How Could Brock Have Been Handled Better?

[weedle_mchairybug]

Brock was great character when used properly and it was truly a pity that writers neglected him at times so much never using him to full potential.His obsession over girls,undrainable source of information and calm and collected attitude made his character providing stability to main cast.

I suppose main reason why writers didn't did more with him was because they probably didn't felt need to increase his screen time being already content with his role of Mr.Exposition and older caretaker for group.And they were right,Brock fulfilled that role nicely but their mistake was in not focusing enough on his own as character and story being often left behind.

I suppose way in which his role could have been increased is:
-give him more focus about his goal of being breeder
-contribute more to plot in general by being little more engaged in battling sometimes
-have him meet more of breeders out there to who he could demonstrate his skills becoming recognized and learn new things from them(like he did from Suzie per say).

I agree, they really should have focused a lot more on that class of his. I was also irritated at how they handled his return in AG. I mean, for goodness sakes, even IF Brock is the cast's cook, that DOESN'T mean they should use some lame excuse like "Ash forgot to get cooking supplies" as a reason for his return, especially when Ash had already survived just fine at least 13 days in Viridian Forest and the entirety of the Orange Islands saga without Brock feeding him. It's also irritating when they make it out to be that Brock is the only one who has any knowledge on medical and cooking things, completely ignoring all the previous times where they cooked and also previous experiences with medical things without Brock's help at all. For instance, the Doc Brock episode had Dawn and Ash being completely useless in diagnosing Pachirisu's cold. Dawn may have the excuse of inexperience, but Ash doesn't, since his own Pikachu experienced those symptoms twice. They actually should have also explained his breeder goal that both gives him some skill yet at the same time isn't made out to be that he is the only one capable of cooking or doing medical diagnosises and thus contradicting past episodes. Oh, and another thing, if he has to have attractions to girls, do us all a favor and DON'T have him act like Charlie Harper all the time, because it makes that stereotype of us Heterosexual Males all the more worse. I used to respect the character in season 1, but after they decided to make him go gaga all over girls, almost to the extent of Charlie Harper in Two and a Half Men or Quagmire for Family guy (not to mention the implication in both the entertainment media and, well, real life, that the only way to be heterosexual is if you act like Charlie Harper, Quagmire, and those kinds of characters [IE, sleep around and actively view women as objects to have fun with until you get bored and then pursue another woman].). It's that irritating, really.

Interesting that you mentioned it because i feel same way.Brock got robbed of from proper departure in my opinion withmany things being left unanswered there.Aside from brief moment of showing Brock studying in room,special was anything but about him with writers blowing their opportunity by turning it in something which was mostly about his brother Forrest and how to save gym from PIA inspector.

For instance we don't know if Brock will open day care center or set on a journey becoming traveling doctor as well not being cleared up what else he might need to do beside studying to achieve his newly found goal.
Whats even worse is fact of losing easily his battle against inspector Joy making him look as weak in end.For someone who didn't battle much writers should at least send him away with bang.

I felt same way about Misty or Max when they left.With Misty she was just randomly called back to gym with no foreshadowing being present staying there mainly out of necessity because of her sisters running away from responsibilities.While her goal of becoming master of water types,ambitions and things going for her in story were left unfinished and uncleared ending up as wasted potential.

While with Max he was just cemented at his father gym not being able to receive closure or continuation of story because of characters not aging in this show creating handicap of never being able to get his first pokemon and start journey as trainer.
So much about that promised battle between him and Ash i guess.

