Predicting the next 5 years of main Pokémon games

There was a new reveal of the next generation of Pokémon yesterday. Within the most recent Pokémon Direct, the new games, set to come out in late 2019 are Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield. They are set to take place in a new region known as the Galar Region.

And while I am certainly looking forward to these games, every new reveal like this gets me thinking about what is coming beyond this. Maybe I should not think this way, but it interests me. So instead of talking about my thoughts in these games so far, I am going to instead try to tackle what I think is coming the next 5 years beyond 2019 in the world of Pokémon games. I will look like an idiot trying to predict each game(s) from 2020-2024. 

2020: Pokémon Diamond and Pearl remakes

First of all, no I do not think Let’s Go! will replace remake games. Remakes are never almost exactly like the original like the Let’s Go games are. Plus, I do not think the Let’s Go games are meant to be the same canonically as the hardcore main series. In that case, I think both will continue on in their own ways.

As for Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, they are do to be remade and we haven’t had a remake game since 2014 with Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire. We are definitely due and generation 4 is next in line. With generation 2 remakes in generation 4 and generation 3 remakes in generation 6, generation 4 remakes in generation 8 fits the pattern they have made. We are almost guaranteed these games within this generation and likely next year.

2021: Pokémon Let’s Go! Johto version

It is my prediction that we will see a Let’s Go! game at the end of each generation as the third game. There is no way they will abandon this series as it did so well in 2018. It also gives them a somewhat lighter project (still a ton of work, don’t get it wrong) to work on so they can devote a bit more to development of future titles beyond it. It gives them an outlet to come out with games more often with less years without a game.

I will be interested as to how they handle this one since this Let’s Go duo of games will probably be based on Crystal, so would that mean we go back to Kanto like in Crystal or do they leave that part out as to not oversaturate Kanto even more. I guess they’ll do whatever they think will sell best. 

2022: Generation 9 main titles

Each generation of Pokémon seems to last 3 years now. So 2022 is looking like generation 9 time. I know it is hard to think of generation 9 with generation 8 just being revealed, but it will be here sooner than we think. While I do not have hardcore predictions of where this region could be, my main ideas are either Australia/New Zealand or the state of California in the United States. 

Generation 9 in 2022 seems like a very safe bet and an easy prediction to make. 

2023: Generation 9 sequels

I know people do not like sequels much, but it gives Game Freak a chance to split work as making a game sequel takes less time than a whole new game. It lets them develop multiple projects at the same time to keep games flowing. 

And like I said, generations 4,6 and 8 have or will get remake games. In the same way, the odd generations like 5,7 and now 9 will get sequel/alternate timeline games within the region the generation introduced. I honestly think that is the trend we will be seeing because it gives them a path to keep pumping out games as much as possible. 

2024: No games

I know this does not fit with the things I said above about them having a formula to pump out games at a good rate, but hear me out. 

Even with a good formula, game developers need some time every so often to slow down a bit and get set up for what is next. With a game every year from 2016-2023, that would be a solid eight straight years of games, an unprecedented and impressive feat for Game Freak with Pokémon games. 

This year without a game would give them a great chance to set up generation 10 in 2025-2027. Plus, it would delay a Let’s Go game in Hoenn until 2027, 13 years after we visited that region last and would delay a Sinnoh Let’s Go game until at least 2030, a solid 10 years after the remake of Diamond and Pearl, but that is looking absurdly far ahead (I hope Pokémon is still a major thing in 11-12 years). It would give them a chance to set things up and spread things out better than if they just kept going and eventually struggling to keep up. 1 year without a game is worth it if it comes with many consecutive years of games like is possible because of that minor sacrifice. 

I am probably going to wind up being very off with this, but this is just my thinking on what could be on the horizon for the Pokémon game series. It is really fun to think of these possibilities and wonder what could be. In any case, the future of Pokémon looks really bright. 

Roast or Recommend: Absolute Duo

For this week’s Roast or Recommend, I will continue on the line of anime. This time, I will be reviewing the anime titled “Absolute Duo”

Absolute Duo is an anime that ran in the winter/spring of 2015 and is comprised of 12 total episodes. 

