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I didn't start Hoennposting until The Bicker, The Better, but a thought came to mind about an earlier part of ADV that I realized now that I liked a lot.
There's a pretty common (I'd say overused) story type where the children of a notable figure feel pressured to be like their parent, often to the point of resentment. Serena had it to an extent with her mother and Rhyhorn racing, but only in a few episodes and rarely touched on outside of those episodes. The ADV writers could have easily done that dynamic with May and Max and Norman. The easiest tie in would be May not wanting to bring up the fact she's a Coordinator rather than a Gym challenger because Norman's a Gym Leader, etc., etc., But they didn't, and I appreciate that. Instead, May and Max have a very wholesome relationship with both of their parents. Norman and Caroline are proud of May's accomplishments, and Max looks up to Norman so much that he has a break down when Ash beats Norman. Even in the pic related episode where they're surrounded by people praising them for being Norman's Kids, they embrace it and May is put into a battle against Ash because he said he was going to challenge Norman. It's a complete contrast to the games, where Norman is someone neglectful of his family for his work, only taking an interest in his child when they start challenging Gyms.
One thing I think Hoenn does well is this type of wholesome relationship building. And unlike XY, they do it without everyone's default mode being Nice. All of the main characters, except Brock, argue with each other, have snark and show shitty behavior.
