>>59064213It's a difficulty problem, more difficult than you think.
Outlines and anime-shaded pokemon look better, but don't fit into semi-realistic backdrops. Stylizing the background works of course, but often results in scenes that general audiences will feel look worse than unstylized ones.
There's a weirdly large chunk of the fanbase who wants the pokemon to look hyper real, as well as fans who don't even acknowledge that Pokemon is an anime JRPG in the first place. The current visual style exists as a compromise to perhaps not please, but not repel as many people as possible.