The anime begins with a guy named Toru Kokonoe enrolling in a high school known as Koryo Academy. This is a school where students learn how to battle with their abilities known as Blaze, a power that lets them summon a weapon from their soul. However, most summon their blaze as weapons, Tor’s manifests as a shield. Also, in this school, the students are put in duos to prepare them for teamwork they’ll do after they graduate. Tor is paired with a girl, Julie Sigtuna, and it is highly unusual to see a boy/girl pairing. 

Characters are the strength of this anime in my opinion, but I wouldn’t say it’s anything special. Our main protagonist, Tor, is another example of a perfect character that is always morally right and is never challenged with that. 

However, I like the character development of Julie throughout the series. She starts off looking shy, weak and reliant on Tor. At the end, she is more confident, stronger and is more of a partner to Tor instead of very reliant on him. 

Miyabi, another one of the secondary characters, is done very well. She faces doubt within herself that causes her to do some questionable things in order to get stronger to prove herself to Tor. I think this inner conflict is handled very well and drives the middle of the story.

Speaking of story, I think the story just didn’t have enough there. I liked the basis for it, but the depth just wasn’t there. The story also didn’t seem to have a strong enough consistent thread that tied it together. There were some things that kept it from being totally random of course, but I just didn’t feel like I could get too engaged because the center of the story wasn’t strong enough. 

The other thing that missed was the backstory. They hinted at all these terrific backstories and teased them, but we didn’t see the full stories there that would have added so much depth to the story and would have helped us understand the characters better. So, this neglect hurt the characters as well as the story. 

I get that you can’t do a whole lot in 12 episodes, but I’ve seen anime that do much more within that episode length. Absolute Duo was more minimalistic in nature and merely glanced over a lot of things that should have been explained better. 

As for the progression of the story, however, it was fine. The pacing wasn’t insane or awkward. The progression felt natural overall and not rushed. 

The art and animation is also done very well in this anime. The characters look good and the backgrounds are beautiful. It’s what you expect from modern animation and it fit the show well. 

However, my main issue with it is that I wish the battles looked better. The battles definitely lacked in animation majesty, which is something other anime similar do so well.  

Absolute Duo is mainly an action and romance anime, and I think it does the action part well. As far as romance is concerned, there are only hints of it in there and no official relationship amongst main characters happens. I would call it more of a comedy than a romance based on what I saw. 

Overall, I define this series as ‘missing the mark’. This series really had some potential with its basis, potential backstory, interesting characters and the possibility for very good antagonists. But they missed the mark on all these things. Additionally, they stayed mostly in the same setting. The backdrop never changed much from a few different things, and it made it a bit stagnant at times. 

The show really missed on all these things, but the worst part is that they didn’t miss it by much. It’s a shame that they were so close to something that could have been very good. Instead, I found it rather forgettable overall. Not bad, but also not good enough that I’ll look back and have memories about watching it. I’ll probably just forget about it because it didn’t strike me much emotionally or otherwise, and the story and characters aren’t strong enough to rectify that.

It seemed like they were relying on eye candy anime girls and fan service to keep people watching while ignoring the big flaws the series displays. 

Now, I did not hate it by any stretch. I just think it could have easily been done better if the right things were focused on. Instead, they decided to overlook important concepts and focus on too many things that didn’t add any real value to the anime. 

If you want an anime that is good but not too hard of a watch, this is the one for you. If you want something with a deeper story and more layered characters, this isn’t one you’ll enjoy as much as others. Overall, I’d recommend it because I did like it for what it was. But it all depends on what you’re looking for.

Overall score: 61/100

Final verdict: So-so

Top 5 favorite Pokémon

This used to be a Pokémon blog that was dedicated to Pokémon content of all kinds. Well today, I decided to go back to the roots of this blog and discuss some Pokémon. 

One topic that always gets brought up in circles of Pokémon fans is, naturally, people’s favorite Pokémon. Everyone has differing opinions on this, which makes it so fun. So today, I thought it would be a good idea to give my own list of my top 5 favorite Pokémon. 

5: Salemence- Generation 3

With each new generation of Pokémon brings a new OP dragon that usually looks awesome and is also strong in battle to boot. Salemence fits this description perfectly. 

When I laid my eyes on it for the first time as a kid, I knew this was a Pokémon I’d always love. And that has stayed true after all these years. It has an incredible design, in my opinion, and I really enjoy using it in battle. 

