I’m exaggerating, of course, but not by much.
Guys, not every single Pokemon has to be sleek and pretty and attractive because not every animal in real life is sleek and pretty and attractive. For every majestic wolf running triumphantly across the plains there’s a billion faceless, eyeless, lowly parasites crawling through its digestive tract. For every cute, playful, lovable dolphin there are countless deep sea weirdos with bulging eyeballs, mouse-traps for jaws and teeth so long they have to have special indentations in their skulls specifically so they won’t impale their brains every time they close their mouth.
Why shouldn’t a fictional ecosystem follow suit? Sentient garbage piles, demon balloons and friendly ice cream cones fit Pokemon’s whimsical dream world logic just as much, if not moreso, than all the magical fairy wolves and mighty god-dragons in the world, yet people still insist that every single creature in their universe must be cute/cool/badass to count as a “real” Pokemon, whatever the hell that means. Again, this picture is an exaggeration, but I’ve honestly seen people arguing that, say, Mandibuzz is a “stupid” design and would look better without the bone headdress and eyelashes and basically everything that makes it a Mandibuzz and not just a regular vulture.
And where’s the fun in that? To me, it’s the loopy, whimsical, cartoonish designs that really scream “POKEMON!”. Not the five million Eevee recolors or the obligatory cute, marketable electric rodent they introduce every single generation, but the bug eyed, comical, silly goofballs that show the most sense of creativity and humor, yet endlessly get trashed by “old school” fans who want everything to be clean and sleek and serious all the time.
KEEP POKEMON UGLY!
I can’t add anything because this is a rant and visual example I’d have done no differently <3
This is why I love the work of Kelsey “Killer” Wailes:
Her Pokemon work brings me to tears. You can see her, and me, and the rest of the Super Art Fight gang at Katsucon this weekend.
Anyone can draw cute, and most people do. But the people who draw ugly, real, style, and bring something new to it? Those are the ones that I love.
