Pokemon for granddaughter?

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Eliza10

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My husband’s dear 6-year old granddaughter spends a lot of time with us regularly. I homeschool her two days a week (her other grandmother does the other) and she spends a night here weekly too. (Mom is a single mom, and works). At home she watches pretty much what she wants including stuff I wouldn’t let her watch if she was my daughter, but I am not the Mom and its not my job to undermine. However, I feel fine with saying what I think is acceptable in my house. I feel that will help her someday make discerning choices, to be exposed to adults in her life who don’t approve of some things that others approve of. It might help her think someday (and meanwhile we can help her with thinking and discerning in other ways). So, some stuff she watches at home we won’t have watched in this house, like, “Princess Sophia” - because its all about “good witches” doing magic spells. I tell her I don’t like the idea of good witches because Jesus doesn’t want anyone doing magic, and to say a bad thing can be done “good” is wrong. (I am not super strict, as, a Disney movie with “good witches” doing spells like Sleeping Beauty is okay once in a while, as it a movie, and fantasy, and can be considered allegorically, but I don’t want to have her get into show after show of magic spells.)

Well this morning she got here early, is running a fever and chose a show to watch. She put on the Pokemon series cartoon. I don’t want her watching it until I have had a chance to review it, so after one show I asked her to choose another. Only, I don’t want to watch that strange show – I would rather just have your opinions on this cartoon show series.

It was popular when my son was young but when I was married to his father in his younger years I had no TV, just carefully chosen videos, and also for school I homeschooled so there were plenty of other things to do. Then when we divorced and I had to put him in school, I was able to avoid it because of various circumstances and was glad to not have it be an issue. Not that plenty of other issues didn’t come up later.

Part of what I do not like about the Sophia series is its mindlessness and addictiveness. I feel that way about the little I have seen of Pokemon too. My nephews were into the cards in grade school til their mom banned them because of the obsessiveness about them. I wonder about their symbolism, frankly. I also do not like the ugly art of Pokemon. A lot of art is ugly these days. I like… Beatrix Potter… early Disney cartoons… I don’t like ugly cartoons. I like wholesome cartoon chows like Heidi and Boxcar children series on Netflix. I got her into both of those and she loves them now.

I would love to hear other opinions on Pokemon here at CAF. Thanks.

(P.S. Just want to say we do PLENTY of other things besides TV, lots of good carefully-chosen books that I read her and that she reads me, we have our lessons - reading writing and arithmetic, lots of play outside and plenty of arts and crafts and cooking and all sorts of things).
 
I can’t say much about the Pokemon TV show as it exists now, but the show when I was a child was pretty much mindless entertainment. Not harmful, not beneficial, just a time filler (and convenient tie-in for marketing purposes and buying the product.)

The stylized drawing is called anime. It can be done very well or very poorly.

My oldest is only five, but I pretty much put the kibosh on any entertainment that isn’t solidly good. There’s actually quite a bit of that, that I don’t think my kids need mediocre stuff. The mediocre stuff probably won’t harm them much, but I’d prefer that their media time is spent engaging with programs that are educational, or beautiful, or something else in addition to merely entertaining. But if they go to a friend’s house sometime and see something like that, I wouldn’t freak out about it. That’s just my approach.
 
Here’s a good example of what Pokemon is like in modern-day times.

Pokemon XYZ episode (35 english sub) → Youtube video, uploaded by swh281 on July 28, 2016

youtube.com/watch?v=mLLO2mFy4MU

The link above leads to one of the more recent episodes.
 
FYI, the good faeries in Sleeping Beauty are presented as Sophia’s teachers in some episodes. Just in case there is a disconnect there (why is it okay here but not here).

As for the show, I haven’t watched it in years but it probably hasn’t changed a whole lot. Ash encounters a variety of different pokemon in his travels (typically one new one each episode or so) and makes a new friend. It’s pretty formulaic as is most television for children. Ash himself believes in things like friendship and justice and doing the right thing. It’s just that after 20 years, he hasn’t aged much. 😛

When I was working at a video game store I used to recommend the games to parents all the time because of the sheer amount of reading it requires. You also need to do a lot of planning ahead, solve puzzles, assemble a solid team and keep them in good shape, and keep track of your money.
 
Kit15 said:
FYI, the good faeries in Sleeping Beauty are presented as Sophia’s teachers in some episodes. Just in case there is a disconnect there (why is it okay here but not here).

