Watch Me Script Journey Episode 199
Added 2023-10-03 21:19:00 +0000 UTCBack on the scripting wagon, let's go! Can't believe I'm getting close to the 200th, and you can watch the words appear on the doc and/or chat with me on discord with this link (link expires in 24hrs): https://discord.gg/CxQK3TB8
Comments
Your comment on Ash's painfully stagnant team in Johto is incredibly cathartic, honestly. My suspicion is that the shift in writing management as Shudo backed out (although I still can't find any information on who exactly replaced him or, for that matter, showran the oncoming AG saga) led to numerous plans for Ash's Johto 'mons being axed, effectively placing them in a limbo for most of the saga's remainder (both Cyndaquil's brief pre-Goldenrod arc and "Ring Masters" suggest evolution-based arcs for Cyndaquil and Totodile which the saga unceremoniously forsakes afterwards as if potential overarching plots were suggested and immediately lost in the shuffle subsequently). This was probably exacerbated by both the marketing mandates I suspect were placed onto the crew (hence why Ash both catches all three starters and a shiny, one of the Gold/Silver games' new additions) and the staff's uncertainty over audience reactions to the exits of Ash's Kanto team (which may explain why Bulbasaur lingers until almost the home stretch of the saga despite only making around five appearances in the past 40 episodes; Cyndaquil's lack of short-term evolution may likewise have partially occurred to avoid comparisons with ensemble darkhorse Charizard). With both the creative difficulties plaguing this era AND the inability to add any new 'mons to Ash's team (containing Pikachu, four Johto 'mons probably imposed by marketing and a Kanto holdover to placate possible concerned fans), I imagine this essentially stalemated any further captures or evolutions for Ash (save for Phanpy, which was essentially too little too late) until the writing staff hits the hard reset button for AG.
DisgruntledFilament
2023-10-04 08:16:39 +0000 UTC
