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It was agreed
that Esoteric Happy Ending does apply to Team Rocket as several official interviews cite the trio's friendship as their key to happiness.
that Esoteric Happy Ending does apply to Team Rocket as several official interviews cite the trio's friendship as their key to happiness.Added DiffLines:
* EsotericHappyEnding: Team Rocket's final resolution is treated as a happy ending despite the fact that it cements their vicious cycle. While the finale frames it as a better alternative than being stuck working menial jobs without each other (as many [[https://dogasu.bulbagarden.net/features/translations/buzzfeed_rocket-dan_20190721.html official]] [[https://dogasu.bulbagarden.net/features/translations/animate_times_rocket-dan_20191102.html interviews]] emphasize the trio's friendship as their number one key to happiness), it can be hard to see this as happy knowing that their endless chase of Pikachu will forever be doomed to fail. Unlike Ash, who's clearly made ''some'' progress toward his own eternal dream, Team Rocket's fate feels more suffocating than hopeful, as they have none of Ash's achievements yet still refuse to move on.
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Cleanup. Complaints about the ending weren't widespread/intense enough for AAE. Villains getting an unhappy end as karma is not EHE (thinker they deserved better is something else). FDE is misrepresenting/not the explanation (how/why) being contested.
Complaints about the ending weren't widespread/intense enough for AAE. Villains getting an unhappy end as karma is not EHE (thinker they deserved better is something else). FDE is misrepresenting/not the explanation (how/why) being contested.Deleted line(s) 3 (click to see context) :
* AudienceAlienatingEnding: When it was announced that this would be the final chapter in Ash's story, with an eleven-part miniseries titled ''To be a Pokémon Master'' wrapping things up before [[Anime/PokemonHorizonsTheSeries Liko and Roy]] took over, fans were eager to see how Ash would conclude his journey now that [[spoiler:he was the World Coronation Series Champion.]] What came next was a massive disappointment to many on both sides of the Pacific; rather than wrap up any of Ash's story arcs, the series ends with him [[spoiler:deciding to go WalkingTheEarth and befriend every Pokémon he can, while the Team Rocket Trio gets back together and decides to endlessly pursue him even if they don't succeed.]] Besides the fact that Ash's reunion with Brock and Misty, as well as all of his old Pokémon he was finally rotating into his roster, were just {{Filler}} episodes designed to homage the original series with little consequence or CharacterDevelopment, none of the other dangling plot threads (such as Ash's released Pokémon, any potential of him taking up a romantic relationship with Misty or Serena, or his companions own personal goals) were followed though. Worst yet, this blatant StatusQuoIsGod not only failed to ''make'' Ash a Pokémon Master, but [[spoiler:undid Team Rocket's PlotMandatedFriendshipFailure within two episodes]], and barely acknowledged Ash [[spoiler:being the World Monarch, let alone how he would defend his title.]] Needless to say, those were expecting a grand farewell to the iconic protagonist were let down.
Deleted line(s) 5,6 (click to see context) :
* EsotericHappyEnding: Team Rocket's final resolution is treated as a happy ending despite the fact it's a cementation of their vicious cycle: [[spoiler:Even though their latest failed attempt nearly disbanded the trio permanently, they reconcile and conclude that pursuing Pikachu, the SignatureMon of the World Coronation Series Monarch, is worth spending the rest of their lives for despite 25 years of being offered better life opportunities outside of that impossible goal (and outside of evil in general). While Ash leaves the series as the World Champion seeking out new adventures to better than before, the Team Rocket trio leave unchanged as people and reduced to mere annoyances that barely get Ash's attention anymore.]]
* FanDislikedExplanation: The final episode establishes that [[spoiler: Ash '''still''' isn't a Pokémon Master and Ash won't consider himself one until he's befriended every Pokémon he can]]. Many fans took issue with this feeling it was ludicrous that the anime [[spoiler: wouldn't grant Ash the status of Pokémon Master despite this being his last time as the main character and getting crowned as the '''strongest trainer on the planet'''.]] Other fans took issue with how vague [[spoiler: Ash's definition of a Pokémon Master was. These fans note [[AmbiguousSyntax Ash's word choice]] could mean noting anything from catching one Pokémon of every species (making it identical to Goh), or befriending every single individual Pokémon in the world (which is a physical impossibility given the large quantity and some Pokémon like [[Anime/PokemonTheSeriesXY the Malamar trio]] being unrelentingly evil).]]
