#dark types

Ash was ripped off 

 Tobias was a clusterfuck of a match that you just know was specifically written to ensure Ash didn't progress, because he otherwise would have won in Sinno. There was no one else left that could pose a threat - unless the anime whipped out a new OC at the drop of a hat that could somehow beat Ash withOUT a Latios or Darkrai equivalent.

His victory in Alola..... I have such mixed, convoluted feelings. My boy won a tourny! He's a champ! But to win, he only had to battle a handful of kids, most of whom only had 1 or 2 pokemon, a rival he'd faced several times before, a scientist that had no business being there, a gang leader who was certainly no Giovanni - and the only full 6 on 6 match was the FINAL????? I hate to say it but I can understand why a large faction of the fandom still didn't see him as a real champion that day.

Except, that last match happened.

All I can say is I was thrilled when his match against Kukui went down as it did. He and Pikachu fucking beat a legendary flat out, 1 on 1. SERIOUSLY?!?!?!? I didn't think we'd see that in the series yet but on what was proclaimed to be worldwide broadcast. I think. Anyway, I thought beating a legendary on tv would be champion status inducing but it wasn't the popular vote. Not a main legendary I guess? *shrugs *

Anyway, Ash did it in Sinno too, but Darkrai wasn't a 'main' Legendary either, you know? He'd been seen several times in the series and was never shown to be all that powerful. I mean, yes, to a normal trainer competing, right? But Tobias got put down hard by Cynthia and I certainly don't see him OR his Latios making a dent in the army of Dragonites Lance would bring to a battle.

So for Ash to beat Tapu Koko was a HUGE FUCKING THING and it kills me SO FUCKING HARD that he lives with a goddamn professor who OBVIOUSLY has not taken five goddamn minutes to look into this child's history, or even ask Oak about it, or even WATCH THE GODDAMN MATCH ON TV FOR EVEN FIVE MINUTES.

/end flailing

*chips consumed *

*Peace resumed *

Love that they tried to carry continuity over but they mucked it up in so many ways. I don't even think they planned for Ash to win the Coronation series in the beginning. Feel free to ignore, I've come too far, I am posting thoughts as they come now for I am high and do what Sabrina’s Alakazam foretold:

Ash fresh off XYZ? Champ material. He looked older, wiser, more mature. He did more specialty training with his pokemon, he was a true leader for the first time in the entire series - he had come into his own and he was glorious! I have so much love for the XYZ series making Ash really come into his own!

Then fucking Alola. I don't care how much I came to enjoy the series and acknowledge that it wasn't as bad as I had imagined - I will NEVER forgive the show developer's for backtracking Ash's design to make him look like a goddamn EIGHT year old (he didn't even look 10, fuck dat).

I MOURN for XYZ.

Anyway, then comes Journeys and they started over and yet kinda didn't. Because now we had confirmation that they didn't forget Alola in the first episode b/c we saw his trophy and all his past awards and it was like - BAM - CONTINUITY REACHED!

And they tried, I will admit, to have Ash seem like the more practical-knowledge type person to kinda guide Goh, but then they backtracked it as well by upping his child-like demeanor to make him even younger and it's not until midway through the 2nd season that you see him change a bit drastically - his battles are sharper then they've ever been, his dialog starts to sound a bit more like XYZ (in some battles, not all) and you can see by the 3rd season it's been decided, Ash will win. And what I mean by ‘Ash will win’, I mean, that’s likely around when studio execs (back when originally planning this shit out) figured - ‘let’s retire the kid after this season. Like, let him win and start fresh with a new hero.’

But my main rant is that it's all so surface level! Since Alola, Ash has been dumbed down to season 1 and 2 levels in anything not match-related, and Goh is the most irritating little brat that I can't fucking stand until season 2 when he starts to grow up. But CONTINUITY - right?

Hell no.

Lugia doesn't know Ash.

Mewtwo's past with Ash is barely touched on - the nuance and depth of their friendship, something unlike any other relationship in the entire franchise - is all but discarded.

The kid who in front of an entire castle full of trainers, castle staff and the fucking government - released an ancient pokemon hero, saved their territory, and brought back the solved mystery of what happened to Sir Aaron - you know, that big mystery unsolved for thousands of years? No sweat, Ash solved it, here ya go.

