Can you review the zigzagoon line? Both regular and Galarian
Zigzagoon is one of the most under-appreciated cute Pokemon out there. Look at it! It's little zig-zag mouth is adorable, and it has such a sweet face. The best way I've heard it described is that it looks like a homemade plushie, and frankly I would die for them.
And visually, I like it a lot. The black band is appropriately raccoon-esq and draws attention to the eyes, while the spikey fur conveys the zig-zag theme quite well. The alternating colors also add contrast. It's pretty perfect in my book.
Actually, I do have one nitpick: the eyes could've stood to be a different color from the body to make them pop more; maybe use the same blue as Linoone. That's it though.
Unfortunately, Linoone isn't quite as good as Zigzagoon. It makes perfect sense conceptually; it goes from a zig-zag theme to a straight line theme, and the way it only runs in straight lines makes sense when you consider it's more badger-like, and thus more of an active predator.
It's just that visually, it looses the sheer cuteness of Zigzagoon without bringing much else to the table; the expression doesn't really convey much of a personality.
I also feel like the markings are a downgrade. The various curves to the body make the straight line idea much less obvious than it should be, and the markings just being flat instead of doing something fun like Zigzagoon's fur feels underwhelming. Like, the body and the tail could've easily been completely straight and rigid, to really emphasize the theme.
Some of the placements are weird too; like the stripe on the head seems like it should go all the way to the tail, but it just stops. Same with the stripe over the eye, which seems like it should just connect to the one on the tail but then doesn't.
It's by no means terrible, of course; but it is pretty bland at the end of the day. Also, what on earth is going on with its legs in this art?
G. Zigzagoon handles things in an interesting way. With most regionals, the theme is either kept as-is and something else is changed, or the theme is altered to something similar. Here, the theme is mostly ignored (still present, just not as obvious, especially once it evolves) in favor of just doing something based off of the visuals, and honestly, it works pretty well.
What I really like here are the colors. The original colors worked well for normal-types, but the black and white adds some much appreciated contrast and really makes the designs pop, especially with the red added in. Also, the star shape is a nice nod to the direction the line is going, and is well integrated with the original's face mask.
However, with that said, I don't like G. Zigzagoon quite as much as the original, just because it's less cute and feels like it's trying to achieve the KISS vibe in the face without really succeeding. That's just personal preference, however; this is a good regional and I don't really have any complaints.
Also, I like that this version is the original. Just kind of neat worldbuilding that the first Pokemon we see aren't necessarily the original variants.
On the flip side, I do prefer G. Linoone over the original design. The big thing, outside of the colors once again being higher contrast, is the expression; Linoone's really rocking the metal look, and it adds some much needed personality.
Also, while the markings aren't completely improved (which I can't blame on this version, as it wouldn't look like Linoone if you changed it too much), they are better. The black legs make the stripes feel more patterned (instead of just having three and calling it a day). I also particularly love how the star added to the eye creates a shooting star when combined with the original eye stripe. That's the good stuff, right there.
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Linoone also evolves in this region, which kind of makes sense as Linoone never really felt all that powerful in and of itself.
I really like Obstagoon's head in particular. The striking black-and-white patterning is one of the best parts of this regional line, as it's both visually interesting and unique for Pokemon. It looks especially good here, with the stripe running from the eye down the neck being paralleled by the back mane. The way it ends exactly at the nose and the way it has kind of star shape makes for a nice way to reference the pre-evos while doing something unique with the markings (though I'm not sure the white ear tips were needed).
However, while the rest of the body isn't bad, it does feel a bit disconnected. If you just look at the head, it looks pretty animalistic, while the body is much more humanoid. Even stuff like the head having detailed markings while the body is much more simple adds to this (I get that it's referencing the KISS makeup, but I'm just speaking visually). I think the legs could've been shorter and more haunch-like while the torso could've been a bit longer (seriously, it's practically non-existent). Maybe get rid of the awkward X on the arm in favor of a stripe to match the legs as well.
However, as a whole, I do like it. It's hard to go wrong with a glam rock badger, it's fun, it's got a personality, and it adds to the line. I do wish it played into the original pattern theme a bit more (maybe it moves in packs of 4 and forms a diamond formation when attacking or something), but for what it is, Obstagoon does what it needs do, and it does it well.
Overall, original Zigzagoon is perfect and I would die for them, but Linoone feels a bit underwhelming. The Galarian versions are, as a whole, an improvement, even if I like OG Zigzagoon just a bit more. Good stuff.