My nostalgic love might blind me a bit to its flaws, but I understand it doesn’t look as great design-wise as maybe I thought as a kid. And I don’t really like it’s mega form much either. Regardless, I still love this Pokémon.

4: Sceptile- Generation 3

Honestly, Sceptile is similar to me than what I thought about Salemence. I love this Pokémon and have since I first saw it, but despite this, I get that it has flaws. Sceptile’s mega form is actually worse than Salemence’s though.

But this Pokémon is easily my favorite Hoenn starter Pokémon evolution, and my favorite Hoenn Pokémon in general. It is also my second favorite starter final evolution. I loved battling with it, its design and I loved Ash’s in the anime. 

3: Amaura- Generation 6

I used to not give this Pokémon as much attention as maybe I should have. But now I realize how wrong that was. It wasn’t until I really got huge into XY and the Kalos region, thanks in large part to the anime, that this Pokémon seriously caught my eye. 

It accomplishes being cute in a different way than many other Pokémon that are generally considered cute. Instead of being a furry creature, it is a cute little dinosaur. I couldn’t resist that since I love cute Pokémon and I also love dinosaurs. To see both combined into one Pokémon was too much for me to handle.

Amaura is a gift to the world and must be protected. Its evolved form, Aurorus, I don’t really care for, but Amaura is just a bundle of joy. 

2: Eevee- Generation 1

I love how Amaura accomplishes cute in a different way, but Eevee is the original cute Pokémon and it can’t be denied. 

This Pokémon’s design does a lot right as it draws inspiration off features from all kinds of different animals in the real world, and it just works so perfectly. And it finishes off nicely by being such an adorable thing too. 

I couldn’t tell you how much enjoyment I got out of playing Pokémon: Let’s Go Eevee just by seeing my Eevee happy and battling its best. It warmed my heart. Just that part of the game was enough to make me happy, everything else was extra. 

1: Charizard- Generation 1

I can see the eyes rolling now. But let me explain this one.

You see, my love for Charizard will never go away because my first Pokémon ever in a Pokémon game was a charmander that evolved into a Charizard, which I thought was insanely cool at the time. 

I know, that’s the reasoning most people have a favorite Pokémon, but there’s a reason for that. People feel a special connection with their first experiences with something they love, and they tend to attach something to them. For Pokémon fans, that attachment is a Pokémon. And that is why people’s favorite Pokémon a lot of the times are connected to that first experience with Pokémon. And for me, that Pokémon is Charizard. 

Not to mention, I also loved Ash’s Charizard in the anime.

I understand that Charizard is a typical favorite and a Pokémon people are very tired off, and even I’d like to see the use of Charizard for promotions toned down. However, I will always love Charizard and I think it will always be my favorite Pokémon. 

Roast or Recommend: Charlotte

For this week’s Roast or Recommend, I am going to once again stay within the anime department. I have just been watching a lot of anime lately and want to give my opinions on what I’ve watched over the last few weeks, even if the shows are a few years old. 

This time around, I will be looking at yet another anime from 2015. This anime is named Charlotte. It came out in the summer/fall of 2015 and consisted of 13 episodes. 

This anime takes place in a world where a comet named Charlotte passes by earth every 75 years, and with it brings dust onto the earth. If inhaled by young children, it could cause a reaction in their bodies that gives them abilities at puberty that other people do not have. These abilities always leave them when they become adults, however, so they aren’t present for long. 

This story follows the main character, Yu Otosaka. He has the ability to take over people’s bodies for 5 seconds at a time. Though, he collapses during that time. He uses the ability to take control of people to cheat on tests and keep his grades up. 

However, he gets caught in the act by our other main character, Nao Tomori, another ability wielder who can make herself invisible to one specific target at a time. She gets Yu to transfer to Hoshinoumi Academy, a school which houses ability wielders and keeps them safe and out of harm’s way until they lose their ability. He also is forced to join the student council at the school and help them bring in or stop other ability wielders to protect them from people who would try to exploit them for their powers. 

I’m a big fan of the characters in the anime. Yu is a character that is developed extremely well. He goes from caring only about himself and his best interests to caring about everyone else around him over his own self. He becomes very willing to want to help out other people and to protect and save them, even if it means he will get majorly harmed. That part of his character didn’t come up early when he was more like ‘why do I have to do this’ and stuff like that. 

