Tomas Elliot

Thick Fat to sponge Ice-type attacks and Defiant to discourage Defog. Why not? Every Pokemon that counters Articuno is a good Pokemon in my book, when it comes to PU. This is the one thing I like about Smogon's work: they have created so many different metagames with their current tiering, that every Pokemon can have a niche somewhere. Well except Watchog, but still...

I didn't know this, as I haven't played Ep 15. This actually addresses one of the most problematic aspects of the issue, as we now know it was a setup by Sigmund, so yeah, thank you for pointing it out. While some of my points still stand (and what Derax said only adds to them), it is good to see that Ame IS addressing the issue. I can only hope for more light to be cast in the future. And Az your Giovanni comparison is still irrelevant, as the whole "replacement gym leader" thing exists exclusively in Reborn, not in canon games. So yeah, I was criticizing how Reborn would introduce a system and then blatantly disrespect it, but what ICSW said does address the issue, so all is fine. I still find it difficult to swallow that orphaned children and ghosts would land the job in the first place, but yay for progress. I sure hope that details on how, when and why they were chosen will be revealed in future episodes.

I am italian, I see mafia people obtaining positions of authority (governor of a region, mayor of a big city, leader of a nation-wide company) every day. So sorry, but you made the Giovanni example with the wrong guy. Concerning the kids, you are not addressing my point, but rather a small portion of it (not that I am surprised, you do that all the time when we debate Se7en stuff, too). I never said that I have a problem with their age. I did say that I have a problem with the fact that they are locked up in an orphanage, and not only is it openly established by the game that they are forbidden from having any contact with the outside, it is also established that, when a gym leader is no longer eligible for their role, the reserve gym leader gets it instead. Maybe I am being overly nitpicky, but "being locked up in an orphanage with no contacts with the outside" sounds like a strong case for being "no longer eligible" to me. So even if Charlotte got her gym by being her mother's substitute, I'd still expect HER OWN substitute to have been named (and to have taken over) by now. Noel finally manages to have a gym battle, against you, after you break him out: had he remained in the orphanage like he was supposed to do, with his Pokemon taken from him (and, again, NO FRIGGIN' CONTACTS WITH THE OUTSIDE), how was he supposed to have gym battles at all? How was he (and the other kids for that matters) supposed to honor not only the "double responsibility" part of his job, but even the most basic duty that comes with it? And "Reborn City is screwed up" is not a satisfying answer: that only explains why the kids would be locked up in the orphanage and abused by Sigmund, but it still fails to explain why a system established by this very game, that worked perfectly in other occasions, would not work here. If you want the fact that the system failed, and the kids not only landed the job but actually kept it despite being locked up in an orphanage, to be a plot point, you need a MUCH better explanation for it. Also because, in this screwed up society, Sigmund is actually regarded as a pillar of the community and a brilliant scientist, allowing him to get away with his horrific experiments... Which goes to show just how screwed up Reborn City is, yes, but it also causes another issue: Sigmund is seen stating, in multiple occasions, that the kids have serious disorders and to be unreliable at best and lost causes at worst. To the point that he sees fit to take away their Pokemon from them. Then wouldn't it follow logically that he would also recommend them to be lifted from their positions? And wouldn't his word be trusted on the matter, as part of the whole "Reborn is screwed up" thing? So yeah, I stand by my earlier points. You say "we still don't know enough", but see it this way: maybe Ame, upon reading discussions like this one, will feel motivated to address the issue in a satisfying manner in future episodes. Isn't that the point of "constructive criticism"?

