in against a Samurott? Really? Oh, Ash. You suck compared to Sinnoh Ash. I hope Ash of the past travels through time and slaps you upside the head.

Trip is easily the worst reoccurring rival that the Anime series as ever seen. The writers did a horrible job with him. XD To make matters worse, you can't even be proud of Ash beating Trip because his victory was so dang ridiculous. Pikachu's final attack combo was pretty nifty visually but that's as far as it went. Just another fine example of godmoding Pikachu and its ridiculously varying defensive abilities. As the rival who kept kicking Ash's ass throughout the saga, albeit a pretty bland character, Trip deserved much better than he got.

Others have already said it, but the Unova league felt rushed and unimportant. They really should have reworked the timeline and held the league at the end of the Unova saga verses directly before a major mini-arc. It was difficult to get too excited about the league episodes when I was already well aware of what was to come next. Even Ash's reason for not heading directly home after the league this time, which he alwaaaaaaays does, felt contrived. I can only hope that the final few Unova region episodes are worthy of being this saga's finale.

 

[precita]

Re: Weekly Anime Discussion - You bet your ass there's spoil

The Unova league was horrible, and I don't understand why they had Ash regress in rank for the first time ever.

Ash only came in Top 8 in the Unova league, whereas in the Sinnoh league he came in Top 4. He also lost to a guy with all legendaries back then, whereas here he just lost to some random idiot trainer who was a lot like Morrisson from the Hoenn league. Plus why did they have him lose to a Lucario, an old 4th gen Pokemon that they advertised to death back in the day?

And his Unova team was really poorly trained. Ash having two unevolved starters in the league reminds me of the Kanto/Johto era.

This is actually the first time in the series Ash has actually gotten WORSE as a trainer, whereas before he was gradually improving from one saga to the next.

 

[Linkachu]

Re: Weekly Anime Discussion - You bet your ass there's spoil

Ash only came in Top 8 in the Unova league, whereas in the Sinnoh league he came in Top 4. He also lost to a guy with all legendaries back then, whereas here he just lost to some random idiot trainer who was a lot like Morrisson from the Hoenn league. Plus why did they have him lose to a Lucario, an old 4th gen Pokemon that they advertised to death back in the day?

The fact that Ash had 6 Pokemon and Kotetsu only had 5 really hits home how much Ash has regressed, too. So much facepalm with that league... XD

 

[Demelza]

Re: Weekly Anime Discussion - You bet your ass there's spoil

It featured the Eeveelutions, BEST. LEAGUE. EVER

Yeaaaaah, no. That certainly wasn't a league to be proud of, or one we'll be remembering in a few years time. The early matches weren't interesting enough and having Ash battle his rival 1 on 1 was really, really dumb, and honestly I only really got into it when it was Pikachu vs Lucario at the end, because up until then that battle wasn't the greatest. I'd much rather Ash won that battle and then faced the Eeveelution team, and surely that would have made more sense because they'd be putting even more attention on them if they beat Ash.

I think I'm more annoyed by it because I always look forward to Ash's Gym Battles and the Leagues the most. I knew it wouldn't be the best purely because of Ash's under evolved team, but they really did rush it and it wasn't treated anywhere near as importantly as normal. Disappointed, the N arc better make up for it.

 

[precita]

Re: Weekly Anime Discussion - You bet your ass there's spoil

This is why I've lost a lot of interest in the Best Wishes arc. It started out like it was going to be awesome but just reset Ash's character, gave him lackluster pokemon, a terrible rival, and pretty much did away with the sense of plot/battles that DP had.

I hope the upcoming N arc turns out well, because otherwise Best Wishes is one of the weakest arcs of the show since Johto and that's saying a lot.

 

[Doubled]

Re: Weekly Anime Discussion - You bet your ass there's spoil

Is it just me, or are the writers purposely trying to give Ash's starter/starter that evolves some advantage over his rival? I kind of noticed that Gary's first Pokemon, a Blastoise (though not revealed til wayyyyyy later), a water type is weak against Ash's starter, Pikachu (though I'll give them credit for Charizard); in Sinnoh, Paul had Torterra, and while Ash also had Torterra, I think we can all agree that the main starter with the most focus was Infernape, a fire type. Then we see almost the same pattern in Best Wishes, where Trip gets a Snivy that evolves into Serperior, and Ash evolves his Tepig into a Pignite. I don't know if this is intentional, but I think this is an annoying trend. In the games, your rival is supposed to have the stronger type to your starter. Technically, I guess Gen. 1 (though technically gen 2 since this is where it was revealed) got it right since Ash's Charmander was the one that fully evolved, but, to me, it deviates more from the games than it should.

