Going to do things differently by responding to stuff first than (as some people have mentioned what I wanted to say), if there's anything left, talk about the trailer.
She's basically just a "normal" streamer but she has the aesthetics of a vtuber
it's fun
It is fun, but I don't feel GF quite got the right "feeling" which makes this whole thing feel off. The main problem is that the whole thing is obviously scripted.
"Um, DUH! There wasn't an actual person doing the presentation, it's a premade video"
Exactly! We're supposed to THINK this is a spontaneous stream like any other streamer on Twitch or VTuber. That Iona is in her studio (being she's a Gym Leader it make sense she would have a studio: her Gym) and she has decided to make this stream, I guess for promotional purposes (because wouldn't her fans know what her Pokemon partner was)? Anyway, the problem comes with all the special effects, not only do some happen as soon as Iona needs them (whether through her prompting like with her Magnemite hair clips, or in the background like the various displays) but she's also able to interact with them (such as when she pushes away the water/rain/tears background).
"Well, this is the Pokemon world, we know they have more advance technology than we do. Her Magnemite hair clips have preset reactions and also emote to her emotions. As for the displays, they're holographic and they respond to motion so that she can interact with them (and do funny visual gags like pushing the background away once she's done with it). And being she runs a Gym she likely has people working for her as well that can play the special effects as she needs them"
All very true. maybe this is how a professional streamer does things in the Pokemon World... but that doesn't make it any less uncanny to us in the real world, many who are used to watching streamers and VTubers and know how the general setup is like: usually stationary, streamers not really using any special effects. Now bigger VTubers have lately been more able to start moving around as they get 3D models, and the special effects we've seen I guess they can replicate as they're in a fully 3D environment, but what I've been getting from Iono is that she's supposed to be a real person and is just dressed up like a VTuber.
I know, this overall is not a big deal, if she said she was a like a performer or pop idol no one would be batting an eye. But since they went the streamer direction, a decision done possibly to better connect with their target demographic, it feels like the "
how do you do fellow kids" meme. I wouldn't call it cringy, but to me it feels like it's not no the mark either.
WolfieVGC's reaction stream was mostly being at a loss of words. There were minutes of silence when the reveal trailer ended.
For anyone curious (I started it at the beginning of the trailer just so you can watch the very moment he has an existential crisis, I think it happens around 43:54)
She does seem to hint we'll see a new mon soon, ie her partner Pokemon.
But is it a new Pokemon or a Regional Variant?
If it's a Regional Variant, this little game should then be possible.
But if its a new Pokemon, well, this whole thing would be kind of pointless as of course we wouldn't be able to guess what it is.
Edit: Hey let's be positive though, for first time, the game not having voice acting will be a bless, we won't have to hear that atrocity.
That is until next season of the anime where Ash gets invited to be a student instructor as the Fruta Academy in Paldea and one the things the popular shows the students watch between classes is Iono's show.
Yo fuck you all she's mine. Don't you dare breathe her air.
I'll shoot.
People are like "wtf we didn't get this and that", I don't care what you didn't have. I've found God.
I'm buyng the plushy. There has to be a plushy.
While it's not often they do make plush of the important NPCs (Gym Leaders, Champions, Rivals, etc.) so we'll see if they make one for her (they already look to have made plenty of cutesy artwork for her like the chibi drawing of her at the end of the video, so they have the assets for any "merch" she would sell).
I don't like Iono's pointy teeth. Is she even human?
Yeah, that goes with what I said above of them mixing the streamer and VTuber aesthetic but it just doesn't gel. Her look is mostly fine, but they just had to push it one step beyond and give her something which only makes sense if it was a digital puppet. Heck, I don't event know why they did it (well, I do, plenty VTubers avatars are animal-based so they have pointy teeth), you don't really equate pointy teeth with the Electric-type (and her aesthetic is Magnemite-based, if it was Luxray or Manectric would have made some sense).
Hopefully her in-game version is more interesting than <cute hyperactive anime girl number 526>, cause that's what she looks like to me right now.
I'll give the game extra credit if they pull a Wizard of Oz and, while navigating the Gym Puzzle, discovers a side door which leads to Iono's motion capture setup.
Maybe something like Klara? You know, in retrospect, maybe bringing Klara and Avery back as gym leaders in Paldea would've been cool. Really liked these kids
No, Klara was actually funny. She looks and acts like a sugary pop idol, but she's truly a toxic person when you first meet her and its cathartic to see more and more of her mask crack as the player keeps besting her. Iono is playing the genki Japanese variety show host streamer thing straight, which just means those who aren't used to it or just don't like it aren't going to enjoy her antics.
Is this someone connected to the Pokemon Company?
Out of everything shown for this game so far this character is asking the most for some Toby Fox music magic
Hmm, something like
Death By Glamour maybe?
Feels like a missed opportunity* to not have the streamer character be used more during the promo cycle, presenting mini trailers, recaps etc.
From a world and character building perspective, I mean. I don’t find this character trope particularly endearing.
Considering the reaction to her, I actually think Pokemon Company made the "right call" of just having this and the next trailer introduce her and leave it at that. They could probably already tell people were going to have a diverse reaction to her, some loving and some hating, so the best option is a less-is-more. Those who love her now would have something to look forward to in the games and future Pokemon merch, those who hare her only have to really deal with her now and when you challenge her in the games (and then any other cameo appearances of her like in the anime and Pokemon Masters).
