Pokémon anime

Fwiw, Ash did have Aipom going from Gen III to Gen IV, and it's pretty clear that's because they knew Ambipom was on the way. Although even in that case, he never actually evolves it before trading it to Dawn.

Ambipom is a weird case: it’s the only non-Pikachu Pokémon that Ash still had on hand between series (although there’d obviously be more if he ever actually got any upcoming-gen Pokémon), it first appeared before its future owner did, it’s the only Pokémon traded from one lead character to another, and it was completely forgotten about after being left behind. I’m not the first person to point this out, but that last point is also true of Ash’s Primeape (coincidentally also a primate-like Pokémon). Seriously, where were Ambipom and Primeape in Journeys? (Outside of flashbacks/fantasies, of course). They didn’t even briefly show whether either of them was by then.

Edited by Lymantria on Feb 23rd 2024 at 3:04:32 PM

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Pokemon that were given to other trainers are usually gone for good, aren't they? I don't recall any showing up in recent memory.

Macron's notes

I guess so, but hey, released Pokémon are clearly okay to bring back. Besides, maybe some kind of cameo without having them meet their former owners, but just showing them still in action, could have worked. Like a Meanwhile Scene, or maybe even something like a "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue.

(Is any of this Journeys spoilers?)

Edited by Lymantria on Feb 23rd 2024 at 3:35:24 PM

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I keep sharing the entire interview and people keep forgetting or getting details wrong. No, the producers DID NOT think Brock's desing was racist (If it was they would have gotten rid of Jynx after Brock left) but rather they thought an asian looking kid would not be a hit with western audiences.

• Dogasu: Most people have heard some telephone game version of why Takeshi got the boot during the Orange Islands arc. I've noticed there are some misconceptions out there ("they were afraid Americans would see him as a racist stereotype" being chief among them) so I've decided that, instead of going through the various rumors and debunking them, one by one, I thought it'd be better to start off with a translation of what former head writer Mr. Takeshi Shudo had to say about the subject on his personal blog back in 2009:

• Takeshi Shudo: And then another issue came up. We got word that the show's upper management wanted to remove Takeshi as a regular member of the cast. The reason they gave was because of the shape of Takeshi's eyes. Almond-shaped eyes make people aware that he's an Asian, and an anime where Asians appear can't be successful in the West. So make it so he doesn't appear, they said. But I wouldn't say this was racism or anything like that. I just think the idea that Westerners wouldn't accept Asian-looking characters to be old-fashioned. I don't know who ordered it but I remember thinking the whole thing was stupid. Later, upper management noticed that Takeshi was surprisingly popular in the West and so they allowed him to be brought back.

• さらに困ったことが起こった。

レギュラーメンバーのタケシが、上層部の意向で 消されてしまったのである。 理由は、タケシの目が細いということである。 細目は東洋人を意識させる。 東洋人の出るアニメは、欧米では受けない。だか ら登場させるな、である。 人種差別とはいわない。しかし、僕は、東洋人が 欧米で受けないという感覚が古いと思った。 だれが言い出したか知らないが、馬鹿じゃないか と思った。 その後、タケシが意外に欧米人に人気があること に気がついた上層部は、タケシを復活させた。

I shared the interview twice and the second time everyone ignored me,pretended I didnt say anything, and just changed the subject but if you want to speak please be informed people.

Edited by AegisP on Feb 23rd 2024 at 11:45:54 AM

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Okay, maybe I didn’t use quite the right wording, but otherwise, what I said earlier still stands. Nobody actually complained about Brock looking too Asian in any case, but they didn’t know that when they introduced the white-looking Tracey.

Even that video’s commenters agree that the explanation for replacing the girls is weird to say the least.

Edited by Lymantria on Feb 24th 2024 at 8:34:47 PM

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A video that listed some basic facts about the anime correctly mentions the eyes being the issue. It was part of the "Did You Know Movies" series, which spun off from "Did You Know Gaming" and aired episodes on Film Theory before moving to Normal Boots.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJyY7XtOQCM&list=PLwZaB6SB_OfAspRyjqsUb8AAVGChIJw_o&index=23

The Film Theory episodes were unlisted when the series moved off the channel, so another YouTube channel that put the videos in a playlist has this video on it. The video also covers statements like "the girls are switched out so the boys have eye candy" or "Ash being a Pokemon Master will end the series". The video was made when Ash was still the protagonist, so it's pretty much outdated despite covering many of these facts.

It should probably be noted the writers viewed reuniting the original trio for Johto as a failure by the time we got to its last year. The original idea was to reverse Tracey for Brock and bring back the "old trio" for Johto to make the show like Kanto again, but unfortunately Johto was not written as well, so it didn't make a difference. Misty and Brock just couldn't carry the show, so they gave up on them mid-way through it. At some point it honestly felt like they treated them as "placeholders" rather than actual characters, and only used them for that reason till they had a reason to replace them.

Do you have anything to back that up?

They probably weren't entirely placeholders, they were still interesting mentor figures who could help Ash along.

