Opinions and Thoughts on May

What do you think of May? Did you like her as a character? Do you think she was a worthy replacement for Misty? How could she have been improved?

Discuss generally anything about May in this thread, but keep in mind the topics of the other active May threads. Also please try to keep discussion away from the other characters unless you use them to compare with May.

How could she be improved? Ahh, let's see. How about NOT making her like the Fiorello Fangirls, Maron (Krillin's ex) from Dragon Ball Z, the girls from Battle Vixens, or the girls from Love Hina (in other words, a Hina stereotype)? How about actually HAVING her try to risk her neck trying to rescue Manaphy when Phantom kidnapped him late into her movie instead of dithering like a coward and having Ash save the day again in what was supposed to be HER movie (honestly, Misty in the Mirage Kingdom arc at least actually tried to aid and defend Togetic against Colonel Hansen when it was in trouble during a similar event)? How about having her NOT cry at all when she lost the Kanto Grand Festival, or at least having her doing the same as or worse than before (I mean, seriously, Ash didn't cry when he had something similar happen in the Silver Conference, so why have her cry? It makes her seem like a huge sore loser, really. I mean, I'd forgive it if it was her first Grand Festival and/or she did horribly at it, but not only was it her second Grand Festival, she actually did far better than before.)? How about actually having her seem like she actually did have some hesitations to going to Johto and leaving her friends instead of coming across as just being glad they are off her back (from what I've read of the episode discussion on SPPf, her departure was extremely rushed)? How about actually giving her a reason for even bothering to go on a journey at all, never mind joining Ash (let's face it, she's tied with Serena for having the least justification for even going on a journey. While with Serena it was literally solely because of Ash, with May, she basically hated Pokémon, so being 10 or not, which I'll get to in a moment, she has zero reason to even bother going on a Pokémon journey at all, even if she DID get out of that rut)? Heck, how about they either make her chest very small, about as small as Misty's at least, or otherwise actually make SURE she's a much older age so her chest wouldn't come across as jarring (like, I don't know, make her 14, maybe 16 at the oldest. At least that rack wouldn't make her look like a Love Hina girl if she were 14 or 16). Seriously, Misty, Iris, and Dawn were 10, yet at least they actually LOOKED like they were 10 in the chest area, with Misty in particular even being explicitly referred to as flat-chested and scrawny. Oh, and cut down on the fanservice, especially the bit from Brave the Wave where she stripped in front of company (it may have been off-screen, but Max's reaction made pretty clear it was a striptease, actually got naked in front of everyone).

As far as whether I liked her character, seriously, even without her replacing Misty, the fact that she basically was a Hina stereotype was enough to make me hate her guts. The fact that they heavily sexualized a 10 year old (and made no bones of hiding it either per what Masamitsu Hidaka stated) also doesn't help either. I don't even like Dawn either, so don't think it's because she replaced Misty. Even if Misty was still on the main cast and May joined, if May's characterization was like that, I still would have hated her (heck, back before I actually saw, however briefly, an episode of AG, I barely even cared that May replaced Misty since I wasn't watching Pokémon anymore, and believe me, I knew she replaced Misty because I saw an article showing pictures of AG). Now, maybe if May were actually depicted in a manner closer to Misty, like not being a Hina stereotype for starters, I actually could at least tolerate her.

As far as a worthy replacement? You kidding me? I'm sorry, but May (or Dawn, for that matter. Actually, the only Pokegirl who came close to even being worthy was Iris due to her coming the closest to Misty in the scale of whether she was a Hina stereotype or not) is far from being a worthy successor.

Sorry if it's harsh for what I said, but you did ask what I thought of May, and gave you exactly what I think of her.

I liked her a lot and she's still to this day one of the best developed characters of the show. The Contests were a great addition to the series, she had great rivals in Drew and Harley, and she also had great development and battles.

She wasn't handled perfectly as she had a few cheap wins, but overall she's one of the most memorable female companions of the anime. Even if the Contests had never existed I probably still would have liked her just because of how funny and entertaining her character was.

