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!


The Good

Sun and Moon as a series is not horrible. It's not. There are some genuinely good things that the series does either because they're fresh for the series or because they're just done well. Here is where I'll carry those before I get into the criticism to clear up what seems to be missed by a lot of people ardently defending the series' flaws.

1) Team Rocket

The unequivocal heroes of SM. Ash? Who's that?

Team Rocket (or TRio, as I will further refer to them) is truly at their best in SM. Yeah, BW made them these hyper competent individuals...but it stripped them of their personality. Here in SM...well...Sun and Moon is TRio's series. They retain the competence from XY. They're still funny, too. Bewear is an interesting gag that works to me, because it's different every time, and they're successful in all but stealing Pikachu. They are, quite honestly, the best part of SM. If only they were used more, but at this point it's a quibble.

2) The Litten Subplot

Yes, this was a good arc.

The Litten subplot was, arguably, the best handled subplot in SM so far, and perhaps one of the better ones in the series at large. Perhaps. It was good, the way it built up the character and the different interactions, and SM 21 was a great episode. I mean, did I cry at it? No. It wasn't really that emotional. But the way Masaaki Iwane directed the animation of the episode was really well done. Of course, this comes with the unfortunate caveat in SM 24 (why is Litten suddenly a house cat and Ash like a little kid whining at his mom?), but for as it stands, the arc that contained SM 7, 16 and 21 was very good.

3) Ash Is Competent...In Battle

Leafage tactics! Smart strategy, really.

There's no denying it. When it comes to battles, Ash is competent. He knows how to command his Pokemon and he does it well. Not much else to say. It isn't a total reset like BW. That's a definite positive. Yet, like the Litten issue, it comes with a caveat.

4) Sprinkling of Plot

Little updates like these sprinkled into otherwise filler episodes.

I love the approach that SM attempted. The idea of having little bits of the plot sprinkled here and there throughout the episodes is wonderful. It's an idea I employ constantly in my own writing. Constantly. It builds the plot brick by brick. Really, a great idea compared to some of the lump plots we've had in the past. Unfortunately...well, you'll see my caveat for this one in the following section.

So, as you can see, there are some very good points that are solid about SM, which is why I don't cast it into the same abyss as BW. It stands above it. In fact, for a very long time, it was above both BW and OS in my ranking...but...well, I guess this is where the criticism comes into play.

The Criticism

With the positives, there are negatives. Now, I'm aware that no work is perfect. Unless you're Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. But that could be a whole other post (in the meantime, go watch that series; you won't regret it).

XY had it's flaws, from a rushed Showcase arc, to Alain's character being a mess at the end (though better than I originally thought, in hindsight), to other little things I would have personally done differently. However, its structure and core was solid, with a consistent vision that lasted from XY 1 to XYZ 47. Unfortunately, as a result of XY being the most current, comparisons between how SM has done it and how XY does it will be inevitable, but it won't be the only thing I compare it to. That said, let's get into it here.

1) The Pacing

Here we are, 6 badges left on XY 26.

Here we are, 9 trials left on SM 26.

SM has a serious pacing issue. Or it's going to. Right now, we're 26 episodes in. 26. That is over 1/6 of the way through the series, or about 17%, assuming, like the last two sagas, we're getting ~140 episodes (and this time, it seems we won't even get movies). At this point, we've done 1 trial, and 1 Grand Trial. That's it.

"But, Epicocity, that's plenty to cover the remaining nine trials!" Hm, perhaps, but...that also leaves out consideration for many things. Right now, we will have ~114 episodes to cover 6 trials, 3 Grand Trials, development of SIX characters and their teams, give Ash two more Pokemon, AND do the entire Aether arc, assuming they don't completely change it. This is...a problem. Maybe it doesn't seem it right now, but it's starting to become apparent.

For a brief comparison of where we were in each individual series, I've conveniently given you this wonderful chart, by percentage (of 1/6), not by episode number.

