Well, it's official in regards to Misty's influenc

[pokeria1]

Well, I've been cruising on Wikipedia looking for info or edits on wikipedia, I stumbled upon something about how Females both completely respect Misty and are influenced by her.

[edit] Critical reception
The book The Japanification of Children's Popular Culture described Misty's portrayal in the anime as a mother figure, calling her a "nurturing component" for the original trio of herself, Ash and Brock.[9] It further described her as an "unusually 'complete' girl of the cartoon world", noting both her feminine sentimentality and her "explosive rage".[10] The book Pikachu's Global Adventure: The Rise and Fall of Pokémon stated that the anime focused on Ash, Misty was a distinctly significant character especially to young female consumers, neither "butch" nor "dizzily feminine", seemingly "carefully constructed to appeal to preadolescent girls".[11] It added that unlike other aggressive female characters in the series, Misty did not sacrifice her femininity to succeed, making the character further popular with young American women, a contrast to Japanese children who focused more on the individual Pokémon species to identify with.[12]

In studies on the reactions boys and girls had to the concept of Misty as a heroine in the series, girls accepted it and were eager to associate themselves with the character,[13][14] while boys attempted to belittle her efforts.[13] On the other hand, children of both genders felt the character alongside Brock gave Ash a sense of identity and moral support, which researchers attributed to the concept of group identity.[15] In another study, children were shown to associate the attributes of attractiveness and aggressiveness, while college students described the character as romantic.[16] Pikachu's Global Adventure additionally stated Misty also served as a source of non-threatening sexuality for both older and younger male viewers, though the context of such was presented in a more subtle for North American localizations of the series.[17]

Now, I know that some people either on here or elsewhere will try to claim that the information is completely invalid just because it's from Wikipedia and it can be edited by anyone (It happens all the time), so I also am going to post the sources to ensure that this information is definitely true.

9.^ West, Mark I. (2008). The Japanification of Children's Popular Culture. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 58. ISBN 0810851210.
10.^ West, Mark I. (2008). The Japanification of Children's Popular Culture. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 78. ISBN 0810851210.
11.^ Tobin, Joseph Jay (2004). Pikachu's Global Adventure: The Rise and Fall of Pokémon. Duke University Press. p. 21. ISBN 0-822-33287-6.
12.^ Tobin, Joseph Jay (2004). Pikachu's Global Adventure: The Rise and Fall of Pokémon. Duke University Press. pp. 231-232, 282. ISBN 0-822-33287-6.
13.^ a b Tobin, Joseph Jay (2004). Pikachu's Global Adventure: The Rise and Fall of Pokémon. Duke University Press. p. 176. ISBN 0-822-33287-6.
14.^ Katch, Jane (2004). They Don't Like Me: Lessons on Bullying and Teasing from a Preschool Classroom. Beacon Press. ISBN 0807023213.
15.^ Tobin, Joseph Jay (2004). Pikachu's Global Adventure: The Rise and Fall of Pokémon. Duke University Press. pp. 169-170, 177. ISBN 0-822-33287-6.
16.^ Ogletree, Shirley M.; Cristal N. Martinez, Trent R. Turner and Brad Mason (2004). "Pokémon: Exploring the Role of Gender". Sex Roles (Springer Netherlands) 50, Numbers 11-12 / June, 2004: 851-859. doi:10.1023/B:SERS.0000029102.66384.a2. ISSN [URL="http://www.worldcat.org/issn/0360-0025

[/URL](Print) 1573-2762 (Online) 0360-0025 (Print) 1573-2762 (Online). [/URL]
17.^ Tobin, Joseph Jay (2004). Pikachu's Global Adventure: The Rise and Fall of Pokémon. Duke University Press. pp. 284. ISBN 0-822-33287-6.[/QUOTE]

As soon as Bulbagarden is back online, I'm going to post this info on wherever certain users are (as long as it's a Misty topic) and prove what we have tried to state all along.

