How Pokémon XY Could Have Been Better

Hey there and hello! As you may know, I recently finished my review of the entire XY series in a rather comprehensive fashion. Really, while I had some gripes with it, on the whole, I praised and analyzed the storytelling of the entire series. I really do find it to be the best series of Pokemon. However, that is not to say for a second that the series is without its flaws.

To that end, I'll be sharing my own opinion on how XY could have been improved from how amazing it already was. Yes, this means I won't be taking what I view are some nonsensical comments or suggestions from the community at large. To that end, I'll be discussing three separate categories: 1) things that could have been done with the same number of episodes, 2) things that could have been done with more episodes, and 3) things that I would have liked to see, but also turned out great in the original product.

That's said, let's get to it, and hopefully not be as long as before.

Review of the Series: Pokémon XY Final Part: And to Our Own Way

Hey and hello one final time! We've come a long way, but now we're approaching the end of this XY review series. As always, I continue to hope that you've enjoyed it up to this point, as within this part, we'll be covering the final acts of the series, from the Kalos League, to the crisis and beyond. To note, I will not be discussing the specials that aired after XYZ 47 on account of them having little to no impact on the actual plot.

So, last time we saw Ash overcome the demons building inside of him. He had wanted to grow stronger and win all the time, similar to Alain. In the process, he began to forget that he's doing this with his Pokémon. Once he'd realized that, striving to work together with them, he and Greninja perfected the Ash-Greninja form and won their final badge. Meanwhile, Alain earned his own eight badges to take part in the League. Their similarities and differences are about to collide...

So, let's settle ourselves into this final part (and boy, is it a long one)!

Review of the Series: Pokémon XY Part 7: Ash-Greninja

Well, hello there! We're back again for another part of my review of the XY series, and probably the most important one at that! Well...one of the most important. After all, we're diving into what is probably one of the generally best-received arcs of the XY series and talking about it in an analytical fashion. Lots of connections to be made here.

Last time, we covered the opening of the XYZ series, from Team Flare's enigmatic and brutal introduction to the end of Serena's journey to partake in the Master Class. In particular, the spark was lit as Ash and Greninja began to synchronize with one another, all to set them up for this arc alone...well, and what lays beyond.

It is here that we will begin (a long and picture-filled) Part 7! Read on!

Review of the Movie: Pokémon XYZ: Volcanion and the Mechanical Marvel

Welcome, welcome once again to another movie review! My XY review series has been continuing on full steam ahead, and by this point we've reached deep into the XYZ series, and now are set to review the movie that dropped within that time frame. Thus, here I am, in the midst of Part 7 and set to review the third and final XY movie, Movie 19, or otherwise known as Volcanion and the Mechanical Marvel.

I'll continue to use the same structure as always this time around in terms of talking about the film, too. Thoughts as the movie moved along as well as some general overarching ones. Before I fully talk, it's important to note that as the movie aired in the middle of the Kalos League, it doesn't make sense to be placed there, but it does following straight after the Ash-Greninja arc, and thus that is where it sits in my reviewing.

Enough about that, it's time to review!

Review of the Series: Pokémon XY Part 6: The Z and the Quest for the Master Class

It's that time again; time for another part of my review of the XY series! What's that? It's actually the XYZ series? Of course, I know that, but as it is still part of the greater narrative, I decided to still call it XY, while we begin diving into the portion that is XYZ. We've done a lot to get to this point, and this is the moment that the series truly starts bringing it home. I hope you're ready; it's about to get fun.

When last we left the story, Serena had gotten two of her Princess Keys and an Eevee, even overcoming Shauna in the Anistar Showcase. Likewise, Ash had met a trainer named Sawyer that began to look up to him, caught a Noibat and battled through two gyms, all while getting a psychic vision from Gym Leader Olympia that he and Frogadier were destined to reach new heights.

And what's more than that, a great crisis is approaching Kalos...

If you're ready to dive into it all (again, a long read), read on!

Review of the Series: Pokémon XY Part 5: Rivalries Anew

Hey hey, here we are again! It's another part of my review of the XY series! It's been a fun time so far, and I continue in my hopes that you've enjoyed this series of reviews. Now, we're going to be heading into some slightly denser material and finishing off the regular series of XY, prior to XYZ, so I do hope you're ready.

