I think it's also important to point out that Gen 1 Pokemon are unique in that the sprites were actually created BEFORE Ken Sugimori's iconic artwork which is why they're so simple compared to most modern designs. It also means that those initial awkward Gen 1 sprites aren't poor representations of Pokemon but Sugimori's drawings are revisions of those pixel designs.
I've had this opinion for a while, that Gen 1 purposely played it safe, the overall theme was traditional RPG monsters with a bit more personality. You had your chest mimic (Voltorb), slime (Grimer), plant monsters (Vileplume/Victreebel), etc. It was a fairly new concept at the time so they didn't stray from established tropes too much. I think they all aged fairly well for the most part.
I think it's that combined with the idea he mentioned in the video of going out and bug hunting, but like... if that idea got expanded to include anything that a kid would be captivated by. so like, picking up cool rocks, collecting weird bugs, going places that your parents would usually tell you not to go and then keeping something you found in there, messing with things in tide pools at the beach, keeping something gross you found, picking up flowers/leaves/seeds you've never seen before, etc. and then all of it is friend-able. nobody can tell you to put it back or throw it away. even things like birds or squirrels, which are everywhere, but won't interact with you the way pets will... there's just a very simple type of wish fulfillment in imagining befriending them. it's all somewhat familiar stuff... but it's usually not quite accessible, or might not satisfy in practice.
@@kamuyking551 that's honestly a great interpretation of gen 1 not to mention starters of that gen are based on pets a child can have, so naturally a child looking for new friends in nature would also take their pet for the adventure.
@@charcoaleater343 yeah, I love that... and also, if you simplify the starters into being like... a lizard, a turtle, and a frog? they're animals that I can see someone's mom saying "no" to, or something that you get, but it's not super friendly or cuddly like a cat or a dog would be, which might be disappointing to a young child who didn't know to anticipate that. charizard, squirtle, and bulbasaur just kind of step in and solve the problem you didn't know you might have.
They work for the purpose of the original games, but they completely don't fit with the modern design philosophies. I think it might have been better if in gen 3 they retconned the designs of certain pokemon, since that's when designs were more about being interesting creatures instead of rpg archetypes and normal animals.
Quick defense of Aerodactul, Pterosaurs absolutely have hands approximately where Aerodactyl has hands. Only their last digit extends to form that elongated wing structure that the membrane attaches to. They aren’t like bats in that all their fingers extend to create multiple attachment points on the wing: only the one. And so the rest of their fingers are found on that joint.
@@rattyeely Well yeah, but this was coming right off the heels of Jurassic Park, which kind of muddied the waters a bit, and I know someone over at Game Freak must've watched that movie because Aerodactyl is revived from the Old Amber
Can’t wait for your opinions on the other generations. And I’d love to see you make a series out of redesigning gen 1 Pokémon with current gen design philosophy.
If he does that while doing good research on the designs inspirations and doesn’t slander the original too much then he can make a good series out of redesigning older gen Pokémon
What's weird to me is that you have the whole Fire-Water-Grass thing with the starters and the game versions, but then for the Eeveelutions they went Fire-Water-Electric for whatever reason. The Leaf Stone was right there.
Always have to keep in mind that when it comes to names all the English puns we’ve come up with don’t really apply so the design would have come first or the Japanese name would’ve come first so names like Squirtle being something like “squirrel turtle” would’ve been because a localizer noticed something
My favorite thing about Subjectively is how far I disagree with most opinions you have, but still get where you're coming from. My entire artstyle is VERY heavy into the "animal with added type" and "concept of a type" of the old gens, and am really not a fan of the modern complexity and implied character. However, you people do the new style so well that I can't help but be impressed :D
Same, he was ripping into the machoke line and all I could think was "that looks human to you?" I mean there's not too many body types to barrow from. It doesn't look near as human as some of today's pokemon anyway. It's also weird how he goes from thinking Charmander is too simple to praising Diglett and Bellsprout......seemed like his taste is a bit all over the place and not too consistent
@@jackkawf4449 It's SUBJECTIVE :D And I honestly don't mind that, as I agree with their opinions in your examples (Aside from Charmander, he's awesome). Machoke is form the the same as sawk, Hitmonchan, and the grass and water starters of gen 9. Why the hell is it wearing clothes?
@@burgit123 Hm, somehow my reply did not go through. I only have my fiverr as a place for art (edok_1), so you can check there :) Although, it's exclusively pixelart, as I am literally incompetent of drawing in any other style :D
I've seen it pointed out before that Golem and Machamp are both trade evolutions; Machoke is very reptilian but it's sort of snout is dropped in Machamp, meanwhile Graveller has four arms and a flat face. They trade traits Escavalier style which I think adds a lot to the designs despite being kind of weird and random in a vacuum.
It would be really interesting to find out if they were the original two that evolved via trade and that was part of the gimmick, with others being added after, or several were chosen to be trade evos, and if the designs were altered in any way because of that.
It's worth noting that Squirtle doesn't have anything to do with squirrels, turtles with tails are a dime a dozen in Japanese mythology, a theme that they expanded on with Wartortle. I'm not going to fact check it rn, but i'm fairly certain I remember reading that wartortle originally had a different evolution, and blastoise was it's own single stage line, but during development the lines were combined.
The problem I have with all the wild meowths is that they're supposed to be quadrupeds; having the wild ones also be bipedal completely makes Team Rocket Meowth's efforts look like nothing and takes away one of his unique attributes. Just a personal pet peeve. edit: I always thought persian was a puma, never saw it as a lion personally.
I always took it as the other Meowth looking to the Team Rocket one as an example. Sorta in the same vein as Mimikyu and the Pika-clones. Team Rocket Meowth made it cool to stand up (again.*) (Galarian Meowth)
For the Bulbasaur Line, Gamefreak finalized them being toads in Let's Go Pikachu, where their walking animation had them hopping as toads do. Freaked me out when I first saw it.
I’ve always thought that with Marowak that because it refused to remove its mothers skull from its head, when it evolves the skull fuses into its head becoming part of it. Which is why the skull changes shape a little and becomes a lot more form fitting. And then it could be taken further and be said that Cubone is a baby Kangaskhan or similar type of Pokémon who’s lost it’s mother and who’s growth is inhibited by refusing to take of the skull, and that action causes it to evolve separately instead of growing up to become another Kangaskhan. Just some head canon of mine.
I’d say magikarp is almost pokemon’s mascot of growth, in terms of like, a lot of times when people are looking at magikarp and considering magikarp, they’re also considering the potential of its evolution
as a kid i thought Jynx was some kind of ice zombie Valkyrie. kind of wish they continued with that line in Gen4 like her fire and electric counterparts as she's now forever trapped as a weird middle stage design pokemon, a teenager stuck on a weird japanese fashion trend.