I gotta be honest, I lost interest in Ash's journey shortly before the Hoenn region began.

If you play with fire, you're gonna get burned.

So, favorite way Brock got bonked?

Wake me up at your own risk.

Brock and Misty were the first to fall victim to the curse that every main character fell victim to since: if you are designed to be foils propping up another character's growth, except that after several seasons neither you or him are allowed to grow or finish your arcs, you're gonna end up as a lame burden on the narrative.

Even poor Ash had his development reset every season, notwithstanding the world around him. Characters like May or Lillie that had a full arc in his presence, informed by but not necessitating him? Got to live on offscreen. Characters like the Team Rocket Trio? Get to stay stagnant but still beloved and happy because they're in his presence. Characters like Serena or Gary? Being so tied to Ash means that they cannot be shown too much onscreen after being away form him, because they are only meant to be extensions of him and giving them too much life would break that illusion.

It's unfortunate, but I guess they wanted them to still be heavily tied to Ash and, therefore, not stray too far from him.

On the subject of Pokemon being left with trainers and never being seen again, when looking at other Pokemon Ash had, although Primeape never returned outside of flashbacks or fantasies, this did not apply to other Pokemon Ash left behind. One could get the idea that Charizard was already getting a lot of attention even before the Wolverine Publicity kicked in because it made several appearances in Johto outside of the Pokemon League (including being the only dumped Pokemon to return in a movie) and returned twice during the Battle Frontier saga. This was also once a fate Gliscor had to put up with, being taken off the team late into Sinnoh, only to return to Ash during the Sinnoh League and immediately go to Oak's lab instead of back to the trainer watching over it. Squirtle also occasionally returned despite rejoining its squad, even into the Journeys anime.

So Dot went aboard the ship of a man she had never met...and nobody sees a problem with this?

CM Dates; CM Pending; CM Drafts

It's a bit weird, but it's an anime, animes always have weird things that make no sense. At least we get to see Dot's mother for the first time.

Pokemon Horizons just dropped on Netflix.

I guess it's because he's Murdock's friend and Dot's parents (or at least Blanca) trust his judgements? My own assumption was that she didn't just randomly go with him, she talked to her mother first about it, given how Blanca was acting when she showed up. If Dot had just hopped on board without consulting her parents it wouldn't have been a trial period. That said, the editing was a bit weird with how they ended Dot's backstory, though. I saw it as her not going with them that one time the ship took off, but instead asking them to pick her up next time they were around. But who knows.

First 12 eps only, fwiw. Episode 42 airs in Japan today in case anyone's wondering how far behind Netflix is.

Anyway, please watch Horizons for Amethio. He's not in it a lot, but he's great. I love him and his grumpy attitude and I can't wait to learn more about him because he really feels out of place in the Explorers to me.

Avatar: Amethio (Pokemon Horizons)

He's much more serious than the Team Rocket trio before him, and he seems frustrated with his place on the team. Who knows, maybe he'll eventually quit the team or go on to better fit the organization.

The Explorers have a lot of mystery behind them, and Gibeon being a shadowy figure makes me wonder if he'll be someone we've met before. Also, since the Explorers were once friends of Lucius, maybe they eventually became corrupted over time (similar to the original purpose of the Dai Li undergoing Motive Decay), and maybe there's a lot of history still hidden in the past and not yet revealed.

Amethio deflecting from the Explorers seems to be a pretty popular theory amongst Japanese fans, and I definitely agree with it. I can see his character growth being that he learns to live for himself rather than for the sake of somebody else. They keep showing how different he is to Liko & Roy and highlighting how further along on his Pokemon journey Amethio is to them, too.

I know it's a pretty basic setup, but I'm loving the mysteries in Horizons with the Explorers and Lucius and how they're connected — if they even are at all.

Spoilers for a few things that aren't in any of the dubbed eps yet, but there really aren't any answers here either:

But this is all purely speculation. I have no clue what anything is or where the story is going. I can't wait to learn more about the Explorers in general, but especially Gibeon. He's so fascinating to me and nothing about him makes any sense.

Edited by Zazie122 on Mar 7th 2024 at 10:15:31 PM

Avatar: Amethio (Pokemon Horizons)

I can see that as Spinel is looking to be a Starscream in future.

After 10 year plus years I have the confidence to be here. Let's give it EVERYTHING we've got! It's...PUNISHMENT TIME

Poor Casey... in her one cameo, she looks like she let out a stinky poo poo fart:

(from A Ripple In Time, 2022 You Tube short)

I wish, I wish, with all my heart, to fly with dragons in a land apart.

remember pokemon chronicles? I feel with the even bigger cast the anime has now I feel another series like that could be great, focusing on character that are not currently being featured on the main anime anymore.

Just found this parody of early red and blue:

Remember everyone! Love your pokemon enough.

One Strip! One Strip!

Absolutely, I miss Casey so much

I wish, I wish, with all my heart, to fly with dragons in a land apart.