Pokemon - A Complete Retrospective

Most of the Music in the video courtesy of @The_Zame
Pokemon is a long franchise that stretches back as far as some of the classic CRPGs. You could argue it IS a classic CRPG. But how has the franchise held up on the actual "RPG" part? Let's take an entire afternoon and find out!
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00:00 - Introduction
02:41 - Gen 1 - Kanto
23:35 - Gen 2 - Johto
49:34 - Gen 3 - Hoenn
1:25:05 - Gen 4 - Sinnoh
1:57:57 - Gen 5 - Unova
2:36:05 - Gen 6 - Kalos
3:24:30 - Gen 7 - Alola
4:24:53 - Gen 8 - Galar
5:17:32 - Gen 9 - Paldea
6:02:30 - Final Thoughts/Rankings
#pokemon #gamefreak #pokemonscarletandviolet

[@Lily_Orchard]

Ad Breaks are every 2 generations (before Gen 2, 4, 6 and 8) as well as before the "Final Thoughts" segment. Let me know if you get ad breaks at any other point (skipping ahead will not avoid ad breaks) as I have a suspicion that KZbin is putting ad breaks in places other than where I told them to.

[@esbeng.s.a9761]

I got an add at 5:49:9

[@KuroUltJanembaGod]

Didn’t get any add breaks so far thank god

[@esbeng.s.a9761]

I didn't get any between the 9th and conclusion, so seems like it just worked itself out

[@s3nt3nari03]

I honestly didnt remember when exactly I got ads, but I feel like i got them randomly in the middle of you talking, but I dont think I got more than 5.

[@ceecee6521]

*LET'S GOOOOO, IRIS IS AT THE TOP!!!!* Edit: *LET'S GOOOOO, NEMONA IS AT THE TOP!!!!!* *LET'S GOOOOO, HOENN IS AT THE TOP!!!!*

[@Aphelion87]

Chairman Rose starting the darkest day is the equivalent of Jeff Bezos interrupting the Olympics to announce he’s summoning satan

[@SHAWNJX]

😂

[@davidfilipe4460]

Wait when Jeff bezos did that ?

[@moonylime]

@@davidfilipe4460 yes

[@ReiBeyondTheHeart]

@@davidfilipe4460 yes

[@davidfilipe4460]

@@ReiBeyondTheHeart yes

[@idunno_]

I don't think I've heard anyone say gen 5 looks ugly before. Out of all the criticism I've heard about that generation, this is the first time I hear someone say anything negative about the visuals

[@RRXn3oN]

Nah i also think they suck. They are a ugly mix of 2d and 3d.

[@ashleylightheart126]

As someone who absolutely loved how awkward nemona was and loved how she was trying her best to control herself. And as someone who as a kid and teen had a lot of difficulties controlling her excitement making it hard to make friends, it means a lot to me that there are other people who saw that as well. Especially, after seeing all the "yandere" stalker memes of her.

[@miaurakimchi7349]

I love Nemona, she is the exact rival we needed. I see myself in her too. ❤

[@eitteb_em]

I loved Nemona so much I saw a lot of myself in her and even the thing she says to you after you complete the little quest thing for her hit hard. Im Autistic and do try and find any semblance of asd representation and Nemona is that to me tbh

[@octavioherschberg5280]

Nemona is my new favorite rival. I love the build up to the final battle. You really feel it before the final battle when she says " all these people came from farand wide and of everyone I'm the most excited by a mile."

[@sadgurlvibez]

I absolutely adored Nemona as a rival. It was really nice for once to have a rival who was already very accomplished and wasn’t trying to truly compete with me or outdo me. She was already confident in her abilities and just trying to have a good time. ETA: However I do feel a bit sad for Nemona in that her talents are so wasted in Paldea. I would absolutely love a game or movie that’s just Nemona exploring other regions, especially battle-heavy ones like Sinnoh or Galar, where she can truly excel. She’d have a blast trying to fight Cynthia.

[@SiriusGalilei]

I don’t understand why so many people started see her as a yandere like character. To me she seems like a nice girl who has trouble making friends, something I can definitely relate to. She’s awkward, but I don’t see how some might see her as a stalker. Stalkers can sometimes be socially awkward but not every person who’s socially awkward is a stalker. She’s actually very refreshing compared to previous rivals who are most of the time in your face and don’t seem to recognize it, whereas Nemona actually recognizes when she oversteps and apologizes for it. It makes her feel more real than Hop or Hau. I would say she and Blue are the best rivals since their relationship with the player feels more natural than other rival characters. Blue has these snarks, but it feels more good-natured like he and Red are old buddies who have a healthy competitive relationship, like when good friends can toss insults and jab at each other because they know each other long enough to know when a insult is meant to be an insult or a good-natured jab.

[@camwellarts]

It took me embarrassingly long to realize there was supposed to be actual strategy in the pokemon battles. I brute forced my way through every single gym, type advantages/disadvantages be damned, because I was going to win with the starter pokemon I'd grabbed, god damn it. My sister took that strategy to the extreme and spent most of her time grinding her pokemon until the levels overrode the type disadvantage. Laughed a lot at the chaotic commentary. Love our mutual murder bug, she deserves the best in the world, and all the blood of her enemies.

[@henrikleppa7632]

To be fair, as Lily pointed out, the early gens often did not have enough exp for a full team of 6, and unlike most RPGs, exp isn't shared automatically until the later gens (where your team now gets too much exp). In general, the games are really bad at teaching you the game mechanics *besides* the "elemental rock paper scissors" (which they over-focus on). Pokémon Stadium 2 is one of the few games that actually tries to teach the mechanics with its trainer school (which is kinda sad).

[@katalystkatapatheticalyssa5987]

I didn't realize it until I played another franchise. 😂

[@briddishlove]

This video made me realize this lmao. I had never thought about strategy outside of type until today

[@Wormy_fren]

I mean.... Bashing in your opponents face in with an elementally flavored pipe is technically a strategy.... Just not an engaging one.

[@peacefusion]

beating Onix with Charmander.

[@kingpagie]

My feelings on this video can be summed up with, "Never before have I been so offended by something I one hundred precent agree with." Masterfully made video.

[@Rwolf498]

To be fair, that's Lily's videos in a nutshell XD Even when she comes for my entire soul or if she states something I initially disagree with her on, she at least makes me sit down and think about WHY I disagree with her. It's fucking great!

[@locknessmonster3827]

Most of the time when Orchid is wrong or when i disagree about something or someone, it does not take a lot of thought to figure out why. I am not sure what you are on, m8, but it is not something favorable.

[@kingpagie]

@@ShadyRapture She. Lily Orchard's pronouns are she/her.

[@mikecavazos7098]

I was just going to say I feel attacked but also represented lol

[@emargaux]

​@@locknessmonster3827Not really. I find that whenever I watch her videos I have to figure out why I seem to disagree, and even have to come up with arguments to counter my own arguments as well. The point of her videos is to keep people from getting into thought-terminating cliches. Even if you don't agree, you have to at least make a stance and defend your stance.

