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Post by JohtoFesta on Mar 7, 2022 5:44:03 GMT
Psyched for Paul’s return. They better not waste this opportunity to bring higher level, more intense strategies to the table, finally. The battles have been unimpressive for awhile now. Ash is on a winning streak, it’s beginning to feel really cheap – his being in the top 15 trainers in the entire world - and I’m bored with it. This is the perfect time to bring Ash’s greatest rival back.
I am happy to see Dawn’s going to continue being a recurring character. Her VA wasn’t lying when she said Dawn would become a main character again. And it looks like Koharu might compete in a Contest? (Why is she wearing May's dress?  ) That must mean we’ll finally get to see Dawn compete again as well (I mean, they better! Why give her a new contest dress?).
Also, I’m kinda amused that Clemont, Bonnie and Greninja’s returns are taking priority over Serena’s. You just know this will rub Serena/Amour brats the wrong way.
I actually already noticed some complaining on reddit (I avoid twitter and tumblr etc. so...don't know what the response is elsewhere on the Internet); some of them even seemed annoyed that Dawn was getting to return again instead. Lol.
I wonder...are we in the final year of this Journeys anime? Or is it going to go on indefinitely? And where are they going with it? It doesn't feel like they've made much progress. It feels like Ash has hardly had any battles...yet now he's almost at the top. Koharu has hardly had any screen time or development either. Ugh.
I've honestly just about given up on it being so stagnant with its lame, one-episode, lazy and cheap fan-service writing. Even Dawn's multiple returns (and finally getting her high five with Ash) have felt empty. I actually had to make myself watch the Arceus specials (can I just say, Brock's cameo was an abomination - it's like he was only there to rip his shirt off  ). It's sad that all these great characters are returning, yet their potential is being wasted.
If they don't handle Paul's return well, I will stop watching. No excuse.
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Post by IceArceus on Mar 7, 2022 13:55:43 GMT
Do you think they might be gearing up to have Serena's return align with some big event? Like right now I guess they're still promoting DP and Arceus, but maybe they want her to come back for the XY remakes?
But it IS very good that Dawn is basically a recurring character again, who would've thought Pearlshippers would get their era again like 10 years after the original series
I hope they handle Paul's return well too, and they don't undo the development he got at the end of the Sinnoh arc. Also I had such a massive crush on him when I first watched DP, will be very nostalgic seeing him on screen.
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Post by coatatopotato on Mar 7, 2022 14:38:17 GMT
My opinion of the writers has been consistently falling for at least a few years. The short-term story beats are still thought-out, but I feel the anime has lost the larger plot progression ever since moving away from the standard gym-badge-tournament formula.
As such, I don't think they're saving Serena so much as not knowing exactly what to do with her. There are obviously high expectations placed on her return from every angle, and I think the show is reticent to tackle the end of XY. Acknowledging the goodbye scene would be difficult, but necessary if she were to return. It wouldn't fit with the show's lighter tone nowadays.
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Post by CrimsonStar on Mar 7, 2022 17:50:38 GMT
I think it's pretty odd how they're teasing a possible greninja return as well as Bonnie and clemont being in the op, yet I didn't see Serena anywhere in there. I also question why Dawn is in the op as well, but I'm not complaining. If Dawn does end up being a recurring character, I'd think it has to be done better than what her last appearances in Journeys have been. I would love for Paul to come back to go back to keeping Ash on his toes again. I feel like Paul was the best at doing that because of how antagonizing he was to Ash during DP. I feel like the writing ended up getting very disconnected and short sighted during journeys that I have no idea what's even going on. Like are we in Galar or traveling the world? Pick one. I don't know what they were thinking and I'd love for someone to tell me where it's going cause I can't figure it out.
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Post by IceArceus on Mar 7, 2022 18:54:00 GMT
coatatopotato you think so? I like hearing perspectives on the anime directions tbh, I only watched the Dawn episodes, haven't really been keeping up with the anime itself so I'm not going to be very good at predicting where it'll go. I AM, however, glad that (as far as I know) they have not brought Kenny back. Like are we in Galar or traveling the world? Pick one. I don't know what they were thinking and I'd love for someone to tell me where it's going cause I can't figure it out. hard agree tho. I found it more enjoyable to follow when they had a clear goal, like winning the league etc.
