Welcome to the Anime Walk of Fame, a series of retrospectives on the many characters of the anime world. You'll see all your favorites along with a few that deserve more than their reputations give.

So sit back relax and enjoy the show.

Misty is Not a Real Tomboy

I wasn't intentionally going to talk anymore about Rachael Lillis voiced characters but when looking for inspiration for a tomboy for my story, It occurred to me that Misty really isn't much of a Tomboy.
In the first game, Misty was only really a tomboy by title only, in the anime it was more obvious especially in the first season as Misty became one of the trailblazers of tomboys and tsunderes, her gold and silver appearance gave her a more feminine appearance and she is caught dating near Bill's lighthouse.
In Pokemon Adventures manga, you think you're getting the Tomboy Mermaid until she turns up in this.

Not the only time she's shown more feminine as there are other instances in season 1 alone.
1. Ghost of Maidens Peak, she shows up in a yukata.
2. March of the Exeggutor Squad, perhaps a bit reluctant she appears in a Goldeen stage costume.
3. Misty Mermaid, pretty much signalled that she was way more feminine than her initial design as she performed a water ballet as a mermaid.
Throw in an appreciation for romance, a motherly instinct for Togepi, a love for cute clothing and actually making peace with her sisters who previously called her a runt.
In fact, growing out of her tomboy phase allowed her to become the best version of herself, my biggest criticism of Misty was that she was a terrible gym leader, by the end of her initial journey and follow up specials, she's now one of the best gym leaders in the Pokemon world; her battle with Ash in the Alola season gave us the battle we wanted from season 1 and shows us just how much all three of the original Pokemon party had grown, Ash's victory lap post world champion even reunited them for one last journey before retiring.
Many hated to see Misty leave so soon but it gave us the most complete character in the franchise and because of Rachael Lillis performance who can balance Tomboy and Feminine charm, Misty will always be the gold standard that every female character has followed since, even Cynthia.

Liko Hasn't Won Me Over Yet

The new Pokemon has been going for a few weeks now and Liko isn't really winning me over.

I knew going into Horizons that Liko was going to have to fill some big shoes but at this point, I'm not sure where her end goal lies, Roy at least has some end goal but Liko at time of writing hasn't, if anything, the Pokemon world they inhabit lacks any real value at all; for all it's flaws, Ash and friends could hold your attention whether it be for better or worse.
Liko right now is pretty bland, all I ask Pokemon is to either prove me wrong or call back Ash otherwise I don't expect Pokemon to last much longer.

How Old is Misty Supposed to be?

The question of age plagues anime characters in all aspects and Pokemon is a curious case with Ash being eternally ten years old but how old are his companions, more specifically Misty.

In most cases, Misty is simply the same age as Ash and most information sites agree with that theory.
But the Electric Tale of Pikachu makes the tomboy mermaid 13 years old which is much more accurate.
But I'm willing to bet that Misty is actually 12 years old and I have a few things to back that up.
First is her body type, I'd hardly call it childish but wouldn't call it teen either.
Second is her maturity, yes you can have a mature ten year old but Misty does drop subtle hints that she knows about certain adult things, think back to the episode Holy Matrimony and Jessebelle's dungeon with the so called "weird gym equipment", blink and you'll miss it, Misty blushes witnessing what Jessebelle is trying to do to James.
It's obvious that Misty knows what's going on even if the dub hides it, she has three older sisters with Daisy being a legal adult, one of them has done the dirty.
The third one is how close she has been with Tracy who is an obvious teenager with an implied romantic link.
Finally Misty's video game counterpart would suggest that my age estimate is pretty spot on as well especially in Masters Ex where she is noticeably older than player protagonist Leaf.
No matter how much you say it, Misty looks too old for ten years old, I can believe May, Serena and Dawn are ten, but not Misty.

Team Star Were Never Villains

How did this month end up being a Pokemon season?

Team Star aren't exactly villains but are actually the hardest of the three quests, while Gyms and Titan battles have been done in the past no one has ever done what Team Star did, the only close comparison would be Pokewood Studios as it's the only game where you fight non Pokemon, this is made obvious with the Revavroom cars.
Also instead of waves of grunts you do the new quick battle mechanic which cuts so much time.
Now onto the five themselves; the story goes that all of them were bullied for different reasons, alot of which will feel close to home for many especially if they've been to a school where this sort of thing is overlooked, this will be in order of power.
Giacomo was bullied for being the straight laced rule obsessed student president and was driven out of his role.
Mela was bullied for her appearance which she retaliated with a shift in personality that is aggressive, in reality she's shy although you wouldn't know from the enormous boots.
Atticus was bullied for being too feminine, his interests isolating him from other people, all too familiar for anyone with even remotely different interests to the norm.
Ortega was bullied for his snobbish attitude and looking down on others, out of the team he gets the least sympathy from me.
Eri was bullied as a result of a popularity clash with another girl yet she's the nicest most pleasant girl around, I can believe her to be very beautiful behind the wrestling face paint and wouldn't allow her followers to get hurt.
Team Star under Cassiopeia were made to stop bullying but ended up driving their bullies out of the Academy, Cassiopeia took the fall and left for Galar while the leaders formed their bases and played the villains of the Academy until the player steps in with the returning Cassiopeia to begin Operation Starfall.
Truly the best story of the game.

Ash Leaving is Actually Quite Sad

I didn't want to finish today with just an update.

For a long time, I've always found Ash frustrating to like although rarely do I find the main protagonist to be the best character anyway, but it's not like I hate them, maybe it's their try hard tenacity or their wide eyed outlook on life or they just look like they are actually enjoying life and for Ash and Pikachu they are living their best life.
I think Helluva Boss said it best
"I'm hard on you, because I know what you're capable of"
I can think of many famous protagonists who I would apply this to, Ash is no exception, for every dumb decision he made there is a triumph that follows whether it be a Gym battle or a league battle, it's that kind of storytelling that also makes us like Goku, Naruto, Monkey D Luffy and even Sailor Moon.
Our favourites may not be the lead characters but they are the ones who make us stay.
Liko and Roy will take the baton from Ash in April, the shoes they're filling are massive, it's the single biggest risk in the entire franchise and it's off the back of a game that has a fantastic narrative but piss poor performance.
I wish them luck.