Thread: What is your biggest complaint about the Pokemon series?

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So. Many. Words....but, great points IMO.
I think my major problem is how most new pokemon aren't showcased nearly as much as I would like them to. Just because the pokemon 'happens not' to be caught by a main character it becomes condemned to a life of only 2 or 3 episode appearances.
Also like what Kaitou Kid mentioned, I really can't stand why Ash is ALWAYS the one to rectify problems. In all respects he's just. A. 10-year old (according to the anime). Other people have the power and almost everyone has the brains to figure out the problems. Now, I know Ash is the main character, but I feel as though making a 10-year old the savior of the Pokemon World over and over again when there are plenty of competent people to take care of the world's problems is a little to farfet'ched (spelling?) to me.

I also can't stand how Ash is so ready to jump into anything. I think that is the most grating think about his character is his impulsivness. I mean really, thinking you are the only one on the entire planet that can affect Legendary Pokemon by begging to them to stop is just too unrealistic to me.

Don't get me wrong, I still love the Pokemon Anime, and even though there are many problems with Ash, I still think he does a good job of caring the series and giving it some direction.

:)

Originally Posted by Shinneth

I actually had no problem with May's rivals. Her rivals-of-the-day for the most part were interesting, and long-term Drew+Harley were excellent, memorable rivals. That's why I was so disappointed with Dawn's, however, since Dawn is conceptually supposed to be all of the writers' experience from developing May, hence any mistakes made with May would be rectified through Dawn. In most cases, the BS Contest wins were fixed, but the rivals were a major step down from May's in my opinion, which made Dawn's part of the story very hard for me to give a crap about after a while. Combined with vanilla rivals and Piplup taking up 90% of her Pokemon's development opportunities, Dawn's Contest storyline in general was a major bore and easily my least favorite part of the DP series. It didn't help that Dawn's character development, what little she had of it, seriously paled in comparison to May's.

Seconded. Dawn's bullshit storyline killed DP hard for me.

Actually, let's just go with DP in general. Let's cut/paste Paul and Cynthia into AG and forget that DP ever happened. Johto can come to the reject corner too.

There are a lot of minor issues like game mechanics translating to the anime that have been, for the most part, remedied prior to the AG saga.

My biggest issue (and honestly, I don't even care that much) is Satoshi's aging, or lack thereof. I understand the reasoning behind it, and it's most definitely for the best (what if the anime lasts 30 years? If they wanted to keep Satoshi as the main character, he would be unrelatable for the target audience), it just leaves me rolling my eyes occasionally when Haruka or Hikari "finally turn 10!" and therefore get to start their pokémon journey. If Satoshi was the only one who would ever show a birthday at the beginning of the show and would subsequently never age, don't reference other character's birthdays (Whether or not this has actually been done, I'm not too sure, though I did think there was a reference to Hikari turning 10 at the beginning of DP).

My other major gripe was the lack of an intact soundtrack. BW has now fixed this, and I am happy.

Yeah, there are plenty of Pokemon who also get the short end of the stick and only seem to have one general Stereotype. Unless its owned by Ash or some other nice person, Raichu's are usually big dicks and they get so little screen time and have to get their asses whooped by Pikachu :| Pikachu's the main character and Pichu, got 3 specials, a movie and its own game rendition. I'm convinced the writers don't really like Raichu :(

Spearow? Evil. I don't even remember ever seeing a nice Spearow. Has Fearow even got an episode, where it wasn't used for evil and got more than cameo screen time? Pidgey and its evolutions on the other hand... Beedrill? Their default response to chase everything in its sight away. Butterfree's are full of sugary coated goodness.

I've always wanted to see some more people with Pikachu. Not like all in your face, but it would be nice to get different perspectives of a Pokemon species from other people, instead of the main characters. It really sucked they never showed us a female Pikachu in the anime. I know Ash is the main character and all, but I don't think they should they treat other Pikachu's that don't belong to Ash like an extinct species in the anime. At least Meowth was a little bit better. Persian was also rare, I think a total of 3 or 4 have appeared and doesn't get much screen time either, I also wouldn't have minded more Rattata. Damn, they really do favor alot more Pokemon over others.

Another gripe - no old music in Best Wishes.

Originally Posted by Kaitou Kid

Yeah, there are plenty of Pokemon who also get the short end of the stick and only seem to have one general Stereotype. Unless its owned by Ash or some other nice person, Raichu's are usually big dicks and they get so little screen time and have to get their asses whooped by Pikachu :| Pikachu's the main character and Pichu, got 3 specials, a movie and its own game rendition. I'm convinced the writers don't really like Raichu :(

I actually think Raichu had it pretty easy compared to Persian. Was there ever a time when the poke-cougar showed up and wasn't portrayed in a negative light?

Fagin Persian from "Go West Young Meowth" had shades of grey, but that's about it.

Originally Posted by Grave-E

But I think the biggest issue I have with the series is how they balance out screentime between pokemon. If it's not someone in the main cast's team being favoured at the expense of another (or even several others)

This would be my biggest complaint.

