Anime... Improved?

[Aptenodytes]

Well after 10 years of the pokemon anime, what do you think of it? I know most of the episodes can't compare with the original, but some of the newer episode were still pretty good. Discuss.

 

[Raize]

Well, how can I say this...?

At first good, then it went down in the Johto season, and it's going back up now in Hoenn.

Some of the older episodes are classic, and can't be matched, as you've stated. Agreed. When Johto was on, I didn't like watching it that much. Now Hoenn has some very good battles(The Juan battle came to mind) and it's going up...

 

[Heracross]

Eh, I don't think 'worsened' is really an appropriate description. I do prefer the first few seasons, but that certainly doesn't mean I haven't enjoyed Advanced Generation.

 

[.Bambi.]

Improved.

Even back in the ye olde Kanto days, I didn't like the show as much as I do now in Hoenn. I really don't see what was so great about Kanto...

AG was definetly an improvement from Johto, and Kanto. Misty was getting far too bland, so May came on the show as the dominant female character. And she sure has filled the position well [no pun intended].

I find Contests to be much more exciting than Gym Battles, and the characters who come from them are all so unique and lovable. Not to mention her [Hoenn...OH GOD Hoenn...not Kanto >.>] Pokemon were great, Combusken and Skitty particularly.

Plus the Main Group/Pokemon in general are awesome, and evolutions are plentiful. 'Sall good...

 

[Raize]

People seem to have a thing with the oldies/originals/good old days. That's why they seem to like it sooo much. Besides that, It had some very emotional moments and it was before... when TR was actually a little more dedicated and weren't just for comic relief...

I agree with the Main Group now. It rocks.

 

[PDL]

improved in some areas... worsened in others...

while the general storyline a great improvement, other things such as coninuity and japanese culture dissappear and 4Kids' work quality tends to vary from episode to episode...

 

[CyberCubed]

Improved.

Or rather:

Started out great, became average, plummetted into the ground, became great again, and now it's on the above average/great ratio.

 

[Yamato-san]

it's been pointed out that several people only really like Kantou for the nostalgia, and some of its plots were just as crappy as they are today. I, personally, think the show has improved tremendously in terms of character development (even the Pokemon get their fair share), resourcefulness (IOW, characters not going to waste. We only really have to deal with Takeshi, and maybe Masato, right now. In Kantou, we've had Takeshi, Kasumi, and pretty much any Pokemon that's neither Pikachu or a starter), as well as the Pokemon themselves being great (Kantou put too much emphasis on non-evolved Pokemon, which p*ssed me off. Now there's more of a balance, and Satoshi's team kicks so much ass right now.... Haruka's needs serious improvement, though). We did get longer arcs stretched out with tedious amounts of fillers since Kantou, but honestly, it's not as though the writers predicted the show would be such a success that it could continue production past the initially planned episode count, and even go into adapting future game generations. For that matter, I bet if it weren't for that Porygon mishap, Kantou would have a ton more fillers, and the majority of them would suck hard.

EDIT: Oh god, I forgot about that, PDL. Well, I guess the good overrides the bad. If we're lucky, maybe some day, the Japanese writers will get the picture and say "screw you!" to 4kids.

 

[Jo-Jo]

It's a mixed bag. Things that have improved: the animation, nach. The contests are an extremely welcome addition, probably my favourite part of the show nowadays. The rivalries - giving May two main rivals rather than one was a smart move, as it lets them play off each other, and the other can pick up the slack whenever the writers don't want to focus so much on one. Plus, nobody can measure up to the fabulousness that is Harley.

Things that have worsened: the characterisation, by God. IMO the only main character they've done perfectly in AG is Max - not that he gets enough screen time. In Kanto, all of the regulars got opportunities to shine, especially Team Rocket and Misty. Oh, how things change.

What else... the plots of individual episodes were also mostly more original at the start of the series, too. And I LIKE that Ash won some of his badges through means other than winning a battle with the gym leader. It is RIGHT that in a coming-of-age story, the hero should need to learn how to do the right thing, be noble, not accept victories if he doesn't think they're fair, risk his life to help his opponents' Pokemon, stand up for his convictions, etc. etc., just as much as he needs to learn to be a good battler. Being a trainer is a concept far more meaningful than being a guy with strong Pokemon who can beat up the other guy. This used to be the anime's strongest theme. Now they seem to have dumbed it down a bit and cut out some of the moralising. It's a crying shame, imo. At least Hoenn had the Wattson battle...

 

[PDL]

maybe some day, the Japanese writers will get the picture and say "screw you!" to 4kids.

I don't think so, because as long as they get the money from 4kids for their work, they don't really care too much what 4kids does with them.

