Renewing the Anime

Anyone who's been with Pokémon long enough will certainly be familiar with the anime adaptation. It's been present for quite a long time, almost as old as Pokémon itself. In that time, many things have changed just as much as many things have stayed the same. That has led some to speculate about instituting a "renewal" for the anime. It's a neat idea, but it has many considerations associated with it, and some may also be concerned about the process itself. And yet, that "renewal" may be a worthwhile thing based on the considerations.

Some considerations involve the primary character (that is, protagonist) of the anime. Many people, including myself, have grown attached to the protagonist whose name is Ash or Satoshi, depending on which side of the pond they're partial to, so they can't see the protagonist being anyone else. Or rather, it can be someone else, but it won't be considered the "main" series, as evidenced by the many spinoff episodes. Therefore, the main protagonist has to necessarily be Ash, but thematic variations may be possible, even significant ones as with the Alola saga. Even with certain things happening, it seems many will never tire of Ash as the protagonist. I say that's fine, and that will likely remain the way it should be.

Other considerations involve the setting of the anime. On one hand, the setting has to somehow involve the latest region, as this becomes a single point of renewal if nothing else. Variations may be permissible, of course, as with Battle Frontier taking place in places around Kanto, which essentially entailed a revisit. Revisits like these seem to be something that would be neat if it can be done well, but they haven't occurred since then, save for the 20^th movie going back to Kanto for the initial beginnings, but also amounting to a re-conceived original story line. What would be monumental is to try to revisit multiple regions in addition to visiting the most recent one, but that is something that would require massive planning, both in and out of character. The concept could be just as neat as with just a single region.

It appears, though, that some of these considerations have been taken into account. On Sunday, a teaser trailer was released on YouTube for what will be the next chapter of the Pokémon anime. According to the details of the teaser, Ash and Pikachu will remain a protagonist, but they will be joined by a second one: Go and Scorbunny. Moreover, the teaser also indicates that the anime will be set in multiple regions, including the most recently unveiled Galar - a "world tour", essentially, if the messages and visuals are any indication. There is also no subtitle of any kind, unlike for previous regional sagas (which also means that this term may be on the way out). It may be considered a "renewal" in many ways.

For all the times that the Pokémon anime has been around, it has presented many great things, even many of the same things. It's no surprise, then, that there have been calls and concerns about a "renewal" for the anime. Sunday's reveal may have answered some of those calls and alleviated some of those concerns, but much may still have to be seen before anything could be called definitive. Considering the times ahead, fans of the Pokémon anime may just be in for and receptive to some new things and ways, not to mention a new region and a new generation of Pokémon.

One year ago: I Wanna Be a Pokémon (_____)
Two years ago: Playhouses, Children, and Pokémon