"Gotta Catch Ya Later" shipping discussion

[FabuVinny]

Does this episode make progress towards a confirmation of PokéShipping?
Or does Misty decide, "oh forget this! I'm going after Tracey instead!"?

Discuss.


To start us off, one thing that is interesting is Ash's comforting Misty by calling them "best friends". He hasn't really been verbal about anything to do with PokéShipping before this point, and the OPS list only has a couple of gawps and moments of jealousy fom him. Yet here he verbally conveys a form of closeness to Misty. Obviously it isn't anything like Misty's Song (if that was canon, I mean) but it is definately something for someone who is not yet in touch with his romantic side.

 

[Cybersai]

It was probably the shippiest moment that Pokeshipping will ever get.

Misty definitely was quite sad and depressed that she had to leave Ash. She still likes him obviously, but she realized her responsibility at the Gym was more important.

Ash did show more of a closeness toward Misty than he usually did, but I imagine the writers had to do that because this was the last episode with Misty as a main character. Therefore the writers attempted to tie up all of Misty's loose ends in the show (she finally got her bike back, she almost admits her crush to Ash, she finally realizes that running away from the Gym and abandoning her responsibility has finally caught up to her, etc.)

I imagine that Misty's feelings toward Ash changed once she spent those months back in Cerulean while Ash was in Hoenn. It's probably why she doesn't show anything toward him other than friendship each time they meet in AG.

In retrospect, it seemed like the finale of Pokeshipping as a major ship. Nowadays its dormant since the writers don't want to write a romance between the main hero and a girl he hardly ever sees anymore.

The only way I can see Pokeshipping being brought back into the fold is if Misty becomes a main character again. And since there's nothing pointing toward her return anytime soon (if ever), I think it was a confirmation that the writers attempted to tie up all of Misty's loose ends.

To start us off, one thing that is interesting is Ash's comforting Misty by calling them "best friends".

Didn't Ash say something similar to Brock when he left at the end of the Orange Islands? He seems to say this "We're best friends" line to quite a lot of people.

 

[Barb]

I think Ash said "Friends forever?" to Brock (in the dub version) and Brock said the same thing back to him. And "Misty's Song" isn't canon, primarily because it's not in any way related to the Japanese anime.

 

[FabuVinny]

I imagine that Misty's feelings toward Ash changed once she spent those months back in Cerulean while Ash was in Hoenn. It's probably why she doesn't show anything toward him other than friendship each time they meet in AG.

The evidence seems to point to the contrary, but that is not what this thread is for.

Didn't Ash say something similar to Brock when he left at the end of the Orange Islands? He seems to say this "We're best friends" line to quite a lot of people.

Wasn't the end of the Orange Islands where Brock came back in? Either way, I don't ecall it being quite the sameas this.

And "Misty's Song" isn't canon, primarily because it's not in any way related to the Japanese anime.

I did say that. I'm just making it clear that this isn't the proof for Ash that "Misty's Song" would be for Misty is it was actually counted as proof. But it could still be counted as evidence for Ash.

 

[Archaic]

A bit late to be bumping this up, but we did want more discussion, so...

Personally, I say this certainly confirms Misty's feelings, and establishes them in the canon to a point where they could only be removed by her actively going after someone else. Ash however....not really much help there.

 

[Swifty]

I posted this analysis regarding the state of PokeShipping after Gotta Catch Ya Later on SPPf. It seems to address most issues regarding Misty's feelings after her removal from the main cast and the current inferred stance the powers that be have in writing towards PokeShipping.

SPPf Official PokeShippers Briefing - Status of PokeShipping Post-Johto

After two hundred and seventy two episodes, the status quo of Pokémon had finally been challenged. On November 7th, 2002 and the days beyond, fans of Pocket Monsters witnessed a transformation of their beloved show. The transformation encompassed a plurality of changes occurring, ranging from Ash's switching into a new outfit to the rebranding of the television program. The most important adjustment however, would be changes to the television program's roster. In a stroke of boldness, the producers and writers of Pocket Monsters had decided to remove Misty from the main cast.

Misty's reaction to the news reflected that of her fans; her heart was broken and herself devestated. Her being recalled to home by her older siblings meant that she was to no longer travel with her best friend Ash anymore. The possibility for any new adventures out on the road with him had been shattered. More importantly for Misty, the one person she cared about more than friend was no longer going to see her for quite a long time.

Misty was close to confessing to Ash that she loved him that day of the final episode of Pokémon. Albeit, she decided against it. In the end, Misty left Ash's party, still carrying a heavy heart. Though she no longer travels with Ash, Misty's romantic feelings for Ash are still lingering. Trends observed in Pokémon 's latter reincarnation, Advanced Generation, lends inferences to this observation.

