AmourShipping (Ash x Serena) Discussion Thread [SPOILERS]

Serena wrote:Nice images they look really cute.  Anyays I haven't seen XY 54 yet because I watch the dub, but the pics from that episode looks like Ash's is protecting Serena from harm which I find sweet and cute.  I love the Christmas one Serena giving Ash a present make me feel all fuzzy inside lol.  The action figures look nice as well.

Yeah, it's one of the little things which make the ship even better.  It looks like Sugimori loves those two for some reason XD

With those images I can't tell if Pokemon is being subtle or being blatantly open about pushing Amour now. For the Pokemon FB/Twitter posts, those are likely unintentional (as in, the posts weren't created specifically to push the ship) but hey our imaginations may direct us to think otherwise xD

Either way, those are nice little treats for us

I can confirm that those are from XY054. Ash did protect Serena when they encountered a Malamar. And we all know that he pushed Serena away during the truck scene. Apart from that, there was nothing.

But now Pokemon official handle is promoting that too? But somehow..can we not think that it was just Serena giving Ash a gift? Because no other character in the anime gave gifts to each other from what I can remember. Do correct me if I'm wrong.

EDIT: I would like to notify you guys that our latest member is Purim. For those of you who don't know her, she's one of the more well-known AmourShippers in the Internet. Her Tumblr- http://purimpopoie.tumblr.com/ is quite high up in the Google search ranks.

pokesrini wrote:I can confirm that those are from XY054. Ash did protect Serena when they encountered a Malamar. And we all know that he pushed Serena away during the truck scene. Apart from that, there was nothing.

But now Pokemon official handle is promoting that too? But somehow..can we not think that it was just Serena giving Ash a gift? Because no other character in the anime gave gifts to each other from what I can remember. Do correct me if I'm wrong.

Misty's Handkerchief
Brock's Cutlery
May's Wooden Teddiursa

There's probably more. The image was likely chosen simply because it's the XY Series.

But uh, Amourshipping...? I'm hoping that Serena's new look (It's not just a haircut, she'll have a new outfit, too) means we also get new posters like we got in 2014.

Purim wrote:

pokesrini wrote:I can confirm that those are from XY054. Ash did protect Serena when they encountered a Malamar. And we all know that he pushed Serena away during the truck scene. Apart from that, there was nothing.

But now Pokemon official handle is promoting that too? But somehow..can we not think that it was just Serena giving Ash a gift? Because no other character in the anime gave gifts to each other from what I can remember. Do correct me if I'm wrong.

Misty's Handkerchief
Brock's Cutlery
May's Wooden Teddiursa

There's probably more. The image was likely chosen simply because it's the XY Series.

But uh, Amourshipping...? I'm hoping that Serena's new look (It's not just a haircut, she'll have a new outfit, too) means we also get new posters like we got in 2014.

Yeah I meant in the XY series. Because after all, I doubt that Pokemon would callback one of the old series when they have one running right now.

So the "tail" that we saw on her skirt was actually a design on the skirt guys. At least she retains that skirt- which disproves the nonsense that some are insinuating, claiming that her short crop means that she's gonna turn into a tomboy; and it would mean the destruction of Amour. If we get a Valentines poster, I think we might as well consider Amour as canon and leave it there.

PokemonTrainerY wrote:First Junichi Masuda, then Ken Sugimori and now the official Pokémon Twitter is promoting Amourshipping too. That's pretty cool.

Sugimori only made a funny caption and that's it. I don't think he's promoting amour or anything and I don't think the official Poke twitter are doing any either. They just chose that screenshot because why not, she's giving him a gift which is what you usually do in Christmas.

pokesrini wrote:I can confirm that those are from XY054. Ash did protect Serena when they encountered a Malamar. And we all know that he pushed Serena away during the truck scene. Apart from that, there was nothing.

But now Pokemon official handle is promoting that too? But somehow..can we not think that it was just Serena giving Ash a gift? Because no other character in the anime gave gifts to each other from what I can remember. Do correct me if I'm wrong.

Yeah, no. Remember Serena also handed the blonde siblings some of those cookies.

Again, I don't see them pushing the ship just because they chose that scene. If it were Valentines, I would think otherwise.

pokesrini wrote: If we get a Valentines poster, I think we might as well consider Amour as canon and leave it there.

You're jumping into conclusions again.

Blood Red wrote:
Yeah, it's one of the little things which make the ship even better.  It looks like Sugimori loves those two for some reason XD

What makes you say so? Did he actually made an amour tease because all I see there is a funny(?) captioning.

pokesrini wrote:So the "tail" that we saw on her skirt was actually a design on the skirt guys. At least she retains that skirt- which disproves the nonsense that some are insinuating, claiming that her short crop means that she's gonna turn into a tomboy; and it would mean the destruction of Amour. If we get a Valentines poster, I think we might as well consider Amour as canon and leave it there.

