2019 Pokemon Season News

[TheGreatOne2]

They could of gotten Veronica Taylor to voice Goh mind you

 

[Light Lucario]

They could of gotten Veronica Taylor to voice Goh mind you

She would have just used her Ash voice for Goh since that's pretty much her voice for young male characters, which would have just made long time fans more upset that she wasn't voicing Ash proper. Besides all that, there's still the possible issue of Veronica Taylor not wanting to work with TPCI after they replaced the original cast years ago. I'm also not sure if TPCI would want to hire her either. They've used other 4Kids era voice actors like Rachel Lillis and Dan Green, but aside from Jason Griffith, I don't think that any of them have been in the main cast of series that TPCI has dubbed.

 

[Media Man]

Is Pokemon Journeys season 23 of the franchise or a reboot? I checked out the first two episodes of the series and noticed something odd. No reference is made to Ash's previous travels, companions or accomplishments.

Example #1 In episode two where Ash meets his new traveling companion Go. Go is given the the choice of choosing his first pokemon a charmander, squirtle or bulbasaur. Instead of making a comment or offering sage advice like "I owned all three you can't go wrong with any of them!" Ash doesn't say a thing.

Example #2 Ash visited professor Oak at his lab. Long time viewers of the series know that the professor is watching over all of Ash's critters from previous series. I found it odd that Ash didn't stop to check up on any of them. (Hey bulbasaur, tauros how's it going?)

Still debating if I am going to keep watching. I think the previous season was the perfect book end to the anime after 22 years and this season is completely unnecessary. Also not thrilled to be in Kanto again. Couldn't we travel to another far away region we haven't heard of before?!

 

[Light Lucario]

Is Pokemon Journeys season 23 of the franchise or a reboot? I checked out the first two episodes of the series and noticed something odd. No reference is made to Ash's previous travels, companions or accomplishments.

No, it is not a reboot. I guess that you missed the shot in Ash's room where they showcased some of his keepshakes from previous series, including his trophies for winning the Alola League and defeating Professor Kukui. It also includes his Indigo League participation award, his Orange League trophy, various Gym badges, his Battle Frontier plaque and his Z-Ring. There's also a Clefairy doll that he might have gotten from Lillie off-screen. That confirms that this series is still set within the same universe/continuity as previous series. Ever since BW, fans seem to be set on the notion that a series has to be a reboot, which is just so annoying to me. There were people so set on SM being in a different continuity right up until Misty and Brock showed up. The same thing basically happened with BW until Dawn showed up too.

Example #1 In episode two where Ash meets his new traveling companion Go. Go is given the the choice of choosing his first pokemon a charmander, squirtle or bulbasaur. Instead of making a comment or offering sage advice like "I owned all three you can't go wrong with any of them!" Ash doesn't say a thing.

Example #2 Ash visited professor Oak at his lab. Long time viewers of the series know that the professor is watching over all of Ash's critters from previous series. I found it odd that Ash didn't stop to check up on any of them. (Hey bulbasaur, tauros how's it going?)

Ash isn't really the type to offer sage advice to begin with, so I think that's expecting a lot from him from the start. Considering how minimal the anime has been with references to previous series since BW, I think expecting more direct continuity nods from the early episodes might have also been expecting too much. Just because Ash didn't reference his Kanto starters or go see his older Pokemon at Professor Oak's Lab doesn't suddenly mean that this is a reboot. There are also some older characters who appear in later episodes to further prove that this is the same continuity.

Still debating if I am going to keep watching. I think the previous season was the perfect book end to the anime after 22 years and this season is completely unnecessary. Also not thrilled to be in Kanto again. Couldn't we travel to another far away region we haven't heard of before?!

I still disagree that Ash winning the Alola League would have been the perfect bookend to the anime. Winning the Alola League did not make Ash into a Pokemon Master, no one in universe referred to him as such and I don't think that the Alola League victory was Ash's best accomplishment. Ash won a Pokemon League, but it was set on easy mode. It still is a noteworthy accomplishment, but it isn't the best thing Ash has ever done either. Defeating Professor Kukui was far in a way more impressive than winning the Alola League in large part because it was a full battle. Winning a Pokemon League that was open to everyone and was mainly one-on-one battles until the semi-finals doesn't really make Ash look that strong of a trainer. There were only three other characters in the Alola League who were battle active besides Ash too. Everyone else was just entering the Alola League for the fun of it.

