PokémonSun & Moonis one of the most commonly hated series of the franchise, but this is all based almost exclusively upon its art style shift. For those willing to give the series a try, it actually contains some incredible episodes, meaning the haters are really missing out.
The backlash at the time ofSun & Moon’s debut was overblown, but still ultimately understandable.Pokémon XYhad a more mature, shonen-like art style, making Ash look older and tougher than he had previously.Sun & Moonwent in the exact opposite direction, using a more cartoony style, changing up the way Ash looked very significantly. It was quite a shift, and so it’s really no wonder that so many people had a hard time making the transition between series. However, that was 8 years ago now, and fans should really have grown used to the series' art style by now.
Pokémon Sun & Moon’s Art Style Was Intended for Exaggerated Features
The New Art Style Was Chosen to Allow Dynamic Movement
One of the goals moving intoSun & Moonwas to try new things, and revitalize the long-runningPokémonanime. The format and feel of the show changed as well, going fromAsh traveling around the region to being based out of a school, and changing up the formula to be more slice-of-life than adventure. While these other changes were also controversial, they paled in comparison to the hate that the art style got when it was revealed. Many felt that Ash didn’t look like Ash anymore, and countless fans swore off the anime as a result of the art change.
However, the art wasn’t just changed for the sake of doing something different.The specific art style that was chosen was made to look the way it does for a reason, and that reason is to help make movements more exaggerated and dynamic. Ash is far more expressive in this series than he is typically portrayed as being, and that was only possible due to the change in the art style. The art style was more suited to comedy than adventure, and with the refocusing of the series on one location, it made some sense to approach it in this way.
Most of the complaints are often centered on Ash specifically, as he perhaps looks the most cartoonish out of anyone, but that’s largely because Ash’s design was already well-established, and this was the first big change to his look (other than clothes) in years. Other characters had never been drawn in a different art style, so they looked relatively normal with no basis for comparison. However, Ash is still ultimately Ash, and is quite recognizable even in this new style. The art style ended up allowing Ash to react more fluidly and energetically than he typically had before.
Pokémon Sun & Moon Contains Some of the Best Episodes
The Series Shouldn’t Be Overlooked Due to Its Art Style
Pokémon Sun & Moonhad a number of excellent episodes, some of which were very serious, despite the more cartoon-like art style.Most notable among these are two episodes which deal with death: “One Journey Ends, Another Begins…” and “Memories in the Mist.“The former deals with the death of a Stoutland, a dog-like Pokémon who was caring for Litten, which eventually becomes Ash’s. The latter sees the ghost of Stoutland return, as well as Mallow’s mother, and both episodes are incredibly touching.
These, of course, aren’t the only great episodes. Brock and Misty make return appearances on more than one occasion inSun & Moon, catering to long-time fans by showing how much they’ve advanced since they left the show. There’s the surprisingly dark two-parter surrounding a destroyed, alternate version of Alola, which Ash becomes stranded in. Several of the main characters, such as Lillie and Gladion, have very interesting arcs dealing with their mother and the family drama that resulted in their father’s disappearance.
And then, of course,there’s the Alola League. While many fans don’t rank it as highly as some of the other League conferences, the arc is still an exciting one, with Ash battling his way to the top against opponents like Gladion, who has pushed him to grow throughout the series. Ash also gets into an incredibly exciting match with Professor Kukui, which sees him going against a Legendary Pokémon and finally earning its respect after all that he’s been through in Alola.
Pokémon Sun & Moon Let Ash Catch Weird Pokémon
Ash is also allowed to catch and interact with some truly weird Pokémon which he might have never been allowed to catch in prior series.He obtains his first Mythical, Meltan; he catches an Ultra Beast that he gets to use in Poipole; and finally, Ash is given the incredibly rare Dusk form Lycanroc, which is said to happen only rarely.These unique captures made Ash’s team very distinct from anyone else’s, and allowed these rare Pokémon to really get some spotlight that they weren’t usually afforded.
Including rare Pokémon also had the advantage of making Ash himself feel like a more proficient trainer, able to control even Pokémon from other dimensions. The fluid, cartoon-like art style ofSun & Moonwas an excellent fit for Meltan especially, and there was no shortage of crazy antics surrounding the Pokémon. Even other characters besides Ash got to catch or encounter unusual Pokémon, such as Mallow and her Shaymin, or Gladion’s Type: Null.
All told,Sun & Moonis a fantastic anime series with some great episodes, ranging from the emotional to the exciting, and it puts its distinctive art style to great use, underlining the big emotions that come with such episodes. Even the eclectic choices for Pokémon to feature helped makeSun & Moonfeel unique, and it was certainly the breath of fresh air that thePokémonanime needed at the time. Fans ofPokémonshouldn’t pass onSun & Moonjust because of its art style, as there’s plenty of substance in the series for those who watch it.