OS (Kanto) = 13 episodes in, 2 badges of 8.
OS (Orange Islands) = 6 episodes in, 1 of 4 badges.
OS (Johto) = 17 episodes in, 1 out of 8 badges. 2 episodes prior to 2nd Gym Battle.
AG (Hoenn League) = 22 episodes in, 1 out of 8 badges. 2nd Gym Battle attempted and failed.
AG (Battle Frontier) = 10 episodes in, 1 out of 7 symbols, 1 out of 5 ribbons.
DP = 32 episodes in, 1 out of 8 badges (including a rematch), 1 out of 5 ribbons
BW = 26 episodes in, 3 out of 8 badges, including a rematch.
XY = 26 episodes in, 2 out of 8 badges, including a rematch.

So, while it might not be evident from the beginning, right now, SM isn't in the worst of places...but it's getting there. Usually by this point, the series would have a second badge, or be right away from it, or have had a rematch or a secondary ribbon arc for Contests. SM has nothing hampering it, with a count that is 3 more than the usual 8...so why haven't we done the second trial yet? Why has there been no mention of the second trial? And in fact, why won't there be until at least SM 30? (at least)

"But, Epicocity, Ash's goal is to battle Tapu Koko again, not do the trials!" Okay, why isn't he searching Tapu Koko out like the Ash we know would? "But he's on vacation!" Then why is he going to school? Why isn't he working towards his dream? "But he is! He's going to school!" Then why is it that SM 24 and 25 were the first time we ever saw them actually doing something with the classroom and the school setting instead of it just being a gathering place for the characters (outside of the first episode)? There are too many issues when it comes to what Ash said he'd do and the very premise of the SM series itself.

Now, as said above, the plot does have these little sprinklings, and it's a great idea. The problem, however, is that nothing big ever happens. It's just these little things. A story needs the big things, though. You just do or it starts to slow...or it feels like everything is crammed. Let's take, for example, One Piece. I like One Piece, but feel it's had pacing issues since Dressrosa, but what keeps me going with it is that every 5-7 chapters, something happens that makes me widen my eyes and keeps me interested so I don't get bored with the plot presented. SM does not have these big exciting things because they're either so liberally set up that it's inevitable how it will happen...or just not happening at all.

As a result, it feels uneven. Now, maybe I'll turn out wrong. In fact, I'd love to be wrong. But right now, knowing that even the Gladion episode will not affect Ash moving towards the trials, and we'll have a sense of filler (likely) through SM 29 at best, hints otherwise to me. Time will tell, but there is a lot they'll have to do.

2) The Characters

That is a lot of characters for a 140 episode series...

SM has a lot of characters. A lot. Like, take the biggest cast we ever had (4 characters), and pretty much double it (since Kukui and Rotom are like characters of their own).

That's more than the show can handle. Pokemon struggles, on the best of days, to juggle 4 characters. Even XY, which developed each and every member of the main cast, had issues balancing their development across the series to the point that Serena was on the back burner while Clemont was forefront and then he faded to the background while Serena took prominence; neither was heavily focused on throughout. Let's not even get started on DP where Brock (much as I love the guy) was essentially a walking support system instead of his own character, or AG, where Max hardly felt like he'd developed at all.

So...why is it that they think they can handle developing this many characters in even less time than DP and AG had?

It's already showing. Right now, the characters with the most development are Lillie and Kiawe. Lana has had all of one focus episode, where we don't know much about her other than being a bit of a cloud cuckoolander that wants to see underwater Pokemon. Sophocles has had two, both of which essentially told us he's an insecure individual; otherwise, he's not much different than being a fatter version of Clemont. Mallow...don't get me started on Mallow. Maybe it's the needless praise she got. Maybe it's something else. But for 18 episodes, the girl never did anything.

"Yes, she did! What are you talking about?!" No...No, she didn't. Let's take SM 8. Salandit attacks Lillie. Ash, the butler and Mallow run to her. The butler secures Lillie's safety, Ash and Rowlet attack Salandit, and Mallow...stands there. She doesn't order an attack. She doesn't secure her friend. Like in SM 4 before, she exists as wallpaper.