It's also pretty harsh to say that this series is completely unnecessary. I know that part of it is because you aren't sure if you can be invested in the series after the Alola League and even though I still disagree with that notion, I can at least understand it. However, just because you think that the Alola League victory would have been a good bookend for the anime doesn't make this series unnecessary. You've only seen two episodes and they don't really introduce Ash's main goal for quite awhile. It just comes off as too dismissive and that you aren't giving the series a fair chance.

Ash and Gou's main base is set in Kanto, but the main gimmick of this series is basically being a world tour where they can go to various different regions. Granted, I've heard pretty mixed to negative reactions to this setup, but they aren't going to be in Kanto all the time. I do really wish that we could have gotten a return to the more traditional journey with Ash going through Galar with some new friends, but I have a couple of guesses as to why they didn't do that. As much as I firmly believe that winning the Alola League was not that huge of a deal, I imagine that the writers didn't want to instantly negate the victory by having Ash go through the usual Gym badge challenge. I still hope that the series showcases more of the Galar region, its Pokemon and new characters. If they can still do that while mixing it up with going to other regions, then it might work out.

 

[CyberCubed]

I wouldn't use the word "reboot" but more "fresh start" which is the same thing the anime has been doing since AG started. Every series has Ash drop his team and meet new companions, it's just he gets a new design each series too.

Part of the reasons AG felt so fresh at the time is for the obvious reason it was the first time it happened, it came directly after the long filler-fest that Johto was and most original fans had already drifted from the anime at the time. It's 18 years later, I still remember to this day the sense of excitement the fandom had at the time when it was starting. Of course most people besides fans of a certain character I will not name. But the rest of us cheered and celebrated at the time, and of May's popularity paved the way for all the new female companions that came in after, as well as convinced the writers to move on from the original trio forever.

By the time DP began it felt already kinda redundant, especially with Brock's return yet again, but the very first DP ep focused entirely on Dawn was the best intro to a new character they ever did, but DP re-used a lot of stuff done in AG so it didn't feel as fresh as before. I'd argue SM and maybe to a lesser extent XY's beginnings were the next biggest fresh starts.

That's why no matter how many new sagas or new female companions are introduced in the anime, most of us always think back to the OS to AG transition, for the obvious reason that it was the the first one, and May being the first new female companion was one of the most important character replacements of the series. It's kinda ironic that the anime over these last 18 years all dates back to that moment. Had it not been well received, I wonder if we'd just be sitting in variations of the original trio with new designs to this very day.

 

[Media Man]

No, it is not a reboot. I guess that you missed the shot in Ash's room where they showcased some of his keepshakes from previous series, including his trophies for winning the Alola League and defeating Professor Kukui. It also includes his Indigo League participation award, his Orange League trophy, various Gym badges, his Battle Frontier plaque and his Z-Ring. There's also a Clefairy doll that he might have gotten from Lillie off-screen. That confirms that this series is still set within the same universe/continuity as previous series. Ever since BW, fans seem to be set on the notion that a series has to be a reboot, which is just so annoying to me. There were people so set on SM being in a different continuity right up until Misty and Brock showed up. The same thing basically happened with BW until Dawn showed up too.

Lucario:

I rewatched the opening of episode two and saw what you mentioned. But the scene is so short that if you blinked, you have missed it. I also watched episode three this weekend. Team Rocket returned and further reenforced what you had said [as they were blasting off again] Pokemon Journeys is a successor series.

I like the show's new open. But I am not sold on the anime's new direction after Alola. Ash's new position as a professor's research fellow is fine. His pairing with Gou [sorry about this misspelling] is fine but they really need to get out of the Kanto region. If feels too much like re-traveling on a road that we have traveled before.

Episode 3 dealt with bulbasaur and its various evolutions [yawn].

I have been watching the anime since the summer of 1999 when I was in master control and aired first season [which was syndicated] for the audience who watched the television station where I worked. After 22 seasons I can say the following without bias:

SHOW ME SOMETHING NEW!!!!

Some place Ash hasn't been to. A new region!! New pokemon! Please do not remix old stuff and put it in a shiny new package.

"After seeing every episode ever broadcast in the US and Canada, I will give the series a few more episodes to AMAZE me. Like seasons 20- 22 did.

 

[Light Lucario]

Lucario:

I rewatched the opening of episode two and saw what you mentioned. But the scene is so short that if you blinked, you have missed it. I also watched episode three this weekend. Team Rocket returned and further reenforced what you had said [as they were blasting off again] Pokemon Journeys is a successor series.

