The Pokemon TV Show should Follow the Exploits of Red, not Ash

I thank Korashk for presenting his case. I am especially thankful for his well structured, numbered responses. I will respond in the same format. :: Problems with the manga :: 1. The whole chapter is bizarre. While a certain amount of horror is perfectly acceptable in children's entertainment (And I still contend that it most certainly is children's entertainment), most people would draw the line at animated pokemon corpses [1], demonic children [2] and graphic pokemon-disembowelment [3]. This is the kind of stuff older people laugh at for being so bad, and gives children nightmares for weeks to come. It isn't the only example, either. Later on in the series Red is captured and almost dissolved in acid to facilitate the 'evolution ritual' of some grass pokemon. As I said, it smacks of fan fiction- weird, spaced out fan fiction. 2. That Red's pokemon all have cutesy nicknames isn't the only annoying thing- I guess it's just opinion, but...the dialogue just seems off a lot of the time. [4]- for instance, count the number of cliches on this page. It gets annoying after a while. 3. They might flesh it out a bit, but all throughout the manga it remains tied down to the story elements in the game. It isn't just the rigid adherence to the characters, people and places found in the game (with the exclusion of the the 'colour' characters, which all seem to be different versions of the player character), it just gets ridiculous after a while. I've already mentioned that the pokemon have health bars, but they even have 'cancel' buttons to stop pokemon evolving [5]. Pokemon that evolve in the game when traded evolve in the manga when traded. The manga series is just a desperate attempt to draw in fans of the games with constant, unsubtle references, and that is the kind of tie-in that rarely becomes popular, unlike the immensely popular anime as it is now. 4. Mewtwo is pathetic compared to his anime counterpart (who could destroy enemies, or create massive storms with a flick of his hand, and who could only be stood up to by another legendary). He isn't the only one who gets neutered, either. The legendary birds are much weaker, and no doubt the legendaries in later chapters which I have yet to read (and which are also based on the following games) will be. This is also significant, because it means that the only reason Red's accomplishments are greater than Ash's is often simply because his enemies are weaker. 5. I don't think that the anime DOES differentiate from the basic poke-elements in the games. It keeps all the pokemon, suitably fleshed out, it keeps evolution, pokemon battles, the main character and his rival...however, it differs enough from the games to make it unique, and a phenomena in its own right. It includes new challenges, new enemies and plot lines. The manga, on the other hand, hugs far too closely to the games. :: Pokemon violence :: 1. Pros 'evidence' that pokemon is enjoyed by a substantial number of older people, as well as younger audiences, actually supports MY side of the argument. The group is comprised of people who *used* to play pokemon when they were younger. The title of the page is 'Back in my day, evolution simply meant a more badass Pokemon', clearly indicating FORMER pokemon devotes. Read the description in the side bar, which begins 'It is said that 99% of children ages 7-12 play Pokemon, and that the remaining 1% of children are liars...' [6]. I should probably thank Pro for providing such good evidence on my side of the argument. 2. For a start, we are talking about the anime, not the games, and secondly, who is to say that the franchise has not become hugely successful from a particular target market? Even if Pro can provide evidence that older people do buy the games (which he has not), this would not show that older people watch the anime, since games are generally aimed at a more general target market. 3. While deaths may not be that common in the manga (I'm unsure, as I haven't read that far into it), that fact remains that they are there, and they do happen repeatedly. What could scar a child more than watching their favourite pokemon brutally murdered on TV? Pro concedes that the more violent overtones of the show would cause younger members to stop watching, but thinks that older viewers would start watching instead. But pokemon is a show about cutesy creatures battling for badges. No self respecting teenager would be caught dead watching it. And the manga has an even more cutesy style to it. All the violence in the manga would do is scare off the younger viewers, and leave nothing in it's place. :: Aspects of the manga/anime :: 1. Pro concedes that there is no encompassing message behind the manga, but claims that the same is true of the anime. I would disagree on both counts. The focus of the manga seems to be on becoming the most powerful, and defeating enemies, while the anime focuses on overcoming tough challenges by forming friendships and relying on others when needed, while still keeping the battling element intact. The latter is clearly a better message to be sending kids. 2. Red, in the manga, breezes through the toughest of challenges far too easily. While, yes, he faces some tough challenges, he ends up as more powerful than the Elite Four, the strongest, specialised pokemon trainers in the whole world. And to repeat the point- he is about twelve! He doesn't train that hard, either. It's just annoying that a little squirt manages to get so powerful, and I don't think it's justified. Ash, on the other hand, is young but strives hard to achieve his goals. 3. Pro admits that the anime sends a good message to kids, but then contends that it also sends a bad one, claiming that Ash never achieves his goals. But for a start, Ash achieves a great many significant goals in the anime, far more than my opponent gives him credit for, and secondly, the point is that he gains a great deal on the way. He may not become the most powerful trainer in the world, but he gains friends and rivals, helps people, and explores the world (with it's ever increasing regions). He may not be super powerful, but that is because he values some things above strength-for instance, he gave away arguably his strongest pokemon, Charizard, so it could improve itself and be with others of it's kind. [7] :: Theme song :: I think Ash's bonds with his pokemon are much stronger than Red's. In fact, it is mentioned specifically in the manga that Red's powerful pokemon obey him because of some power exhibited by the badges he collects- in other words, his pokemon are FORCED to obey him because he is a successful trainer. On the other hand, Ash's bonds are formed often through tears and sweat, for instance Charizard comes to be his friend because Ash stays up for a whole night helping it, and so gains it's respect [7]. Similar stories are true of many of Ash's other pokemon, while the same is not true of Red. :: Movies :: For a start, some of the anime would NOT make sense, because it specifically relates to the movie. Whether the movies are cash-cows is of little relevance-what matters is whether they would do the same if Red's adventures were to become as popular. I see no reason why they wouldn't. If the manga were made into a series, and became as popular, which I don't think it would, then no doubt the creators would want to expand on it's popularity by making the more epic parts of pokemon into movies. No doubt they would adapt parts of the plot into full blown movies. I await Pro's response. [1] Here's another one- eww. http://www.onemanga.com... [2] http://www.onemanga.com... [3] http://www.onemanga.com... [4] http://www.onemanga.com... [5] http://www.onemanga.com... [6] http://www.facebook.com... [7] http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net...