Then SM 18 happened. Everyone suddenly praised her. Except...it wasn't much different than before. Ash was the one who said "Let's get this nectar". Ash was the one who came up with the idea of using Sweet Scent. And then Bounsweet evolves (despite having done nothing in the series prior) and Mallow orders one attack. One. That's it. That's all she does to actually contribute to the episode about herself. And this remains a constant for her character. "But, Epicocity, she'll develop later!" The point is, she should have already developed, or at least had more of a role in the episodes she was a feature of (SM 4, 8, 14). We should know more about her than "I want to be number one cook!"

In fact, the Bounsweet evolution marks one of the other major issues that I have with the series. The "companions" are just handed things. (I use the term companions loosely, because they are not a cohesive unit, but rather just classmates outside the Ash/Kiawe and Lillie/Mallow bond). Bounsweet and Mallow do nothing on the screen, yet Bounsweet evolves. Sophocles lies and gets a Charjabug for his troubles.

I can already hear your counter-arguments. Really, I can.
"It's not like the series hasn't done this before!" You're right, they have! Dawn got a Togekiss for free, which was BS...however, what made it not BS in the later run was how she trained with Togekiss, because Togekiss was a problem for her routines. They had a whole episode focused on it. In fact, that's what it is. Maybe they would get Pokemon handed to them, though it was usually after a struggle or battle of some sort, but if it wasn't, they'd have to work on something with them (Froakie in XY 3, or even just Serena training her butt off quite consistently, Dawn with routines, May with routines, even Iris and Excadrill and Dragonite!). In SM, however, they just...get them. Other than Ash and Kiawe, no one seems to actively work with their Pokemon and train any problems. It comes off as a Deus ex Machina.

"But Sophocles didn't lie! He was insecure about his friends and couldn't tell them." Okay, it's still a lie. There's a thing called a "lie of omission". It was by that which he gained Charjabug. Yes, he battled it...but Ash was the one who caught it (with a cage...which is another issue I have, but won't discuss here). And honestly, insecure or not, there's no reason to lie. Or maybe it shows how they're not friends and just classmates. Classmates throw parties and are indifferent towards one another often. That works, I suppose.

So, yes, I spent a lot of time on the characters, because there are a lot, but they're not being handled well, and I fear the time constraints will make that all the worse.

3) The Battles

Pretty much the main point of the
Pikachu vs. Hariyama battle, and little else.

What battles? And I'm serious here.

SM, for a series based off a video game whose primary gameplay is battling, there are next to no actual battles in this series. At least, no trainer-to-trainer battles. It's a serious issue because now we're no longer focusing on an important component of the series.

We've had 2 actual, complete, trainer-to-trainer battles from start to finish: the trial (which I count by its nature), and the Grand Trial. We can't even throw Tapu Koko in, because it was, by all rights, incomplete. Neither of them were that great, either. The trial was decent, I'll admit, but the battle with Hala boiled down to "Whose Z-Move is better?" Pikachu vs. Hariyama was slow, clunky, and boring.

But that's all we actually have.

Now, maybe this wouldn't be that bad...except for the fact that by this point we usually have a lot more, at least from recent series (my memory on AG is a little fuzzy, and OS is hardly a good comparison).

DP had two Paul battles, two battles with Nando, 2 Contests, 3 full Gym Battles.
BW had 4 full Gym Battles, 2 battles with Trip
XY had 3 full Gym Battles, a battle with Sanpei, 2 battles at the Battle Chateau, a battle with Clembot

Are we seeing the issue here? This is just trainer battles, too. It makes SM stagnate and become...well, not Pokemon. There needs to be more full battles, and while Gladion might make up for this, it's hardly enough to excuse the previous 26 episodes of fairly empty battles.

And speaking of things that make SM become not Pokemon...

4) The Journey

Look at how vast this region is! Why have we only been stuck to
one island? Or two locations of another at best this far in?

There is no journey. Ash is at home, essentially, or at least in a singular location. The last time he was at home for an extended period of time...he lost the Kanto League because he sat around. Now, of course, he's not the same this time around in terms of his training temperament, but that's not the issue.

What is the issue is that Pokemon, the games and the anime, have always been an adventure story. Not only because the whole point is about going on a journey with your Pokemon, but also because by going on a journey, you get this sense of progression. We're moving to this location. We'll reach that location. It gives you a goalpost, like "I want to be King of the Pirates" (which can only be gotten by traveling the Grand Line and reaching the actual end of it), or even a short term "I want to win the Grand Magic Games for my guild".