It's funny how you referenced the PIA special as well as Misty's. While I'm GLAD that Pewter Gym actually got investigated by the PIA this time around, and actually did come close to shutting it down, it seems like they took FAR too long to do so. Also, personally, I absolutely HATED how they handled Misty and Brock's departure from the original series, not to mention their way of deciding who returns and who doesn't. I mean, both Misty and Brock have to leave due to issues relating to the gym, yet Misty has to stay as Gym Leader yet Brock gets a free pass to return to the cast despite Pewter Gym being in far worse condition than Cerulean Gym? Here's a statement to the writers: "You're out of your mind!" There's absolutely NO excuse for that poorly thought out decision. The PIA special relating to Misty made clear that, besides the part about a gym leader being absent, there are three ways to fail a PIA inspection course: The Gym is Unsafe, The Gym is Unclean, and The Gym is Uncool. Pewter Gym clearly failed two-thirds of the test (Half, counting the part about the Gym Leader actually being present), since the paint job was clearly not good at all, and it was actually rendered unsafe because, thanks to Lola's decision to make the rock pokemon training areas into a pool, it nearly resulted in several Rock pokemon dying. Heck, I'd have to argue that Lola was an even WORSE gym leader than Misty's sisters, and that's saying a lot. I mean, sure, Misty's sisters may not have been the best gym leaders, but at least they used to be serious leaders until Gary rubbed their faces in their third loss in a row: Lola didn't even take her gym leading abilities seriously to begin with. It gets even worse with Grating Spaces, AKA "A Family that Battles Together Stays Together Part 2", where not only is the paint job even worse than before (thanks in all parts due to Lola allowing Team Rocket (disguised as painters) to basically vandalize the gym), but Forrest (who is supposed to be the Gym Leader, going by the end of the aforementioned Brock special where he has to settle issues with the Gym and his parents), didn't even stop his own mom from tarnishing the Gym even further. What's more, he didn't even fight Team Rocket when they were disguised as Gym challengers, he had Brock and Ash do it. If I were in Brock's position, I'd think "As much as I hate having to abandon my goal as a breeder, it looks like I have no choice but to do so, because I can't even trust my own brother with running a gym properly." Honestly, their keeping Brock on the show despite the fact that his own gym is actually suffering even worse than usual is just a terrible decision on the writers part. Heck, I'm actually surprised that the PIA even kept the Gym in business, seeing how it FAILED enough protocols to result in it being shut down before anyone can say "pie."

It also angers me about the decision to make Misty a Gym Leader because that's exactly like making Misty a new member of Jessie, James, and Meowth's unit of Team Rocket (and trust me when I say this, that means that she is going to end up being cannon fodder and not actually improve). It's not good at all, and even if it is a good start to becoming a Water Pokemon Master, it can only accomplish so much before her skills are drained to the point that she'd lose at the same patheticness as Team Rocket does EVERY SINGLE TIME (I mean, Team Rocket, since Episode 3 has moreorless lost to Pokemon that would have been completely impossible to lose against, in Episode 3's case, a caterpie that not only was completely inexperienced, but also barely even conscious due to its prior fight against a Pidgeot.). Becoming a Pokemon Champion or an Elite 4 is probably far closer, and even THAT probably isn't even the full extent. Beisdes, if Ash isn't willing to give up his journey to accept a position that technically would allow for him to become a Pokemon Master (a Frontier Brain), I don't see why she should be in a gym. Actually, a far better conclusion would have been for her to actually travel by herself to hone her skills so she could do it.

Anyways, pretty much a shame Brock had to go, but after what they had to depict him as, it was for the best, I don't even respect him anymore.

 

[~*!*~Tatsujin Gosuto~*!*~]

I do miss him...but they replaced him with...CILAN D:<

AT LEAST MAKE CILAN A COMPLETE FLIRT WITH THE NURSE JOYS AND OFFICER JENNYS 8D

That wouldn't be a good idea considering the fact if the Pokemon anime were to do something like that, it will bore many fans and upset them because why make an exact clone of your beloved favorite characetr?