In all honesty, I think we can predict that Ash will either catch Fennekin or Chespin (or both) and evolve either in the Gen VI anime. However, they need to fix up his team variations. Sinnoh Saga was just amazing because they actually tried to give him a pretty fearsome team, but in my opinion, they can go several steps further. In the Battle Frontier Saga, I think I'm not the only one who felt slightly uncomfortable when Ash lacked a fire type on his team, but this isn't necessarily a bad thing. What I'm getting to is this: Do what they did in Sinnoh, where they actually evolved Ash's Pokemon (most of them anyway), but also mess around with the generic team formula he seems to have (Pikachu+grass starter+fire type (or starter)+water type (or starter)+generic bird+random). For instance, they could try something like Pikachu+Froakie (because he needs a fully evolved water starter dammit)+ground+fighting+dragon+psychic or whatever. Maybe not those specific types, but you know, something different...which I know is as likely as Pikachu devolving into a Magikarp, but I digress.

Also, even though I know it's less likely, I would love to see Ash actually take on an E4 member and win. I mean, it's guaranteed that he'll never win the championship (which Sinnoh proved by god modding Tobias and Unova proved by lowering their standards for good writing), but I think that would just be pretty cool for him to do. Or actually make a companion an E4 member (though I guess Iris took the cake for being the 8th gym leader/Champion of Unova).

However, what will happen is that Ash will capture Chespin, Fennekin, and Froakie, evolve Chespin or Fennekin, capture generic bird, evolve it, capture some random mons, gain a rival who will have a Pokemon starter that is weaker to the one that Ash evolves, get two useless companions: one at least being a gym leader or being the female protagonist of the games and the other being either a reoccurring character or another gym leader, both with bland personalities, win all 8 badges, and then lose the first match of the XY Pokemon League because they decided to evolve his Pokemon after the league arc and they are horribly under powered, oh, and lose to a man with a a Sylveon. Hell, why not let him lose to a preschooler with an enduring and endeavering Starly? Or to a mysterious man with both Xerneas and Ylveltal on his team?

Sorry...I got frustrated and began to get a little angry with Ash. I really, REALLY wish that they would replace him with somebody that COULD win the championship, such as the main protagonist of the game, which the anime is supposed to be based off of, where they actually follow the guidelines of the game and have said trainer's team at a certain point by a certain town or badge (example, most of us are able to have our starter or another Pokemon evolved by the 2nd to third gym, correct?) instead of waiting 6 badges in to evolve an already underpowered starter. How about somebody that actually has rivals, and can travel by himself?

But again, Ash will go to the new region, 10 years old once again, completely fumble and folly, and wind up wondering why he can't win the league even though he doesn't put in enough effort, with the same generic underleveled/underevolved team. whoops I need to stop ranting

 

[Linkachu]

Re: Weekly Anime Discussion - You bet your ass there's spoil

Sorry...I got frustrated and began to get a little angry with Ash. I really, REALLY wish that they would replace him with somebody that COULD win the championship

I often wonder why people feel this way, as if to assume that a protagonist other than Ash would be able to accomplish feats that Ash can't. Even if it'd be a different character, with different Pokemon, and a different personality, they'd still be hindered by the choices of the writing staff. They don't want Ash to win a league championship because they have no idea where they would take the show from there. Such a situation would be exactly the same with any other long running hero too unless the show completely changed its focus - less time spent on the gym badges/league competition and more time spent on varying plot-lines and character developments.

Ash isn't the problem. The way the show is written and handled is the issue. If they finally decided to retire Ash and co. after the next saga we'd likely see him finally go all the way and win the championship, beat the Elite 4, and so on, but there's no way they're going to do that while the show is still profitable. A new hero means a new start; there's always the risk that they could lose viewers in the process. It's a risk that they don't appear to be willing to take either. The best we could hope for would be spin-off shows or OVAs starring new characters and lord knows if the makers would ever seriously consider such at this point. They've had ages to do something more with the Pokemon universe and the best we've ever received Anime-wise was the Raikou Special and the B2/W2 Anime trailers. :/

 

[precita]

Re: Weekly Anime Discussion - You bet your ass there's spoil

Each new saga is aimed at new kids. The writers don't have to worry about losing viewers from a previous arc when they will have outgrown the show.

