What were your thoughts on how the anime handled gimmicks

[Leonhart]

In my opinion, the fact that none of the main cast got ME made it better than Z-moves, where every1 and their mother got it. In my opinion, based on the games, these gimmicks aren't that common and not every1 can get it. The fact that ME wasn't that common in the anime made it feel special and rare. I loved the way it was handled

I agree that Mega Evolution being reserved for talented trainers for the most part made it seem more special, although one thing that I would've done was add more of those Mega Evolution specialists to the main XY anime instead of most of them being saved for Alain's specials.

 

[AznKei]

XY spent five episodes talking about how you had to be one with your Pokemon or something to perfect Mega Evolution.

Then comes a random Nurse Joy with a jerky Audino who manages to Mega Evolve in the end and still is a meanie that she locked Nurse Joy in a room.

Dragon Ball Z did a similar thing with the Super Saiyan lore and Trunks & Goten butchered it, so yeah I forgive about the one you mentioned since it came way later.

 

[Sonnas]

XY spent five episodes talking about how you had to be one with your Pokemon or something to perfect Mega Evolution.

Then comes a random Nurse Joy with a jerky Audino who manages to Mega Evolve in the end and still is a meanie that she locked Nurse Joy in a room.

Or with SM in how the trainer has to pose right or be sync with your pokemon until later on when the main characters get Z-Crystals and are able to do it first try and not failing at it once or twice.

 

[mehmeh1]

Or with SM in how the trainer has to pose right or be sync with your pokemon until later on when the main characters get Z-Crystals and are able to do it first try and not failing at it once or twice.

Yeah, that part was weird. It only came up as a relevant plot point like 4 times (with the companions not named Kiawe), and 3 of said times were on the last stretch of the series. Not only that, but those times were one episode a piece.

 

[SerGoldenhandtheJust]

In my opinion, the fact that none of the main cast got ME made it better than Z-moves, where every1 and their mother got it. In my opinion, based on the games, these gimmicks aren't that common and not every1 can get it. The fact that ME wasn't that common in the anime made it feel special and rare. I loved the way it was handled

There was a random nurse Joy with a mega audino for some reason. The ME special had random trainers have ME. Gym leaders had megas. And yet, ash , the main character couldn't have one? Yeah no that's a missed opportunity. I'll argue Z moves were much more rarer in the anime considering only main characters or some key characters had it. The only random person I can think of that had it was that trainer school kid, and he didn't even use it, he just had it on his wrist. Plus according to games Z moves are much more common. So yeah they adapted it better imo

 

[Ignition]

Or with SM in how the trainer has to pose right or be sync with your pokemon until later on when the main characters get Z-Crystals and are able to do it first try and not failing at it once or twice.

At least Mallow, Sophocles, & Lillie didn't get it right the first time and I guess Ash kind of didn't when he broke the Electrium Z

 

[DatsRight]

Neither did Lana. Ash and Kiawe you could buy were down to experience and how in sync they were with Pikachu and Turtonator beforehand already, and even then they also had teething troubles with later Z Moves. I mean fans wanted Ash's experience to give him SOME headstart by this point.

The only guys who got it right instantly with little reasoning were Team Rocket, which might just be for irony purposes.

 

[Dragalge]

I did want to go back to this.

I didn't care much for the way Z-moves were handled, to be honest. They were fine when they had requirements directly related to the Island Challenge (Ash and Kiawe had to battle Kahunas to earn their Rings/Crystals, TR and Lana had to defeat Totem Pokemon, etc.), but then they suddenly became prizes in local races and were handed out as thank you gifts by random groups of Sandshrew. Which isn't a problem in and of itself, but if the writers wanted Z-moves to be commonplace so everyone and their brother could use one they should have just treated them that way from the beginning.

The Sandshrew were a part of a Totem Sandslash’s group (I think it was a totem). It’s not that odd that it rewarded Lillie an Icium-Z.

I also don’t remember Z-crystals being said to be rare to begin with. Even in the games Guzma hogs every Buginium-Z and there was a lot!

Z-Rings you could say something for but Hapu was already observing Sophocles before the competition so it wasn’t like his Z-Ring was random. Only Mallow’s felt weirdly placed without any explanation of where that Z-Ring came from.

 

[game3524]

There was a random nurse Joy with a mega audino for some reason. The ME special had random trainers have ME. Gym leaders had megas. And yet, ash , the main character couldn't have one? Yeah no that's a missed opportunity. I'll argue Z moves were much more rarer in the anime considering only main characters or some key characters had it. The only random person I can think of that had it was that trainer school kid, and he didn't even use it, he just had it on his wrist. Plus according to games Z moves are much more common. So yeah they adapted it better imo

Freaking Trevor got a mega....Trevor!

 

[Leonhart]

Freaking Trevor got a mega....Trevor!

I'm not sure why him being able to use Mega Evolution is viewed as a bad thing, though. He could've used more development overall before he was revealed to be able to Mega Evolve his Lizardon, but at least he was a recurring character so it seemed believable that he could Mega Evolve his ace Pokemon, unlike that one Joi and her Tabunne.

