>>51606633I am not "Blinded by nostalgia" The newer series have some genuinely compelling characters, like Alain. And some series like Diamond and Pearl did wonders for Ash's character, but JUST Ash's character.
What elevate's brocks story above the simple cliche is the fact that they grounded it in the type of drama real people can relate to and experience and not the retarded high school "does he like me" melodrama of X and Y.
I'll admit, generation 1 gives a warm apple pie feeling every time, even watching episodes I hadn't tseen before, but I don't think that just comes down to nostalgia, too many people view it positively for it to JUST be nostalgia.
The real issue here is that the standard for good characters has significantly lowered.
One thing that stuck out about brock and misty was that they weren't merely Ash Ketchum's cheerleaders, they were also his greatest critics and his true best friends. They would give him shit and burn him from time to time. Sometimes they'd even fucking hit each other. They felt like a group of scruffy kids hanging out at summer camp and reflected the kinds of friends a kid actually might have rather than the idealistic role models mascots we've been glued to for later.
If every character was as compelling as Alain I wouldn't have a leg to stand on but they're simply not