As for the show, I haven’t watched it in years but it probably hasn’t changed a whole lot. Ash encounters a variety of different pokemon in his travels (typically one new one each episode or so) and makes a new friend. It’s pretty formulaic as is most television for children. Ash himself believes in things like friendship and justice and doing the right thing. It’s just that after 20 years, he hasn’t aged much. 😛

When I was working at a video game store I used to recommend the games to parents all the time because of the sheer amount of reading it requires. You also need to do a lot of planning ahead, solve puzzles, assemble a solid team and keep them in good shape, and keep track of your money.
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I also reccommend the games. But, as for the anime, I have not watched it in years, but, the storyline pretty much repeats with each new season and region, only different pokemon, evil team, and traveling companions for Ash. It is everything what Kit15 said above and I just wanted to add a few things. The anime is very much about friendship and teamwork. There are evil organizations that use Pokemon as a means to attain power or profit, but, the protagonist always opposes them. There are some trainers both in the anime and in the video games that abuse their Pokemon to try to make them stronger. The protagonist is against this sort of philosophy and believes that trainers and Pokemon should form a bond so that they can grow mutually. Often, those who hurt their Pokemon come to see the error or their ways. Their are even a lot of Pokemon that can only evolve through friendship with their trainers.

But, anyway, the anime was originally designed to market the videogames and, like any cartoon designed to market a product, storytelling is not the best. But, the series is not morally corrosive itself. In fact, back in 2000, the Vatican broadcasted a statement that the series did not have morally bad side effects. So, would I reccommend it? I don’t know much about the current season, but, considering hardly anything ever changes in Pokemon, I would say you could find a cartoon with a better storyline. But, I wouldn’t also say to avoid it like the plague.
 
Kit15 said:
As for the show, I haven’t watched it in years but it probably hasn’t changed a whole lot. Ash encounters a variety of different pokemon in his travels (typically one new one each episode or so) and makes a new friend. It’s pretty formulaic as is most television for children. Ash himself believes in things like friendship and justice and doing the right thing. It’s just that after 20 years, he hasn’t aged much. 😛
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Yeah. One of the main reasons why Pokemon remains popular, I believe, is its consistency.

Consistency fosters a sense of security.

Here is another example of Pokemon in modern-day times. The video linked below is shorter than the first.

youtube.com/watch?v=y-KrqD1xc4w
 
My sons both liked it.

The cartoons seem silly, and each episodes had very similar plots.

The Picachu character while very cute to look at, loses all cuteness because all he seems to do is shriek.

It’s your call. There are other nicer shows for a six year old. This one doesn’t seem awful, just annoying.
 
Eliza10 said:
My husband’s dear 6-year old granddaughter spends a lot of time with us regularly. I homeschool her two days a week (her other grandmother does the other) and she spends a night here weekly too. (Mom is a single mom, and works). At home she watches pretty much what she wants including stuff I wouldn’t let her watch if she was my daughter, but I am not the Mom and its not my job to undermine. However, I feel fine with saying what I think is acceptable in my house. I feel that will help her someday make discerning choices, to be exposed to adults in her life who don’t approve of some things that others approve of. It might help her think someday (and meanwhile we can help her with thinking and discerning in other ways). So, some stuff she watches at home we won’t have watched in this house, like, “Princess Sophia” - because its all about “good witches” doing magic spells. I tell her I don’t like the idea of good witches because Jesus doesn’t want anyone doing magic, and to say a bad thing can be done “good” is wrong. (I am not super strict, as, a Disney movie with “good witches” doing spells like Sleeping Beauty is okay once in a while, as it a movie, and fantasy, and can be considered allegorically, but I don’t want to have her get into show after show of magic spells.)

Well this morning she got here early, is running a fever and chose a show to watch. She put on the Pokemon series cartoon. I don’t want her watching it until I have had a chance to review it, so after one show I asked her to choose another. Only, I don’t want to watch that strange show – I would rather just have your opinions on this cartoon show series.

It was popular when my son was young but when I was married to his father in his younger years I had no TV, just carefully chosen videos, and also for school I homeschooled so there were plenty of other things to do. Then when we divorced and I had to put him in school, I was able to avoid it because of various circumstances and was glad to not have it be an issue. Not that plenty of other issues didn’t come up later.

