The show's "Pokemon gained" direction

[Trainer'sInsomnia]

So I've always realized it, and PDL brought it up again to remind me how the show shifted themes a bit. Remember how back throughout Kanto, and I guess even in Johto for a while, the show had the whole "Gotta Catch 'em All" theme to it. It was made out like Ash was going to catch as many Pokemon as possible on his journey.

Since then, it's shifted directions entirely. Instead of even catching extra Pokemon, it almost seems like Ash, for the past two Regions, has caught only enough Pokemon for his starting lineup. As a result of this, they've decided to focus more on the relationships between trainer and Pokemon present. Of course, they've always done this, with the likes of Pikachu, Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Charizard in an entirely different manner, but there were many other Pokemon that didn't receive the same kind of development.

I'd just like to know what some of you think about the shift. Do you like the direction that the show's gone with the Pokemon, and seeing the bonds built between the heros and the Pokemon they've captured? Or would you still like to see additional Pokemon caught for the sake of variety? Muk, Kingler and company did bail him out in the future after all. So do you think it's a necessity?

 

[Cybersai]

I think the direction is better. I noticed in Kanto that aside from Bulbasaur/Squirtle/Charizard, the rest of his team was either Oak'd immediately or released.

Kingler, Muk, and Tauros were sent straight to Oak's lab and were never part of his main team. Butterfree, Primeape, Pidgeot, and Lapras were released.

Later, Snorlax and Heracross got very little screentime until they were Oak'd, and the Johto starters...well, I'd rather not go into THAT again.

In Hoenn they seemed to go back to a small group again, Sceptile/Swellow/Corphish were the "big 3" of Hoenn, he kept these 3 on his team for almost 200 episodes all the way till the end of Battle Frontier. Torkoal and Glalie got less screentime, but they proved their worth in the league and against Registeel.

In Sinnoh they seem to be doing what they did in Hoenn, only this time all 5 of his new Pokes are caught faster, most likely so they all get more screentime than used to.

 

[monkeyjb1988]

I like it. The Pokemon seem more developed than some of Ash's previous ones. Some of the newer ones are way more interesting than the older ones.

 

[Mooites]

When I was a kid, the show was all about the battles. The Pokemon were the stars, and it was all about what they were doing. The modern show, I think, sees this and tries to focus on the Pokemon themselves a bit more. The old show focused more on the character's journeys and becoming friends with the little guys.

So actually, if the kids get to see the show now, they'll like it, since its battle and Pokemon oriented. Then, if they show the old stuff, since the kid's older, they will appreciate the humans and their traits. So I guess they got it backwards, Pokemon screentime wise.

 

[F-22]

I personally liked Kingler for some odd reason. Shame he only uses his other Kanto Pokemon for league battles...and of course, the Johto starters.

Too bad that he's getting to have too many Pokemon for them to have any significant screentime outside their leagues. =[

 

[ShadowDeeps]

I feel that Ash doesn't form the same attachments and depth of bonds with his newer Pokémon as he did with his Kanto starters, who seemed more like characters than Pokémon unto themselves given the kind of accentuation they had. And one could say that Ash didn't evolve or train his Johto starters to the extent that he could, as though things were built up to an overarching and drudging point, like most of Johto, so that's probably more the resulting effect of the nature of the filler material of Johto, and I think the anime shifted so drastically afterward due to the amount of fan reaction rather than any one kind of fan more than anything else. But I do think every season has some sort of glancing flaw that's handled better in remuneration later on... and even though Johto was random the former leads into the question of fandom faith and faith in general avoiding exploration and as for the latter, what 'random' is to begin with if "valid" but that's another topic of discussion.

And by nature, Ash is ameliorating as a trainer so one would expect him to improve with his Pokémon in attributes and skill. But I still feel that the kind of bonds and personas of the Pokémon situated in the first season are amiss in the newer seasons (perhaps with select exceptions like Chimchar when it comes to bonds in my eyes as it does seem to register quite deeply with Ash emotionally from what I can garner). But how good or saturated a human character or Pokémon is depends upon justification for me as I'd say there is no bad character or Pokémon in that mindset.

 

[Mooites]

The new Pokemon may have personalities, which are apparently all that counts. However, Ash doesnt seem like he'd be as eager go risk his life for Grotle as be would for Bulbasaur. We hardly ever see interactions like "Snow Way Out" or in the seccond movie when his Pokemon encouraged him. Now its Ash who does the encouraging. The show may focus on the Pokemon themselves more, but not on the bonds between them and the trainer.

 

[Jesse GS the II]

This direction works very well for me. This way, we don't have captures like Betobeton and Kentaros that don't go anywhere after they happen. When Crab evolved, it looked like the trend might be reversed...and then Kingler went right back into storage. What's the point of giving Satoshi a Pokémon if he's not going to use it outside of maybe one or two isolated incidents?

Frankly, this process also helps to beat back the number of fans who insist that Satoshi is a loser because he doesn't capture every Pokémon he sees. People are gradually realizing that he doesn't have to.

 

[Rhyperior]

It's kinda funny that the slogan 'Gotta catch'em all' actually apply to TR rather than to Ash. TR just seem to be desperate to get every Pokémon they encounter. And this is well exemplify by Meowth's boss fantasy. And until now, 'Gotta catch'em all' still apply to TR! XD


Back on topic, Ash had a completely different training method when compare to Gary's. He mention that he prefer train with regular six Pokémon rather than switching Pokémon from time to time so it wouldn't be possible for Ash to gain so much Pokémon.

 

[PDL]

It seems that this not only applies to Ash, but practically everyone else in the show.

Early on in the anime, it seemed that it was normal for an accomplished trainer to have more then 30 or so Pokémon. But as the show went on, it seems that there are more and more trainers that seemed to only have at most, 6 with them, usually less.

Perhaps it's because Pokémon were only seen as things to be collected, rather then as individuals with their own wants, needs and desires.

 

[Cybersai]

Early on in the anime, it seemed that it was normal for an accomplished trainer to have more then 30 or so Pokémon. But as the show went on, it seems that there are more and more trainers that seemed to only have at most, 6 with them, usually less.

Perhaps it's because Pokémon were only seen as things to be collected, rather then as individuals with their own wants, needs and desires.

Yep, training a smaller group of Pokemon seems where the show is headed. May only had 7 Pokemon for her entire run, and it doesn't look like Dawn will get much more than that for the meantime either.

 

[Trainer'sInsomnia]

Well speaking honestly, it's not like Ash ever had too many Pokemon to begin with. Off the top of my head, he had about 21 of Kanto, 11 of Johto, about 9 of Hoenn, and what, like 6-7 of DP currently? Oh! Note that I'm counting evolutions too, not just individual Pokemon.

Still, there's been a steady decline of Pokemon since the start of the series, so relatively low numbers or not, they have indeed slimmed down to just the starter crew that he currently has. Also, the "Gotta Catch Em All" thing was still pushed in the start, because I remember Gary and others criticizing him for his very lack of Pokemon. As PDL stated, a trainer was considered good to have caught 30 or so, or something to that effect.

I agree with the fact that it made them seem more like tools, literally like "Pocket Monsters", or collectables that you battle with. Now, it's become more about the relationships between Pokemon and trainer. I mean when you think about it, every one of Ash's Pokemon this year has gotten so much screen time and healthy character development. Dawn's as well, and even Brock's have too.