[@therotryzit]

Lily in Gen 4: Mom, dresses are not really my thing. Lily in Gen 6: CALEM WHAT ARE YOU DOING NOT WEARING A DRESS TO THE FINAL BATTLE! Lily's character development is a sight to be hold.

[@Lily_Orchard]

In Gen 4 I literally cracked an egg

[@colbaltmind5696]

Lily's jokes about Blue and Red being boyfriends is even better when every appearance of them after gen 1 they act like an old married couple

[@TheBeastlySort02]

Lol

[@Gameprojordan]

They're literally children stop forcing your weird gay fetish into everything

[@yeetboi-os5kb]

heh heh heh heh heh old married coupe I could not imagine being like 65 years old

[@JAD-nb1io]

I will never understand why people hated Iris. She was the best thing to come from gen 5 that wasn't a pokemon. She's a wholesome girl who deserves the world. Also the internet does Nemona wrong, she honestly reminds me of my past trying to make friends with other people and just getting brushed aside for being 'weird'. That weirdness of course being undiagnossed autism.

[@Lily_Orchard]

Racism is the reason

[@AutumnBlaze689]

@@Lily_OrchardGuess that explains the reception between Iris and Misty in the show: they’re both tomboys that are hot-headed and like to throw shade at Ash. And the white one who came first is loved as one of Ash’s best companions and the dark skinned girl that came later is seen as way too brash even though Ash did some pretty dumb things in the beginning of Unova. Well that and nostalgia for Misty practically carries her too

[@bleakautomaton4808]

While I am still no fan of Gen 5, I do like Iris (yes I did begrudgingly try B2/W2). The gyms were pretty fun, but that and the Elite Four and Champion were honestly the most memorable thing (not terrible but I am going to always have fond memories of X and Moon in a different way).

[@AutumnBlaze689]

⁠​⁠@@ItsParadoxx21That’s what I’m saying! Also she really only milks it in the first half of Season 1 and everywhere else it’s in small bits. It’s more to do with nostalgia to Misty. And that applies to me with Iris since Black and White was the first section of the anime I watched and how I got into Pokémon

[@Lily_Orchard]

@@nebolisaeneli4397 Didn't ask

[@gameygeemer4142]

I can't wait to watch this at least once a week on graveyard shift

[@crazycubedude]

You me both my friend!

[@dokikicingene1517]

Already doing so

[@FlameWizard5]

Amen

[@studmuffin-Tga]

Just started doing that now

[@sardineBro]

literally me rn

[@kitr745]

I'm sure the criticism is brilliant and well thought out, and don't get me wrong I'm enjoying that a lot, but I will be upfront and admit that I'm mainly just enjoying the chaotic commentary and Mikaila's endearing artwork This is the hardest I've laughed in a very long time and I appreciate this pure-hearted joy so much

[@Lily_Orchard]

The chaotic commentary was the main focus, so I'm glad about that.

[@munchrai6396]

Yeah, as much as I don't agree with many of her opinions, the witty dialogue is top notch here. There is no way I'm playing gen 6 again without making my nickname something as dumb as B*tch

[@mikhaelgribkov4117]

@@munchrai6396 "Because naturally when you go to New York the thing, the first thing you do is find some break dancers and get them into a polycule" is such a mood and honestly one of the few jokey videos I have seen recently that actually made me laugh.

[@dexterity494]

As someone who's lived in Hawaii their whole life, I appreciate the alolan region trying to connect with the culture, but it feels like it's the regional equivalent of nostalgia bait. "Hey guys the gym leaders are now called Kahuna! Did you get that reference? Hey guys, the Pokemon like malasadas! Did you catch that?" Yeah, thanks gamefreak. I know. How about something genuinely interesting about the mythology or land history? No? Just more huts on stilts and some recolored Pokemon? Alrighty then.

[@Lily_Orchard]

It seems like the "research" that Game Freak does for most of their regions is just Masuda going on vacation.

[@MsXmaster666]

​@@Lily_Orchardhonestly more research than most game devs do into other cultures

[@Demios40]

There is something to be said about the fact that they couldn't even let your main character have the perspective of somebody from Alola. The first time a pokemon game takes place in a significantly different culture and they make a point to make you what is essentially a colonizer. I get why they did that for plot reasons (they wanted the character to be like the player and have them being introduced to the culture for the very first time), but it does carry some fucked up baggage.

[@maroonstarsface]

Feel the same about sword and shield as an Englishman, shame they diddnt do a deep dive on the mythology and just went for the football culture

[@frankorious534]

Aren't the Tapus based on Hawaiians gods tho?

[@Borchert97]

Nemona is maybe the greatest rival character yet. I like how she's a representation of us, the longtime players, we are all Champions just entering a new journey, and she does the same in-universe alongside us, it's really cool. And I just enjoy her character's positive energy to be honest.

[@darkcheaker]

On the other hand she's just an annoying one dimention cunt

[@RazHolly]

I dunno, I’m not like “hi let’s battle.” “After we battle let’s battle.” “You battled without me? Next time get me so we can battle.” “Battle?” “Hey I know you want to complete your Pokedex… but maybe you’ll like battling better.” “Battle battle battle?” “Battle me!” Yeah… totally not every player.

[@jacktaylor6253]

And if you play it again, now you're BOTH making another team to challenge your rival

[@haruhirogrimgar6047]

​@@RazHolly Whenever I play Pokemon (or any multiplayer game) with my friends we never do just 1 round/battle. It is normally like 1 hour of back to back battles using various teams. Even for Yugioh or games like Chess you do at least a best 2 out of 3.

[@mikailaturkleson7472]

I am proud of all the art assets I provided for this one, but I am especially proud of my wife for seeing this video through. I was here for all the gens and I laughed so hard so many times I think I got strep throat. Please enjoy this one, guys. I hope the smile it puts on your faces are really BEEG.

[@ismailgudic8314]

So Lily is your wife?

[@alliumrose6862]

Everyone make way for the goddess herself, she has entered the chat (proceeds to bow)

[@mikailaturkleson7472]

@@ismailgudic8314 sure is 🥰

[@carbonbullet6547]

good evening queen

[@HakusSpiritMaiden]

All of your assets were so adorable, Mikaila! You did such an awesome job and the ending was so cute!!

[@TaurusOxford]

"...and THIS kid who is begging for a kick in the teeth." will forever be how I describe Bede from now on. Great video.

[@TemLightKiBlade]

After all these years... I have been finally called out. I will admit it, I named Silver '???' the first time I played because that's what the game told his name was!

[@Wolfer02]

your Blue take is based as hell and I agree entirely. I was replaying Yellow about three months ago and just... Blue isn't mean at all? He's just ribbing you in a friendly way and tells you about stuff. Never saw him as a mean guy and that replay cemented it. You're just childhood friends! And 10!

[@nebolisaeneli4397]

I always interpreted N as a chracter people could love or hate on purpose. If you like N you the final battle is like a sad battle between friends. But if you hate him their are like a million scenes where he gets roasted 🤣

[@egg_l0rd13]

I never saw it that way. I personally like N, but I do really like your interpretation of what his character is supposed to be.

