With the new generation of Pokemon games having released, we’ll soon be seeing a new season of the anime following Ash Ketchum’s adventures in the new Alola region to accompany the games. This time around there are going to be some major changes to the show’s formula, as the directors have announced they plan to take the show in a new direction.
Last season of Pokemon turned out to be a fairly popular one compared to the last few years and was considered to be more serious than others. Ash was given an actual love interest through Serena, and everyone on screen had some great character development. This season, however, is going to take on a comedy approach, and instead of journeying through Alola Ash will be enrolled in trainer’s school. The art style is also being tweaked to be more bubbly and rounded to fit the new direction.
This will be a big change for the long-running series as it has been mostly presented as a serious, albeit child appropriate, adventure since the mid 90’s. Ash Ketchum has entertained children through all the regions shown in the main line Pokemon games, as well as the Orange Islands arc that introduced an entirely unique island region. There have also been several movies that portrayed some heavy themes, such as the famous scene from the first Pokemon movie where Ash was actually turned to stone and Pikachu cried while a horrified cast of trainers watched the ordeal in shock.
While the first movie, of course, ended happily, it proved the kids show had potential to really hit home with the story they presented. So for longtime fans the new direction may seem a bit off-putting to the long-time fans, it definitely has potential. Its also not the first time we’ve seen a bit of a change in direction as each season has been different from the last, and the series is no stranger to the comedy genre.