News: Two Familiar Faces Appear in the Pokémon Sun and Moon Anime!

[Rajas20]

Maybe, but on the other hand, it does come across as extremely unusual to tease those two constantly regarding reappearances, far more than a two-episode run would suggest, ESPECIALLY considering that the prior times characters made a return (Misty for both the Mirage Kingdom arc and Ash's return to Kanto; May for that Wallace Cup, Dawn for... well, BW, and Charizard fully rejoining Ash's team in the same series Dawn returned), heck, Ash even returning to Kanto at all for the Battle Frontier for that matter, it wasn't even given NEARLY as much focus in the time leading up to it via various teaser stuff like posters, concept art being released, teaser screenshots, trailers, blogs, you name it. And the Battle Frontier bit was especially notable since that actually occurred around the leadup to the 10th anniversary of the entire franchise. I suspect that there's a lot more to this than just two episodes even WITH it being a major milestone (10 years is a pretty big milestone as well. That didn't get even HALF the attention this got). Heck, that poster that's being released with that issue that's due out tomorrow actually is used on the same scan as that interview.

However, as long as Misty is allowed to actually pursue her Water Pokémon Master goal again, I'll even settle for two episodes if that's what it is.

EDIT: BTW, a high quality image of the spread has just been released:

https://twitter.com/pKjd/status/905842442036846592

Yeah I get what you are saying in that aspect of promotion, I feel like maybe they're trying to consolidate S/M itself by making up for some of the negative feedback? Maybe they really just want to promote the past within this series to give it some more depth? I'll just be happy getting some answers as to what they were up to and seeing Ash's pokemon. Also the high quality pic nearly brought a tear to my eye.

 

[Rajas20]

Bringing back past characters is a double edge sword when it comes to grading a series. On the one hand, it's great to see the old companions of Ash and yet on the other, what does bringing back past companions say about your current crop of characters? Unless the current cast has something to gain out of them coming back, its only harmful to the series overall as the current cast would essentially be shoved into the background while thrusting past characters into the limelight just to salvage or boost lagging interest within the Anime(which is a fact for Sun and Moon).

So unless Kiawe, Mallow, Lillie, Lana and Sophocles actually gain something of value from these Episodes, it's merely a nod to the older series and hence puts them in a better light as opposed to the current series they're trying to buoy up to keep from sinking into the depths of irrelevancy.

When Misty came back, what was it for? Pretty much to show off Togepi's Evolution and for nostalgia kicks(and the fact Misty was a pro at keeping Brock in line) whereas the second time she came back, she opened Max's eyes to the value of having older siblings.

With regards to May's return, it was a time when Dawn was in a deep rut or depression having lost two Contests in the appeals round. May used her experience and advice to break Dawn out of her funk and ultimately helped her win the Wallace Cup.

Dawn's return, frankly, was purely for Piplup merchandise, although one could argue it was meant to give Iris advice on how to try and control her Dragonite(since Dawn had issues with Mamoswine). Iris has yet to return and it hasn't even been a year yet for Serena(aka its TOO SOON FOR HER RETURN!!!).

Agreed with your assessment there, it really is probably a boost to the characters to teach them some new stuff. Could see Brock helping Lillie at least. With the interview which said that future regions may be revisited, maybe just a big tease to keep us interested as well?

 

[Alexander18]

Misty and Brock returning is good but it won't save SM anime. Their new designs are bad as Ash. As much as i like their return, there is just too much of downsides to the series.

Ash has not battle lillie and hope he won't. If he had, then he won with ease which made the battle pointless. I rather see him battle an actual trainer such as Misty.

 

[CodeHelmet]

Misty and Brock returning is good but it won't save SM anime. Their new designs are bad as Ash. As much as i like their return, there is just too much of downsides to the series.

Ash has not battle lillie and hope he won't. If he had, then he won with ease which made the battle pointless. I rather see him battle an actual trainer such as Misty.

You do realize that Ash has battled Lillie but was at the end of an Episode(SM30). When Ash battled Lillie at the end of SM30, Lillie had Pikachu while Ash had Snowy. While Ash is the more experienced trainer, Lillie had the far more experienced Pokemon at her disposal. Considering Pikachu knows Iron Tail(a Steel move that is super effective on Ice types), its quite possible that Lillie would have won that battle had they showed it since even though she's inexperienced, she makes up for it by studying up and preparing beforehand.

