I agree OP. Sun was a chore to play, even though the core battle gameplay was as good as ever. All the prerelease coverage led me to believe that Alola would be a lot more fleshed out than previous regions, but it proved to be just as superficial as the stereotypical french influence that made Kalos feel artificial and lifeless. I couldn't stand that stupid Malasada channel that was on every tv, it was an endlessly repeated tutorial for the affection mechanic that was itself not explained well. I'm not sure if the problem is the world building/lore, juvenile writing, or dated presentation, but it doesn't work for me anymore. They can do better and they'll need to to interest me in Gen 8, I've played at least 1 main game from each gen, except for 3, and it feels like they've been on a downward trend since Black2. I still love the series and almost all the Pokemon, but the games no longer click for me, especially considering how much other games have progressed in the last 20 years while Pokemon, especially when its storytelling/setting feels fundamentally unchanged and unimproved