Amourshipping Thread V3

[AARTX]

The hidden sadist in me wants the writers to go through with that endgame plan…….but with a random nameless girl instead KEKW

 

[Heekful]

In Japanese, it has the title "Friend's Theme (See You Again!)" but in the context of Amourshipping, I think it's quite the stretch to suggest that the title means that there's a friendzoning happening.

Ah I see ! Thanks for the clarification.

Anime version is up :

Favorite XY track now probably lol

 

[Xuxuba]

On a serious note, i don’t understand why they can’t make Ash blush or something? If this is truly supposed to be the endgame ship why not develop it from his side too? Even something like “i wanted to talk to her more” would have sufficed but no, status quo is god.

I guess people react differently to crushes and each artist/director will have a different take on how a character would react in a certain situation (which might be influenced by the creative freedom that is given to them too).

Depending on their personality, some might blush, some might not even notice or show that they like someone and some might express their feelings in a not so physical way.
When that happens, you usually have to read between the lines. Maybe certain actions will show that they like someone, perhaps they are doing something that they don't usually do with others. In Ash's case, there are a few instances where he treats Serena differently. Like how she was the first one he invited to the group, how he made sure Serena knew that he was taking part of the PWC and that he was going to win the Cup before the ship left, how his eyes shine bright when they kissed and when he is saying goodbye to her. It might not seem much, but considering how other stereotipically dense characters from anime often act, some of which even married barely show any affection, it could be a fine start to him eventually showing even more signs of mutual liking.

That said, from just that small interaction, it's hard to tell if their stance is now different from what the XY&Z director suggested, but personally i think they didn't give us any reason to believe otherwise, so i'd rather just wait a bit more.

Personally, i'd love to see him blush, but i don't mind if he shows other displays of affection for the time being, even if more subtle and, that way, when he does show something less subtle, it will feel a lot more impactful aswell.

On another note, i am not really inclined to believe that Journeys will have a time skip or that it will be the end of Ash's journey, but after him winning the League and going against the strongest trainers of the world, i wouldn't write off that possibility as i normally would. Especially now that the franchise is really tipping their toes into different stories and aspects of the Pokémon world with all these webshows and miniseries. So if not now, it might happen in a near future.

 

[Motor Bug2005]

Here's something pretty interesting I've come across on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1512668692542152711

This concerns the ornament that Serena wears on her left foot during her performance. According to a Google Translation of this tweet, it seems that wearing an ornament or decoration on your left foot has a deeper meaning in that it means that that person has a partner or a favourite person and of course, the colour of the one that Serena wears almost matches that of the ribbon that Ash gave her.

Can anything confirm that this is actually a thing? If it is, it's just another sign that Serena's feelings for Ash are still there and are still strong.

 

[Satoshi no masara]

Here's something pretty interesting I've come across on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1512668692542152711

This concerns the ornament that Serena wears on her left foot during her performance. According to a Google Translation of this tweet, it seems that wearing an ornament or decoration on your left foot has a deeper meaning in that it means that that person has a partner or a favourite person and of course, the colour of the one that Serena wears almost matches that of the ribbon that Ash gave her.

Can anything confirm that this is actually a thing? If it is, it's just another sign that Serena's feelings for Ash are still there and are still strong.

Ah dang, you beat me to it, I was supposed to post about this, lmao.

Well, from google
"Most cultures believe that an ankle bracelet worn on the left foot is a charm or talisman. Such anklets were used as amulets to protect the wearer from diseases and bad omens. They were used as a form of protection. Today, an anklet on your left foot may also indicate that you are married or engaged to a lover."

Personally, I'd like to think of this as Serena not wanting to be taken by anyone except Ash


Also, there is a clearer image of the supposed ribbon on her foot. While at the back, they are beads, the front looked like a ribbon. I'd like to think it's a combination

Source https://pokemon-matome.net/articles/248065.html

 

[Morax]

I guess people react differently to crushes and each artist/director will have a different take on how a character would react in a certain situation (which might be influenced by the creative freedom that is given to them too).