Last time, we covered numerous events, from the capture of Goomy to the events in Coumarine City that involved Serena's design change. We took our heroes, then, through the conclusion of the rivalry with Clemont at his gym, with Sycamore getting a Mega Evolution for Garchomp and up to the release of Goodra. We'd even seen the crisis in Hoenn play out with Alain, whose ambitions began to spiral. But now, a new journey is about to begin through another part of Kalos, and something else may loom on the horizon.

Another long part stretches ahead, but if you're ready, read on!

Review of the Movie: Pokémon XY: Hoopa and the Clash of Ages

Hey there and hello! So, continuing on with my review of the XY series, as is known from my review of the Diancie movie, I had decided that I really couldn't count my series' review as complete unless I covered the movies that accompanied it. For where I currently am in the process of compiling said review for Part 5, I'll now review Movie 18, or the second XY movie, known as Hoopa and the Clash of Ages.

Like the previous movie review, I'll be using the same structure that pretty much goes over the plot and what I came up with as I watched along, as well as some general thoughts regarding the film. Trust me...there's a lot I can say. With that, let's dive into this!

Review of the Series: Pokémon XY Part 4: The End of One Journey, The Beginning of Another

Hello again and welcome to another part of my XY review series! Once again, I hope you've been finding it very enjoyable, seeing the way I analyze the series and its writing. I hope to continue that with this part, as well.

Last time, we covered quite the weight of material, from the Korrina arc to the Summer Camp and beyond, setting Serena on her dream and bringing Ash close to his fourth Gym Badge. The road to Coumarine City now stretches onward, and we'll be dealing with that and a long-awaited conclusion to a rivalry waiting in Lumiose this time. If everyone's prepared, read on!

Review of the Series: Pokémon XY Part 3: Mega Revelations and the Performer's Dream

Welcome once more to the third part of my review of the XY series of Pokémon! I continue to hope that you've been enjoying this series. If you haven't noticed before, I do look less at a numerical basis or animation basis, but more analytical of the story aspect. Hopefully that's just as enjoyable.

Now, last time we covered the road from Lumiose City to Cyllage City. I described it as mostly filler, and it largely was, though what wasn't, was a very good part of the show. This time, however, there's far less of that, with a very long portion ahead of us. That's right, we're about to cover almost 30 episodes of content in this part! If you're ready for a long read (and lots of pictures), please read on!

Review of the Movie: Pokémon XY: Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction

As I've been covering the XY series of Pokémon rather in depth recently, especially where its writing is concerned, I figured that my collection would truly not be complete unless I gave a fair shot at reviewing the movies as they came along where they belong. Thus, the first of these that I'll take the moment to review is Movie 17, or the first XY movie, known as Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction.

Now, usually my movie reviews are very complex, discussing themes, music, animation and all the layers to something, but that's...well, it won't happen here. Partially because there isn't that much meat on Pokémon movies, but also because it's like an extension of a series itself. That said, let's still have a little bit of fun with it.

Review of the Series: Pokémon XY Part 2: The Road to Cyllage City

Welcome back to the 2nd part of my comprehensive review of the XY series of Pokémon! There isn't much to say here before we dive back into the series, other than hoping you enjoyed the first part of this series and will continue to enjoy this one!

Last time, we covered the opening of the series that introduced all of the characters. From Lumiose City to the battle against Viola in the Santalune Gym, and then once more returning to Lumiose where the adventure was truly set to begin! Thus, we are now beginning this journey with the road to Cyllage City, site of the second Gym. It's certainly one of the slower portions of the series, and definitely the weakest, but let's see what we can uncover on this portion of the journey.

Review of the Series: Pokemon XY Part 1: The Beginning of Dreams and Adventure

Hello and welcome to my multi-part review of what is undoubtedly my personal favorite series of Pokémon, and just a great series in general: Pokémon XY! I've wanted to do a full and comprehensive review of the series for a while now, but with the Volcanion movie unsubbed, I decided to hold off. However, now I can begin with a very long multi-part review series.