@@gastonzumbo9860 I think that's an overreaction. I get that it has it's ties to something culturally insensitive but i think a redesign or new form is exactly what could remedy it. It's not like they'd repeat the same mistake (i hope)
Something I notice about the older Scyther artwork is that it sometimes has an elongated claw on its foot like a velociraptor does. Granted, this is mostly because I REALLY like the velociraptors in Jurassic Park, but I can't help but love Scyther's whole design and how it perfectly encapsulates the balance between the bug-catching hobby and being a fearsome monster. It's a bug, something you can find out in your backyard and keep as a little buddy. But it's also got the physique of a dinosaur and moves like a swift ninja. It's one that isn't super deep in concept but has huge appeal in what it does with said concept. EDIT: I am so glad I'm not the only one who hates Aerodactyl's design for that reason. It just doesn't *feel* like it was made with the pterodactyl concept in mind. Oddly Noivern's design of all things is what I wish Aerodactyl was more like
Hey guys! We just launched some Procreate/PhotoShop brush packs on our Gumroad. One of them, the Watercolor pack, is actually specifically intended to emulate that super charming, traditional Gen 1 look! If you liked the video and want to support Subjectively, go take a peak! 👀➡ subjectively.gumroad.com/
I think removing the lips from jinx helps it a lot. also it is based of a myth were a woman in a red dress goes up a mountain and she freezes to death. then comes back as a ghost so seduce and trick people in to snow storms so they also freeze to death. she also had a pretty kid who would help her. the reason the skin is back is from necrosis but the way they chose to draw it ... they knew what they were doing for sure.
I don't think they did know. It's a critical research failure for sure, but I don't believe any malice was intended in Jynx's design. It just happened to be an incredibly poor coincidence that the folkloric ghost has a lot in common with racist black caricature. They couldn't just remove it from the series after it's already been an established presence (it's was probably someone's favorite as early as that), so they did the next best thing in toning down as much of the accidental racism as possible without having to completely redesign it. They could have changed a bit more, Pokemon models have varied wildly from the early days, but they didn't ignore it at least.
I think that they did know and just didn't understand or care. not thinking about it much they my not have realized how bad it was. I mostly say this since other anime and japanese product had actual blackface caricatures and for a long time after they kept them and a kept adding them to shows and other media.
Isn't Jynx inspired by the Babushka or Yama-uba? Unfortunate implications aside, the fact that people see it too seperated from that concept just shows it could've used a few more passes of its design. Gen 1 appearance grandfathers it to a wider scope than it deserves. Probably one of the top Pokémon that could use a regional variant to reinvent its appeal.
Isn't that a bit of player theory though? I don't know if any of the artists confirmed that. Tbh the OG design seems to be pulling from ice mage, ice queen, opera singer, and the yokai influence. Ice was also supposed to be a late game type like dragon. The design seems to be going for monstrous, quirky, and powerful which I think the og sprite work fits. I dont think its the best design, but I dont jave a problem with it. Though the 3d and redesign dont hit the same
One thing to note with a lot of Pokemon names in English is that they don't always match up with the original Japanese name. I think it would be good to look at the original JP names as well if you're going to compare the names and the artist's intent with the design. Loved the analysis of the Gen 1 Pokemon!
i've always seen Blastoise as being bear-like, which makes me like it even more. i think that explains its lil ears and its strange facial proportions and its general pose this killed me (and also instantly made me like Nidoqueen more) - 37:28 i NEVER realized this, wow, that's actually pretty cool - 42:25 despite what you say about Chansey not being an axolotl, i think it works really well. axolotls are one of very few real-world animals that can regrow entire limbs, and i think this regeneration fits very well with Chansey's whole healer theme. if you were to just give it a defined neck it'd literally just be an axolotl with an egg in a pouch.
Yeah I really like monstrous, bulky pokemon, and we don't really get that from starters that much anymore. Once Gen 6 hit, the starters got pretty damn anthropomorphic, and then gen 8 happened. Really glad there is at least a choice now with Skeledirge. Honestly I haven't had a pokemon game I kept my starter all the way through since gen 5. I know sleek, more agile designs are more popular, but I like it when my pokemon looks like it can take a hit and hit back 3x times harder.
Years ago when I was watching my friend play Pokémon (I don't remember which game anymore), when they first encountered Exeggcute, they said "Exeggcute? More like Eggs-a-ugly" and to this day it's still a running joke between us and possibly the funniest thing they've ever said.
Fun fact according to did you know gaming Blastoise wasn't Wartortle original evolution it was originally going to evolve into something that was designed more closely to it but Blastoise already existed and took up it's design slot
Honestly pikachu is a great design and is mascot worthy. I still cant forget the first time I saw the cosplay pikachus in oras and immediately chose rock n roll pikachu (especially cause it went with our outfit)
I would agree with you on all of the legendary birds except for Articuno. I love the long flowy silky-looking tail, and the three icy horns on its head, it just makes it look so majestic. Zapdos just looks a bit too silly, and Moltres just looks like a chicken with fire on it I love their Galarian forms too, and Galarian Moltres just has so much personality
I think Ninetales is a good name. It's obviously a reference to the fact that it has nine tails, but it also implies that it's a mythical creature that people tell tales about.
I honestly love looking back on the old designs and seeing how the designe philosphy evolved over the generations. Hope you do more of these. Thet are very chill and easy to watch videos with my morning coffee lol
One of my favorite youtube videos, I keep coming back to this because I just love listening to people rambling about pokemon opinions and looking at artwork of them! I also really like Jack's energy here.
primeape is one of my favorite designs, right behind cubone as my number one. it has so much attitude and looks badass while still being cartoony and silly
Honestly I love Zapdos but that’s bc I’m Ojibwe and seeing a Thunderbird in Pokémon as a kid was huge for me, but I’d never defend it past my bias in that the three birds feel very, very shallow in how they worked with whatever inspired them.
I feel like the Jinx rant was pretty America-centric. I don’t love Jinx but I never saw it as problematic as a kid growing up in a country outside the US. Plus they did change Jinx’s color to purple after Pokémon became a global brand. It’s not like they knew Pokémon was going to be a huge IP outside of Japan. It could’ve easily been a Dragon Quest where it’s not as well known outside Japan.
Yeah. The real issue isnt that jinx design is racist, its that it can be seen as one in contex with US history. Still a problem considereing that pokemon is a international franchise but folks are blowing it out od proposions.
Yeah it’s like don’t get me wrong I would also be fine if jynx was wiped off the face of the earth but If its designs really have nothing to do with blackface then trying to criticize it for being racist isn’t exactly fair no matter how awful it looks
I always like hearing your thoughts on pokemon design, because it is so vastly different from my own. I love most of the designs you tended to dislike (Dewgong, the legendary birds, etc.) - not all though. Not a fan of Mr. Mime or Jynx either, haha. I just think it's really cool that tastes in Pokémon differs so much and I think that is one of the greatest parts of the series. While there will always be a majority of popular ones, even one of the little guys can be someone's absolute favourite and friend for life.
I really like Pokemon like Dugtrio and Magneton because if you love the pre-evolution (which you should, Diglett and Magnemite are perfect beings), having an evolution that's literally just MORE of them in one is just the best thing ever. Diglett especially, they obviously knew they couldn't improve upon perfection. Why do you think the only things they've done with the family is give it hair and make it an eel? And there are so many Pokemon out there I'd love an evolution of that's just a bunch more of them... Also I feel like Grimer and Muk should be given more credit. Every RPG has to have some sort of basic slime monster, but I think it's very unique of Pokemon to have them be virulent, pestilent sludge specifically, and along with Koffing and Weezing gives off a very unique "fault of man-made pollution" vibe that really established itself in the mons genre. I feel like even among other amorphous blob monsters that have come and gone in games, there really isn't anything that quite captures the pained viscous feel the way Muk literally and metaphorically exudes.
