Is anyone ever bothered by in-battle explanations?

matt0044

matt0044

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View: https://youtu.be/g15onYCklzw?t=4m


Like instead of watching the action flow, we gotta have Brock, Cilan, Clemont, whoever give a rundown of the battle tactics WE ARE CURRENTLY WATCHING! It makes the battle a lot longer than it actually is and breaks the immersion. The part in the video puts it best.
 
I was never bothered by that, to be honest. To the contrary, I like hearing what other characters think about the match and stuff.

The commentary done by the characters is mainly to help kids understand how some battle “mechanisms” work, like telling to people about the typing of a Pokémon and its weaknesses, resistances and immunities and about how some moves work, like Hyper Beam needing to recharge (it doesn’t always work like this in the anime, but still).

Besides, those commentaries also have the purpose of keeping the audience hanging. So, hearing the character say “This isn’t looking good for X because of…” makes you wonder how X will manage to solve the situation and eventually turn the table in their favor.

Comment-less fights work more for life-or-death scenarios, so that the actions speak by themselves, but since most battles tend to be more a sport and a lesson for viewers (especially when talking about some game mechanisms) then commentaries make sense.
 
It has annoyed me a lot in the past. Especially when a character sits on the sidelines only to say: "Oh no! Type X is not very effective against type Y!" or things like that.

But then again, we as fans of this show sometimes tend to forget that this show is primarily aimed at children and not us long time fans who are fully aware of how type matchups and other battle mechanics work. To make the show accessible to as many people as possible, be it first-time watchers or children who haven't got the faintest clue of battle mechanics, they include this sideline commentary.
 
We are watching a dramatic actional anime, not a game playthough video on Youtube. I really dislike those commentaries that never goes away in pokemon battles. It makes me forever being reminded that this anime is a subdivision of game (not adaption, there is a difference), everything must work in exactly the same way as like in the game, as like audience do not acknowledge the fact that there is a game existed behind this show.

I don't care the reason of because this show is targeted at preteen children, or they do this for first-time audience, or they do so because it is indeed a fact that this show is originated from a game. I don't care whatever the excuse it may be. Remember, this is an anime, a form of TV drama, a fictional story told through graphic presentation. Are we the TV audience watching and enjoying an anime for its story and visual/audio epicness, or we watching and enjoying an anime for its overly faithful untranslated game mechanics as like it was presented in its original source?

And, I don't think audience are that stupid where cutting away a few lines of commentary will confuse them to the point of completely unable to analyze the battle situation on their own where then enjoyment level immediately drops to abysmal bottom due to such confusion. I just dislike the animator(s) and producer(s) treated the audience like moronic infants where we need to be spoonfed with all the (un)necessary information within the show.
 
I like the commentaries to be honest as it gives younger viewers more background knowledge but I guess younger viewers want to see the aesthetics more haha. But I definitely hate Cilan's commentary - too cheesy and I had to grind my teeth through that haha
 
Cresselia92 said:
To the contrary, I like hearing what other characters think about the match and stuff.
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Does it have to be DURING the battle itself when the maneuver is being pulled off rather than after?
 
matt0044 said:
Does it have to be DURING the battle itself when the maneuver is being pulled off rather than after?
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What would be the point in commenting after the battle? That would take up too much time and would be irrelevant in my opinion. Sometimes the anime has someone speaking and the battle going on. I don't think they do much commenting when a really serious move or really nice looking move is going on especially in contest battles. Sometimes they put the characters on the screen, looking translucent, talking whilst the battle is going on.
 
matt0044 said:
Does it have to be DURING the battle itself when the maneuver is being pulled off rather than after?
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As long as the timing isn't wrong, as in commenting while the Pokémon is executing a move, I don't see why that's an issue. I mean, don't soccer or wrestling games have commentaries as well, where the referee talks about the action and comments on the tactics and stuff? The same thing applies to Pokémon battles, as they are essentially a sport.
 
Sometimes it's alright, sometimes they overkill it. I think it's a budget-saving tactic as much as anything else.
 
CrystaI said:
We are watching a dramatic actional anime, not a game playthough video on Youtube. I really dislike those commentaries that never goes away in pokemon battles. It makes me forever being reminded that this anime is a subdivision of game (not adaption, there is a difference), everything must work in exactly the same way as like in the game, as like audience do not acknowledge the fact that there is a game existed behind this show.

I don't care the reason of because this show is targeted at preteen children, or they do this for first-time audience, or they do so because it is indeed a fact that this show is originated from a game. I don't care whatever the excuse it may be. Remember, this is an anime, a form of TV drama, a fictional story told through graphic presentation. Are we the TV audience watching and enjoying an anime for its story and visual/audio epicness, or we watching and enjoying an anime for its overly faithful untranslated game mechanics as like it was presented in its original source?

And, I don't think audience are that stupid where cutting away a few lines of commentary will confuse them to the point of completely unable to analyze the battle situation on their own where then enjoyment level immediately drops to abysmal bottom due to such confusion. I just dislike the animator(s) and producer(s) treated the audience like moronic infants where we need to be spoonfed with all the (un)necessary information within the show.
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Yes. Calling younger people dumb is insulting. They can figure it out.
 
I disagree that having the commentary for children belittles their intelligence.