My second would be the same moves being given to the cast's Pokémon. Seeing Dig a Hole on Goukazaru, Manmoo, Fukamaru and now Yannap is a little tiring, same for Water Gun. There are other alternatives that would mix things up a bit.

Other than those two, all my other complaints are minor and nitpicky.

Yeah, yeah, my massive walls of text threaten to consume you all. You can direct your complaints to my monthly visitor, which most likely will behead everyone within a 5-foot radius. ♥

Kaitou's point reminded me of another example of certain species being stereotyped in a negative way. I'm glad AG did a bit more justice with a competent (and good-natured) Meowth and DP had the shy Raichu from the Summer School arc that Ash got to work with (you know, to sate our curiosity of what it would be like if Ash had a Raichu). For DP, especially after seeing the specials, Ariados seem to be for Dawn what the Spearow were for Ash. I wish they would've had Dawn like, capture the shiny one in her special and have her come full-circle if they wanted to make best of what was like the fourth time Dawn's had to deal with an Ariados-related situation, but no. She'll just burn them all to death with her Quilava and jump for joy as they all turn into smoldering piles of ash... that sick, sick girl.

And I agree with Croag about the music overhaul for BW. Not that the new music is bad or anything, but BW as a whole is still bothering me in several ways, mostly for all of the ways it's trying to be some sort of "clean slate". If it were a true reboot of the series, I swear I'd be able to tolerate this series a lot better. Counting it as being in continuity with previous series just makes so many elements to it infuriating... many of which I already listed. But I guess I'll go ahead and say that, despite being in the minority, I am not feeling a true trio vibe with Ash/Iris/Cilan. Iris is slowly starting to piss me off with her Misty expy traits (which saddens me because I was looking forward to her more so than any other "new girl" prior to a series debut), and while Cilan doesn't exactly bug me... I don't really see what's so fantastic-amazing about him. Plus the fact that neither of these guys seem to have established reasons for traveling with Ash just puts me off, too. Like I said once before, I think I'm too used to the series usually establishing the status quo fully right from the beginning. I really think BW going out of its way to be like the Kanto series revisited is backfiring big time. At least it is for me. The only character in BW so far that's even remotely grabbing me is Bianca, but she's essentially Barry-with-Boobs, so what's the point (beyond obvious Gen V promotion)? Am I just being hopelessly negative about the whole thing?

Well, I probably am. But the point still stands.

For me it'd be the Voice Actors (not JP though) I think I watch the JP too much to where the english sounds choppy and slow and I miss the JP accent and stuff. Truthfully, after all my complaining about the dub, I really think this is why XDDD

Now! If I answered this during DP...........................I'd probably gripe everything but Ash, Ash's Pokemon, Barry and Paul.

Pretty much main characters being replaced like theres no tomorrow causing consequence of many great previous companions to rot in past barely being seen again.
Its even worse when they got ditched without being used to full potential or developed much being sended to "doomland"despite having unexplored things in their stories.
Result of writers lazyness.

Older characters(whether its May,Misty or anyone else)can be refreshed,updating their pokemon team along with opening new subplots and progressing unfinished ones definitely having potential(some more,some less to be developed further but thats aside the point) bringing in end same entertainment value as new ones proide(sometimes even more)pleasing many fans.

However sadly writers rather want to focus on new ones which in reality brings nothing new on table(aside from different face) than older ones couldnt do just as good(if not better).

Complain number 2:
While i understand how pokemon was always lower tier show when it comes to character development or some deep plot having characters being stuck in somesort of limb never aging just doesnt sit well for me.While drastic change isnt to expect its not like it would kill them having Ash age by year or two still being young enough for target audience to associate with him having his development and all those region he travelled though from time point of view little more realistic.

That being said pokemon will sooner end than this will ever have chance to happen.

Originally Posted by Croag

Another gripe - no old music in Best Wishes.

This bothers me, too. BW has great music, but I'm a huge fan of the older Japanese music too, and I don't like that they haven't been using any of it. I get that BW is more of a clean slate than the other sagas, but I don't think it would kill them to allow some of the older music to be played.

I don't have any major complaints about the show, though. There a few things that annoy me here and there, but otherwise I'm perfectly content with it the way it is.

I wish the entire Johto saga could be rewritten and be handled
similar to BW.

There has been older music in Best Wishes. Barely any of course, but there has. Some of the Zoroark soundtrack and "Satoshi vs Gishin" from the Arceus soundtrack for both Aloe battles.

Originally Posted by Croag

Another gripe - no old music in Best Wishes.

That's a big one.

And I mean I didn't like it that much when BW started since I had no idea what tracks were which, but now that I'm hearing the tracks in playthroughs it's less of an issue (ha ha, I made a pun).

The aging doesn't really bother me that much, mostly cause I've watched Ben 10 and there was an episode where they had a cartoon made out of Ben's adventures...and cartoons take YEARS to greenlight, animate, mix, and everything else, and the show takes place over 3 months. Also Archie, Charlie Brown, Calvin and Hobbs, who have stayed kids for 50 years.

Definitely changing the females every gen. Shortly followed by Ash being 10 and pointless filler episodes.