[@nebolisaeneli4397]

​@egg_l0rd13 Fair I like N too! I guess what I meant is that you don't have to like N his whole (likely) character contradicts your belief in Pokemon. So if you do like N, it's likely cuz you feel bad for him and if you do hate him well the developers low-key expected that.

[@landrylongacre6391]

Fun fact, in black 2 and white 2, Ghetsis’ Hydreigon has a max power frustration which is a move made more powerful the lower the Pokémon’s friendship stat is, which means he has likely also been abusing his Pokémon. Possibly the only subtle thing in that generation.

[@SketchytheChangeling]

Welp, Lily asked to explain why I liked a generation she didn’t, so the Gen I’m talking about here is Gen 5. For context, Gen 5 isn’t my fav - that honor goes to Gen 3 - but it is in my top 3 along with Gen 6. I’ll get the silliest reason out of the way first: N is the origin point of me roasting fictional characters’ looks. Lily already knows this, but I be roasting characters. N was my training grounds as a young’un. Even more so when I found an irl community to talk Pokemon with (more on that later) One criticism of Gen 5 Lily raised was that due to BW1 restricting you to ONLY new mons until the post game, a lot of their roster feels like retreads, and that is objectively true, but I started Pokemon in Gen 3, a gen where a lot of old favorites were absent and/or straight up unobtainable, so I didn’t grow as much of an attachment for them as someone that was with Pokemon since Gen 1 (my first exposure to a lot of Gen 1 and 2 mons prior to HGSS was the Mystery Dungeon games). A lot of Unova’s Pokemon roster just knocked it out of the park for me, ESPECIALLY with Bug-types. There have always been cool Bug-types like Butterfree, Heracross, and Scizor, but Unova just had so many dope-ass bugs in a single gen. Leavanny, Accelgor, Escavalier, Scolipede, and my favorite bug of all time to this day, Volcarona. Even with bug types aside, there were just some cool designs in Unova that I adored. Reuniclus is a front-runner for my favorite Psychic type of all time. A Homunculus Pokemon is just such a baller concept. Not to mention Excadrill, Zoroark (The better Lucario), and I know we were all tired of the Fire/Fighting starter but Emboar being this bulky ol pig with a fire beard was just so sick. I never really noticed a lot of the undeniable dialogue bloat in the game cause I was enamored with Unova as a region. Not the story, but just the region itself. After Sinnoh massively disappointed me, especially since it was the first region after Hoenn, my very first, Unova was just super cool to me. I’m one of those people where music really gets me into a setting, and I remember spending so much time just exploring the routes and the caves gleefully. Sinnoh’s music was so bland while Unova’s was a lot more vibrant and diverse. In high school I would have dance battles with my friends to Gen 5 music (again, more on that later). The Gen 5 version of various older Pokemon tracks is my favorite version of those tracks, ESPECIALLY Cynthia’s. I honestly didn’t remember Cynthia’s theme despite fighting her in Pearl and Platinum, so I honestly thought her BW music was a brand new composition at first, but no. It was just a significantly better one. Speaking of remixes of older things, the PWT is hands down my favorite piece of post game content. I love me some tournaments, and the fact that I could battle ALL the previous gym leaders and champions was just a dream come true. All it was missing was a Rivals mode so I could battle all the older rivals and hear a remix of the Brendan/May battle theme, my favorite rival battle track. This final reason I saved for last cause it’s the most important one to me: Gen 5 was the first gen of Pokemon I played where I felt connected to other people. Again, I came into Pokemon in Gen 3. Pokemania had long since passed, so there weren’t many people in person to trade with. Gen 4’s internet connectivity was rough around the edges and the OG DS and DS Lite were really picky about what routers were compatible with Nintendo Wi-Fi connection. I had a DSi by the time Gen 5 came out and that just opened me up to a whole new world. I made my first online trades, had my first online battles and somehow even won some, and it was through all those online interactions that I finally got my first Dragonite. Of all gens, Gen 5 oddly enough was the first gen where I obtained a Dragonite, and she’s been my second favorite Pokemon ever since. This was also the first gen where most of the distribution events were online rather than in a store. Growing up in the Virgin Islands, we didn’t have a Toys R Us or a GameStop, so I missed out on all the event mons from Gens 3 and 4. Victini was my first event mon. Save for one or two friends that played the game here and there, my initial years as a Pokemon fan were spent alone without other players to enjoy it with. Gen 5 was different. I had also moved to the states a few months before BW2 dropped, and that gave me a group of IRL friends. Those N roast sessions and dance battles? That was with this group of friends. My Join Avenue was PACKED because of them. Before Gen 5, my Pokemon experience was an isolated one. Fun, yes, but isolated. Sure, this feeling of community I obtained is moreso the product of the DSi’s improved internet connectivity and me becoming a teenager than it is a product of Gen 5 itself, but I guess it just is what it is. Gen 5 felt like playing Pokemon for the first time again for me, except with actual people to enjoy it with this time.

[@mikailaturkleson7472]

Damn. Bughorse delivered XD

[@patryksiennicki1747]

Jeszcze gdy chodziłem do podstawówki, to był tam taki Paweł, i ja jechałem na rowerze, i go spotkałem, i potem jeszcze pojechałem do biedronki na lody, i po drodze do domu wtedy jeszcze, już do domu pojechałem.

[@davidingleby7341]

"Chinwag" is a real thing we... USED TO say... We don't earn very much respect for the fact we don't say that very much these days. We kind of gave that up by... doing many silly things. "Leaving the Pokemon League" was one of them. Loving the shade coming our way. Love the video!

[@thecardboardgamebox6095]

Gen 4 is technically my favorite but that's because it was one of the last gifts I had gotten from my father before he died. In terms of a game for playing it would be probably be Arceus for the fact that you ca catch pokemon that are just walking around without engaging them in battle. Also I haven't payed for a pokemon game since sword and shield and that's not likely going to change any time soon.

[@thewikiddreamer]

Lily you silly, you played the wrong version! In Shield there are *THREE* gym leader thirst traps. Yes, we Stan Icy Thiccums in this house.

[@quinnperry3197]

"Sometimes it's fun to splash in a puddle" is a fantastic line and philosophy, thank you

[@scootusproductions8497]

My main problem with Scar/Vio was how it ended for Arven. I don't think Arven is that interesting himself (I agree with what you said he's a character we've seen before) but I like dog getting better, so that made me happy. My main problem with the ending of the story is the game pretty much telling Arven "your parents were valid for caring more about their own research than you" and I feel bad for Arven just being forced into believing that his parents were fine for abandoning him and dying chasing their own research. I really just felt bad for him. Penny is also just bad in almost every way, I really don't like her.

[@D0MiN0ChAn]

I wouldn't even say I actively dislike Penny, I just really really couldn't even care less about her, she's just too bland overall. Like, how is she even remotely comparable to both Nemona or Arven? Definitely the odd one out and not in a good way, if that makes sense.

[@email.164]

sooo Glitch bug and other problem is not a problem wtf....how old are you?

[@JustAStranger2840]

update to the whole Gen 9 companion kit, Penny has officially been outdone as the companion with the most toxic storyline. Kieran came with the DLCs and *oh my god, he's awful* Idk what any of the devs were thinking when they released this spiteful, angry kid who interprets everything through the lens of jealousy & vindictiveness. Idk what the fandom sees in him other than the internet sad boi archetype but I'm sick of this kid already, please bring back our girl Nem.

