Is it just me or did they really waste potential on hop in pokemon journeys?.
(I'm so sorry about this being so long I'm so passionate about this...)
It's not just you, I feel like they did too and from what I've seen a lot of others do also!
On the one hand I really love Leon's characterization in Pokémon Journeys. Even if his struggles are a little more surface level compared to the games where they hint Leon was getting tired of being Champion thanks to the weight of it all and him losing has given him a happier, freer life. While in Journeys he has a moment where he admits it scared him when he lost for the first time, only to turn around and talk about how excited it means he gets to grow more from the experience.
On the other hand, Hop, who you could argue had one of the most interesting character arcs in Sword and Shield... was barely in the anime with none of his story 😕. Like I'm not even sure that Leon and Hop even spoke to each other in the show at all. I think they only had like, two scenes together but even then one was a montage and the other it was more focused on Leon getting ready to battle Ash.
And that's kind of the problem. Ash himself felt like he took Hop's place in a lot of ways when it came to the story...
And don't get me wrong I love Ash, I've watched the anime since Indigo League so I'll always have a soft spot for him. It's awesome to see he finally got to be a Champion and achieve his dream of being a Pokémon Master!
....but as someone who really loves Hop's character and the bond he and Leon have it really does stink that he essentially got looked over for Ash and Goh by the writers.
(The fact that this is something Hop deals with in their own family the games only stings more. In universe and out poor Hop's getting overlooked and pushed to the side 😞)
I was expecting the show to have Hop join Ash like most rival characters usually do during his journeys. Heck Sun and Moon gave him a whole class to work with! It could have been a great way for Hop's story to be explored, and I think him and Ash feel like they could have been fun rivals and friends.
Plus the anime's usually done a good job showing sibling bonds like with May and Max, Clemont and Bonnie, I'd even say Alain and Mairin since they had a sibling sort of relationship just to name a few. So for Hop and Leon to essentially get nothing just hurts 😢. I mean even Piers and Marnie got something.
But.... yeah Hop really didn't get anything at all. And it makes me sad....😭
I'm happy they took the time to give Leon love and have his character shine, but dang it I wish they would have done the same for Hop too. It could've been great.