Of course. Authority figures are not in control because Reborn deconstructs Pokemon tropes. But as I have said multiple times in multiple topics, there is a fine line between "deconstruction" and "undermining a core element for the sake of telling a good story". Julia, Aya and Titania are "deconstruction". The orphaned kids and Shade are "undermining a core element for the sake of telling a good story". Or at least I think so. Remember this is a personal opinion, I do not expect anyone to agree with me. I just like to back up my opinions with facts is all. To go back to the object of this topic: the role the gym leaders of Reborn play in the plot, outside of their gym, could also be cited as examples of what I am saying. Julia, as likeable as she is, is certified insane, so when she gets out of her gym to help you fight off the baddies, she does so by causing property damage. This is deconstruction, and done very cleverly at that. And don't even get me started on the whole Corey ordeal, of which I am a notorious fanboy. But then you have instances like Noel that cross the line, as I have already detailed. Again, this is just my personal opinion but... Yeah. It has never been a secret that this is my major pet peeve with Reborn.

My point was much more practical than that: if they are locked in an orphanage and never allowed outside, how does the in-game Ame know them well enough to offer them the position? And what feats could they possibly have to their name to justify such an offer? Besides, "non-ideal people are fine in a non-ideal setting" is an out-of-universe justification, the person who, in-universe, hands out the position is STILL expected to look for fitting people, with "fitting" meaning everything I detailed in my previous post(s). You can say all you want that Reborn is a dystopian story, but its characters are not supposed to be aware of it. And the way they are used throughout the story is strictly linked to this. Take Noel: technically speaking, the orphanage was legally holding him, and it just so happens that taking away a kid from an orphanage that legally holds him is a crime, so his gym battle takes place while both you and him are technically WANTED FELONS, and in a friend's house, not an officially recognized structure. What validity could a badge obtained in such conditions possibly hold? Sure, it is a very dramatic situation and it tells a good story, but it throws the whole idea of gym leaders as legally recognized milestones in a trainer's journey out of the window. All this to say that Reborn, as it often does, starts good by differentiating itself from the canon games, but then goes too far. Canon games (outside of Gen 5) focus too much on the battle aspect of the leaders and their role as milestones in your journey, completely overlooking their importance as characters in the plot; Reborn does the reverse, sacrificing credibility and undermining the very core of the whole gym leader concept for the sake of telling a good story.

This being the Pokemon world, your perspective is wrong. Everything, including riot and crime control, is done with Pokemon, so the best at Pokemon is the best at those things too. It is therefore a precise responsibility of the gym leader to be an active, productive and helpful member of the community, which leads me to the point where your perspective is wrong: it's not that strong trainers are not guaranteed to be responsible, it's that whoever hires gym leaders should look for people who are, first of all, responsible. Ability with Pokemon is only a preliminary requisite (as in, if you are not that good you aren't even considered for the position) but then, when it comes to actually deciding who, among all the promising trainers, gets to be a gym leader, the responsible and productive people should be prioritized. Better if they also have a job or position that allows them to also be useful to the community in other ways than merely managing the local gym. In short, being a gym leader should be a double responsibility: you are BOTH a skilled professional athlete AND a charismatic leader of the community. If you lack the skills to excel at both things, then you are not fit for the position. Which brings me back full circle to my initial criticism of ghosts and orphans getting the position. Specifically, what I criticize about the orphans is not the fact that they are orphans, but the fact that they are locked up in an orphanage where they are regularly abused, they are never allowed outside as far as we know, and they all display some personality disorders. Who would ever grant a position of double responsibility to people who are in such conditions, and on what basis?

I agree with this as well. One aspect I have always criticized about Reborn is that its gym leaders include traumatized kids who are locked up and abused in an orphanage, as well as a friggin' GHOST. That kinda detracts from the credibility of the Pokemon League as a legitimate organization: can you imagine Shade's job interview? Interviewer: "So, why are you applying for this position? And what makes you think you would be the right person for it?" Shade: "..." Interviewer: "Your curriculum says that you 'collect souls', could you please expand a bit on this subject?" Shade: "..." Interviewer: "Do you have any previous experience managing a gym and/or training Pokemon on a professional level?" Shade: "..." Interviewer: "Congratulations, you are hired!"

Bad news everyone. Apparently Azery (who, as you know, is our only coder) is having major issues with his computer, which are stalling the work big time. As a result, the project is officially on hold as of this moment, and will resume when (if) Azery gets back. Of course, this means that the rest of us will need to prepare for a worst-case scenario, so yeah, we are too busy right now to waste any time auditioning and/or hiring composers. Sorry Jake.