Anime often gets beaten down hard because most of the main characters in them are bland and aren’t really challenged morally because they are nearly perfect from the start. Yu isn’t like that. He actually has major inner conflicts and grows through it to become strong morally and otherwise. It, in fact, leads to his downfall. 

And Nao Tomori is a very strong female character. Often female characters are seen as secondary to main male characters, but not here. Tomori takes the lead many times in the anime and presents herself as very strong despite dealing with her own issues too. And I love a strong lead female character sometimes more than one that relies on the male to bring that out. 

The animation in this is beautiful too. I love the art style as well. The characters are done very well and look awesome. But the big thing here is the settings and backgrounds. They really did a good job, in my opinion, of incorporating beautiful settings and used different ones well to provide a feeling for certain scenes. 

The strongest part of this show was the story, but it might have also been it’s downfall too. Let me explain.

The story was done very well and the concepts were interesting and kept intrigue the whole way. I don’t want to spoil much, but there are a lot of unexpected twists and turns along the way that are incredible too. I thought the anime was going one direction, but I wound up being proven wrong like 5 minutes later. It was wonderful. 

But at the same time, I think the story tried to do too much within a short time. I’ve seen anime do too little in a short time, but this anime tried too much. There was a lot of concepts that didn’t get fair conclusions or even a conclusion at all. There were great plot devices that were rushed and felt unnatural in a sense. The story seemed to never have time to breathe because they had to fit in everything and jam things so it was rushed a lot of the time. It made for compelling action and intense interest, but I’d have preferred a little bit of time to absorb some of these concepts and greater depth placed in them instead of rushing into the next thing. 

The other big issue with it was pacing. The first four full episodes were just set up and almost slice of life even. That made the last nine episodes where the story really started coming together feel super rushed. They simply didn’t have enough time afforded to fit in everything because of it. That was its greatest weakness I feel. 

This anime fits within the action/comedy genre with some drama and a hint of romance. I think it definitely has all these things and a good amount of each with what they were trying to do. There’s a good amount of action and drama, with a good bit of comedy to lighten the mood at times. There even are hints of romance, but it didn’t need that aspect to be successful. It was just an add on because people like that. 

I really loved this anime and it is definitely one of my favorites so far. However, I can’t help but notice that it really missed its chance to be even better. If it had done a few things differently, it could have went from a really good little anime that had its time in the spotlight to one of the top tier anime that still gets widely discussed. 

It had all the elements of something really special. Great characters that show growth, brilliant and different concepts that are interesting and unique, the ability to invoke a wide range of strong emotions, great animation and art, and a story that weaved nicely together. Plus it had a very emotionally satisfying ending. Heck, even the opening and ending themes are top notch too. It was all there for it to take off like a comet, but it flopped a bit. 

I think the big problem was lack of time. As I mentioned, they introduced a lot of concepts and plot devices in such a short time. And I just don’t think 13 episodes was enough for it all. They should have been afforded more episodes to expand on these brilliant setups they made and give more depth to everything and tie a nice bow around it all instead of leaving much unexplained or just things being left underwhelming. The whole final episode could have easily been five or six episodes by itself. 

I think the first four episodes of setup to lull people into a false sense of something only for it to pick up big time later was done wonderfully, but when you only have 13 episodes, it just does not work as well. Had they had say even 22 to 26 episodes, I think they could have easily done all they needed to do in a more satisfactory way while still keeping that setup at the beginning. 

Again, all the elements were there to truly be something special. It was just rushed in a way it didn’t need to be. It’s a real shame because this anime was awesome, and I enjoyed it the whole way. But it really does bug me that it was so close to being so much better if they would have just given the anime more time to expand on everything. 

Overall, however, I’d highly recommend this one if you haven’t seen it. You will come away very satisfied at the end despite the emotional wreckage you may come away with from it. This is definitely an anime I will watch again in a year or two and definitely love just as much the second time around. It fits a lot of genre criteria so there’s bound to be an aspect or two there that you’ll find awesome enough to keep watching. It’s a terrific story if nothing else anyway. 

Overall score: 79/100

Final Verdict- Highly Recommend 

Top 5 favorite anime shippings

It’s Valentine’s Day. So I’m doing what most people do on this day........... okay not really, but I still have something fun in store. This post is my Valentine’s gift to you. I hope you enjoy it.