[@moiav-nj6zr]

I interpreted those lines from Arven as sarcasm to be honest. But 🤷‍♀️

[@Eternalbluejays]

Penny was a character that felt like she was made for aesthetic purposes first and story last. You just know half the reason she exists is so the company can start selling that eveee bag. It’s like she’s Marnie 2.0 with bulling and # “relatable nerd girl” being her main character beat.

[@brandongrove-howard4887]

Honestly I had a very different read of the Starfall Street storyline. Maybe it's the fact that I've only played the story once (and good GOD I'd still need some time, Scarlet and Violet take a long time to finish), but I took their story much less as them BELIEVING they were the villains and more that their actions got them branded as villains. From the rest of the school's perspective, these random kids got together and souped up giant Pokemon-run cars in cartoonishly outlandish outfits and started beating up other kids, and it really feels like their actions brought the hammer of the school board down on them simply because they just had to be the MOST about getting back at their bullies. Like, I don't think Penny actually feels bad about trashing her bullies, I think she just doesn't want to see them expelled because adults are stupid and don't understand that their actions were reactionary rather than unprovoked. They actually recycle that story a bit for the DLC, where the tituallar Teal Mask Pokemon got branded the villain by ignorant townspeople who didn't understand what was happening, who then uplifted the bully Pokemon that Ogrepon beat into the fucking dirt as "defenders of the town," because from the townspeople's perspective this scary ogre thing just came down and beat the absolute tar out of three Pokemon for no reason. So yeah, it read to me much more of "Adults dropped the ball on who was the bully/bullied," and it takes an entire Undercover Boss moment from the fucking principal of all people to realize that they need to do better by these kids Still doesn't excuse Penny's stalker tendencies and the extended move sessions tho lol

[@munchrai6396]

Totally agree, the reason that I really like Starfall Street is because this is exactly the sort of thing my teenage brain would think up if I lived in the Pokemon world. Want your bullies to stop bullying you? Just show them up in the raddest way possible

[@trainerrichard6859]

Well the reason they’re branded as bad guys is because the school tried to pin the blame on them.

[@SoraKingdom3]

@@trainerrichard6859 If I remember correctly, it was the school's way to basically shut down the case like "No, there were no bullying in this school, it's Team Star that started everything" and because of that, the Team Star members started believing themselves they were the bullies. That's why the current principal of the school didn't know about that story, the previous one erased all the details that could lead to showing the real story.

[@elywahl9520]

"alright lesbians let go" fuck yeah 😂😂😂

[@navybluebunny603]

Sun and Moon have a big place in my heart and you are 10000% right about it the excessive dialogue. Replaying it is near impossible without mods. I’m surprised you didn’t mention a lot about the ultra pokemon. I loved the goofy lil aliens they added thats the kinda of energy pokemon needs not pokemon but bigger.

[@Lily_Orchard]

I didn't mention the other Legendaries all that much.

[@givemysundaeback]

As much as I don't see an issue with Pokémon trying its hand at darker stories, it's SO nice to see Gold Silver and Crystal ranked high. After Pokémon Challenges convinced everyone they hated it more than anything else in the world, it's great to see somebody actually talking about what GSC did right.

[@bleakautomaton4808]

That's actually kinda nice to hear.

[@commonviewer2488]

I love Johto, it's my favorite region, but those criticisms are valid. Going to use Smithplay's mod whenever I'm feeling nostalgic. Not a difficulty mod, it's so that Johto does a better job repping itself. Like finding Houndoor and Larvitar in Johto, and a Johto mon on every Gym Leader's team. (And they are not "garbage")

[@givemysundaeback]

@commonviewer2488 Oh, there are def valid criticisms against Johto, but he caused the biggest hate parade in Pokémon history over it being competitively unviable, and not any of its glaring flaws. I love Johto so much and I absolutely agree it missed the mark in pretty major ways on a few occasions but that isn't why it got so much hate

[@rossobrien7358]

​@@givemysundaebackah yes, because that's what casual players will worry about the most in a pokemon run: competitive viability- Jesus fuck Jan take off your nuzlocke glasses for 5 seconds smh

[@givemysundaeback]

@@rossobrien7358 There is genuinely no reason to call any Pokémon game worse than SwSh

[@zach415]

I think most people, including myself, like Gen 5 more because of the sequels and what they introduced. Don’t get me wrong, the story isn’t much better there (though it is the only game in the series where the villain tries to actually kill the protagonist so take that how you will), but the postgame content like the World Tournament and Black Tower/White Forest are really fun. Also the whole point of N’s character is that he’s been systematically brainwashed and groomed to be the perfect person capable of using the dragon. Edit: I’m embarrassed looking back that I didn’t realize Lysander was a villain sooner

[@Emilyrox]

Honestly, your praise, gushing, and analysis of Nemona alone made me want to check out Pokémon Scarlet just so I could meet this character and see if she's just as amazing as you hyped her up to be. And she IS! I also got a Sprigatito plush since that was my starter pokemon and I named him after my cat. So congratulations, Lily. In one video you accomplished what my sister has tried to do for more than 5 years. You got me interested enough in pokemon to play it.

[@voidofecto]

You honestly bring up some of the most interesting Pokemon related takes I’ve ever heard, including your section on Gen 5 (my favorite Gen) and can totally see your point there. Great to see nice things about Gen 6 for a change too.

[@edalynclawthorne5877]

My favourite take of mine and I’m so happy that you touched on it was that Lysander is actually fucking hilarious. I love this man, I love taking his stupid apple glasses and then tossing his face right down into the dirt. Gen 6 and Gen 5 have practically the same story content except Gen 6 got a massive liposuction.

[@user-jq3eh6tp5f]

Your Pokemon retrospective has been a real comfort listen for me lately, especially for something in the background when I went back to replay Pokemon Emerald. I've gained a new appreciation for a lot of Pokemon and NPCs and more thoughtful battle strategies through that video. You honestly breathed a new kind of life into a childhood favorite of mind. Thank you, Lily.

[@mudkip846]

X&Y and emerald are my favorite games, and while emerald is universally applauded, it was nice to see X&Y get some well deserved love! 10/10 video

[@miaurakimchi7349]

Me too! I actually really like X&Y for what it is.

[@Gyrono]

@@miaurakimchi7349 X&Y was really good for me, as it was the first Pokemon game I'd played since Gen 3, and it helped remind me why I enjoyed the series.

[@johnwebb2736]

X&Y was kind of my first game. My sister asked me to play her game when she got to the Elite Four and I from there was interested in Pokémon.

[@haruhirogrimgar6047]

X&Y was the game that burned me out of the mainline series. Just sort of embodies everything I dislike about Gamefreak's failure of game design.

[@Beleth420]

I'm just glad they did something different tbh.

[@blockeontheleafeon]

Thanks to this video, I have a newfound appreciation for Nemona. I was also one of the unlucky few who only saw her as the Yandere stalker the memes portrayed her as before watching this.