:t354:TG

 

[DBZ fan]

I agree, they really should have focused a lot more on that class of his. I was also irritated at how they handled his return in AG. I mean, for goodness sakes, even IF Brock is the cast's cook, that DOESN'T mean they should use some lame excuse like "Ash forgot to get cooking supplies" as a reason for his return, especially when Ash had already survived just fine at least 13 days in Viridian Forest and the entirety of the Orange Islands saga without Brock feeding him. It's also irritating when they make it out to be that Brock is the only one who has any knowledge on medical and cooking things, completely ignoring all the previous times where they cooked and also previous experiences with medical things without Brock's help at all. For instance, the Doc Brock episode had Dawn and Ash being completely useless in diagnosing Pachirisu's cold. Dawn may have the excuse of inexperience, but Ash doesn't, since his own Pikachu experienced those symptoms twice. They actually should have also explained his breeder goal that both gives him some skill yet at the same time isn't made out to be that he is the only one capable of cooking or doing medical diagnosises and thus contradicting past episodes. Oh, and another thing, if he has to have attractions to girls, do us all a favor and DON'T have him act like Charlie Harper all the time, because it makes that stereotype of us Heterosexual Males all the more worse. I used to respect the character in season 1, but after they decided to make him go gaga all over girls, almost to the extent of Charlie Harper in Two and a Half Men or Quagmire for Family guy (not to mention the implication in both the entertainment media and, well, real life, that the only way to be heterosexual is if you act like Charlie Harper, Quagmire, and those kinds of characters [IE, sleep around and actively view women as objects to have fun with until you get bored and then pursue another woman].). It's that irritating, really.

I suppose passiveness of Brock breeder goal was also one of reasons why he didn't get more focus in that aspect since it didn't had much to do with battling or entering competitions posing problem for writers to have his character more actively involved.

However on positive side Sinnoh fleshed out Brocks character more in aspect of being breeder being given finally pokemon egg to display his true knowledge and skills raising it to healthy and powerful Chansey.His skills were often recognized among other characters starting to show interest for doctor calling which eventually led to change of his career.

It also angers me about the decision to make Misty a Gym Leader because that's exactly like making Misty a new member of Jessie, James, and Meowth's unit of Team Rocket (and trust me when I say this, that means that she is going to end up being cannon fodder and not actually improve). It's not good at all, and even if it is a good start to becoming a Water Pokemon Master, it can only accomplish so much before her skills are drained to the point that she'd lose at the same patheticness as Team Rocket does EVERY SINGLE TIME (I mean, Team Rocket, since Episode 3 has moreorless lost to Pokemon that would have been completely impossible to lose against, in Episode 3's case, a caterpie that not only was completely inexperienced, but also barely even conscious due to its prior fight against a Pidgeot.). Becoming a Pokemon Champion or an Elite 4 is probably far closer, and even THAT probably isn't even the full extent. Beisdes, if Ash isn't willing to give up his journey to accept a position that technically would allow for him to become a Pokemon Master (a Frontier Brain), I don't see why she should be in a gym. Actually, a far better conclusion would have been for her to actually travel by herself to hone her skills so she could do it.

Anyways, pretty much a shame Brock had to go, but after what they had to depict him as, it was for the best, I don't even respect him anymore.

Im not so sure that Misty skills would drop as a gym leader because many of them showed to be pretty good trainers and at this place she could learn some things becoming better.
Though i agree how being gym leader can only get you so far,with trainer after that starting to stagnate not being able to learn more explaining why many gym leaders who were at this position for whole life still aren't close to level of stronger trainers like E4,champions etc.Naturally goal of becoming water master Misty can't achieve at this position being needed to travel as well entering certain tasks and learn things and techniques which she cant as gym leader improving as trainer.Many gym leaders leave gym to improve like Wallace who left to become better becoming champion one of best water trainers in world.

Events like Whirl Cup from Johto also showed how there exist some special tasks which someone needs to enter to become master of water types(similar how coordinators needs to do contests or Ash gyms) with Misty dream in reality is connected with traveling.Gym at most can serve as stepping stone though but in order to make steps forward leaving this place to lean new things is required.

Becoming E4 member would provide some good closure to her character being basically achievement of her goal of becoming best water trainer in world. I mean E4 members are best one type trainers in world,something Misty tries to become.

As for Ash having accept Frontier Brain position that wouldn't make much sense though since his goal involves traveling,battling in gyms and winning leagues as well challenging E4 when he gets ready trying to beat champion and win championship.By staying at Frontier Brain position he wouldn't be able to do such things therefore never becoming master which is his ultimate dream.