Bulbasaur/Ivysaur/Venusaur
moltres93:
Okay, Bulbasaur! The very first Pokémon we'll be reviewing. So you might remember me once mentioning that a lot of the newer Pokémon have "unneeded" patterns. Bulbasaur's spots are an example of a good pattern.
Yelsha42:
So what would you classify as a good pattern? Simplistic?
moltres93:
One could say that Bulbasaur is loosely based on a frog as well as a dinosaur, and most frogs have patterns like that.
Yelsha42:
I agree its stance does suggest frog more than dinosaur.
moltres93:
You could say that "unneeded" patterns are stripes and spots that are just thrown in to make them look interesting. A good pattern is one that the real life animal actually has, or a different coloured belly or ears.
Yelsha42:
So more natural designs then to put it simply?
moltres93:
Yes, exactly. Getting back onto Bulbasaur now, I believe the spots give it "toxic" looking skin, perhaps because it reminds one of a poisonous frog. It is a poison type after all.
Yelsha42:
I agree. Many plants feature warning patterns too. Plus the muted dark colours suit the Pokémon as opposed to giving it vibrant saturated colours to make it stand out. What are your thoughts on the bulb itself?
moltres93:
Good point. Now Bulbasaur's bulb is its trademark- it is an absolutely essential asset to the Pokémon. Moving onto Bulbasaur’s evolutions, you can see just why it's so important. Not only is it an important part of the Pokémon, but provides the perfect example of Pokémon evolution ITSELF. The plant grows as the Pokémon ages, giving the sense that Pokémon evolution is closer to metamorphosis than actual evolution.
Yelsha42:
I like the simplistic design, and it complements the colours of the main body. As you've said it gives a perfect emphasis on the growth and 'evolution' or metamorphosis of Pokémon as they reach adulthood.
moltres93:
Ah yes, the overall design is great too. The idea of an animal carrying a plant on its back has been used many times over, however with Bulbasaur the plant feels more apart of its actual body rather than a growth.
Yelsha42:
Yes, yes. It's a great example of symbiosis where two organisms support one another. In comparison to Torterra where the plant seems just to grow on top, Bulbasaur's bulb is intertwined with the creature itself. It would be interesting to see if there was a legend behind this design.
moltres93:
What are your thoughts on Bulbasaur’s evolutions?
Yelsha42:
I like how when Bulbasaur evolves into Ivysaur it gains a bit of colour in the flower. The addition of small fangs is another sign of reaching maturity. The leaf design is interesting though, not sure it really matches the bulb. Your thoughts?
moltres93:
I agree completely except for the the bit about the leaves- I believe they match the Pokémon perfectly. It shows that the leaves, too, are maturing showed by the tattered edges. It also makes it look more like a toxic plant than a pretty flower
Yelsha42:
Hm, I agree that the leaves look good. What I meant by a different style is that they've gone from your stereotypical leaf, to a sort of palm frond, so a different species of plant perhaps. It’s not so much being tattered as being a different type of plant.
moltres93:
I always thought of the leaf as being tattered. Either way, it makes the leaf look a bit more exotic. It could be said that palm fronds are associated with rainforests or otherwise exotic settings- where poisonous plants and frogs may be likely to live.
Yelsha42:
True, and it makes it very suitable. Perhaps then Bulbasaur doesn’t seem tropical enough?
moltres93:
Well the colour scheme of the whole evolution line seems pretty exotic to me. Looking at Venusaur, perhaps it could be said that as Bulbasaur matures, it becomes more and more 'exotic' looking?
Yelsha42:
Agreed. The design becomes more complex and the patterns on the flowers help increase the tropical feel. However I do have a few issues with Venusaur - firstly that the coloured markings on Bulbasaur’s and Ivysaur’s body become pimples? That’s weird, and while it may fit with the frog idea it doesn’t really suit the Pokémon. Secondly the 'trunk' of the flower. Looking at the way the flower is blooming on Ivysaur, it shows no sign of trunk and it appears the flower will just unfold over the top of the leaves. I would have really preferred that.
moltres93:
The spots turning into pimples is something I have somewhat overlooked. It does seem a bit strange when you put it that way. Perhaps the frog is turning into a toad? Anyway I do agree that some spots on Venusaur wouldn't hurt. However this doesn't necessarily mean that we don't need the pimples- as I mentioned before, it looks like the course skin of a toad, and this is actually quite unique when you think about it. Not many Pokémon have skin "textures" as opposed to fur, feathers, scales, rocks etc. As for the flower trunk, I see no problem with it. It does seem like a sudden transition between a flower growing from leaves and then growing from a trunk, but that's because we can't see the transition stages. If Pokémon were to grow steadily with age rather than change all at once as in the anime, we'd see more of the early stages of the trunk.
Yelsha42:
Hm, perhaps, but if Venusaur DID have spots, the pimples would be overkill I feel. And I can see how the trunk fits Venusaur; I just feel the design would have been more aesthetic without it while still remaining realistic.
moltres93:
I do agree with you on pimples and spots being overkill- perhaps that's why they just decided to chose one and be a bit different by ditching the spots. Although the flower trunk is not ESENTIAL, I still think it looks fine there. Again, it has a tropical feel by having the flower grow from a fern-like trunk rather than a stem. Would you like to add anything else before we do a final overview?
Yelsha42:
Hm, with the trunk perhaps it’s more the positioning I don’t like. Normally one would expect both the flower AND the leaves to be on the top of the trunk and maybe that’s why I find it disconcerting. But other than that quite a good line of Pokémon, very clever design to start with, as many children in Japan collect reptiles.
moltres93:
Yes, I do particularly like Pokémon that resemble small animals and insects Satoshi Tajiri himself would have collected as a child which inspired him to create what we know as Pokémon today. As I mentioned before, the Bulbasaur line as a whole is a beautiful example of Pokémon evolution- in each step, the Pokémon show signs of maturing as a real animal would. The designs are also great- there is a running theme of exoticness/poisonous frogs and plants and none of the designs are overdone or too generic. I give the Bulbasaur line 9/10.
Yelsha42:
9/10 for the few aesthetic flaws in Venusaur. Again, a great line not only for evolution, but representing symbiosis and working together as Pokémon is all about.