I love Pokemon so much, I just wish writers and creators weren't so afraid to pull on past bonds more, especially since it would absolutely thrill every single fan to see it. Seriously, a kid in RL with Ash's resume (topic-suitable equivalent, anyway) would be a fucking rock star.

One of the saviors of Kalos? That kid who was on TV falling off a TV tower, the kid that was runner-up at the Pokemon League? Who went head to head with a monstrous statue - again on live TV -alongside their new champion? Not a flicker of recognition from a single person aside from the 'main characters', not a single acknowledgment of what Ash did for their entire country.

I just want more ACKNOWLEDGEMENT, dammit. There were so many good story lines from past adventures I would have loved to have meaningful follow-up for. So many characters I would love to see expanded on or brought back in more detail. And of course, characters I would love to see DIAF and never return. 

I have surprisingly few of those in this fandom. Pokemon did something I liked, all right. 

Lilly annoyed me for a few reasons but many have nothing to do with her actions in the anime (and a lot to do with her English VA which is like fucking nails on a chalkboard to me) and she was nowhere NEAR as annoying as Iris so i can tolerate her much better. And I did like the idea of a poke-phobic trainer, not to mention her family history IS fascinating. I thought it was surprisingly well done for a kids show, particularly since they had started the season so syrupy sweet that it was boring in a lot of filler episodes before the main plot came into play. 

As for the other companions, yeah, I would have liked to see Kiawe develop a bit more of a personality. He seems like an amalgamation of Iida Tenya’s strictness (BNHA) with a (very) mild version of Sanji from One Piece. He only felt like a 'person' when he was around his family, ya know? 

But at least he got better as the series went on. What exactly did Sophoclese contribute to this series, exactly? He could have been written out entirely and nothing would have changed except there might still be an ultrabeast half-buried in the mountains but that's easily fixable. I have nothing against his character, I just feel he was an afterthought in the writer’s plans. Mallow was obviously meant to appeal as the female 'Brock', amirite? Lana had side-thing about telling lies about catching legendaries but otherwise meh… her voice was cute at first but became monotonous very quickly.

I had a few issues with Clemont but I'll not hear a word against my adorable, accepting, loving, loyal and devoted cheerleader Bonnie! I love her far too much. Clemont was much better once he got some confidence (I hate meek, wimpy characters). 

Bonnie, for me, was designed really well - she could have easily been annoying, but her genuine friendliness, open mind and love of pokemon was done in a way I could relate with, and truly, of all the people Ash has traveled with, she, Dawn and Brock are my dream team I wish we could have but really can’t, due to A) the reboot, and B) I can’t see how those 4 would come together anyway (unless Brock and Ash decide on one more journey before Brock opens his own clinic, Dawn hears and asks to join, and Bonnie calls to see if she can travel with Ash because she’s finally 10 and she wants adventure and now I’ve been attacked by another plot bunny, send heLP*–)

*thuds in the background*

*panting* Am back.

Yeah. Bonnie is the eternally cheerful Luffy-like character, the never give up of Naruto, the Goku of Dragonball Z.  She’s no innocent, but she’s also not a drop-of-the-hat crier (* Seinfeld voice* “Hello, Sailor Moon.”) nor is she a bratty character meant to torment their sibling in eternal bickerhood. I love the fact that she outwardly loves and trusts her brother, and it’s obvious he adores her right back. Their bickering is rare and short-lived and shows compromise or apologies when necessary, something I think kids today should see more of. 

Serena can DIAF. Ever since Ash gave her a handkerchief at 8, she has exhibited disturbing stalking behaviours as well as trying to claim ownership over Ash and policing his emotions. Ash has never given off anything more than friendship vibes to ANYONE if I'm being honest, no matter I'm an original pallet-shipper (aged-up, let me assure).

I did not like May until well after the whole Manaphy thing was underway. It took me a very long time to warm up to her and she will never be my favorite but she is far preferable to Misty whom I dislike almost as much as I dislike Iris and Serena. 