Part of what I do not like about the Sophia series is its mindlessness and addictiveness. I feel that way about the little I have seen of Pokemon too. My nephews were into the cards in grade school til their mom banned them because of the obsessiveness about them. I wonder about their symbolism, frankly. I also do not like the ugly art of Pokemon. A lot of art is ugly these days. I like… Beatrix Potter… early Disney cartoons… I don’t like ugly cartoons. I like wholesome cartoon chows like Heidi and Boxcar children series on Netflix. I got her into both of those and she loves them now.

I would love to hear other opinions on Pokemon here at CAF. Thanks.

(P.S. Just want to say we do PLENTY of other things besides TV, lots of good carefully-chosen books that I read her and that she reads me, we have our lessons - reading writing and arithmetic, lots of play outside and plenty of arts and crafts and cooking and all sorts of things).
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Hi!

I’m kinda like an otaku, and read shoujo and josei manga (Japanese graphic novels), and I watch shoujo and shounen anime (Japanese cartoons adapted from the Manga series).

I do NOT recommend any Japanese anime to any kid. I’m serious. That culture is is pretty accepting on lustful things. Even in the early original Pokemon anime (cartoons), there is this character named Brook, I think, and he lusts ridiculously at every Pokemon nurse and police. Japanese anime makes a really big deal on physical appearance and attractiveness and drooling over it. It is considered normal and expected of boys watching porn since middle school age. That said, unless the person watching has a formed conscience that knows right from wrong, and won’t get easily influenced by what they see, I think shounen anime and shoujo anime are fine.

Now, forbid any Manga or anime that has one of these categories : yaoi, shounen ai, shoujo ai, yuri, ecchi, bara, mature, adult. Those are really perverted and extremely immoral and sexual stuff.
 
Sofia the first is harmless…she’s a village girl who became a princess overnight…her mom married the widowed king. Several episodes teach a moral lesson.

Pokemon is okay…but yeah, the first season has Brock, a girl crazy gym leader who swoons over all the nurse Joys and Officer Jennys.
 
I let my kids (around your granddaughter’s age) watch Pokemon. The cartoon is based on the game, and the game was originally inspired by the hobby of bug collecting. It’s all pretty harmless.

The original series does have a girl-crazy character named Brock, but if I remember correctly the other characters get frustrated with his behavior, so that might be a talking point for you and your granddaughter. There are other Pokemon cartoon versions that don’t have that character.

But then again, my opinion might be skewed, because I let my daughters watch Sofia the First all the time. They know it’s pretend, the same way they know the talking horses on My Little Ponies are pretend. So I might be a little more lenient than you.
 
I actually love the designs of the various pokémon, but everyone to their own for course 🙂

Pokémon was massive when I was 9, my parents let me collect the cards but not watch the shows because they didn’t like the show, so I can’t speak from first hand, I only point out that it is a Japanese cartoon so it will seem strange to us anyway. Even Japanese TV ads are very different to our own.
 
Lookingforjoy said:
I let my kids (around your granddaughter’s age) watch Pokemon. The cartoon is based on the game, and the game was originally inspired by the hobby of bug collecting. It’s all pretty harmless.

The original series does have a girl-crazy character named Brock, but if I remember correctly the other characters get frustrated with his behavior, so that might be a talking point for you and your granddaughter. There are other Pokemon cartoon versions that don’t have that character.

But then again, my opinion might be skewed, because I let my daughters watch Sofia the First all the time. They know it’s pretend, the same way they know the talking horses on My Little Ponies are pretend. So I might be a little more lenient than you.
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Also, I checked and the most recent season does not have Brock in it. I guess the infatuation gag was finally getting old for the creators. But, the other characters and even one of his Pokemon did try to keep him from making a fool of himself when he sees a pretty lady.
 
I grew up watching pokemon (as well as some other anime shows) and can’t remember anything immoral about it. Unless there’s been a change, it’s probably fine. Japan is more liberal about sexuality, but that rarely shows up in cartoons marketed for children, and even then would probably go right over her head. Brock is kind of girl-crazy, but it wasn’t in a lecherous way at all, compared to, say, Master Roshi in DBZ. I’d let her watch it. I do agree that western animation has gotten really ugly lately.
 
Mary_Gail_36 said:
The Picachu character while very cute to look at, loses all cuteness because all he seems to do is shriek.
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You might find Dedenne more ‘agreeable’ to listen to. It doesn’t have a high-pitched voice like Pikachu does.