For example I don't think all the kids who started watching DP as their first saga are still watching Best Wishes. And those kids had to say goodbye to Dawn/Piplup as to them she was the only female protagonist they ever knew. Those of us older fans who were watching back when Misty and May were on the show are the minority, very few older fans kept up with the entire run of the anime.

I would like to see Ash's story wrapped up even if its unlikely. Just so the anime could have a sense of closure.

 

[Linkachu]

Re: Weekly Anime Discussion - You bet your ass there's spoil

Each new saga is aimed at new kids. The writers don't have to worry about losing viewers from a previous arc when they will have outgrown the show.

For example I don't think all the kids who started watching DP as their first saga are still watching Best Wishes. And those kids had to say goodbye to Dawn/Piplup as to them she was the only female protagonist they ever knew. Those of us older fans who were watching back when Misty and May were on the show are the minority, very few older fans kept up with the entire run of the anime.

Thing is, that IS one of the main reasons why they haven't axed Ash and Pikachu yet. I'd say you're assuming far too much with their viewership too. After all, they're bringing back Ash's Charizard again for a reason. They know full well that Charizard's a fan favourite, and who are the viewers who appreciate it most? Oldschool fans. Then we have to consider the Sinnoh league, which was as much about Ash's new Pokemon as it was his old ones. An educated guess would say that the creators are well aware of the series' legacy, and just because a fan is newer doesn't mean that they wouldn't return to older seasons and watch through them too. That's likely why Pokemon TV exists.

Dawn may have been an important character to the Sinnoh arc but that's all she was. Ash and Pikachu are the main characters, and Pikachu alone - Ash's Pikachu no less - is basically the mascot of the franchise now. I wouldn't count on either of them being replaced anytime soon, nor should anyone expect such really.

 

[precita]

Re: Weekly Anime Discussion - You bet your ass there's spoil

Thing is, that IS one of the main reasons why they haven't axed Ash and Pikachu yet. I'd say you're assuming far too much with their viewership too. After all, they're bringing back Ash's Charizard again for a reason. They know full well that Charizard's a fan favourite, and who are the viewers who appreciate it most? Oldschool fans. Then we have to consider the Sinnoh league, which was as much about Ash's new Pokemon as it was his old ones. An educated guess would say that the creators are well aware of the series' legacy, and just because a fan is newer doesn't mean that they wouldn't return to older seasons and watch through them too. That's likely why Pokemon TV exists.

The thing is the actual Pokemon like Charizard or Mewtwo are popular also because of the games. So even if the kids watching Best Wishes never saw Kanto, it doesn't really matter, they just see these cool Pokemon from the games.

As for older fans, people drift in and out of the series. Its true a lot of us continued watching into AG and DP, but a lot didn't. We're now 16 years into the series, so most of us who were young when Kanto was airing grew up, went to College, and became adults. Not everyone watched through the entire show because they either lost interest or just didn't have time to watch Pokemon anymore. This is why character returns ARE brief and only a select few older characters come back each saga, instead of everyone.

Dawn may have been an important character to the Sinnoh arc but that's all she was. Ash and Pikachu are the main characters, and Pikachu alone - Ash's Pikachu no less - is basically the mascot of the franchise now. I wouldn't count on either of them being replaced anytime soon, nor should anyone expect such really.

Agreed. I know they won't drop Ash, as much as I think its time for him to be wrapped up, especially with the way Best Wishes is actually regressing him and making him weaker than he was in DP, which makes no sense.

This is the first saga where Ash was actually noticeably weaker or a worse trainer than a previous arc. Its actually really disturbing for those of us who watched DP to see what the writers did to him this series.

 

[Linkachu]

Re: Weekly Anime Discussion - You bet your ass there's spoil

The thing is the actual Pokemon like Charizard or Mewtwo are popular also because of the games. So even if the kids watching Best Wishes never saw Kanto, it doesn't really matter, they just see these cool Pokemon from the games.