 

[Alexander18]

You do realize that Ash has battled Lillie but was at the end of an Episode(SM30). When Ash battled Lillie at the end of SM30, Lillie had Pikachu while Ash had Snowy. While Ash is the more experienced trainer, Lillie had the far more experienced Pokemon at her disposal. Considering Pikachu knows Iron Tail(a Steel move that is super effective on Ice types), its quite possible that Lillie would have won that battle had they showed it since even though she's inexperienced, she makes up for it by studying up and preparing beforehand.

Vulpux is not more experience than Pikachu. It would not have won. Lillie should not win. If it did then i would not like the series and lillie even more. It is bad writing to have Ash lose to someone like her. I rather Ash lost to Cameron again.

Anyway, i don't mind who wins between Ash or Misty as long as it is a good battle.

 

[weedle_mchairybug]

Bringing back past characters is a double edge sword when it comes to grading a series. On the one hand, it's great to see the old companions of Ash and yet on the other, what does bringing back past companions say about your current crop of characters? Unless the current cast has something to gain out of them coming back, its only harmful to the series overall as the current cast would essentially be shoved into the background while thrusting past characters into the limelight just to salvage or boost lagging interest within the Anime(which is a fact for Sun and Moon).

So unless Kiawe, Mallow, Lillie, Lana and Sophocles actually gain something of value from these Episodes, it's merely a nod to the older series and hence puts them in a better light as opposed to the current series they're trying to buoy up to keep from sinking into the depths of irrelevancy.

When Misty came back, what was it for? Pretty much to show off Togepi's Evolution and for nostalgia kicks(and the fact Misty was a pro at keeping Brock in line) whereas the second time she came back, she opened Max's eyes to the value of having older siblings.

With regards to May's return, it was a time when Dawn was in a deep rut or depression having lost two Contests in the appeals round. May used her experience and advice to break Dawn out of her funk and ultimately helped her win the Wallace Cup.

Dawn's return, frankly, was purely for Piplup merchandise, although one could argue it was meant to give Iris advice on how to try and control her Dragonite(since Dawn had issues with Mamoswine). Iris has yet to return and it hasn't even been a year yet for Serena(aka its TOO SOON FOR HER RETURN!!!).

To be fair regarding the current cast and past characters, considering Lana has a similar goal to Misty (well, Misty's goal prior to being forced by her sisters into running Cerulean Gym anyway, which reminds me, she REALLY needs to get back to her goal), Misty could show her the ropes and act as a mentor, so if anything Lana would actually BENEFIT from Misty returning at least temporarily if not permanently, and Mallow and Kiawe would at the very least receive some similar advice from Misty regarding type specializations and apply them to their own goals of being a Grass Type and Fire Type trainer, respectively. As far as Sophocles, I'm pretty sure Brock could help with him, being a Pokemon Doctor and all, and as far as Lillie, I'm pretty sure Brock would use his past experience as a breeder and Misty would use her past fear of Gyarados to help her get over her fear of Pokemon. So in reality, there's actually a LOT of potential to make Misty and Brock quite useful to the current cast and NOT shove the current cast into the background. And not just those two, I can even see the likes of Iris, Max and Clemont being very useful to the current cast regarding Sophocles.

 

[Alexander18]

It be good to see Tracey, May and Dawn come back. They can always get another voice over actor for May. I do not want Iris and Serena to appear. Bad enough we have lillie who is as bad as them in my opinion.

I wished they left Misty and Brock's design alone. They look weird. They probably do the same to the other companions that might appear.

 

[Frozocrone]

I wouldn't count on Tracy returning, he's not in the VA list for next week (and presumably not in the episode after). He's also not very popular being replaced by the guy who he was meant to have replaced.

 

[weedle_mchairybug]

It be good to see Tracey, May and Dawn come back. They can always get another voice over actor for May. I do not want Iris and Serena to appear. Bad enough we have lillie who is as bad as them in my opinion.

I wished they left Misty and Brock's design alone. They look weird. They probably do the same to the other companions that might appear.