[@PaperFlare]

Congratulations on being the first to make a full Pokemon series retrospective. I know, I know. With all the videos on this series it's super fucking weird one has never been made before, right? There have been ones on single gens that the maker was passionate about, but never the whole series. Also, Brendan's casual misogyny is *weird*. And it's not just him. There are a lot of gendered responses from your rival, the villain team, and others in Gen 3. The game has a completely different tone if you play as a boy vs a girl, and you might never notice it without having the two side by side. Of all the things to put extra effort into...why that?

[@stevenwallenstein2059]

​@@decidueyezealot8611it's a KZbin channel called the Salt Factory less Gender Politics involved in the identity of the channel

[@lordjj2549]

Damn, didn't realise you're a loser. I thought we could just enjoy some pokemon.@@stevenwallenstein2059

[@arjunsatheesh7609]

@@stevenwallenstein2059 That mostly covers the stories only for the older gens and does not go into the mechanics. He also made two separate ones for Sword and Shield & Scarlet and Violet with a bit more depth (not just the story). Salt's videos and streams are a great watch always but this video here is about the most complete full series retrospective for Pokemon, as of now. Lily actually covers the mechanics and discusses changes in the gameplay from generation to generation which is really a refreshing callback if you have played some of the older gens.

[@obits3]

It still hasn’t. Black 2 and White 2 were skipped.

[@420OngBak]

That's because being able to choose your gender was still relatively new at the time, only being in Crystal before it. It makes sense to try to make a different experience for the TWO genders to show off the new options/mechanics in the game. This was also before brainwashed freaks took issue with every little masculine thing. College really messed you people up.

[@TumbleroseStudios]

Okay so after finishing the video I do have to say: despite it's problems I love *half* of gen 5, white 2 was my first game and Trubbish is my favorite Pokemon , but aside from nostalgia it was fun to trek through, N isn't in it as much so his verbosity just leads to you saying "why is the green man shouting I am right here" and with the addition of adding previous gen pokemon back the sequels fix the worst aspects of the originals. Plus Hugh being grumpy that the Pirate Knights stole his little sisters cat is a hell of a lot more compelling than whatever pouty bs cheren was doing. Yeah the story railroads you at points and the villain team just being Gen 2 Team Rocket as frosty pirates is really fuckin dumb but otherwise I think it holds up better than the originals at the very least.

[@fangdelabang178]

It was SUPER refreshing to see someone talk nicely about gen 6. Always loved it and one of the games I constantly go back to when I want to replay. Best mix of fun Pokémon and lack of handholding. So amazing to hear someone else finally recognise that

[@kode-man23]

That weird moment when you realize that Gen 6 is the second best one. It's like when someone asks you what's the best Star Wars movie BESIDES Empire Strikes Back.

[@ninevehgrey]

Honestly when i saw all those stalker memes about Nemona i believed them since i play a lot of pokemon and know how weird the rivals can be, so when i found out she was just easily exited and passionate about her interests i felt really bad since IM that kid. I have never related more to a character then when she had a worried moment when she thought she came on too strong and scared the player away since i tend to do that.

[@jeffreywarf]

I like that butterfree learns psychic moves REALLY early on and having access to psychic moves that early in the game is positively gamebreaking since psychic was busted in gen 1 not just as stab/Pokemon type but even just as a regular attacking type due to the glut of poison in gen 1 Edit: I actually like when open world games don't level scale because it feels rewarding to have my high level mean something and be a nice kind of reward for my work to curb stomp the whole game because I spent 10-15 hours doing nothing but exploring before even doing the first main quest. It's why I bounced off of assassin's Creed Odyssey eventually because I just never felt like I was ever getting more powerful.

[@EthanEvans-nx7dn]

Gen 4 had the best story, just not in the mainline games. Explorers of Sky had me hit an emotional peak at 10 years old

[@powerhouse6165]

Thank you for finally bringing attention to how unjustly maligned X and Y are. To this day I will scream from the rooftops that X, Y, and the 3ds gen 3 remakes are absolutely the best pokemon had to offer.

[@Yurio9001]

I think another reason Psychic is regarded as being so OP in gen 1 is due to the ridiculous abundance of Poison types. Like yeah, sure, Psychic is pretty strong even on a neutral hit, that's fine, but it also happens to completely invalidate almost half the Dex because of type advantage and that definitely gives the impression of being an unstoppable death machine

[@ponygonporygon2153]

I had the biggest smile on my face during this entire thing. You offered so many things I didn't even notice like the feeling of the ruby/sapphire music. I was cackling like a banshee during the jokes my favorite being the maushold since it's one of my newest favorite pokemon. You recolored my view on Nemona. Everything was just so amazing. The time and effort you put into this was greatly appreciated Thank You😁

[@nadiat.8419]

Did I watch this in one sitting? Yes. Did I enjoy every second of it? Also yes! Love your work Lily ❤

[@ZetaNiGHT]

Oh and I don't particularly like Penny or Arven either lmao. Penny I find to be particularly insufferable with how much it seems like she takes her friends and family for granted and really just embodies the White Girls Get Away With Everything with all her (honestly pretty concerning) cyber crime that she's only ever REWARDED for. The way she talks about her parents and seems to really think they're genuinely awful for being affectionate and interested in her is really what takes her from annoying to despicable for me, esp when Arven and Nemona are both RIGHT THERE with way worse parental issues. Penny really just comes off like a spoiled rich girl and a total ingrate to me. Nemona tho, best rival 100%, love the concept of that friend who's excited when you're getting into her fandom and starts a new game so she can play it alongside you. So wholesome.

[@skeletonsinscarves3965]

Dude penny is the worst like are you serious girl you're the only one who has loving parents of either group She comes off as someone who wants to look cool but is such a lame person who didn't understand what she was even doing

[@matthewglenguir7204]

Pokemon has so much nostalgic charm that it'll always be subjectively a masterpiece

[@fangdelabang178]

Stuck in bed with the flu, a swollen ankle and a second degree burn on my hand. This was the PERFECT time for this video to come out. So excited to watch this as I heal.

[@MalevolentMinun]

Can I just say how refreshing it is to hear someone praise Nemona? The sheer amount of memes and slander she's had has been insufferably unwarranted. She immediately skyrocketed to my favourite rival. I LOVE her design and her infectious battle-loving attitude was adorable. Plus the battles themselves were great. Her biggest "crime" was being excited to see you, THAT'S ADORABLE. Whereas Penny committed a genuine crime with how she handled the Team Star nonsense. I already didn't care for Penny but when she started shit-talking Nemona in Area Zero, my opinion plummeted so hard for the dork. Nemona is a sweetheart who just wanted a friend who not only could challenge her on equal terms, but also share her enthusiasm for battling. Girl was neglected by her snobby, useless parents and just needed someone to be there for her. And I will be pissed if she doesn't make a big appearance during the Indigo Disk DLC.

[@VarsVerum]

Rewatching this out of boredom and realized something: Lily you should become a VA. Your funny gag voices for villain characters and stuff is excellent 😂

[@doodlesack1218]

3:23:08 replayed this bit so many times just because i love the delivery of "because you're fucking ugly"

[@mikailaturkleson7472]

I LOVE HER DELIVERY SO MUCH!