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Post by coatatopotato on Mar 8, 2022 12:44:18 GMT
My pet theory is that the entire Journeys anime has essentially been the handing of the torch from Ash to Goh as the permanent protagonist. After Ash won a league, they couldn't really send him off to another one since it would feel hollow. They need a new main character with a different goal, and Goh with his "catch them all" mindset is the choice that makes sense.
I think they've realized the series would grow stale with the same formula and the same main character, so at some point they'd have to do something to replace him. Journeys is basically the cost of switching main characters. In order to do a huge thing like that, they'd need to sideline a region and focus on Ash achieving his goal of becoming "the very best, like no one ever was". The Ultra World Champion League thing is the realization of Ash's goal. They also need to characterize and lay out Goh's trajectory (as seen with the opening repeating his goal again and again).
Even the format of returning the old characters fits into this in my view. Ash is visiting all his old friends as a kind of closure. Journeys is, in my perspective, Ash's swansong and the beginning of the transition to a new main character. The fact that it's frankly not very good, is a price the showrunners are willing to pay in the short-run in return for a new protagonist in the long term.
I could be wrong, nobody knows for sure, but this is the most sense I've been able to make of Journeys.
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Post by CrimsonStar on Mar 9, 2022 0:52:58 GMT
That would make sense. It could be like a victory lap for him in that sense considering what they've been doing. I find it more likely that the writers are just bad at writing though. I just don't have faith in the writers to plan that far ahead considering what I've seen from them over the last few years. That said, it might be interesting if/when another arc will be announced if the do decide to retire him.
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Post by JohtoFesta on Mar 9, 2022 6:38:55 GMT
Well, May did not return for the ORAS remakes. And looking at the big picture, has Serena (the character - not the Amour-centered "girl who has a crush on Ash") been as big a deal as Dawn? Doesn’t seem like it to me. Also, Dawn’s Piplup seems to increase her um…status? He’s pretty popular over in Japan, it seems.
And I mean, there’s gonna come a point when remakes aren’t necessary, I think. Remakes for XY are probably pretty far away anyway. I honestly want to get Serena’s return over with, so I actually hope it’s sooner rather than later.
Do you believe the rumors that all of Ash’s friends are returning at some point during Journeys?
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Post by JohtoFesta on Mar 9, 2022 6:44:35 GMT
coatatopotatoI actually don’t think it’s necessary at all to acknowledge the goodbye scene. When was that sort of thing ever necessary for any of the other companions returns? Besides, Ash hardly acknowledged the kiss. If you’re looking at it purely in-universe, he’s super dense and probably forgot about it. It’s only the fandom that made a HUGE deal about it. I can’t see the writers addressing it. They’ll probably beat around the bush by having Serena go back to acting blushy-crushy, while Ash will just treat her like he treats all his friends - the usual. Especially considering how minimalistic the writing has been. I mean, they barely acknowledged his gym battle with Korrina. Honestly, the tone of this series keeps changing depending on the episode topic. The DP legends episodes were intense, introspective and sad. Also, the Ice Queen episode was pretty heavy too. So I don’t think tone is an issue. It’s just that trying to force a romance on Ash Ketchum isn’t practical at all in this show. They had the same issue in XY, hence why Amour was so one-sided.
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Post by coatatopotato on Mar 10, 2022 15:04:37 GMT
Besides, Ash hardly acknowledged the kiss. If you’re looking at it purely in-universe, he’s super dense and probably forgot about it. It’s only the fandom that made a HUGE deal about it. It's true, but I was swayed by the argument that "even if Ash doesn't remember, Serena wouldn't forget". All the same, the writers do have to keep the expectations/wishes of the fandom in mind (probably part of the reason for the kiss in the first place).
"Minimalistic" is a very diplomatic way to describe the writing 
They leaned heavily into the oblivious Ash thing late in XY. The crush was played up more for comedic effect than anything, in my opinion. I recall the "I... I... Iron Tail, Pikachu!" as the biggest moment when it became apparent the show was having a laugh at Serena's expense.
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) That must mean we’ll finally get to see Dawn compete again as well (I mean, they better! Why give her a new contest dress?).
). It's sad that all these great characters are returning, yet their potential is being wasted.