Now, before I begin, I'm going to look at this through the lens of a few different things: objective comparison with past and current series, my own subjective taste (naturally), as well as looking at it all in hindsight with the full knowledge of what occurs as the story reaches its conclusion in XYZ.

That said, let's enjoy this journey together!

Pokémon XYZ 32 and Its Brilliant Writing

XYZ 32, or a A League of His Own (as named by the dub), is probably one of, if not the, most hated League openers ever created by the general Pokémon fandom. From words like "clickbait", "lackluster", "horribly paced" and "too much" thrown around, you'd be hard pressed to find a single positive opinion about it. Heck, this goes for most of the Kalos League in general.

I, however, take a complete opposite opinion: XYZ 32 is one of the most perfectly written episodes of the series for what it tries to accomplish.

It probably sounds like I'm a fanboy of everything XY, though I'll be the first to admit that the Kalos League could have been done better in places. Just not this episode. While I'll go more in depth with that when I do my comprehensive multi-part XY review (coming soon), for now, I want to discuss the episode that started it and prove why it's simply one of the best, especially when it comes to writing and animation.

Note, this will be a different style of post than my usual blog posts.

August Seminars: How to Set the Tone of a Story

We've spent the last month showing setting up your writing and diving into that mysterious and difficult world. However, I've never so much as dipped my toe into the world of actually helping you to write, itself. In this final seminar for the month, I'm going to talk about something very difficult, very abstract, and extremely important: tone.

Time for the final August Seminar to begin! (sorry that it's actually September but things happened)

August Seminars: How to Plan a Story

When it comes to writing a story, the number one, most important thing you can do...is planning. No joke. Planning is the most important thing. Now, I've discussed creating characters, and that is a great thing to start with, but once you have those characters, you need to know what to do with them. If you don't, you can have the best characters in the world but they will fall apart in an instant. This is where planning comes in.

So, for this post, we will talk about that planning process, particularly mine, why you should do it and how you should go about it to craft an excellent story!

August Seminars: How to Create Good Characters

Characters are ridiculously subjective. What I might hate, my best friend might love. Maybe there's even someone indifferent to that same character. It can really run the gamut. However! That does not mean there aren't "good" characters and "bad" characters. While each can still have a measure of subjectivity to that particular point, there are certain things to look for and certain things to avoid when it comes to writing a good character.

In this post I'll be discussing those particular things, including some (hopefully) good characters of my own.

August Seminars: How to Receive Reviews and Criticism

In my last post, I spoke about how to craft a summary, and while I'd love to get into the nitty-gritty of all that other writing stuff, rather than the end result of it, I feel it's very important to talk about what happens when you get your story out there: feedback.

When you eventually post your story, you're going to be getting plenty of feedback (hopefully), but the thing is that not all of it is good. And not all of it is positive. In fact, it may be harsh. To that end, it's important to discuss how to spot the good from the bad. That is what this post will be talking about.

August Seminars: How to Write a Fanfiction Summary (Or Any in General)

Summaries. Those wonderfully tricky things that cue a reader, player or viewer into what they are about to experience. It's a short thing that makes or breaks the entire thing for whether or not that product will be experienced.

Thus, it is one of the most vital parts of publishing any story, or fanfiction. Without it, you are lost. So here, as someone who has written over 30 of the little things, I'm going to help craft an amazing summary with little tips. I hope you'll all enjoy the first of this August seminar on writing!

Review of the Arc: Alvarez Arc of Fairy Tail

Fairy Tail is finished. At 545 chapters, it finally ended. Not that it was the easiest of roads.

Like any story, Fairy Tail had its series of missteps. High points and low points combined. However, this series holds a rather special place in my heart. I found Fairy Tail when I was at a very low point in my life; or rather, that was when I really got into it. I didn't consider it that great until around the time of the Tenrou Island Arc, and it was the Grand Magic Games that made me fall in love with the series. Without it, I wouldn't be who I am.

And that includes the Alvarez Arc. It's this arc, the final arc of the series, which I will be reviewing below.

