Hello again. I've begun work on my recap of "Baffling the Bouffalant," and I hope to have it out soon; so I can get started on my other recaps I want to do this month. Plus, I'm seeing Star Wars: The Force Awakens when it opens Friday night; so I'll be preoccupied with that.
That said, my other notable childhood obsession is getting its latest movie aired soon. "Pokémon: Hoopa and the Clash of Ages" will be airing on Cartoon Network on Saturday evening; marking the 18th film installment in the long-running series. The film officially introduces the new Pokémon Hoopa to the franchise as a crisis involving a myriad of Legendary Pokémon breaks out in Tahara City, with Ash; Bonnie, Clemont and Pikachu getting caught in the crossfire.
Having seen the film when its Canadian airing leaked online; I would definitely be willing to watch it again for when it officially comes stateside.
There is also another matter to address: The Strongest Mega Evolution Act IV, the final installment in the Mega Evolution specials; will also air on December 26. I plan to finish what I started; which is once again making me change my plans for this year. I still want to recap things for my Chinese Zodiac theme and have something planned for Christmas Eve; but I want to finally be done with these specials.
While I am optimistic about where XYZ goes (having seen up to the debut of Ash-Greninja in Japanese); unless Alan can be fleshed out more as a character, he's beyond saving and must be stopped. I think Andre of Black Nerd Comedy said it best in his look at this year's reboot of Fantastic Four: "There's a difference between making something serious and making something lifeless!"
Despite Alan's words at the end of the Japanese version; it's clear to me that everything that's happened in the Mega Evolution specials is entirely his fault. If he had never taken the Key Stone and Mega Stone from Lysander; none of this would have happened. He was meant as a character that appeals to my demographic; but I honestly don't see the appeal in a dour-faced asshole with little to no justification for what he does. The fact that Kensho Ono and Jonathan Silver are such terrible voice actors really doesn't help.
While not the worst parts of the Pokémon universe I've seen; The Strongest Mega Evolution has been highly insufferable because of the potential it had and never truly took advantage of. There were some great battles and spectacular animation; but they were ultimately bogged down by dull scripts and flat characters that lacked the joy and wonder that I liked about it in the first place.
As for being "darker," here are a few Pokémon anime and manga adaptations that are better than The Strongest Mega Evolution: the Japanese version of the first movie, Mewtwo Returns; the Diamond and Pearl series; Episode N, Origins, Adventures/Special, Diamond and Pearl Adventure, and The Electric Tale of Pikachu. All of these contain better writing and characters than Alan; and they're in many ways, a lot better made.
At best, I could see this rumored interplay between Ash and Alan being handled akin to the former's dynamic with Paul; and to a lesser extent, Trip. Otherwise, I could be totally fine if it never happened at all.
Let me make clear that I'm not against the idea of having new characters or entries in something I love. I'm eager to see what Finn, Rey, and Kylo Ren bring to the table in this new movie as I am for the return of Luke, Leia, and Han Solo. It's just that a character needs to be more than just new if we're going to follow them on their journey. We need qualities that we can sympathize with; so we could theoretically want to associate with them, let alone battle them. I've made it quite clear that I don't think Alan has those qualities; I think Ash does. Even when he battles an Elite Four member or Champion informally; he sees them as friends as much as he does opponents. Alan just looks at someone like Siebold or Malva and sees them as obstacles. I still mean what I said in prior writings about the franchise: if people like Alan become the primary focus of the series; it will inevitably turn the next generation of fans into nihilists if they don't have more idealistic trainers to put themselves in the shoes of.
With the 20th anniversary of the franchise looming over 2016; there will be much to see from everything. Depending on what happens over the course of XYZ; I still find Alan so unlikable that I honestly want to flash-fry him with a well-placed Scald from Volcanion. That is why I am still daring him to prove me wrong. That's all for now. See you space cowboy.
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