You might be wondering why I'm doing this. It is because I have develoiped this theory, and I NEEDED to show it up somewhere.

Anyway.

We all know pokémon is highly considered a thing for small children, but we know it's not.

Many blame Pikachu for this. But I know, Pikachu is not to blame.

The fault is of someone else.

-But who? - Asks someone in the crowd.

Shut up, I'm trying to make up some drama. xD

...

I think that the anime is to blame.

- HUH? - Screams someone in the crowd.

Shut up and let me explain. As you can see, this false image (Probably) is not present at Japan. And we all know that this innocentize Pikachu, because it's more popular there.

But the anime -- the anime's setting was made in a way that could easily lure people into thinking it's as childish as Teletubbies. The focus of the creators are the kids, and they are too focused on them. That doesn't mean that if you like the anime, you're imature and childish. It means you can still appreciate the squad's job.

We all know that the anime got high popularity when it came out from Japan. If I'm not mistaken, it came along with the games. But the games took many time to continue, while the anime continued unstopably.

And channels/parts of programation aimed to children adopted the anime.

People started to forget that the games exist.

And now, when a hater have to explain why does he/she hates Pokémon, he/she will always ramble about the anime and about Pikachu.

Well, Pikachu does have childish fame. But WHO caused Pikachu to look childish? The anime, that's it!

I have been to AP (Anti-Pokémon) sites, on "investigating" mission. The AP'ers always ramble about the anime.

IT'S LIKE THE GAMES AND MANGA NEVER EXISTED!
I'M SICK OF THAT!
AND I'M SICK OF THE POOR FANS WRONGLY BLAMING PIKACHU!

Well...We now know it all. What do you have to say?

I know, the Japanese anime has more cuss in it and is more aimed at 10-15 year olds but Americian and European the cuss is taken out and edited so it's for more like 4-7 year olds. It's annoying as I'm 13 -.- and I find the anime pretty, lame to be honest. Bit hard to say that as a Pokemon Fan but, still, the games have always been my attraction.

I agree with both of you completely. I don't like the anime, it seems too childish, but I like the games (I've never read the manga though).

Also, hey CFH! I didn't know you went here!
:)

Yes, the anime is probably the major reason people think Pokemon is "childish". Out of the games, manga, etc, the anime is probably the most well-known.

However, I've never seen people call Pokemon childish because of Pikachu.

I don't think it's the anime, but the DUB. Face it, 4kids mauled the heck out of it and then re-aimed the show at little children.

Maybe if it was brought up on a more appropriate time slot and not on 'Kid's WB' it would be better.

Bingo. The curse of 4kids has destroyed the experience and joy of Pokemon for all american viewers. However, there's only so far the dub can mangle it (Quite far, still...). There's still no changing the fact that it's an absurdly young child randomly departing on a journey and having the same repetitive plot each episode. (Team rocket runs in, tries to snatch a Pokemon, fails, "we're blasting off again," end. That's when they aren't battles with crummy recycled imagery and motion blurs.) So yes, CFH is right. The anime is to blame.

The games, now, those are works of art. I never even saw the anime until about a year after getting into Pokemon. (I was what, five?) But before then, I was fascinated by the games, and once I got my little hands on a gameboy and a copy of Gold, whatever opinion of it my tiny mind had formulated was gone. Other kids, scarred so much by the anime, spurned the games because they feared that they would be as bad. In a way, they are, what with the same plot with the evil teams and such. (Team Rocket in the games was pretty neat, though. An evil organization, causing corruption, underground experiments, mmm. Team Aqua/Magma didn't stand a chance.)

Pikachu fortunately doesn't have as big an appearance in the games. In fact, it's generally elusive and rare. (Except in Yellow. But never mind that- that game was based off the Anime.) It doesn't deserve all the attention it's getting. It needs good fans. Honest fans, not distracted by its appearances and overglorification in the Anime.

Zephyr had got this one right. We all have to remember that if it wasn't for that forsaken TV Chow (It doesn't deserve to be called a show, but it deserve to be eaten) nobody would remember Pikachu very well.

And for whoever never saw a fan blaming Pikachu: I see that REALLY often, and many fans start to become Pikachu haters for wrongly blaming it. Maybe it happens, like many other things, because I'm from this forsaken country, Brazil.

The Pokémon games were cleverly made to be both childish and adult, depending on how deep you're going to look into them; that's what makes them such a success and what made me keep my liking for it up since I was 5 years old to now, with 15.

When I was 5 I picked Charmander as a starter because it spit fire and Charizard was cool, I would catch all the pokémon I saw during my way, even repeating ones and would have a level relationship in my party of something like "Charizard lvl. 86; Pidgeot lvl. 37; all the rest at lvl. 26 or bellow" or something like that. So what? I could still pass the game, beat Team Rocket, beat the PokéLeague... and more importantly, I could still be happy.
Today I pick whatever as a starter because no starter is compatible with my final party, catch only the pokémon I find useful in any way (I only waste time catching the other pokémon when I have the party I want) and have a level relationship in my party of something like "Arcanine lvl. 65; Gengar lvl. 64; Snorlax lvl. 67; Cloyster lvl. 70; Tentacruel lvl. 67; Dragonite lvl. 72" or something like that because now I care about type advantages and EVs/IVs/stats/game mechanics in general. So what? I can pass the game, beat Team Rocket, beat the PokéLeague... and more importantly, I can be even happier.

So when you look at it, the phrase "What you don't know can't hurt you" comes to mind. If you're 5 years old you can enjoy the games the superficial way but since you don't know another way you're still happy; if you're old enough to understand game mechanics you can enjoy the games the deep way and be even happier ^_^

Same goes for the Trading Card Games but since Animé can't be like that they decided to please the younger audience.

Some of my friends do. ><;

..But they also do because of the anime. Pretty much everything that's been said in this topic altogether is very true. I hate the anime for both what it was and what it is currently. Here's how my discussions with my friends who hate Pokemon and Pikachu go:

"Why do you hate pokemon?"
"The show."
"Well.. ok. I hate it too. Anything else?"
"Not really. ..But that's all Pokemon really is.. right?"

Get the point? xP;

Very true, CFH. I really wish they wouldn't have such bad dubbing in the pokemon anime. XP 4Kids tv... is a bad word. >O

I agree.. Anime is seriously lame D:< It's not Pikachu's faulth. It's anime's faulth. Games really rock your socks, but I've never seen the manga.

.. K'bai *Goes to dark corner to play Pokémon Diamond*

The manga was a bit cooler than the anime, I guess. I didn't read much of it, to be honest.

*scream*

Finnish Pokémon is so lame. Voice actors sound lame, and they're like "Ow wo ow, my 'lil hand hurts~ <3". I'm never going to watch dupped Anime again. All the Animes that are outside-Japan made for kids, are actually more better in Japan. Heck. Now I don't wonder why my classmates call Pokémon childlish.

But oblivoysli I'm a Pokémon fan, thanks to the games :B If there would be only Anime, I even would think Pokémon is childlish.

Anyone wanna clip from "Pokémomn heroes" finnish dup? -_-'

As much as I hate to say it, the anime does make it look childish.*shot* I prefer the games anyway.