Depending on their personality, some might blush, some might not even notice or show that they like someone and some might express their feelings in a not so physical way.
When that happens, you usually have to read between the lines. Maybe certain actions will show that they like someone, perhaps they are doing something that they don't usually do with others. In Ash's case, there are a few instances where he treats Serena differently. Like how she was the first one he invited to the group, how he made sure Serena knew that he was taking part of the PWC and that he was going to win the Cup before the ship left, how his eyes shine bright when they kissed and when he is saying goodbye to her. It might not seem much, but considering how other stereotipically dense characters from anime often act, some of which even married barely show any affection, it could be a fine start to him eventually showing even more signs of mutual liking.

That said, from just that small interaction, it's hard to tell if their stance is now different from what the XY&Z director suggested, but personally i think they didn't give us any reason to believe otherwise, so i'd rather just wait a bit more.

Personally, i'd love to see him blush, but i don't mind if he shows other displays of affection for the time being, even if more subtle and, that way, when he does show something less subtle, it will feel a lot more impactful aswell.

On another note, i am not really inclined to believe that Journeys will have a time skip or that it will be the end of Ash's journey, but after him winning the League and going against the strongest trainers of the world, i wouldn't write off that possibility as i normally would. Especially now that the franchise is really tipping their toes into different stories and aspects of the Pokémon world with all these webshows and miniseries. So if not now, it might happen in a near future.

Of course each director has a different vision, agreed, but Ash’s feelings seem to be kept ambiguous and that’s my problem with it. They don’t need to make him blush per se but even something like “i miss her” would make me satisfied. Amour is supposed to be the endgame so why not make his feelings a little more obvious?

 

[Spider-Phoenix]

The sharp-eyed fandom finally found the ribbon. Now, we can all calm down lol

lol if there's one pairing we can write off today, it's WhoNeedsAshShipping aka Goh x Serena

Their (current) outfit colors match at least:

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1511775197652733963

Oh yeah, the Japanese fanbase are very happy with this episode. If we weren't spoiled by the leaks, we would have had the same reactions

I was wondering how it was recieved over there but it's nice reading about it

IMO the biggest reason why I think her feelings are still here is how she watched the boat go away for idk how much time, it truly felt bittersweet.

The writers really know what they're doing and Yonenmura wrote this episode, I remember he was one of the very first writer to give subtle little Amourshipping hints during XY early era. (XY021 for example).

To be fair, the Serena side of the ship was something the anime staff all decided on as a team so Yonemura was just following the directive at the time.

I'm more surprised Yajima didn't do something here. With the movies being put on a halt because of the covid outbreaks, even if he was working in the movie they'll release after things are safe again, I believe he could've been involved.

The effort that they went through to hide Serena's return, Serena's redesign, the ending of the episode, and Chloe's love of romance and trying to reconnect people tells me that this isn't quite over. They couldn't make it any more obvious if they had a giant flashing neon sign that said "Watch this space!"

Chloe's reaction to finding out Serena's interest on Ash would be interesting. She seems a bit indifferent to him or at least, sees him as a nice kid who is fanatic about Pokémon

Honestly, the only thing that disappoints me (and confuses me) is the lack of marketing for Serena after today's episode. Animedia aside, we haven't really heard anything from Pokémon PR which usually promotes the anime. You'd think she'd be getting some kind of official announcement by now. She's even trending alongside Ash more than Koharu despite that she's the focus of the episode but still, nothing.

I like the theory I saw on twitter: about how Animedia paid a lot of cash for the scoop thus why the surprise's been kept hidden.

I will say that this was a strong scene.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1512423485788016641

I'll have to comb through the episode more with the subs and think on it

I like the trick of using the sunset effect to make ambiguous if Ash's eyes are sparking because of Serena or just because of the scenario.

And even more you can see Serena's got plenty more of sparkles on hers.

Koharu ranked 8th out of the 11 most popular anipoke heroine from a recent Japanese poll. Serena obviously dominated majority by a landslide followed by Dawn which is not even that close to Serena's vote

Oh no, not Omode a.k.a the troll amourshipper writer. Though at this point, I'd give anything for a Serena centric episode, albeit it coming from Omode and she does a great job pushing Amourshipping

Surprised Omode didn't do that one.

Can't wait for someone to translate Serena's VA interview from the magazine as well ! Might be some interestings things in it.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1512066476311678987

With Animedia having a temper tantrum and even saying people shouldn't translate their content...

