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Old 03-04-2011, 03:17 PM   #26
Talon87
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Pros over previous seasons:
  • Team Rocket's appearances are not forced.
    • They have been absent entirely from a small handful of BW episodes (like episode 16; away from home computer or I'd trust Wiki more and list the other Rocket-less episodes for you).
    • When they do appear, it's almost always either ...
      1. ... unrelated to Ash & Co. entirely. Team Rocket may be feet away or miles away from them, but they don't cross paths regardless. Or else ...
      2. ... it's related to Ash & Co. but in a way that totally isn't forced. Like in the episode with Munna and Musharna, where Team Rocket's successful execution of their plan all by themselves forces Ash & Co. to investigate the ruins site and cross paths with them.
  • Ash's six Pokémon each have unique and already well-defined personalities. This is light-years ahead of recent seasons where Ash's Pokémon have either been personality-less or have been shells infused with the tropiest of all Pokemon personality tropes: "I want to win really, really badly, Master! " I'll list them off very vaguely so people who don't won't to be spoilered about what monsters Ash catches can still read just fine.
    • Pikachu's personality is unchanged. If you've seen previous seasons, you've met Pikachu.
    • Ash's first new teammate hasn't been used too much yet but already we know that she's female.
    • Ash's second new teammate is arguably the star of his current roster. Very amusing Pokémon. He's got a bit of an inferiority complex as he's eager to prove his worth to Ash, especially after being passed over by an earlier trainer. But this is met with a huge heaping of cynical realism: he won't hesitate to "pass the baton," as it were, to Pikachu by literally walking out of the ring and handing the virtual baton off to Pikachu when he's sent out against a fearsome foe with a painful type advantage against him. He's also incredibly smart: he invents a technique in one battle which causes Ash's adversary to comment that he had fought many _______ before and never had he seen one do before what Ash's had just done. If you've seen DPP, I'd say he's 50% Pocchama/Piplup with all the worst bits being what's missing from him: like Piplup's insufferable infantility. This guy's no toddler, but he's no gruff 'n' tough Scizor either.
    • Ash's third new teammate wants to prove his worth to Ash very, very badly. He was abandoned by his previous trainer in such a way as to cause him to fear and mistrust humans. However, Ash gains this Pokémon's confidence, rescuing it from starvation and winning its loyalty. In episode 16 (where we see Ash training hard at one of the Don George's Battle Clubs), this Pokémon puts forth an especially tough effort to improve itself. It is currently the frail runt of the group, perhaps even moreso than Ash's first new acquisition.
    • Ash's fourth new teammate is a cocky bitch. XD Literally: she's a very confident female Pokémon who doesn't hesitate to use her signature move, Attract, to incapicitate many male Pokémon she confronts. According to Dent/Cilan, this Pokémon abandoned her previous trainer (not the other way around) because she felt he/she was an incompetent trainer who didn't deserve her. So this gives you a sense for what sort of Pokémon she is. Ash tries to catch her numerous times, but it's not until the fourth or fifth try that she finally (and happily) accepts the PokéBall thrown at her. She's Ash's wild card since, given her previous training with whomever she abandoned, she knows a few higher-level moves than her fellow young'uns and she also knows some non-level up moves like Attract.
    • Ash's fifth new teammate hasn't joined him yet for me. (Actually, he's going to join next episode, Episode 17.)
  • The animation's never looked better barring the faces in the earlier episodes. And even the faces have started looking better now, whether because I'm getting used to them or because they've hybridized the new design with the historic design or what, I'm not quite sure yet. But if the last time you watched Pokemon was when Ash was in Johto with Misty and Brock, now may be a good time to see what the show is capable of looking like nowadays. It's not a work of art, but it is the best it's ever been.

Cons over previous seasons:
  • So far, there haven't been any memorable or moving background songs. BW OP1 is cute but only decent. BW ED1 is a great song but the animation during it is meh and I hate the way the song ends. >_>; But the music during the show is ... not very noticeable. Maybe this is a good thing, some'd say? But I find myself missing the catchy BG themes of Pokemon Advance Adventure when Ash first went to Hoenn.