 

[janejane6178]

I dont see the problem with Mrs Joy and her Pokemon using mega evolution..... They are not trainers but they might still have a strong bond. They work together every day etc

 

[SerGoldenhandtheJust]

I dont see the problem with Mrs Joy and her Pokemon using mega evolution..... They are not trainers but they might still have a strong bond. They work together every day etc

It just how randomly a key stone and auidonite appeared for them. Korrina and her lucario also shared a nice bond but upon mega evolving it was difficult for her, an experienced trainer to control it. And nurse Joy just automatically does it. And it adds salt to the fact that none of the main characters got one.

 

[Leonhart]

I dont see the problem with Mrs Joy and her Pokemon using mega evolution..... They are not trainers but they might still have a strong bond. They work together every day etc

My problem with that random Joi having the ability to Mega Evolve her Tabunne was less of an issue with her experience [or lack thereof], but more like exasperation at the fact that Satoshi wasn't allowed to use Mega Evolution in XY, yet a COTD that we'd never see again was apparently more worthy of using that feature than he was.

 

[Deleted member 384931]

I take Ash-Grenja above any Mega that appeared in XY

 

[DatsRight]

It felt like XY had a harder time inserting the Mega Evolution gimmick into the series in a long term relevant way, largely because it was limited to only a few Pokemon that they weren't interested in using for the large part, thus, besides the Mega Evolution specials, the gimmick felt a bit shoehorned in. It is obvious AshGreninja only exists because for whatever reason the games didn't bother to make Mega Evolutions for the Gen 6 Pokemon the show was meant to limelight.

SM on the other hand ended up utilising Z Moves as a collectable gimmick rather easily because any Pokemon could be selected to use them, and by the final season managed to do a decent job distributing them to each of the cast for story purposes so they could get one last tidbit of development and a final hurrah in the league arc. They actually ended up pretty decent plot devices or pivots for characterisation or mini arcs without making it feel too formulaic (even if maybe their actual use in battle could have been more versatile).

 

[Cat's Eye Draco]

The Sandshrew were a part of a Totem Sandslash’s group (I think it was a totem). It’s not that odd that it rewarded Lillie an Icium-Z.

Was it? I don't remember seeing it listed with other anime-only Totem Pokemon when I double-checked, but then it might have been left out if it wasn't directly referred to as one.

I also don’t remember Z-crystals being said to be rare to begin with. Even in the games Guzma hogs every Buginium-Z and there was a lot!

Eh, it wasn't so much that Z-Rings/crystals were supposed to be rare (I agree that they weren't) as that it was stated in the first episode that only participants in the Island Challenge could use them. And then they just kind of dropped it without explanation halfway through. Details like that tend to bug me.

 

[mehmeh1]

Was it? I don't remember seeing it listed with other anime-only Totem Pokemon when I double-checked, but then it might have been left out if it wasn't directly referred to as one.



Eh, it wasn't so much that Z-Rings/crystals were supposed to be rare (I agree that they weren't) as that it was stated in the first episode that only participants in the Island Challenge could use them. And then they just kind of dropped it without explanation halfway through. Details like that tend to bug me.

Pretty sure it was directly referred to as a totem sandslash

 

[Spider-Phoenix]

It is obvious AshGreninja only exists because for whatever reason the games didn't bother to make Mega Evolutions for the Gen 6 Pokemon the show was meant to limelight.

I feel they didn't give the Gen 6 starters megas in the first game because they wanted to save it for either a Z version (before discarting the idea) or their plan was to save them for when they'd need to remake Gen 6. I feel like megas was their original idea/plan to keep old pokémon somewhat fresh whenever they needed to come up with a remake of a previous game.

And that's why I think the Gen 6 megas will come up whenever it gets a remake. I can be wrong though

 

[Epicocity]

It just how randomly a key stone and auidonite appeared for them. Korrina and her lucario also shared a nice bond but upon mega evolving it was difficult for her, an experienced trainer to control it. And nurse Joy just automatically does it. And it adds salt to the fact that none of the main characters got one.

1) That particular Nurse Joy was actually actively searching for an Audinite. We just happened to have an episode that occurred when she'd actually found it. But the episode made it clear she's been looking for one a long time.

2) The keystone provided was Sycamore's and it was seemingly temporary given nothing implies that she kept that keystone after the fact.

3) Are we going to discount the numerous other trainers that can Mega Evolve on the fly? Sycamore had no issues Mega Evolving Garchomp, after all. No, the problem lay specifically with Lucario and Korrina, in particular the fact that Lucario did its own thing in battle and Korrina let it. There was a bond, but that bond blurred the lines and was what made Lucario unable to handle Mega Evolution, which is why it started acting violently of its own accord. In fact, in the Audino episode, Sycamore explicitly states all one needs to Mega Evolve is a strong bond. Therefore the problem stemmed from that duo, not from the act of Mega Evolution, itself.

All this is pretty textual, but it's amazing how many people forget it...

 

[Bortgreen]

There was an episode with Joy having a LATIAS, why are people surprised with an Audinite