No. 833: Chewtle

what is it with this generation and improbably large heads

When I first saw this guy I had to do a double-take. Is his head really that big? Or is it just a perspective thing, maybe he's got a long neck and his head is reaching out far. But no, that is just a huge noggin.

And I hate it. Chewtle can't even retract its head into its shell, the #1 calling card ability of all turtles. Its body is so small, I can't believe it wouldn't topple over immediately under the weight of its own oversized dome. The unibrow isn't doing him any favors, either. Dude looks like a grade-A dunce.

As is becoming a refrain - we've seen turtles before. Many times, in fact. Does the 8th gen spin offer anything new? In this case, it only offers us shit.


Overall: 1/10

No. 832: Dubwool

Dubwool, dubwool toil and troubwool; fire burn, and cauldron bubwool


Somewhat disappointingly, after Wooloo was a wonderful little sheep, Dubwool is just a bigger sheep that lost all the charm. I don't like that its horns are obscured by its neck fur, they look like extra random spikes coming out of its armpits like Mamoswine's tusks. and I associate that color pattern with cows, not sheep.

see, I know I shouldn't be putting my own expectations ahead of reality here, but I kinda hoped it would evolve into a Steel Wool type Pokemon, y'know? Although the regional bird is already Steel, so maybe that would've been overkill.


Overall: 5/10

No. 831: Wooloo

Ducktales!


WOOLOO IS CUTE! CUTE!!!

Whew, sorry, had to get that out of my system. There's not much establishing Wooloo as anything other than a normal cartoon sheep, I'll admit. As opposed to Mareep, which established itself as being Electric-type by being blue and having a crystal ball on the end of its tail. But Wooloo is simply a Normal type, so it doesn't really have to do much of anything besides roll around and look cute.

And brother, lemme tell you, it does both of those things very well. Sometimes, round and cute is all you need.

Come to think of it, between Wooloo and Eldegoss, that's a one-two punch of comfy critters. Galar has access to both the highest-quality cotton and wool, so that explains their plentiful clothing options. If only they had native silk production.


Overall: 10/10

No. 830: Eldegoss

the question is, will Eldegoss shrink in the wash?

Whimsicott was not enough, we have to take another stab at this cotton thing, and surprisingly I'm here for it. I gotta say that I love the way Eldegoss's cotton is drawn, with the soft coloring and broken lines. It has a very sketchy feeling to it, one we haven't seen in Pokemon drawings in a long time.

It looks like Roselia mixed with Swadloon, with of course that huge cotton ball on its head. Nothing related to its previous form, which I approve of, because that one sucked. But I like how it looks like it's got a big brain, or gigantic hairdo. I know cotton is light, which is why the design doesn't feel unbalanced. And its eyes slightly resemble the seeds, which is a neat touch.


Overall: 6/10

No. 829: Gossifleur

Remember that one Looney Toon named Gossamer? What the hell was that about, anyway?

So when Gossifleur was first revealed, I thought it was some sort of pepper. The red, green, and yellow. The curved shapes. The fact that everyone and their mother has been imagining a Grass/Fire hot pepper Pokemon for decades now.

And instead, as you'll see tomorrow, it's related to the cotton plant. I don't care enough to look up what a baby cotton plant looks like, but if it looks like a peck of pickled peppers I'll go berserk. I hate this.


Overall: 2/10

No. 828: Thievul

Swiper, no swiping!

Again, there's nothing overtly wrong with Thievul. The tail-as-a-bag gimmick is gone, but we have a full-on mask and mustache instead. And at the end of the day, it's just a fancy fox.

I wish it had a bigger mustache, though. Give me man something to really twirl, a full Salvador Dali or Snidely Whiplash. but again, I can't hate.


Overall: 5/10

No. 827: Nickit

Let's be honest, at this point the most surprising thing this blog could do is to begin posting regularly. Happy April Fools.

We've done foxes before with Vulpix and Zorua, so is this a well worth plumbing a third time? Well, aside from having the proportions common to modern starters, Nickit is fine. It's just a fox, whose tail kinda looks like a big sack of loot. Not trying to rock the boat.

I like the facial markings, and how much personality it's showing. That's about as much as I can say, "sly fox thief" is like easy mode when it comes to mashing up themes.


Overall: 10/10







okay, okay. I'm kidding. Had to get at least one in there!

Overall: 5/10

No. 826: Orbeetle

where my Mecha fans at, we eating good tonight

This thing has Getter Robo eyes, Victory V Gundam crests, and hits a Gunbuster pose when it attacks. It's the most mecha Pokemon ever, and it's not even a Steel type. I love it.

Orbeetle looks a bit awkwardly put together, both in this artwork and in its model, but the way its limbs are just dangling from the main body somehow works. Hovering like a UFO, opening up its wings and all the spots glowing with Getter Ray Energy, I fully expect it to launch an Itano Circus barrage of missiles.

Who's Ledian? never heard of 'im


Overall: 10/10

No. 825: Dottler

Dottler Doclittle

I may have spoken too soon about those eyeballs going away - you can still kinda see them on Dottler, but the effect is muted because you only see the lower half. They mostly just register as glowing eyes.

Speaking of which, it's neat how Dottler's spots light up in its animations. Bug/Psychic is a fresh combination, I applaud Gamefreak for doing something for the regional bug besides Flying or Poison. Also, notice those V's return as... hands? whiskers? Who cares, just jot that down for later.

So, overall I'm positive about Dottler, but there's something about it that doesn't sit right. It doesn't feel like a Pokemon, but instead more like a Super Mario Galaxy enemy. That's a very specific and weird comparison, I know, but I'm a specifically weird guy. idk, something about it looks as if it comes from another game entirely.

so I'll just roll Dottler like a d20 to decide the rating


Overall: 16

No. 824: Blipbug

👀

I well and truly hate this stupid thing. Dumb ass aspect ratio stretched out head, eyeballs permanently looking down and to the side, why would any loving Arceus create such a foul creature? it can't even reach the ground with all its legs because its head is too big.

I do note that the V theme going on will be continued, but thankfully nothing else of this wretched abomination carries over through the rest of the line.


Overall: 1/10