We'll probably see Tracey come back due to being at Oak's lab, or if he's absent, we'll probably get a written-in absence to explain why he couldn't make it. So far as May and Dawn, we'll probably see Dawn in Johto, since that's where she was headed (IF she hasn't already gone through there). May's most likely going to be back in Hoenn, or in Sinnoh, and that's assuming they're going to convince KAORI to do a guest voice for her for old times sake or even replace VAs. We know thanks to that article that we're probably going to revisit the other regions besides Kanto anyways.

Don't know why you don't like Lillie, though. If it's her total fear of Pokemon, considering it's implied that her mom had something to do with the fear (and it may be similar to in the games), she certainly had a far more understandable reason for being afraid of Pokemon than May did regarding outright hating Pokemon, which if anything practically insulted the profession of Pokemon training when she decided to become a trainer even though she outright hated Pokemon (the entire POINT of Pokemon training is to, you know, train them, bond with them, actually befriend them and work with them for a very long time, and someone who flat out hates Pokemon should NOT be a trainer at all). I could care less about Lillie either way, though.

And while Misty and Brock's designs may require some getting used to (that said, Misty's design definitely looks a LOT better than Ash's SM design), I can assure you that their characterizations are going to remain intact, for better (Misty) or for worse (Brock). Besides, as long as Misty's allowed to pursue her Water Pokemon Master goal again without her sisters forcing her back into the gym again, I'll tolerate the redesign.

 

[CodeHelmet]

Vulpux is not more experience than Pikachu. It would not have won. Lillie should not win. If it did then i would not like the series and lillie even more. It is bad writing to have Ash lose to someone like her. I rather Ash lost to Cameron again.

Anyway, i don't mind who wins between Ash or Misty as long as it is a good battle.

I never said Snowy was more experienced than Pikachu(and Lillie had Pikachu as her partner for that battle). Furthermore, the battle was at the end of an Episode where they showed the battle about to get underway but never showed any of the fighting or the outcome. Also Ash losing to someone like her isn't a bad thing as I see it. Considering Kiawe is the only other trainer/companion Ash has battled against(so far), it would actually help the series if Lillie started showing promise as a trainer(considering her brother is Gladion). Lillie's growth as a trainer would pay dividends later on in the SM series(specifically with Aether arc). To consider Lillie winning a Pokemon battle against Ash as a bad thing... I don't know man. It's like you condemned Lillie and the series without giving either the chance to redeem themselves.

 

[janejane6178]

I wished they left Misty and Brock's design alone. They look weird. They probably do the same to the other companions that might appear.

Thankyou for posting thos, I love u

 

[Alexander18]

We'll probably see Tracey come back due to being at Oak's lab, or if he's absent, we'll probably get a written-in absence to explain why he couldn't make it. So far as May and Dawn, we'll probably see Dawn in Johto, since that's where she was headed (IF she hasn't already gone through there). May's most likely going to be back in Hoenn, or in Sinnoh, and that's assuming they're going to convince KAORI to do a guest voice for her for old times sake or even replace VAs. We know thanks to that article that we're probably going to revisit the other regions besides Kanto anyways.

Don't know why you don't like Lillie, though. If it's her total fear of Pokemon, considering it's implied that her mom had something to do with the fear (and it may be similar to in the games), she certainly had a far more understandable reason for being afraid of Pokemon than May did regarding outright hating Pokemon, which if anything practically insulted the profession of Pokemon training when she decided to become a trainer even though she outright hated Pokemon (the entire POINT of Pokemon training is to, you know, train them, bond with them, actually befriend them and work with them for a very long time, and someone who flat out hates Pokemon should NOT be a trainer at all). I could care less about Lillie either way, though.

And while Misty and Brock's designs may require some getting used to (that said, Misty's design definitely looks a LOT better than Ash's SM design), I can assure you that their characterizations are going to remain intact, for better (Misty) or for worse (Brock). Besides, as long as Misty's allowed to pursue her Water Pokemon Master goal again without her sisters forcing her back into the gym again, I'll tolerate the redesign.

I am still hopeful that may and dawn could still return. My personal preference. I don't like lillie because i found her pointless in both games and anime but that is my opinion. Anyway, we should be happy that misty and brock are appearing.

