Is the Pokémon Anime a children's show, or is there more to it than that?

[Iteru]

A topic that comes up ever so often, is the Pokémon Anime a children's show, or is it beyond that? Are some of its themes more suited for older audiences? Please remember to state your reasonings for your answer.

 

[Trainer Gabriel]

It's a kids' show all right, but there are some cartoons out there that are equally appealing to teens and even adults, and Pokemon is one of those shows.

There may be some content that is more mature than usual--particularly in Kanto--but it is an anime.

 

[Jukain]

It does have a somewhat frivolous nature, but I don't see why anyone can't enjoy it. Sure, it doesn't have the most compelling storylines, but that's not what you watch this show for. If that is what you seek, go watch something else. Sometimes it can, though, like Chimchar or Excadrill. It can plainly be enjoyed by children, but it doesn't have to be limited to that.

 

[Piplup]

I never really understand why people even ask this question - it IS a cartoon for kids, no doubt about that... most of us older fans aren't really part of the creators' intended target audience
Cartoons for kids in general, not just Pokémon, aren't "only" for kids - as long as you enjoy it, you should continue to watch regardless of how "mature" or "childish" it is
Pokémon IS usually very fitting-for-kids, but there are some deeper stuff that I think older viewers will understand and appreciate more than young kids - like the whole Ash/Paul rivalry or Dawn's character development

 

[Cybersai]

Depends which saga you're talking about. Johto felt like it was aimed at kids

Kanto and parts of DP definitely felt like some aspects were geared toward the older crowd. Main characters actually had emotional problems, villains tried to kill people and characters like Paul felt like they were intended for fans who grew up with the show.

As for BW, it does feel like it's aimed at a new gen of little kids first getting into the anime.

 

[Piplup]

Depends which saga you're talking about. Johto felt like it was aimed at kids

Please don't bring your crazy Johto hate into this... Johto had some nice stuff too like Larvitar or Ash maturing during Johto (he wasn't as "stupid beginner" anymore as he was in Kanto and during the last few eps of Johto you could note how more mature he became, like his reaction to losing the Johto League compared to Kanto, etc...)
Johto didn't really change too much from Kanto/Orange, it was just longer and with better battles...

 

[Cybersai]

Yet Kanto's violence and physical contact was toned down by the time Johto began.

AG felt like it was for the older fans who grew 5 years older. Ash was now mature, May's story was aimed at girls interested in romance, and even Brock looked older.

DP did the same and as said Paul and Pokehunter J felt like they were for old fans that grew up.

BW kind of makes it seem like this is for new kids just getting into Pokemon for the first time.

 

[Miar]

Obviously. It's aimed at the same audience as everything else Pokémon-based. (Dengeki Pikachu and Réburst aside)
Sure it has its darker points (parts of DP and some of the movies with deaths), but it was always for kids, and it continues to be entertaining to them.

 

[Piplup]

Yet Kanto's violence and physical contact was toned down by the time Johto began.

You're talking as if during Kanto we saw Ash trying to kill someone every second ep... also, I don't really count violence as "mature" and always laughed at people who do that... mature to me is stuff like character development, maturing, deep stuff that aren't as easy for kids to understand/appreciate (like Paul's story, Chimchar, Dawn losing her confidence, etc...)

AG felt like it was for the older fans who grew 5 years older. Ash was now mature, May's story was aimed at girls interested in romance, and even Brock looked older.

There was barely any romance really... you're exaggerating stuff to make it seem like Johto was somehow less mature than other sagas =\

DP did the same and as said Paul and Pokehunter J felt like they were for old fans that grew up.

BW kind of makes it seem like this is for new kids just getting into Pokemon for the first time.

Well, TRio are acting what you'd probably call more "mature" in BW than they were in DP and previous series... yet I'm pretty sure most of older fans prefer them in their "childish" version - so I really don't get this whole "is this show for kids or not?" thing... everyone can love whatever he enjoys, regardless of that thing's target audience

 

[CrackFox]

Yes, I think it's obviously marketed at children, but I don't think there's any shame in liking it as an adult.
The fact that it comes on with all the rest of the children's cartoons is a giveaway

It's has picked up a cult following so now, I think the writers are aware that their audience goes beyond children.
If they wanted to market it toward teens and adults they'd no doubt add elements of romance and introduce some older protagonists.

 

[Lugnut]

I think its a show for everyone, but its definently aimed at children. There isn't anything wrong with that, as it is still a good show. Its more fun to be young at heart!

 

[Cuddy]

It is more then a children cartoon, it shows friendship of how people should act to others and animals, plus it shows happiness, sadness, anger and peace. It is a top video game franchise that is around the world. It also make friends from all over the world with different gender, religion and backgrounds from the forums like this one that war is what people should not do, but look on to the future.

 

[Iteru]

deep stuff that aren't as easy for kids to understand/appreciate (like Paul's story, Chimchar, Dawn losing her confidence, etc...)

Taking that into account, would you say that sometimes it oversteps being a children's show?

I believe that it is a children's show most of the time, but when some major plotlines include aspects that some children may not understand, does it not defeat the purpose of solidly being a children's show? Do they target older audiences on occasion?

 

[Piplup]

Taking that into account, would you say that sometimes it oversteps being a children's show?

I believe that it is a children's show most of the time, but when some major plotlines include aspects that some children may not understand, does it not defeat the purpose of solidly being a children's show? Do they target older audiences on occasion?

