you didnt say anything that added to the convo tbh. sure, pokemon asks questions and has themes: and then what? does it answer them, does it dwelve on them? does it do anything at all?
there's environmental themes: and then what? whats the answer, how does it actually impact people, who suffers less or more? or is the answer beating up some evil bad guy and the issue gets solved? is the evil bad guy explored in any way? why is the evil bad guy like that?
there's themes of isolation: and then what? there's themes of energy extraction: and then what? does pokemon actually explore any of these on the pokemon world, reflections of our own world, or does it use it as a theme for a new boss battle and evil team? do you as a player see any consequences of energy extraction or isolation or environmentalism in your exploration? do you engage with it beyond beating up some crooks that are labeled evil guys so you know the thing they support is evil? do you get to make choices or see your character involved in these themes?
you compared pokemon with disco elysium, but de is infinitely more willing to ask questions and make you face the consequences of its world. it is so willing that half of what happens cant be posted here because its overly political and will gladly call you a straight up fascist for certain choices. does pokemon make you like... think? ever? it is better at interpersonal struggle, as the last 3 gens did have good character arcs, but did you have to ponder about the themes of pokemon? were you ever challenged by it if even for 2 minutes?
the existence of a theme does not a meaningful game make. no matter how much its relevant or reflects current worlds, a theme with no follow up is set dressing, its aesthetics. pokemon themes are aesthetics
Please learn what a theme is before you say "and then what?", proceeding to ask what the theme "does". A theme is a message in a piece of work, it doesn't "do" something by itself. You interact with the theme to create your own meaning and additional depth. Themes and questions brought up by a piece of media don't always have clear answers, and that's because we're meant to interpret from them. Pokemon absolutely dwells on its themes and delves deeper into them: the theme of environmentalism and the need for people and Pokemon to coexist is repeatedly explored in areas like the Safari zone, berries, and the plentiful examples I've described in my last few posts. Sinnoh's theme of isolation isn't just geographic, as it's the motive for the villainous team leader. Cyrus's disconnection from others and feelings of rejection lead him to reject the world back and aim to create a new world that has no emotion. The player's connection with beings like Mesprit, which are the embodiments of emotion and parts of humanity, enable them to intervene in and foil Cyrus's plot at the climax through their cooperation with the legendary Pokemon, neutralizing Dialga and Palkia or navigating the Distortion World. The player is capable of connecting with Dialga and Palkia without using the red chain, unlike how Cyrus had to use technology and exploitation of the lake spirits so he could control the ultimate Pokemon. It could not be more obvious that the core themes of Pokemon here are "connection and cooperation".
"Our relationship with the Earth is one that's reciprocal - if you give, you get back" is one of these environmentalist themes in Pokemon. The berry system in RSE is a great example of this: if you want to have more berries, you need to plant berries after you harvest them. Choosing not to engage in this system is an act of roleplaying that makes your experience of playing the game more difficult compared to that of a player who doesn't exhaust all of their berries. DPP even expand on this with the Poketch app that keeps track of berries, signifying that people in the world of Pokemon are driven to use technology towards environmental reciprocity and taking care of natural life. Your response leads me to think that you don't understand what themes are, so I've made sure to make it more explicit here. Pokemon is not just about the player's interactions with the evil team but also the setting and other characters.
Disco Elysium is an RPG I favorably compared to Pokemon because - in the example I was describing for why Pokemon and other media are compelling - the ambiguity and borders of the story drive people to socialize about it, just like Pokemon. That said, DE has different aims as a character-focused RPG for adults that surrounds a murder mystery case compared to a creature-collecting game with a turn-based battle system that's for all ages. DE even explores the same concerns about the environment through different elements of its world, such as the pale. Pokemon describes consequences for human expansion that doesn't respect the environment or belief that humans are in total control of the environment: Rattata infestations that were a result of the urbanization of Alola are answered by introduction of Yungoos, which drives Rattata to adapt into Alolan Rattata, so Yungoos proceeds to become an invasive species itself. Pokemon should be making you think about these real-world issues that don't have neat answers. Pokemon is obviously depicting biocontrol and the consequences of assuming that it's going to be a surefire solution to human-created ecological issues.
If you engage shallowly with a theme, of course you're going to think of it as an aesthetic. In your posts, you reduce things like Cyrus's rejection and disconnection to "depression" for an edgy joke. Themes don't have answers, you engage with them. I've listed several ways that Pokemon has reflected the real world in its setting, plot, and characters to serve its themes, none of which it has ever been subtle about. Every Pokemon game's opening has a pivotal character, usually a Pokemon professor, practically singing about the benefits of the partnership between people and Pokemon and how there's always so much more to explore. Pokemon could not be less obvious about these themes of connection, self-betterment, and the importance of coexisting with the natural world. Pokemon follows up on its themes by depicting the growth of the player and the people around them as they become the best versions of themselves through their relationships with Pokemon. Lillie is inspired by Cosmog and the player to become a more active force in her own life in SM, Wally overcomes his weakness and insecurity through his partnership with another weaker Pokemon and by going on a journey, Bianca discovers what she wants to do by going on a journey that defies the expectations of her father, and so on.
Saying things like "Congrats you mentioned the only pokemon game that actually tried to say something of worth" is so clearly bad faith media criticism. It's annoying, and it's actually what subtracts from conversations about Pokemon because it deliberately ignores and downplays readings of the games that make a real effort to dive deeper into the messages that they're trying to say.