Ah, May. She has to be my most favourite character in the pokemon series to date.

98Gamingstar said:

Ah, May. She has to be my most favourite character in the pokemon series to date.

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I second this, May is regarded as my most favorite character in the anime series to date and the games as well. Dawn is a close second naturally as well, but in May's case, I think she is fine as she is.

Tbh, she's the best trainer in the entire series lol. She's had the most character development, she has the best team, and she's accomplished more than literally any other character, Ash included. She had the most rivals which always made things interesting, and she had relationships with these rivals that made things a little less shallow like they were with Ash and all of his rivals or whatever.

They should just trash the main series and do a complete reboot with only May, js.

I wonder if May already became a Top Coordinator ! She did Beat Zoey.
However , The Anime will avoid this by never showing her again .
Honestly , Sometime it feel like May achieve more then Ash did in his life!
She popular enough to be called ''Princess of Hoenn"! Everyone recognize her before she introduce herself.
While Ash to tell everyone that he was *** in *** League ! He practically a Nobody compare to May .
Everyone was cheering for May in her 1st grand Festival defeat While Everyone was mocking Ash during his 1st league defeat .
I atleast hope Ash will not suffer any more humilating defeat in the League only to see Unova League .
Writers really did pour all their love on May!
Seriously , Sometime I wish Ash could get same amount of Writer's Love May receive from them.
Is it possible the current Writer hate Ash for May departure So they humiliate Ash to express their anger???
Let be honest , Ash being defeated by an Idiot on 6 vs 5 Battle ! Its worst writing from every part and those writer should be professional enough to know that.
Which mean , They wouldn't allow it unless they have some sort of grudge or anger toward Ash fans.

weedle_mchairybug said:

How could she be improved? Ahh, let's see. How about NOT making her like the Fiorello Fangirls, Maron (Krillin's ex) from Dragon Ball Z, the girls from Battle Vixens, or the girls from Love Hina (in other words, a Hina stereotype)? How about actually HAVING her try to risk her neck trying to rescue Manaphy when Phantom kidnapped him late into her movie instead of dithering like a coward and having Ash save the day again in what was supposed to be HER movie (honestly, Misty in the Mirage Kingdom arc at least actually tried to aid and defend Togetic against Colonel Hansen when it was in trouble during a similar event)? How about having her NOT cry at all when she lost the Kanto Grand Festival, or at least having her doing the same as or worse than before (I mean, seriously, Ash didn't cry when he had something similar happen in the Silver Conference, so why have her cry? It makes her seem like a huge sore loser, really. I mean, I'd forgive it if it was her first Grand Festival and/or she did horribly at it, but not only was it her second Grand Festival, she actually did far better than before.)? How about actually having her seem like she actually did have some hesitations to going to Johto and leaving her friends instead of coming across as just being glad they are off her back (from what I've read of the episode discussion on SPPf, her departure was extremely rushed)? How about actually giving her a reason for even bothering to go on a journey at all, never mind joining Ash (let's face it, she's tied with Serena for having the least justification for even going on a journey. While with Serena it was literally solely because of Ash, with May, she basically hated Pokémon, so being 10 or not, which I'll get to in a moment, she has zero reason to even bother going on a Pokémon journey at all, even if she DID get out of that rut)? Heck, how about they either make her chest very small, about as small as Misty's at least, or otherwise actually make SURE she's a much older age so her chest wouldn't come across as jarring (like, I don't know, make her 14, maybe 16 at the oldest. At least that rack wouldn't make her look like a Love Hina girl if she were 14 or 16). Seriously, Misty, Iris, and Dawn were 10, yet at least they actually LOOKED like they were 10 in the chest area, with Misty in particular even being explicitly referred to as flat-chested and scrawny. Oh, and cut down on the fanservice, especially the bit from Brave the Wave where she stripped in front of company (it may have been off-screen, but Max's reaction made pretty clear it was a striptease, actually got naked in front of everyone).