Firstly, the commentary is important to helping to establish and convey that there is an internal coherency in the battling system within Pokemon without referring to the cumbersome job of literally explaining how that system works. It may be of use to not just children as the target audience but also people who don't play the games, and have never experienced things that may seem quite obvious to those that have, such as type differences, dynamics of certain types of moves, etc. After all, it is more compelling to see that there is an internal system behind these battles, and that certain moves aren't just effective by chance. It makes it more interesting for people to then analyse, and predict what moves or what Pokemon would be used and without the commentary, some people may not really grasp what's going on as it is happening (which is why I think a post-match commentary wouldn't stand on its own, it's better to comment on these things as they are happening). I've watched various animes that hinge around a sport that I'm very unfamiliar with but the commentary helps immensely in understanding what's going on, which can be crucial to enjoying what I'm watching.

Children are not unintelligent, so they'd begin to see this system play out and therefore, their experience of watching the battles would be enriched because now they can grasp what's going on, consider who Ash or whoever will send out, what tactics might they use, etc. It's just a helpful system. I can understand being frustrated if yes, you know the rules of the game but I think it's good to consider others and their perspective.
 
I only have a problem with it when the information is incorrect or not fully explained. For example, I was watching the subbed episode of Ash's battle with Skyla a while ago. During the first match-up, Iris and Cilan make it a point to discuss how Krokorok's Ground type moves are ineffective on the Flying Swoobat and how that may put it, and Ash, at a disadvantage. Both of them explicitly fail to mention that Krokorok's Dark typing, as well as its super-effective Crunch, have an advantage over Swoobat's Psychic type, which is something any player or viewer with basic sense would acknowledge. And if our goal is to educate young viewers about in-game battle mechanics and relationships, then why not do it wholeheartedly?
 
I don't really have a problem with it. I usually fits in with the flow of the battles well enough and I've never gotten the impression that the in-battle commentaries are talking down to the audience. The characters just explain some of the strategies or how much damage a Pokemon has taken so that the people watching the show can better understand the situation and battle mechanics. This is helpful not only for kids just getting into the franchise, but people who haven't watched the anime or played the games for a long time. I've been a fan of the franchise for a long time, but I still forget some of the type advantages or what type certain Pokemon are. I still find myself forgetting that Incineroar is part Dark type instead of part Fighting type despite raising one myself in Ultra Sun. It's easy to forget stuff like that. It also gives Ash's friends sometime to say/do during the battle so that they aren't just fading into the background.

I don't see why they'd have to wait until after the battle to comment on it. There wouldn't be much point in focusing on the strategies that Ash dealt with after he overcame them. They usually comment on a battle afterwards if Ash or another character has already lost, which makes more sense considering that they'd need to find some way to get stronger for a possible rematch.

I think that the only time the in-battle commentary did bother me, or at least the only time I can remember, was when Dawn's Buneary was battling against that Phione. Everyone kept calling out what moves Buneary and Phione used after they used them. It was so that the characters could have sometime to say during the relatively short battle, but it did annoy me because we were already well aware of both Pokemon's movesets, especially Buneary's. I can't recall a time where Ash's friends commenting on a battle bothered me though.
 
I think it's a hit or miss thing. Sometimes it's necessary to explain certain aspects, and it also helps for the other characters to not just stand there in the background. But the timing needs to be just right, or else it kills the tension and sense of immersion.

For example, Brock and Dawn having an actual conversation while one of Ash's Pokémon is charging a shot, all the while the opponent doesn't do anything to prevent it in the meantime, doesn't feel right.

Short, concise phrases usually fit better, and if there's a need for the characters to speak more, they can do so while the Pokémon keep fighting in the background or have the characters' voices audible while we see the fight. Clemont's monologue during the Ash-Greninja vs. Mega Sceptile battle is a good example.

Dogasu said:
Is Pocket Monsters the only anime you guys watch or something?
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Speaking for me, yes. But I've noticed Dragon Ball does it and the pacing/timing is much, much worse. Looks like they could fill half an hour of a character loading a powerful attack doing that.
 
Gabo2oo said:
I think it's a hit or miss thing. Sometimes it's necessary to explain certain aspects, and it also helps for the other characters to not just stand there in the background. But the timing needs to be just right, or else it kills the tension and sense of immersion.
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Yeah, that's more like it. Like it should feel like the characters are figuring it all out rather than padding or stating the obvious at times like the examples you mentioned.
 
For me, it's not the commentary itself but how it long the commentary is. If it's less than a minute or two, maybe longer when a Pokemon is returned, and spread out I'm fine with it. If it's five full minutes of commentary about every three and a half minutes, that's when I get annoyed.
 
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I don't see what there is to be bothered by in-battle explanations. They are meant to be informative for both the show viewers as well as the characters in-universe, and sensing that they are correct 99% of the time, I cannot deride such commentary of the characters. In fact, these dialogue of interpretation of the on-going battles makes them more pleasurable for me, at least. (y)
 
I don't mind them, they explain what's happening. I wish Adventures had more of that, instead of expecting me to guess what's happening from the drawings. Plus, have you ever watched a soccer match on TV? They always have commentators.

The only time comments would bother me is when Cilan starts his "it's evaluation time!" and when the commentator is wrong.
 
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