I like the show's new open. But I am not sold on the anime's new direction after Alola. Ash's new position as a professor's research fellow is fine. His pairing with Gou [sorry about this misspelling] is fine but they really need to get out of the Kanto region. If feels too much like re-traveling on a road that we have traveled before.

I'm not surprised that the scene is that short, but it still confirms that this is still set in the same continuity. I refer to Goh as Gou all the time, but I might go with the dub spelling like I normally do.

Episode 3 dealt with bulbasaur and its various evolutions [yawn].

I have been watching the anime since the summer of 1999 when I was in master control and aired first season [which was syndicated] for the audience who watched the television station where I worked. After 22 seasons I can say the following without bias:

SHOW ME SOMETHING NEW!!!!

Some place Ash hasn't been to. A new region!! New pokemon! Please do not remix old stuff and put it in a shiny new package.

"After seeing every episode ever broadcast in the US and Canada, I will give the series a few more episodes to AMAZE me. Like seasons 20- 22 did.

This has been a common complaint at least for the early episodes based on what I've seen. I don't know if they'll drop the world tour aspect of the series anytime soon. That seems to be the main gimmick of Journeys, but without getting into too much specifics, they do eventually start to focus a bit more on Galar. A trailer showcasing various upcoming episodes before the hiatus started showed new Pokemon and characters, so there is going to be some new stuff involved in the series.

 

[Media Man]

I saw episode 4 last weekend. Much better episode. New setting. New Pokemon. I hope Ash and Gou stay there and not come back... for a while.

 

[zoombie]

Okay next episode we have an old character coming back. I don't remember which one she was on, BW or XY, those shows kind of mixed together?

Anyway if old characters are going to be returning, I hope Serena returns. I like to see her and Hikari become friends, I think they would get along, Hikari desperately needs more screen time. This is just the Satoshi and Go show so far.

 

[Light Lucario]

Okay next episode we have an old character coming back. I don't remember which one she was on, BW or XY, those shows kind of mixed together?

Anyway if old characters are going to be returning, I hope Serena returns. I like to she and Hikari become friends, I think they would get along, Hikari desperately needs more screen time. This is just the Satoshi and Go show so far.

Korrina is a Kalos Gym Leader, so she was in XY. She traveled with Ash and his friends for a few episodes while she tried to master Mega Evolution with her Lucario. Korrina's appearance does open up the possibility of other older returning characters. Serena returning would be nice, but I'd rather see Dawn and May instead. It's a shame that we never knew how May did in the Johto Grand Festival or see how Dawn did with the Hoenn Grand Festival either.

 

[CyberCubed]

It'll probably be awhile before any old main character appears, they're not even showing Bonnie/Clemont when they live in the main Kalos city.

Revisiting Alola will be very difficult to avoid old characters there which is probably why they're holding off. Other than Lillie and her family, all the other SM characters should still be there so I don't know how they can avoid showing them all when Ash goes back there.

 

[Light Lucario]

It'll probably be awhile before any old main character appears, they're not even showing Bonnie/Clemont when they live in the main Kalos city.

I'm not sure if they've been to Lumiose City yet in the new series. I could see them at least getting a mention when Korrina shows up.

Revisiting Alola will be very difficult to avoid old characters there which is probably why they're holding off. Other than Lillie and her family, all the other SM characters should still be there so I don't know how they can avoid showing them all when Ash goes back there.

Both Lana and Sopholces also left Alola at the end of SM. They could have already come back from their vacation trips, but right now, Kiawe and Mallow are the only classmates to still be in Alola. It would be difficult for them to avoid showing SM cast though. Not only because of how relatively small Alola is, but it would be so jarring for Ash to show up in Alola and not even check in with Professor Kukui and Burnet. They were considered Ash's Alola family and they showed that Burnet was pregnant at the end of SM too, so Ash just going to one of the islands and not saying anything to them would be pretty disappointing. There's also the whole detail of Ash being the first Alola League Champion. While I still have mixed feelings on that League, I suspect most people in Alola would recognize him just for that alone.

Although, I think that it's also just too early for them to revisit Alola. The current series hasn't even been out for a full year yet. They probably want give it a bit more time so that fans will miss Alola more and be more excited to see it again. It is strange that it took them to long to do something with the sixth generation though.

 

[CyberCubed]

Funny the previous discussion when the Alola cast is coming back next week, or rather, Ash/Go are visiting Alola. Everyone except Lillie and her family are there.



