Note: These are based from my own observations and opinions, so I understand if someone doesn't agree with me. I'm also interested in who still watches the anime to share their opinions too.

and please refrain from the "it's a kids show" cause I believe that's irrelevent.

Copied and pasted from my Tumblr: [link]

Pokemon Best Wishes (The N Episodes) (Season 3)

So the newest season of pokemon in japan starts off, and even though I do still think the pokemon anime sucks I have to admit the B&W saga (all 3 jap seasons) so far is delivering several things that the previous seasons (especially the failure that is the DP saga) failed to deliver. (yes there's complaints but that comes after the praise)

#1 have you seen the newest opening?! HAVE YOU SEEN IT?! I was so impressed by how much action and darkness was in it. I usually skip ahead to the episode since I always found the opening kiddish, but… not this… NOT THIS: [link]
Ash's Charizard returning, pokemon KO'd on screen, TR's scenes, Oshawott doing badass things and not being cutesy?
I would never expect this to be a theme for the new opening! Just gah, it's ultimately the BEST opening period.

#2 Team Rocket. Ok for the past 14 seasons, we all know the drill. TR steals Pokemon of day, they recite their poem, and ash saves the day to have TR blasted off again… IN EVERY SINGLE EFFIN EPISODE! It got so old and so done, that halfway during season 2 I stopped watching the show until season 10, just to see if anything's changed. Nope. I did check back ever season watching the first 3 eps to see if anything has changed. Nope. Brock being goo-goo eyed at every girl he saw, TR doing the same shit, Ash being an idiot, and always stealing the spotlight, the works…

So far the BW saga has shown Team Rocket actually being badass! They're not going after Ash's Pikachu anymore (though… for this new season they seem to be going after him) But the last time we saw team rocket (and even giovanni) was over 15 eps ago! Now if TR isn't showing up in every single episode that's a HUGE stepping stone. They're not comic relief characters anymore, and I LOVE IT. It's showing them breaking into museums, spying, stealing information… my god. Heck in this newest episode THEY ACTUALLY DEFEAT PIKACHU!
… THEY DEFEAT PIKACHU!
I'm serious. (and they got new pokemon too Female Frillish and Amoongus respectively. Finally something other then Woobat and Yamask.)
Though the downside is that they 'blasted off'. Partially… They were falling from the sky to the ground, but they screamed.

Yet another downside, this episode and the trailer for the next episode is that they're going after Ash's Pikachu again. This has better not be happening in every single episode -_- Since this season just started I'll keep watching, but if this goes back to the way it was like in previous seasons, I'll stop watching.
… Okay unless Colress has a Beheeyem.

#3 Ash's travelling companions: Dento (in English version he's known as Cilan) and Iris. I love them both. Not all the episodes of BW are focused on Ash as much as the other two. Dento gets some episodes for himself and so does Iris, but I have the admit Dento's hogging the spotlight a little too much to the point that he can get pretty irritating… Yet one thing still remains on the back of my mind. What prevented/is preventing Dento from being a Class S Pokemon Connoisseur? (he's a Class A) What else does he have to learn? We've seen his skills as one in BW ep 080. Yet it isn't shown on what he needs to improve or do to reach a class S since I believe that it was mentioned that he wanted to be a top connoisseur, but I can't recall…

But I LOVE Iris's episodes the best. Her's always have some sort of character development or backstories with her that make her so relateable. Like that episode (If I can recall, it was BW Ep 100) where she explained that she had a hard time fitting in school when she was a kid because she was more social with pokemon then humans. She was considered a misfit and nobody wanted to be friends with her since her classmates found her weird. It just made me connect with her, and that ep also showed her passion for dragons.

Another was the Ep with her trying to regain the trust with her Excadrill (BW Ep 033) and that her pride seemed to have blinded her from seeing what was really going on. Well she lost the battle and her Excadrill lost all trust in her and shut her out. In this ep they go to that and why her Excadrill often disobeyed her. After a while they finally train again and excadrill listens.

I hope this trend continues with the series having future traveling companions having an ep for themselves. Even for the Gen 6 saga if they do have one. It made them more relateable then just having them tag along with Ash.

#4 The animation. When they revealled Ash's new look I actually loved his expressive brown eyes, even if he got a lot of high/on crack jokes thrown at him. I love how with ever gen they give him a new look/outfit that it makes him have a nice look for a fresh start. Everything's pretty clear and not stiff compared to earlier episodes. Not only that, but the animation is smooth. Only complaint is that they constantly use the same frames for pokemon moves (attract, electroball ect) they could at least just change it up just a little.

#5 the openings and endings to the episodes. Every new season we get either a new opening, ending or both, and the last opening and ending impressed me. The song choices for the openings have always been action and lively, compared to the endings where they are relaxing or catchy.

