Pokemon (2023)

In a world filled with strange yet majestic creatures known as Pokémon, a new adventure begins! Hailing from the pristine region of Paldea, the timid Liko travels to the Kanto region to attend the Indigo Academy and become a Pokémon trainer—a person who forms relationships with Pokémon and trains them to participate in battles. Soon, Liko acquires Nyahoja, a fickle Grass-type cat Pokémon, as her first partner.

Prior to Liko's transfer to Kanto, her grandmother gives her a uniquely patterned and gleaming pendant as a protective charm. However, an enigmatic organization—The Explorers—seems to know a secret about the pendant and nearly succeeds in stealing it from Liko. Fortunately, she is rescued by the Rising Volt Tacklers, a group of adventurers led by a Lizardon-riding trainer named Friede.

After a series of encounters with The Explorers, Liko decides to Friede's team, accompanying him and his crew on a grand journey across the regions. Along the way, they aim to unravel not only the mysteries of the world of Pokémon, but also the power that resides within her pendant.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Liko Main

Suzuki, Minori Japanese

Dot Main

Aoyama, Yoshino Japanese

Captain Pikachu Main

Ootani, Ikue Japanese

Friede Main

Yashiro, Taku Japanese

Nyahoja Main

Hayashibara, Megumi Japanese

Hogator Main

Yamashita, Daiki Japanese

Roy Main

Terasaki, Yuka Japanese

Masquernya Main

Hayashibara, Megumi Japanese

Achigator Main

Yamashita, Daiki Japanese

Nyarote Main

Hayashibara, Megumi Japanese

Katou, Hiroyuki Producer

Negishi, Tomoya Producer

Kudou, Yuusuke Producer

Sekiguchi, Ayaka Producer

Reviews

Apr 30, 2023

Ellenwitch

Recommended

Funny

Preliminary (4/? eps)

Going into this. There was a bit of worry, bit of unsure about the whole thing. As lets face it. With the journey, and the length Ash has been on. You wouldn't think there would come a time, where someone else was front row,and was the main character instead of him. It had a lot of big shoes to fill from the get go. Mainly because of thatalone. Not that it needs to fill a large check sheet, in order to stand side by side with Ash's journey, but more with how times have changed, and how Pokemon is now. How it'd all be handled.

It's ... like you take the Precure series, which I'll explain my point on why I bring that up later. With each new installment, there are going to be duds, while there are also going to be winners. While of course Precure doesn't have a long on going main character, but what it does do as a long running series, is showcase how if the MC is done right, it can do wonders for the show. I bring this up as it's very important for a MC to deliever, among other characters that can also deliver. While I doubt our new 'face' of Pokemon will last the amount of time Ash did, but if you think to yourself, this is the MC of Pokemon anime for years to come at this moment, and if they were a dud, then watching the anime would become a chore, and you'd feel like certain other things related to Pokemon at the moment, that it's a lame cheap cop out. But thankfully, that isn't the case, and I'll explain why.

Story and characters: 8
What's to really love about it, is that it feels different. You know what it feels like? A TRUE ADVENTURE! While at first, it may come across as something plain, and too child like, will quickly turn into an interesting dynamic and story, that'll just make you ask for more, and wonder what else is going to happen, yet alone how our new MC will continue on her adventure. The transition into it is really good too, it feels believable, and enjoyable at the same time. Most of all though, honestly, I get Pokemon Ranger Darkrai vibes with this anime.It's why it feels like a proper adventure. We aren't following a Gym challenge, or a challenge to be the master. We're following a newbie trainer, discover her path as a trainer, as you or I would at the start of our journeys. With endless possibilities that await us, and to be dragged into further involvements, that truly shape our journey.

This is where I come into the characters, mainly our MC in Liko. I love the way they've handled her. Sure, she may not be a bit dim witted like Ash, or not too out spoken. But I can count that, as her more discovering what she wants to be, and I'm sure there is gonna be more to her, as the show progresses. It's why I mention the Precure thing, as early doors, it did come off a bit like it, in of how a new series of Precure would normally come about, and if that is nailed perfectly, or in a good way, then the show will benefit in it's long run. But it's not just her we have to speak out, there is a good bunch of ing characters, from those who are around her, to even the supposed villains too. Proper villains that aren't just there for comedic fashion. While Jessie, James and Meowth will be missed sure, but on the other hand, it's rather refreshing to not have them, and have someone new, but also done in a much more different light then reusing the same gag for 20+ years ior such. But what you've got here, is a colorful cast of characters, that'll keep the show engaging and interesting, and will make us want to see how further Liko's journey goes on.

And of course Pikachu is here as well, and as Smithers would say in Simpsons.'But he's got a new hat.' Which is fine, as of course they had to fit Pikachu in here somehow.

Art and sound: 8
I mean. It's Pokemon.
While Pokemon's style has progressed over the years, as in a sense, it hasn't really 'changed' more that over time, it's upgraded, over and over with the times. Getting better and better as time rolls on. But I'd also say, it almost feels like a slight touch up of the previous/recent season of Pokemon. Which is great to see, it's pleasing on the eyes, and greatly animated. Much like in it's quality of sound. Pokemon will always do an amazing job, and hardly put a foot wrong when it comes to these departments.