Old Pokemon and family. I hope it's more than one ep but even if it isn't Ash/Go will return to Alola again in the future.

It's kind of ironic the SM cast became so popular, as you can see on twitter they're all universally loved. The only SM character I don't care for is Sophocles and Mallow was sadly underused, but otherwise I'm happy to see them back.

It's funny all these new female leads and casts are so popular, I fully expect to see more old characters in the future like Bonnie/Clemont and a few others.

It's also kinda funny how even though SM only ended like 5 months ago, seeing them again is oddly nostalgic. Really shouldn't be since SM just ended, but it feels that way either way.

 

[AdrenalineRush1996]

Funny the previous discussion when the Alola cast is coming back next week, or rather, Ash/Go are visiting Alola. Everyone except Lillie and her family are there.



Old Pokemon and family. I hope it's more than one ep but even if it isn't Ash/Go will return to Alola again in the future.

It's kind of ironic the SM cast became so popular, as you can see on twitter they're all universally loved. The only SM character I don't care for is Sophocles and Mallow was sadly underused, but otherwise I'm happy to see them back.

It's funny all these new female leads and casts are so popular, I fully expect to see more old characters in the future like Bonnie/Clemont and a few others.

It's also kinda funny how even though SM only ended like 5 months ago, seeing them again is oddly nostalgic. Really shouldn't be since SM just ended, but it feels that way either way.

I wonder why Lillie is absent in this.

 

[zoombie]

I am disappointed we didn't have Team Rocket in this episode and have their Alola reunion, though I don't how it would fit this episode. But the episode ending does leave the window open, that we will be back in Alola.

And at some point we better see Lily and her father reunited.

 

[Light Lucario]

I am disappointed we didn't have Team Rocket in this episode and have their Alola reunion, though I don't how it would fit this episode. But the episode ending does leave the window open, that we will be back in Alola.

And at some point we better see Lily and her father reunited.

Considering all of the reunions and introductions they had to fit into one episode, I think it would have been hard to include Team Rocket reuniting with their Alola Pokemon. I'm sure that they'll eventually be back in Alola. They can't really ignore the region or its cast when region hopping is one of the main gimmick of Journeys, so I'm sure that they'll go back eventually.

It would be nice if they spent more episodes in different regions. Aside from Kanto and Galar, they usually just spend one episode in a region before going to another one or back to Kanto. It wouldn't necessarily need to be more two parters, although that would be nice too, but just traveling through a region for a few episodes so that they can do a bit more with the setting and make each region feel more distinct.

As for Lillie, I'm pretty sure that they'll do something with her storyline of finding her father at some point. Maybe she'll run into Ash and Goh while they're searching for Mohn. Since they addressed that she is still traveling with her family here, they'll probably do something with it down the road. It would be kind of weird for the reunion to happen off-screen at this point.

 

[zoombie]

As for Lillie, I'm pretty sure that they'll do something with her storyline of finding her father at some point. Maybe she'll run into Ash and Goh while they're searching for Mohn. Since they addressed that she is still traveling with her family here, they'll probably do something with it down the road. It would be kind of weird for the reunion to happen off-screen at this point.

Instead of Ash and Goh, how about Ash, Goh, and Chloe. One of the biggest disappointment of this show, is the lack of Chloe having much of a role. Her arc is not knowing what to do with her life, maybe someone like Lillie could be an influence. Though I think Serena is a better choice to help Chloe, since she went though a similar arc.

 

[Light Lucario]

Instead of Ash and Goh, how about Ash, Goh, and Chloe. One of the biggest disappointment of this show, is the lack of Chloe having much of a role. Her arc is not knowing what to do with her life, maybe someone like Lillie could be an influence. Though I think Serena is a better choice to help Chloe, since she went though a similar arc.

Not having a girl within the main cast in general is definitely a huge flaw of the series. It's so strange too considering that most of the previous female leads were popular in their own right. Not to mention both XY and SM included more girls within the main cast than we normally get. I like Chloe and she comes off as a unique kind of female lead, but she really should be more of a prominent character.

Serena went through something similar, but I'm not sure if they'd bring her back to help Chloe, mainly due to how I don't think Chloe would be interested in Pokemon Showcases or Contests. It would be nice to see more older characters in Journeys, especially when the world traveling aspect provides them a more natural reason for Ash to just suddenly run into them too.

