The Fighting Misty
Why you don't see me ranting about Iris
by , 25th November 2011 at 11:39 AM (544 Views)
A lot of people have wondered why I don't really rant about Iris or say much negative about the character, unlike fellow ranting fiends like Wolverine. Let's flashback:
Originally I liked Iris simply on the basis that she was not another coordinator. Not that I disliked Contests, I quite enjoyed them, its just that I didn't want three coordinator girls in a row. But once that worn off, there had to be some other hook about Iris.
- I don't mind the sidekick female character role in theory. It only bothers me once a character is neglected and does nothing. For me, I don't need to see female co-stars, it was fine for a while but I don't mind a female with a smaller role. Neither Iris nor Cilan have suffered from any type of Johto-Misty or DP-Brock kind of neglect, so I am find for the time being.
- Iris and Cilan have great chemistry. This is the first time in a long time I felt that Ash's friends actually play off each other well.
- I actually quite like Axew, its a mascot pokemon done right. Both Togepi and Piplup became annoying for different reasons, the first because it did nothing and the second because it did TOO MUCH.....Axew on the other hand is right in the sweet spot.
- Her battles, what few of them there have been, have generally been enjoyable.
- Unique character design. Had Hilda been used, she would have just been another May, Dawn, or any other female trainer. Basically the same type of girl who liked cute pokemon, had to suck as a trainer for a while before they got better, had a similar friendship with Ash, etc. We've seen this twice now, we don't need it a third time.
- Her rivalry with Georgia seems interesting, although its not great.
- Iris having a smaller role means she won't be constantly compared to past female protagonists. Throughout the entire span of DP, everything Dawn did was constantly compared to May simply because they were both coordinators. With Iris, the only comparisons can be done with Misty, and even then they're not THAT alike besides a few small minor details.
What I don't like about Iris:
- The catch phrase is annoying and boring. It was fun at first because you knew Iris was full of herself, but now its overdone. I am hoping it tops entirely.
- Iris needs to suffer a major loss at some point. Winning is good and all but if she doesn't get some type of major defeat at some point, she might be on her road to Mary sue territory. I am really hoping Ash has a rematch with her at the 8th Gym and beats her completely in front of Drayden, it would be a great learning experience.
Last but not least:
- I think Iris will be a short-lived character. Unova is already faster paced than past sagas and I think Iris might not last as long as past female heroines. For a character we may not have to sit through for nearly 200 episodes, she's fine for what she is. After all, Misty functioned well enough through Kanto/Orange until that dreadful Johto saga started, didn't she?
And because I can't close this blog without taking a swipe at Johto, I must say that the only time the female sidekick role will work is in shorter sagas like Kanto/Orange or Unova. Johto sucked because of the dreadful fillers and not having a bigger role for Misty or any other character. God, I have had a grudge against Johto for 10 years and I've never been able to let it go.
Anyway, this is why I don't mind Iris.
Although I will say that Cilan >>>>>>>>>>> Iris in terms of entertainment value.
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