for those of you who do not realize the BEAUTY of pokemon

[thekatiepark]

Pokemon Episode 48

that is all

Comments

[whatpipeswhy]

You already know my thoughts on this matter, so I'll just add this:
dark and angsty jerkness as a generic symptom for any kind of unpleasant past is getting old, and james' personality makes perfect sense once you learn his background (his fear of relationships is obviously caused by Jessibelle, his woobieness stems from being starved of genuine affection durring his childhood, his flamboyance is partially his reaction to being free from his controlling family and fiance...). It's a logical, specific reaction, rather than a generic one.

Which makes it more sympathetic, and sadder.

[thekatiepark]

it's surprisingly sad (and also surprisingly well thought out), considering that this is, you know, basically a kids' show. the whole thing that makes it so tragic is that the writers didn't stop at just the genuinely depressing backstory: they made every aspect of the character reflect that backstory very, very well. honestly, every time i watch it i think "wow, this poor guy probably would have been a completely normal and well-adjusted person under other circumstances". in fact, this episode goes out of its way to show you that he never had a chance.
james's backstory doesn't feel like something that was thrown in at the last minute to fill an episode or just to "have it there" (like backstory often is in series) - it actually explains just about everything about him.