No different from previous seasons, for better or for worse:
  • Some of Ash's wins are well-earned and make sense, but some of his wins are exercises in deus ex machina.
  • Some of Ash's losses are well-fought despite the loss and you don't see how he could have done any better, but some of his losses are exercises in deus ex machina that have him lose in ridiculous ways simply for the sake of having him lose to establish some plot point.
    • Like in Episode 001 where Ash loses against Shootie. That was some annoying deus ex.
  • The universal reset button happened again. What do I mean?
    1. Ash left all of his Pokemon behind with Professor Oak.
    2. Except Pikachu.
    3. Who, for once again ridiculous reasons, finds itself losing battles to Level 5's left and right.
    4. Ash forgets that you have to weaken Pokemon before throwing PokeBalls at them.
    5. Ash neglects to use type advantages. (Only once does he canonically do so intentionally, and it's actually a pretty bitching moment , but all the other times it leaves one scratching his head wondering what Ash is thinking. )
    6. Ash's companions treat him like he's 10 years old ...
    7. ... because he is 10 years old, we are painfully reminded.
    8. Nobody has bothered to use Pokepedia or something to look up Ash and discover that he's a semi-famous Pokemon League contestant who's made the Sweet 16 numerous times in numerous conferences and has even once won the entire thing (in the Orange Islands). Instead, they're content to try and teach him the ins and out of gym battle basics. And he's more than happy to listen. -_-; (Why don't you flash your badges at 'em!?)
  • Ash's favorite command? "DODGE IT!"
  • Gym leaders' favorite command? Two attacks in a row so that Ash's Pokemon only evades or neutralizes one and then gets hit by the other. (WTF. What is it with the writers allowing ______ to tell ______, "Protect! Now use Shadow Ball!" and letting BOTH happen straight in a row so Ash is screwed no matter what?)



Ultimately, I would encourage anyone who enjoyed Season 12 to watch Season 13, especially if their only reason for dropping the series was the character facial design change. But on the other hand, if your only reason for wanting to watch Pokemon again is "I heard Team Rocket is really badass now! ", then I'd say you should probably not bother picking it up again. Yes, they are more "badass" now, but define "badass." Because it's not like they're successfully kidnapping Pokemon. If anything, from what I've seen so far (through Episode 16) ...

(PET THEORY, POSSIBLY A SPOILER)
Spoiler: show
I think that they're being tricked. Not by Giovanni, but by their contact. I suspect that he's a double agent working for Team Plasma and that he's going to double-cross them and the rest of Team Rocket when the time comes.


If I'm right, then you can easily see how I'd hesitate to call them "badass." They're being presented as badasses, yes, but ... it's way too early to tell if they're going to ultimately succeed in what they're doing or not.
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Old 03-04-2011, 03:26 PM   #27
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Dodge it is also a favorite command in som PASBLers. :p
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Old 03-04-2011, 06:33 PM   #28
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Raptor Jesus View Post
ST Agility to Dodge it is also a favorite command in for some PASBLers. :p
Fixed.


Quote:
... because he is 10 years old, we are painfully reminded.
...So. Ash is, apparently, immune to the procession of time. Eeks, much?
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Old 03-05-2011, 02:18 PM   #29
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It's kinda funny - Ash, even battling at his best (e.g. in the Orange Islands), would be absolutely terrible at ASB.
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Old 03-05-2011, 02:28 PM   #30
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Then what does that say for how unlike the anime the ASB really is?
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Old 03-05-2011, 02:38 PM   #31
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That says that the Anime likes using deus ex machina, which is not quite a great foundation for a battling system.

I think that the fact that a Sceptile can KO a Tropius that is beating the crap out of it with only Grass moves proves my point.
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Old 03-05-2011, 02:42 PM   #32
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Clearly Dialga cursed Ash with the infinite youth to keep the series going.

Also, not everyone uses Agility to dodge. Plenty of people just say dodge.
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Old 03-05-2011, 03:16 PM   #33
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>just say dodge.

Well, ever since the regular dodge rate was set at 30%, Agility has been pretty much the only thing.
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Old 03-05-2011, 04:18 PM   #34
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I wasn't criticizing why the ASB can't be like the anime and be a good game at the same time. I was criticizing why the ASB styles itself "the ASB" in the first place. And it was light-hearted at its most sinister, so don't take it like a serious attack.

If you want deus ex, click the spoiler box for why I was dissatisfied with how things turned out in the end of Episode 16 ... (I'd really encourage you to, Jeri, so you can join me in a good laugh and see I meant no harm.)

Spoiler: show
Lenore's Herdier vs. Ash's Tepig (final battle)

Turn 1:
Tepig uses Ember.
Herdier uses Protect.
Neither party takes any damage.

Turn 2:
Tepig uses Tackle.
Herdier does nothing.
Herdier takes Tackle damage.

Turn 3:
Tepig uses Tackle again.
Herdier uses Shadow Ball.
Tepig tackes Shadow Ball damage to the face. Herdier takes no damage.

Turn 4:
Herdier uses Giga Impact.
Tepig takes Giga Impact damage, is sent flying.

Turn 5:
Herdier uses Shadow Ball.
Tepig dodges.
Neither party takes damage.

Turn 6:
Herdier uses Shadow Ball.
Tepig dodges, advances.
Neither party takes damage.

Turn 7:
Ash tells Tepig to "unleash all [its] fire power." It glows red.
Herdier uses Giga Impact.
Tepig uses Nitro Charge.
Both attacks connect. Both Pokémon take damage.

