So uh, Cyndaquil is cute right? It's an adorable little mouse thing with fire on its back. The blue and tan colour scheme fits with it really well. And, like, the back flame being a consistent thing along the evolution line is really excellent and I think makes it feel like a really essential Fire type. It's kind of wild how it goes from being 2 legs to 4 legs to 2 legs, and it's not the kind of weirdness I tend to like, but whatever.
I think Typhlosion is underdesigned. It's got nothing going on with most of its body which is like I guess kinda realistic but not super aesthetically pleasing. I actually think the Hisui variant does it better with the ghost necklace which feels Misdreavus style.
Anyway I appreciate this evo line. It's good, but not too good in its game, it's cute and overall aesthetically pleasing. Definitely a good choice for the Johto games, and one I find myself making most of the time I play these games. I don't think it wows me as much as some other Pokemon though.
This little otter is like super cute. Look at those little ears!!! Look at the blue and white colour scheme! Look at those freckles. It's an amazing design for a first stage Water type. The shell on its tummy also looks super cool and unique. This is also a Pokemon which looks good when it evolves - Dewott is definitely a good middle-evo. It continues to be a cute looking blue otter, and it really looks the part of 'martial artist'. I appreciate otters, as an animal, a lot in general, which helps.
I do think Samurott is slightly out of left field, but I still like it. It's a really cool and strong looking otter with a spike on its head! Which is great. But it *does* sort of feel like it could have been a different evolution line. Like, apart from the FIGHTING aesthetic, which like it isn't even Water/Fighting, it doesn't follow from Dewott especially well. The 4 legs thing doesn't help.
Anyway Oshawott has the advantage of being clearly the best Water type in Unova as well. I've obviously ranked it lower than Snivy, but I think this is a good choice for the gen 5 games and deserving of the top 10 spot I've given it here.
Similar to the previous entry - I adore penguins, just like I adore otters. That makes Piplup a great Pokemon for me, and it's just obviously adorable. Look at those eyes. Look at the BEAK. It evolves into Prinplup and Empoleon and both of those are great too - I like the spin on the 'emporor penguin' and the Steel dual typing is new but it works. It's not too strong but it's not weak either. I picked it for BDSP and that game was awful so I do kind of associate Piplup with that. It benefits from competing against Chimchar and Turtwig which are starters I personally consider weak, but it's a great starter in its own right and deserves to make the top 10. A penguin Water starter was an excellent idea and it was always going to be difficult to screw that one up.