Watching XY from the start and being disappointed
After I found out YT put all the earlier pokémon seasons for free I (an old fan) got close again to the pokémon anime.
Some days ago I started with XY anime, now 58 eps in (4th badge battle), having watched just a bunch of eps when it came out on the tv I mostly knew the series through the Internet posts and not with my personal experience so I decided to rectify that.
I won't sugar coat it: I think it's boring and with a lot of problems with general episode writings, consistency (either with earlier seasons and in XY series itself) and poor dialogues, or for better saying: the lack of dialogues and interactions that isn't about the TR deal of the day or Clemont's robots (the two best writers' assets to waste screentime imho).
The conversations between Ash, Serena and Clemont are few, shallows and far apart.
Besides the gym battles and the mini arc with Corrina (my fav eps to this point) so few episodes are genuinely enjoyable and too many are a waste of time: forgettable or I wish they were forgettable. I'm watching you ep 18: using one of the best and stunning location of xy games such as Parfum Palace and its garden in the most disrespectful, lazy and stereotypical way the writers could've tried.
For the characterization I have bunch of things to say.
Starting with Bonnie: she's my fav. She's a kid, she's behaving as a cute, warmhearted and spirited kid. I could rewatch the ninja/quick attack training ep just for her and pikachu's sketches: absolutely lovable!
Serena is okay I guess. Her episode with her mother and the skiddo race was good and most meaningful ep about her so far. She's not bad nor excellent but the one's the levelheaded of the group most of the time (with Miette she was a little bit a brat, but it was so light that was cute).
Ash... I've heard so many times XY Ash is mature in this season but maybe not in the earlier episodes? I'm not even at half so it's possible he'll get better. So far, I can't see any of his mature side. He's always in rush, hotheaded but without edge, whiny (I swear I'd like to slap him when he complained to Corrina for the postponed battle).
Besides the pokémon battle he fumbles a lot. For example, once he asked to pikachu to blow up the, out of control, Clemont's robot which's chasing Serena. When he'ld have tried to distance it to her and then deal with it. He risked to put in harm Serena and Fennekin. The flamethrower in his face was totally deserved.
Someone could say he always gets serious and try to save the day and help when the situation asks for but having a good and brave heart isn't the same to be thoughtful and mature.
Then there's Clemont. He is the drag of the show. An half a plot convenience such as he's the cook (the explanation why he can cook doesn't make sense) and he carries three sleeping bags just because one of them is useful to Serena.
And an half the gag character who doesn't add to nothing beyond his screentime wasting, as a matter of facts, gags.
Like his creations that there's no reason he could possibly have for any situation he found himself in, we don't know where he takes his raw materials to building them (at least TR said a lot they're always in bankruptcy because they buy their robots pre made and they are the gag characters) and last but not least we never see him how he gets the ideas to create and work on them making Clemont a gag character who bring out his inventions out of thin air The Mask style but without the 'Smoking!' (or, for the record, 'Smoking' is taken too literally by Clemont).
I'd like to say he's a good and protective brother but he gave the ok to Bonnie to go all alone in the woods in the lapras episode (because plot wanted Bonnie alone). He lost his last writing coherence he had for me.
Ah, I'm feeling more lighter. I could add more like how much all the froakie/frogadier training eps are inspired to Naruto (even coping the hand signes) and other things but I'll stop here.
There's my free complains and first, second?, impressions of this series, I started this hoping for a good time but it's beginning to be a chore. I hope it'll be better. If you're reading 'till this, sorry for the possible discomfort and I wish you a great day.
Bye!