It could be anything, and I doubt a simple Valentine's Day poster would be proof of the ship becoming canon XD

asuna07nerosWhat makes you say so? Did he actually made an amour tease because all I see there is a funny(?) captioning.

It's called a joke, perhaps you've heard of those :/

Oh pipe down guys. Do you think I'm going to jump and say Amour is canon if we get a Valentines poster? All that I meant there was that it would come to show that they are pushing it more.

I agree with asuna on the count that the tweets may not necessarily mean much though.

pokesrini wrote:Oh pipe down guys. Do you think I'm going to jump and say Amour is canon if we get a Valentines poster? All that I meant there was that it would come to show that they are pushing it more.

I agree with asuna on the count that the tweets may not necessarily mean much though.

Then choose a better wording next time. Some users here (including me) take things seriously, you know.

As of now, I think there's nothing interesting to discuss (yes, nothing). Imma go back in stalker mode.

asuna07neros wrote:snip

Heh, nice pessimism. (No offence BTW)

This made me remember the time when most of the posters in the old AmourShipping thread got really pessimistic about the Shipping. Most of the posts were so pessimistic that the thread almost became an anti AmourShipping thread at the time. The pessimism continued until pokesrini joined Serebii and got everyone out of the quicksand of pessimism. Those were the days.

On topic, the tweets could mean anything. Maybe they're somehow connected to the date episode. You'll never know....

PokemonTrainerY wrote:

asuna07neros wrote:snip

Heh, nice pessimism. (No offence BTW)

This made me remember the time when most of the posters in the old AmourShipping thread got really pessimistic about the Shipping. Most of the posts were so pessimistic that the thread almost became an anti AmourShipping thread at the time. The pessimism countinued until pokesirni joined Serebii and got everyone out of the quicksand of pessimism. Those were the days.

On topic, the tweets could mean anything. Maybe they're somehow connected to the date episode. You'll never know....

LOL you give me too much credit Really. All I did was share my thoughts. But thanks. Glad to know my presence is appreciated by at least some.

I don't feel the tweets are connected to the date. But frankly, we have enough material and information to say with fair certainty that the date won't be an outright disappointment as some (OtherShippers) suggest. I think it would do well now to not get too disappointed by Serena's new hairstyle. I know that it comes as a shocking change for many, but frankly some reconstructions by fans show that it isn't as bad as you think. And we might just see it!

Think of it this way. If the backlash is still bad even after they show Serena, they'll just retrace that decision. it isn't a big deal to regrow hair after all. And maybe you won't mind it too much? Just wait till 31st, and hopefully we'll be able to pass a judgement. Until then, keep the pessimism down!

PokemonTrainerY wrote:

asuna07neros wrote:snip

Heh, nice pessimism. (No offence BTW)

This made me remember the time when most of the posters in the old AmourShipping thread got really pessimistic about the Shipping. Most of the posts were so pessimistic that the thread almost became an anti AmourShipping thread at the time. The pessimism countinued until pokesirni joined Serebii and got everyone out of the quicksand of pessimism. Those were the days.

Wow, should I be excited and enthusiastic over Sugimori's tweet? Should I jump up and down for it? "Oh hey, look! Sugimori-san tweeted something and it has Satoshi and Serena on it. He supports them and it is highly possible that amour will be canon!"

Yeah, no.

PokemonTrainerY wrote:
On topic, the tweets could mean anything. Maybe they're somehow connected to the date episode. You'll never know....

So you're telling me that Satoshi and Serena will make a stand-up comedy on their date?

asuna07neros wrote:

PokemonTrainerY wrote:

asuna07neros wrote:snip

Heh, nice pessimism. (No offence BTW)

This made me remember the time when most of the posters in the old AmourShipping thread got really pessimistic about the Shipping. Most of the posts were so pessimistic that the thread almost became an anti AmourShipping thread at the time. The pessimism countinued until pokesirni joined Serebii and got everyone out of the quicksand of pessimism. Those were the days.

Wow, should I be excited and enthusiastic over Sugimori's tweet? Should I jump up and down for it? "Oh hey, look! Sugimori-san tweeted something and it has Satoshi and Serena on it. He supports them and it is highly possible that amour will be canon!"

Yeah, no.

PokemonTrainerY wrote:
On topic, the tweets could mean anything. Maybe they're somehow connected to the date episode. You'll never know....

So you're telling me that Satoshi and Serena will make a stand-up comedy on their date?

This...

I agree with you though. While the significance of it in general is debatable, the Sugimori tweet definitely has no meaning as far as the date episode is concerned.