Japanese poll was mostly voted on by Japanese fans (I think this particular one was geolocked actually) and Japanese fans tend to be more supportive of Serena and AmourShipping evidently.

Not region locked. I remember being able to cast a vote there.

I mean if you are getting that impression based on twitter or other SNS only then obviously, there's a lot of voices expressing their hatred of Serena. In reality, she's one of the most beloved anipoke character. Not too many are very vocal about it but the recent episode just proves how much loved she is getting from fans.

Anyways, I'm pooped, I've been awake for quite some time now. I need to go to bed now. All these stuff about Serena's return really got me all hyped that I can't get to sleep lmao. It's been a wild day for an Amourshipper and Serena fan in general

I woke up two in the morning because I read about the confirmation in the previous day lol

Sorry for the rough translation:
"Secretly, I wanted to be in charge of the script for Serena's appearance this episode (lol). Fortunately however, I get to be in charge of writing another intense episode instead, so look forward to that :blush:"

It's not exactly confirming another Serena episode, but they'll have a hand in another big episode at the very least.

I find interesting she's written "atsu" from "atsui" mostly on katakana. Maybe it was a typo?

It's already been mentioned in the episode thread courtesy of SerGoldenhandtheJust but there's a particular theory going around concerning the green lights on the dock when Serena watches Ash's boat sail away:

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1512462780024365056

What do you guys think?

I think it depends on how popular that piece of media is on Japan or if Yonemura or the animators know it exists.

Better that than derailing Amourshipping for a new Ash pairing, which is far too common in comic books.

Seriously, Pokemon is the one of the better franchises to handle a floating, comic book timeline. At least you don't have to worry about some editor undoing a marriage between a beloved couple just because they felt it made their protagonist too old.

"It's magic, we don't have to explain it"

Spider-Man One More Day, I have heard a lot of negative reception to that story and let's not even get into the Ric Grayson storyline from Nightwing.

I stopped liking Spider-Man because of that one. Nowadays the character means nothing for me.

 

[Panky..]

Ash blushing and acting like a shy/timid schoolboy would be out of character. He didn't noticeably blush even when Serena smooched him in a public place. Ash has always had different visual cues, the most notable way to tell is by looking at his eyes or his general mannerisms on how he behaves to certain scenarios.

Also, the closest he's come to blushing (at least in an implied romantic way) is that little nose rub he often did in XY and not coincidentally, most of the time it's been with moments involving Serena. Has he ever done that nose rub in SM and JN? I can't recall a single moment in this series at the least.

Also, there is a clearer image of the supposed ribbon on her foot. While at the back, they are beads, the front looked like a ribbon. I'd like to think it's a combination

They can be both, so yeah...

 

[Morax]

Ash blushing and acting like a shy/timid schoolboy would be out of character. He didn't noticeably blush even when Serena smooched him in a public place. Ash has always had different visual cues, the most notable way to tell is by looking at his eyes or his general mannerisms on how he behaves to certain scenarios.

Also, the closest he's come to blushing (at least in an implied romantic way) is that little nose rub he often did in XY and not coincidentally, most of the time it's been with moments involving Serena. Has he ever done that nose rub in SM and JN? I can't recall a single moment in this series at the least.

We know Ash is literally goku….but that’s part of the problem. SatoSere would be much better (in my opinion) if Ash was not as dense as a white dwarf star. Kinda like Yuusuke x Keiko from yu yu hakusho or Shinichi x Ran from detective conan.

 

[janejane6178]

The BGM is also just named « Serena/Calem theme » I don’t know which one is the official name and what is the Japanese name. Even if it ends up to be officially named « Friends forever » I don’t think it’s that big of a deal lol but it’s still just labeled as Calem/Serena theme in the XY games.

They played it very few times during XY&Z : One time when Ash talked to Greninja about his past in the Snowbelle city forest cave and when Mairin reunited with Alain, this BGM always was used for characters that were really connected with each others.

