I'm probably going to lose a lot of friends for saying this, but...
I never, ever got the hate for Serena.
Okay, first thing you need to know is, this is coming from a multishipper (someone who ships multiple pairings with the same person). I like Pokeshipping, Negaishipping, Amourshipping, and Journeyshipping.
Second thing you need to know is, I have one big theory about Serena.
Serena is intended as a self-insert for female viewers.
Her relationship with Ash is hyped up more than Misty's, her goal (I do legitimately believe Showcases are her main goal, and that it wasn't just to get Ash's attention) is extremely hyperfeminine, she has almost no discernible personality whatsoever, and she has tons of alternate outfits.
Okay, so these may be stereotypical, but, as someone who was once a little girl, romance and fashion are often interests of little girls, and they were definitely interesfs of mine. Just look at the girlsgogames catalog and all their dress up and dating games!
When I was little (6-12) I watched every Pokemon season, but BW was my first and XY was my fave. I wanted more than anything to be Serena. I drew her in my sketchbooks, when I first got my hair cut I asked my friends if I looked like her (i did not), and I was a diehard Amourshipper (I also loved Misty and Iris and their respective pairings, but Serena was my favorite).
I thought Pokemon Showcases were the coolest, most adorable things ever.
Okay, this isn't just me defending Serena solely because I like her, so, i'll give you a lot of reasons why I don't understand why she's hated.
For starters, a lot of her worse actions and qualities (her throwing a tantrum over losing a showcase, the snowball thing, ash being her goal) have no excuses, but there are two interconnected explanations for them.
Serena is extremely insecure.
Serena is a child.
Serena is an insecure child who has no idea what a relationship is supposed to look like.
Also, several complaints bashers have about her are either completely unwarranted or, honestly huge stretches.
Complaint A:
Serena is a stalker.
Serena is not a stalker in my opinion, Wanting to meet your old friend again now that he's close to you...doesn't make you a stalker. Keeping something that reminds you of them doesn't make you a stalker. And accepting that old friend's invitation to travel with them definitely doesn't make you a stalker.
Complaint B:
Serena only exists for fanservice/to be sexualized.
What...uh...the fuck? If your first thought when seeing a child character dressed in perfectly normal clothes who just happens to have many alternate outfits (which are also very normal, aside from when they're literal stage outfits) is "This character is intended as a sex object"
I'm not going to throw around horrible accusations, but...I do think that's creepy.
Complaint C:
Her dream being Showcases is problematic.
Showcases are based on the Japanese music industry, which, while that industry and culture is extremely messed up and dehumanizing, being an idol is also a common dream for young Japanese girls, which goes with my theory of Serena being intended as a self insert for female viewers. I personally don't think this indicates the writer's view of women, as the other pokegirls had far more acceptable goals.
Complaint D:
Showcases were never even her goal, it was solely to get Ash's attention. I'm just gonna say it here...I don't believe that one bit. See how crushed she was on her first loss? She wouldn't react like that if it wasn't a genuine dream for her. Her theme, Doridori, doesn't reference being in love at all, it references wanting to find her own purpose in life. And that thing she said to Ash after kissing him, about being beautiful and being with him being her goal...once again...she's a kid. She has no idea how relationships work. She thought that was what he wanted to hear. And when she returns in Journeys, she's a Coordinator. She's been pursuing her goal without him.
Complaint E:
She's immature and a crybaby.
I feel like a lot of people forget that the Pokemon protagonists are all like, 10. They act, and often look, older. Ash is the only one who actually acts his age, and even then, he acts way older in gens 4 and 6. Serena strikes me as acting like an actual child, trying and failing to be mature and serious. She's very irrational and doesn't take failure well. She reacts to things with what she thinks will work, not what will actually work, and it builds up a sense of dramatic irony when people realize that no, it won't work. Of course she's immature, she's literally 10.
So, anyway...this was me trying (and probably failing) to defend Serena.