I never said Snowy was more experienced than Pikachu(and Lillie had Pikachu as her partner for that battle). Furthermore, the battle was at the end of an Episode where they showed the battle about to get underway but never showed any of the fighting or the outcome. Also Ash losing to someone like her isn't a bad thing as I see it. Considering Kiawe is the only other trainer/companion Ash has battled against(so far), it would actually help the series if Lillie started showing promise as a trainer(considering her brother is Gladion). Lillie's growth as a trainer would pay dividends later on in the SM series(specifically with Aether arc). To consider Lillie winning a Pokemon battle against Ash as a bad thing... I don't know man. It's like you condemned Lillie and the series without giving either the chance to redeem themselves.

Ash losing to lillie makes no sense. You might as well ask him to lose to cameron forty times with his strongest pokemon on his team. Lillie made no good impression on me with both games and anime. I don't like how the show is going since unova. Just been getting worse. Unova was the start of the bad female companion line that i can not forgive.

Anyway, i don't know if Misty and Brock can bring the show back to greatness again.

 

[DarkWitch]

Can't wait to see Brock and Misty again it's been a while since we last saw them, I'm also excited to see the singing Jigglypuff again.

 

[Rajas20]

Can't wait to see Brock and Misty again it's been a while since we last saw them, I'm also excited to see the singing Jigglypuff again.

Don't know if I'm alone here but I have never forgotten Jigglypuff's singing. Like I could actually hear the voice in my head still {XD}

 

[CodeHelmet]

Don't know if I'm alone here but I have never forgotten Jigglypuff's singing. Like I could actually hear the voice in my head still {XD}

I blame Super Smash Brothers for my Jigglypuff disorder. Damn Pokemon just wouldn't die.... *fires Boomerang*. In any case, the fact its been 14 seasons since we last saw the Balloon Pokemon means its not as popular as one might think(even if the alluring eyes are just there to lure you into a false sense of security before it sticks a knife into your back). Anyone think Jigglypuff will follow them back to Alola?

 

[weedle_mchairybug]

I blame Super Smash Brothers for my Jigglypuff disorder. Damn Pokemon just wouldn't die.... *fires Boomerang*. In any case, the fact its been 14 seasons since we last saw the Balloon Pokemon means its not as popular as one might think(even if the alluring eyes are just there to lure you into a false sense of security before it sticks a knife into your back). Anyone think Jigglypuff will follow them back to Alola?

To be fair, the last we saw of it was in Hoenn, so I'm pretty sure it's capable of finding its way back somehow, much less getting to Alola.

 

[Alexander18]

I am not a fan of Jigglypuff. I found it quite annoying. It might have been funny at first but it got old pretty quickly in my opinion. I am disappointed that Brock's Geodude is unevolved.

 

[Hikamaru]

It might have been funny at first but it got old pretty quickly in my opinion. I am disappointed that Brock's Geodude is unevolved.

That annoyed me, because Geodude was already suffering a lack of development. But I guess it may have been done this way to show Ash and his classmates the difference between Kantonian and Alolan Geodude.

 

[CodeHelmet]

Are we sure that is Brock's Geodude? If it is, I do agree though that after 4 regions that Geodude would have evolved by now(Onix did, Zubat did(twice), Mudkip did, Lotad did(twice), Bonsly did, Happiny did and Pineco did. Even Vulpix was well taken care of before it was given back to Suzie). Then again I must cite an old adage that was brought up back in Season 1 that if a Pokemon wants to evolve, it will do so. If it doesn't want to evolve, it will stay in its current form much in the manner that Ash's Bulbasaur, Squirtle or other Pokemon Ash has. Its just a bit odd for all but one of Brock's Pokemon to evolve.

 

[Charlie Brown]

That annoyed me, because Geodude was already suffering a lack of development. But I guess it may have been done this way to show Ash and his classmates the difference between Kantonian and Alolan Geodude.

True, though Ash has seen an Alolan Geodude before and made a comment about how they're different to other Geodude so not sure if that is as exciting as say being able to compare Brock's Graveler or Golem to an Alolan variant.

+1 to what CodeHelmet said about a Pokemon evolving if it wants to (as lame as it sounds)