If that were true, why not just bring any ol' Charizard into the season?

Nah, Charizard has always been a fan favourite and they know it. We all know it. It has to be that Charizard because that's the one people love. And, yeah, Pokemon TV allows current gen fans to rewatch the older generations. My younger sisters may have gotten into the Anime series late but that sure as heck didn't stop them from going riiiiiiight back to the start and watching a crap load of the series - multiple times over at that - so they know all about Ash's Charizard and love the thing too. XD

A new hero doesn't have that legacy. It's within the same world but they'd literally be starting over from square one when Ash could be rebooted a hundred times over and still keep his history. Even the movies, which span Ash's lengthy adventure, are still meaningful to newer fans simply because they're based on Ash and Pikachu, characters they know and love. If they swapped out to a new hero that wouldn't be true anymore. I could keep throwing out points like this but the bottom line is that it's much, much safer for a creator to monopolize on current ideas than to break away with something completely brand new. I can't speak for you, but to me it makes a lot of sense.

This is why character returns ARE brief and only a select few older characters come back each saga, instead of everyone.

I'd personally feel that character returns are brief because they're older characters; they've already had their time to shine. What's come and gone can be appreciated while still promoting what's new, and that's ultimately the central focus of the series (promote the new Pokemon, new region, and new characters while giving enough back to older fans to keep 'em happy). It's a balance and, if I'm fair, I'd say the show has always done quite a good job at it - at least as far as Ash's Pokemon go. Time will tell if the likes of Misty and Brock ever make brief cameos again. :3:

 

[precita]

Re: Weekly Anime Discussion - You bet your ass there's spoil

Charizard got a pretty good return episode, even if it just felt like fanservice pandering to old fans.

I didn't care much for the redrawn Kanto scenes myself, even if it was a nostalgia trip. I also noticed they purposely didn't show the battles of Charizard Vs. Blaziken or against Brandon's Dusclops. Is it because they were Hoenn Pokemon and they only wanted to show Charizard against Kanto pokemon?

 

[Linkachu]

Re: Weekly Anime Discussion - You bet your ass there's spoil

Yay, someone finally replied again. :'D

I'm really enjoying the N arc so far. That new opening, aw man, I've watched it over and over and still love it to pieces. All of the episodes that I've watched so far have been good too. I was already a massive N fanwhore to begin with but now he's easily my favourite character within the entirety of the franchise (sorry Cynthia). They should boot Ash and make a new series starring N. *Sagely nods*

I think RX linked to the new opening awhile ago, but I'm doing so again because it's just that awesome. |D

 

[precita]

Re: Weekly Anime Discussion - You bet your ass there's spoil

After the N saga closes they're doing another island hopping filler arc till X and Y, somewhat similar to Orange Islands although there's no new Gyms this time.

I'm sure some people have seen the poster image advertising it on Bulbanews or Serebii, but it also strongly implies both Iris and Cilan are leaving at the end of the arc, with a "sayonara" under their characters waving farewell.

Bit sad that Cilan is leaving so soon if it is true, I was hoping he's stay for another generation like Brock did. As for Iris her whole character has been rather unpopular, so I don't really care on that front. Misty has never been a good character past Orange Islands, (I don't think anyone needs to be reminded why people didn't like her during Johto) but Iris actually made me appreciate her a bit more in retrospect, even if Iris battles much more and has better pokemon.

Actually hoping they go back to the female protagonist co-star set-up next gen. I'd rather another May/Dawn type character than another Misty/Iris one next gen.

 

[RLRL]

Re: Weekly Anime Discussion - You bet your ass there's spoil

Well I'm going to go out on a limb now, and suggest that the new arc will have ash catch an old pokémon, that will have a new evolution in X and Y. Sure they did it with Aipom, and Poliwag (ok Misty caught poliwag but shhh), but as we know, they love repeating plotlines in Pokémon.
You all called me crazy when I suggested it with Aipom, and boom, Ambipom! Well I'm calling it now, just so any old pokémon that appear in the series you're going to be going "omg, are they giving <enter pokémon here> an evolution....?" thusly I will ruin all enjoyment of the new series purely because you'll be questioning everything you see.

