Pokemon: Win or Fail? 46-61

• Name: Kurumiru
• Number: 046
• Type: Bug/Grass
• Species: Sewing Pokemon
• Looks like: a worm with a leaf on its head
• Awesome factor: 5/10
• Trivia: It produces silk from its mouth, hence "sewing Pokemon". 

Here we have this game's worm Pokemon. As far as I'm concerned, it looks just as good as any other worm Pokemon. I've never been particularly excited over the design of any worm Pokemon, so he gets a middle-of-the-road score. He wouldn't look out of place, though, in any other generation.

MEH

• Name: Kurumayu
• Number: 047
• Type: Bug/Grass
• Species: Forest Cloak Pokemon
• Looks like: a bug in a cloak
• Awesome factor: 4/10
• Trivia: It is the only bug type Pokemon to evolve via happiness. 

Kurumayu looks kind of emo. Or cold. Or maybe he's a cold emo. Anyway, it basically looks like a bug wrapped in a leaf... with Cut Man's head. 

MEH

• Name: Hahakomori
• Number: 048
• Type: Bug/Grass
• Species: Parental Pokemon (that's the stupidest one yet!)
• Looks like: one of these
• Awesome factor: 1/10
• Trivia: n/a

What the hell is this goofball ting? It went from being emo to jolly. I guess because it evolves from happiness? Anyway, I don't like it. It looks like a bunch of grass blades stuck together. 

FAIL

• Name: Fushide
• Number: 049
• Type: Bug/Poison
• Species: Centipede Pokemon
• Looks like: an evil worm
• Awesome factor: 6/10
• Trivia: They are extremely brutal.

Now this is more like it! This worm-like Pokemon is actually pleasing to look at. The color scheme matches its poisonous typing, and unlike Kurumayu and Hahakomori it actually looks like a bug. His eyes kind of give him an indifferent expression, but I think it adds to his appeal. 

WIN

• Name: Hoiiga
• Number: 050
• Type: Bug/Poison
• Species: Cocoon Centipede Pokemon
• Looks like: a rolled up centipede
• Awesome factor: 4/10
• Trivia: It does not move unless attacked.  

The usual bland looking second stage bug before it transforms into something cool. This one happens to look like a spiky tire. 

MEH

• Name: Pendra
• Number: 051
• Type: Bug/Poison
• Species: Mega Centipede Pokemon
• Looks like: a giant millipede horse
• Awesome factor: 6/10
• Trivia: At 2.5 meters long, it is the largest bug Pokemon.

Looking at all three together, Hoiiga really looks out of place. This looks like a natural evolution of Fushide, except now he has four horse-like legs. Kind of strange, but keeps him from looking like a generic worm. Also, this guy is freaking gigantic!

WIN

• Name: Monmen
• Number: 052
• Type: Grass
• Species: Cotton Ball Pokemon
• Looks like: a cotton covered hoppip
• Awesome factor: 3/10
• Trivia: They're primary means of movement is being blown in the wind. 
• Black exclusive Pokemon.

Yeah, this guy really reminds me a lot of hoppip (which didn't have the best design either). He's basically a living cotton ball that blows around in the wind. Not much more to him than that. 

MEH

• Name: Erufuun
• Number: 053
• Type: Grass
• Species: Whirlwind Pokemon
• Looks like: some sort of strange ram
• Awesome factor: 4/10
• Trivia: This whirlwind Pokemon can't learn whirlwind. Fail. 
• Black exclusive Pokemon

Monmen evolves with a sunstone into this guy who looks like some sort of bipedal ram thing with a bush of cotton on its body. The design is okay. It's not particularly cool looking, but it's not generic either.

MEH

• Name: Churine
• Number: 054
• Type: Grass
• Species: Stump Pokemon
• Looks like: a baby plant
• Awesome factor: 2/10
• Trivia: It is a female-only Pokemon. How does it reproduce?
• White exclusive Pokemon

Churine looks like a sprout or a bulb with a face. Not much else.

