>>14282332>difference, harmony, choiceAww, I actually like that better than struggle/acceptance/growth, I think.
Nice.
I dunno I mean you're right that Pokemon has this "journey of growth" theme throughout, but when I say make a statement about itself I mean about itself as a franchise, about how it's grown and changed and developed.
Not for any intentional reason, as such (there's always intent to emphasize player bonds with Pokemon, that's overt and often the whole point) but because it's what the creators are experiencing, and it expresses itself through their writing.
Drunks write about drinking, warriors write about combat, and long-time-creators write about creating. Stephen King spent an awful long time writing about writers, for instance; musicians often write songs which are covertly about dealing with fame, or their label, or the songwriting process itself.
I think after 25 years on a franchise you'll start to write, if only subtly, about the process of working on it; about battling between being sick of all the shit you've done and wanting a fresh start, and the desire to never abandon what you've worked so hard on already, or about creative integrity versus profit-making formulae, etc.
I see this sort of happening, and I think it will express itself in the way certain thematic themes are presented in future stories, because it's what's near to the creative minds behind them.