>>58667339I don't want the plastic saccharine world that Pokémon became
I like the early Pokémon anime, but I think that Shudo's extended take on it is not faithful to the original setting whatsoever. Early Pokémon, at its core, is a monster-collecting JRPG ala Dragon Quest Monsters or the Megami Tensei franchise that takes place in a fictionalized version of a real life location in a modern day setting ala MOTHER. It's heavily inspired by Japanese pop culture from the childhoods of the developers, ranging from the 60s to 90s with a lot of particular inspiration from Ultraseven (and various other tokusatsu/Ultra media like kaiju movies), Stand By Me (an American movie that has remained eternally popular in Japan), and the psychic boom.
Stand By Me in particular is important for its themes of boys coming-of-age on a journey. The main character's father serves as an immutable symbol of authority, his haunting line "Why couldn't it have been you" after the death of the main character's cherished older brother weighs down on him the entire movie. But by separating from his father and taking this journey of his own volition, he grows as a person. In Japan, the father is often absent due to work (long hours or working far from home being the main reasons). In developmental material, we can see that the Silph Co. employee who gives the player Lapras was originally meant to be the player's father. Like Ninten's and Ness' fathers from the MOTHER games, he supports his son from afar even if he can't always be there in person, because a son can't grow if their father is always around.
The Indigo Plateau is also meant to be Mt. Fuji, and the reason it's near the beginning of the game and blocked off is to give the narrative sense that the player isn't ready for this eternally looming symbol of victory, but he will be when he returns after having experienced numerous challenges.