To add on to the Grimer thing. Grimer somehow masterfully tows the line between disgusting and cute which is a really difficult balance to maintain, but if I had to think of just one amazing example of that, it'd be Grimer. Muk is admittedly lacking but it's improved in it's Alolan form.
Playing through Infinite Fusions has been genuinely my first interaction with the Kanto Region (I never did the postgame despite owning SoulSilver) And honestly, some of the shit people give later generations is unfounded. Gen 1 was hit or miss as hecc, too XD
@@HerculePyro Jack hasn't looked into the design origins of these mons, he just kind of assumed he knew what they are. Same thing with squirtle, it's based off the minogame, not a squirrel.
@@Hide_Me his arguments would have applied more to Mr Popo from Dragonball and still would have been kinds silly. At least now no one can make these arguments against Jynx anymore, because it's purple. Sometimes people are too sensitive, because they interpret something wrong. Happens to all of us.
Bulbasaur's design inspiration to me seems to be a reptomammal, Dimetrodon in particular. Dimetrodon had a sail on its back for catching sunlight as a step between dinosaurs and mammals, and Bulbasaur takes that sun-harnessing theme to the Pokemon world with a photosynthesizing plant replacing the sail!
I love these kind of videos from you so much! Your opinions on the designs of pokemon in general and the takes you can have, I find fascinating to listen to. I'd kill to see you do something like this for the other gens!
1:38:57 I highly recommend watching did you know gaming video about the origin of Mew because it was very intentional from the very beginning to have an urban legend Pokémon
I really enjoy hearing your opinions on character design. Its very nice to hear another perspective and also you help me notice things I wouldve otherwised missed. Plus when our opinions align on things like Skeledirge, its a fist pump moment. Looking forward to the next video!
The sandshrew episode of the OG series was always my favorite episode. With the strength belt thing on him for training and shit it was just dope when I was a kid
I like the older gens had miscellaneous animal inspiration + quirky concept. even kadabra has almost insectoid qualities like in its extremeties and hitmonlee has weird chicken arms
in defense of chansey being an axolotl: the color scheme and the gill-shaped protrusions on its head are not the only connecting factor. axolotls have a very, very special and desirable quality: they are some of the best self-healers in the animal kingdom, especially for a pretty complex organism. axolotls can heal so well they can even regenerate brain matter. this is incredibly important and connects the lizards very firmly to chansey
I'm blown away how hard I agree with like 95% of the list. I went so hysterical when you said that Eevee is not your thing, and before you continued I just mumbled to myself "Yeah finally someone said it, but I guess Jolteon is kinda cool tho"
The inspiration for pokemon, collecting bugs and critters as a child exploring in the earlu 1900s, is important co text here. They're simply fantastical versions of lizards, frogs, rats, turtles, birds, and bugs that a kid might catch
Bulbasaur's line is most likely based on synapsids, an extinct group of animals containing reptile and mammalian traits. The most famous animal in this group is dimetrodon. I always saw the plant on its back as being similar to the sail dimetrodon had, in that its believed they used them to absord sunlight.
I have the same feelings towards the abra line. Abra is cool in the anime way; this meaning that, at some point its going to open its eyes and be really cool. Kadabra is in my top 5 for this gen. I always thought the concept was related to witchcraft. The star-pentacle on the forehead, and also,the head shape can be seen as an upside-down star. The facial hair could be (this might be a stretch) related to goats. Alakazam loses the fur, the tail, the and the red-pink colour. I don't hate it , its just a little disapointing. About animation (and style), the pokemon generations and Poketoon shorts are a very fresh take I think.
Don’t get me wrong, Gen 1 is great even when Pokémon consistently shoves it down our throats via another Kanto remake, the ability to go to Kanto like in Johto, or more special treatment for the starters, especially Charizard. But they definitely had to compensate due to the GameBoy’s limitations technology-wise. Otherwise, their designs in their official artwork could’ve been so hyped up to the point where their sprites would lead to disappointment, even when they still look similar enough. Many have taken note how more than half of the mons in Gen 1 have triangular eyes due to this restriction. Plus, even if the franchise didn’t start on the GameBoy, if you wanna start a franchise, you need to test the waters before throwing so much at once. And even people who redesign some of them, while they often look great, it doesn’t always effect from most fans’ nostalgia, including mine, since we grew up with these current designs and became accustomed to most of them. Although, Jynx is my least favorite Kanto mon of all time, so any overhaul in its design works for me.
18:34 Balstoise wasn’t meant to be Warturtle evolution there was another water turtle line and got merged together that’s the reason it looks very different compared to the rest of its line
I like to think that chansey's ear things are feathers (like a chicken), meaning that chansey's a weird bird thing without a beak, but it also has a dinosaur tail
Didn't expect to disagree with so many of your opinions on pokemon designs, but its cool. Im shocked you didn't like Ninetales more, its such an elegant and powerful pokemon, wow
Same, especially when he's dogging on pokemon like ninetails and Eevee, but turns and sings praises to Diglett and Bellsprout, his opinion, but just seems so inconsistent at times with his criticism for what he feels makes pokemon look bad
you mentioned you would wanna redesign Golduck, do you think that could potentially be an idea for a series? redesigning preexisting designs that you think need a little tweaking? (or a total overhaul if you feel it) I've seen some ig pages draw rebooted gen 1 mons and I would LOVE to see a series similar to that from you with your talents. just an idea, thanks for the content!
Briefly, I just wanted to point out that both Lickitung and Squirtle/Wartortle are based on different yokai. So Lickitung is just a tongue creature and the Squirtle line isn't a squirrel/turtle hybrid, it's just a (squirt)turtle that has a seaweed tail. Blastoise was originally from a separate line, so that's why it's different visually.
For a channel named Subjectively, this was a pretty objective analysis on the strength of Gen 1 designs! Pretty fun video, would love to get your opinion on Gen 2 Pokemon (my favorite generation), as I feel it follows many of the same design conventions as Gen 1 and many were created at the same time but cut due to the hardware limitations. Gen 3 is where we see quite a shift in design philosophy.
I always thought that Poliwhirl and Poliwrath just straight up didn't have mouths because they've never shown it but if that top line of their belly is their mouth my universe is gonna be shattered
So Subjectively, regarding Pokemon related content, what should we expect next for Mazah? Legendaries, Mega Evolutions, those Paradox-like drawings you mentioned you'd do something with.
As much as I bully gen 1's dex I will never deny that it's full to the brim of ideas and designs of various qualities and I love every bit of it even if I hate some designs for various reasons. Magnemite is peak character design as far as I'm concerned, that aside I'd love to see you do a video(or series of videos) where you redesign gen 1 Pokemon you don't really like or feel could be improved or something using the same rules and such of the times.
I never have an attachment to Generation 1, the only thing of that Generation that I have interacted was Pokémon Stadium and I always said that I did like many of them and question “why there are two similar dragons” to Charizard and Dragonite. After that I played Stadium 2 and fall in love to Lugia and Ho-Oh. But definitely I feel nothing when it comes to Generation 1.
I'm surprised there is a debate about what Chancy is, I just always saw it as a big egg taking care of a small egg. But I'm also okay with it just being its own thing.