Misty I despised on a visceral level. I have never liked characters that beat up people as a way of showing their displeasure for any slight, regardless of offence level. Same reason I wasn’t a huge fan of Akane in Ranma ½ at first. May was too air-headed and well… lackluster so to speak. She was better once she found her ambition through contests and developed a spine but the initial first dozen episodes soured my first impression of her, and while I grew to like her later, there were other characters I liked far more. 

Misty’s strident tones in the English version (the VA was great - really good at making Misty sound condescending [which she was] and annoyed at the world in general [which she also was]). In Japanese, she was, um, shall we say…. Nearly as arrogant as her sisters? I only watched one season subbed before I was compelled to return to the dubbed. Though I do miss the casual swearing among ten year olds. 

Iris was the most condescending, rude, impatient and mocking little brat that had ever been on the show, and we had seen Paul at this point. It didn’t help that Ash had been ‘de-aged’ again despite following a continued storyline (my god, he had one busy year - from rookie to World Champion and all before puberty).

Paul… I am tempted to watch this series subtitled. I want to know what his character is actually supposed to be like - because I can’t fathom why TF the writers went with such an aggressive, abusive, substitute for pet abandonment. 

I get that Paul was supposed to represent the fans of the game - the perpetual ‘grinders’ and the ones who spend money to get special packs and stack the decks because the only thing that matters is stats and winning and I do love how it might show kids that the way some adults treat animals is wrong and ingrain that in them young. But it leaves Paul as a character I dislike very much. Some fans have called him the next ‘Brandon’. I don’t know if I see it… but I also don’t know if I don’t not see it… shut up it made sense to me.

Max was the same in that know-it-all fashion I despise writer's using because many people tend to fail with that trope and make the characters 1 dimensional instead of balanced with other, more positive traits. Max became the info dumper for a while, the ‘audience-explainer’ - I am sure there is a proper term for this trope but I don’t know what it is and I am too busy ranting like a crazy thing to stop and go google. Also, fuck google. 

It took a while for me to admit to liking him and I didn't feel it at all until he helped save that Raltz. Okay. Maybe a bit when he helped Poochyena evolve. Or when he rescued Shroomish. Hey, I said it took me a while to ADMIT, didn’t I?

I adore Dawn. Ash's twin sister he never knew he had. These two had such BF/sibling relationship vibes it was ASTOUNDING and I LIVED for it. Two headstrong, pokemon-crazed dingbats that threw themselves 150% into everything they did and somehow did not give Brock an aneurism in the process. Those high fives between them - he never had anything like this with the other girls. That physical intimacy (minds out of the gutter, they are CHILDREN) of high fives, casual touches, the equally wide grins with scrunched eyes and everything symbolic of siblinghood or childhood friendship was just so on display with them. 

They read each other’s minds! Their pokemon adopted each other! Seriously, the cutest thing ever was when their pokemon actually began to properly mingle.  Before, they always kinda stayed within groups close to their trainers.  But Diamond&Pearl was when we saw Pikachu with a co-Leader who took on as much responsibility as Pikachu did (though requiring a bit more help, as determined maturity apparently does not equate actual life experience and thus resulted in some hilarity…. Well… you had to have seen it.), Ash’s Gible’s attack only singling out Dawn’s Piplup, Buneary’s crush on Pikachu, Brock’s baby Happini who was mothered over by Buneary (Dawn’s) and fathered over by Pikachu (Ash’s).

Actual bonding mimicking the lives of their trainers in various ways that they hadn’t before. At least, not to this extent. My absolute favorite series for sibling shenanigans!

I want more Brock. And Gary. I want them both back. And Ritchie.

Instead we had Goh. >.<;;;;;;;; My feelings on him could end up with this turning into a freaking college term paper so I'll stop here, take some deep breaths and try not to flail wildly. :D

Sigh. Fanfiction does exist for a reason.

They could have done the callbacks (MewTwo, Lugia, previous gym leaders) with a bit more respect for what happened during past adventures. 

Almost everyone Ash came into contact with, nine times out of ten, came out of their meeting with Ash’s friendship and some form of PTSD. Ash stopped a LOT of bad guys. LOTS. And he got a lot of people involved, usually by directly involving himself.