Trying to confront former gen mons with the latest in order to prove Gen 1 superiority isn't a good strategy as any statement can't encompass a whole generation, it depends on each mon, there are various kinds of design within one generation ( okay, that's what it's stated in the pictures above...). The true issue is, as GF chose to develop alway the same pattern with just few differences, one concept tends to be every time more soulless once we discover the new mon in the line. For exemple, Pidgey pattern went through a dark age during gen 4 - 5 -7, each bird being more dull than the one before, even though Pidgey is probably not the coolest one. Yet, GF tries new design, new concepts, sometime more wild, sometime more cartoony... As for me, I prefer gen 1, not because of nostalgia, or because of "more ambiguous" design, but because all design, even the derpiest, are conceived around one major idea which is Evolution. Ken Sugimori and his staff chose to develop monsters based on natural evolution ( the caterpilar to the butterfly - strange evolution of plants that turned carnivorous - Tadpole to the frog -... ). Even the two legendaries are connected to the idea of evolution ( Mew - origin of life. Mewto, duplication and modification of life ). It's kinda obvious because it's the leading concept of the franchise duuuh, but at least, it was naive, clean and creatures were actual creatures. Gen 2 is just an extension of the first one. Gen 3 and 4 have a very "japanese" soul in the core, with many yokai and stuff... but they struggle with renewal. But afterward, I feel like there weren't any new concept beside turning animals into chibi creatures, and put way too many ornaments on others so that we understand which type they are related to. Can someone tell me what is the global concept of gen 5 - 6 - 7 besides Amer... China, a Japanese idealistic vision of France filled with fashion and pastry, and holidays for retired people in Hawaii ?
