>>58756193I think a big reason Pokemon refuses to adopt industry standards, and the reason we don't have official subs for the Japanese anime are the localized names. "Charizard" started out as just being this great localized name for the species, but its become a brand into itself. The machine is too powerful to course correct. Introducing two different names for these million-dollar characters would just create confusion. Having two names in one market makes it harder to search on Amazon, harder for SEO. Even for the adult fans, it can create an emotional split. I had that experience when I imported BW, I loved "Kibago" and "Mijumaru", but it took me a while to warm to their localized names. "Axew" merch just didn't hit the same at first.
Pokemon is hyper focused on brand image and maintaining that image. It doesn't take place on Earth, Kanto isn't Japan, it's just "this world" or "the world of Pokemon". A lot of anime, especially during this third/fourth wave of international otaku, lean in to their Japanese roots, even if the stories don't take place in Japan. Characters having Japanese names used to be a problem to be solved, but now it's part of their branding. Pokemon is a different beast. It's inherently globalized, and draws on lots of different real world cultures, but never explicitly so. Having the human cast keep their Japanese names could be confusing, and it would rob international audiences of names that communicate who they are, much like "Hitokage" would. If the series returns to Japan, then it might give them an opportunity to experiment with a more Japanese-flavoured international branding, but it would still be different between markets. What plays well to American weebs might not play so well to Chinese fans. GF is attune to avoiding cultural sensitivities, and they already saw some blowback from Chinese fans over the Ruins. Korea could pose a similar issue, a lot of Japanese brands imported to Korea cut overtly Japanese content or themes
