>>49883663The first deep blow was definitely RS and the dropping of "Gotta Catch 'em All!" It was dexit before we had the term dexit. Even if the Gen 3 games were good, the TV show had long been off the rails and Pokémania was dead. Say what you will about FRLG, but the series desperately needed Kanto to suck people back in at the time. There was still plenty of soul to go around, particularly in side games, but I remember most other media taking a nosedive.
Then DP happened and what a shitshow that was. Never mind the technical issues. Team Galactic was the the first team to verge on parody, taking the batshit fanaticism of Team Aqua/Magma and combining it with the criminal hegemony of Team Rocket while dialing the stakes up to 11. Cynthia was an absolute token champion until Plat arrived and gave her something to do within the plot. Side games missed more than they hit in this era (though the ones that did hit were fantastic). On TV, characters like Paul and Tobias were turning viewers off. I hear the TCG also got really bland around this time, but I can't confirm because I stopped playing cards after Gen 2.
I'd argue BW is when Pokémon reclaimed a shred of soul. As Gen 5 was the second generation on the DS, GameFreak had to bust their asses creating something completely discrete from DP. With four seasons, dynamic music changes, a more grounded plot, and more new monsters than any region since Kanto, Unova actually felt alive. Even if you don't like the ice cream cone or the hamfisted animal rights debate, BW showed passion. Just look at this art from the guidebook. Then we got an actual sequel in the same generation, with a big honking postgame, instead of another remake or repackaged third version. Unfortunately the side games really suffered in this time with PMD having its own dexit as it made the leap to 3D, Genius Sonority leaving the picture entirely, and PokéPark 2 being a swan song of sorts.
Then came XY and Pokémon GO and ugh... "modernization."
