>>54054262People these days wouldn't know a good starter design if it pecked them in the face, I swear.
I think there's a couple of factors that go into it. While starters do tend to be the most popular, they also tend to be the most heavily scrutinized, and also the most baselessly over-hated. Some people will dismiss a design just because it looks too "furry" (i.e. it's vaguely human-shaped) or if it has a "job". Quaquaval stands on two legs, dances while it fights like it's doing capoeira, and it's moreso flamboyant than feminine like Meowscarada, so it doesn't even get that much attention from the coomers.
Older starters are generally more well-received because they were just these big, cool monsters that had more simple, basic designs, and you could ascribe whatever personality you wanted to them. Newer ones are more complex and draw from a lot of inspirations, and have much more defined personalities. I think both of these design philosophies can work-- there are good and bad starters from early gens, as there are good and bad starters from new gens-- but the newer ones tend to be a lot more divisive. Sure, Quaquaval is cool and unique, but it's a lot less likely to jibe with someone than, say, a blank-slate starter like Venusaur or Charizard.
At least it's not hopeless. Every Pokemon has its fans. I rather like Quaquaval. Supposedly it's a lot more popular with women, too. Same with Inteleon, which befell about the same fate last gen. I dunno what's up with that.