 

[Neon Lite]

Let me just say this:

The anime...when beyond words to explain that it was extremly good back in my day, back in the old '93. I can't say it really improved in the Johto region...but I've always considered getting a look at the anime once again...but really...I don't watch the anime anymore...maybe I should...

 

[CyberCubed]

Things that have worsened: the characterisation, by God. IMO the only main character they've done perfectly in AG is Max - not that he gets enough screen time. In Kanto, all of the regulars got opportunities to shine, especially Team Rocket and Misty. Oh, how things change.

The reason for this is that many of the characters in AG are already established characters. AG Ash is almost nothing like Kanto Ash, but besides that, he's already been an established character for 5 seasons.

Same with Brock and Team Rocket. They have developed James a bit with his Chimecho and "cute pokemon" vibe where he is nice every so often (Manene/Oreinteering eps), and Jessie has become a coordinator. Why do so many people overlook that?

May quite frankly IS AG, so she's received most of the character development by far. Drew/Harley have also been given some development as AG went along. And you can't forget their Pokemon, all of Ash, May and Brock's Pokemon have had developed personalities and changed a bit overtime.

Brock is really the only character in my eyes that has been completely wasted in AG.

 

[Jo-Jo]

I dunno, how long does it take to establish a cast? Surely not much longer than a few episodes? Yet Ash, Misty, Brock, Jessie, James and Meowth were all very well-characterised for the first... three seasons, I'd say. In any case, that's no excuse for the writers to get so lazy in later episodes. Ash is incredibly boring these days, and Brock and Team Rocket, once fan favourites, barely get anything decent to do. Jessie entering contests is good screentime for her but means nothing as far as developing her personality goes. (I've never gotten why so many people in the fandom seem to think giving a character stuff to do counts as character development.)

That said, James has gotten some really good stuff in the BF. So that's an improvement.

 

[Naraku_Diabolos]

The episodes have gotten better. I adored the Johto ones, and I don't know why. The only thing I hate now in the Advanced Generation is Meowth's STUPID Giovanni visions. I mean, that stuff he's dreaming up is so childish and dull; I can't stand one bit of it. I mean, 4 Kids has made Yu-Gi-Oh! a bit dark with its plotline, so why can't the episodes be a bit more intense for Pokémon? They were a bit intense with the Groudon and Kyogre episodes...

 

[Heracross]

Brock is really the only character in my eyes that has been completely wasted in AG.

God, they really dropped the ball with Takeshi. Now given, he never did much towards his goal of being a breeder in the first place, but they could have actually fixed this with the coming of AG.

As I've said before, Haruka's contests would have been perfect for Takeshi to help Haruka out and share his knowledge with her, since contests share many of the same elements we've seen breeders focus on. Hell, there was even that contest in mid-Jouto that he competed in with Yuki. It made sense any way you look at it, but instead they had Satoshi hog all the mentoring.

 

[Cipher]

I can't stand one bit of it. I mean, 4 Kids has made Yu-Gi-Oh! a bit dark with its plotline, so why can't the episodes be a bit more intense for Pokémon? They were a bit intense with the Groudon and Kyogre episodes...

Um...maybe because 4Kids doesn't write Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh? Maybe because even in their original formats, Yu-Gi-Oh was aimed at an older demograph than Pokemon? Maybe because Pokemon was never ment to be an "intense" show at all?

I haven't really watched the anime since the fad, and I dislike it as a whole, so I can't rightly say whether or not it's improved.

 

[Zora]

_
..\_/ That is how I thought it was. The Johto was way too long. Kanto was way too fast. Hoenn I find balanced, though I rarely watch Pokemon anymore. Kids WB isn't good at stating the times, and my Dad has gotten too obsessed with HDTV, he even got an HDTV 'Tivo' which is not as user friendly, the only advantage is that some shows are better quality. So I can't watch it, so I can't say how it has been for the last 4 months or so. Plus Comcast keeps on accidentally give us glitched programming, and then we have to return it, and set it up again, so that would be a huge pain too even if I could find out how too get a season pass.

 

[Timid Kyogre]

Well...Nothing is like the first episodes of the Anime show, but it got extremely boring at Johto. And then it got better at Hoenn ^_^

~Timid Kyogre

 

[Raziel]

The first season rocked, but that doesn't mean the other seasons are crap. The Orange League season was enjoyable Everything went to hell during Johto. However, now in Hoenn and the Battle Frontier, the anime is taking a 'second air'.

I cannot say that the anime has gotten really better, but it certainly has not gotten worse.

 

[halloweenghost]

Kanto is the best... is stagnated in johto and doin good in Hoenn