[@bleakautomaton4808]

When I mentioned the villain's plot to my mom as "a guy wants to end the world to keep it beautiful forever" and she, no joke, said "that is very French". I just...lost it. I'm glad it wasn't some tired joke about white flags, it did take me off guard a second.

[@elizapetersen8302]

Frankly we should be allowed to have female Gallade. If we're doing #Gender, there are plenty of stories where women present as men to join armed forces for one reason or another (give or take Joan of Arc who might have been a trans man)

[@rossobrien7358]

This is what I'm SAYING, we should've gotten the sword lesbian Gallade smh

[@elizapetersen8302]

@@ArnulfoSalgado I feel like creating Gallade was an appropriate decision given the physical-special split. A divergent evolution that focuses on physical attack was an interesting concept and as far as I'm concerned gender locking it was the only real problem with it.

[@davidr7996]

Something about Gallade always rubbed me the wrong way. Even though the Gardeviour line is my favourite 'mon. Unironically, I think that female Gallades would be nothing but a 100% improvement. If Bisharp can have a 50% gender split, so can Gallade

[@MaliciousZERO]

Good lord.

[@eldritchinsomniac]

I think this might actually be the best video you've ever made. It's an absolute masterpiece, well done.

[@wowwar2]

As someone who does appreciate story and dialogue in video games in general, It is funny that you had the exact opposite views when it comes to pokemon gens 5-7 and gen 9

[@dexterity494]

I find it really ironic the devs removed a loved piece of the gameplay because "people are going to be playing the game less :(" and then turned around and made 90% of the game handholding so you have no choice but to go through a bunch of repetitive battles and cutscenes. Truly a work of art.

[@AutumnDasher]

5:26:16 you edited the animated boarder lines so they all match on the cut. Neat! But actually on topic, as someone who’s interest in Pokémon begins and ends with “cool aminals” this was fantastic. funny, interesting and a little confusing

[@XainRussell]

I won’t lie, I feel a bit of vindication that Gen 6 made it so high in your rankings. I’ve been saying for years how much I loved X and Y and I always got a weird look, like I just said the wallpaper tasted funny. But that was the last time I felt like Gamefreak was actually hit it out of the park and gave us something fun to play without any massive asterisks involved. Objectively, Gen 3 is better, and I do often go back and forth on which gen I’ll say is my favorite, but I will alway go to bat for Gen 6. Absolutely phenomenal work on this video Lily, I had a smile on my face nearly the entire time, and once it’s public I will absolutely plug all this hardwork everywhere I can.

[@chaoticlighttv6207]

This is the first video I’ve watched from you and DAMN was this impressive. As someone who actually quit Pokémon for a long time at/because of gen 4, this video puts a lot of things into words that I hadn’t thought enough on to form. The unnecessarily long, unskippable cutscenes and helicopter parent levels of handholding really drags down gens 4-8 so much. Great video! I’ll have to check out more. EDIT: Also Nemona is a gem. She is Pokémon Goku without the hyper masculinity and I hope we get more interesting characters in future games.

[@pablocruz5613]

Okay so I’m currently typing this right after the Generation 5 discussion and I do have to ask a genuine question. I’ve always maintained Gen 5 was the best, not because of black and white, but because of black and white 2. While Black and White had a very strict story and I felt smothered by Bianca and Cheren, and N was always a bit weird and I felt more like the kid was fed what to think rather than getting the chance to form his own opinions, I always felt Black and White 2 felt a LOT better story wise. Hugh, your rival has his own goals for going out on his adventure, he wants you to join him because he trusts you. The story has Plasma less as some misunderstood bad guys being manipulated and more as blatant bad guys. You get more access to older Pokémon sooner (an addition I appreciate Flaafy is the cutest fluffiest little pink ball of fluff) as well as a wide variety of options for content. It even feels less hand holdy as it has areas like the desert, white city/black city to explore and enjoy. I think B/W2 we’re a GENUINE improvement overall both from pokemon games in general as well as their originals so I’m curious as to why you chose to cover Black and White 1 vs 2, as it feels 2 solves a lot of issues the originals caused.

[@obits3]

I feel the same way. I don’t want to be a hater, but I have now spent two and a half hours on a video that calls itself a COMPLETE retrospective. I’m a little frustrated to see the best 2D Pokémon games be skipped as if they are remakes. Imagine if a Zelda KZbinr claimed they had a complete retrospective and then skipped Tears Of The Kingdom. It is fine to say you plan to only play the first games of every generation, but you don’t get to call that complete.

[@haruhirogrimgar6047]

​@@obits3 She (the video creator) said the original title was Re: Pokemon but it was too Kingdom Heart-sy. To push back against your other point. The sequel games really don't improve that much. Yellow and Crystal don't change the writing of their titles that much. No one walks away from Emerald with a meaningfully different perception of Team Aqua or Magma than if they played Sapphire. Platinum same thing but I guess there is more opportunity to talk about Giratina. Her postion on B2/W2 was that it was like more of the original. And considering I bounced off both back in the day, 2 even harder than 1, I can't disagree. The setting and writing style is just really insufferable.

[@zerozeroren]

What a lovely video! Your sense of humour truly shines here, I cackled more than once ^^ watched parts with the hubby, and we're probably going to buy Scarlet and Violet for Nemona's sake ^^ Additional kudos to Mikay for providing these fabulous illustrations!

[@charliekefauver5654]

I agree on the whole "why are you playing pokemon for the plot??" Most of the reason I still play pokemon is to go on an adventure with all the neat pokemon. Even so my most nostalgic games are black and Y, but my favorite is still sun and moon because I just really enjoyed all the new pokemon.

[@rullocompressore1550]

People that started with gen 5 (including me) thought that Pokémon was worth playing also for the plot because that's their first experience with Pokémon. In fact I find gen1 and gen2 too aimless to play again while I enjoy the story beats and the climax of BW even after multiple playthrough.

[@kikaaaaaa2614]

It took me all day to listen through it and I had a blast! I especially liked how positively you talked about gen 3, 6 and Nemona specifically. I’m also proud of you for making this HUGE video Lily, It’s amazing!^^

[@egg_l0rd13]

Despite gen 5 being my favorite generation (mostly for the sequel games, I’ve never played the original Black and White), I do really appreciate the willingness to criticize something that so many people unquestioningly love. I will continue to love BW2 for all the improvements it made over the original, but that doesn’t detract from the fact that these games do have flaws that a lot of people overlook because of nostalgia or misplaced loyalty. But yeah, overall- Really great video! Loved listening to your opinions for nearly 6 and a half hours, even if I don’t agree with some of them. (Also your idea for Lillie being the player character in Sun and Moon is so genius and I genuinely think those games would have been top tier if they just did that.)

