Is anyone ever bothered by in-battle explanations?

[matt0044]

https://youtu.be/g15onYCklzw?t=4m

Like instead of watching the action flow, we gotta have Brock, Cilan, Clemont, whoever give a rundown of the battle tactics WE ARE CURRENTLY WATCHING! It makes the battle a lot longer than it actually is. The part in the video puts it best.

 

[Navin]

https://youtu.be/g15onYCklzw?t=4m

Like instead of watching the action flow, we gotta have Brock, Cilan, Clemont, whoever give a rundown of the battle tactics WE ARE CURRENTLY WATCHING! It makes the battle a lot longer than it actually is. The part in the video puts it best.

Because the writers feel like the target audience of 8-13 y/o kids need continual explanations. It's annoying how much time it takes away from the actual battle. Sometimes though, they keep the camera panned on the battle and have characters/announcers voice-over the action, which is the ideal solution rather than cutting away.

 

[Rohanator]

I think it might have more to do with padding in order for the episodes to be easier to animate, rather than the writers actually thinking that they need to explain everything. I mean I'm sure both are true to a certain extent but there are so many cases where the action is so simple that it's just unreasonable to explain it. (At least Pokemon's not as bad as Dragon Ball Super about it, good lord)

 

[Rampardo]

I think it might have more to do with padding in order for the episodes to be easier to animate, rather than the writers actually thinking that they need to explain everything. I mean I'm sure both are true to a certain extent but there are so many cases where the action is so simple that it's just unreasonable to explain it. (At least Pokemon's not as bad as Dragon Ball Super about it, good lord)

Lol when Goku went UI for the first time the rest of the episode was 75% cutting to the people in the stands doing lengthy, boring explanations and only 25% actual fighting. Jesus christ.

Pokemon has actually never been that bad with it like you say. There are times when they've went overboard (Nando vs Zoey is one I remember) but generally it doesn't take over the fights.

 

[Mega Altaria]

I personally find it annoying whenever this happens because it really takes away the intense parts of the battle and I find it a not very going way to use time, where some battles could be lengthened by removing explanations. Well the target audience is kids who probably haven't played that much Pokémon so yeah they definitely would need more explanation.

 

[mehmeh1]

Lol when Goku went UI for the first time the rest of the episode was 75% cutting to the people in the stands doing lengthy, boring explanations and only 25% actual fighting. Jesus christ.

Pokemon has actually never been that bad with it like you say. There are times when they've went overboard (Nando vs Zoey is one I remember) but generally it doesn't take over the fights.

yeah, in the first UI goku vs jiren fight I was like "YOU HAVE AWESOME MUSIC AND ARE WASTING IT IN THE BENCHES! WHY?", while in the second I could just think "wow, why do they keep reusing the same animation from the opening and the last 2 times we've seen UI?"

 

[MidnightMelody]

It literally happens in any anime with fights.

 

[Leonhart]

It doesn't bother me at all, because I'm not a walking encyclopedia of Pokemon knowledge, so I do need explanations from side characters sometimes regarding how certain attacks or Abilities work.

 

[Xenon Blue]

I'm actually cool with it sometimes. It adds depth and perspective to the battle. Best example I can think of is Gliscor vs Torterra at the lake. If it wasn't for Brock interrupting mid-battle with his comments then the battle would have been pretty lame with not much depth. However because Brock and Reggie took the time to share their thoughts on the situation we get to see what Paul's goal was, which was not trivial, and add more depth to the battle. Something like "Pikachu is caught! It can't move!" is a little redundant, but something like "Paul seemed to throw out a move on purpose, knowing it will miss. This makes Ash have a false sense of security which leads to him attacking more recklessly" is ok.

 

[matt0044]

I'm actually cool with it sometimes. It adds depth and perspective to the battle. Best example I can think of is Gliscor vs Torterra at the lake. If it wasn't for Brock interrupting mid-battle with his comments then the battle would have been pretty lame with not much depth. However because Brock and Reggie took the time to share their thoughts on the situation we get to see what Paul's goal was, which was not trivial, and add more depth to the battle. Something like "Pikachu is caught! It can't move!" is a little redundant, but something like "Paul seemed to throw out a move on purpose, knowing it will miss. This makes Ash have a false sense of security which leads to him attacking more recklessly" is ok.

My problem is when it feels less like "Awesome By Analysis" and more like "Captain Obvious Strikes Again" when they could just show us the battle tactic in action. Maybe overlap the expo-speak with what's going on in real time but even then, it'd still feel like "Show, Don't Tell."

I mean, people frequently says that this is for the kids but I remember being engrossed by high stakes action more than the friggin' play by play.

 

[Leonhart]

My problem is when it feels less like "Awesome By Analysis" and more like "Captain Obvious Strikes Again" when they could just show us the battle tactic in action. Maybe overlap the expo-speak with what's going on in real time but even then, it'd still feel like "Show, Don't Tell."