Back in focus, yay Cilan is leaving! I know there are a lot of cilan fans out there, but he's just never sat right with me, kinda douchey, flambouyant, and pansage is lame. I do wonder if Ash will once again be travelling with gym leaders. Goddamn why can't nintendo show us at least the first 2 new gym leaders so we can decide if they should be travelling companions or not I just hope we don't have another Max....

 

[Toastie]

Re: Weekly Anime Discussion - You bet your ass there's spoil

I just watched the dub of Ash's battle with Cameron.

I don't think it was that bad a battle, and I don't mind Ash losing to Cameron. What I do mind, however, is that Ash doesn't win a single full battle in the whole tournament. It just feels really rushed in general, with the Trip battle being 1v1. He's the main bloody rival!

I think the X and Y saga may return to mixing things up somewhat like in Sinnoh. It's so linked with past regions that I can't see Ash trying to win with just his regional Pokémon when it comes to the Pokémon league, and I wouldn't be surprised if one of his Pokémon gets an evolution in Gen VI and he brings it with him (like with Aipom).

I'm not too bothered about the possibility of Iris and Cilan leaving. Cilan's constant food-based analogies are really grating, and Iris doesn't do much anyway. I don't think we'll see Brock return - he seems to have been retired. I'm hoping they change the formula slightly, like in Hoenn, and have more than two companions.

The island saga looks quite interesting, if only because it's reintroducing older characters, such as Clair. Still, if every episode is a filler and there is no real aim, it could become pretty boring.

 

[precita]

Re: Weekly Anime Discussion - You bet your ass there's spoil

I think people like Cilan simply because Brock became SO STALE in DP, and he's better than Tracey or Max were. Also people like the more flamboyant nature of Cilan's character. However I agree classic Brock (pre Sinnoh) was the best male sidekick.

I'd say:

Kanto-AG Brock > Cilan > Tracey > DP Brock > Max

Brock was just boring in DP, which is probably why Cilan became popular because he was such a change of pace.

 

[Toastie]

Re: Weekly Anime Discussion - You bet your ass there's spoil

Brock was just boring in DP, which is probably why Cilan became popular because he was such a change of pace.

Be that as it may, I can't help but feel that the writers were trying to recreate the Ash-Misty-Brock dynamic, but failing as Cilan is too different a character to Brock. Aside from his numerous romances, Brock is level-headed, mature and tactically adept. While Cilan demonstrates elements of this, I think the other side to his personality overwhelms it and ultimately makes him one-dimensional.

 

[precita]

Re: Weekly Anime Discussion - You bet your ass there's spoil

I don't think they wanted Cilan to be like Brock, even his interactions with Ash aren't the same. They tried to make Tracey a "soft spoken" version of Brock without the girl craziness, and for that reason Tracey never became popular. Other than cooking food, Cilan is his own character. Cilan's type of character is also very popular in Japan, you see characters like him in lots of other anime over there and that's what they were trying to duplicate.

They tried to do the same thing with Dawn back in DP, her character was very similar to those "magical girl" females in other anime you see. Those overly girly female leads who are always happy 90% of the time until something negative happens, etc? And who also like wearing different outfits and dresses, etc.

I don't really mind who Ash travels with anymore, mainly because we know he's always going to get new travel companions anyway, so when you know a character is only temporary there's not much to actually say. I haven't really gotten attached to any of the main characters on Ash's group for this reason past the Hoenn era, mainly because I knew they would always leave. They're all decent characters, but that's all I can say.

 

[Satoren]

Re: Weekly Anime Discussion - You bet your ass there's spoil

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eau3w4mzuxg

So the new OP and ED are nice~ Very well animated, in fact.

That random bit at in the end of the ED where all the party members and rivals are holding hands brings a tear to my eye ; u;

 

[Linkachu]

Re: Weekly Anime Discussion - You bet your ass there's spoil

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eau3w4mzuxg

So the new OP and ED are nice~ Very well animated, in fact.

That random bit at in the end of the ED where all the party members and rivals are holding hands brings a tear to my eye ; u;

Thanks for sharing, RX! I watched the video and very much agree that the OP and ED are both nice, especially the bits at the end of the ED. Nostalgia runs deep.

(We require a higher quality image of this scene! D

 

[Demelza]

Re: Weekly Anime Discussion - You bet your ass there's spoil

As much as I've enjoyed the OP for the last couple of seasons, this one has to be my favourite yet and I think we'll be having a lot of fun with this arc.