FAIL

• Name: Doredia
• Number: 055
• Type: Grass
• Species: Decorative Flower Pokemon
• Looks like: bellossum mixed with roselia
• Awesome factor: 4/10
• Trivia: The flower on its head emits a pleasant scent, in contrast to vileplume. 
• White exclusive Pokemon 

Again, this Pokemon wouldn't look out of place in previous generations, but I have to knock it down a few points because it looks a bit too similar to some older Pokemon. 

MEH

• Name: Basslao
• Number: 056
• Type: Water
• Species: Violent Pokemon
• Looks like: this generation's annoying fish Pokemon!
• Awesome factor: 5/10
• Trivia: There's a blue stripe version with squinty eyes and smooth fins.

This looks just about as good as any other fish Pokemon, which is to say pretty generic. Almost all fish Pokemon look like a fish you could catch in real life and lack much imagination. Basslao is no different. I like that there's different versions to catch, though. 

MEH

• Name: Meguroco
• Number: 057
• Type: Ground/Dark
• Species: Desert Crocodile Pokemon
• Looks like: a desert crocodile, actually
• Awesome factor: 4/10
• Trivia: No other Pokemon has this type combination. 

For a dark type, this guy doesn't look very intimidating. In fact, he's kind of cute. But anyway, at this point the design is pretty uninspired as it looks a lot like a real crocodile. I like the type combo and the desert theme, though. Reminds me of hippopotas except, you know, not fail. 

MEH

• Name: Waruvile
• Number: 058
• Type: Ground/Dark
• Species: Desert Crocodile Pokemon
• Looks like: he should belong in the Squirtle Squad.
• Awesome factor: 5/10
• Trivia: It has heat vision!

Well now he's up on two feet and looks like a total jerk with that pose and the markings over his eyes that look like shades. But he is gaining some originality! And at least the evolutionary link is obvious.

MEH

• Name: Waruvial
• Number: 059
• Type: Ground/Dark
• Species: Menace Pokemon (2 for 3–so close!)
• Looks like: a t-rex
• Awesome factor: 8/10
• Trivia: It's probably based on one of these guys. Epic. 

This is the first evolutionary line that doesn't completely suck! We're making progress! The design of Waruvial doesn't go downhill for once and actually looks better than his counterparts (the way it should be). I can finally see why it's a dark type and for once the abstract species actually makes sense. This guy certainly does look like a menace. But a menace I'd want on my team. 

WIN

• Name: Darumakka
• Number: 060
• Type: Fire
• Species: Daruma Pokemon
• Looks like: fail
• Awesome factor: 0/10
• Trivia: It's based on a daruma doll. 

What the hell is this thing!? We were making such good progress and then this comes along and ruins it all! Let me quote a piece of information about this Pokemon: "Darumakka has very warm droppings, which ancient people put in their breast pocket to keep themselves warm." Yes that really just happened. 

FAIL

• Name: Hihidaruma
• Number: 061
• Type: Fire or Fire/Psychic 
• Species: Blaze Pokemon
• Looks like: another fire monkey!
• Awesome factor: 8/10
• Trivia: "Hihidaruma with the ability Daruma Mode have access to a second Form, when they have less than half of their health left. In this form, they turn blue and become more like a daruma doll that's hard as a rock. They also gain Psychic as a secondary type. They experience an exchange in their Special Attack and Attack stats, their defense and special defense almost double, and their speed sharply drops. In "Daruma Mode" they fight using their spiritual and emotional strength, but they're completely physically immobile."

Darumakka evolves into yet another fire type monkey, but a very unique one. As you read above, Hihidaruma with the "Daruma Mode" ability morph into an almost completely different Pokemon. This really sets him apart. His regular design is also pretty good (and actually reminds me of DK the way he stands) and very gorilla-like in appearance. He's got big flaming eyebrows, giant fists, and a little nub tail. At the very least, he's anything but generic. 

WIN

Make sure to stop by tomorrow for more!