Winner: Tepig

So let's get this straight ...
Damage Herdier took all throughout the fight: 1x Tackle, 1x Blaze-powered Nitro Charge
Damage Tepig took all throughout the fight: 1x Shadow Ball, 2x STAB Giga Impact

And somehow the Tepig comes out on top. RIDICULOUS.
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Old 03-05-2011, 05:09 PM   #35
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Don't you know!?! Nitro Charge is the shiznit! TOYKO DRIFT BABY!
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Old 03-06-2011, 01:22 PM   #36
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Wow. In Episode 18, I just saw something happen which I don't think has happened since Season 1. I wonder what it means ...

Spoiler, Lite Version (no creature names):
Spoiler: show
Ash caught his sixth Unova Pokémon, totalling his seventh creature on hand in the land, forcing him to deposit one of his creatures with Professor Araragi.


Spoiler, Regular Version (creature names, more thoughts):
Spoiler: show
Ash caught his sixth Unova Pokémon, Sewaddle, totalling his seventh creature on hand in the land, forcing him to deposit one of his creatures, Pidove, with Professor Araragi.

Does this mean that the writers realized that Pidove/Tranquill/Unfezant was not a popular bird like Staraptor had been and, consequently, they decided to box it ASAP rather than have Ash waste time training it? Admittedly, he'd barely ever used the thing since capturing it (though the same could be said for Snivy), so it's not like he's going to miss out. But then again, Sewaddle/[forget its name]/Leavanny isn't exactly the world's strongest creature either. And while Sewaddle is a-fucking-dorable , its final form is neither cute nor ferocious or cool-looking. Besides: does Ash really need two Grass Pokémon? Hmm.


Also, Episode 20? I didn't like Ducklett to begin with, but I was enraged at the trio of asshole waterfowl by the final fight in this episode. Holy shit, what a bunch of dicks. Ducklett should be the new mascot for 4chan's /b/ after this episode.
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Old 03-06-2011, 01:45 PM   #37
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Response to something Talon said in second spoiler:
Spoiler: show
>Does this mean that the writers realized that Pidove/Tranquill/Unfezant was not a popular bird like Staraptor had been and, consequently, they decided to box it ASAP rather than have Ash waste time training it?

As someone who watches screencaps/reads synopsen after they've just come out, I can let you know that:
Spoiler: show
Ash swaps Sewaddle for Pidove again in BW021
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Old 03-06-2011, 02:45 PM   #38
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Awwwwwww.

Response to Dave:
Spoiler: show
But he was so cute!

But nah, seriously? He was the next most likely candidate for boxing given what I'd already said about how (a) his evolutions aren't really viewer-appealing and (b) he double dips the Grass type which Ash already has in Snivy, and like hell the writers are going to break Ash's long-standing tradition of always raising the grass-type starter each region. Althouuuuuuuuuuugh, I doooooo have my doubts about Snivy ever evolving. Seems like it might be this generation's Cyndaquil. I'm definitely thinking that we'll eventually see Pignite. Not sure if we'll see Oshawott ever evolve since, as mentioned, he fills the void left by Piplup and does so without being as annoying as Piplup was, but I'd love to see Ash have a Dewott and I'd love love love to see him have a Samurott.

Poor Sewaddle, though. He left his forest home to be with Ash ... only to be boxed. Boxing always makes me so sad in the anime. It's like the ultimate rejection notice for a Pokémon, so much so that (in 5th season) when Ash once temporarily sent Bayleaf to Professor Oak's so he could use his Tauros, she went apeshit nuts on the Oak ranch and was tearfully happy when Ash brought her back over later that same day or the next day. You gotta wonder what it does to a Pokémon's morale to be caught and then boxed immediately (like Krabby, Muk, Tauros, and now Sewaddle). Bulbasaur at least had a long lifespan on Team Ash before he was sent into retirement. But the others ... jeez. >_>
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Old 03-06-2011, 03:12 PM   #39
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Originally Posted by Talon87 View Post
Also, Episode 20? I didn't like Ducklett to begin with, but I was enraged at the trio of asshole waterfowl by the final fight in this episode. Holy shit, what a bunch of dicks. Ducklett should be the new mascot for 4chan's /b/ after this episode.
That's probably got to be my favourite BW episode so far

Spoiler: show
The highlight of the episode easily has to be where Ash appears to have convinced the Ducklett to give back Sandile's sunglasses. The Ducklett goes to hand them over to the teary-eyed croc only to Water Gun it in the face!


and I kind of don't want any of Ash's starters to evolve, they're all ugly (Pignite and Dewott aside)
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Old 03-06-2011, 03:28 PM   #40
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I think Pignite's ugly too, to be honest, but I totally see that evolution happening. I'd say I see Dewott evolving too but for the fact that Oshawott's personality is too rich to lose to an evolution. He'll probably be stuck in his initial stage like Piplup was. But I'd love to be proven wrong here.

