Do you want improved animations (like SM) or a better artstyle (like XYZ) for the next anime series?

[shoz999]

Simple question? Do you want to see a much better art style, like XYZ's art style, or do you prefer improved animations, like Sun and Moon's animations, for the next anime series that will undoubtedly happen. You could say both but that would be king of boring since that's everyone's answer.

 

[Pokegirl Fan~]

Improved animation, and never go back to the BW/XY art style since it makes Ash look off especially his eyes as they are far too big

 

[TheWanderingMist]

Let's say animation. There are only 3 people who look off in the current artstyle, and that would be Ash, Jessie and James. Everyone else matches their game models.

 

[DatsRight]

Animation, crisper art means nothing to me if the way it's animated lacks expression or interest (eg. compare the original Simpsons intro to the HD one and tell me which one is livelier).

The ability to inflict way more personality than ever before is there now, not to mention the ability to put in more cast members at the expense of detail here and there. It's refreshing seeing the whole cast's Pokemon playing and interacting, instead of the usual handful playing and the others sidelined.

 

[keepitsimple]

animation is way more important. as long as it's good, i'll happily tolerate the art style even if i'm not really a fan of it

 

[AznKei]

Improved animations. Not really a fan of repeated stock animations from XY and although I do admit that when SM first aired, the artstyle looked a little bit weird , I got used to it over time.

 

[Genaller]

Honestly I much prefer the intensity and kinetic feel of XY battles though art style isn’t the only reason why XY felt far more appealing to look at than SM despite the latter having better animation. XY fights in general had way better pacing, storyboarding, choreography and shot composition than what we’ve seen in SM so far making SM fights feel very lackluster despite having better animation. The only SM fights that I think compare to good XY fights in terms of quality would be the Z-move vs Mega Evolution battles in SM 43 especially Ash vs Misty.

 

[Epicocity]

Honestly I much prefer the intensity and kinetic feel of XY battles though art style isn’t the only reason why XY felt far more appealing to look at than SM despite the latter having better animation. XY fights in general had way better pacing, storyboarding, choreography and shot composition than what we’ve seen in SM so far making SM fights feel very lackluster despite having better animation. The only SM fights that I think compare to good XY fights in terms of quality would be the Z-move vs Mega Evolution battles in SM 43 especially Ash vs Misty.

I think a large part of it is that the big animation segments of SM are relegated to everything non-battle. Like how the fight with Necrozma was a lot of still shots and speedlines, while the episode just before the arc had a smooth swimming animation. It's the opposite of how past series would be done where the battles, which arguably need better animation, got it and everything not battle-related took a bit of a hit.

That said, I'd personally prefer more of an XY feel to it. The sharper angles are more familiar and I don't need talking animation to be smooth as long the battles are well choreographed and where the effort of animation needs to go is better identified.

 

[blizzardblaze]

I'd really like a fused XY and SM artstyle that has really good, smooth animation. The stock animation is always something that brings it down, but what can you do to make it look different every time except from a different point of view?

 

[Twilight-Kun]

What's irritating about the animation in SM is that they rarely use it creatively in battles

Best ones we've had were Olivia's Trial, the Kanto Gym Battle, and Mimikyu vs Pikachu

They then put more effort into the animation for what's basically the Slice of Life segments - which is something SM does quite well - but then they remember that the games exist and we go back to much lazier animation for them

 

[Sceptile Leaf Blade]

I love the SM artstyle more to be honest, it's a bit softer and rounder. I don't like the angular edgy XY style. The first couple of Alola episodes the animators still had to get used to the art style but nowadays they know how to use it. There's still the odd episode that doesn't look quite right and a bit off-model (SM038 for instance) but overall they're incredibly consistent in their art quality.

What's irritating about the animation in SM is that they rarely use it creatively in battles

Best ones we've had were Olivia's Trial, the Kanto Gym Battle, and Mimikyu vs Pikachu

They then put more effort into the animation for what's basically the Slice of Life segments - which is something SM does quite well - but then they remember that the games exist and we go back to much lazier animation for them

Hala's Grand Trial looked great too. Pikachu vs Tapu Koko rematch is also good. But yeah, battles just aren't the focus of SM. Most of the main cast doesn't even really battle with their pokémon. It focuses more on interactions and trying out all sorts of different things.

 

[Epicocity]

I'd really like a fused XY and SM artstyle that has really good, smooth animation. The stock animation is always something that brings it down, but what can you do to make it look different every time except from a different point of view?

I think XY found a great workaround of this with the use of the 3D camera. Even though there was clear stock animation, you might not have been as able to notice it because the environment was always different and never obstructed by speed lines. The return to speed-line usage in SM has really brought battles down that notch.

 

[blizzardblaze]

I liked the choreography for the battles in XY, and I especially like how Ash uses unique strategies to do that, but so far in SM, he hasn't really relied on that from my point of view, only really brute force and heavily relying on Z Moves.

 

[SH65]

I would like both but a bit more on artstyle.

 

[DatsRight]

I liked the choreography for the battles in XY, and I especially like how Ash uses unique strategies to do that, but so far in SM, he hasn't really relied on that from my point of view, only really brute force and heavily relying on Z Moves.

In fairness that's arguably as much to do with the writing as the animation. Same for the 'Ash doing slapstick a lot' debate.

The animation adds a unique style and expressiveness to the whole thing, but it doesn't script what the characters do outright. eg. if the script says 'X character walks' they can give a character a livelier more unique walk that demonstrates a bit more personality, but they can't have them not do a walk.

 

[blizzardblaze]

Isn't that what happens every series? I mean, it's pretty funny sometimes, but sometimes you just have to make someone else the butt of the joke instead of making a poor person get hit constantly a lot.

 

[Dragalge]

If the artstyle is pretty but the characters move all weirdly and such, then the former means nothing to me. So yeah I much prefer animation. Granted BW and XY had nice-looking artstyles (and had fine animation) but I also think the SM artstyle works for characters like the classmates as they're more expressive then some of the previous companions in the anime. So SM in those departments feel like a win-win situation to me!

Oh and make characters be drawn proportionally correct please. DP was so weird with that.

 

[DatsRight]

Isn't that what happens every series? I mean, it's pretty funny sometimes, but sometimes you just have to make someone else the butt of the joke instead of making a poor person get hit constantly a lot.

In fairness I remember lots of characters other than Ash suffering slapstick throughout SM (eg. Team Rocket, Olivia, Kiawe, Sophocles and even Lillie sometimes).

Again this is a script thing, if the writers want Ash to get hit, the animators have to draw him getting hit. They can execute it with a certain style and expressiveness so Ash at least has a personality while getting hit, but they still don't have control over whether or not he gets hit.

 

[Leonhart]

I don't consider SM's style of animation as an improvement, so I'll vote for XY&Z's style which at the very least looked crisp and fluid to me without going overboard.

 

[Power Up]

I voted for art because that needs an improvement. Back to the XY/XYZ style, please.

Regarding animation, bring back the use of 3D cameras to use in battles and have SM animation outside of it. That's the best set there is. SM animation is absurdly boring with Kanto style battles. The choreography is ****, the pacing is slow AF, and shot composition is terrible.

Yet they can somehow make it look good outside of it, which is hilarious, but whatever