The new Pokemon series, with it's new MC is finally here, and it's left it's mark. Coming off like a mix of Scarlet and Violet, mixed with Pokemon Ranger Darkrai, and for the first few episodes, it's been a blast, we'll see if it keeps that up. But it's certainly been enjoyable. If you're sitll waiting to see if it gets good, don't.Start now, and enjoy the week by week ride.

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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Mar 31, 2024

mitsuwuki

Recommended

Funny

Preliminary (45/? eps)

Pokémon has been a very big part of my life since I was a kid, but save for the XY series, the anime has never really hit for me. Unlike most, I was never able to connect with Ash as a protagonist, and after a while the premise began to grow stale to me. As such, I've been hesitant to write a review on Pokémon Horizons due to it being so much more enjoyable for me than its predecessors. Now that I'm through with the first two major arcs, I think I can finally put one together. I don't know how to put my thoughts ... into words without completely glazing it, but it honestly deserves it. If you are someone who has been hesitant to watch Pokémon Horizons because Ash isn't the protagonist anymore, I promise you, giving Liko a chance is well worth your time.

The entire cast is very lovable, with the adult cast of the Volteccers crew and the younger protagonist trio of Liko, Roy, and Dot having something to offer for both older and younger audiences. This doesn't mean that the kids don't offer much if you're a part of the older Pokémon fan crowd though, as I've found it very easy to connect with Liko even now as an adult viewer, despite never being able to do so with Ash when I was younger. Liko is much more reserved and unsure of herself than the gung-ho all-or-nothing kid that Ash is, which for me makes her more relatable and also makes watching her growth a lot more satisfying. And if you still miss the more energetic Ash, you can find a lot of that kind of personality in Roy, who, while mildly similar to Ash, is still a great character with big dreams of his own. Dot is also a lovely contrast to both Liko and Roy, and it's very enjoyable watching her try to come out of her shell. These three as the main characters all mesh with and bounce off each other very nicely, and the adults they travel with are very enjoyable characters as well. They, aside from Friede, take the backseat most of the time, but they still have episodes that give them each their deserved focus along with the kids. Every character is unique, special, and important to the crew in their own way, and no one is ever left out of the spotlight. They feel like a big family, and it's also comforting to know that they'll be around for the long haul rather than one region and done outside of cameos like Ash's past companions were.

As for the plot itself, I find it to be a nice breath of fresh air in contrast to the many many gym challenges Ash faced and lost over and over. It feels much more like an actual adventure, and thus much more unpredictable and exciting. It follows Liko's journey with her first partner Pokémon Nyahoja (Sprigatito) along with Roy and the other of the Rising Volteccers and their Pokémon, as they travel across the world to different regions to uncover the mysteries of Liko's pendant, facing hardships and setbacks along the way. Unlike the gym challenge which is very linear and easily predictable, this journey has many twists and turns and is full of mystery and the unknown as they uncover more about the pendant, its history, and the Pokémon associated with it. It makes every new development fun and exciting, with the highs feeling happier and the lows feeling sadder, each hitting equally as hard on opposite ends. Even the more calm "filler" content is enjoyable because the characters are all so lovable and bounce off of each other very well, and it really helps to flesh them out and show off the world they live in and how they fit into it. Nothing ever feels like it's pointless or out of place.

Aside from story and characters, the OST (at least in the original Japanese version) is beautiful and each track perfectly ties every scene together, and the art and animation is simple and clean, while still looking very pretty for a weekly anime. The animation sequence for the second opening especially is absolutely gorgeous; I can never bring myself to skip it. I also love how faithful it is to the world of Pokémon and the gameverse, clearly showing off the special parts of each region they visit.

I have absolutely no complaints regarding this series, it's very special and there's clearly a huge amount of care put into it. It's a great disservice to completely dismiss Pokémon Horizons just because Ash is no longer in it, so I highly HIGHLY recommend you try it out. It's very different and very new, but this is in absolutely no way a bad thing. If you like Pokémon at all, I'm confident you'll find some enjoyment in it.

Overall rating: 10/10, no notes. This series is the perfect Pokémon anime in every possible way.

Reviewer’s Rating: 10

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Mar 5, 2024

Bobzi11a

Not Recommended

Preliminary (5/? eps)

Here's a unique review, coming from someone who genuinely doesn't care who the protag is. Ash was cookie cutter and the fact he got to star in like 20+ seasons is beyond me. It's a show about magical monsters, how did they manage to make it revolve around 1 person?!

So that's where I'm left with this. I went in thinking, "Oh nice! They're finally going to change the story formula and make use of the franchise" "We're finally going to get something like Scarlet Wings or Origins, fleshing out the world itself!"

And that's why I stopped watching, I got my hopes up.

It's just female ash, ... with weed cat, constantly making up her own emotional baggage to spend 15+ minutes an episode to "bravely push through". Writing gets a 1/10, all character personalities, ALL of them 1/10, the only positive I can give is the visuals. Show looks great but I have no idea who their target audience is or why they would even make this.

Reviewer’s Rating: 1

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