Imagine a world where children gain independence and responsibility at the age of ten. They are free to roam and battle with creatures that only seem to exist in our wildest dreams. This is the world of Pokémon, where fantasies come alive and people strive to be “the very best.”
2016 marks the 20 year celebration of Pokémon! Throughout the long lasting series, the main character, Ash, travels to different regions along with his trusty Pokémon partner, Pikachu. In contrast, some of the companions and Pokémon have changed as well. There has been numerous changings of voice actors; nevertheless, the Pokémon community has grown from the original 151.
Even though many want the series to continue, there are those who are dubbed a “Genwunner," which means that they are people who refuse to believe in the continuation of new Pokemon in the series. They have many arguments on why the later series can never amount to anything against the earlier series. Such arguments like the new Pokémon are ridiculous in nature, the voice actor of Veronica Taylor is the one and only voice of Ash Ketchum and the new friends that Ash travels with are annoying.
I completely understand the feelings that this must have invoked in the Pokémon fandom. However, people need to accept the fact that we cannot always get what we want. The Pokémon are seemingly thought out and they happen to bring new life into the series. If they had just stuck to 151, then Ash’s dream of being a Pokémon Master would no longer be a challenge and the series would have ended long ago. People must also take into consideration that this is a Japanese anime. We, as Americans, have little to no say about what new Pokémon should and shouldn't be created. We should just be grateful that they give us their material because if they didn't, then the games that we play and the show that we watch would not have even been given to us.
Another issue that is present is the fact that when they got rid of Taylor, it wasn’t her choice. She continuously states that she would love to be Ash again. But, nonetheless, they wanted someone new. The voice in the Battle Frontier arc by Kayzie Rogers admittedly was not very good, but the new voice of Sarah Natochenny has been on the show since 2006, and it has been ten years since then. I have been a fan of the show since it came out, and I think she does a brilliant job as Ash. I think he sounds more mature for one who is still ten in body but older in spirit due to the fact that he has traveled so much.
Ash also had several companions like Misty, Brock, Tracey, May, Max, Dawn, Iris, Cilan and now currently has Clemont, Bonnie and Serena. I understand the fact that this is one’s childhood, but just saying that Misty and Brock are the best companions undermines the characteristics of the companions he’s previously had and the ones he’s currently traveling with. If he had started with Iris and Cilan, then people would say that they are the best companions he’s had. I think people are more biased to the earlier seasons because they fear change and the loss of their childhood.
But I believe that if Pokémon were to end now then people would be wishing for more seasons. I just believe that we should be grateful that it still exists compared to other shows that has ended too soon. We should just be thankful that a long running piece of our childhood is still present in our lives. People need to be more open-minded and just accept the fact that change is inevitable!
