Unfortunately, a lot of people seem to have certain design expectations of what a Pokemon should look like. I feel that Honedge's design alone is enough for it to be shunned by some people, because of it being just a floating sword (as they see it, with all due respect), and pretty much nothing else standing out from it. It should come as no surprise as these standards are set relatively high each and every single generation, and people, in their minds, have some specific hope of what a certain particular Pokemon is going to look like, or perhaps hope that a certain Pokemon they desire is going to be made, if that makes sense.
Of course, if a Pokemon is made, and if it falls relatively short of expectations, there's going to be a bit of moan and groan about it, whether it be about to design, the name, or otherwise. For me, I'm not bothered because I just want to see what it's competitively capable of, as that part sticks out to me more than anything else (as well as what moves it can learn, of course!).