For supporters of a future relationship between Ash and Misty, the situation seemed relatively grim. Sweeping changes were occurring to the Pokémon franchise, spearheaded by the release of the Gameboy Advanced games, Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire. The producers of the television series, wanting to erase their blunders in handling the lackluster episodes taking place in Johto, had made sweeping changes to improve the show. One of these changes included the introduction of a new female lead. Enter May.

May and her little brother Max were to be new traveling partners for Ash in his brand new adventures in Hoenn. Although Max was received with relative ease, in contrast, May's inclusion had sprung up controversy. Misty's fans were naturally upset that a new female lead had challenged Misty's dynasty of two hundred and seventy three episodes. All the while, supporters of Misty's romantic feelings had developed hostility towards May as well. She indeed was considered a credible threat to Misty's self-interests. The possibility of a lead male character falling in love with a lead female character, or vice versa, did not seem implausible. Some supporters of Misty's romantic feelings for Ash had even gone all the way assuming that May was planned to have romantic feelings for Ash as well.

Is a romantic relationship between Ash and May plausible? In an initial assessment the situation, a romantic subplot developing between the two seemed likely. Character dynamics between May and Ash have been relatively favorable for beachheading a subplot vectored towards that direction. Ash in Advanced Generation is no longer the novice trainer he used to be pre-Hoenn. The writers, in using May as a device to show Ash's improvement as a trainer since Kanto, created a mentor-student character dynamic between the two. The two sharing similar qualities could also be considered as not coincidental. All in all, the groundwork had been relatively prepared for an Ash and May relationship, but it seemed that the show had proved itself to be pursuing a different direction.

In retrospect, May has been in one hundred and sixty two episodes as of February 5, 2006. Throughout those one hundred and sixty two episodes, May has thus far proven to not show romantic feelings for Ash and vice versa. Opportunities for the relationship to display positive indicators to be written into the screenplays have been passed up a number of times. May had been associated to be at the receiving end of romantic affection multiple times. However, Ash remains nonchalantly not jealous about the idea of prospective suitors for May, in contrast with his behavior towards Misty's prospective suitors. When characters suggest a possibility of a romantic relationship between Ash and May, both fail to display evidence that the implication is actually true, contrasting with written behavior of Ash and Misty when similarly accused of sharing feelings for each other.

A conclusive confirmation that a romantic relationship between Ash and May is an unintended route the writers were pursuing would be the existence of the evident romantic development between May and Drew. May's rival, Drew, has shown to display a limited amount of romantic affection towards May prior to the near end of the Hoenn League story arc in Advanced Generation. A limited mild reciprocation had also been evident from May as well. It was not until May's Grand Festival episodes where the writers of the television program had conclusively displayed their intentions for May and Drew in regards to their on-screen character dynamics. Their romantic relationship would be further expounded on in a subsequent episode taking place in the Battle Frontier. In light of this, a romantic relationship between Ash and May seems unlikely by taking into account of the observed intentions of the powers that be.

Misty’s exclusion from the main cast in the television program did not stop her from making appearances in the animated series. Shuukan Pokémon Housoukyoku, also known as Pokémon Chronicles, featured Misty in several episodes. Some of these episodes had also starred Tracey along with her. Her interactions with Tracey would lead a number of fans to consider if the powers that be were developing a romantic relationship between Tracey and Misty.

The rationale behind a purported pairing of the two seems to stem from several initial observations. Tracey and Misty were two characters were originally were part of the main cast, now reduced to minor recurring characters. Story wise, Misty and Tracey have been placed in locations with relatively short distances from each other, facilitating the endeavor to write a potential romantic relationship. Purported foreshadowing that the powers that be were planning on writing romance between Tracey and Misty included two characters, namely Sakura and Casey, asking Misty if Tracey was her boyfriend. Another hint that the writers included was the daydream sequence featuring Misty and Tracey in a romantic setting, seemingly recalling the Misty Mermaid episode that broadcasted during the first years Pokémon aired on television.

Taking these events under further scrutiny, there is enough benefit of the doubt to believe that the writers of the animated series are not pursuing in writing a romantic subplot between Misty and Tracey. In analyzing her reactions to Sakura and Casey, Misty noticeably did not overreact to accusations of her being Tracey’s girlfriend. Compare this to the several times when Misty was prodded into revealing the truth about her feelings for Ash; her defensive behavior in responding to Sakura and Casey’s questions about her and Tracey were nowhere as near as equal in magnitude to how she reacted to questions regarding Ash. This seemingly inconsistent behavior does not support the theory that Misty has any present feelings for Tracey. The only time in the specials when her reaction to similar questions is consistent with expected behavior would be in the “A Date For Delcatty” episode.

