Ranked #2159

Pokemon Diamond & Pearl

Let's talk about art first. I watched pokemon from the first episode when it came out all those years ago. Compared to the art back then, DP (diamond and pearl...as im sure you know) is amazing. I remember one episode where the screen just flashed red and blue for about ten minutes and pikachu's thunderbolt was just two dull yellow zigzags...i think it was the seizure one in the first few seasons; but now it's improved so much in so many areas, too many infact, so i'm not going to list them all.

I don't really think I should comment on sound since I watched the dubbed version and not the subbed/raw but I will anyway, just a little bit. I thought the voices have deteriorate since pokemon switched companies when May, or Haruka, was still around. But i think everyone had gotten used to the new deeper voice of Ash, or Satoshi. The music, both japanese and english, for DP is quite catchy too and the OST used are used in jus the right places. I hate Staravia's cry though...no offence to the person who does the voice but it just irritates me.

The characters for pokemon are a little bit hard to rate. We still have Ash and Brock, or Takashi, but we have a new female prtangonist: Dawn, Hikari(I think...check synopsis). Ash is still the competitive type and Brock is still flocking to every beautiful woman's side to propose a date. Dawn is...very hard to describe without giving away spoilers, but she gives a sort of fresh sensation to the group which neither May or Misty(I hav not idea what she's called in japanese and i'm not googling it) gave.

The storyline's pretty much the same as any other pokemon series so not much there...and Ash has new pokemons except (big shock?no). I think he kept Pikachu plus another one this time though...intereesting...

If you liked the other pokemon series you're sure to like this one...unless you're a strong believer in the Ash and May love things that are going around on the internet. But even you guys, advanceshippers get a pleasant surprise in Diamond and Pearl. read more

Pokémon Diamond and Pearl. Another continuation of the Pokémon franchise, but, believe me, don't get your hopes up - if you haven't tried to watch it already. Let's face it: THe Pokémon anime isn't great. It's not good. It's bad. D&P has its improvements over its predecessors, sure, but it's still worse.

So, if yo usat a group of people inside a clsoed room, with monitoers covering the walls, showing nostop pokémon, what would the result be? Eyes clawed out? Ears bit off? Or maybe everyone would believe that if they just went on a journey by foot, every day they would meet a new person or creature, undoubtedly befriending them, only to leave them in the evening - for good. And of course, only after fighting off bad guys who does the same day after day, after day. After day.

Yup, that's pokémon D&P in a nutshell. Horrible writing, the same three or four formulas used over and over again (gym battle/training, rival episode, character of the day, contest/training), the same running gags (Fukamaru hitting Pochama with Draco Meteor, Team Rocket's neverending appearances, and. so. on.) If lather, rinse, repeat didn't sit in your head before, it will after watching pokémon.

Of course, for the long-time-fans, here's always soalce to find in its improvements. The very subpar animation is a little less subpar (well, with the raised standards of "par" oveer the last century, maybe it's not really any less subpar), the battles are more entertaining to watch, the characters are, well, a little less flat and annoying (I'm among those who abhored Kasumi's existence), and the contests, tween girl-appealing as they might be, offers a, uh, more aesthetic variant of pokémon battles.

If you don't look in comparison however, there's no light at the end of the tunnel. Characters, flat (but no Kasumi!). Plot, horrible, repetitive and everything's way too long (180 episodes and counting in Sinnoh alone, compared to the 80 episodes of Kanto). Animation, bad (God, I wish it'd look a lot more like Bleach at its peak). Music, -- oh, that I didn't discuss.

The soundtrack is a mixed boat, same for voice acting. To specify, the mix doesn't stem from one character's seiyuu being better than another, but the difference between original and dub. The dub is so substantial in the pokémon franchise that I can't really omit that part in a review, even though I don't really watch it. But anyway! The seiyuu do a fair enough job of the characters. Nothing outstanding though. The English VA's however, oh God. That's Star Wars Holiday Special-bad. And that's almost where the soundtrack in the dub is, too. Iffy themes which you've heard over and over for 600+ episodes of pokémon. But that's where the Japanese version is good; the music, although much from the video games, sound better, fits better and doesn't sound as old and repeated as the dub's themes.

For me, and probably many, one of the few things (aside nostalgia, devotion and fanboy/girl-sim) that really keeps them watching is Team Rocket. The chemistry between them is really amusing, and while their plots and introduction themes are as boring as ever, their speech and mannerism are quite funny still. Aside that, it's all for the kids, this one. Yup, it keeps them hooked, and does it well. Pokémon is, after all, a kids' show, so I'm not that annoyed by its lack of, well, anything. For what it's worth, its persistent themes of friendship, hard work and trust does appeal to kids in a good way, and parents can rest assured that Satoshi, Pikachu and the gang will take their kids through a friendly and safe thirty minutes of action. read more