That said, I wouldn't have minded to see more of this kind of stuff for the other Gym Leaders. Like, instead of having them introduced in the trailer as "oh and here's a Gym Leader", maybe alongside the trailer do a little promo video for each one in a style matching them. Like Grusha would have a 90's style extreme sports montage doing wicked snowboarding tricks and jumps. Brassius would be a video museum tour showing off some of his works and clips of Brassius in the middle of his creation process.
Considering Paldea usqes the same writing system as Galar, maybe the two regions' respective cultures aren't that different.
To be fair, English, Spanish, and many other European countries use the Latin Alphabet but made their own language with it and their cultures are still plenty different. Not to mention I wouldn't be surprised if this is just
the default Pokemon World language from now on, a made up gibberish language which, if you need to read any of it, just need to interact so the text box can translate it.
These Cute Little Fangs? That's an anime thing, hey Raihan has these actually!
It's her whole mouth, not just her canines.
Anyway, I'm going to bring Diglett against her. It works against Lt. Surge after all.
Just remember: Short & brown, lives undergroun(d). Long & white, friends to shipwright(s).
They tried TOO HARD to make her look "popular".
As I said above... I'm fine with the whole vtuber/streamer/influencer thing.
But... she really just looks and speaks like <generic anime girl n°526>.
There's literally nothing that seems "unique" or "interesting" from the way they presented her.
For the most part I think she looks alright (then again I'm used to the rather extravagant appearance of some VTubers... though usually it's on the other end of the spectrum of "cute" if you know what I mean...
jiggle physics).
At the very least she looks fitting for an Electric-type Gym Leader, but I guess that could just be the giant yellow & black shirt (which has a Pikachu-tailed star Youtube playbutton on it, cause she's a streamer). The pink and cyan hair is certainly a new element but I think it also works in the sense they're pastels of red & blue which are the color of magnets (hence the Magnemite hair clips). So she had enough "Electric-type" in her clothes to match her genki energy (surprised we hadn't had an Electric-type expert with the genki personality until now). Meanwhile everything else, notably the single leg stocking & pink eyes, is typical VTuber stuff.
I'd bet on it being either an Electric-type Seismitoad or a convergent evolution that looks similar.
I agree, when she mentioned the bumps on the head my mind also immediately went to Seismitoad. It's been a while since we had another Electric/Water-type (though I'm sure the competitive scene would disagree) and I think it would be an easy enough of a switch to do (I'd replace Poison Touch with Volt Absorb, swap its Attack & Special Attack, then some minor move edits like Parabolic Charge for Drain Punch, etc.).
The only hang up I have is the "it's cute" comment. I'm sorry to tell you Seismitoad lovers out there, but Seismitoad isn't cute. It's quite ugly, to be frank. I'm not saying its a bad Pokemon, just that it may have spent too much time in the water sending vibrations through its face.
So, this is either a case of "
beauty cuteness in the eye of the beholder" (Iono possibly hinting this by assuring the cuteness comment with "it's (her) partner, so that's a given") or it's an entirely new Pokemon.
"Maybe instead of Paldean Seismitoad its a new evo for Palpitoad". A possibility if we want to stick with it being related to Seismitoad. Another idea I had though is that it's been a while since they referenced...
It's probably Pawmi's evo
... Pawmi. Well I'm going on anyway. Despite this gen's Pikaclone, it had a rather bland introduction and many thought more might be coming soon for it. Not sure why it would grow bumps on its head, maybe would have to do with something about Pawmi's ability to send out a shock by rubbing its paws against its cheeks.
Grusha had the fun though of seeing lonely otakus reactions when they found out Grusha is male.
Well I read a funny article on Kotaku joking about ways
Iono can get cancelled.
Middles help you point how a design is more likely to go, but still keeps some element of surprise, which is the best of both worlds imo
Torracat begs to differ.
Raihan and Elesa kinda paved the way for this style of character. Diantha too
Eh, MAYBE Raihan (and Gordie), but Elesa and Diantha? Elesa is a fashion model and Diantha a movie star, sure they are celebrities but not the way its presented with Raihan, Gordie, and now Iono. If I had to put it in perspective, I'd say Elesa and Diantha are performers first, influencers second; it's from doing their job good do they get recognition and fame. Raihan, Gordie, and Iono are influencers first and performers second, they gathered a following through pure charisma that allows them to do stuff. And makes sense this tone shift occurred in Gen VIII as that's when GF experimented with having the younger staff take over Pokemon game development, the old passing the torch to the new; so makes sense we're now really seeing stuff like social media and influencers of that kind now appearing as that's the celebrities the newer staff are likely more familair with.
I mean, it do be just a thread on a forum. Big Brother isn't watching us, and we can have fun about video game news, between two waves of info discussion.
... Just a few posts above you
DHR-107 made a post and he's the mod of Orange Island. If he's not "Big Brother", than who is?
Imagine if the only voice acting in the series was the damn Vtuber. People would riot.
To be fair we did get a voice actor for Clavell.