>>57495124I started with the anime, I don't know when because my early memories of Pokémon already involve liking it, and that was around age 5 in 1999. I wanted the games and cards because of the anime. My first game was Silver, and I played it a lot. But I remember being around 7 and making the connection that the games and anime were different continuities, and that the anime was based off the games since I could see everything in them first. I remember seeing Red and Blue while playing and just understanding that these were the original characters, that Ash and Gary were adaptations. The games became the undisputable canon for me.
But as the anime progressed, I became more and more disillusioned with it. It felt so saccharine and lame and formulaic and slow. I dropped it around 2005, Ash had lost the Hoenn League and they had the Master of Mirage Pokémon special where they changed all the voices. I just didn't care anymore. But I loved Gen IV, it felt really cool.
I'm of the opinion that Pokémon are inherently boring, but I'm a grown man so I would hope so. I don't buy plushes, I think that's really lame and I visibly cringe at and avoid videos where some onions dude in his 20s/30s is at his computer and his room is surrounded by Pokémon merchandise. It's the equivalent of jingly keys for a baby, looking at something and clapping because you know the reference, like Funko Pops. That's not to say I dislike Pokémon, but I liked the games and what they did to create an engaging collecting experience that helped push the magic of discovering a new creature. Pokémon as nothing but a brand is so hollow and commercial, I keep thinking of those Star Wars and Marvel losers.