Interestingly enough we see Mewtwo in the OP and we see Sylveon with the other Eeveelutions during the ED and even with the movie and fifth gen so far away right now, it's nice to see them toss those characters in.

 

[Satoren]

Re: Weekly Anime Discussion - You bet your ass there's spoil

Interestingly enough we see Mewtwo in the OP and we see Sylveon with the other Eeveelutions during the ED and even with the movie and fifth gen so far away right now, it's nice to see them toss those characters in.

They did the same back in the Battle Frontier arc. To advertise the Pokemon movies that were going to come out at the time, the openings had brief scenes featuring Lucario, Mew and Weavile for movie 8, and Pokemon Ranger Jack (along with Solana) for movie 9.

It's gonna be about 10 weeks more before the movie premiere, which gives the anime about 10 or so episodes not to change the opening before it becomes redundant.

Looking at it this way, it seems that there's just a couple more episodes before the Unova saga wraps up. Still, they have a pretty interesting lineup of episodes! We've got Zoroark's official appearance in the anime (ironic that it's the first Gen 5 Pokemon we've seen, and one of the last to appear on TV) A possible reunion with Butterfree, Professor Oak, and Clair (with Rotoms and a shiny Druddigon respectively in tow)And Oshawott falls in love once again (possibly for the last time both in terms of being an Oshawott and being a recurring Pokemon on Ash's Team)

I'll admit Unova's run was a bit odd, if not a tad disappointing (I'm still really salty about the Unova League >:I) But it's going out with a bang, and it's looking pretty good so far.

 

[precita]

Re: Weekly Anime Discussion - You bet your ass there's spoil

The ending is bittersweet with the knowledge that most of those characters probably won't ever appear in the anime again. I find it odd Misty is in her old Kanto clothes while everyone else is in their most recent outfit.

A lot of old rivals are missing too, as well as all of May and Dawn's rivals. No idea why they were excluded.

 

[Satoren]

Re: Weekly Anime Discussion - You bet your ass there's spoil

Brock's Sttelix and Chansey are also an Onix and Happiny. I guess it's because they wanted to show Ash's friends in the form they're most remembered for.

Since it's always about Ash, I guess they felt that only his rivals deserved to be placed in the ED. And even then, only Paul and Gary are in it excluding his Unova rivals. Gary is understandable, but Paul was a bit surprising. I guess he was a lot more significant to Ash's growth then any of his other rivals like Ritchie and Barry.

 

[precita]

Re: Weekly Anime Discussion - You bet your ass there's spoil

Watching the ending makes you realize how some of those characters haven't been on the show in YEARS. And now that Ash has so many travel companions (and he's likely to get more new ones in the next saga), the writers have too many older characters who left the show now, so they're unlikely to ever use them again.

Its a nice way for the writers to at least acknowledge them though even if they never physically appear in an episode again. I don't really mind myself though, I'm not one to get attached to characters much anymore especially now.

 

[Satoren]

'scuse me while I try to breathe some life into this thread...

​

So it seems that Iris and Dent are ditching Ash after arriving in Japan (or the Pokemon world equivalent thereof) Or more likely, they just decided to part ways after a timeskip leading to the XY series. (A lot of people are saying Ash looks older in the XY previews, but I don't really see it tbh)

Anyways, one of the BW special episodes that will be airing prior to the premiere of XY focuses on Cilan and Brock, who oddly enough, have found their way to Johto. The other special will focus on Iris, and she'll apparently have a battle with Clair. Whether she's made her way to Blackthorn or is travelling somewhere else remains to be seen.

So with Cilan and Iris on their own, does that mean Ash is on his own in Kalos? Well, initially it seems that way...

Fortunately for Ash, his (and Pikachu's) charms just keep drawing new friends to them like honey to a Combee. A poster for the Pokemon XY anime reveals that Serena, the female player character, Clemont, a Kalos Gym Leader, and his little sister Bonnie will play a large role in the Kalos saga

Other details so far shown in the magazine article include

• A mysterious cloaked man who has a MegaBlaziken for a partner
• Clemont having a Dedenne on his team
• Wobbuffet returning as a member of Team Rocket's party

With the Best Wishes saga soon ending, what are your thoughts on the anime so far, and where it's going? And what about the new special series, Pokemon: the Origin? (We're discussing that here as well, right?)

