>>44536634>But despite everything, the anime and merchandise all keep selling. But just how long can you go on with the same formula? A new Pokémon appears. Ash catches it. He fights other trainers at a gym or at the League Tournament. Team Rocket tries to stand in his way. He overcomes the obstacle and wins. Looking at it from the production meeting’s point of view: “there’s the scene that makes you cry, there’s one that makes you laugh, there’s the spectacular showy one.” I feel like it’s all just becoming a repetition of this same formula.>For better or worse, there’s no place for the characters to grow. Children grow up quickly. I wanted to create a story that keeps up with their growth. But if Pokémon is doing well, I guess you could say there’s no need to fix something that’s not broken.>But Pokémon is different than Sazae-san or Doraemon. Everyday life that goes on endlessly in Sazae-san or Doraemon are precious, too. But personally, I want Ash to show some development as a character. I want him to one day look back on these past “days of Pokémon” with nostalgia. That’s the entire reason I made Team Rocket, all the Pokémon, Ash, and all his friends interact with each other. I was even planning out the last episode, where they would finally arrive at some kind of a conclusion.>However, even if a writer who’s gotten used to Pokémon — even if he’s able to introduce something new into the typical episode formula… well, unfortunately that’s not something that writer could produce in large quantities. I’m not capable of writing episodes like that in a moment’s notice — episodes that show Ash and his friends growing up.Was he really wrong though?