Why You Should Use Fanfiction.net and NOT Wattpad

As a fanfiction writer (and writer in general, I suppose), I've had the great pleasure of posting my works online and sharing them with the public of like interests. In particular, I've used the site fanfiction.net. At the time I started posting, around 2007 or so, it was pretty much the only one that I was aware of. Obviously, as I emerged as a more prominent Amourshipping writer, I became aware of other sites, namely Archive of Our Own (AO3) and Wattpad. Now, I'm not an expert on AO3, so it will not factor into the post here, but I am familiar enough with Wattpad to a degree.

And to this point, I came to the conclusion that Wattpad...shouldn't be used. Not for anyone looking to have a well-written story, which everyone should ascribe to. So, in this post, I'll give the various reasons as to why I prefer Fanfiction, and why Wattpad shouldn't be used, particularly within the Pokèmon fandom.

Why Serena Is the Best Written Pokemon Anime Character

Serena, of Pokémon XY/Z fame, is a particularly controversial character inside the Pokémon anime fanbase. Some view her as utter shipping trash bait, others view her as a goddess, giving things such as #SerenaSaturday (a concept I find ridiculous, but it proves my point). Regardless of your thoughts on her, there is also an in-between ground: those who find her character good, but not goddess level. I mean, let's face it, no one can be as well written as certain other anime characters.

That said, this particular post will delve into my own personal opinion about why Serena is the best-written character. To do so, I'll be offering comparisons to characters old and new, tackling some criticisms I've heard and overall giving an analytical view of her. Note, this will leave behind my shipping preference entirely. Yes, I am an Amourshipper, but that's only a part of Serena's character, one that must be discussed, but definitely not the whole, and thus will not play as large a part.

That said, let's get right to it.

The DOs and DON'Ts of Writing (Fanfiction)

I'm sure there are a ton of posts out there about writing, and all the different skills and specialties and things you need to become a peerless writer. They may also be better suited to telling you all these sorts of things than a humble fanfiction and blog author such as myself. However, in light of seeing numerous stories that simply fly in the face of reason with how poorly they can be done, I felt the need to discuss some dos and don'ts.

I hope you'll bear with me here, along with some of my various thoughts, and become a better writer in the end.

How to Fix Pokemon Sun and Moon

Round Two, here we go.

In a previous post, as one might remember, I went into lengthy detail about the major problems that the Sun and Moon series of the Pokemon anime had or was facing (I also had positives, but for now that's unimportant). It was quite extensive, and at the time, almost three weeks ago, I believed that new episode titles and the Gladion episode would turn things around in a great way!

I was, sadly, wrong.

But! I really do think SM could be fixed given the opportunity and with some choice ideas being made by the director and the writers.

In this blog post I'll cover the things that I feel need to be done in order to make SM a great Pokemon series, or at the very least good overall. Of course, I won't be ridiculous or try to change the premise that the show has set up with unrealistic expectations. That said, let's get into it.

A Brief (and likely unneeded) Status Update

Some may be aware that the month of May has been a very rough month for me as a person. Between numerous personal issues (which are unimportant), my psyche started to be slammed. I began to gravely doubt my writing, something I'd always been so proud of. It was getting pretty crippling to the point that, even now, I'm apprehensive of posting a chapter because I've no idea how it will be received, or if it will be received well.

On top of this, we're layering the fact that I began to feel the hours of work and effort I put in were pointless. I've no idea about the world of AMVs, but when you see how recognized YouTubers are in our community while we scrabble and struggle for a scrap of recognition, myself working 9-10 hours on a single chapter straight. This wave of disheartening reality hit me like a sack of bricks and really brought my mind down.

I don't say this for pity points or the want for encouragement, but simply to inform those following me to understand why, perhaps, I've been behaving the way I have been. This obviously isn't affecting my posting schedule, but was something I felt it would be a disservice to ignore. Updates will continue as normal. That said, thanks to those who do support me.

Dare to Be Silly,
Epicocity

Review of the Series: Eden of the East

Not all conspiracies are theories.

A number of years ago, I was watching Fullmetal Alchemist on DVD. At the front of the DVDs was a preview. It looked intriguing and something I thought of giving a try. On a whim, and because I had the cash, I decided to buy the series. I watched it in four days and was absolutely hooked on it from beginning to end. While I look back now, perhaps it isn't perfect, or everyone's cup of tea, but I thought it was a great series.