 

[precita]

Best Wishes, overall, was mostly terrible, bringing the anime back down to the poorness of the Johto saga over a decade ago. The only really good parts was the Giovanni episodes and a few of the tournaments. Cilan was nice.

I think most people lost interest in the anime during this arc, because the show has basically regressed to the badness it once was over a decade ago. Sinnoh was hardly perfect, but it at least had a proper plot structure.

Also Iris is almost as bad as Johto Misty was. *shudders*

 

[Doubled]

Yeah... I will say that I liked how fast and progressive Best Wishes was, but the plot was just horrible for the most part, and Ash's teams were just fluctuating too much. I love that he was raising more Pokemon, but he didn't even try to evolve Pignite, or Snivy or FOR GOD'S SAKE OSHAWOTT.

Anyway, if they could just combine the progressiveness of Best Wishes with the overall plot structure of DP, then I will be happy, but I also want them to think deeply about character development and not just focus on non important characters, and keep rivals to a minimum. Like, we like rivals, maybe 2, but let's be honest, NOT EVERYONE HAS TO BE A FREAKING RIVAL. Anyway, seriously though, character development, make us love these characters, make us have FEELS for these characters, come on it can happen. I just hope the writers will put forth a lot of effort in this series, as it really needs an overhaul.

As far as The Origin, there's no way they can really screw that one up, right? Right? *sweats nervously* Overall though it looks to be pretty epic, and it will probably be fast paced too. I just kind of hope that, if Origin is successful, the producers will finally see that Ash does not NEED to be the main character, or that they can make a side series alongside the current anime. I think we would all appreciate it, anyway... well, save for those few misguided folks who still believe that Ash still has a chance to become champion of a regional league (yeah they exist! I'm shocked too!).

 

[precita]

DP was a much better series overall, even though Dawn herself was rather bland and I might have preferred Iris over her if her character had a better story arc.

I just hope Serena is nothing like Dawn. Few would argue that Dawn didn't have the blandest and dullest personality of the female leads in the series, but she had a story arc that disguised that fact. Had it not been for the Contest episodes Dawn would have been rather forgettable, and had Iris had a plot she would have been better.

Too bad they can never get the female lead just right.

 

[Satoren]

​

A trailer for the XY anime was shown at the end of this week's episode of Best Wishes (which incidentally is the episode where Cilan and Iris ditch Ash to go to Johto) and with it are a couple of interesting facts about Ash's new friends.

• Most surprisingly, one of these new companions is someone Ash has apparently already met. The trailer shows that Serena apparently knew Ash when he was younger. Info seems to confirm that she in lived in Pallet before moving to Kalos. (So I guess she's not only a representative of the XY games, but this kinda also makes her the anime's variant of Leaf/Blue)
• Clemont is a lot older in the anime than he is in the games. At least this is what is implied, given his voice actor is the very suave-sounding Yuki Kaji (previously Virgil in Best Wishes and Eren Jeager in Shingeki no Kyojin) Apparently, he decides to travel with Ash after he runs out of badges to give away at his gym.
• Clemont's sister Bonnie tags along because she hopes to find Clemont a wife on their journey. She apparently carries Clemont's Pokemon for him, since his backpack apparently stores his gadgets instead.
• Giovanni will once again appear in the anime, and has a new outfit: a simple black suit.
• The trailer shows Ash rushing an injured Froakie to a Pokemon Center. Given this is how he meets a lot of his Pokemon, it's safe to assume Froakie will be on his team.

Although I quickly lost interest in Best Wishes, as always I have high hopes that the anime's next iteration will do better. XY from what the previews show, seems to be a lot more dynamic than past series, with no shortage of action. Heck, the animation already looks much better than when Best Wishes premiered.

 

[Doubled]

This actually excites me, which I will probably be disapointed later on by, but still, a trainer from Ash's childhood being his new companion would be... a really great plot device! Seriously, I thought she looked a bit like Blue/Leaf when they showed her, so it is safe to assume she is that person. I really want for there to be a crush complex or something, but given how the series has run so far, I doubt it'll happen.