As far as whether I liked her character, seriously, even without her replacing Misty, the fact that she basically was a Hina stereotype was enough to make me hate her guts. The fact that they heavily sexualized a 10 year old (and made no bones of hiding it either per what Masamitsu Hidaka stated) also doesn't help either. I don't even like Dawn either, so don't think it's because she replaced Misty. Even if Misty was still on the main cast and May joined, if May's characterization was like that, I still would have hated her (heck, back before I actually saw, however briefly, an episode of AG, I barely even cared that May replaced Misty since I wasn't watching Pokémon anymore, and believe me, I knew she replaced Misty because I saw an article showing pictures of AG). Now, maybe if May were actually depicted in a manner closer to Misty, like not being a Hina stereotype for starters, I actually could at least tolerate her.

As far as a worthy replacement? You kidding me? I'm sorry, but May (or Dawn, for that matter. Actually, the only Pokegirl who came close to even being worthy was Iris due to her coming the closest to Misty in the scale of whether she was a Hina stereotype or not) is far from being a worthy successor.

Sorry if it's harsh for what I said, but you did ask what I thought of May, and gave you exactly what I think of her.

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May was a okay but she wasn't the best female trainer on the entire show, to me she was just as bad as Dawn was during her time on the show.

The only female character that is worthy is Misty and Iris. Misty was never stated to be flat-chested, i mean she do have a little big chest for a 10 year old.

Piks said:

May was a okay but she wasn't the best female trainer on the entire show, to me she was just as bad as Dawn was during her time on the show.

The only female character that is worthy is Misty and Iris. Misty was never stated to be flat-chested, i mean she do have a little big chest for a 10 year old.

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Actually, she was stated to be Flat-Chested. Though I can understand why you wouldn't know that because the episode revealing that was banned overseas and the one time it actually aired as a lost episode they cut that bit out. Yes, I'm talking about the episode "Beauty and the Beach", and I think it was stated twice. Once when Ash first sees Misty (resulting in a well-deserved smack from a beach ball), and the second was from Team Rocket (predictably, it was when James proceeded to cheat by using inflatable boobs, the scene that was pretty much the reason the episode was banned.).

weedle_mchairybug said:

Actually, she was stated to be Flat-Chested. Though I can understand why you wouldn't know that because the episode revealing that was banned overseas and the one time it actually aired as a lost episode they cut that bit out. Yes, I'm talking about the episode "Beauty and the Beach", and I think it was stated twice. Once when Ash first sees Misty (resulting in a well-deserved smack from a beach ball), and the second was from Team Rocket (predictably, it was when James proceeded to cheat by using inflatable boobs, the scene that was pretty much the reason the episode was banned.).

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No. Misty was never stated to be flat-chested. I did watch the ''Beauty and the Beach'' for myself, the only thing i remember Ash saying is Misty finally looking like a girl and that was about it, he didn't say anything about her being flat-chested.

Since y'all are so eager to discuss the chests of adolescent females, can you at least keep it relevant to May?

Piks said:

No. Misty was never stated to be flat-chested. I did watch the ''Beauty and the Beach'' for myself, the only thing i remember Ash saying is Misty finally looking like a girl and that was about it, he didn't say anything about her being flat-chested.

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Dub or Japanese version? I know that something along the lines of Misty being flat chested was at least stated by James shortly after he used fake boobs in that swimsuit contest (basically, he mentioned she'd have these [the breasts] when she got older). That should keep it clear that, UNLIKE MAY (since Wobbu stated to keep it relevant to May) Misty was not big chested at all. And I definitely remember it being mentioned they said this in either Pokecommunity or SPPf.

Come on, guys. I really fail to see how May's bust impacts her character in any lasting or meaningful way. I mean sure, they did overdo it more than a little - especially considering her apparent age - but the funny thing about things like this is that you can choose to ignore it if you really want to, and focus on the things that actually matter. Say, how said character is portrayed in the show, and not how they appear physically. Beyond the standard girlish vanity every single female travelling companion of Ash's has displayed at one point or another, May never flaunted herself. She was not a fanservice character. It's a trivial detail that has zero relevance upon the character portrayal of these characters, and only becomes a big deal when people can't get their minds out of the gutter, and/or is focused on entirely the wrong thing when watching the show.