It’s cool to see how designs evolved since gen 1. Gen 1 mons are simple, because they were the first ones and the wonky pokemon green sprites came before the actual artworks (that’s why they look right from yellow). Also I noticed that in gen1 and 2 pokemon have predominantly rounded shapes, and even horns and spikes aren’t pointy but have rounded tips. Only in gen 3 we see more jagged and “aggressive” shapes
Alright I hate to be that guy but Charizard is a Original? really!? It's a fire breathing dragon! They just drew a huggable cartoony version of Smaug! Not that there's anything wrong with that but "Winged Firebreathing Reptile" isn't really an original concept is it
I actually have a weird love for Raticate. I always got a feeling of an animal with a just plain NASTY attitude, which I find charming. It actually is one that is IMPROVED by the transition to 3D, with its constant chattering and ready for action movement. I don't really appreciate alolan radicate, I couldn't tell you exactly why, I think I just don't like that it's fat. Doesn't make it a bad design, just doesn't appeal to me I guess
14:09 I can definitely understand and relate to this cause I did pretty much the same thing. (My Favorite #1 pokemon is Nidoking. And When Gen 2 introduced Shinies, I was lucky to Find and catch a Shiny Male Nidoran in my Silver ver.) Each morning when walking to school, always imagined my Nidoking walking beside me. Ahhhh, to be young again.... (29 now, going to be 30 next march) I actually still have the Copy of the Silver vers. With that same Shiny Nidoking on it.
I think you guys should make some convergent Pokémon! The concept of a Pokémon that looks similar to another Pokémon but is a completely different thing is a super interesting concept and it would be fun to see how you guys do that. Plus they have fun names! I thought of some that you could steal from! Tragikarp (Tragic+Magikarp) Gyaraghost (Gyarados+Ghost) - Ghost Type *This one is mostly because the name works, but maybe skeletons! Magmamite (Magma+Magnemite) Magmaton (Magma+Magneton) Magmazone (Magma+Magnezone) - Fire/Rock *Bits of rocks and molten lava Phinpy (Fin+Phanpy) Donphin (Donphan+Fin) - Water/Psychic Type *Like they turn into dolphins but maybe they can still curl up and roll on top of the water Aipop (Aipom+Pop) Ambiprop (Ambipom+Prop) - Flying Type * Aipop’s hand tail turns into a balloon on a string that it floats with, Ambiprop’s turn into a propellor and it’s like a helicopter Spilbur (Spill+Drilbur) Excadrip (Excadrill+Drip) - Water Type * Razor claws turn into flippers Anvillite (Anvil+Vanillite) Anvillish (Anvil+Vanillish) Anvilluxe (Anvil+Vanilluxe) - Steel Type * This one is probably just because of dyslexia haha Flitleo (Flitter+Litleo) Flyroar (Fly+Pyroar) - Flying Type * I think Flitleo has cloud fur and maybe Icarus ankle wings, Flyroar is a griffin Hephaoptile (Hephaestus+Helioptile) Hephaolisk (Hephaestus+Heliolisk) - Fire/Steel Type * For context, Helios is the Greek God of the sun and Hephaestus is the Greek God of the forge Rootruff (Root+Rockruff) Lycanroot (Lycanroc+Root) - Grass/Ground Type * Self-explanatory Kreepy (Creep+Dreepy) Arakloak (Arachnid+Drakloak) Araknapult (Arachnid+Dragapult) - Bug Type * They’re spiders. Araknapult could shoot webs like Spider-Man or shoot Kreepy’s that are connected to web strings and pull them back like yo-yo’s
I think it's also important to point out that Gen 1 Pokemon are unique in that the sprites were actually created BEFORE Ken Sugimori's iconic artwork which is why they're so simple compared to most modern designs. It also means that those initial awkward Gen 1 sprites aren't poor representations of Pokemon but Sugimori's drawings are revisions of those pixel designs.
This goes to show how artists can be inspired by the pixel design and get a wonderful version of the creature come to life
That...actually explains a lot
There are a few exceptions though.
Like Rhydon, which existed, when Pokemon was still capsule monsters.
agreed
I've had this opinion for a while, that Gen 1 purposely played it safe, the overall theme was traditional RPG monsters with a bit more personality. You had your chest mimic (Voltorb), slime (Grimer), plant monsters (Vileplume/Victreebel), etc.
It was a fairly new concept at the time so they didn't stray from established tropes too much. I think they all aged fairly well for the most part.
I think it's that combined with the idea he mentioned in the video of going out and bug hunting, but like... if that idea got expanded to include anything that a kid would be captivated by.
so like, picking up cool rocks, collecting weird bugs, going places that your parents would usually tell you not to go and then keeping something you found in there, messing with things in tide pools at the beach, keeping something gross you found, picking up flowers/leaves/seeds you've never seen before, etc. and then all of it is friend-able. nobody can tell you to put it back or throw it away. even things like birds or squirrels, which are everywhere, but won't interact with you the way pets will... there's just a very simple type of wish fulfillment in imagining befriending them. it's all somewhat familiar stuff... but it's usually not quite accessible, or might not satisfy in practice.
@@kamuyking551 that's honestly a great interpretation of gen 1 not to mention starters of that gen are based on pets a child can have, so naturally a child looking for new friends in nature would also take their pet for the adventure.
@@charcoaleater343 yeah, I love that... and also, if you simplify the starters into being like... a lizard, a turtle, and a frog? they're animals that I can see someone's mom saying "no" to, or something that you get, but it's not super friendly or cuddly like a cat or a dog would be, which might be disappointing to a young child who didn't know to anticipate that. charizard, squirtle, and bulbasaur just kind of step in and solve the problem you didn't know you might have.
@@kamuyking551 oh yeah, makes sense too. Those guys put more effort into this gen than i tought
They work for the purpose of the original games, but they completely don't fit with the modern design philosophies. I think it might have been better if in gen 3 they retconned the designs of certain pokemon, since that's when designs were more about being interesting creatures instead of rpg archetypes and normal animals.
You've single-handedly brought me around to liking Nidoqueen by describing her as "Big Momma, titties out, ready to knock some heads around."
Sounds like a lyric
@@pennyw2226 cursed pokemon rap
Ngl I'm gonna start calling female rhinoceroses "big momma"s
This comment and sentence make me like her less
Quick defense of Aerodactul, Pterosaurs absolutely have hands approximately where Aerodactyl has hands. Only their last digit extends to form that elongated wing structure that the membrane attaches to. They aren’t like bats in that all their fingers extend to create multiple attachment points on the wing: only the one. And so the rest of their fingers are found on that joint.
It's kind of like the opposite of a bat wing, where webbing was everywhere but in between the fingers
Well that and the field of paleontology was a bit lacking back in 1996
@@verdragon5591 they already knew that back then
@@rattyeely Well yeah, but this was coming right off the heels of Jurassic Park, which kind of muddied the waters a bit, and I know someone over at Game Freak must've watched that movie because Aerodactyl is revived from the Old Amber
Can’t wait for your opinions on the other generations. And I’d love to see you make a series out of redesigning gen 1 Pokémon with current gen design philosophy.
UmbreonLibris has done something a little bit like this with the New 151 if you haven't seen it!
