Tuesday, April 30, 2013

NERDCULTURE SMACKDOWN! POKÉMON OF THE WEEK! APR 30-MAY 3/13!

#48 VENONAT & #49 VENOMOTH

Bet you thought we'd go a week without my piddling opinions on some Pokémon, but I couldn't resist giving you guys what you deserve, just in time (in lieu of a weekly round-up since we had no articles last week).


Venonat always seemed like a cute Pokémon in the anime; with it's big fuzzy head/body, cute little paws, goofy little two-toe feet, and, cutest of all, was it's cry in the anime that just made it seem like a mix between a tribble and the Honeycomb cereal mascot.

On the other hand, some of it's characteristics can be quite a bit more creepy when observed objectively. For one thing, it is one of the only Pokémon with segmented eyes-- and Venonat's are bright red, completely without emotion, and scream murder. Then, there is the terrifying little maw with fangs that they try to hide as a little button nose. To be frank, in real life, venonat would be pretty creepy looking. Regardless, Pokémon takes place in a digital world and Venonat's evolution was one of my favorite Pokémon, when I was a kid.

A quick note of controversy about Venomoth is that is hardly resembles the evolution of Venonat-- in fact, some have theorized that Butterfree was originally Venonat's evolution until some point into development (food for thought). Regardless, I really did the incandescent lilac color scheme on this moth Pokémon.

To be frank, Venomoth had a pretty color scheme, but what I digged most about it's design was the crest on it's head and the general move set/abilities. Yes, by today's standard (and even by the standards back then), Venomoth was outmatched, but I still liked him when I was a kid and just like Pokémon like Venomoth and Primeape without any meta knowledge about their abilities. Are there any Pokémon you liked as a kid that doesn't quite fit your aesthetic anymore?