For today, I figured it would be a good idea for me to go through my top 5 favorite anime shippings on this day of love. 

This list is by no means set in stone as I still have plenty of anime I’m intending to watch, as my volume of anime watched is still relatively low, that will likely open my eyes to shippings I like more a lot more than some of the ones on this list This list will change, but we will re-visit that later. But for now, here are my top 5 anime shippings. 

Yu and Tomori- Charlotte

Charlotte, which will get a Roast or Recommend post from me very soon, is a cute little anime that surprises. This anime doesn’t need romance backing to succeed, and this show doesn’t go into it a lot. However, I think Yu and Tomori, the two main protagonists, is a very good shipping. While they don’t officially get together during the show’s time, the idea is still there. 

What I love about it is that they start off as being on two ends of the spectrum and don’t seem to like each other much. But they develop a friendship gradually that leads Yu to develop actual feelings for Tomori that he winds up confessing but is shot down unless he completes a task of saving millions of people (ah the things you do for love). 

This becomes even more powerful because Yu completes the mission successfully but goes crazy doing so and forgets Tomori almost completely as a result. It isn’t until after this that Tomori seems to have feelings for him too. It is a very tragic story of unrequited love and missing out when you had the chance because you realized your feelings too late. It is very emotional and powerful. 

Yuya and Zuzu- Yugioh Arc V

Yugioh is typically seen as a less mature anime than others. However, Yugioh does always introduce some more mature concepts. Though, their romances are typically more childish in nature rather than serious. However, I think Yuya and Zuzu is a great shipping regardless.

These two have been friends since early childhood and grew up together, which is always a cute way to start a love story. And you can tell these two care for each other very much as Yuya goes on a big mission with the intent on saving Zuzu.

Perhaps this is more supposed to be best friend angle, but Zuzu does have her occasion of being jealous when other girls try to get “friendly” with Yuya, if you will, and she blushes at times around him. 

Overall, it is a very adorable little ship that could be easily overlooked, but sometimes those are the best ones instead of the more serious ones.

Ikki and Stella- Chivalry of a Failed Knight

I did my Roast or Recommend on this just the other day if you want to check it out.

Shameless plug aside, this is a great shipping. The way it began with Ikki accidentally walking in on Stella mostly naked to where it ended with a common guy like Ikki getting a yes on a marriage proposal from a princess (sorry for the spoiler) was great. 

However, as I touched on in the review of this anime, the ship becomes a thing midway through the show, unlike others. This leads to there being ethical issues with it that leads to Ikki doing all he can to prove that they belong together despite harsh interrogation and imprisonment. This makes the ship even stronger, as the payoff at the end with the marriage proposal and the success is massive. It holds up very strongly and you can tell based on all they did to prove their love to each other and to the world. 

Kirito and Asuna- Sword Art Online

Kirito and Asuna is an interesting one, but I love it regardless. 

The main flack about this ship, and one that’s understandable, is that the best parts of their shipping takes place in a game and they do not display the same level affection in real life. My response to that is that, realistically, a relationship outside of a game vs in a game is different. In a game, things like that would work differently than a real-life relationship. Like they were married in the game after a relatively short time knowing each other. A game like SAO would definitely function that way that doesn’t exist in real-life relationship practices. 

However, when they have showed their greatest shipping parts, they were really great. The whole Aincrad arc at the beginning was amazing for their relationship. Additionally, their first kiss scene was one of the most emotional kissing scenes I’ve ever seen because of the circumstances that lead up to it. It wasn’t a regular kiss because they were happy at the time. It was more of a kiss of relief and it conveyed the “what would I have done if I had lost you” kind of thing in a kiss. The whole scene was emotional and had me tearing up for sure. 

Also something that helps here is that Kirito went to find Asuna in real life after he went to Alfheim Online to save her. He saved her in real life after finding her. That’s true love right there. 

Ash and Serena- Pokemon XY

Anyone that knows me or even just peeks at my twitter account for a few seconds will know I have an undying love for the ship of Ash and Serena. 

Pokémon is one of my favorite things in the world and it was refreshing to see an anime series in Pokémon that was a tad bit more mature and dove into the romance concept a bit deeper. It wasn’t that deep as it was still pretty childish overall, but it was still very adorable. 

