>>58199242>>58202141To add to
>>58202762, I was really surprised by how mean everyone was to Ash but he just didn't care. Like how in the second episode he takes Pikachu to the Pokémon Center and she scolds him for being irresponsible. I mean, they were still figuring out tones and they severely nerfed the seriousness of injuries in the show.
And Ash just didn't give a fuck. I kinda respected him for it.
Even Pikachu was an asshole for no reason. I had convinced myself Ash had been mean to him or whatever, but he always treated Pikachu with respect, didn't try to force him into a Pokéball and when the first Spearow tried to attack Ash tried to call attention to him. He was surprisingly badass.
Also, he was really kind to Caterpie when Misty was a massive cunt.
I also remember Erika being a massive cunt in the anime too and everyone acting as if Ash was wrong on trying to challenge the gym.
He started standing up to himself against Misty and other as the series moved on. I feel part of the reason Kanto was so mean was that they were still trying to figure out the tone. And even though I think the best part of the series are OS and Orange Islands, I think this tone is hit better in Johto and Hoenn. It stops appearing in Sinnoh, Kalos and even Alola because his companions become much more friendly (Dawn, Serena and the Alolan crew pretty much idolize Ash). And it sort of feels earned to me.
Maybe that's why BW feels so jarring, or one of the many reasons: Iris is such a cunt and Ash becomes not only stupid but a doormat? I never felt he was a doormat in the original series.
