37. I haven't watched Pokemon seriously since DPPt ended...the anime died around the same time as the games. I've seen bits and pieces of Unova and Kalos, and the screenshots I've seen of the SM anime suggest that it's a badly animated hell of old references (mostly recently G Gundam?) and throwbacks in a painful-to-see attempt to entice older fans back to the show.
38
Didn't want to talk SuMo or at the very least save this for my Top Series list but I might as well. I'll start with Unova so as to lead into it from where you stopped and simply say that the Ash reset was noticeable and brutal. Ash's Ace in Pikachu, despite the handicap placed upon it, lost to a starter Snivy. Trip, who owned said Snivy came across as a wanna-be Paul while Iris and Cilan(who joined after Ash's first Gym battle, mirroring Original Series that they were trying to recapture) were largely thrust into the background while Ash traveled around obtaining Gym Badges. What hurt the series, to me, was that they tried to turn it into something it's not. They tried to mold it after Kanto with the Misty 2.0 Iris(which she's not) and Cilan with his quirky and bizarre "evaluations" that although set Cilan apart from Brock, also made him irrelevant. Iris' catchphrase of "you're such a kid" was a criticism on Ash(which was justified at times) but got old really fast and was hypocritical at the same time because Iris herself at times acted like one. They didn't give Iris the proper attention or respect she deserved and they added characters that they didn't need to add(like Georgia and Burgundy). The cherry on top that hurt this series was how Ash lost in the Unova League. A great deal was made over Ash's loss in Sinnoh(much less Kalos which I'll get to shortly) but his Unova defeat is god awful. He lost to a trainer with 5 Pokémon as opposed to the maximum of 6. Meaning Ash only had to defeat five and he'd move on. Yet his opponent had a Riolu that evolved into Lucario and proceeded to roll his team that was full of unevolved Pokémon. Save for Krookodile, Leavanny and Unfezant, the bulk of his Unova roster was unevolved. Evolution isn't the measure that we should measure all trainers on the value of strength but it just felt that Ash didn't fully tap into the potential his Unova team could have become.
After getting humiliated in Unova, Ash goes to Kalos where the reset is hardly noticeable. Gym Leaders truly redeem not only the mantle of Gym Leader but also the Anime itself. Every Gym Battle in Kalos was a pleasure to watch, with Korrina and Wulfric the most notable due to Mega Evolution. Will also give a shout-out to Viola(who beats Ash), Valerie(Fairy Type Gym) and Olympia(Psychic Type Gyms always are memorable). It's not often I say that the Anime did better than the games in showcasing the Kalos region but I'll be one of the few, if not many, to bestow that honor on the series. The series isn't perfect by any stretch. Serena took forever to be given a goal to strive for. She pretty much flails in the wind for 38 Episodes before the Summer Academy arc(a rehash of Sinnoh honestly) gives her something to strive for while conveniently introducing the game's side characters/rivals(if you can call them that...) in Shauna, Trevor and Tierno. She also is neglected when it comes to Team captures, ending the series with just three Pokémon, although having one Pokémon in particular that everyone strives to get(and for good reason). What set this region apart, to me, was the purposeful inclusion of a romance between Serena and Ash. Some hated their decision to do this while others claim it's what made them love the Anime again. The romance is rather one-sided but the instances where Serena's crush on the oblivious Ash is brought up are some of the funniest I've ever seen. I suppose I should end with Ash's result in the Kalos league seeing as I brought it up earlier. Everything pointed to Ash winning it. Fully evolved team with 2 Dragons(seriously.. 2 fully evolved Dragons.... not even Iris can claim that!) and yet comes up just short against Alain and his Mega Charizard. It would have put a nice bow on Ash's career as the Pokémon Protagonist but like always, he has to lose.
Ash's maturity in XY/XYZ was far above a 10 year old. So much so that you thought he had been aged to 15 without even being told. Fast forward to Alola and SuMo and this is what you get:
1) Animation/Art Style change. Ash no longer looks like his mature or bad-ass self from XY but looks like he's even younger than the 10 year old he's portrayed to be. His maturity level also doesn't match his XY self one bit. While the change in animation can really take some getting used to, I don't think it's what makes the series bad.
2) Too many characters. Pokémon has traditionally been Ash plus two companions. One being Male, the other Female. The most they've had was three and only twice. First time with Max, a useless fourth wheel during Hoenn and Bonnie during Kalos who actually had a more impactful or enjoyable role by being the "You're a Keeper" instigator and ultimately the caretaker of "Squishy", aka Zygarde during Season 19(XYZ). SuMo takes things to a new level by giving Ash five companions. This ultimately leads to characters being outright ignored and none more so, in, my opinion, than Sophacles.
3) Anime is nothing like the games. Ash's companions are classmates with him at a school. That completely contradicts past seasons of Pokémon where Ash just flat out doesn't do well in a school setting, much less needs a school setting to progress as a Pokémon trainer. To make matters worse, his classmates aren't Trial Captains in training. Heck there aren't even Trial Captains and Ilima doesn't appear until 65 Episodes in(64 in English).
4) Rival disappointment. Gladion is Ash's main rival but so far has been a disappointment. They added in Hau recently but his entrance feels way overdue and rushed. Furthermore is Kiawe a rival for Ash or not? They keep hinting at it but if he is, then he needs more than just two Pokémon and one Z-Crystal.
5) Team Skull is an abject joke. Guzma hasn't even appeared yet and Plumeria, finally, and I mean finally appears next week in Episode 104(you read that right...
104).
6) Brock and Misty are Kanto fan service. When they first appeared in SuMo42 and 43, I thought they'd be used as mechanisms to develop our companion characters in a similar fashion to May with Dawn(or Dawn with Iris...). Meaning I was hoping they'd have an impact on Kiawe, Lana and Mallow. Unfortunately it wasn't the case and were merely used as Kanto fan service. Their recent reappearance in SuMo102 and 103 was more of the same, although they did kind of hint at Brock marrying Olivia in 103(she did catch Burnet's wedding bouquet. Misty, as always, pulls him away so... yeah).
Now SuMo isn't all bad. They did have some Episodes that were notable, such as Episode 21. Best Episode at exploring death in an impactful way that leaves you with a tear in your eye. 100 and 101 are also not bad either. Gives a Back to the Future feel with a divergent timeline or parallel universe. Acerola is the best side character to date(frankly is what makes the series tolerable as they got her character spot on).
Outside of that and Aether Foundation, eh the show frankly sucks.