I'd also remind you that these things hit people at different ages, but that isn't wholly relevant, and besides that I did think it was excessive. But was it important enough to warrant a meticulous discussion about it? I don't think so. But that's just my two cents on the matter.

So. Whilst I think May's character development was a tad rocky - especially when compared to Dawn - I think she was a far more interesting character than Misty, as she had a clearly defined goal that she worked towards. Misty was never anything but a travelling companion to Ash. She had her own goals and aspirations, yes, but how many times did we get to see her work towards those? Four, maybe five episodes?

May's journey was always shoved aside to make room for Ash, and he never showed as much interest in her progress as he did Dawn's, but the point I'm making is that May was a HUGE part of the Advance series and the Battle Frontier. Contests were as big a thing as gym battles, if not more so, because they often lasted more than one episode. May developed as a character on her own, and not vicariously through Ash as Misty did.

Personality-wise...eh, I didn't find much about May to hate. She started off fairly interesting, but once she found what she wanted to do with herself, she became another Ash, essentially. She had her moments, but she's not a hugely memorable character. It's a shame she had to drag her little brother around with her...

Meloetta said:

Come on, guys. I really fail to see how May's bust impacts her character in any lasting or meaningful way. I mean sure, they did overdo it more than a little - especially considering her apparent age - but the funny thing about things like this is that you can choose to ignore it if you really want to, and focus on the things that actually matter. Say, how said character is portrayed in the show, and not how they appear physically. Beyond the standard girlish vanity every single female travelling companion of Ash's has displayed at one point or another, May never flaunted herself. She was not a fanservice character. It's a trivial detail that has zero relevance upon the character portrayal of these characters, and only becomes a big deal when people can't get their minds out of the gutter, and/or is focused on entirely the wrong thing when watching the show.

I'd also remind you that these things hit people at different ages, but that isn't wholly relevant, and besides that I did think it was excessive. But was it important enough to warrant a meticulous discussion about it? I don't think so. But that's just my two cents on the matter.

So. Whilst I think May's character development was a tad rocky - especially when compared to Dawn - I think she was a far more interesting character than Misty, as she had a clearly defined goal that she worked towards. Misty was never anything but a travelling companion to Ash. She had her own goals and aspirations, yes, but how many times did we get to see her work towards those? Four, maybe five episodes?

May's journey was always shoved aside to make room for Ash, and he never showed as much interest in her progress as he did Dawn's, but the point I'm making is that May was a HUGE part of the Advance series and the Battle Frontier. Contests were as big a thing as gym battles, if not more so, because they often lasted more than one episode. May developed as a character on her own, and not vicariously through Ash as Misty did.

Personality-wise...eh, I didn't find much about May to hate. She started off fairly interesting, but once she found what she wanted to do with herself, she became another Ash, essentially. She had her moments, but she's not a hugely memorable character. It's a shame she had to drag her little brother around with her...

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Regarding the bust, when you remember that bombshell Masamitsu Hidaka stated regarding why they are replacing girls, not to mention how she was depicted in a similar manner to the Fiorello Fangirls from the episode Princess vs. Princess, Maron from Dragon Ball Z (Krillin's ex-flame, I should remind you), the girls from Love Hina, and the like, you'd realize fully why that was a huge bone of contention for me and for plenty of Misty fans and even some of May's fans (I know Cybercubed, even after defecting to May's side and bashing Misty in a blunt arrogant manner, still had some issues with her chest size). The fact that they kept Brock and if anything upped his womanizing gag to a significant degree in AG also makes this revelation even worse. And BTW, even early bloomers don't get a chest at that size by Age 10. Mathematically, assuming she gets an inch a year, that would mean she started developing at age six, which is extremely unrealistic.

