Let’s Talk About Pokemon - Gen 1′s Eeveelutions
133: Eevee
I decided to cover these Pokemon in a purist Pokedex order because I'm just far too anal-retentive to do it out of order. But also because this damn Eevee page would've taken entirely too long.
Oh boy, Eevee. A Pokemon that's notorious, to say the least about it. Responsible for creating probably the biggest sub-fandom in all of Pokemon, and also the biggest candidate for getting Fakemon evolutions drawn of it. Not that you can blame the fandom, Eevee's a pretty basic animal and its little evolution gimmick lends itself to getting that sort of treatment. My relationship with Eevee's been an up and down one. First, I was alright with it. Then, I loved it like everybody and their grandmother did in the mid-2000s. It was totally my favorite at the time. Then I hated it because hating Eevee is what the cool kids did or something. Also, I was probably a hipster. Now I'm fond of it again. Though, nowhere near the intense amount of feelings as a lot of other Eevee fans.
But more about Eevee itself. While it's not anything mind-blowing or spectacular, Eevee's still a gigantic cutie. One of those Pokemon I'd totally have as a pet. It's a simple fox-like creature (and you know how I am about foxes) with a fluffy mane. The mane manages to be enough to prompt some creative use when it comes to building some evolutions off of Eevee. (Unless you're Gen 2-onwards, where you opt not to have a mane at all for some stupid reason.)
Personal Score: 7.5/10
It's not amazing, but it's still a very “me” Pokemon.
But as you're probably very well aware, Eevee's a special Pokemon that comes with an evolutionary gimmick. At the time, Eevee was the only Pokemon to ever have a split evolution path. These days we take that for granted. At least Eevee's still the master, having 8 Frigging Possible Evolutions. But for now, we're just going to cover the first three.
134: Vaporeon
Vaporeon used to be pretty far down there on my “tier list” of Eeveelutions. Now, it's been promoted to be more on the upside. It's arguably the most adventurous designs for an Eeveelution, giving a canid fish-like features, like the fin-ears and neck frill, complete with a little mermaid tail. It's a set of features you would expect to look a little messy on a dog body but actually flows fairly nicely. A little front-heavy with the details but very nice.
Curiously, Vaporeon is also capable of melting and turning into water. Not what I had in mind for slime-mons, but sure, I'll take it. It's like some kind of Sog Dog.
I think younger-me might've been put off by Vaporeon because it's one of the harder Eeveelutions to draw. Or something like that. Seeing lovely fanart of it also helps.
Personal Score: 8.5/10
Very solid Eevee. Very nice. The soggiest of dogs.
135: Jolteon
Jolteon, hate to say it, has been down there and still kind of is down there. I still like it, just not as much as the others. Spiky is about the easiest way to convey the Electric type, but that's most of what Jolteon has. Needless to say, I don't think you could cuddle with a Jolteon the same way you could with your pet dog.
That said, Jolteon fills the niche of “the cooler Eeveelution” fairly nicely, and no other Eevee intrudes on. It's cool enough in its own right. A Zap Pap.
Personal Score: 7.5/10
Neato.
136: Flareon
Flareon though, of the original trio, has always been my favorite. Heck, it's among my top favorite Pokemon out there! As I'm sure that surprises nobody that's known me for any length of time. I love foxes and I love fluffy things, so Flareon is right the hell up my alley. Its design is simple and perhaps plays it safe, but I love it anyway. It just looks warm, and it's cool that it can convey that it's a fire type without actually being on fire. Its bushy tail and little cowlick just evoke flames. That's pretty neat. They're playing with my love of redish colors with yellow too. Can't complain.
It's one of the Eeveelutions that are more fun to draw too. I would draw overly fluffy Flareons as a full-time job if I could. Maximum fluff. Fluff Pup.
Personal Score: 10/10
Been a while since the last 10/10 ranking and it’s a selfish as heck 10/10 but. Everything about Flareon I love. I fully concede my tastes are fully cemented in the conventionally attractive. But dammit. It's so fluffy!!!
Overall:
These batch of Eeveelutions are a great start to the Eevee Legacy, all things considered. From here on out, it's mostly mixed feelings about the Eeveelutions. But, more about them once we get to them.
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