>>48199866Because Pokémon always had in mind what it wanted to be. It’s also fictional and fantastical. And to be fair 99.9% of Pokémon only display the most basic human behavior. For example Pokémon don’t talk aside from very few examples. Meowth talks but it’s often playes out as if he behaves more human than Pokémon. Everyone else doesn’t talk except when the writers feel like using telepathy to advance the plot. See the Lucario in the 8th movie vs every other Lucario.
Not talking is a fairly big deal. In monster franchises talking monsters are very normal. Digimon has them, monster rancher has them, Shin Megami has them but Pokémon doesn’t. Even in cartoons talking animals are very common. It all ties together with how the Pokémon company wants Pokémon to be perceived as. Like how they think 3rd parties portraying Pokémon doing human actives without a way they approve of will damage their brand.
As for treatment what I said above ties in with that point. It’s been established by the very first game that Oak makes it a point to compare Pokémon ownership to real pet ownership and it’s not a mistranslation. Other franchises make it a point that monsters and the natural wildlife exist as two different things. Even within the monsters there’s usually a division between beast monsters and non-beast monsters. Like Digimon has a type animal. Pokémon however has no such divisions. Pokémon presents the Pokémon as being that world’s wild life. There’s no division among the mons in which one is more beastly than the other. It’s how you get your screencap. Mr. Mime isn’t any more of a person than Pikachu is, they’re both Pokémon and behave like Pokémon. The thing with the OP is showing bias and this sort of bias does not exist in Pokémon. That’s been the view this franchise has gone with and it won’t change it because a few people are uncomfortable because of their bias. Notice how no one ever brings it up with Pikachu.