Regarding your comments on Episode 20 ...
Spoiler: show
Too much rage at Ash's naivety and the ducks' cruelty for it to be a favorite, but it certainly kept my attention the whole episode. ^^;

I was half-expecting Ash to snag his eighth Unova team member there at the end, but I can live with the notion that Krokorok will be a recurring uncaptured Pokémon ŕ la Jigglypuff or Snubbull. I feel bad that (as hinted by Ash's comments during the episode) it's a Timid Krokorok, though. That's about as crappy as having a Modest Scraggy. Oh well: a fun sparring partner for Pikachu, I guess, though he's certainly lost the cuteness he had as a Sandile.
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Old 03-06-2011, 03:38 PM   #41
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i dont watch the B/W anime-should i start watching it?
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Old 03-06-2011, 06:17 PM   #42
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Yes.

Stuff in response:
Spoiler: show
Since I check Bulbapedia a lot (don't ask) I've heard that Sewaddle should return (and possibly evolve) for his Gym Match with Burgh. The 'Ash's Sewaddle' page has been protected from editing because its evolution his highly speculated, similar to Ash's Chimchar's page a few episodes before his evolution into Monferno all that time ago. So I think he might actually swap out 'mon this series, which I think is a huge boon, somewhat akin to Johto. But hopefully without the terrible, terrible filler.
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Old 03-06-2011, 06:32 PM   #43
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If he can do it without all the fuss and fanfare of Johto, Dave, then you're absolutely right.

Spoiler: show
Seven is always better than six (given adequate development; see below), particularly when none of the six feel like fifth wheels. For now though, that's sadly the case for Sewaddle and Pidove, and (to a lesser extent) Snivy. In other words, Pikachu, Oshawott, and Tepig are the clear attention-winners in BW so far, with Scraggy somewhere in the middle since he gets entire scenes devoted to his training but since he's also still pretty new to the team and since he's being treated as a baby who's incompatible with regular battles for now.

To be honest, though, I realized the other day when I wrote about the creatures' personalities that part of the problem I have with the Pokémon anime is that Ash has too many creatures to allow us to get to know all of the creatures in a very short span of time. Either we get to know none of them quickly or else we get to know one of them quickly at the expense of the others. In Johto, Chikorita had the most personality ("I wub you, Master! :3") while Totodile and Cyndaquil were just tropy shells ("I'm silly and zany! Look at me dance!" "I'm a cowardly crybaby who twies his best to get stwonger!"). In Hoenn and Sinnoh, I can't claim to know: I have seen only six or seven Hoenn episodes while I joined Sinnoh far too late to be able to pass this sort of judgment. But in Unova, it's clear that Oshawott is second only to Pikachu in terms of personality and screentime while Tepig, owing to two gym battles and general use in other fights, takes third place. Tepig is still the cowardly baby type, but he's a lot less whiny and powerless than Cyndaquil was.

I've only listed three characters for the Johto comparison, neglecting the fact that Ash also had a Heracross, a Noctowl, a Kanto Pikachu, a Kanto Bulbasaur (for the longest time), and afaik eventually a Phanpy and a Larvitar (haven't gotten that far in Season 5 yet). So this kinda serves to demonstrate my point: that if the writers struggled to give adequate personality / character development to even three creatures, imagine how they struggled to do it for six or seven? They couldn't do it, and they probably gave up on it altogether. (Though again, I don't want to say that for certain, having not seen Ash catch anything besides Taillow in Hoenn in my viewings of the earliest episodes of Advance Adventure.) So kudos to them for giving it another try in Unova. I really love Oshawott, a creature who I hated based on design alone when CoroCoro first unveiled him. If you can get me to love the snowglobe-headed Peppermint Patty-freckled wotter, then you can get me to love most any of the other creatures you've got on his squad right now. Please do so, writers. Please do.

Last edited by Talon87; 03-06-2011 at 06:34 PM.
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Old 03-06-2011, 06:42 PM   #44
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lolspoilers:
Spoiler: show
Agreed, Personaility is always good. Quite a few of his Hoenn and Sinnoh Pokémon did have some character development, with Treecko/Grovyle/Sceptile seeming to be a loner, Torkoal fulfilling the crybaby (but not that bad - it was just a bit emotional), Corphish being something of a rash musclehead/comic relief, etc, etc. His Sinnoh team arguably had more, especially Torterra, Buizel, Gliscor and Infernape. I'd highly recommend both series just so you can see that.

I'd be inclined to agree with you this series so far, though I've only seen screenshots of japanese episodes (watching the dub as it comes out). But the series as a whole seems to be taking character development for Pokémon more seriously.

Now if only they'd do the same for Ash... damn reset button.
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