* FanDislikedExplanation: The final episode establishes that [[spoiler: Ash '''still''' isn't a Pokémon Master and Ash won't consider himself one until he's befriended every Pokémon he can]]. Many fans took issue with this feeling it was ludicrous that the anime [[spoiler: wouldn't grant Ash the status of Pokémon Master despite this being his last time as the main character and getting crowned as the '''strongest trainer on the planet'''.]] Other fans took issue with how vague [[spoiler: Ash's definition of a Pokémon Master was. These fans note [[AmbiguousSyntax Ash's word choice]] could mean noting anything from catching one Pokémon of every species (making it identical to Goh), or befriending every single individual Pokémon in the world (which is a physical impossibility given the large quantity and some Pokémon like [[Anime/PokemonTheSeriesXY the Malamar trio]] being unrelentingly evil).]]
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To return to the YMMV page for ''Anime/PokemonJourneysTheSeries'', click [[YMMV/PokemonJourneysTheSeries here]].
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* CatharsisFactor: Ash's time at the protagonist being over counts as this. While the ending is still very contested as to ''how'' he left the series, the fact he was allowed to leave after 25 years at the peak of his career [[spoiler:as World Coronation Series Monarch]] without that being taken away from him and allowed to journey at whatever adventure he so pleases is nothing short of satisfying.
* EsotericHappyEnding: Team Rocket's final resolution is treated as a happy ending despite the fact it's a cementation of their vicious cycle: [[spoiler:Even though their latest failed attempt nearly disbanded the trio permanently, they reconcile and conclude that pursuing Pikachu, the SignatureMon of the World Coronation Series Monarch, is worth spending the rest of their lives for despite 25 years of being offered better life opportunities outside of that impossible goal (and outside of evil in general). While Ash leaves the series as the World Champion seeking out new adventures to better than before, the Team Rocket trio leave unchanged as people and reduced to mere annoyances that barely get Ash's attention anymore.]]
* EsotericHappyEnding: Team Rocket's final resolution is treated as a happy ending despite the fact it's a cementation of their vicious cycle: [[spoiler:Even though their latest failed attempt nearly disbanded the trio permanently, they reconcile and conclude that pursuing Pikachu, the SignatureMon of the World Coronation Series Monarch, is worth spending the rest of their lives for despite 25 years of being offered better life opportunities outside of that impossible goal (and outside of evil in general). While Ash leaves the series as the World Champion seeking out new adventures to better than before, the Team Rocket trio leave unchanged as people and reduced to mere annoyances that barely get Ash's attention anymore.]]
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* OlderThanTheyThink: In response to criticisms that Ash never dismantled Team Rocket in the final stretch of episodes, Dogasu's Backpack, one of the leading experts in the fan community, [[https://twitter.com/DogasusBackpack/status/1632026930475315200 mentioned]] that Ash never saw the defeat of the entirety of Team Rocket as his endgame as far back as the original series, due to the most frequently encountered members being [[GoldfishPoopGang Jessie, James, and Meowth]]. Thus, Ash and Giovanni have ''always'' never perceived each other as a threat. Had Creator/TakeshiShudo originally ended the anime after one season as he originally planned, Ash would still never have defeated Team Rocket (and their involvement would have presumably ended with Mewtwo destroying their headquarters).
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Added DiffLines:
* AudienceAlienatingEnding: When it was announced that this would be the final chapter in Ash's story, with an eleven-part miniseries titled ''To be a Pokémon Master'' wrapping things up before [[Anime/PokemonHorizonsTheSeries Liko and Roy]] took over, fans were eager to see how Ash would conclude his journey now that [[spoiler:he was the World Coronation Series Champion.]] What came next was a massive disappointment to many on both sides of the Pacific; rather than wrap up any of Ash's story arcs, the series ends with him [[spoiler:deciding to go WalkingTheEarth and befriend every Pokémon he can, while the Team Rocket Trio gets back together and decides to endlessly pursue him even if they don't succeed.]] Besides the fact that Ash's reunion with Brock and Misty, as well as all of his old Pokémon he was finally rotating into his roster, were just {{Filler}} episodes designed to homage the original series with little consequence or CharacterDevelopment, none of the other dangling plot threads (such as Ash's released Pokémon, any potential of him taking up a romantic relationship with Misty or Serena, or his companions own personal goals) were followed though. Worst yet, this blatant StatusQuoIsGod not only failed to ''make'' Ash a Pokémon Master, but [[spoiler:undid Team Rocket's PlotMandatedFriendshipFailure within two episodes]], and barely acknowledged Ash [[spoiler:being the World Monarch, let alone how he would defend his title.]] Needless to say, those were expecting a grand farewell to the iconic protagonist were let down.