This sound track is beautiful Xy had the most beautiful and emotional soundtrack in my opinion

 

[dontmesswithasnowman]

I was scouring Twitter and other channels to see what reactions people had. Surprisingly, many people who didn’t like Serena or Amour were more favorable to her this time around. She’s established herself as her own character without the perceived dependence on Ash which makes her feel more mature as a person. Whether or not she’s endgame I have no idea. I mean if they ever write Ash off we might see that happen, but I can’t see them confirming anything until then. Of course I also have to wonder what comes next? If Ash wins against Leon he’ll be the strongest trainer in the world but does that make him a Pokemon master? I mean the series split from the old status quo of “new region, new team, new traveling companions” and became something different. So wouldn’t they just continue Journeys or go back to the old formula? I guess whether we see Serena again in the next 5-6 years depends on that as a basis. Journeys seems pretty popular, so maybe they’ll stick to that formula and we get to keep tabs on his previous companions, Serena included? I mean I didn’t expect to see her and Ash to meet at all until the end of his journey, but they managed a way to do so without them having enough time to even talk about how things were left off in XYZ.

 

[karanova-1]

Ah dang, you beat me to it, I was supposed to post about this, lmao.

Well, from google
"Most cultures believe that an ankle bracelet worn on the left foot is a charm or talisman. Such anklets were used as amulets to protect the wearer from diseases and bad omens. They were used as a form of protection. Today, an anklet on your left foot may also indicate that you are married or engaged to a lover."

Personally, I'd like to think of this as Serena not wanting to be taken by anyone except Ash


Also, there is a clearer image of the supposed ribbon on her foot. While at the back, they are beads, the front looked like a ribbon. I'd like to think it's a combination

Source https://pokemon-matome.net/articles/248065.html

Hmmm so she had wear the ribbon on performance stage it was a important thing thanks for the update I didn't notice it actually

 

[Morax]

She’s established herself as her own character without the perceived dependence on Ash

Never understood this “she’s too dependant on Ash” meme. Girls aren’t allowed to be indecisive, insecure, introverted and take inspiration from the MC now?

Is that seriously why they hated her back then?

 

[Manqoba]

Hmmm so she had wear the ribbon on performance stage it was a important thing thanks for the update I didn't notice it actually

It's honestly completely unclear if she was or wasn't. From the front it looked exactly like the ribbon did and from the back it looked a lot more like the necklace she was wearing. No good way to tell, but hopefully they'll address it if/when Ash and Serena reunite at a closer distance than 100 feet away lol

I was scouring Twitter and other channels to see what reactions people had. Surprisingly, many people who didn’t like Serena or Amour were more favorable to her this time around. She’s established herself as her own character without the perceived dependence on Ash which makes her feel more mature as a person. Whether or not she’s endgame I have no idea. I mean if they ever write Ash off we might see that happen, but I can’t see them confirming anything until then. Of course I also have to wonder what comes next? If Ash wins against Leon he’ll be the strongest trainer in the world but does that make him a Pokemon master? I mean the series split from the old status quo of “new region, new team, new traveling companions” and became something different. So wouldn’t they just continue Journeys or go back to the old formula? I guess whether we see Serena again in the next 5-6 years depends on that as a basis. Journeys seems pretty popular, so maybe they’ll stick to that formula and we get to keep tabs on his previous companions, Serena included? I mean I didn’t expect to see her and Ash to meet at all until the end of his journey, but they managed a way to do so without them having enough time to even talk about how things were left off in XYZ.

I actually took a glance at the PearlShipping Vault, because they always had a reputation for hating Serena and AmourShipping. Not too much activity left there it seems, but a couple of people were discussing the new episode and everyone seemed pretty favorable to Serena's maturity. Someone actually said "It feels like Satoshi and Serena will be a really good couple" and joked that they felt PearlShipping was in danger now. It was really interesting. Seems people are more favorable to Serena's character and AmourShipping when it's less in-their-face, which makes a lot of sense. It would be fun to see a Serena who's more in her element and more confident in her relationship with Ash.

Never understood this “she’s too dependant on Ash” meme. Girls aren’t allowed to be indecisive, insecure, introverted and take inspiration from the MC now?

Is that seriously why they hated her back then?

Some people hated Serena because, rightly or wrongly, they felt that AmourShipping overshadowed her entire character and she didn't have anything but her crush on Ash. Other people hated her because they felt she was a threat to their own Ash pairings, whether they acknowledge it or not.

