What do I think about it? Aww, so kind of you to ask!
My knee-jerk reaction was that I did not like any of the new Pokémon designs, but that I was absolutely in love with the Hawaiian theme (not going to marry it). Trainer customization seems to be back, but even if it’s not, I think the girl trainer design is perfect and won’t complain. Plus, it at least allows you to choose your skin tone, so that’s good.
Over the course of the morning, and with some persuasion by amazing official art, I have sort of come around on Popplio. I’d probably be choosing it by default anyway because I never take the grass-type starter and I really don’t like Litten. The truth is that I really do like Rowlet, but as I said, I just can’t choose the grass-type, no matter how awesome. If Turtwig couldn’t do it for me, nothing can.
The new legendaries aren’t the worst, I guess. A little too much going on in their design, but majestic and mysterious enough to justify their place as the cover art. Mostly I just want to know what their place is in the plot and then I’ll proceed to never care about them again, like all of the cover legendaries that came after Lugia and Ho-oh.
Based on the Hawaii Land setting, I also spent a good portion of my morning coming up with appropriately-themed Pokémon. I’ll probably draw a bunch of them and post images here. If I don’t, just know that I’ve basically done six months worth of fan speculation in under six hours.
Also most of my ideas are “Existing Pokémon but Incorporating a Pineapple Somehow.”
I am not the most creative person.