The Pokémon anime has taken on the aesthetic of Betty Boop and Popeye in a new short that is inspired by the style of Max Fleischer cartoons.
The Pokémon anime was never known for the incredible quality of its animation during the early days of its run, but it didn’t matter, as it’s considered to be the show that brought anime to the mainstream outside of Japan. There was certainly a passionate cult following for anime in the days before Pokémon, but the adventures of Ash Ketchum helped to normalize the Japanese style with the public and led to other series finding an audience (like Dragon Ball Z); other shows that might never have been given a shot with international audiences were also brought over (like Yu-Gi-Oh!).
Anime itself was heavily inspired by western cartoons, like the early works of Walt Disney, and the Pokémon anime is looking back to the style of the past with its latest short. The official Pokémon Kids TV YouTube channel has released a short called “Pokétoon - Zuruggu and Mimikyu”, with Zuruggu referring to the Japanese name of Scraggy.
The cartoon shows the misadventures of a hungry Scraggy that makes its way onto a train and runs afoul of a Mimikyu. The two have a Tom & Jerry style adversarial relationship, with the short ending with Mimikyu pursuing Scraggy into the sunset.
The Pokémon Company has been experimenting with different kinds of animation over the past few years, most of which has made its way onto YouTube. We have seen snippets of events that have never been shown before in Pokémon Generations – such as Blue’s battle against the Elite Four – while Twilight Wings has given fans the true Galar experience that has so far been lacking in the Pokémon anime. If the speculation about Ash Ketchum’s journey being over is correct, then these kinds of amusing shorts that don’t follow the formula of the anime could be a major part of the future of the franchise.
Source: Pokémon Kids TV/YouTube