Noibat is atrocious, however Noivern is pretty good. So it ultimately boils down to wether or not you are willing to invest time and effort on the little whimp for the sake of getting Noivern. My suggestion is to keep Noibat benched when you work on advancing the plot, using something else in your team. But when you take a pause from the plot and engage in repeated wild battles, be it to look for a specific Pokemon to catch or to grind, bring Noibat along and make sure it gains some experience (just have it as a lead and then immediately switch out). It will eventually reach a level where it can kinda sorta stend on its own two little whimpy legs, and then, if you keep up the good effort, it will evolve and (hopefully) repay your dedication.

MOOO, MOOO MOOOOOOOOO MOOOOOOOOOOOOO! (this means "happy birthday, man!" in cowese)

I would also like to add to my previous post that a webcomic is just a matter of visuals, which makes it ineherently easier to do because, guess what? An anime is NOT just a matter of visuals. You need to make an OST for it, you need sound effects and, most importantly, you need VOICE ACTORS. Where are you planning to recruit voice actors? How are you planning to keep in touch with them? And most importantly, how are you planning to record their voices in a clear, high-quality format which you can then use for your cartoon? These are also questions that need to be answered, it is not just a matter of "who is going to animate it?". And as a former member of a silly group that redubbed movies for fun, I can guarantee you: the audio part is MUCH harder to deal with than one would think.

WHY AM I ALWAYS BEATEN TO THESE THINGS? Oh well, hb Huk.

This. I honestly cannot think of anyone with the skills, the willingness, and the consistency to start such a project and see it through the end. How about making a manga instead? The sheer amount of webcomics that exist around the internet proves that making a webcomic is MUCH easier than making anything animated. To make it a full-fledged manga, you'd merely need a guy talented enough to draw stuff for you. Or you could make a sprite comic like 8-bit theater, in which case you wouldn't even need that: you could simply grab Reborn's sprites and do everything on your own. I know this is a far less appealing idea but... Sometimes, you need to be realistic. It is better to embark in a so-so project that you CAN see through the end, than in a great project that will probably never leave development stage, or fall apart shortly after.

There are two problems: firstly, I am currently facing some nasty IRL issues in my hometown and thus, while it would be my duty to start the new private discussion with you, explain you what we need etc etc, I cannot do so untill I get back in Bologna, on january the sixth. Secondly, I cannot make this decision on my own, I need all the members of the staff to discuss this and reach an agreement: after what happened that one time we hired a second coder, we are wary of welcoming new members into the project. Well actually "we" is not the correct pronoun: I am not, but some other staffers are, so I need some time to persuade them. Because of all the above, I must ask you to wait 4 days for our reply. I hope you don't mind :/ EDIT: you may want to use these 4 days to prepare some random samples just to show us what you can do. Incidentally, what program do you use, and how versatile are you in terms of genders you are familiar with, and instruments you can include in your tracks?

Being perfect, I have no need for making resolutions, New Year's or otherwise.

Fixed for you But in all seriousness Ame, everything I had to say on this matter, I already said in your 23rd birthday topic a while back. You know what? I think we should cut the thanking, as it is very pointless: you have thanked us, we have thanked you, but the bottom line is, this community has turned into a full-fledged family under our very eyes, despite the inevitable setbacks, quarrels, and problems. And well, isn't it normal for a family to stick together? I have never seen a mother thanking her children for loving her: it is something that comes natural. So let's all stop saying how much we love each other and how much we are thankful to each other, and let's just keep on proving it by sticking together, day in and day out, like we have been doing so far. As I have said many times, Reborn has reached a point where the game is more or less a nice bonus, but what keeps the community together is something entirely different. Something that, as far as I am concerned, has no reason to end anytime soon. All thanks to you. Are you at least a bit prouder of yourself, compared to last time I asked?

She was asking for the camo to make a cameo!