 

[Morax]

Some people hated Serena because, rightly or wrongly, they felt that AmourShipping overshadowed her entire character and she didn't have anything but her crush on Ash

And i’m saying that’s an argument made in bad faith because her crush never overshadowed her character. In fact she’s still chasing after him, she still wants to stand by his side and be his wife. Did these people forget all about that?

 

[Manqoba]

And i’m saying that’s an argument made in bad faith because her crush never overshadowed her character. In fact she’s still chasing after him, she still wants to stand by his side and be his wife. Did these people forget all about that?

I think you're preaching to the choir here lol

I'm not saying I disagree with you, I'm just saying those are the reasons why people argue that, as best as I understand them.

 

[masdog]

First, sorry for my rambling wall of text last night. I was trying to get my initial reactions down last night, and I was writing most of that after midnight. So it didn't really get edited, and it doesn't seem as cohesive as I thought when I reread it.

- Green light means permission to proceed (it doesn't even need Gatsby Theory). Oh and there is a sailing ship...

I like this theory a lot better than the Gatsby Theory. The symbolism behind the green light in Gatsby goes...to some pretty dark places that anipoke probably doesn't want to go to.

Since they hype has died down a little, I'm kinda feeling empty inside now. I still want more of Serena. I still want to see her interacting more with Ash. If there's anything that JN105 reminds me is that she's no longer the main heroine and she won't be a regular character. We can only hope that she will come back in future episodes. I kept rewatching that last scene. To me, there's a small hope in there that she will return and reunite with him again for a longer time.

Anyway, I just want to put it out here and wanna share how I feel since I'm not sure how much I can contain this empty feeling inside. Ash and Serena's brief interaction was really the highlight for me and really made me hope for more. I was ready to drop the anime completely but after this episode, it's only making me ask for more.

I wonder if they wanted people to walk away with that feeling of wanting more when the scene was written.

And I kind of feel that way now too. Like it wasn't enough, and we need more wholesome moments like that between Ash and Serena.

She's doing the g e k k o u g a episode

The writing for the Koga episode is already done. I think she's teasing something she's writing for later in the season.

 

[dontmesswithasnowman]

On a serious note, i don’t understand why they can’t make Ash blush or something? If this is truly supposed to be the endgame ship why not develop it from his side too? Even something like “i wanted to talk to her more” would have sufficed but no, status quo is god.

Fully agreed. I mean it might’ve been out of character but as the boat leaves he could have had a blush or steam come out of his ears and that would be how the others catch on.

Never understood this “she’s too dependant on Ash” meme. Girls aren’t allowed to be indecisive, insecure, introverted and take inspiration from the MC now?

Is that seriously why they hated her back then?

I can’t say fully as I loved her character from the moment she first appeared. But from what I saw on the English, Japanese, and Spanish feeds it was overwhelmingly positive about her new appearance and attitude. A lot of anti shippers or just Serena haters actually admitted to liking her somewhat this time around. My guess is they might not have seen the tail end of XYZ so it’s the first time they saw her act independently from her crush. We all knew that but many didn’t seem to be aware that she had goals outside of Ash. And yeah, it seems that was the reason stated for why they hated her outside of competing ships.

 

[Dragonsoldier77]

I wonder if they wanted people to walk away with that feeling of wanting more when the scene was written.

And I kind of feel that way now too. Like it wasn't enough, and we need more wholesome moments like that between Ash and Serena.

Yes we definitely need more between them. Give them time to unpack what’s been left unsaid plz.

 

[Morax]

Fully agreed. I mean it might’ve been out of character but as the boat leaves he could have had a blush or steam come out of his ears and that would be how the others catch on.

I can’t say fully as I loved her character from the moment she first appeared. But from what I saw on the English, Japanese, and Spanish feeds it was overwhelmingly positive about her new appearance and attitude. A lot of anti shippers or just Serena haters actually admitted to liking her somewhat this time around. My guess is they might not have seen the tail end of XYZ so it’s the first time they saw her act independently from her crush. We all knew that but many didn’t seem to be aware that she had goals outside of Ash. And yeah, it seems that was the reason stated for why they hated her outside of competing ships.

I feel like the “she’s too dependent on Ash” argument mostly comes from the west. Serena isn’t one of a kind, there’s a lot of characters in various other animes out there like hinata, kanao, mikasa, orihime to name a few. From what i’ve noticed Japan doesn’t really hate this archetype.