* FanDislikedExplanation: The final episode establishes that [[spoiler: Ash '''still''' isn't a Pokémon Master and Ash won't consider himself one until he's befriended every Pokémon he can]]. Many fans took issue with this feeling it was ludicrous that the anime [[spoiler: wouldn't grant Ash the status of Pokémon Master despite this being his last time as the main character and getting crowned as the '''strongest trainer on the planet'''.]] Other fans took issue with how vague [[spoiler: Ash's definition of a Pokémon Master was. These fans note [[AmbiguousSyntax Ash's word choice]] could mean noting anything from catching one Pokémon of every species (making it identical to Goh), or befriending every single individual Pokémon in the world (which is a physical impossibility given the large quantity and some Pokémon like [[Anime/PokemonTheSeriesXY the Malamar trio]] being unrelentingly evil).]]
* ItsTheSameSoItSucks: This miniseries is divisive for being less of a GrandFinale and more just an inconsequential homage of the original series, with most episodes simply revolving around the traditional classic formula, and Ash's status as [[spoiler:the Monarch]] having almost nothing to do with the plot. Many fans were underwhelmed that the arc wrapped up practically none of the anime's countless loose threads, whether they be about Ash or anyone else, especially in his very last stretch as the protagonist. It especially didn't help that the series ended more-or-less sticking to the status quo, as Ash [[spoiler:leaves to go on an endless journey with a reunited Team Rocket in close pursuit]], and as other finales for major pop culture franchises like [[Series/StarTrekPicard the crew of The Next Generation]] or [[Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxyVol3 the Guardians of the Galaxy]] got proper sendoffs shortly after the series wrapped in Japan, many were left wondering why Ash never got the same closure.
* UnexpectedCharacter:
** In the second-to-last episode, Alto Mare, the painter girl Bianca and the Latias that disguised itself as her, from [[Anime/PokemonHeroes the fifth movie]] appear, making Bianca the first major movie character to appear in an episode of the anime.
** The very last episode had, after ''24 whopping years'', the return of Pidgeot in a very grand BigDamnHeroes fashion, and unlike majority of Ash's released Pokemon, decides to stay with Ash ''permanently''.
* FanDislikedExplanation: The final episode establishes that [[spoiler: Ash '''still''' isn't a Pokémon Master and Ash won't consider himself one until he's befriended every Pokémon he can]]. Many fans took issue with this feeling it was ludicrous that the anime [[spoiler: wouldn't grant Ash the status of Pokémon Master despite this being his last time as the main character and getting crowned as the '''strongest trainer on the planet'''.]] Other fans took issue with how vague [[spoiler: Ash's definition of a Pokémon Master was. These fans note [[AmbiguousSyntax Ash's word choice]] could mean noting anything from catching one Pokémon of every species (making it identical to Goh), or befriending every single individual Pokémon in the world (which is a physical impossibility given the large quantity and some Pokémon like [[Anime/PokemonTheSeriesXY the Malamar trio]] being unrelentingly evil).]]
* ItsTheSameSoItSucks: This miniseries is divisive for being less of a GrandFinale and more just an inconsequential homage of the original series, with most episodes simply revolving around the traditional classic formula, and Ash's status as [[spoiler:the Monarch]] having almost nothing to do with the plot. Many fans were underwhelmed that the arc wrapped up practically none of the anime's countless loose threads, whether they be about Ash or anyone else, especially in his very last stretch as the protagonist. It especially didn't help that the series ended more-or-less sticking to the status quo, as Ash [[spoiler:leaves to go on an endless journey with a reunited Team Rocket in close pursuit]], and as other finales for major pop culture franchises like [[Series/StarTrekPicard the crew of The Next Generation]] or [[Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxyVol3 the Guardians of the Galaxy]] got proper sendoffs shortly after the series wrapped in Japan, many were left wondering why Ash never got the same closure.
* UnexpectedCharacter:
** In the second-to-last episode, Alto Mare, the painter girl Bianca and the Latias that disguised itself as her, from [[Anime/PokemonHeroes the fifth movie]] appear, making Bianca the first major movie character to appear in an episode of the anime.
** The very last episode had, after ''24 whopping years'', the return of Pidgeot in a very grand BigDamnHeroes fashion, and unlike majority of Ash's released Pokemon, decides to stay with Ash ''permanently''.