BTW, for anyone on BMGf and/or Serebiiforums, I suggest you post the information on the Misty clubs as well (Be sure to include the sources as well).

[oldpokeshipper]

Jul 28, 2009 14:30:47 GMT -5 pokeria1 said:

Pikachu's Global Adventure additionally stated Misty also served as a source of non-threatening sexuality for both older and younger male viewers, though the context of such was presented in a more subtle for North American localizations of the series.[17]

Agree with that, Misty was a universal character- which totaly dissmises the idea that Misty had to be replaced becuase she was not good looking. The whole "eye-candy" bulls**t.

[pokeria1]

Jul 29, 2009 7:09:49 GMT -5 oldpokeshipper said:

Jul 28, 2009 14:30:47 GMT -5 pokeria1 said:

Pikachu's Global Adventure additionally stated Misty also served as a source of non-threatening sexuality for both older and younger male viewers, though the context of such was presented in a more subtle for North American localizations of the series.[17]

Agree with that, Misty was a universal character- which totaly dissmises the idea that Misty had to be replaced becuase she was not good looking. The whole "eye-candy" bulls**t.

I wouldn't say it "totally dismisses" the idea, seeing how they still replaced her with someone whose personality and figure seems too similar to a character from Love Hina, the Anime Version of Sonsaku Hakufu, the girls from "Princess vs. Princess", the triplets from Beauty and the Beast, the girls from Two and a Half men, and all that, and continued on with this Female portrayal with Dawn, as well as not replacing Brock or Ash, either.

Plus, Masamitsu Hidaka confirmed that this was the case in the interview (Yeah, I know, I don't really trust him, but I had deduced that this was the reason long before Masamitsu Hidaka basically spilled it out.)

[oldpokeshipper]

ahahahah yeah, pokemon is quickly developing into ecchi lolicon... I can imagine that soon enough we'll be seeing the characters tripping over and "accidentaly" showing their genitals...

ahahahahahahahahah


And it's not like it has never happened before, Brock and Max were known to look at May's assets when she was "bending over"

[pokeria1]

Ummm.... were you agreeing with me or mocking me?

I'm also quite surprised that the show had instituted obvious butt-staring in it since Misty left, now that you mentioned it.

I mean, the closest thing to that was in "Showdown in Pewter city", and even then, Ash wasn't even staring at her assets (they were pointed in the opposite direction.), and even if it was, it was subtle and not outright obvious.

We really must stop the madness.

[nickstr]

I don't think anything short of a change in writing and directing staff will change it or doing that in Advanced Generation was a desperation attempt to keep people watching the show. Who knows but I believe the latter. As I was going through the graph I made of the show's ratings from Pokeani's data the show lost more viewers in Japan in 2004 and also from that small 2002 stretch going into 2003 than it did in any previous part of the series. And also the time when it had its HIGHEST average viewership was in the era Misty was a main character if you average it out from 1997 to 2002. Given that Misty's reception from not only normal viewers but also critics was more favorable than May's or Dawn's maybe removing her from the show really WAS an idiotic and short sighted decision after all.

[pokeria1]

Jul 30, 2009 1:07:19 GMT -5 nickstr said:

I don't think anything short of a change in writing and directing staff will change it or doing that in Advanced Generation was a desperation attempt to keep people watching the show. Who knows but I believe the latter. As I was going through the graph I made of the show's ratings from Pokeani's data the show lost more viewers in Japan in 2004 and also from that small 2002 stretch going into 2003 than it did in any previous part of the series. And also the time when it had its HIGHEST average viewership was in the era Misty was a main character if you average it out from 1997 to 2002. Given that Misty's reception from not only normal viewers but also critics was more favorable than May's or Dawn's maybe removing her from the show really WAS an idiotic and short sighted decision after all.

Going by the fact that Hidaka didn't even stop being the director until the first episode of Diamond and Pearl, which was four years after May's conception, It's definitely the latter. Hidaka was the director of Pokemon from "Pokemon I choose you" to "Home is where the Start is", going by WPM's description of Hidaka.