[@heavennunya809]

I personally thought Lusamine was interesting. It's implied she wasn't always this controlling, but that she went insane after her husband went missing (spoiler: husband was sucked up by a wormhole and spit out on an island in the middle of nowhere without his memories. He is alive, but has no idea he has kids or a wife, and he's living a pretty happy life in harmony with pokemon). It seems she became controlling in response to that, which makes sense, something outside of her control turned her entire life on its head, it makes sense she would chase control. And then continuing her husband's research in a desperate bid to somehow bring him back, she runs into an ultrabeast that poisons her and twists her long term goal born of desperation to get her husband back THROUGH researching ultrabeasts into short term obsession with said ultrabeasts. I don't think this is a testament to women in power, it's pretty heavily implied she wasn't ALWAYS like this and was once a loving mother and not some twisted psycho as a leader. That love got twisted, along with other traits of hers, due to mental illness born of trauma. It's not that she's a woman in power, it's that she's insane lol. That's why she says that to Lillie at the end. It's not that she "suddenly thought Lillie was beautiful", it's that by separating her from Nihiligo permanently you've kinda..... set her on the path to mental recovery. She may not ever completely recover, but she can get better now. Lusamine is just a tragic tale of a woman who had to force her way through trauma despite the mental damage, because she had responsibilities to the Aether foundation, because she had kids, becuase maybe, just MAYBE she can get her husband back if she works hard enough. And then an opportunistic and evil ultrabeast harmed her further. This is part of the reason Gladion takes over for the Aether foundation after his mother finally takes the time she needs to recover. He was old enough to have memories of his mother before she went insane, when she was a loving mother. He recognizes that she's ill and needs help. Lillie seems to recognize her mother was sick as well, though it's shown that her memoirs of before are foggier than Gladion's. I personally liked the story, it's thought provoking and really interesting. There's also not really a bad guy in the game except for the Ultrabeasts. Guzma is desperate to feel needed to someone, Lusamine is mentally ill and being used. I suppose the one scientist who was ALL FOR experimenting and torturing pokemon could be considered a bad guy, but he didn't exactly have the power to be a real bad guy. Just an employee who also used Lusamine's mental illness to his advantage.

[@PotluckB]

I came here for Gen 1 and 2 because I'm older than dirt, but I stayed and subbed for the energy you brought to this. Nice work.

[@Mugenryujin]

This was so awesome! Ty 🫶🏼

[@Silvercry2000]

Nintendo/GameFreak ought to cut you a check; this video single handily got me back into Pokemon.

[@TheDualWieldingGamer]

It’s so nice to see someone who stands up for the character who just wanted to find a bestie who shares a love of her hobby and can do it on her level. When you first brought it up in your video about white favoritism in fandom I was, admittedly more surprised than I probably should have been that the Nemona stalking memes were so prevalent. As someone who gets really passionate about some of his favorite hobbies and struggles to find people who enjoy talking about these things at the level I’d like to engage in even today I felt very endeared to her story. Even outside of that I just enjoyed the energy she brought whenever she showed up and talked to the player character. Out of all the rivals in all the pokemon games I’ve played she’s easy the best and it’s a god damn shame she’s treated so poorly by the fanbase at large. Thank you Lily for highlighting her best traits.

[@jamalhartley5863]

Lilly your fondness for ZP is showing lol. But honestly this confirms what i always felt. Literally generation 3 was the one i played the most and the last one generation I played. It was honestly a very fun game. I only played Ruby, but been on the hunt for emerald. This was honestly when Pokemon was fun and didnt rely on gimmicks. Like i was kinda out when Pokemon all of a sudden wanted to be more like Digimon all of a sudden. Honestly Digimon games are more akin to old school Pokemon games. Teaching you the basics and then cutting you loose to do whatever. Although Digimon does often have a more well thought out narrative with actual characters and a plot.

[@nekukurora197]

It's weird cuz I hear Digimon fans complain when the games are too much like pokemon. I think they should honestly focus on different angles. Pokemon being more gathering a large group of monsters you like while Digimon should focus on a small group you heavily focus on.

[@jamalhartley5863]

@@nekukurora197 I mean old school Pokemon as far as what I pointed out. Honestly I definitely don't want them taking notes from Pokemon if any they take more after Persona. Get your favorite mons and build them however you want

[@dom8429]

this is amazing! love your style

[@Amaya6Korai]

Fun video! Loved the commentary and the drawings!

[@timothygiger3098]

Love watching these long videos like a podcast while I do homework. You are such a good analyzer Lily and make my day :)

[@rowan2901]

I was shiny hunting during the entirety of this video in gen 6 for a skitty, I really like shiny hunting. Yes, they don’t actually matter at all but I think it’s fun and rewarding to look at the shinies I’ve managed to collect

[@cdmitchell-id3mq]

This was awesome 😊 thanks for making this

[@MDB2KEntertainment]

Watching this in a single sitting was amazing, such a journey and I loved every second of it! Can’t wait to see more videos like this!

[@AshleyTheFighter]

Just gonna throw it out there, I think lily may want a benadryl, just shooting in the dark here

[@markthomaskiec2453]

Just wanted to get a few quick thoughts out of the way: I never got the hate for X and Y, and I especially never understood how that hate kept growing over the years. It gave basically everything that Pokemon fans were clamoring for for years with the only exceptions being HMs, which were reduced to like 5, and most of them were moves you'd want on your team anyway. So you saying it's the second best was validation I was very happy to see for once. Over the years there have been two main things that I've noticed that this company is great at, one of which is never talked about. Firstly, character and creature design. Even at their worst, these guys create some memorable and amazing designs that people can obsess over. However, the part that's really been saving them is that Gamefreak is marketing at its finest. I don't know who's in charge of their marketing but for the last 6 years, they've been hard carrying this company in ways I didn't think were possible, learning over the years on which words to focus on for their games, with the last two gens leaning heavily focusing on the phrase "Open World" which gaming as a whole has had an unhealthy obsession with for like the last ten years. I think that aspect alone is why most of the new games have been selling as well as they have. I'm so glad someone on the internet with a decently sized audience finally mentioned how anti-climatic gen 5 was with the story, especially with how early they revealed the twist.

[@unbeatable_not]

genuinely one of the most enjoyable videos ive ever watched, ive never seen your channel before but im so happy i found it, I love your editing and humor, thank you for making such a great video!

[@danielflores1738]

This is my first video seeing of you guys, really loved it. I was lmao at times and tearing up with yo at others. Really good, I subscribed for more.

[@TheFirstOkiro]

By the grace of Zordon, I can already tell this is going to be one of your best videos. I remember it was a long video like this. That first brought me to your channel considering I haven’t played Pokémon in half a decade, I’m interested to see where the series has gone. I’ll report back in six hours!

[@mikailaturkleson7472]

Always a pleasure to see you, Okiro!

[@TheFirstOkiro]

@@mikailaturkleson7472 always a pleasure to be around two of my favorite people!

[@betazero8508]

I'm glad the love for Trubbish is finally showing. My personal favorite aspect of it is that Pokemon considers it a CAT.

[@bleakautomaton4808]

It's the evolution that makes me never evolve one. No thnx garbador go away.