 

[CyberCubed]

I think the opening might get updated featuring different old characters returning every so often. While Lillie and her family are guaranteed an episode, I wonder if we'll see scenes of Bonnie/Clemont, etc. in the opening at some point. Ideally every old character should get a cameo return, but I know we won't see all of them.

Iris and Cilan can admittedly go either way, I could see them getting an ep or not appearing at all. Cilan's Japanese VA is popular and it was enough for the writers to bring him back for a Bonnie/Clemont special that aired in 2016 after XY ended. Besides them there will probably be another inevitable Misty/Brock appearance even though we just saw them in SM, but with the lab in Kanto after all it's probably going to happen.

Dawn is probably likely in 2021 at some point if DP remakes happen. I don't think she would get a 9 ep return this time like in BW though, this series doesn't do long arcs. May even without VA issues is unlikely, she's now too old for the younger fans to be familiar with her and most old fans are around 30 years old now and out of the target audience. I'm on social media like twitter and I still see a lot of dislike for May and Max to this day, sadly, so I don't think we'll see them. Just today I saw someone say they like Hoenn as a saga but they hate May and Max, and they don't like rewatching it for that reason. May hasn't been part of the anime for almost 15 years now and I still see people hate the character or find her annoying, I wish I was exaggerating but I've seen the post online (if anyone is curious I could PM them)

So as I said ideally I'd like to see everyone, but I know we probably won't.

 

[Light Lucario]

Dawn is probably likely in 2021 at some point if DP remakes happen. I don't think she would get a 9 ep return this time like in BW though, this series doesn't do long arcs. May even without VA issues is unlikely, she's now too old for the younger fans to be familiar with her and most old fans are around 30 years old now and out of the target audience. I'm on social media like twitter and I still see a lot of dislike for May and Max to this day, sadly, so I don't think we'll see them. Just today I saw someone say they like Hoenn as a saga but they hate May and Max, and they don't like rewatching it for that reason. May hasn't been part of the anime for almost 15 years now and I still see people hate the character or find her annoying, I wish I was exaggerating but I've seen the post online (if anyone is curious I could PM them)

I'm not sure how May would be too old for younger fans if they'd be willing to bring back Dawn. Even if she becomes more marketing relevant again due to potential D/P remakes, she hasn't appeared in the anime for over a decade, so she'd be in a similar boat to May in that regard. Plus, you made a similar argument about Misty never appearing in the anime prior to SM too. Misty didn't get a proper appearance for well over a decade until SM. Yeah, she is more iconic by comparison and it was done in part to celebrate the anime's 20th anniversary, but I don't think that the length of time between May's last appearance would necessarily be a huge problem. If they can bring back Misty and Brock and explain who they are to the target audience relatively easily, then they can do the same for May.

I also don't understand what social media hate has anything to do with this. It isn't that I don't believe you about what you've seen, but just that it shouldn't really be a factor as to whether or not they decide to bring back a character, especially when I'm assuming that you're more familiar with English based social media accounts. Maybe they'd factor it in a bit more if you're talking about Japanese fans, but even then, it would involve people well outside of the target demographic. If they really put that much attention to how people on social media feel about the characters and anime, then Ash would have been replaced at least a decade ago and the anime itself would be drastically different. I've seen a ton of hate towards Goh since the series started too, but that hasn't made them remove him from the series.

In terms of other returning characters, Lillie, Gladion, Misty and Brock are pretty safe bets. I think that Brock is still a traveling Pokemon Doctor in training, so I don't think he's back in Pewter City, but he'd still be relatively easy to bring back. I'm sure that they'll eventually end up at Misty's Gym again. I think that there's a good chance that they'll bring back Serena, Clemont and Bonnie. They already brought back Korrina, so I think having some of the proper XY main cast members appearing should be relatively easy. Dawn has a pretty good chance if they do D/P remakes and especially if they want to introduce Goh, and by extension the audience, to Pokemon Contests. I'd love to see May, but the only reason why I'm less certain about her chances is due to her voice actress. Iris and Clian could appear, but I wouldn't be too shocked if they're skipped.

The world traveling aspect of Journeys does provide the writers with an easier excuse to bring back older characters. It's easier to justify why these characters are returning if Ash just randomly runs into them while going through a certain region, but it's hard to say if they'll do that more often. That being said, they did bring back the SM cast way earlier than I expected. I didn't think we'd have Ash reunite with them until at least a year into Journeys, so doing the Alola return trip sooner hopefully means that they'll be more willing to bring back older characters with this series.