In the case of redundant commentary, I do understand why that would irk some viewers. It's similar to how I feel regarding Satoshi using his Zukan on old Pokemon he's already seen.

 

[Frozocrone]

Only if it's redundant and only if it's not called out as Captain Obvious.

Giving a more in depth review of battles or pointing out a new move/terrain/weather abilities to less knowledgable people (in universe) is fine. Saying 'it's fast!' or 'it dodged it!' when I clearly see it on screen is just nope

 

[Ryu Taylor]

Maybe overlap the expo-speak with what's going on in real time but even then, it'd still feel like "Show, Don't Tell."

Gotta be truly honest here: Japanese media struggles HARD with obeying that all-important "show, don't tell" rule. For God's sake, 4KIDS had to remove the narration from "Pikachu's Rescue Adventure" because it got in the way and condescended to its viewers. The battle commentary in episodes aren't too much better than that, frankly. And the worst part is, in Pokemon's case, I don't know how such a problem could be fixed. I guess only the really intricate stuff like Trick Room could be left explained, but simpler stuff than that shouldn't.

It literally happens in any anime with fights.

And this is a huge reason why I overall prefer Western animation over Japanese animation. The West doesn't nearly as often hold the audience's hand.

 

[Leonhart]

For God's sake, 4KIDS had to remove the narration from "Pikachu's Rescue Adventure" because it got in the way and condescended to its viewers.

I don't see how the original narration was condescending; the dialogue simply reiterated what was happening in each scene, which is kind of important since young kids often miss key details. The absence of narration in the English dub only made certain scenes more confusing, particularly the purpose of the entire exploration subplot where Elekid helped Pikachu and his pals search for the lost Tamatama.

 

[Ryu Taylor]

I don't see how the original narration was condescending; the dialogue simply reiterated what was happening in each scene, which is kind of important since young kids often miss key details. The absence of narration in the English dub only made certain scenes more confusing, particularly the purpose of the entire exploration subplot where Elekid helped Pikachu and his pals search for the lost [Exeggcute].

No reiteration is necessary. Anyone watching can clearly see what's happening. When they see a bunch of Ledyba flying by, there's no need for someone to say "Hey look! Ledyba are flying by!", nor is there any need to say "There's a missing Exeggcute" when we just at that very moment saw Squirtle counting them and pointing this out (albeit in Pokemon talk, but the body language is very clear). And that is literally what that short's narration is; it's not the relatively unintrusive expositional type found in movies like The Land Before Time nor is it the hilarious type found in things like Goofy cartoons (though, to be honest, I'd absolutely love for a future Pikachu short to do the latter sometime). It's the patronizing type that gets in the way and spoonfeeds the short's every move to the viewer.

There may be some kids who miss important details, but at that age is when they ought to be taught how to catch those kinds of things. Doing things like having this needlessly intrusive style of narration walk them through what they're watching risks them remaining unobservant.

Thank goodness Pixar knows better than to do that.

(By the way, I should note that I mean no disrespect to Satou Tomo by saying any of this. I just don't like it that she took the job of being this kind of narrator. She's done plenty of other things that are good.)

 

[Pokegirl Fan~]

I don't mind it at all.

 

[matt0044]

And this is a huge reason why I overall prefer Western animation over Japanese animation. The West doesn't nearly as often hold the audience's hand.

Clearly you haven't seen the right ones. Wanna a rec?

But yeah, the Pikachu shorts benefitted from having the narration removed in the dubs, a practice that TPCi should've taken to heart. Personally, I think 4kids did do it better by having the Pokedex narrate Pikachu's Vacation like a nature documentary. Imagine Steve Irwin as a robot.

 

[AznKei]

And this is a huge reason why I overall prefer Western animation over Japanese animation. The West doesn't nearly as often hold the audience's hand.

It kinda reminds me of the Western RPG & Japanese RPG comparison, where the latter tended to be more linear and storyline driven. But yeah, I'm more into the visual actions than the explanations as well.

 

[Satomine Night]

It depends on the type of commentary. Comments such as "Pikachu is trapped! It can't move!" are unnecessary, because the viewer can see Pikachu is trapped and can't move. However, a character explaining a battle strategy (especially one that is not inherently obvious from the visuals) or pointing out a new move, terrain, or weather ability can actually add to the battle. I'm no Pokémon move encyclopedia, so sometimes having a knowledgeable character explain the effects of a move or ability is helpful.

I don't always mind the "Captain Obvious" commentary when a comment comes off as a spectator's completely natural reaction to a battle, especially an intense battle where the stakes are high(er), such as a Gym/Kahuna battle or a league match. Sure, the comment may not be necessary, but at least it's justified.

 

[CMButch]

That stuff happens in all anime. That's why I am more movie, Marvel/DC animated guy, because I watched not so many anime,though.