And yes, she actually was a fanservice character. Aside from the fact that Masamitsu Hidaka made that very clear regarding May and Dawn's roles in the series in that WPM interview (To give you a reminder: "So then I said, "Why can't you just ditch Brock, have Ash, have Misty, and then bring in a new boy? That would be switching up things instead of having a new girl." His following answers made me laugh my head off I had to pick it up off the floor and reattach it. He stated that they like to switch up the girls because it gives the boys some new eye candy every once in a while. He also said girls are more customizable and you can change their outfits, like when they are in their bathing suits (yes, he specifically said that). He also said Ken Sugimori designs a new girl with each generation and that gives them another excuse to switch the girl, though I reminded him that there is also a new boy with each generation too, and it wouldn't hurt to use them." Source: http://pokebeach.com/2008/07/second-pokemon-interview-with-masamitsu-hidaka-many-interesting-points And it's even worse when you realize the girls are 10.), May actually ended up stripping into a bikini offscreen, with the implication that May actually got naked in front of them (and please don't tell me she just had that underneath her clothes. Max made very clear from his panicked reaction that she didn't.). Episode is Brave the Wave. You can even find a GIF of this on SPPf. And I can show you a few images where May's butt was actually stared at by Max and Brock in a very obvious manner.

And anyways, May's goal and its development ultimately ended up pointless (heck, AG itself ended up pointless considering Ash didn't even increase in rank, in fact coming out no differently than he had in Johto) especially when she just ended up replaced by Dawn just to have her do the exact same thing, so no, it truly didn't matter. And BTW, if she were truly separate from Ash in development, she wouldn't have even travelled with him in the first place, as she had no reason to even bother travelling with him at all. Even Serena had more of a reason than May did, or the other girls barring Misty (which was only necessary because of the bike. That's still more than what May, Dawn, or even Iris had). It's also a lot more pointless considering that you don't even get the end credits when you play the contests in the games (actually, on second thought, you barely get ANYTHING out of them. Probably the only really mandatory thing that you might get out of it is Milotic, and even that's only necessary if you want to complete the Pokedex without relying on trades). Say what you will about Misty and Iris's respective type mastery goals, at least THOSE actually can get you the end credits simply by beating the league with a team composed of a specific type, either purely or of a primary/secondary type.

Oh, and for the record, Misty actually did a lot of things independent of Ash in her run on the show, like saving Porta Vista from the Tentacruel, the episode Princess vs. Princess where she fought in that contest, the Whirl Cup, not to mention the capture of Horsea, Psyduck, Togepi, Poliwag, Corsola, the fight for Totodile, her winning that race that set the events of the movie, the Seaking competition, not to mention evolving several of her Pokémon.

weedle_mchairybug said:

Dub or Japanese version? I know that something along the lines of Misty being flat chested was at least stated by James shortly after he used fake boobs in that swimsuit contest (basically, he mentioned she'd have these [the breasts] when she got older). That should keep it clear that, UNLIKE MAY (since Wobbu stated to keep it relevant to May) Misty was not big chested at all. And I definitely remember it being mentioned they said this in either Pokecommunity or SPPf.

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If i remember correctly, i think that it was stated one time by James that Misy was flat chested are atleast in the Japanese version, but that's not saying much since james had fake boobs for a Bikini contest, Misty has a chest but it is not big and niether.

I would weather keep this topic on May since the thread is only about her.

Piks said:

If i remember correctly, i think that it was stated one time by James that Misy was flat chested are atleast in the Japanese version, but that's not saying much since james had fake boobs for a Bikini contest, Misty has a chest but it is not big and niether.

I would weather keep this topic on May since the thread is only about her.

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Tell that to fans on both sides of the aisle regarding May's chest size. Even Cybercubed, one of her biggest fans, was put off by her chest size especially considering her age. And yes, it was actually bigger than Misty's. It was unrealistically big, even for early bloomers in fact.

Either way, I already stated my views on the character, first post after the TC post.

I liked the character May. Really liked how they build up her character. In the beginning she seemed really nervous to become a Pokemon trainer and now she doesn't seem nervous anymore.