>>38021113Even as a fan of the manga myself, because I'm into a little edge and a lot of melodrama, I'll admit that probably one of the biggest things the manga has going for it is there's really nothing much else to sate the "need" for more serious Pokemon stories. Specifically, PokeSpe chapters tend to be complete, standalone tales
with some exceptions like FRLG or BW, so it's just nice to pick up just about any chapter, read it to completion, and still probably come out with some kind of satisfaction. That the story you've read is done.
The biggest thing that ultimate turned me off the anime was the way Ash/Satoshi's journey never stopped. He got his shit pushed in at Indigo Plateau and then he just said "we'll get em next time, just you watch!" and then next time came and nothing changed. After years of watching as a child, it eventually set in that nothing would ever change, because his goal of becoming a "master" was so broad and nebulous that it was clearly going to be a matter forever left open. I suspect many of us will die of old age before Ash/Satoshi ever finishes his journey. And you know what? I get it. I understand the reasoning, both in terms of practicality for running the show, and for fitting in with the show's themes. He's supposed to always be growing as a character. I get that.
But I can't keep up. So I get my fix where I can, and it turns out I'm a huge fucking sucker for the melodrama presented in PokeSpe. I suspect I'm going to catch so much shit for this, but the ending of the GSC chapter really got to me. I damn near cried. And I honestly would have been perfectly content if the manga had ended right then and there.
I don't deny the manga has its flaws, but I love it all the same, really. It does its job "well enough", and in this franchise that's all we can ask for at the end of the day.
