Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time! Today I feel like my hands are somewhat tied, as the absolute Pokemon saturation of my twitter feed is making it impossible for me to think about anything but cheerful, collectible companions and the adventures we might share. After about four days of Death Stranding memes, the release of Pokemon Sword and Shield has dropped us squarely into Pokemon Season, and I’m celebrating in the only way I know how – by continuing my journey through the last Pokemon adventure, Sun and Moon!

In spite of being perhaps a tad late in my investigation of this series, I couldn’t be happier to be watching Sun and Moon specifically. Not only did I actually play through this one, which I hadn’t previously done since the Gold/Silver era, this production also marked a key change in the Pokemon anime’s production sensibilities. So far, this show’s rounded, somewhat simplified designs have facilitated a wild array of expressive character animation, helping to bring characters I’m already very fond of to life. I’d always assumed the Pokemon anime was more of a strictly functional advertisement than a labor of love like Precure or Doremi, and I’m happy to be proven so wrong by this exuberant production. Let’s see what’s in store for our young trainers!

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Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I’m thrilled to be continuing one of my most recent Current Projects, as we explore the second episode of Pokemon Sun and Moon. Sun and Moon’s first episode was an end-to-end buffet of charming, flavorful character animation, from the remarkable expressiveness of Ash and his friends, to the unique and energetic movements of the colorful creatures around them. Setting aside the appeal of Pokemon specifically, that episode felt like a celebration of animation as a tool for humor, worldbuilding, and warmth, imbuing the episode with an expressiveness and fluidity that effortlessly brought Alola to life.

Of course, show premieres tend to be more fluidly animated in general, both because productions naturally want to create a strong first impression, and also because first episodes enjoy the healthiest production buffer, and most time to get difficult cuts completed. I doubt that second issue will be as relevant for a show with as rigid and long-running a schedule as Pokemon, but I’m still not expecting a feast to match the first; fortunately, it just so happens that Sun and Moon’s overt narrative offers plentiful hooks as well, from the long-term excitement of challenging each island’s master, to the day-to-day fun of hanging out with one of the franchise’s most endearing casts. Whatever the future holds, I’m happy to get back to Sun and Moon!

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Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time! Can you feel the excitement? CAN YA FEEL IT? That’s right, it’s new series time, and today we’re beginning a series that I’ve been wanting to watch for years now. Just in time for the next generation of Pokemon, we’re diving back in to the last generation of Pokemon, and checking out the widely acclaimed Sun and Moon anime!

Though the Pokemon anime has been running consistently ever since its start back in the ‘90s, it’s traditionally been seen more as a series for young Pokemon enthusiasts than the “sakuga crowd” or whatnot. That’s not to diminish its importance, of course – on the contrary, Pokemon was one of the most important properties in introducing and normalizing anime in the west. I myself was a fan of pokemon specifically before I learned the appeal of anime more generally, and even saw the first Pokemon movie when it came out in theaters (it came with a free Pokemon card!).

But while Pokemon has always been a massively influential cultural force, its progression into a visually accomplished production has been significantly more gradual. Sun and Moon represents a serious break in this franchise in terms of its character designs, as designs that had remained relatively static for nearly two decades were reimagined with softer lines and rounded curves, making them far better suited to fluid character animation. I’ve already played the Sun and Moon game, and found its cast immensely charming there, meaning I’m very excited to see them in motion, and to return to an anime I haven’t watched since I was a child. Let’s check out the first episode of Sun and Moon!

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