Earlier in the episode, Casey makes an assumption that Tracey was Misty’s boyfriend in front of Tracey only for Misty to nonchalantly deny it. Later, Casey again raises the subject regarding where Misty’s heart lies. This time she does not make a direct reference to Tracey or anyone for that matter. Even with the lack of a direct reference to Tracey, some odd reason, Misty reacts stronger to this question despite the fact that she brushed off the earlier one with relative calm. By comparing and contrasting the two situations and the two results, one will identify a disparity. The first question Casey asks about Misty’s love interest had specifically mentioned Tracey and was also asked right in front of his presence. The result was Misty behaving in an irritated manner and simply denying the question. The later question Casey asks about Misty’s love interest does not mention Tracey, nor was he anywhere near Casey and Misty when that question was asked; he was still at the Cerulean Gym. The result was Misty acting in a quite embarrassed manner, characterized by her defensive and tacit behavior. This defensive, tacit, and embarrassed behavior in the absence of Tracey and in the absence of a direct reference to him seems to confirm that Misty has no affection for him.

It’s made quite certain that Ash and Misty are not planned to have any other romantic interests anytime soon. Ever since Misty had been removed from the main cast, Ash has not been attempted to be paired up with any other characters appearing in the series. Although May has had considerable focus with her own subplot based on romance with her rival Drew, Ash in contrast has had an alarming dearth of female one-shot characters pining for his heart beyond Johto.

The rationale could also be applied similarly to Misty. Misty as well could have been easily paired up with another male character during her special episodes in Shuukan Pokémon Housoukyoku. The episode “A Date For Delcatty” attempts to toy and dabble in that possibility with the appearance of Georgio, a boy who asks Misty out on a date. Unfortunately for Georgio, Misty turns him down. The writers had a very good opportunity during those episodes to develop a new love interest for her. Them not taking the opportunity suggests that the powers that be do not have any new love interest planned for Misty as of this moment. One should especially consider how difficult it will be to write and implement effective romantic development with a minor recurring character with another minor character now that Shuukan Pokémon Housoukyoku has been effectively cancelled.

There is no guarantee that writers and producers have cast Ash and Misty’s future romantic relationship in stone. However, there are minor indications that prove that whatever that had occurred between the two have not been completely forgotten. In the original language version of Misty’s first episode in Pokémon Chronicles, “Cerulean Blue,” the end of the episode features Misty looking up in the sky thinking of Ash in a sentimental way. In “A Date For Delcatty,” Misty’s turning down of Georgio is in favor of an un-referenced character who is most likely Ash provided that the viewer had paid attention during the first five years the animated series has been on the air. In her last special episode, A Luvdisc Is A Splendored Thing, Misty is seen encouraging a Luvdisc to not give up on a another Luvdisc which bares a uncanny resemblance to her situation with Ash. The hypothesis that Misty’s ideas and attitudes towards her love for Ash had been intended to be written out with her being written out on the November 7th, 2002 episode is contradictory with the way in which Misty was written in Shuukan Pokémon Housoukyoku.

It is unknown when the writers and producers will once again bring Misty’s feelings for Ash to the foreground later in the animated series. As Misty is reduced to a minor character, opportunities to write the romantic aspects of her character have been far and few. Although Misty has shown telling evidence that she still had feelings for Ash in “A Date For Delcatty,” which was broadcast September 2, 2003 in Japan, the September 25, 2003 Advanced Generation episode in which she appears in fails to reflect indications of those same feelings. The writers were certainly aware that Misty’s love for Ash is still extant at that time; a decision to retcon her feelings within the span of twenty five days is highly improbable. Instead, it lends to believe that even if Misty is in a main series episode, the chances of her being written to indicate affections for her friend is not as high as people desire.

The point remains is that Misty’s feelings for Ash still exist, even with her not being the main cast. The writers and the producers appear to have no plans in changing that fact anytime soon. There are no trends indicating that they wish to evolve, or to the potential dismay of fans, devolve the romantic developments of Ash and Misty in the near future. Both characters’ love lives appear to be of the lowest priority in writing scripts, albeit Misty’s being slightly higher. Although, considering the writers and producers gave minor pursuit of Misty’s relationship with Ash (or lack there of) in Shuukan Pokémon Housoukyoku, it lends to buttress the idea that they still wish to further develop the idea sometime down the line, even as Misty is no longer a cast member of the main series. Indeed, it’s only a matter of time when things finally continue to develop between the two characters.