Yet this series will not always get praise from me. there are things that do need work in the series. Here are my complaints:

#1 the Pokemon.
I admit BW by far have finally started to have ash carry more then 6 pokemon at a time, however there is a huge downside to that. I've noticed that Ash's fully evolved pokemon have NO personality. (minus Pignite, but he too after his evolution fell to this category) When ash's sewaddle was well, a Sewaddle he had some personality. He disrespected Ash, was a bit of a dick, and seemed to do his own thing. When he evolved however… Yeah Swadloon and Levanny… no personality. Same with ash's krookodile before he evolved. None (though when he was a sandile he has a little personality)

Only pokemon that have personality on Ash's team is Pikachu, Scraggy, Snivy, and Oshawott. Nobody else. :/ I feel like it's something that they need to fix.

Same with Dento's pokemon. Have we seen his stunfisk with a personality? Not too much then being a little cute troll. Crustle has no personality, but Pansage does, but he doesn't get enough screentime.

However all of Iris's pokemon have personality. Her dragonite has a huge attitude problem for an unknown reason and goes in the borderline of disobeying and obeying. Emolga is a little bitch (lol she is) and is a lazy glutton, Axew is adorable, friendly, and playful, and Excadrill originally was a playful friendly guy before he shut iris out.

Team Rockets pokemon… they're just there. Only James Yamask had personality… a little, cute playful and friendly, only shown in one ep though.

I admit no matter how much I HATED the diamond/Pearl saga of Pokemon that series has all 6 of Ash's pokemon go through character development and struggle through learning new moves and stuff. (Other then Ashs's Oshawott) Especially his Chimchar/Monferno/Infernape! I only came back to watch it when I read the description about Chimchar getting abandoned by Paul.

I do think this thing needs to be fixed with these series however. :/ I'd like to see Ash's other pokemon (and even the other characters) get some character development or screen time like in the DP saga.

#2 Meloetta
I have a feeling that she was just nothing but a gimmick for the second season of pokemon in japan, but she was annoying. She'd make an appearance and gets her 5 minutes of fame appearing to be the "hero" of the day. How does she do this? By singing -_- half of the time her singing doesn't even work and she's the damsel in distress. I'm glad after only 17 eps with her she's gone.

Though I admit I did get a good laugh when she was singing to Iris's Dragonite to calm him down. His face was all "Who the fuck are you?"

#3 Some of the annoying reoccuring characters.
Georgia, you are on this list. She is just a rude heartless bitch. She's always trying to degrade Iris so much that I really wanna bitchslap her. Why is she in this show? Why do we need her?

Shooti (english name Trip) was just a huge asshole, thought he was better then everyone, always trying to point out flaws in Ash's battle style, which was stupid/hypocritical because Trip himself had a fatal flaw in his battle style that lead to his defeat in the first trail of the Unova league. (What was this flaw? he relied too much on speed to prevent his pokemon from being hit, but when they did get hit, they didn't have any defense to back them up) I WANTED his ass to be beaten and when Ash and Alder delivered the ass-whoopings I was ecstatic. He's gone now. I think. Thank god. I don't wanna see this tasteless rival ever again.

Dr. Zagar. What was the purpose of this guy again? We haven't seen him after the temple ep.

Burgandy is not on this list because she's rather hilarious with her obsession over Dento. (Yes, I ship) The episode with her first appearance was so freaking hilarious of how she interpereted Dento as this evil person who defeated her Oshawott. It was just so over the top that I laughed my ass off XDD

Belle ehhh… Her clumsiness was funny, but at the same time it was annoying. I did laugh at her weird fixation with fighting type pokemon flexing their muscles XD lol asking Bert and Ernie to flax their muscles for her (sawk and throh people…) The constant chasing of Luke's Zorua in the battle club eps was irritating.

Stefan was fine. The running gag of his name being mispronounced was overplayed, but on the last ep where he'd appear they finally said his name right. I was funny to see his reaction when his name was finally pronounced correctly.

#4 The reoccuring jokes
Stefan's name constantly being mispronounced.
Belle chasing after Luke's Zorua.
Belle's running gag of bumping into Ash sending him flying into some source or body of water.
belle forgetting something or being clumsy.
(Jeez… give Belle a break…)
I admit the zorua gag was only for one string of battle club eps, and was never seen again.
I also admit that these jokes weren't as overplayed as Brock getting goo-goo eyed resulting in him getting jabbed and dragged away (which was in almost every ep) or team rocket blasting off again.

#5 ASH CANNOT STILL BE FUCKING 10 YEARS OLD AND PIKACHU STOP RESETTING TO LEVEL 5.
NUFF SAID!
Even after 700 episodes and hinted in the mini movie of the 3rd pokemon movie that a year has gone by how can he still be 10 years old?! He should be 15-18 by now!
Also Pikachu manages to get himself defeated by pokemon when they're in a new region. This needs to stop.

Otherwise these are based on my own obervations on the show. I've seen every ep of BW to date, and I have to admit this is the BEST saga (in my opinion) of Pokemon that has been needing a revamp. It still has it's flaws but it's still enjoyable, at least.. until or if they go back to their old unoriginal ways. Only time will tell.