6 weeks to Date episode.
Do you think, that this episode might start a new era for Pokémon? Right now there are great expectations for Amour and I think it's not an exaggeration.
I think Sugomori has nothing to do with the anime. He is simply a designer of Pokémon and characters. Writers are the people, who decide, what we will see in episodes.

asuna07neros wrote:

PokemonTrainerY wrote:

asuna07neros wrote:snip

Heh, nice pessimism. (No offence BTW)

This made me remember the time when most of the posters in the old AmourShipping thread got really pessimistic about the Shipping. Most of the posts were so pessimistic that the thread almost became an anti AmourShipping thread at the time. The pessimism countinued until pokesirni joined Serebii and got everyone out of the quicksand of pessimism. Those were the days.

Wow, should I be excited and enthusiastic over Sugimori's tweet? Should I jump up and down for it? "Oh hey, look! Sugimori-san tweeted something and it has Satoshi and Serena on it. He supports them and it is highly possible that amour will be canon!"

Yeah, no.

No, that's not what I meant...

I was just saying that we should not be pessimistic about the shipping anymore. Posts like this....

"Date" for SatoSere's case is as simple as hanging out. A friend would ask me to go on a date, watch movies, go to a coffee shop, etc but it doesn't mean we're romantically involved to each other, we just simply want to hang out. I still see this whole date thing one-sided. Argue all you want for the "Date" title but remember that the short description says that they're simply going shopping for presents for their Pokemon. It's probably another marketing ploy to get everyone's attention but I'll eat my words if I was proven wrong.

.... are pessimism. I think we should just Keep it down 'till the date episode airs.

PokemonTrainerY wrote:
So you're telling me that Satoshi and Serena will make a stand-up comedy on their date?

It's unlikely, but we'll see about that.

asuna07neros wrote:

PokemonTrainerY wrote:

asuna07neros wrote:snip

Heh, nice pessimism. (No offence BTW)

This made me remember the time when most of the posters in the old AmourShipping thread got really pessimistic about the Shipping. Most of the posts were so pessimistic that the thread almost became an anti AmourShipping thread at the time. The pessimism countinued until pokesirni joined Serebii and got everyone out of the quicksand of pessimism. Those were the days.

Wow, should I be excited and enthusiastic over Sugimori's tweet? Should I jump up and down for it? "Oh hey, look! Sugimori-san tweeted something and it has Satoshi and Serena on it. He supports them and it is highly possible that amour will be canon!"

Yeah, no.

PokemonTrainerY wrote:
On topic, the tweets could mean anything. Maybe they're somehow connected to the date episode. You'll never know....

So you're telling me that Satoshi and Serena will make a stand-up comedy on their date?

Just when I was about to hit the sack, this just made my day.

PokemonTrainerY wrote:No, that's not what I meant...

I was just saying that we should not be pessimistic about the shipping anymore. Posts like this....

"Date" for SatoSere's case is as simple as hanging out. A friend would ask me to go on a date, watch movies, go to a coffee shop, etc but it doesn't mean we're romantically involved to each other, we just simply want to hang out. I still see this whole date thing one-sided. Argue all you want for the "Date" title but remember that the short description says that they're simply going shopping for presents for their Pokemon. It's probably another marketing ploy to get everyone's attention but I'll eat my words if I was proven wrong.

.... are pessimism. Maybe we should just Keep it down 'till the date episode airs.

Now you're going way over the top. I'd call that being neutral. He's just defining what 'date' means, be it romantic or not. So let's just turn our optimism down... For what!? Dun dun dununun dun dun dununun

At least there's some activity on this thread.

Now you're going way over the top.

Yeah, I guess the joke went a little too far. Sorry about that(yeah I was just messing around with him). But seriously, I have high expectations from the date episode.

I'd call that being neutral. He's just defining what 'date' means, be it romantic or not. So let's just turn our optimism down...

We can't really compare an anime to real world stuff. Also, dating =/= hanging out.

For what!? Dun dun dununun dun dun dundununun

For nothing. Let's forget about it.

As for Serena getting a new hairstyle/haircut, I don't think it was necessary. Why are the writers giving her a redesign anyway? What's the point of giving her a redesign when she already has a nice character design? I hope it's a temporary thing.

PokemonTrainerY wrote:

As for Serena getting a new hairstyle/haircut, I don't think it was necessary. Why are the writers giving her a redesign anyway? What's the point of giving her a redesign when she already has a nice character design? I hope it's a temporary thing.

Could be because of the character customization feature in XY. I don't think it really is that surprising since it's promoting what was in XY, though if it is negatively received Serena will probably go back to her original design.
As for it affecting amourshipping, I don't really see it happening either in a negative or a positive way, though I do think Ash may compliment her on her hairstyle.

Virgo wrote:6 weeks to Date episode.
Do you think, that this episode might start a new era for Pokémon? Right now there are great expectations for Amour and I think it's not an exaggeration.
I think Sugomori has nothing to do with the anime. He is simply a designer of Pokémon and characters. Writers are the people, who decide, what we will see in episodes.