However, those goalposts are now removed. Yes, Ash still wants to be a Pokemon Master, but that's always been there. And since it's so ill-defined, we have to use other means to measure his progress, particularly "I want to win this next badge". This is a constant for him: he is always moving. He's always going towards that next challenge. Even in DA! he has a goal: go back home. The boy, by admission, cannot stay still. He's off to Kalos the day after he gets home from Unova, for Christ's sake!

So, why can he now just sit in a singular location and be happy? Why does he not even have a goal that's tangible in regards to what will happen next? That's not Ash. That's not what Pokemon has always been before. And it hurts.

5) Ash's Characterization

No, Ash, you should not make this kind of face in the
middle of a battle.

This is just going to, essentially, encompass what was said above in combination with the sudden butt monkey tendencies he was hit with this series.

In regards to, once again, Ash being in a singular location, is that I wouldn't consider this a problem. Okay, they're innovating. That's fine. I'm down with it.

What I'm not fine with is SM 11. Kiawe mentions Olivia, the next Kahuna. Instead of Ash being eagerly excited about facing her like he is every time he hears about the next gym, he doesn't even mention it. In fact, Olivia and the trials and all of that haven't been mentioned once by Ash since SM 10. That's 16 episodes ago. Not once? This isn't the Ash I remember: the one who is constantly moving towards that next goal, thinking about it, working towards it. I don't care that you're stuck in one place, at least mention the trials. Once every couple episodes, at least. Even something as simple as "Let's train Rock Throw for our next trial!" or "Train Gigavolt Havoc for facing Tapu Koko!" or even..."Next day off, let's go search for Tapu Koko again, Pikachu."

But beyond that, we have Ash suddenly hit with a case of Reality Ensues...at first. At first, SM had the hilarious function of taking Ash's badass moments and showing us what happens when reality gets in the way of them. I liked that for its freshness...but then only Ash started getting hit with it. Teeter Dance in an official (incomplete) battle? Expressions on his uvula? Maybe it's subjective, but there is a time and place for everything. Those were not the time for humor no matter what way you slice it.

In particular is yesterday's episode. "Epicocity, please, that was Sophocles' dream! It's okay if Ash acts dumb." Maybe...except the others aren't. Why only Ash? Why not make everyone have the goofy walk? Then it would be funny, because it would show Sophocles has a poor perception of what angry looks like, rather than just Ash looking stupid because "hey, let's make him look stupid".

"But he's acting his age." Maybe? I don't think so. My best friend at 10 was the class clown, and even he didn't act as bad as the way Ash is acting now. But that doesn't matter because even OS and BW Ash didn't act the way he acts now; he was the same damn age then, and those are the earliest incarnations of him, or one at his very worst. Ash should be beyond that by this point. Remember, over-the-top expressions =/= personality.

Point is, SM has decided to make Ash a caricature of himself at this point by making him a butt monkey, especially where Omode is concerned as a writer. BW may have had Ash as an idiot, but he was still Ash, just a dumber version. Now...I don't even recognize the character I've followed for 19 years, and it's breaking the series in half.

Conclusion

Whew! That was a lot! And in being a lot, I need to sum up my points.

SM has its positives: a strong story arc for TRio, a good Litten subplot, competency in battle and the sprinkling of little plot points. These are things I enjoy greatly.

However, at its core, it is suffering from a lack of anything big happening with the trials, leading to a lack of battling that has been the backbone of the Pokemon series since its inception (the first episode of OS opened with a battle). This leads to further pacing issues and the over-bloated cast getting little development and things handed to them. It also removes the journey aspect that has been prevalent through the entire franchise to this point, including the SM games, subsequently and simultaneously destroying what made Ash, Ash, since he is someone always on the move.

Can the SM anime recover? Yes! And boy, I hope it does! But these criticisms are what they'll have to overcome to do it so it can remain the show I love and not just an episodic attempt to compete with other shows in the demographic.

That said, thanks for reading, and if you have logical counterarguments that check your bias and information at the door, I'd love to hear!

Dare to Be Silly,
Epicocity