Quoted By:
Pokespe >= Specials > HZ >= Ashime > Specials(Origins)
The manga simply far surpasses everything in quality except for the Specials, but there are only so many Specials and none of them tell longform stories like Pokespe. To add to that, Pokespe actually tries to answer the question "What would the pokemon world be like if it weren't just a game?".
The Specials are raw kino and comfy, no one can genuinely argue against this. A single Special episode is worth hundreds of normal episodes. While Pokespe might answer the question "What would it be like if it were real?", the specials answer the question "What would it FEEL like if it were real?". The only downside is there's not enough of them.
HZ is possibly better than the Ashime by simple virtue of having an actual story and trainers who put in work to get better, plus the possibility of wrapping up in one or two gens before it gets stale like the Ashime did. That said, there's still time for HZ to shoot itself in the foot. The story could end up going nowhere like the GS ball, and if the Elite 4 take the coming fights seriously and the kids somehow do a good job fighting back then it's just as bad as the Ashime was. Too early to give a final verdict.
The Ashime was 1000 episodes of... itself. Looking back on it it felt like the embodiment of filler with unsatisfying conclusions to every minor plotline. Gary just disappeared off the planet to do freelance work, Brock never became a professional breeder or found a girl, Paul went out in a boring way same as Gary... I could go on. I think doomscrolling on twitter/discord meme channels is the most apt comparison I can make to it. It keeps you occupied, maybe gets a chuckle out of you here and there, but it didn't leave any lasting impression and you leave feeling deader than you were at the start.
Origins was mediocre, but we expect better from Specials so that makes it shit.
