From Kanto to Sinnoh. How things have changed.

[Gligarman]

Now that Diamond and Pearl is ending, I can't help but look back at the very first series and marvel at how vastly different the show has become since then. There's far less slapstick, no innuendo to speak of, and the Pokemon protagonists all have distinct personalities. The characters are also a lot more likable.

With that said, what are some changes that you've noticed over the years. Also, what are some things you remember from the earlier episodes that you think would never make it into the current series?

 

[Uppa]

I think one of the most discernible shifts has been the change in the show's general aesthetic: it's considerably softer and more rounded now than it was initially, when characters felt rough and sharp. The series has kept consistent with the change in Sugimori's style, I suppose, though I have to say that I hanker after the lanky designs that characterised Kanto's earliest segments.

 

[Ashfangirl22]

Well, I've noticed girls have been given more to do as series goes on. Lets look at Misty to May to Dawn, we see all Misty did was battle a few times and help Ash yes so I'm not one of those who say she's useless. However, that is all she did she never entered in contests or side quests like the newer girls do now. May was the first to change things, contests was added and she was the first girl of the series to be treated pretty good. Than, we have Dawn who is in contests as well, but also does other things besides them, we see her challange gym leaders or side quests too. I wonder how they'll treat Iris? Either shey'll be like Dawn or they'll go back to the Kanto days and will see more of Ash?

 

[Enzap]

I'm watching one of the old episodes right now, and one of the main things that I've noticed changing is the story line and dialogue. Everything in the orignal couple of seasons was much faster paced and got right to the point. Now they spend a lot of time with filler dialogue. I much prefered it then.

 

[Trevenant]

Y'know what I've really noticed?

Pikachu went on a diet or something because his design back in the Kanto days was much less streamline and more...chunky. I think it's for the better but hey, I'm sure there's someone out there who disagrees.

 

[Gligarman]

Has anyone else noticed that it seems as though the writers have a better idea of where the story is going early on as oppose to when it felt as though they were just making it up as they went along? I still remember the St. Anne three-parter. I still don't get why that was a three part episode. Maybe it's because Titanic was so popular in Japan at the time.

 

[Jesse GS the II]

While I miss some things from the first year (namely, the blatant displays of Japanese culture, which have all but disappeared today), I will say that the show feels more solid now. It's a bit more character-driven; Satoshi and his friends don't just have vague goals anymore, but instead are given genuine motivations to better themselves. Hikari in particular was a great example of that. And Musashi-tachi have really grown, not just existing to be blasted off but actually getting entire subplots and even full episodes to themselves on occasion.

I still remember the St. Anne three-parter. I still don't get why that was a three part episode. Maybe it's because Titanic was so popular in Japan at the time.

The St. Anne three-parter aired in Japan in July 1997; Titanic wasn't even out in America at that point. If anything, it's more of a parody of The Poseidon Adventure, with part three being a catch-all spoof of Japanese kaiju movies. That's another thing I kinda miss from Kanto - they did a lot more pop culture references and parodies back then, most of which would be completely lost on non-Japanese audiences.

 

[Legacy]

There was more humor in the original series. Hard to explain, but just more little funny moments, sweatdrop/crash to the ground moments within the episode. More raw in the characters' delivery, and more straight to the point.

Today's series is a bit more character-driven, like someone said. It is no longer about some novice kid traveling around on his journey of growth. Ash has been around for over a decade now, and his character is much less about learning new things than it was originally. It's more about his relationships now, with Dawn, with Paul, etc.

 

[Rocketshipper]

know what was a big difference between Kanto and pretty much everything that came after it??

Back in Kanto, its almost as if the writers were trying to avoid focusing on battles as much as possible. You look at the gyms, and Ash only actually completed his battles at 3 of them. He got interrupted by Team Rocket during the gyms 3 times. 5 times he didn't complete the battle, or just earned his badge for something totally non-battle related. Even in the league, they skimmed through two of his battles, and the 5th round match episode was 80% Team Rocket shenanigans. and looking at the battles in general, they were almost all extremely short and to the point, with most of them ending in one hit KOs and stuff, and just totally insane crazy stuff like Charmander beating a Golem with fire attacks. The show didn;t really have an episode focused *entirely* on a battle until the league; the closest it came before that were the 3rd and 7th gyms, which still had a lot of other stuff going on with them. For a show based on a game where a *central* part of the concept is battling, Kanto seemed to view battles as almost a chore or necissary evil, something to get out of the way as quickly as possible, or just avoid all together, in order to focus on other things.

And look at the show now...almost every gym battle since Johto started has been a two parter, with one episode devoted entirely to Ash's battle. The battles in general have become longer, more elaborate, better animated, less rushed and infinetly more exciting and watchable. They've even added battles to a game aspect that *didn;t have them* originally: contest battles. Instead of trying to avoid battles or rush through them as quickly as possible, the writers have been trying to make them more and more interesting and exciting as time has gone on.

 

[Angelbreed2121]

Ash has matured alot throughout the anime. I would say this anime is likely a satisfactory for me, however the only thing that I deeply disapprove is the continuous changes of the female companion for Ash. Frankly speaking, when they "kicked" Misty from the anime, I gave May a chance thinking that maybe she's decent. I was partially correct, but Misty has something that May doesn't have... to be blunt, my interest in pokemon depleted when Misty seperated from the group.... but I still watch pokemon, but only from season 1 to early Hoenn and when Misty makes a cameo appearance.
What can I say? I love Misty, I can relate myself to her alot =)