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Why do people keep saying that XYZ was the best season since the DP saga?
- Thread starter andthentherewas1
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I think it's probably because a lot of people are "used" to the saga now. Back in 2016/2017 people still couldn't get used to Ash's new design and personality, or SM's tone and those meme face images, or the larger cast. But we're now 3 years deep into the saga, a lot of the main cast has gotten better focus/development than they used to, and while the battles/Ash's team hasn't been great, people can overlook it if they like the slice of life stuff.
Also a lot of people figure the anime is probably going to change drastically again with Gen 8, so people who liked SM know it only has roughly 8 months of episodes left so they're enjoying it now while they can.
Are you sure about that? Some of those mid-Johto fillers like the ones about a Pichu orchard, Yanma breaking glass in a town, Mukrrow stealing badges, Remoraid making lights in the sky, etc. were pretty dire. Especially since all followed the same formula of Ash meeting a filler character, them having bland discussion for 10 minutes of the ep, Misty/Brock just standing there in the background, Team Rocket come in to steal Pikachu or the pokemon of the day, and that was the ep.
Some SM fillers are boring buts others still have some stand out moments in them. Probably helps Team Rocket aren't in every episode anymore.
Also I'd wager that Kiawe and Lana are the best characterised of the current cast. Sure Lana doesn't have as much traditional development but her character has been entertaining so it doesn't matter. Mallow also got a great mother episode even if her character doesn't do much otherwise. It's really only Sophocles who is rather boring most of the time, and Lillie just took a backseat after the first year.
mehmeh1
Not thinking twice!
opinion on sm has gotten more "balanced" lately, I mean, in 2017/18 it was simultaneously the most overrated and underrated series somehow, but there's been more middle ground since the necrozma arc ended, thankfully
I think a lot of OS fans started liking SM since the Misty/Brock cameos too. All of a sudden Misty/Brock appear in SM, and all the people who disliked every saga after Johto now suddenly love SM and consider it the best since the original series.
I'd truthfully put Sophocles higher since he has adapted to the newer format better. SM's storytelling is larger focus on slapstick or foible based humour/antics within the cast. Sophocles is flawed and humorous enough to handle that, while characters like Mallow and Lana don't really have many foibles or many gags at their expense. It's telling Sophocles can usually hold his own episodes while the girls' ones tend to keep reverting to the old COTD/TR formula besides sporadic exceptions like the Tapu Fini one (which the writers seemed to note they had to put exceptional effort into).
I think what many are relishing about SM is that despite it's flaws it at least rectifies a serious problem often with most previous series in that it wasn't very character driven. The heroes kept relying on plot devices or being dragged along by formula, we kept getting half a story and then an irrelevant TR curbstomp at best, often robbing the protagonists of much agency (Serena for example couldn't even handle the same 'well intentioned lie spirals out of control' parable filler Sophocles done). I tend to rate Ash, Kiawe, and to some degree Lillie and Sophocles well in this regard because they are characters that are vibrant enough that they can be left to their own devices and drive a funny plot. Mallow and Lana almost feel like a downgrade from even earlier series in that they don't have an arc OR the star power, in many episodes they're as bad as Johto Misty and Brock (though Lana is a bit better for comic relief). It's very divisive when we have half a protagonist set who are much more vibrant and capable of holding story material and another half that don't even have basics like personality flaws, not the most solid way to present the series' new niche.
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That's the biggest problem most of us who don't like SM have, though. Stuff like the Precure references hurts the show because it causes it to have a loss of its own identity. Sure, past shows could make references, but they were rarely wholesale and nor were they the focus of an episode, while many of SM's episodes allow it to take over. This last episode was proof as it brushed its technical main plot under the rug in order to make some reference to another franchise entirely. How is that anything but loss of identity?
And if the main stuff is terrible, that's more telling than any filler being brilliant.
Zhydra
Master of Chaos!
Exactly, it was just a dumb filler that CAN be skipped if you are not into it. All that matters is if it is entertaining to the individual.
That's not what I said at all.
I said its main plot, not the main plot of the series. The episode's main plot, as presented by the summaries, was ultimately brushed aside to focus on some wholesale reference to another series. And it's not the first time this series has done this, particularly in the second half of the series.
Spider-Phoenix
#ChespinGang
I felt this loss of identity happened pretty much when the series was revealed. It's clear that Yokai Watch's sudden sucess really scared off Pokémon. To the point they are even resorting to nostalgia - something they don't do much of - to attract viewers.
Yea, it feels like that the Pokemon SM anime series took a lot of inspiration from the first Yokai Watch anime series, something that no other Pokemon anime series did
I also kind of feel like the Misty/Brock cameos didn't make as much impact as they should of. Out of the 4 episodes, the only truly great one was the Mega Evolutions battle ep from back in 2017. The rest were just nice episodes, but nothing special. The Brock/Olivia stuff also had potential to be funnier too. I liked some of the brief original trio scenes and Misty bonding with Lana though. Seeing Misty/Brock appear in SM not only once but twice for a second cameo really did feel like the biggest nostalgia pandering the show ever tried. Even when Misty appeared back in AG it didn't feel that way.
Zoruagible
Lover of underrated characters
I think you're confused, we're here to watch Pokemon. Not My Little Pony, Sailor Moon Magic Girl
MidnightMelody
Hopeful for Gen 8
The thing is most of fans don't want slice of life and comedy. It was so obvious they were trying to ride of the popularity of Yokai Watch at the time which ironically died around the time. Now YW seems to have gone for a more serious vibe and maybe Pokemon will follow or maybe it won't. With that said the change in genre I think annoyed more fans old and new over anything. It would be like like turning Full House into a gritty crime drama.
FlygontheRavager
#1 Pokémon Anime Fan!
I don't get why people are so upset that they showed up again. It was literally said back in Episode 43 that they would come visit Ash in Alola. Given that the anime tends to not fulfill promises like that, I thought everyone would be happy that it actually did this time around.
Ignition
We are so back Zygardebros
Well there’s a few reasons why people weren’t pleased with the return:
-The companions could’ve used the screen time to get developed
-Not liking Kanto pandering/seeing another return in the same series as excessive
-The two episodes themselves were nothing special especially compared to the first 2 episodes focused on them
I’m sure no one’s pissed at it due to suddenly appearing when they said they were going to return.
It's more that the second cameo could have been utilized better. The first ep didn't really have much happening at all, and the second eps Brock/Olivia stuff was glossed over too fact. Both eps also had to deal with the usual TR stealing pokemon bit at the end, which was likely done nostalgia, but both eps have the same climax.