Closure

[Kenshin5]

With every Saga we seem to have out with the old in with the new. But some times does it seem like the old traveling partners don't get an adequate enough departure? For you did you feel that character really accomplished the goals they set out to? And if they were revisited did that solidify anything for you or make it worse?

For instance for me I don't feel several characters departures properly...

Misty - She was essentially forced to go back to the Cerulean gym after her sisters went off on some extended vacation. It seems even after her sisters return that she is forcing the leader position on herself cause he is afraid it will get shut down. Well Misty what happened to your dream of becoming the best Water trainer? Can you be the best if you are copped up in a gym. For me it would be better to get back to Misty one of these days.

May - I am not as discontent with how they handled May as opposed to Misty as she actually gets to continue her journey to become the best Coordinator. But I would have preferred her to win the Grand Festival the second time around. I feel at least they made progress with her from the time we saw he in BF to her reappearance in DP.

Max - I feel they have or maybe at this point had a lot of potential with Max. He has the keen intellect to be about anything he wants to be in the pokemon world so lets see where his story goes. Ash did promise to battle him when he became a trainer and Max has battled, befriended pokemon, and shown a knowledge for battling in the past so for me it all lines up for him to be an exceptional trainer. But then again it all hinges on if Ash progresses, cause he is as nooby as ever in BW and still 10 at that.

Dawn - Dawn like May also got to continue on her journey and we know she is headed off to Hoenn. Although I really hope she gets more then a special.

Brock - We know what he is planning to do, which is become a pokemon doctor, but like Dawn I'd like to see more of a special since that really doesn't do justice to Brock. Especially considering Brock has been with Ash since the beginning outside of Orange Islands. Even in the special it wasn't really focused on Brock per say but the Pewter Gym and Forrest.

So for me some characters like May and Dawn at the very least we know the direction they are taking. I have seen May progress and I feel like Dawn does that she will get out of the shadow of her mom and one day surpass her. Other characters though I feel they need to show as more before they close the book on them so to speak. So how do you all feel about this?

 

[Mew~]

I don't nessesarily think they needed to do anything like accomplishing their goals (or anything close) during their time (by that I mean on-screen). I suppose what the anime really shows in this aspect is reality. Which I know is a really strong word to use considering this is Pokémon. But I suppose what the writers were trying to convey was that their goals weren't easy at all. Look at how long Ash has been traveling, and he still hasn't even won a league, never mind become a Pokémon Master. I suppose it shows just how long the road is. I think what I'm looking at is, even though they aren't in the episode we're watching, the Pokémon Anime still has it's own little world, and things going on besides Ash (just look at those specials, particularly the ones put together in Chronicles) just look at Misty, she'd changed quite a bit after we saw her when Ash got back from Hoenn, she'd gotten a new Pokémon and clothes, which certainly shows characters like May and Dawn are still continuing with their journeys, acomplishing new things, even if not on-screen.

 

[Kenshin5]

Yes off screen progress definitely needs to be taken into account. I mean look at how much May progressed from Point A to Point B after the lay off. At least for me I'd like to see an end result or a summation of the fruits of their journeys and daily lives. I have no doubt there is many things done off screen irrc before Ash battled AJ near the beginning of his journey he said he won 10 straight battles or something like. I guess I am just eager to see results and an actual continuing account of their journeys rather then a small cameo.

 

[DBZ fan]

Technically every past traveling companion story was left unfinished, except maybe Tracey who achieved his dream of becoming prof.Oak assistant finding his true calling.

Misty story was definitely left untied. Her goal of water pokemon master was left unfinished and several things were left unexplored and unanswered about her past,dreams,pokemon and ambitions not being fleshed out enough as character.
We saw her going on journey to become water master at end of Johto being randomly called back to take care of gym out of obligation, later on staying out of necessity and because of incompetent sisters(with writers making clear how being gym leader isn't on list of character dreams nor she can achieve goal of water master there as original series and Whirl Cup showed)), with components of story being left at standstill.

You could say how others like May or Dawn didn't achieved their dreams either but with them you could at least see how they actually received some sense of closure. They came to significant realization how to achieve their own goals,being written out in a way which served as indication of further progress being made. With Misty everthing was rushed with no foreshadowing, taking gym out of obligation with no step forward which would show how she came closer toward her own dreams ever being done.
And while she got some development in hosos like getting over Gyarados fear,eaning sisters respect etc.problem is that cameos and chronicles didn't resolved plots of Misty story in any way or provided indication that further progress is being made toward them not being established character future plans, never getting over flaws which are standing on her way of growing forward with things being left undefined.Heck even in last cameo "Real Cleffa Hanger"when she talked with Max, she complained how she wish that sisters would finally acknowledge her and help her out feeling frustrated that she doesn't have anone to rely on and leave gym to his hands when going out. So she hasn't resolved completely issue with siblings either with writers leaving so many things unanswered.

Definitely has potential to return as main character with writers not doing justice here.

With May she didn't accomplished her goal and we never saw her developing her own style as coordinator getting out of Ash influence. Even in Wallace Cup you could see how she still tends to battle more like trainer than coordnator in battling rounds showing how she still didnt established her own way.
So there are left things which should be tied up about her character.

Dawn didn't achieved her dream true, but she showed she is already competent and knowledgeable enough having skills to become top coordinator with second place in Sinnoh GF confirming that. Aside from that almost everything going for her was resolved, from issues of feeling afraid of never fulflling mother expectations,to lose of confidence she restored and conflict with rivals.
You could say she got some decent closure to her story.

Max left with no real closure, being stuck at gym , never receiving his first pokemon nor starting out journey as trainer.Probably never will either since characters don't age in this show.So poor kid is stuck in loop having delicate situation.
So much about that promised battle with Ash,it will hever happen if formula of anime doesn't change.

Brock as we saw at end of Sinnoh finally realized what he wants to do in life,viewing doctor calling as step forward from breeder career. He understood how this way he can learn alot more about pokemon healing and how to help them out, but proper closure still hasn't been provided though.
Disappointment with his DP special lied in fact how it barely focused on Brock new career being mostly centered around saving gym and his brother Forrest. We don't know what else Brock needs to do other than studying to become doctor, if there exist some special tasks he needs to pass and examinors(its different being pokemon than real life doctor). We don't know if he plans to open daycare center in Pewter or going somewhere else, or if he plans to become traveling doctor leartning from other specialists and helping out in different regions he goes to.

Writers really don't know how to write out characters,introducing new ones before they even finished business with previous ones, feeling pointless all this character replacing when older companions has potential to be done much more with them.

 

[psyanic]

Max will forever stay in his gym, until everyone else ages as well. So that includes Ash, but someone from the company said they'll keep Ash 10 forever until the end of the show. Too lazy for the interview link, but bear with me here.

I don't think anyone will get good closure. Ash is still on his journey after years of traveling around. I don't think he's that close to being a Pokemon Master. This applies to everyone else. May and Dawn are just like Ash, except they're coordinators rather than battlers but the overall goal is still the same. If we wanted to see what they would be doing, they'd just be walking around or studying (Max & Brock). They don't exactly need closure. I'm sure most of them will make a few cameos so you can see their progress in their respective fields.

Like May appeared in the Wallace Cup and did pretty well in it, evolving a few of her Pokemon and showing a higher level of independence. I thought that was a good look at how well she was doing. She even changed her outfit.