The Animation/Art style is a noticeable and eerie change for those that have been watching the Anime for some time, especially if you liked the Kalos series where a lot of people considered Ash looked like a mature badass. Then you see Sun and Moon and the reaction is pretty much a universal WTF!? Since there is no League(so far, things might change), the travel aspect has largely been removed save for one trip and roughly 8 Episodes on Akala Island. Everything else has occurred on the island of Melemele.
Then throw in the anemic pace of captures and Evolutions(although that's an unfair criticism, even by XY standards), the lack of battling(only two Kahuna battles, one rival battle that was interrupted and a few Totem trials(including Lana's)) and you get a very bland and fillerish series so far.
Is it Pokemon? Yes but to quote Hikamaru from another thread, it's trying to be something it's not and ultimately that's hurting it big time so far. With them bringing back Brock and Misty for a couple episodes(if not more), perhaps this series may redeem itself in time.
I agree with you, Ilove Pokemon and I adored XY(Z) with all my heart.
I DO watch Pokemon Sun and Moon. I can ignore the lack of gyms, the aweful school concept etc. But the new artstyle still ruins it for me.. Even tho Misty and Brock r back, something I've been waiting for SO LONG, they feel like diff characters since they look different. I am trying to get used to it, don't get me wrong, but that's how I feel for now. I think that XY/movie 20th artstyle was PERFECT and I dont understand why they couldnt keep using that in SM.
I also dont want Serena to show up, as much as I LOVE her character, since I don't want to see her in that goofy artstyle. I feel like the characters went into Pegasus Cartoon world from Yu Gi Hoo ( If any1 knows what Im talking about hehe).
Thats all <3
I'm that person CodeHelmet mentioned, but I will still give you my input.
Personally, I don't like this saga at all. The art style is extremely crappy and makes characters' faces look dorky (especially you, Ash) plus it pulls a complete 180 with the format, abandoning the travelling aspect in favour of taking place at a school on Melemele Island. There's also much less battling than ever, in fact we've only just a very small amount so far compared to other series.
And now Ash himself... where do I begin! I'm someone who enjoyed Ash in DP and XY because he was actually showing maturity, but unfortunately like how DP was followed up with BW which turned Ash back into a complete noob, SM follows a similar "reset" of Ash but while this time his battling skills weren't reset (seriously, he's been like defeating the trials so easily at the moment which I am annoyed at). However, his personality was a huge downgrade compared to the previous series, in that he's acting way too childish and also seems to have a sudden addiction to ice cream, so much to the point it'll be his only way to get motivated. Also, unlike previous series he doesn't show any signs of dedication to his goal. Then there's his new design... not only does his face look creepy, but he's also got his worst outfit to date because it was literally copy and pasted from the S/M games, except with a red hat.
The new companions aren't too bad, but Lillie is the only one I care about. Sadly, their group chemistry with Ash is very lackluster, to the point it made Iris and Cilan in BW look better in comparison (and you know it's bad when BW is looking better). Thankfully, Misty and Brock will be appearing in a few episodes next month, but I don't think it'll be enough to save my disdain for this series.
And finally, the overuse of comedy and slapstick. This series has Ash being an absolute Butt Monkey who seems to get attacked by every single Pokemon, on top of being extremely childish and dumb. But I saved the best... or I mean, worst for last and that is there are a lot of over-the-top facial expressions. These faces appear so often that it completely ruins the feel of some episodes, and has been pushing a lot of people away from the anime.
As Weedle said, I stated that Sun & Moon is trying to be something that it's not. The school slice-of-life format and Rotom Dex's role show it's trying to copy Yo-Kai Watch, while the forced comedy is something commonly seen in shows like Teen Titans Go! as well as two crappy Cartoon Network reboots that I shall never speak of.
Personally, I'd say watch a few episodes before you make a final decision on if this series is for you or not.