@@BlueMountain1992 I was thinking the same thing. His new 151 is really good. It's fun!
Hell yeah
He kinda did it a bit
If he does that while doing good research on the designs inspirations and doesn’t slander the original too much then he can make a good series out of redesigning older gen Pokémon
What's weird to me is that you have the whole Fire-Water-Grass thing with the starters and the game versions, but then for the Eeveelutions they went Fire-Water-Electric for whatever reason. The Leaf Stone was right there.
the starters had to be those types because "rock-paper-scissors", but electric is just cooler than grass
Also the legendary birds are ice-fire-electric, to add even more confusion
Ngl, show me the alternate reality with Leafeon as Gen 1 and the second legendary bird is Grasdos
I heard fire electric water / ice is supposed to represent the main magic attack in video games
@@usuariodoyoutube4718could have gotten rid of Lickitung or something to make space for leafeon
Always have to keep in mind that when it comes to names all the English puns we’ve come up with don’t really apply so the design would have come first or the Japanese name would’ve come first so names like Squirtle being something like “squirrel turtle” would’ve been because a localizer noticed something
I'm on the Squirt Turtle side tbh
Yeah it's probably _Squirt_ and turtle
My favorite thing about Subjectively is how far I disagree with most opinions you have, but still get where you're coming from. My entire artstyle is VERY heavy into the "animal with added type" and "concept of a type" of the old gens, and am really not a fan of the modern complexity and implied character. However, you people do the new style so well that I can't help but be impressed :D
Same, he was ripping into the machoke line and all I could think was "that looks human to you?" I mean there's not too many body types to barrow from.
It doesn't look near as human as some of today's pokemon anyway.
It's also weird how he goes from thinking Charmander is too simple to praising Diglett and Bellsprout......seemed like his taste is a bit all over the place and not too consistent
@@jackkawf4449 It's SUBJECTIVE :D
And I honestly don't mind that, as I agree with their opinions in your examples (Aside from Charmander, he's awesome). Machoke is form the the same as sawk, Hitmonchan, and the grass and water starters of gen 9. Why the hell is it wearing clothes?
Do you have a link to your fakemon page if you have one? Your comment got me curious
@@burgit123 Hm, somehow my reply did not go through. I only have my fiverr as a place for art (edok_1), so you can check there :)
Although, it's exclusively pixelart, as I am literally incompetent of drawing in any other style :D
Charmander has two concepts: lizard & fire.
Digglett has three concepts:
Mole, dirt & whackamole.
That's complexity.
I've seen it pointed out before that Golem and Machamp are both trade evolutions; Machoke is very reptilian but it's sort of snout is dropped in Machamp, meanwhile Graveller has four arms and a flat face. They trade traits Escavalier style which I think adds a lot to the designs despite being kind of weird and random in a vacuum.
It would be really interesting to find out if they were the original two that evolved via trade and that was part of the gimmick, with others being added after, or several were chosen to be trade evos, and if the designs were altered in any way because of that.
It's worth noting that Squirtle doesn't have anything to do with squirrels, turtles with tails are a dime a dozen in Japanese mythology, a theme that they expanded on with Wartortle.
I'm not going to fact check it rn, but i'm fairly certain I remember reading that wartortle originally had a different evolution, and blastoise was it's own single stage line, but during development the lines were combined.
I'm pretty sure Blastoise was a two stage line, but only the backsprite has been found of the original base form
The problem I have with all the wild meowths is that they're supposed to be quadrupeds; having the wild ones also be bipedal completely makes Team Rocket Meowth's efforts look like nothing and takes away one of his unique attributes. Just a personal pet peeve.
edit: I always thought persian was a puma, never saw it as a lion personally.
Mountain Lion is another term for puma
I always took it as the other Meowth looking to the Team Rocket one as an example. Sorta in the same vein as Mimikyu and the Pika-clones. Team Rocket Meowth made it cool to stand up (again.*)
(Galarian Meowth)
@@Vrikrar Yes, but usually just saying "lion" implies African lion. But, fair enough.
edit for clarification of thought
@@timwoods2852 That's a rather interesting theory! I think I can go with it.
@@Vrikrar yeah, mountain lions, not just lions.
For the Bulbasaur Line, Gamefreak finalized them being toads in Let's Go Pikachu, where their walking animation had them hopping as toads do.
Freaked me out when I first saw it.
Weird that they never did that in the anime, they just walked like an arboreal species
Oh...I'm not that much of a fan of that ngl but that's pretty neat
Just because they jump like one doesn't mean they are toads.
@@gamongames they confirmed them to be toads in an interview
Absolutely insane that he makes multiple comparisons to Bulbasaur being a cat in this video.
I’ve always thought that with Marowak that because it refused to remove its mothers skull from its head, when it evolves the skull fuses into its head becoming part of it. Which is why the skull changes shape a little and becomes a lot more form fitting.
And then it could be taken further and be said that Cubone is a baby Kangaskhan or similar type of Pokémon who’s lost it’s mother and who’s growth is inhibited by refusing to take of the skull, and that action causes it to evolve separately instead of growing up to become another Kangaskhan.
Just some head canon of mine.
I’d say magikarp is almost pokemon’s mascot of growth, in terms of like, a lot of times when people are looking at magikarp and considering magikarp, they’re also considering the potential of its evolution
as a kid i thought Jynx was some kind of ice zombie Valkyrie.
kind of wish they continued with that line in Gen4 like her fire and electric counterparts as she's now forever trapped as a weird middle stage design pokemon, a teenager stuck on a weird japanese fashion trend.
please no. don't let gamefreak do anything with jynx ever again. she should be deleted from existence lol
@@gastonzumbo9860 I get where you're coming from, but it's very un-like Pokemon to abandon something, no matter how weird it is.
@@gastonzumbo9860
I think that's an overreaction. I get that it has it's ties to something culturally insensitive but i think a redesign or new form is exactly what could remedy it. It's not like they'd repeat the same mistake (i hope)
Something I notice about the older Scyther artwork is that it sometimes has an elongated claw on its foot like a velociraptor does. Granted, this is mostly because I REALLY like the velociraptors in Jurassic Park, but I can't help but love Scyther's whole design and how it perfectly encapsulates the balance between the bug-catching hobby and being a fearsome monster. It's a bug, something you can find out in your backyard and keep as a little buddy. But it's also got the physique of a dinosaur and moves like a swift ninja. It's one that isn't super deep in concept but has huge appeal in what it does with said concept.
EDIT: I am so glad I'm not the only one who hates Aerodactyl's design for that reason. It just doesn't *feel* like it was made with the pterodactyl concept in mind. Oddly Noivern's design of all things is what I wish Aerodactyl was more like
Hey guys! We just launched some Procreate/PhotoShop brush packs on our Gumroad. One of them, the Watercolor pack, is actually specifically intended to emulate that super charming, traditional Gen 1 look! If you liked the video and want to support Subjectively, go take a peak! 👀➡ subjectively.gumroad.com/
I think removing the lips from jinx helps it a lot. also it is based of a myth were a woman in a red dress goes up a mountain and she freezes to death. then comes back as a ghost so seduce and trick people in to snow storms so they also freeze to death. she also had a pretty kid who would help her. the reason the skin is back is from necrosis but the way they chose to draw it ... they knew what they were doing for sure.
