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Writers' Workshop General Chat Thread

*bangs head against wall repeatedly*
Ash's outfit looks awful. So do his eyes. We have enough anime with school. Waiting for official artwork before deciding on what I think.
 
It all comes down to money > story. Unfortunately, every single company has to sacrifice what ould be great places for stories to make something people will buy. ;(
 
Frankly, there's a lot more getting in the way of the story than that. You simply cannot have sensible pacing with a story intended to go on effectively forever - that's something that's not unique to Pokémon but applies to any serial anime. The same goes for character development (Especially if, as is the prevalent view in this fandom, you consider character development to be the same as gaining powers and winning stuff)
 
It's Pokemon. Shipping won't be a thing, school setting or no. And these kids are 10 years old and shipping 10 year olds together is creepy and bizarre. imo.

Also, about 90% of anime (pulling that figure out my rear end) is created to make money, and not for art. Pokemon is no exception to this, though somehow I don't think they're going with this school thing to appeal to that niche of fans who like school settings and the certain shenanigans that come them.
 
I wouldn't be so quick to declare niche demographics here. The whole reason the school setting with associated shenanigans is such a cliche is because it's proven to be popular (Well, that and the anime industry being as afraid of change as Hollywood). That's not just in the shojo genre (Supergenre? Seems more apt to me), but in shonen as well.

Admittedly that's just talking Japan - and the Pokémon anime's been bigger than that since, well, the Orange Islands arc - but still, it comes back round to my point that Pokémon is an anime with a big audience
 
MatrixChap said:
They can say what they want, but there's no way at least Ash is 10. Literally impossible. Physically, he looks and sounds older than 10.
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There aren't many anime characters that look and sound their age. I don't think Ash being 10 is that much of a stretch, if we only go by looks and voice.

Beth Pavell said:
I wouldn't be so quick to declare niche demographics here. The whole reason the school setting with associated shenanigans is such a cliche is because it's proven to be popular (Well, that and the anime industry being as afraid of change as Hollywood). That's not just in the shojo genre (Supergenre? Seems more apt to me), but in shonen as well.

Admittedly that's just talking Japan - and the Pokémon anime's been bigger than that since, well, the Orange Islands arc - but still, it comes back round to my point that Pokémon is an anime with a big audience
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I should clarify, the shenanigans I were referring to were harems, fanservice and all the other things associated with that. Despite it's prevalence, the audience for it is still very much a niche one.
 
Not necessarily true. I've heard of anime being made by independent companies off the back of kickstarters because they wanted to put their ideas into action. It's a very small percentage but they do exist.
 
VTP-Dawkins93 said:
Not necessarily true. I've heard of anime being made by independent companies off the back of kickstarters because they wanted to put their ideas into action. It's a very small percentage but they do exist.
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Even then, the result will be the same. They want to put money in to make money off it, to put money into other projects as well. It's just how the world works, everything boils down to wanting money. What they want the money for is a very different topic, however.
 
Beth Pavell said:
Doing a relaunch for the benefit of a disaffected adult audience is a big risk. Even if we assume for the sake of argument that there really are more adult fans waiting for an "adult" anime than the current audience, there's no guarantee that it would take off. Why take the risk of the fickle fanbase dropping it once the first season's hype fades away when the tired (Pun intended) and true formula is working just fine?

I have no doubt that if an "adult" (The reason for the quotation marks is that it wouldn't be an adult anime at all, it would be a younger teenage anime) Pokémon anime were to air, people would watch it. What I'm not at all sold on is the idea that it would be some kind of renaissance moment. Pokémon has the advantage of being a big name with a big loyal fanbase, but still, juvenile battle anime are ten-a-penny. Grabbing an audience and keeping them for season after season is not at all easy.
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I didn't say anywhere about doing it purely for the adults. I am talking about promotion: look at how Pokemon Go got international headlines for weeks, if they successfully marketed the 1,000th episode as a big event that could appeal to all ages it could give them more attention and the potential for more kids or whoever to watch it than simply relaunching it the way they always have. I am sure there are lots of people out there with kids who used to watch it 10 or 20 years ago who would turn it back on for a big event and pass it on to their children. Doing it their current way would only really alienate that adult audience and become just another kids show with very little, minimal hype attached to it. And really, going from the epic, dark destruction that's currently happening in XY to a little show about going to school probably isn't going to appeal to the kiddies either.

They should have spent a year with Ash traveling Alola for a tournament, reuniting with everyone, taking some kids under his wing, then the 1000th episode he disappears into the night and those kids take over: the kids get more relatable, current leads, Ash and co. can come back for guest appearances to keep the older fanbase amused, and they would probably be more willing to watch and obsess over new people than constantly bickering about which Ash season was best.
 
AceTrainer14 said:
I didn't say anywhere about doing it purely for the adults.
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Well, forgive me, but when you say thing like:

With the ads aimed moreso at kids in Japan, it does feel like GameFreak or whoever is very much set on making this is a kids franchise
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and:

maybe also accept that teenagers and adults probably love the series more than little kids do?
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It's very easy to get that impression.

Pokémon GO and the Pokémon anime aren't even remotely comparable. GO is a smartphone game that's been squarely aimed at the most casual of Pokémon fans. The headlines it's grabbed are down to how much of an explosive fad it became, something that no marketeer can take the credit for.

The point still stands, completely changing the formula of the main Pokémon anime is still a big risk. Dogpiling characters from past seasons doesn't change that (If anything, the older fanbase is more likely to just complain that their favourite girl didn't get enough screen time). Par for the course is just fine for the Pokémon anime, from a franchising point of view. Yes, the Sun and Moon season is a change from the norm, but not a big one, given that the school setting is a cliché and Japan and, well ... Recess and Hey Arnold both ring a bell off the top of my head. It's in no danger of going anywhere, either in Japan or internationally.
 
I meant in that particular post/context, but since clearly we aren't going to agree, I'm not going to bother pushing the instance further.

Is anyone else still playing Pokemon Go asides from me?
 
Ah, the world. Where everyone is wrong and their waifu is best waifu.

Really, the best option is to accept that nothing will ever really change. The targets are the kids, who'll grow older, then the next generation of kids will start looking at what big bro or sis used to watch, or take a gander on this series everyone talks about.

I mean, hopefully one day we'll get a Pokémon Origins: Gold and Silver, longer than Pokémon Origins, because that felt more directed to an older crowd. An older crowd of teens, but an older crowd nonetheless. But otherwise the main animé? Yeah, never gonna change, Ash will never win a League so long as there's a new region to go to, and none of the girls will attract a romantic relationship out of the eternally 10 year old boy.

And yes, he's still 10, the narration confirmed it in "In the Shadow of Zekrom!" I believe. Even if Pichu and Pikachu said "It's been one year since we met, Pikachu!"

EDIT: Sorry, I began typing before you, AT, and evidentally posted after you.
 
You know what they say, be careful what you wish for. Still, Pokémon Generations wasn't something I expected to be announced. According to official website, the first episode will be released already on Friday.
 
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