I have special eyes.

193: Yanma

Yanma is a delightful design! Especially for how simple it is. Because it IS little more than a cartoon dragonfly, but it's a REALLY nice cartoon dragonfly. It's another one of the few Bug type Pokemon that actually has more or less the correct anatomy, even to this day, which definitely does make Yanma stand out among said Bug types. I especially love those simplified insect legs, with teeny tiny little claw-feets. Adorable!!

It also, shockingly enough, has an insectoid mouth!! Again, fairly rare in Bug Pokemon. I also like how despite it having rather simple dot-eyes, the shape of its head still alludes to a Dragonfly's compound eyes, which quite often wrap around nearly the entire head in one way or another. If anything, those dot eyes look like a dragonfly's pseudo-pupil!

The only thing that feels outright missing from Yanma is a pre-evolution based on a Dragonfly's nymph stage. What we know as Dragonflies is merely the adult stage that only lives for just a little over a month, tops. Dragonflies actually spend most of their lives; up to four years, as these predatory, aquatic insects with a cool reaching-claw mouth! Definitely a part of the dragonfly life cycle that feels sorely missed in Pokemon.

Oh, AND this seems like a missed opportunity to have a cool Bug/Dragon type... but I would argue a couple Pokemon later on miss the opportunity even harder...