I don't think they did know. It's a critical research failure for sure, but I don't believe any malice was intended in Jynx's design. It just happened to be an incredibly poor coincidence that the folkloric ghost has a lot in common with racist black caricature. They couldn't just remove it from the series after it's already been an established presence (it's was probably someone's favorite as early as that), so they did the next best thing in toning down as much of the accidental racism as possible without having to completely redesign it. They could have changed a bit more, Pokemon models have varied wildly from the early days, but they didn't ignore it at least.
I think that they did know and just didn't understand or care. not thinking about it much they my not have realized how bad it was. I mostly say this since other anime and japanese product had actual blackface caricatures and for a long time after they kept them and a kept adding them to shows and other media.
You know what would've fixed it? Blue skin and black veins. Not blackface, but blueface
It's not even bad by western standards. It's an overblown association. I get how people can see it, but they're reaching
Isn't Jynx inspired by the Babushka or Yama-uba? Unfortunate implications aside, the fact that people see it too seperated from that concept just shows it could've used a few more passes of its design. Gen 1 appearance grandfathers it to a wider scope than it deserves. Probably one of the top Pokémon that could use a regional variant to reinvent its appeal.
Isn't that a bit of player theory though? I don't know if any of the artists confirmed that.
Tbh the OG design seems to be pulling from ice mage, ice queen, opera singer, and the yokai influence. Ice was also supposed to be a late game type like dragon. The design seems to be going for monstrous, quirky, and powerful which I think the og sprite work fits.
I dont think its the best design, but I dont jave a problem with it. Though the 3d and redesign dont hit the same
One thing to note with a lot of Pokemon names in English is that they don't always match up with the original Japanese name. I think it would be good to look at the original JP names as well if you're going to compare the names and the artist's intent with the design. Loved the analysis of the Gen 1 Pokemon!
i've always seen Blastoise as being bear-like, which makes me like it even more. i think that explains its lil ears and its strange facial proportions and its general pose
this killed me (and also instantly made me like Nidoqueen more) - 37:28
i NEVER realized this, wow, that's actually pretty cool - 42:25
despite what you say about Chansey not being an axolotl, i think it works really well. axolotls are one of very few real-world animals that can regrow entire limbs, and i think this regeneration fits very well with Chansey's whole healer theme. if you were to just give it a defined neck it'd literally just be an axolotl with an egg in a pouch.
Yeah I really like monstrous, bulky pokemon, and we don't really get that from starters that much anymore. Once Gen 6 hit, the starters got pretty damn anthropomorphic, and then gen 8 happened. Really glad there is at least a choice now with Skeledirge. Honestly I haven't had a pokemon game I kept my starter all the way through since gen 5. I know sleek, more agile designs are more popular, but I like it when my pokemon looks like it can take a hit and hit back 3x times harder.
Gen 1 definitely isn't the best design wise, but I really like aerodactyl.
This comment is comedically real
Scyther is pretty cool too and kabutops
Indeed it is, I like a Pokémon that has an objectively kinda bad design.
besides gen 2, all gens look objectivly worse. And are terrible since gen 5
Yes is definitely accurate for sure. absolutely
Years ago when I was watching my friend play Pokémon (I don't remember which game anymore), when they first encountered Exeggcute, they said "Exeggcute? More like Eggs-a-ugly" and to this day it's still a running joke between us and possibly the funniest thing they've ever said.
Nothing infuriates me more than the fact that psyduck is gold and golduck looks like a psychic
FUCKING RIGHT!!!!!!!
It's honestly baffling like it's clearly intentionally themed for the psychic type why isn't it?
Fun fact according to did you know gaming Blastoise wasn't Wartortle original evolution it was originally going to evolve into something that was designed more closely to it but Blastoise already existed and took up it's design slot
Honestly pikachu is a great design and is mascot worthy. I still cant forget the first time I saw the cosplay pikachus in oras and immediately chose rock n roll pikachu (especially cause it went with our outfit)
I'd love to see you do this for other generations 💕
I would agree with you on all of the legendary birds except for Articuno. I love the long flowy silky-looking tail, and the three icy horns on its head, it just makes it look so majestic.
Zapdos just looks a bit too silly, and Moltres just looks like a chicken with fire on it
I love their Galarian forms too, and Galarian Moltres just has so much personality
I think Ninetales is a good name. It's obviously a reference to the fact that it has nine tails, but it also implies that it's a mythical creature that people tell tales about.
I honestly love looking back on the old designs and seeing how the designe philosphy evolved over the generations. Hope you do more of these. Thet are very chill and easy to watch videos with my morning coffee lol
One of my favorite youtube videos, I keep coming back to this because I just love listening to people rambling about pokemon opinions and looking at artwork of them! I also really like Jack's energy here.
primeape is one of my favorite designs, right behind cubone as my number one. it has so much attitude and looks badass while still being cartoony and silly
Thanks Jack this was a good video please continue this for the rest of the generations
Honestly I love Zapdos but that’s bc I’m Ojibwe and seeing a Thunderbird in Pokémon as a kid was huge for me, but I’d never defend it past my bias in that the three birds feel very, very shallow in how they worked with whatever inspired them.
15:51 The bushy tail is actually a reference to the minogame, a turtle with and algae tail.
I feel like the Jinx rant was pretty America-centric. I don’t love Jinx but I never saw it as problematic as a kid growing up in a country outside the US.
Plus they did change Jinx’s color to purple after Pokémon became a global brand. It’s not like they knew Pokémon was going to be a huge IP outside of Japan. It could’ve easily been a Dragon Quest where it’s not as well known outside Japan.
Yeah. The real issue isnt that jinx design is racist, its that it can be seen as one in contex with US history. Still a problem considereing that pokemon is a international franchise but folks are blowing it out od proposions.
@@thatdudekinda6825 As someone from Europe, purple Jynx was never racist to me. In the context with US history and blackfaced Jynx... I understand
Yeah it’s like don’t get me wrong I would also be fine if jynx was wiped off the face of the earth but If its designs really have nothing to do with blackface then trying to criticize it for being racist isn’t exactly fair no matter how awful it looks
Yeah i agree, it’s just ugly
It's not even bad by an American sense. The association is overblown. I mean its a Japanese ice monster with a vaguely humanoid shape.
I love how we went from a detailed minutes long explanation for each starter mon at the beginning to just “BOOOOO” vs. “WOOOOO” at the end. 😂
Nice pfp
I always like hearing your thoughts on pokemon design, because it is so vastly different from my own. I love most of the designs you tended to dislike (Dewgong, the legendary birds, etc.) - not all though. Not a fan of Mr. Mime or Jynx either, haha.
I just think it's really cool that tastes in Pokémon differs so much and I think that is one of the greatest parts of the series. While there will always be a majority of popular ones, even one of the little guys can be someone's absolute favourite and friend for life.
I’ve always loved the fact that Venusaur’s leaf on its head has perfectly mimicked hair, and for me that’s pretty cool.
I really like Pokemon like Dugtrio and Magneton because if you love the pre-evolution (which you should, Diglett and Magnemite are perfect beings), having an evolution that's literally just MORE of them in one is just the best thing ever. Diglett especially, they obviously knew they couldn't improve upon perfection. Why do you think the only things they've done with the family is give it hair and make it an eel? And there are so many Pokemon out there I'd love an evolution of that's just a bunch more of them...