And yes, while people may claim that the only reason the ratings are going down because of it being a fad and it losing speed, we also have confirmation that it's far more than just the fact that the fad status was going down that's causing the popularity to decline (Especially seeing how, due to it having the most basic and most easily replacable Target Audience, there are only two factors in Japan that would cause the Show to fail: unpopularity, or a decline of Birth rates. It definitely isn't the latter, because I think it would have made headlines if it were the case.). Going by what was stated in these sources about how Misty was very popular and influential to children (and going by what was said in the last part of the Critical Reception, even the Japanese kids had been influenced enough by her to be noted.).

Honestly, they really shouldn't have removed Misty. I only know that the consequences of what they did would only get worse. Not just for the show, but for the world as a whole. The entire show collapsing was just the beginning, I fear.

BTW, Nickstr, did you by any chance read that PM I sent you on BMGf about my explainations about why I felt the way about Misty that I did?

[oldpokeshipper]

Jul 29, 2009 13:17:18 GMT -5 pokeria1 said:

Ummm.... were you agreeing with me or mocking me?

No I was serious- and for those who haven't seen AG I suggest they do because pokemon gets really sexual over there. Butt staring is a normal thing in pokemon nowadays ( should have seen brock staring at May's breasts. ). That's why I get so mad when people say pokemon is a "kids show".

Well it ain't a kids show now!!!

[pokeria1]

Jul 30, 2009 13:29:40 GMT -5 oldpokeshipper said:

Jul 29, 2009 13:17:18 GMT -5 pokeria1 said:

Ummm.... were you agreeing with me or mocking me?

No I was serious- and for those who haven't seen AG I suggest they do because pokemon gets really sexual over there. Butt staring is a normal thing in pokemon nowadays ( should have seen brock staring at May's breasts. ). That's why I get so mad when people say pokemon is a "kids show".

Well it ain't a kids show now!!!

Well, it's good to know that you weren't mocking me. The way the post was worded (IE, the fit of laughter) made it hard to tell.

I agree, BTW, I mean, I don't recall Misty being outfitted with a bathing suit even once in the movies, and yet in May's case, she quite literally was outfitted in some sort of a bathing suit in 3/4ths of her movies. Plus, May was so far the only character to be seen getting into a bathing suit (and the way Max reacted in the scene where My got into that bathing suit of hers implied that she stripped. I think the infamous shot was in "Brave the Wave", though I may be mistaken.). I'm beginning to fear that they'll end up doing full frontal female nudity soon. Bringing Misty back might actually get the writers to stop. I mean, they won't try to change Misty in such a drastic measure (I mean, she doesn't strip on-screen, and relatively speaking has spent less time in suits than May ever has. And it's implied that she does NOT want to wear a Bathing suit in public or expose herself in public in the episode "Beauty and the Beach" )

[alex]

I have a Penfriend in Japan whose Uncle works for the team who makes the anime, and she sort of vaguly hinted that Misty might be coming back.......mustn't get my hopes up, especially as it was so vague.

But I completely agree with everything posted on this topic.

[pokeria1]

Jul 31, 2009 13:27:20 GMT -5 alex said:

I have a Penfriend in Japan whose Uncle works for the team who makes the anime, and she sort of vaguly hinted that Misty might be coming back.......mustn't get my hopes up, especially as it was so vague.

But I completely agree with everything posted on this topic.

Glad to hear. Also, about your penfriend, she might be hinting at Misty returning, but I might need to read the response that led you to believe this so I can verify it. If this is indeed true, then that means we may be winning. However, I won't get my hopes up. Not yet, anyways.

It is such a shame that people seem to think that the only ways that female characters seem to be considered likable or popular to the target audience is if they make them complete ditzes and completely shallow and labeling them "Girly Girls". I mean, like Piplup and the others said, that's apparantly what "sells".

