What kind of fool says this design isn't very attractive?

081: Magnemite

I'll back up any argument against “genwunners” being dismissive about inanimate object Pokemon as if inanimate object Pokemon haven't been around since the beginning. What I won't condone is pointing that out as if inanimate object Pokemon are inherently a bad thing and using the Magnemite family as a scapegoat for “Gen 1 did the bad thing too.” There overall seems to be resentment for Pokemon that are based on inanimate objects, meanwhile those Pokemon end up making a good chunk of what I'll point out as my favorites. They're just super neat because it's certainly more impressive that they turned a magnet into a believable (in a fiction sense) living thing. If you base a Pokemon on an animal, half the work is already done for you. These Pokemon are just way too neat to hate.

I can understand feeling a need to rationalize loads of things in Pokemon, I'm guilty of doing that myself. But it's equally important to remember fiction doesn't always need to lay out explainations for every little aspect in its world. Because does it really matter HOW there's a metalic eyeball creature with magnets for arms? No much more than not bothering to explain how a 50-foot tall tank on four legs works in the Star Wars universe. Some things in fiction are just window dressing and it doesn't need to be any more than that.

Besides, Magnemite is such a cutie how could anybody resent the thing? If there's anything that tugs at my heart strings, its things with limited facial features that are still able to emote in a cute way.

Magnemite is such a simple little magnetic ball, which they could have just stuck on the two magnets to get its point across, but the screws also make for a nice touch. And just to put a what-if out there, this Pokemon would lose so much of its charm if it just had the generic eyes like Voltorb does. It's got so many round shapes going on that those types of eyes would just ruin it. The little floating cyclops is just adorable.

One, two, three!

Together's the key!

082: Magneton

While I understand where people are coming from, I think it's a little derogatory to call this evolution "lazy" or say it's "just three Magnemite stuck together." Yes, if you break Magneton down to its bare essentials, it's three Magnemite attached to one another. But you do also have to remember this is a magnet Pokemon. Would it not make sense for an "evolved" form to just be more of it, but stuck together? It's clearly a consciously made decision of theme!

And also such dismissiveness really gives an air of saying Magneton has nothing going for it. They clearly put quite a bit of thought into how to make three Magnemite stuck together look the best it could, with their parts moved around slightly to make a cool symmetrical shape that's honestly one of the coolest silhouettes in Gen 1 and helps it be so instantly recognizable.

That and it's THREE Magnemite. What's more to love if you already love Magnemite?!