That aside, I think that the animation already looks amazing~ And I REALLY hope Ash doesn't try to pull a Best Wishes and catch the starters in reverse and evolve Chespin or Fennekin. Just give him Froakie and have it evolve, please for the love of Arceus please, and just have him capture random Pokemon. I would like for them to use a different team formula than the rinse wash repeat Pikachu, Fire, Water, Grass, and Normal/Flying type (which is always the main bird) formula that has been used since forever, and at least try to mix things up by having certain Pokemon either replace said types or evolve into it (which I would be totally okay with Talonflame taking up both the fire and flying slots so he can expand more).

 

[precita]

The only reason this group looks interesting is it reminds me of the Hoenn seasons. I wonder if they can make Bonnie do more than Max did, but I'm not sure if its possible. I'm actually really surprised they're doing another underage kid character.

Serena's personality will probably be a bit more shy or subdued judging by the preview, hopefully she's more like May was then. What really bugs me though is her character design looks so similar to Dawn....same long hair, skirt, and hat (and yes I realize its the game designs), but meh.

 

[Doubled]

So I just watched all 4 Pokemon Origins specials (even though only 2 have subs), and I gotta say, IT WAS AWESOME. SERIOUSLY, JUST THE ANIMATION AND THE BATTLE SCENES AND THE HEART WRENCHING STUFF OH MY GOD. I even found myself screeching in fear at how graphic some of the battle scenes looked. Seriously, X and Y, take note, or take the freaking writers, THIS is how you do a Pokemon series, if only there were more episodes ;A;

All in all though, even though there were only 4 episodes, it still managed to satisfy me more than the entire main series put together, with movies included. Red sought out a goal, accomplished it, and yeah, it WAS EPIC.

ANd the great thing is, even if you don't speak Japanese, if you know the games well enough and the context of the scenes, you can kind of predict what people are saying in them. Just go watch it, please.

 

[RLRL]

I'm really hesitant about the X and Y anime, I severely disliked Max in Hoenn, and Bonnie just seems like she will be as annoying, if not worse. I'm glad that Cilan is finally gone, but will miss iris, hopefully she'll turn up at some point with a haxorus, rather than just with kibago still.

I agree with you Doubled, I do not want ash to once again have all 3 starters, he had enough pokémon in BW but as we saw, they didn't all get enough screen time or development, and we literally had the same result as johto where 1 evolved once, the other two are "just great the way they are".... It's pretty evident by the episode titles Ash will be getting fletchling *yawn* but as you said, it covers him for a fire type, maybe we'll see another hoenn style team of 1 starter, making this the only region where ash doesn't own the grass starter. But I guess we'll just have to wait and see....

 

[Demelza]

I agree with you Doubled, I do not want ash to once again have all 3 starters, he had enough pokémon in BW but as we saw, they didn't all get enough screen time or development, and we literally had the same result as johto where 1 evolved once, the other two are "just great the way they are"....

Personally I'd much rather he had all three. It's kind of a big thing with me where if he doesn't have all three, the ones he doesn't have are the starters I dislike most from the generation (So, Piplup and both of the Hoenn starters aside from Treecko), I mean while BW didn't really handle Snivy all that well both Oshawott and Tepig got a lot of screentime which really made me appreciate Tepig more.

I dunno. I just feel like it can be done properly. Kanto was handled well in terms of screen time, and same with Johto. If they put their mind to it, it can work out and I want him to have them all, so yeah. xp

All in all I'm quite excited for XY, it looks like it'll be a lot of fun. Bonnie might well be a very annoying character, but at the same time it gives the show some life to it and the kids the show is aimed at will likely get a good laugh outter her. Defo looks like Ash ends up with Froakie and Fletchling, but I'm okay with him having the bird, it's a fun one this generation and could be Sinnoh all over again. ^^

 

[RLRL]

So what are the bets on fletchling's capture, will it be the badass leader of the flock type, or will it be the timid and weak one of the flock that ash saves and brings out his true power.

I'm wondering if the froakie is the professors for a new trainer but after an attack on the lab they give it to ash, works well with the footage we've seen. Or perhaps we're taking it the wrong way, the professor gives it to him for the journey around kalos, and we just get another occasion where it gets beaten up quite terribly much like pikachu =) i'm all for that, nothing like ash to take on a megablaziken with a level 5 froakie!