Serena set out on her journey just to find Ash after she recognized him from their childhood. She’s had a crush on him since she was young and was determined to find him and lay those feelings out. That’s very cute and the dedication is amazing. 

The thing is that Ash really never felt the same way. Ash has never been much of a guy that knows about crushes and stuff, but watching Serena try while everyone but Ash clearly knew about Serena’s feelings was a great thing to see. It pushed the ship forward and made it a main part of the anime instead of just a sidebar thing. 

But the ending to the series is where everyone interested in the shipping of these two got what they wanted. Serena finally did what she had been struggling to do; she confessed to Ash. But not just through words, she instead took the very risky route and decided to kiss him, presumably on the lips as the kiss was not shown (and cheek kisses are normally not censored in Pokémon). It was right then that Ash knew exactly what was going on. 

It was a bit saddening that Serena had to leave after that, but I think the ending I’d rather satisfying given Pokémon’s history of not going even that far to have a story of love in their anime. 

This ship captured a lot of people’s attention, and it did it right as far as the Pokémon anime is concerned. It left it off in a good spot but at the same time did leave the fans wanting more despite being satisfied. They did a fantastic job the whole way with this one. 

As I said, this list is bound to change as I watch more and more anime, but as of now, these are my favorite five. But I also want to hear from you. What are some of your favorite anime ships. My contact information will be below if you want to share that with me. I’d appreciate if you did! 

Roast or Recommend: Chivalry of a Failed Knight

For my debut Roast or Recommend, I will be reviewing an anime. 

This is an anime I just recently discovered and watched after I took a chance on it. That anime being Chivalry of a Failed Knight. 

This anime aired in 2015 and is comprised of just 12 episodes in total. 

This anime is that it is set in an alternate world where people called “Blazers” have abilities that allow them to summon weapons, which is known as a device, from their soul. A guy named Ikki Kurogane goes to an academy that trains these people with the abilities. Kurogane is an F-Rank Blazer, which is the worst a person can be, making his nickname “The Worst One” fit. Also, while everyone has other magical abilities, Kurogane has very little, cementing his nickname more. 

The story follows his rise from “The Worst One” to perhaps something greater. 

I think the thing this show does best is it’s plot and story progression. For starters, following the story of the worst at the school and seeing that growth is always an underdog story a lot of people can get behind. 

However, the story has a lot of other layers as well. The anime’s main love story is complicated with a brother complex mixed in with an international incident that threatens to split apart everything towards the end. 

Though I also like that the main relationship becomes a thing in the middle of the series and it leads to consequence and drives the story along instead of it being the destination that the show is leading towards, which is something a lot of anime does. 

There is also a big tie to family in this story and overcoming being betrayed and basically abandoned by the people who were supposed to be closest and to be protective. 

This is an ultimate underdog story in many ways if I ever saw one. Our main character Ikki overcomes so much throughout the story. 

The characters in this show might not receive as much depth as they deserve with it only being 12 episodes, but they were interesting for the amount of time they had. 

Growth and development of the characters in general was one of the biggest issues of this anime. I have seen other shows of similar length do a better job in that short of time. They didn’t capitalize enough on this part as they sacrificed it in order to tackle other conflict and provide more action and romance. Some of the characters stagnated at times. 

The other problem was that the actually main antagonist of the anime was sprung up late. They were hinted at prior, but even the hints were pretty late. There were a couple of minor antagonists throughout, but the real antagonist was there and gone so quick that they aren’t really memorable. I like the idea of keeping the antagonist hidden in the shadows as long as possible, but in a 12 episode anime, it doesn’t work quite as well. They just don’t get the time they need for us to understand their motivations. Instead, they are shallow and look pure evil instead of just misguided or something else.

The animation of this show was good. It was a bit different art-wise, but the animation was still very crisp, clear and beautiful to look at. They did a great job with the quality when it mattered most as well. Some of the most emphasized scenes got their due. 

