As I expected, Ash looks horrible in the SM saga 'cause of the animation change imo. I would've been happy about Team Skull appearing weeks ago, but now that Pokemon is becoming a copy of Yo-kai Watch to appeal to little kids more, I expect disappointment. :/
I am actually understanding your point here, because I have watched some episodes of Yo-Kai Watch and I noticed the series has a mainly happy, kid appealing art style. Considering Yo-Kai Watch has been Pokemon's notable threat popularity-wise in recent years, it kinda was expected Pokemon would eventually take ideas from Yo-Kai Watch.
Sun & Moon is a series that I think will resonate with kids, but not long-time Pokemon fans. The drastic change to the anime format of Ash's quest is definitely making veterans salty but we'll see if that stays after the series starts.