With a new Pokemon game being announced comes a new wave of comments saying how new Pokemon doesn't look like Pokemon. It got me to really look at the designs as a whole to see it from a macro and micro lens, instead of dismissing it entirely, and kind of breaking down notable shifts in art styles when it comes to Pokemon.
This is not to say that new Pokemon isn't Pokemon. When you line up all 1000+ creatures together they do look like they belong in the same world. But when you split them per gen, you do see a shift in style that has been gradually moving as the generations go by, which to me is illustrated with the starters.
Original Pokemon look like cutesy anime-styled animals. Gen 2 follows this but makes them a little more stylised to emphasise cuteness, which Gen 3 goes all in on.
this makes Gen 2 a bit of a transition generation of styles, but still firmly in what I dub Era 1 of Pokemon art.
Gen 3-gen 6ish is when Era 2 starts. Pokemon designs are rounder, emphasizing cuteness with rounder shapes for smaller mons, while the bigger mons have sharper angles and a more exaggerated Gen 2 style of design for the more strong looking mons.
And then starting Gen 6 but firmly starting with Gen 7, the art style shifts again to the Current Era, or Era 3, which makes mons look just a bit more derpy. All mons, even the cool ones, have a little derpiness and quirk in their design that makes them a little silly in a way that makes them enduring.
I think this is where a lot of the "new Pokemon doesn't feel like Pokemon" arguments come in. when all are together, the transition feels natural. But if you are a "Gen Wunner" or a casual fan, it is easy to compare everything to Gen 1. And after 30 years of art style developing, with design philosophies also subtly shifting, it is very normal to feel that way.
Anyway, thanks for reading my rambles on a topic that just popped into my head during a slow day at work. Hope you all enjoyed it.
by raisasari