(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)
redbetta said:
Also, I checked and the most recent season does not have Brock in it. I guess the infatuation gag was finally getting old for the creators. But, the other characters and even one of his Pokemon did try to keep him from making a fool of himself when he sees a pretty lady.
Click to expand...
The characters of Pokemon in the latest season, XYZ, are now more modest than in previous seasons. Modest in behavior and dress. I’m impressed by how the script writers developed the characters and incoming darkness within the story, without overdoing it and keeping it family-friendly.

Here is a screenshot depicting the main characters.

(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)

Notice the change in taste compared to previous seasons.
 
I was going to say you will probably be undermined in the long run if you ban Sophia the First but allow Sleeping Beauty as the Good Fairies do show up as Sophia’s teachers. It would seem really inconsistent to allow one but not the other. I too don’t really know anything about the current Pokemon, but my feelings are that they are probably tamer than the original back in the 90s, as all kids shows (of that type) are tamer and seemingly more inane than when I was a kid. I personally don’t really care for Sophia the First, but it tries to teach a lesson each episode, similarly Pokemon is based around several values that it tries to moralize on, namely; friendship, loyalty, and perseverance.

I would say if you are going to allow mindless tv entertainment (which I am personally not against, as my kids watch the Angry Birds cartoons), then these shows are as good as any. Now, you might want to limit these types of show for something more educational or things which are more palatable to you. We make our kids watch a lot of PBS, for a 6 year old I would recommend Ped+Cat (a clever math show), Word World, or even Super Why (which is annoying but is good at teaching letters, rhyming and other reading skills). My boys like Wild Kratts (teaches about animals) and Nature Cat. For slightly younger kids Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood teaches about feelings and socialization, and for older kids Arthur is a nice show.
 
May sound silly - but the concept (as I understand it) undermines my basic ecology values (yes, I know it’s pretend, not real!)

But still - let’s run around and catch living beings then train them to fight other similar living beings? Terrible. (At least that’s what I picked up of it).

So, I pretty much made the kids turn it off whenever it came on the TV (plus, I admit, that style of animation gets on my nerves pretty quickly).

I do/did allow the cards and the game however. It was an obsession with my boys for awhile and a way for them to interact and make friends with other kids at school, but then they outgrew it. I figured collecting and trading the pokemon cards was akin to what their dad and grandpa did with baseball cards. 🤷
 
CradleJourney said:
May sound silly - but the concept (as I understand it) undermines my basic ecology values (yes, I know it’s pretend, not real!)

But still - let’s run around and catch living beings then train them to fight other similar living beings? Terrible. (At least that’s what I picked up of it).
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🤷

The pokemon aren’t forced to battle. They appreciate being used for such purposes. Battling seems to be within their nature

Training a Gliscor isn’t the same as training a German Shepard.
 
When our kids watch a TV Show, they are usually doing it without one of us in the room, so we only let the kids watch ones that are mostly educational, like Sid the Science Kid and Wild Kratts and Arthur. Shows like Nature Cat and The Cat in The Hat Knows a Lot About That have too much dorky-ness for our taste and not enough education.

For new TV shows or movies we haven’t seen before, we always require them to watch it with a parent first so we can pickup on any questionable things and make sure to explain to the kids why it’s not good, etc.

There are so many better options for TV shows than Pokemon, why not go for one of them instead? Of course, we have a Roku player so the kids can easily access PBS Kids and Netflix and we don’t have to rely on the TV broadcast schedule.
 
Faxero said:
🤷

The pokemon aren’t forced to battle. They appreciate being used for such purposes. Battling seems to be within their nature

Training a Gliscor isn’t the same as training a German Shepard.
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I can appreciate that on an intellectual level, but my gut level still reacts to it on a fictional cock-fighting/dog fighting kind of event. Like I said - I didn’t banish it, but I didn’t like listening to it so I invoked the parent choice authority and kept them from watching.
 
Personally I don’t support Pokemon. I’m not a parent, but I’m a teacher and I see it all the time. I think it’s obsessive, and I heard the opinion of some Catholics that it uses philosophies borrowed from Eastern religions. I’ve never examined that part myself but the art kind of repels me. I also see the obsessiveness that it encourages and I don’t think that’s good or healthy.

I wouldn’t allow the Princess Sophia show either. There are so many occult or witchcraft shows for kids today. It’s very sad 😦
 
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