That series was Eden of the East.

To give a quick preview: Eden of the East is a thriller, mystery and romance, among other things. The story starts when a girl, Saki Morimi, sees a naked guy holding a gun outside the White House. This guy is Akira Takizawa, someone with no memory and 10 Billion Yen to use in funds, and a phone that can fulfill any request in order to save the country of Japan. Only...he's not alone. He's up against 11 others, and if you fail, you are eliminated. If you're interested in hearing more, read below!

Interview with Potat Lasaro

It's time for another fanfiction author's interview! This time it's with a wonderful supporter, one-time collaborator and phenomenal author, potat lasaro. Below is the transcript of that awesome interview, so give it a read! Who knows what you'll get out of it this time!

Interview with AmourshippingCanon

I recently had the chance to conduct my first fanfiction author's interview, as I'd been hoping to! This first one was with a wonderful supporter and phenomenal author, AmmourshippingCanon (or AmourshippingDude as he was known on Twitter and YouTube). Below is the transcript of that awesome interview, so give it a read! Who knows what you'll get out of it!

Review of the Series: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (2009)

"There's no such thing as a painless lesson, they just don't exist. Sacrifices are necessary. You can't gain anything without losing something first. Although if you can endure that pain and walk away from it, you'll find that you now have a heart strong enough to overcome any obstacle. Yeah... a heart made fullmetal."

I realize that the last two blog posts I've written have largely come off as argumentative, perhaps combative, but all to prove a point. However, this time, I plan to step away from that and go back to writing something about a product I enjoy a ridiculous amount, and have just recently finished re-watching. In this case, it's the famed series Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.

To entice you is the basic premise of Fullmetal Alchemist. Two brothers, Edward and Alphonse Elric, in a desperate attempt to bring their mother back to life end up having their attempt at human transmutation horribly backfire, causing Ed to lose his right arm and left leg, while Al becomes trapped in a suit of armor, unable to eat, sleep or feel. From there, the two brothers embark on a journey to regain their bodies, fraught with revelations and peril that test them and their brotherly bond.

Personality: The Meaning and Composition of a Character

XY Ash

SM Ash

I've been seeing a lot of discussion in the Pokeani community of late regarding the "personality" of Ash, our very famous protagonist. In particular, it's lead to the usual wars of Sun and Moon "Elitists" vs. XY "Circlejerks" over which series has the better character.


Here, I will take the chance to discuss exactly what this elusive "personality" is and how it applies to this argument, leaving behind the notion discussed in my last blog post.

A Review and Criticism of the Pokemon Sun and Moon Anime

A while back, I had promised that I was going to write myself a review of the Sun and Moon anime, though at the time we weren't very far in, and it was in a moment of frustration with the series. So, I didn't write it, because writing something off that first impression or a moment of frustration would leave things muddled and poor.

Now, however, despite still having my frustration with the series, it is now a frustration which has simmered for 5 episodes and hasn't rebounded except for the strong Team Rocket episode last week. But we'll get to that in a moment.

Of course, I'm not going to needlessly rag on the series, but I do have some major, crippling criticisms for the series as a whole. However! I do have some positives as well! Unfortunately some of these positives come with lamentable caveats. So, let's do what I do best: put things into words!

Review of the Film: Your Name.

Yesterday, I had the chance to see the Makoto Shinkai film, Your Name. and let me tell you...it was amazing. A true masterpiece in my mind. As a result, I felt the need to put my thoughts to words in thought of the film. I do need to note, most importantly that while I've seen the subbed version, this review will both contain spoilers and cover the dubbed version, as that was what I saw in the theater.

So, in order to truly discuss the breadth of this masterpiece in the only way I know how (with words), there are a few different things I want to touch upon in this review: themes, animation, character/storytelling, music and voice acting. Not necessarily in that order. So, let's get started.

Thoughts on the Dub and Sub of the Pokemon Series

So, Pokemon: Sun and Moon the Series has finally been fully dubbed for its first two episodes, and while I've yet to actually watch them, I have seen the new opening. Having seen it, I have some...thoughts on it. Which, of course, led me to thinking about the differences between sub and dub in general.