>>37195283I would argue the opposite, honestly.
Since Ash is the main character and most of the movies aren't considered canon to the anime, he's basically required to end every movie in exactly the same position that he started.
On the other hand, all of the minor characters are ALLOWED to be affected by the events of the movies and change as a result - so I'd much rather see them get development (because it's actual, real development) over Ash (who's never going to acknowledge the movie again), and I think this movie nailed that. Even if it wasn't all super in-depth or inventive development, you could clearly see people's lives changing; most Pokémon movies just resolve one single conflict, and by the end of it, nobody is any different from when they started except that the antagonist has been knocked down a peg. This is one of the only Pokémon movies to be more character-focused than plot-focused, and it's a really welcome change for me.
I'm glad we got less Ash focus - and that what focus he did get was as basically a mentor character, which actually worked in the context of the movie and kept him from overshadowing anyone WITHOUT making him completely irrelevant.
I can see why a perspective like yours would make you not like it, but why do you feel that way in the first place? It seems like a backwards point of view, all things considered - why would you want the focus of the entire story to be on someone who isn't going to be affected by it at all? Isn't that what holds back so many of the other movies and makes them feel repetitive?
I dunno, this movie struck a pretty good balance for me.