Not that I believe it. Heck, not only did I state time and time again that that isn't true along with some other people, I even cited sources such as Ariel and other female characters who WEREN'T girly girls, and yet were quite popular.

However, they not only didn't listen to us, they outright mocked us.

Apparantly to them, in order for a female character to be "popular" to the target audience, the girls have to be completely shallow, complete ditzes, maybe even enjoy "exposing" themselves if you know what I mean.

I mean, they think that they have to be like the Triplets from BatB (you know, those blonde trio who always fawn over Gaston), the girls from Love Hina, the anime version of Sonsaku Hakufu (Who was basically devolved in terms of intelligence compared to the manga [not that the manga was any better]), Maron, the Fiorello Fangirls, the Xtreme versions of the DOA females/Tina Armstrong, the film version of Lavendar Brown from "Half Blood Prince", Tiffany from "Luann", and others. At least, that's what they seem to be thinking.

[oldpokeshipper]

I'll say it like this: "Put breasts and female curves on anything and it'll sure draw some attention"

The problem isn't with the girls in the show, nor the makers. The problem is with us- guys. Millions of years of evolution are bearing down on us and we just can't stop looking when we see the opposite sex in its natural, exposed state. That is the reason the makers are changing the female characters and make them ware bikinis- because they get some serious hormone rush out of it and so does the large male fanbase (No, I'm serious.). Males of most ages like too creep in on an unsuspecting bare female- and that is exacly what the makers are trying to do. They're simply satisfying our animal needs (I sound like a priest lol).

Don't like em? Switch the tv off and go play football.

[pokeria1]

Aug 3, 2009 12:55:30 GMT -5 oldpokeshipper said:

I'll say it like this: "Put breasts and female curves on anything and it'll sure draw some attention"

The problem isn't with the girls in the show, nor the makers. The problem is with us- guys. Millions of years of evolution are bearing down on us and we just can't stop looking when we see the opposite sex in its natural, exposed state. That is the reason the makers are changing the female characters and make them ware bikinis- because they get some serious hormone rush out of it and so does the large male fanbase (No, I'm serious.). Males of most ages like too creep in on an unsuspecting bare female- and that is exacly what the makers are trying to do. They're simply satisfying our animal needs (I sound like a priest lol).

Don't like em? Switch the tv off and go play football.

Well, in regards to turning off the TV, I did do something similar to that in the long run (we took off our cable provider. Our Cable Provider, after the Bellsouth-AT&T merge, made a mistake in regards to Box quality, so we removed it. That, and some of the TV shows on that provider were just trash (I remember getting a brief glimpse of Girls Gone Wild where some girls were taking off their clothes on a rooftop, and I screamed. This was during summer vacation, and during Noon time. Don't even get me started on Two and a Half Men or House MD).

And yes, it's true that it's hardwired into us, but then again, that doesn't mean they should glorify it (which is in essence what they are doing.). Besides, these same attempts of attracting Male Viewers is also having a dangerously negative effect on the female population at large. I mean, my Health Classes in middle school taught me that modeling magazines and fashion magazines are a very large factor in the Bulimia/Anorexia Outbreaks. Dolls like Barbie and franchises similar to it like "Disney Princesses" also yield similar complaints and controversies related to Anorexia/Bulimia and negative effects towards females as well. Also, certain female starlets have given girls the belief that they should just act dumb, party all the time, and get into car crashes because of their actions. Heck, Playboy was implied to be why Ted Bundy had become a serial killer.

[oldpokeshipper]

Aug 12, 2009 13:12:40 GMT -5 pokeria1 said:

Also, certain female starlets have given girls the belief that they should just act dumb, party all the time, and get into car crashes(...)

Hah! Not to mention take drugs, drink excessively, be intimate with everybody around them and generally disrespect life as a whole.

Yup, this world is on a collision course with hell.

[alex]

Couldn't they just have put Misty in a bikini?