I'd say that it's simply cases of good writing, not cases of them intentually trying to aim at a different age group...
Maybe they're aware to the fact older fans exist and might take that in mind, but really, even with the cases of the more mature stuff, it's still a kids show...
It's not an extremely childish show like the cartoons for 3 years old kids... so it's not THAT surprising to see some hints of mature or deeper stuff here and there... it happens in other shows too

 

[Iteru]

I'd say that it's simply cases of good writing, not cases of them intentually trying to aim at a different age group...

But if these themes are difficult for children to understand, does that not mean that the writing is counter-productive, and thus, not good in a sense?

Maybe they're aware to the fact older fans exist and might take that in mind, but really, even with the cases of the more mature stuff, it's still a kids show..

I think that given they have some mature stuff, the Anime stands on being a family show rather than just a children's show at times. Sort of like what Shudo hoped for, but to a lesser degree.

 

[Piplup]

But if these themes are difficult for children to understand, does that not mean that the writing is counter-productive, and thus, not good in a sense?

Well, it's not like it hurts them - even if some kids won't understand/appreciate these stuff, they'll still watch and enjoy the show for the various other reasons like the characters themselves, the battles, etc...
So it can't really hurt to try some stuff like Ash/Paul or Dawn's depression... it adds some depth to the characters and makes them more interesting... so they're better this way for the older fans and for the young kids who are able to understand this stuff (not all kids are the same in regards to this) and for these who won't care about that it won't make the show any less enjoying - so why not?

I think that given they have some mature stuff, the Anime stands on being a family show rather than just a children's show at times. Sort of like what Shudo hoped for, but to a lesser degree.

I guess you could call it that, but it's really obvious that the target audience the creators' have in mind is young kids... and few mature/deeper stuff in the show aren't really the focus most of the time, but only every once in a while (like, how many eps really focused on Paul/Chimchar or Dawn's depression out of DP's 191 eps?...)

 

[Lafayette Excadrill]

My opinion is that Pokemon is a childrens show that should not be taken seriously at all. The show is written so that little kids can understand and still watch even if they miss like ten episodes. I don't think it was ever supposed to be a heavily plot driven series that teens or young adults will be appealed to. That's what the video games are for.

I just think that Diamond and Pearl spoiled some of you guys with Paul and the excellent writing

 

[Queen Cynthia]

I'd like to continue the discussion from the review thread of this week's US episode here:

In my review of "Dancing with the Ducklett Trio" I complained about how ridiculous and childish this ep was and how it angers me when I think of the many mature and epic episodes aimed at the older audience, especially during Kanto, the Battle Frontier and above all Sinnoh.
I then went one step further, saying that in contrast to these silly shows like Ben Ten, Kim Possible, Tom and Jerry etc., Pokemon is intended to be taken seriously.

A user then wrote the following post which I'd like to respond to because I think it fits into this thread perfectly:

In Ben 10, people die and go through a lot of problems but, it's still a kids show. In Tom and Jerry there is a lot of violence. Both Tom and Jerry and Ben 10 have a PG rating, compared to Pokemon's TV-7 ratings there all still for children. Silly antics like these will be in the show, because it's fun and is being marketed at males from childhood to adolscents primarily. So in other words children. Pokemon is not anymore mature then Ben 10, or any other show on Cartoonnetwork. It's just that, a childish silly little cartoon. Even if you don't want to admit it.

There's one big mistake in your way of thinking. Since when has violence been a criterion how mature a show is? Shouldn't it rather be things like character development, dialoges, well thought-out plots, interesting motifs and epic scenes?
Please don't get me wrong, it's because of people like you who consider Ben 10 etc. mature due to its level of violence that I said we better not compare Pokemon with all that mainstream crap. Most of those shows are dull, shallow and lack any maturity. In short, they're just downright silly!
Now Pokemon is different! You might argue that children can also watch it and I don't want to deny that. But the actual message I've always wanted to convey when I brought up this topic is different. I'll repeat it here once again and I'll refer to it in future threads, should this problem arise again.

This is my opinion on the whole "children's show or not?"-controversy:
Pokemon is a universal cartoon, meaning that it's intended for all generations including kids. But only as an adult will you finally be able to understand its message and themes completely and thus be able to enjoy it to the fullest.

(Yes, you could say that in some way I want to "protect" Pokemon from little kids' ignorance because it's too precious to waste it on people who don't understand it properly)

 

[Adamant]

But if these themes are difficult for children to understand, does that not mean that the writing is counter-productive, and thus, not good in a sense?

That line of thinking is exactly what leads to bad childrens' shows. Challenging the mind is a good thing, underestimating your viewers' intelligence is not.

 

[Piplup]

My opinion is that Pokemon is a childrens show that should not be taken seriously at all. The show is written so that little kids can understand and still watch even if they miss like ten episodes. I don't think it was ever supposed to be a heavily plot driven series that teens or young adults will be appealed to. That's what the video games are for.

I doubt there's any real different between the show's intended target audience and the game's one... they're both made-for-kids anime/game, which like every anime/game/etc anyone from any age group can enjoy
This is what I don't like with people, they love to decide "this is for kids" "this is for adults" etc... why can't we just say "everything is for everyone who happens to love it" ?
Pokémon, like any other cartoon or game, can be enjoyed by people of all ages... as long as you like it and enjoy it - does it really matter what's the intended target audience was?