Start a new era? Hasn't a new era already begun? I mean ever since the beginning of the XY saga..we have seen things that are completely different! I mean the first episode had a completely *wears glasses* serene beginning while introducing Serena and all that. Same sequence as the game- the Fletchinder wakes her up. Then all hell breaks loose with a Garchomp and Ash. And we get Serena saying, "That boy! It can't be!" Those five words.

When have we ever seen such a flamboyant beginning to a new saga? Every single thing was a change from the past. So whether Amour goes canon or not, I think the XY saga turned a new chapter in Pokemon- as an anime. And it marked the return of great gameplay when it came to the games. If Amour does go canon, then it is a wholesale shake-up which, frankly, is not a bad thing at this point. It will be around 19-20 years since the inception of Pokemon (damn I feel old), and it changes for the good.

I guess. But ASh and Serena being a couple might fully indicate, that Pokemon isn't that kind of show, it used to be.
I mean there are some changes: scary, horror-like footages (M Lucario), talking about serious disease and death openly. The one that we need is romance. (Argument about Pokémon not being a romance show ISN'T valid anymore). Contrary what some people says, Ash and Serena have great chemisty. They don't argue, sometimes understand each other without words (Parfum Palace episode), deeply care for each other and help each other as much, as they can.

The one argument that should die is the old and tired 'it never happened before, so it'll never happen now!' thing. Especially now, since this marks the first time a character's design will change beyond just their clothes mid-saga. There are other things too (like Serena's feelings) but this is completely new and something we haven't really seen before.

Virgo wrote:I guess. But ASh and Serena being a couple might fully indicate, that Pokemon isn't that kind of show, it used to be.
I mean there are some changes: scary, horror-like footages (M Lucario), talking about serious disease and death openly. The one that we need is romance. (Argument about Pokémon not being a romance show ISN'T valid anymore). Contrary what some people says, Ash and Serena have great chemisty. They don't argue, sometimes understand each other without words (Parfum Palace episode), deeply care for each other and help each other as much, as they can.

Ash and Serena seem to have a strangely close relationship, considering they haven't gotten all that many development episodes. I mean, Ash and May got a lot of development as mentor/student, and Ash and Dawn got a lot as BFFs. But Ash and Serena only got XY006, XY007, and XY040, and they have a bond on par with Advance and Pearl.
Also, I'm beginning to think that Amour won't get a bicker episode. I just can't imagine them go back and forth being mean to each other. XY Ash seems too mature, and Serena seems too passive. Serena has scolded Ash, but he never complained at all. If he ever did yell at her, she might be too sad to respond at all, and Ash would probably say he's sorry after that.

I wonder if this "next project" by Game Freak will affect the anime. And when I say Anime, I meant it's plot, setting and more importantly, Ash's future...... And amourshipping....

http://www.nintendo-insider.com/2014/12/27/game-freaks-next-project-nearing-announcement/

Setsuna F Seiei wrote:I wonder if this "next project" by Game Freak will affect the anime. And when I say Anime, I meant it's plot, setting and more importantly, Ash's future...... And amourshipping....

http://www.nintendo-insider.com/2014/12/27/game-freaks-next-project-nearing-announcement/

It's probably Z/X2Y2 so I think it's possible especially if there are some big story plots. I wonder if we'll see Serena's Z/X2Y2 design in the anime, and I'm guessing if that happens during XY that she could get her longer hair back too if it's the default hair style again. I could also see Ash complimenting her on her new design changes if that happens, with maybe a cute little blushing reaction from Serena.

I definitely agree with you Virgo. The dynamic they share, considering the number of episodes they got with each other is very very good. In fact, the bond that Ash and Serena have is probably on par with the bond that Ash and May/Ash and Dawn shared already! And they got few episodes with each other if you actually think about it.

I think that this part of the XY saga was solely to develop Serena's crush further- give her a goal and everything. Now the next part of it will focus on Ash's armour breaking, and of course, Serena taking strides towards her goal. That is my expectation.

Setsuna I doubt that the new game- which is probably XY2 or Z will have much effect on Ash's development and/or Amour. That would be the storyline that the anime follows. We saw that Johto Journeys followed Crystal- with those Clear Bells and Suicune rather than Ho-oh. Of course, it also drew reference to Lugia but yeah. AG went alongside Emerald- because both Groudon and Kyogre were fighting; rather than just one of them. I can't really remember DP because I didn't rewatch it. Last time I watched it was about 3 years back.

From what I see, Amourshipping is rather unique to the anime. So I doubt it will be affected by the game. Maybe Serena's new costume is the rival Serena's costume in Z? Difficult to say at this point.