Howdy everyone and fellow Amourshippers, I've lurked around for sometime but finally decided to register and post in lieu of the upcoming episode. This will be my first post here on this forum.
Pokemon was a large part of my childhood when I was 9~10, and through the years I’ve watched it on and off, from OS all the way up to DP. I must admit as time went on, my interest in the franchise increasingly waned, because at the end of the day, the formulas repeat themselves. Traveling to another gym yadda yadda, conflict occurs yadda yadda, resolve conflict, and finally tackle on a lesson of friendship/pokemon bonding/insert other moral here.
It doesn’t help that with each new generation the series essentially resets itself, kicking out the old cast and Pokemon with new ones, and over time I just could not bother to care anymore.
So imagine my surprise when I found out they were slightly mixing the formula up by adding a character that has a canon crush on Ash. I was even more surprised by the fact that the writers are apparently treating this subplot seriously instead of using it as a running gag. What do you know, could it be that after all these years we will finally get a Pokemon anime with more complex character development and emotional depth?
I understand that there are many fans of other ships, and indeed people who dislike shipping in general, but I must admit, for me this is the sole reason I’ve regained interest in the Pokemon anime and the franchise as a whole. (Of course, it also helps that I consider Serena to be the most interesting character of the franchise so far, but I digress)
Anyways, since I’m obviously an Amourshipper, this episode will be of much significance to me, and to Amourshipping in general. I took the time to follow the entire discussion thread, and it seems there are lots of unrealistic predictions or naysaying from both sides of the ship.
Now I obviously want Amourshipping to succeed, but it should be done in a logical and methodical way, not as an afterthought. This means that any “confession” or “kiss on cheek” nonsense should not be happening here.
Instead, this is what I would like to see in the episode, that I feel would be far more beneficial to the ship in general.
1.On the term “first date”:
I think it should be fairly obvious that “date” here is more used in the term of having a one on one outing, and it should be as simple as that. You don’t have to be a couple to be on a date you know. At the end of the day, it’s what you DO during that date that actually matters. If you have a good time, with meaningful interactions and good in-depth discussions that allows you to know each other better, then that is a successful date in my book, which will pave to way for more interactions in the future. And frankly, that is what Amourshipping needs at this stage- more meaningful alone time between Ash and Serena
Of course, bonus points if somebody else teases them about their little “date,” since it would be nice to get their reactions. Best case scenario would go something along the lines like this:
“Random Person: So how did your little date go?”
“Serena, Ash: D...d....d....date?”
“Ash: No, no, you got it all wrong!”
“Serena: We were just shopping for Pokemon gifts”
“Random Person: Ahh….I see”
“Ash/Serena: But you know, today was pretty fun.”
“Ash/Serena: Yes it was, we should do this again sometime!”
2. On what actually happens during the episode:
Now again, thinking back to what I just said above, Ash and Serena really need more deep bonding time like they had during the cliff episode in the summer camp arc. It would be nice if during this episode we can get the two to talk more about their past, as well as their dreams and goals. Especially for Serena, this would help with her character development even further.
I will also be pleased if Serena goes through her thought process on how she chooses costumes and accessories for her performance. It’s understandable that performances take a backseat from battles, but if you’re going to make performing the goal of the female lead, then there better be some more information about it!
Another important progress point is for Serena to actually show her affection towards Ash. Now we as viewers have already got many scenes and scenarios where it’s obvious Serena is crushing on Ash. People are quick to point out how dense Ash is in regards to matters like romance, or how he would never know if a girl actually likes him, but the fact remains that Serena has yet to directly show any of her affection towards Ash directly. For all intents and purposes, she has been relatively low-key around Ash, with most interactions being completely normal. The only times Serena has outwardly shown signs to Ash was during XY007 (where Ash was too busy scarfing down cookies) and during that cliff episode (and hey, Ash actually noticed something was off that time!)
We already see the try-for-hand-grab scene from the preview, but honestly that’s not enough. Blushing is cute and all, but ultimately meaningless if your crush does not see it. We need Serena to do something in front of Ash that could possibly hint of her affection towards him. It’s unfair to call Ash dense based on past observation during this XY sega when he hasn’t even been given a chance to pick up on anything yet!
3. On the “promise”
Again, here I think it’s fairly obvious the wish/promise will be Pokemon Master-related for Ash, and Pokemon Performer-related for Serena. Any wish/promise towards Amourshipping will be OOC for the show as a whole.
HOWEVER, wording is an important point here. I think for Amourshippers the best case scenario would be for their wish to be worded “I hope we can reach our goals together”
That is the only scenario that would both make sense for the show AND give progress for Amourshipping
4. The “present”
Now here is where the most interesting point of this episode will be for me.
With the wording of “THE present,” it’s highly probable that either Ash or Serena will give each other a present. I was originally leaning towards Serena, but judging from previews it seems more and more likely that it’s actually Ash who buys a present for Serena.
Now I say this is interesting because for this XY generation, it’s my hunch that the writers are more focusing on the emotional bond between the lead male and female instead of direct support such as cheering or training. Again, think back to gym 1 and gym 3, where both times Ash got his breakthrough because of words that Serena said to him. Now I love Serena to death, but no one should be delusional as to think she’s a great battler. Same goes for Ash and his fashion/beauty sense. Since it’s harder for to two to support each other directly, I think the writers decided to go with this indirect route of emotional support (and hey, it fits with the whole “crush” theme”)
So I think it’s a very high possibility that this “present” will be the catalyst for either Ash or Serena’s victory in one of their future battles/performances. That in itself will also be a huge victory for Amourshippers.
So anyways, I think that’s a long enough prediction/hope for this episode, and honestly I would declare this episode a victory for Amourshipping if even 50% of what I listed above comes true.