>>54160720The best part of SM really were all the characters that weren't Ash. Not that I hate him or his presence in SM, I think he has great chemistry with the rest of the cast but him being so one dimensional, he does very much pale in comparison to the rest. Still, I really appreciate them giving Ash parent figures in Kukui and Burnet, the relationship they had. That relationship, and just making Alola a second home for Ash with his friends and acquaintances really ties into the theme of family that is at the core of the SM games themselves. The farewell scene with Burnet crying and the Alola gang giving a final farewell surprise on their ride pokemon, even making Ash cry, is one of those rare poignant moments of the entire Ashnime. Overall the series had a lot of flaws but it remains one of my absolute favourites because the highs it reached shine the brightest of the entire ashnime. Shit like Team Rocket being actual characters for once and not just running gags, they got so much love this series. And I also adore how the small scale of the series made the whole region feel so connected, no Cotds and instead loads of recurring characters to make the world feel more alive. Some of the most beautiful, moving episodes of the anime with Stoutland's death or Mallow's mom. Incredibly fluid and expressive animation resulting in some of the anime's most memorable memefaces and reactions.
Divisive as it originally was, I think time will only be kinder to the series and people will warm up to it and appreciate it for what it tried to be. At least, it is more admirable than JN, which tried to copy the same thing but failed spectacularly