This anime is mainly categorized as an action and romance anime, and it definitely does those things well. There’s action throughout the entirety of the show, but there is plenty of romance mixed in as well. The romance isn’t over the top and doesn’t drown out the action though, which is wonderfully done. It’s just enough romance to not take away from the action but still be able to function as its own plot device. It definitely does enough of both genres it’s aiming to fulfill, but they are done in a nicely-balanced way to keep the story fluid and never dull and redundant. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this show. The art style was interesting, in a good way, and the animation was crisp and caught my eye. The idea behind the story and how it was executed was very good as well. The characters, while flawed, were still interesting, intriguing and seemed to mesh well together. The action was awesome and the romance mixed in was a great touch.

My main issue, however, is that I wish it were longer. I know it follows source material, but I wish they had some more episodes to draw out deeper concepts instead of broadening them and rushing them. Also wish they had more episodes to give us more development for the characters as well, and make the climb of Ikki from the worst to something better seem more gradual than all at once. More episodes would have also made the romance seem more realistic instead of really rushed as well. I love where the anime ended, but I wish they just had more time to draw it all out more. 

Despite its issues, I would certainly highly recommend this one. If you want something you can watch quickly that still gives a layered story with good action and interesting characters, this show is for you. And if you enjoy a good romance that shakes it up a bit, this is good for that too. 

It’s not the most relaxing watch in the world, but it also isn’t anywhere near the heaviest. It does lean on the mature side though (they even warn you of that before each episode). So consider what you are getting into before watching. 

Overall score: 83/100

Final verdict: Recommend 

Information regarding blog details released

As promised, I have the following information about the blog that I’d like to share. This information will be in regards to the schedule and more about the content of the blog. 

The schedule will be a blog post every Tuesday, Thursday and every other Sunday beginning with this post today. I’ll try to stick to this schedule as good as possible, but something may come up to delay things at times, but we’ll see how this schedule goes for a bit to see if it’ll work. 

Tuesday’s will be reserved for the weekly roast or recommend while the Thursday’s  post will provide a variety of different content, sometimes related to the thing I reviewed, but not all the time. As for every other Sunday, that’ll be the day for the mailbag. I figured a mailbag every week would be quite a lot, a mistake I made the last time I tried it. So, every other week will be sufficient unless the questions come in like crazy. But again, we’ll see how it goes. There’s just as good of a chance I cancel the mailbag for lack of questions as there is I get too many and have to move it up to weekly. 

As I said before in my introductory post, I want this to be a community event more than a writer/reader experience. I want to connect with my readers and have quality discussions about things myself and others are interested in. So don’t hesitate to connect with me to give me recommendations on things to cover, questions for the mailbag and feedback of how I’m doing as well. I hope to hear from you. 

Business Inquiries/contact:

Twitter: twitter.com/ashserenaxy

Email: recommendedroast@gmail.com

The blog is back and rebranded

Hey guys, I have returned after all this time. So here’s the thing.

I kind of got busy and quit the blog a few years ago because I couldn’t keep up with it all. And because writing about Pokémon and not much else was getting old and dry in my opinion. 

However, there was a couple things I did towards the end of my first stint around that I enjoyed. That being the mailbag and the roast or rave posts (though I’m switching it to roast or recommend)

So now, I have decided to resurrect the blog from scratch based on these concepts. The blog will be mainly a roast or rave about things I see and experience, mainly amines, games, but there’s some other things possible too. I will also be open to additional blog post suggestions if anyone wants to bring one to my attention. That also goes for any recommendations you have on things I should review as well. I’ll also do some additional things based on what I’m thinking I’d want to cover too. 

I will also do a mailbag each week or two where people can ask me questions about things and I answer them all in a blog post. More information on this will become available later on. 

As for schedule, I will try to put out a blog post twice a week at least, maybe three times depending on mailbag. Though I’m still pretty busy in my life, so some things may not happen the way they should. More information on this will come available soon as well. 

One other side note: this won’t be a news blog. So don’t ever look for news here unless it’s something both relevant and unbelievable. 

In the end, I love writing. And I love writing about things I’m interested in. But more importantly, I love when people read my stuff and share that passion too, or it ignites a new passion for them. That’s my goal for this blog, to spread information, to have fun and to spark passion. I also want this to be a community event, not just a me talking at the audience thing. I want to connect with people with this. If that’s possible, that’s the way I want it to be. 

I really did miss doing this, so it’s very good to be back! 

Stay tuned in the coming days for more information. 

Business Inquiries/contact:

Twitter: twitter.com/ashserenaxy

Email: recommendedroast@gmail.com