I think you're overblowing this a little bit. Yes he's really childish compared to being mature and confident in XY, but in every series and even XY he had his childish moments. He's ALWAYS pigged out on food whenever given the chance. I disagree he's showing no dedication to his goal-- he's been wanting to battle whenever he sees the opportunity and they still have him mention being a Pokémon master, it's just that he's been slow with completing the trials and he has a less than full team. And he's always been attacked by Pokémon or something else in some way. The childishness is even more apparent this season, but I think it's just that everything in Alola is new to him and he's overexcited and having fun. Ash certainly isn't the best example to show to kids though, I'll give you that.And now Ash himself... where do I begin! I'm someone who enjoyed Ash in DP and XY because he was actually showing maturity, but unfortunately like how DP was followed up with BW which turned Ash back into a complete noob, SM follows a similar "reset" of Ash but while this time his battling skills weren't reset (seriously, he's been like defeating the trials so easily at the moment which I am annoyed at). However, his personality was a huge downgrade compared to the previous series, in that he's acting way too childish and also seems to have a sudden addiction to ice cream, so much to the point it'll be his only way to get motivated. Also, unlike previous series he doesn't show any signs of dedication to his goal. Then there's his new design... not only does his face look creepy, but he's also got his worst outfit to date because it was literally copy and pasted from the S/M games, except with a red hat.
And finally, the overuse of comedy and slapstick. This series has Ash being an absolute Butt Monkey who seems to get attacked by every single Pokemon, on top of being extremely childish and dumb. But I saved the best... or I mean, worst for last and that is there are a lot of over-the-top facial expressions. These faces appear so often that it completely ruins the feel of some episodes, and has been pushing a lot of people away from the anime.
Agreed with Sophacles, he's mostly non-existent besides his focus episodes and the one early one with him and Ash in the mall and he's annoying. Kiawe is sometimes a really cool character and I wish he had some more lines in episodes (there's some where he only has 1 or 2 short lines in the beginning and that's it), although I don't like when they make him over-excited or give him some really over-the-top expression.Kiawe has had several Episodes(11 and 34 being the notable ones but 28, 29, 30 and 33 have some comedic moments). Sophacles I honestly question why he's there but if you like the fatter version of Clemont, then Episodes 6 and 26 are his time in the spotlight(with 32 cementing his typical nerd stereotype). As for Ash, 4, 9, 10, 15, 21, 27, 36, 37 and 38 are worth noting(captures and important battles). Also has a decent comedic moment in Episode 28.
I think you're overblowing this a little bit. Yes he's really childish compared to being mature and confident in XY, but in every series and even XY he had his childish moments. He's ALWAYS pigged out on food whenever given the chance. I disagree he's showing no dedication to his goal-- he's been wanting to battle whenever he sees the opportunity and they still have him mention being a Pokémon master, it's just that he's been slow with completing the trials and he has a less than full team. And he's always been attacked by Pokémon or something else in some way. The childishness is even more apparent this season, but I think it's just that everything in Alola is new to him and he's overexcited and having fun. Ash certainly isn't the best example to show to kids though, I'll give you that.
I do agree about Ash's design and the over-the-top facial expressions. Ash's design could definitely be better, especially compared with the other characters. I keep thinking the Z-move animation would look even cooler with the XY design. The facial expressions are mostly unnecessary, and some are borderline creepy to the point that I'm surprised the dub keeps them in.
I will say you should've watched episodes one and two before going into forums tho. it's important to experience media yourself before heading into any discussion. You're the one to decide if the show has value for you, not other people.
Never forget that.
The only thing that's going to make the Sun/Moon anime saga potentially bearable is Misty and Brock's return (especially Misty's return), not to mention the possible return of Pidgeot as well after how Ash thanks to the AG writers essentially pulled a Damian on Pidgeot. Other than that, I'm sorry, but having Ash essentially going back to school despite his never indicating a need for school is far beyond the pale. The animation style quite frankly is not my cup of tea either, but I'd forgive even that if they at least kept Ash doing his goal instead of basically ripping off Emperor Kuzco in Emperor's New School. They didn't do even that.
I can tell you Ash's Bulbasaur will be appearing, so it's not going to be just Misty and Brock returning.
Yeah, I know. And I also noticed that Jigglypuff's returning as well (I think this is the first time Jigglypuff appeared since... what? The Whismur episode way back in AG?).