How good is the anime these days?

[Murkrow]

I never watched it past the first few Johto episodes I think.

I just wanted to hear what people think of it now? I see that "do you think the anime sucks" thread down there, I've read the first page but it's a bit long to read through all of it right now (it's 3am, why am I still up?) and it's a bit old.

While I'm sure it still has the pretty episodic structure where Team Rocket does some stuff but fails and Ash parts way with the character/Pokémon of the week. Is it good though? If it isn't particularly good, are there a few great episodes in there somewhere?

I'll admit my favourite episodes have always been the ones with a bit of continuity in them rather than the majority of one-off episodes; the ones where they go on the St Anne and end up on the giant Pokémon theme park I really liked, as well as any episodes with Giovanni that helped build up to the first movie. Are there any more arcs like that anywhere?
And speaking of the movies, I've seen the first two, are any of the ones after that any good?



Also, since there isn't a section for the manga, has anyone read that and is that any good? I'm really into Pokémon at the moment (more than usual, anyway) and want some stories :P

 

[Blastoise Fortooate]

The anime as I'm seeing it currently (dubbed) is certainly watchable. It's gotten a bit goofier over time but I think it's of at least the same quality as the Johto episodes. It has gotten past the seasonal rot of the Sinnoh show that made me avoid the anime for a while. The episodic 'new character and new pokémon do X' thing has become less common as well, I think.

 

[Minish]

/swoops in, I am the Best Wishes Ambassador

I like it lots and lots! I hadn't watched since johto, and it's pretty different now, but if you can accept that it's really good fun, especially the first best wishes season. I'm excited to watch every new episode, and I regularly rewatch old ones all the time. The dub is pretty good, too!

There are many arcs, usually tournaments, which sounds boring until you realise the supporting cast is reeeeally great and you want to keep seeing Ash's friends and rivals. The arcs just feel like a get-together party. Also, it feels pretty new from Johto-era that not everything is about Ash - the other two main characters have interesting rivals and goals, and Ash is just another character in a cute little cast of great kids. Maybe the fact that there are several good recurring characters might be something you'd enjoy?

It has a lot of nostalgia for me even though it's pretty different, just because it's Pokemon. The fact that, especially the original japanese, it's split between actors who have a lot of tenure and a few new ones is pretty cute and they're aware of it - it just sounds like everyone has a lot fun doing such a silly show.

There's not much Team Rocket anymore, I'm afraid :( They do keep showing up every so often, but I don't really know... why... they're pretty forgettable these days. But it just makes it even more plain that the show can definitely be entertaining without their help.


As for the films, the third one is genuinely good but I'd avoid the ones after that. I like the best wishes ones because they feature Cilan and Iris!!!! I'll watch anything with them. But objectively, they're rather silly.

The manga is pretty good!! It's hard to reliably find later arcs translated online, though, so you might have to rely on the weird localisation of the Kanto arc at first. :(

 

[hopeandjoy]

The sad thing about the TRio is that recently their Japanese actors did a radio show/live show that seemed to be pretty fun. It's just that the writers attempts to make them "serious" killed the fun in them.

I'll admit it. I haven't kept up with Best Wishes. I just can't get up at 7 on Saturdays or early in the morning to catch the Japanese broadcast. Combine that with ShoPro's crackdown on YouTube videos and you get a sad hope.

But! I think the show really started improving in the Hoenn region because that was the first time that the show wasn't all Ash all the time: May was important. And so was Dawn. And now Iris and Dent (Cilian I think is his English name?), though some have complained about how successful Iris is.

The show's not serious, nor is it made for our age-group. It's a silly show where friendship and good always win. But you know what? Silly is fun. Really. No, Ash isn't going to win the league, and yes, he's still ten. But really, why does it matter? Just have fun with it!

I'd argue that the TPCI dub is better than the 4kids dub, just because the script's a little better (besides what Zoppi did to the TRio in the DP days) and no paint edits to remove rice balls. Also, I uh, like the voice actors more. Especially Ash's. That said, the early episodes of their tenure is pretty bad. Still, it's better than high pitched Ash and his mom and May who sound exactly alike. The Japanese dub is still the best in terms of the voices though (acting doesn't matter as much in a show like this.)

Best movies in my opinion are the 3rd and 8th ones.

There are lots of manga, but I assume you're talking about Pokémon Adventures (Special in Japan, PokeSpe for short). It's pretty good! The characters are pretty wonderful, the plots are pretty good. Don't believe the rumors that it's more mature!!!111!!! though. It's just your average shonen manga with less fanservice (except for random shirtless Red and his nice ass. But that's just what I remember lol). surskitty's the expert on that though and they've read more than I. (I stopped after the Emerald arc.)

My personal favorite arc is the GSC one, and those characters are also my favorite.

 

[Phantom]

I've actually been watching it lately. Which is super weird for me. I'm far from caught up, I just started around the last few episodes on Cartoon Network, but I hear Charizard is coming back, which I have to see because nostalgia.

 

[Shimmer Mint]

I don't watch it anymore. I stopped after Hoenn. Things just changed too much and it's not really "Pokemon" to me anymore. :/

 

[DarkAura]

I really really hated the Sinnoh arc. Everything just felt so forced and silly, not to mention how annoying Dawn seemed to me (she has a phobia of Plusle and Minun because they ruined her hair). Best Wishes is actually more flexible in their episodes, but I still love the Kanto and Johto episodes, as well as the Hoenn ones.

I can accept Ash's new voice actress, Sarah what's-her-face, because when I hear her, and then hear Veronica Taylor, I can't help but see their portrayals as two different Ashes.

I'm actually super excited for the XY anime solely because of Serena and that Ash actually has teeth. :v

 

[Minish]

not to mention how annoying Dawn seemed to me (she has a phobia of Plusle and Minun because they ruined her hair).

That's cute :c

I'm weirdly excited for the XY anime given that I can cope with best wishes ending less every day. I was a bit worried it was just going to be... Ash and Serena... woo... but Clemont and Bonnie look like absolute cuties and are probably the only replacements for my favourites that I'd accept. >:c Clemont is clearly a cute geek who's going to try to rival Rocket for stupid gadgets.

my favourite pre-headcanon is that Bonnie will be the new Resident Adult of the group. doing all the cooking and getting fed up with the blockhead boys for being such lazybutts even though she's like 5. Bonnie is already great.

(I felt like, oh no, the Girl will be the cook that's kinda skeevy... and then I realised Brock and Cilan. I love pokemon.)

 

[LadyJirachu]

Its okay, but i wouldn't say x and y are the best seasons. Sinnoh was awesome, though, i wish that didn't have to end XD I still think ash and dawn make a good couple, too...