While newer generations of the Pokémon anime have generally gotten better in quality as time es, there is one area which has suffered since the earlier seasons: evolutions. These days, evolutions on screen mimic the simple animations found in the Pokémon games: a few seconds of flashing lights and a glowing silhouette, and then the Pokémon's newest form is revealed in all of its glory, but in the earliest episodes of the series evolutions were much different.
The earliest evolutions shown in the anime were entire scenes in and of themselves. Some of them even lasted throughout an episode or more. Ash's Caterpie began its evolution chain with a spray of silk threads that it wove together into a cocoon. Once the silk settled, audiences bore witness to the Pokémon's newest form, Metapod. The scene is mysterious and captivating in a way that the modern sequences just aren't. Later on, in the middle of battle, Metapod's cocoon body breaks open, revealing its final form, Butterfree. Not only is this fun to watch, but it adds an unexpected twist to the action.
Modern Pokémon Evolutions Lack Ceremony And Logic
Though there's something to be said for sticking to the source material, this modern evolution sequence is severely lacking the feeling of ceremony provided by earlier episodes. There are plenty of reasons for the change in animation - the show's unexpected success led to many changes in the plot, and extended evolutions would have slowed things down - but that doesn't take away from the fact that the new formula leaves much to be desired.
The original evolution sequence also introduces a sense of logic that grounds the process in the reality of the Pokémon world and helps it make sense. Caterpie's evolution chain mirrored the metamorphosis of caterpillars to butterflies. It's familiar to the audience and eases them into the idea of evolutions. Slowpoke's evolution offered one reason why some Pokémon were able to shift to bipedal forms. When it used its tail as a fishing rod, the Shellder that latched on added new weight to its back end, pulling it up onto its hind legs. This logic makes the Pokémon world feel real and helps to suspend the audience's sense of disbelief.
While sticking as close to the source material as possible is generally a great thing, the evolution sequences in the Pokémon anime could seriously benefit from more experimentation. When compared to the rest of the show, the current iteration is bland and anticlimactic. As the series continues to evolve and enters its next iteration following Ash's departure, creators have new freedom to take chances with the trajectory of the show. It would be great to see the next generations of the Pokémon anime go back to its roots and come up with flashier, detailed evolutions for audiences to enjoy.