Also I feel like Grimer and Muk should be given more credit. Every RPG has to have some sort of basic slime monster, but I think it's very unique of Pokemon to have them be virulent, pestilent sludge specifically, and along with Koffing and Weezing gives off a very unique "fault of man-made pollution" vibe that really established itself in the mons genre. I feel like even among other amorphous blob monsters that have come and gone in games, there really isn't anything that quite captures the pained viscous feel the way Muk literally and metaphorically exudes.
To add on to the Grimer thing. Grimer somehow masterfully tows the line between disgusting and cute which is a really difficult balance to maintain, but if I had to think of just one amazing example of that, it'd be Grimer. Muk is admittedly lacking but it's improved in it's Alolan form.
0:50 The Megami Tensei series did character/creature collecting before Pokémon.
Playing through Infinite Fusions has been genuinely my first interaction with the Kanto Region (I never did the postgame despite owning SoulSilver)
And honestly, some of the shit people give later generations is unfounded. Gen 1 was hit or miss as hecc, too XD
Ursaring needs more fusions smh
I hope you do all gens, this is a nice podcast style video to listen to while doing work or cleaning
They really should have given Jynx an evolution to make it better.
Today I learned she's based off the Gal trope in japan. I never knew that
@@HerculePyro she's based off the yama uba, a female yokai ice witch whose skin has blackened from frostbite.
@@Hide_Me Oh well thats completely different from what I assumed from the explanation in this vid
@@HerculePyro Jack hasn't looked into the design origins of these mons, he just kind of assumed he knew what they are. Same thing with squirtle, it's based off the minogame, not a squirrel.
@@Hide_Me his arguments would have applied more to Mr Popo from Dragonball and still would have been kinds silly.
At least now no one can make these arguments against Jynx anymore, because it's purple. Sometimes people are too sensitive, because they interpret something wrong. Happens to all of us.
Bulbasaur's design inspiration to me seems to be a reptomammal, Dimetrodon in particular. Dimetrodon had a sail on its back for catching sunlight as a step between dinosaurs and mammals, and Bulbasaur takes that sun-harnessing theme to the Pokemon world with a photosynthesizing plant replacing the sail!
Ever heard of _Bulbasaurus_ ?
25:12 "It's not just a bird, it looks like it wants to mess you up a bit"
So, a bird lol
I love these kind of videos from you so much! Your opinions on the designs of pokemon in general and the takes you can have, I find fascinating to listen to. I'd kill to see you do something like this for the other gens!
I'd really enjoy a video where you took your critiques and redesigned the so.e of these Pokémon, just the way you do looking back at your own fakemon.
1:38:57 I highly recommend watching did you know gaming video about the origin of Mew because it was very intentional from the very beginning to have an urban legend Pokémon
I really enjoy hearing your opinions on character design. Its very nice to hear another perspective and also you help me notice things I wouldve otherwised missed. Plus when our opinions align on things like Skeledirge, its a fist pump moment. Looking forward to the next video!
The sandshrew episode of the OG series was always my favorite episode. With the strength belt thing on him for training and shit it was just dope when I was a kid
I like the older gens had miscellaneous animal inspiration + quirky concept. even kadabra has almost insectoid qualities like in its extremeties and hitmonlee has weird chicken arms
in defense of chansey being an axolotl: the color scheme and the gill-shaped protrusions on its head are not the only connecting factor. axolotls have a very, very special and desirable quality: they are some of the best self-healers in the animal kingdom, especially for a pretty complex organism. axolotls can heal so well they can even regenerate brain matter. this is incredibly important and connects the lizards very firmly to chansey
I'm blown away how hard I agree with like 95% of the list. I went so hysterical when you said that Eevee is not your thing, and before you continued I just mumbled to myself "Yeah finally someone said it, but I guess Jolteon is kinda cool tho"
14:07 okay this is actually adorable like I can't even
The inspiration for pokemon, collecting bugs and critters as a child exploring in the earlu 1900s, is important co text here. They're simply fantastical versions of lizards, frogs, rats, turtles, birds, and bugs that a kid might catch
Bulbasaur's line is most likely based on synapsids, an extinct group of animals containing reptile and mammalian traits.
The most famous animal in this group is dimetrodon.
I always saw the plant on its back as being similar to the sail dimetrodon had, in that its believed they used them to absord sunlight.
I have the same feelings towards the abra line. Abra is cool in the anime way; this meaning that, at some point its going to open its eyes and be really cool. Kadabra is in my top 5 for this gen. I always thought the concept was related to witchcraft. The star-pentacle on the forehead, and also,the head shape can be seen as an upside-down star. The facial hair could be (this might be a stretch) related to goats. Alakazam loses the fur, the tail, the and the red-pink colour. I don't hate it , its just a little disapointing. About animation (and style), the pokemon generations and Poketoon shorts are a very fresh take I think.
Don’t get me wrong, Gen 1 is great even when Pokémon consistently shoves it down our throats via another Kanto remake, the ability to go to Kanto like in Johto, or more special treatment for the starters, especially Charizard. But they definitely had to compensate due to the GameBoy’s limitations technology-wise. Otherwise, their designs in their official artwork could’ve been so hyped up to the point where their sprites would lead to disappointment, even when they still look similar enough. Many have taken note how more than half of the mons in Gen 1 have triangular eyes due to this restriction. Plus, even if the franchise didn’t start on the GameBoy, if you wanna start a franchise, you need to test the waters before throwing so much at once. And even people who redesign some of them, while they often look great, it doesn’t always effect from most fans’ nostalgia, including mine, since we grew up with these current designs and became accustomed to most of them. Although, Jynx is my least favorite Kanto mon of all time, so any overhaul in its design works for me.
Different regions (mainly in the pixel art era) actually DO have different faces on arbok hoods. It changed from game to game for a while
I've been learning a lot from you videos. You're actually one of the designers that inspired me to make my own fakemon region!
Im going to admit, this whole time i thought the angry pose was the real pose for metapod
Magikarp has a magic that has never been perfectly recreated
I love Magikarp Jump, the concept of different colored Magikarp is something I wish was in the main games.
18:34 Balstoise wasn’t meant to be Warturtle evolution there was another water turtle line and got merged together that’s the reason it looks very different compared to the rest of its line
I like to think that chansey's ear things are feathers (like a chicken), meaning that chansey's a weird bird thing without a beak, but it also has a dinosaur tail
Didn't expect to disagree with so many of your opinions on pokemon designs, but its cool. Im shocked you didn't like Ninetales more, its such an elegant and powerful pokemon, wow
Same, especially when he's dogging on pokemon like ninetails and Eevee, but turns and sings praises to Diglett and Bellsprout, his opinion, but just seems so inconsistent at times with his criticism for what he feels makes pokemon look bad
@@jackkawf4449 Haha i do love me some bellsprout though, the whole line. I love her derpy weepinbel looks
Machoke is an Argonian Bodybuilder with Cornrow Crest.
What do you mean we haven’t seen Charizards design anywhere but Pokémon????? It’s the most typical dragon I’ve ever seen dude.
How do you like charmander but not squirtle......
