Art style
I began to suspect that things were in trouble when I first laid eyes on the Sun & Moon teaser poster. In the blink of an eye, we've gone from the confident and cool Ash who almost won the Kalos league, stopped Team Flare from destroying the world, and captured Serena's heart...to this.
Oh brother.
I remained hopeful that the new art style wouldn't detract too much from the viewing experience once I saw these designs in motion. Boy, was I wrong. Whereas the animation from the X and Y series was crisp, colorful, and modern, the Sun & Moon designs are extremely flat. Watching Sun & Moon is like watching an old Tex Avery cartoon. Look up clips from Sun & Moon and compare them with clips from X and Y to see what I mean. This is probably the most minor of my complaints. The quality of the animation shouldn't matter too much if the episodes themselves are enjoyable to watch. However...
Team RocketLook, I like Team Rocket as much as the next person, but it's time for them to go. The official Pokémon Twitter account shared a Monday Motivation gif of the Team Rocket trio with text stating that they haven't given up on trying to catch Ash's Pikachu no matter how many times they fail. Some people responded with Einstein's misattributed quote that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
Let's forget how time in the anime series is measured for a moment. I've been watching Team Rocket try to steal other people's Pokémon for twenty years. They show up, cause trouble, and are ultimately defeated by Ash, his friends, and the character(s) of the day. They're not threatening anymore, and they're really just around because they're Team Rocket.
I'm not saying that Team Rocket needs to disappear, although I wouldn't object if they did. At the very least, they need to evolve (no pun intended) into something different and find a reason to exist other than just to cause trouble for the heroes. Jessie has an interest in Pokémon contests and showcases, and has competed in them with some success. Let her pursue that. James, Meowth, and Wobbuffet can be her support crew. We can alternate between episodes following Ash working toward a region's Pokémon league and episodes following Team Rocket trying to win Pokémon contests. It would be a good balance that I think would cater to boys and girls equally.
The Rotom Dex
The Pokedex has always been a way to connect the Pokémon anime with the video games. Each design is meant to resemble a Nintendo device from that era. In every series, the Pokedex has served as a handy way for the protagonists to identify new Pokémon.
Therefore, it is my opinion that whoever decided that the Pokedex should become an actual character needs to be fired. Advanced technology does exist in the Pokemon universe, but having what is essentially a floating robot following the characters around and constantly spouting its two cents is a bit much. If I were to liken the Rotom Dex to anything, it would be Navi from The Legend of Zelda. Cracked editor Tim Lovett describes Navi as a "nagging, clingy spouse" and I see the Rotom Dex in much the same way.
Story and Characters
I could probably overlook all of the previous problems I mentioned if not for this single overarching gripe. This story goes nowhere! I read this essay someone wrote about some of the problems with the Pokémon anime. The writer suggests that if Ash is never going to achieve his goal, he shouldn't declare a goal in the first place. Well, it appears that Pokémon has listened. Now, it seems like Ash is just goofing off in Alola until he gets bored and decides to go home.
I'm serious. He only came to Alola because his mom's Mr. Mime won a vacation. While there, Ash finds the Pokémon school and becomes friends with the other students. When it's time to head back to Kanto, Ash asks his mom if he can stay at the school. She agrees, and Ash ends up living with the school's teacher, Professor Kukui. (Don't even get me started on how weird that is.) He attends classes and has silly little adventures with the other students. And that's about it.
Alola doesn't have a Pokémon league. Instead, trainers need to complete trials on each of Alola's islands to earn Z-Crystals and become the Island Challenge Champion. So far, Ash has completed four trials. Although his last one was in episode 36 and we are now on episode 76 as I am writing this. But even if he does complete all the island trials, it doesn't seem like he gets anything special out of it. I see something like what happened during the Orange Island saga occurring again here. Ash will become the champion, but it ultimately doesn't mean much.
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| From left: Mallow, Lana, Sophocles, Kiawe, and Lillie |
The supporting characters don't do much for me either, which is a shame, considering how good the XY protagonists were. First we have Mallow, who wants to make her family's restaurant the best in the world. Then we have Lana, who loves water Pokémon, but doesn't really have a specific goal. Next up is Sophocles who is basically Clemont from X and Y but far less endearing. He's actually voiced by the same actress who portrayed Clemont's sister, Bonnie, throughout the XY series.
Kiawe could have been the next badass rival for Ash, and the first few episodes establish that he is resentful of Ash receiving a Z-Ring right off the bat. However, there are several episodes that strip any manly cred he has accumulated completely away. For example, he totally freaks out when he sees a Dugtrio without hair. Chill out, dude.
Lillie is by far the most interesting character of the group, and the series' creators would have been wise to make her the main character and get rid of Ash altogether. A lot of the arcs in the anime focus on Lillie's character development, such as overcoming her fears of touching Pokémon, and improving her relationship with her mother. These stories are well written for the most part and enjoyable to watch. However, when we finish and return our attention to Ash, it's like everything takes a huge step backwards.
So, my complaints with Sun & Moon are many. Granted, maybe I'm getting too old for this. This is a kid's show after all. I just think that longtime fans' dedication to this series deserves to be rewarded in some way. Or, I could accept that I'm never going to see the series go the way I want it to and bail out. The way things are looking now, it seems like as good a time as any.
