Regarding Pokémon, I think it's okay to just compare the whole critical reception vs. popular reception to how it works in cinema. The most watched movies of a given year are not the same as the critically perceived best movies of the year. We've been talking a bit about TGA vs. the Academy Awards here and how they're not at all alike, but sales/critical reception is a different matter. Just compare Oscars to box office numbers over the last 5 years.
2020: Nomadland ($39.4 million) vs. Bad Boys for Life ($426.5 million)
2019: Parasite ($259 million) vs. Avengers: Endgame ($2.798 billion)
2018: Green Book ($321.8 million) vs. Avengers: Infinity War ($2.048 billion)
2017: The Shape of Water ($195.3 million) vs. Star Wars: The Last Jedi ($1.333 billion)
2016: Moonlight ($65.3 million) vs. Captain America: Civil War ($1.153 billion)
As long as things aren't absolute utter shite, popularity doesn't not necessarily follow enthusiast-perceived quality or critical reception. I've watched all of the MCU and SW movies, and I’ll probably go see most or all of them until I stop enjoying them, but I'm never going to the cinema expecting them to win Oscars, Golden Globes or BAFTAs. They could maybe, possibly, sure, but that's unlikely and not what their creators are aiming for, either. It's pretty much the same with Pokémon. I never expect a new Pokémon to score a 95+ on MC or OC but they consistently score 75+ (which would equal between 3,5 and 4 stars) and I enjoy playing them. So I’m going to pick them up and play them, but I’m not e.g. playing The House in Fata Morgana or Tetris Effect or Forza 5 because they’re just not my thing.