Loved hearing your opinions on all of the gen one Pokemon! I would definitely love to hear your thoughts on the rest of the generations!
you mentioned you would wanna redesign Golduck, do you think that could potentially be an idea for a series? redesigning preexisting designs that you think need a little tweaking? (or a total overhaul if you feel it)
I've seen some ig pages draw rebooted gen 1 mons and I would LOVE to see a series similar to that from you with your talents. just an idea, thanks for the content!
Something about Charmander always made me feel like i was looking at an experiment from Lilo and Stitch
1:14:30-It's soppose to be seeds of japanese yokai plant...but i think they just cal they "eggs" because they couldn't desing a seed with a face.
1:14:31 it’s seeds aka grass eggs this Pokémon is literally a pun eggcuted in a good way
Briefly, I just wanted to point out that both Lickitung and Squirtle/Wartortle are based on different yokai. So Lickitung is just a tongue creature and the Squirtle line isn't a squirrel/turtle hybrid, it's just a (squirt)turtle that has a seaweed tail. Blastoise was originally from a separate line, so that's why it's different visually.
For a channel named Subjectively, this was a pretty objective analysis on the strength of Gen 1 designs! Pretty fun video, would love to get your opinion on Gen 2 Pokemon (my favorite generation), as I feel it follows many of the same design conventions as Gen 1 and many were created at the same time but cut due to the hardware limitations. Gen 3 is where we see quite a shift in design philosophy.
I always thought that Poliwhirl and Poliwrath just straight up didn't have mouths because they've never shown it but if that top line of their belly is their mouth my universe is gonna be shattered
Pidgeotto apparently comes from the suffix -Otto, which means diminutive. Meanwhile, Pidgeot is Pigeon + Jet
So Subjectively, regarding Pokemon related content, what should we expect next for Mazah? Legendaries, Mega Evolutions, those Paradox-like drawings you mentioned you'd do something with.
As much as I bully gen 1's dex I will never deny that it's full to the brim of ideas and designs of various qualities and I love every bit of it even if I hate some designs for various reasons.
Magnemite is peak character design as far as I'm concerned, that aside I'd love to see you do a video(or series of videos) where you redesign gen 1 Pokemon you don't really like or feel could be improved or something using the same rules and such of the times.
I never have an attachment to Generation 1, the only thing of that Generation that I have interacted was Pokémon Stadium and I always said that I did like many of them and question “why there are two similar dragons” to Charizard and Dragonite.
After that I played Stadium 2 and fall in love to Lugia and Ho-Oh.
But definitely I feel nothing when it comes to Generation 1.
Jack sees a beak:
"Is this a Kappa?"
Alakazam looks like it's rowing an invisible boat in its FRLG artwork.
I never thought about this, but Vileplum looks like an Adventure Time design
I'm surprised there is a debate about what Chancy is, I just always saw it as a big egg taking care of a small egg. But I'm also okay with it just being its own thing.
Apparently the fossil Pokémon were inspired by Satoshi Tajiri's hobby of collecting fossils, and ammonites and trilobites are the most common ones.
Your baseless thrashing of Persian has been noted! But great video that made me wanna do some redesigns of unnecessary evolutions from gen 1
A TWO HOUR STREAM HIGHLIGHTS??? WE’VE BEEN BLESSED
It’s cool to see how designs evolved since gen 1.
Gen 1 mons are simple, because they were the first ones and the wonky pokemon green sprites came before the actual artworks (that’s why they look right from yellow).
Also I noticed that in gen1 and 2 pokemon have predominantly rounded shapes, and even horns and spikes aren’t pointy but have rounded tips.
Only in gen 3 we see more jagged and “aggressive” shapes
Gen 3 and 4 has the best classic designs, 6 and maybe 7 has the best modern designs.
Alright I hate to be that guy but Charizard is a Original? really!? It's a fire breathing dragon! They just drew a huggable cartoony version of Smaug! Not that there's anything wrong with that but "Winged Firebreathing Reptile" isn't really an original concept is it
I actually have a weird love for Raticate. I always got a feeling of an animal with a just plain NASTY attitude, which I find charming. It actually is one that is IMPROVED by the transition to 3D, with its constant chattering and ready for action movement. I don't really appreciate alolan radicate, I couldn't tell you exactly why, I think I just don't like that it's fat. Doesn't make it a bad design, just doesn't appeal to me I guess
45:24-I just noticed that Paras had 1 less pair of teeth in Red/Blue.
This brings back memories of when I talked about what Pokémon I'd own if they were real, aaaah.
1:21:00 what bothers me about Kangaskan is why isn't Kangaskid a Pokémon as well? we clearly see her right there.
14:09
I can definitely understand and relate to this cause I did pretty much the same thing.
(My Favorite #1 pokemon is Nidoking. And When Gen 2 introduced Shinies, I was lucky to Find and catch a Shiny Male Nidoran in my Silver ver.)
Each morning when walking to school, always imagined my Nidoking walking beside me.
Ahhhh, to be young again.... (29 now, going to be 30 next march) I actually still have the Copy of the Silver vers. With that same Shiny Nidoking on it.
When you said you should redesign golduck, I'd love to see a video of you redesigning canon pokemon
Love your general content
I think you guys should make some convergent Pokémon! The concept of a Pokémon that looks similar to another Pokémon but is a completely different thing is a super interesting concept and it would be fun to see how you guys do that. Plus they have fun names! I thought of some that you could steal from!
Tragikarp (Tragic+Magikarp)
Gyaraghost (Gyarados+Ghost)
- Ghost Type
*This one is mostly because the name works, but maybe skeletons!
Magmamite (Magma+Magnemite)
Magmaton (Magma+Magneton)
Magmazone (Magma+Magnezone)
- Fire/Rock
*Bits of rocks and molten lava
Phinpy (Fin+Phanpy)
Donphin (Donphan+Fin)
- Water/Psychic Type
*Like they turn into dolphins but maybe they can still curl up and roll on top of the water
Aipop (Aipom+Pop)
Ambiprop (Ambipom+Prop)
- Flying Type
* Aipop’s hand tail turns into a balloon on a string that it floats with, Ambiprop’s turn into a propellor and it’s like a helicopter
Spilbur (Spill+Drilbur)
Excadrip (Excadrill+Drip)
- Water Type
* Razor claws turn into flippers
Anvillite (Anvil+Vanillite)
Anvillish (Anvil+Vanillish)
Anvilluxe (Anvil+Vanilluxe)
- Steel Type
* This one is probably just because of dyslexia haha
Flitleo (Flitter+Litleo)
Flyroar (Fly+Pyroar)
- Flying Type
* I think Flitleo has cloud fur and maybe Icarus ankle wings, Flyroar is a griffin
Hephaoptile (Hephaestus+Helioptile)
Hephaolisk (Hephaestus+Heliolisk)
- Fire/Steel Type
* For context, Helios is the Greek God of the sun and Hephaestus is the Greek God of the forge
Rootruff (Root+Rockruff)
Lycanroot (Lycanroc+Root)
- Grass/Ground Type
* Self-explanatory
Kreepy (Creep+Dreepy)
Arakloak (Arachnid+Drakloak)
Araknapult (Arachnid+Dragapult)
- Bug Type
* They’re spiders. Araknapult could shoot webs like Spider-Man or shoot Kreepy’s that are connected to web strings and pull them back like yo-yo’s