I really wanted to like this arc and sometimes I did. But time after time it just failed to deliver anything above average. This is basic adventures without many high points. I believe it fails to truly take advantage of the great region of Alola, fails to deliver captivating protagonists, create a satisfying story from SM and USUM and just feels kind of lifeless throughout. It has a similar problem to FRLG by having alot of blatant poorly used game elements especially from USUM which it so desperately tries to naturally transition from og SM in the story but just doesn't quite hit the landing. Plot points like nebby and lillie's relationship aren't well developed and the main characters of sun and moon don't develop in any meaningful way. They also have little connection with the "villain" of this arc which was a similar problem faced by B2W2. I just don't care about the conflict of Necrozma because the protags feel so disconnected to it. They take control of zygarde and the two box art legenderies but none of that feels earned. I like the personality of both protags but since they don't go anywhere with that it doesn't really matter. We have a timeskip half way through which also doesn't meaningful change our characters or the situation. The ultra recon squad is forgettable the teams of our protags are forgettable. I know there hasn't been much structure in this review but there is just so much bad that crawls into my mind. Adventures so far has pretty much always been better than its anime counterpart but sadly at least for this arc it doesn't at all compare to the anime. None of the strengths of Alola as a location are used throughout this arc which is why the SOL direction of the anime works so well. The story is boring to follow and I care for almost none of the characters involved. Hau is a complete joke since he does pretty much nothing. At least the best evil team from the games is kept intact. Guzma and team skull are just as good as I would have hoped and so I can at least walk away happy on that front. Sadly Lusamine takes the same direction as her USUM counterpart being kind of redeemed at the end. It's frustrating that Faba kind of becomes so evil they try and make you forget Lusamine is just as bad. She isn't completely forgiven at the end but since the aether family story doesn't get a definitive conclusion I can't help but feel she was handled poorly. I can at least say this arc got me more involved than FRLG but in that arcs favour it at least had a good main character cast, a great villain dynamic and didn't have to develop a region in such a short time. Just a mess of an arc. I thought I would have more positives to say but nothing really comes up. At least it isn't as bad as B2W2 but it sucks that I read both of the worst arcs of adventures back to back...
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