[@a.x.x8184]

I always loved Trubbish and Garboder tbh they ALWAYS felt like a Gen 1&2 Pokémon and fit alongside Muk & Wheezing lmao

[@yaboiviz7029]

As a gen 5 kid, yeah, you right. I think my most pleasant childhood memories were of the Black2 and White2 post game, because I could have all my favorite guys, then wander around and do essentially whatever I wanted. I've never been one for pokemon's plot, and I've found that Black and White have significantly less replay value compared to their counterparts because of the amount of button mashing. That being said, B/W2 also have a lot of dialogue mashing. Chronic gen 5 brain has me ignoring all that shit I suppose. Pokemon fans have a hard time accepting that the games they grew up with are bad, and I am no stranger to that. But snivy is my baby and I'll continue to play those games for her even if the rest of the game is shit

[@alfredgomez3128]

Lily's videos were the first I heard of dialogue criticism and, once I played the games.....there it was, in every town for B/W. Updated battle mechanics and a less linear sequel made up for those hangups, but it's funny that it's not mentioned elsewhere. Gen 2 and 5 were too much fan darlings to get criticized until recently.

[@JinxeBlaq]

@@alfredgomez3128 Actually Gen 5 used to be hated on INTENSELY, it’s only recently that it’s getting a lot of praise because the people who grew up with it are becoming adults online.

[@patryksiennicki1747]

why did you group pokemon black 2/white 2 with black/white in your ending tier list. your arguments for disliking black/white don't apply to black 2/white 2 because they no longer tried to mimic a heavy theme so shouldn't they have their own place?

[@pkmnherofan22]

A long road trip home and a lily orchard video which I’m sure the internet is going to be VERY normal about! Knowing about the years of this project being scrapped really makes the fact that we finally got it all the sweeter! It was worth every single second of the wait! I need to get a 3DS charger so I can play through Heart Gold again cause that one, Emerald, and Platinum are all the games I’m most nostalgic for! Mikay’s art at the end was adorable and the energy and joy for so much of this video was delightful! Watching this video makes me realize what bad taste in men I had when I was younger as my bisexual awakening was to N of all things (I was 14 cut me some slack) and honestly I think that will always soften my view on him like the biased bitch I am. My chosen murder bug is Beedrill EXCLUSIVELY because one of the only shinies I caught and raised was a weedle so that obnoxious blue and green bug will always be my fave. You already made a video tearing down “cal arts style” you May as well make a “Harkness Test” video. Why not? Seeing how delightful Nemona is makes me feel bad that I always forget Scarlet and Violet exist. All in all this video was fucking delightful, has me excited for Pokémon again and was just delightful. Spectacular fucking work

[@rexdavis14]

This got me through my work day today. Thank you 😅

[@eddietb7575]

I was so excited for this video to come out, and I’ve been watching it but by bit for the past 5 days, and MAN. I was really looking forward to hearing your perspective on these games, especially cause I haven’t touched many of them in years 💛 and what an AMAZING ride this was 💛💛💛💛

[@kimaryor-c8614]

After watching this video about 10x in through half of the year and I'm making it official! This is my favourite Lily video and honestly I'd argue her best one! The craziest thing is... there will never be another video that will have such a amazing scope... until she decides to do the same thing for Kingdom Hearts, we all know it's gonna happen 😂

[@Mysterygii69]

Man, everything you said about nemona and everything adjacent to that really got me to think about how I write. I’ve been trying to strike a balance between character drama and laying on the societal themes that I want to tie the story together. You put it nicely in (and sorry I can’t recall it that well) “yeah he killed hundreds but your main reason for being there is because he hurt your friend.” And I find it interesting that I teared up a bit hearing about Nemona because I know for a fact it wouldn’t have happened without the six hours going over every other Pokémon game prior to it. While I like your other brand of videos I like this format a lot too, even with how risky it is it’d be nice to see more like it going forward.

[@Dimension2364]

Gosh, I enjoyed this video so much! I finished it on three consecutive evenings - constantly rewinding because I didn’t want it to end to soon.

[@archertreloar4806]

There’s a part of me that likes Gallade’s design, typing, etc., but the gender stuff is really stupid. The solution to me is to just give Gallade the same 50/50 gender ratio. Means you don’t have to specifically look for a male Ralts if you want a Gallade (given Ralts is already a rare percentage encounter as is) and, most importantly, it’ll let you use a cool warrior woman with swords for arms on your team

[@tillychee]

as someone who has gallade as her fave pokemon, i agree that it being genderlocked is stupid

[@LegDayR101]

Great video, loved the KH references… thanks for the breakdown as it saves me needing to play them anytime soon

[@lollyhail6149]

Wow! This was an incredible watching experience! I've loved your video essays for a long time, but the goofier tone of this one was so endearing to watch. A video this long and on so so so many games must have taken an ungodly amount of time to make, so the fact that it turned out so thoroughly entertaining is a clear demonstration of your skill and the passion you put into this project. I'm not even a big pokemon fan myself, but I will happily rewatch this again! I hope a nice break is coming your way after all this!

[@RayGainbows]

first video ive seen of yours. Instantly subscribed at seeing the 6hr mark on a pokemon playthrough. I adore this so much. You have no idea.

[@lbean9828]

I love the chaotic energy in this video. The whole benedryl bit during Sun and Moon made me cackle so hard. A BEEG smile on my face the whole video

[@Lexyr_]

This video was...wow. I really don't know if I have the words to describe my feelings, but I'm going to give it my best shot! First, I just want to give proper appreciation to seeing this project through. This felt really special to have finished watching, and I am really amazed by all the work that went into it. I won't lie, I was both laughing and tearing up during the credits, Mikaila's art perfectly showing off the manic segments of the playthroughs, while also exemplifying the sweeter moments (Lily's adorable smile while she holds up a thoroughly confused Bulbasaur, and her cuddling up to Treecko and G being my highlights) I'm also glad to know I'm not the only one who has a 'soft' spot for Alola, at least when thinking about the potential the games had. Because of how I don't often bash S/M for being very dialogue heavy, I've gotten a reputation for being a defender of the games, despite my largest praise for the game being 'it's got a really good pokedex'. I think your statement on how Lillie should be the main character is absolutely spot on, and it feels like the biggest wasted chance the series ever had. That's sort of where I land with Sun/Moon, they frustrate me because I know there's something interesting there, something heartfelt there, we just weren't allowed to have it. Speaking of Alola, the comedy, especially everything regarding Lillie, had me dying. Honestly, the comedy throughout, without hyperbole, is perfect. The fast paced style of comedy made the hours slip by, and I had to stop and double back just to catch my breath, or just to double down on the laughter. From the cursed to the sweet, it all landed amazingly. 'Because you're fucking ugly!' is going to be a part of my vocal lexicon, I just know it. I really can't sing this video's praises enough. This is absolutely one of my highlights of your channel Lily, and I'm so happy I got to see it. Thank you for the amazing content.

[@xHiraeth1880]

The Patrick Stewart voicelines over Fuecoco's no thoughts-head empty stare got me good. I'll be repeating "Today, I saw a balloon" for months after that.

[@mrundy9351]

I stand on the precipice of a six hour video about one of my favorite franchises. Thank you for making long form to keep me from scratching my brain out at work.

[@Maarcosx]

This video was absolutely incredible and you're hilarious!!!

[@codymatt7]

Man, I already loved Nemona a lot before this video but this just gave me even more appreciation for her character.