The Pokémon TV series has gone through several iterations over the years, though it’s currently undergoing its biggest change with new characters, new locations, and new Pokémon heroes.
After watching the first four episodes of the new series dubbed into English, I was very intrigued and loved every minute of it. I would even go so far as to say that it gave me the same feeling I felt all those years ago when I first watched the show as a kid.
Pokémon made the leap to television in 1997 following the adventures of Ash Ketchum, his partner Pikachu, and a few friends made along the way, such as Brock and Misty. The team set out on an adventure to collect all the Pokémon Gym badges and challenge the Elite 4 to become Pokémon Masters, foiling Team Rocket’s evil plans along the way and learning more about the wonderful world of Pokémon.
enter, Pokémon Horizonsa new adventure that restores the magic of the world and introduces us to new mysteries, challenges and more.
The first episode introduces a new protagonist, Liko, a young girl from the Paldea region who moves to Kanto to go to school. She is a shy, withdrawn type who lacks confidence, which makes it difficult for her to make friends. She gets her starter Pokemon, Spriggatuit, who at first refuses to listen to her, similar to Ash and Pikachu when they first met.
After a while, the pair grew close before becoming involved in a plot to take possession of the Liko Kings, a family heirloom gifted to her by her grandmother.
After a confrontation with The Explorers, Rocket’s new team, Liko is rescued and carried off by a magical Pokemon trainer named Friede, who takes her to safety in his airship, where she meets the rest of his team.
The full cast of characters are brimming with personality, as are their chosen Pokémon teams, and it was a joy to watch them all interact with Liko, their brave optimism seeming to build her confidence over time. The best character in the team is undoubtedly Captain Pikachu, who is completely different from the one who accompanies Ash, which you can tell because the person wears a hat.
After four episodes were finished, I wanted more and honestly couldn’t wait for the full series to start airing.
But it wasn’t just the world-famous brand, the great animation or the magical voice acting that got me that way, it was the feeling that a whole new adventure was about to begin and the foreboding of what the future holds for these characters.
Ash Ketchum’s journey spanned many years and was filled with so many memorable moments, characters, and Pokemon, and it was sad to see it end, despite all the memes about Ash never getting old. Not only is Pokémon Horizons a continuation of the animated world that kids and adults alike have loved for years, but it’s also a chance to completely change the tone of the series. The old version of the show basically consisted of Ash and his friends traveling, accidentally getting into danger, and lending a hand as they pass by. However, this time the plot revolves solely around the characters involved. Freed and his team want to stop the Explorers from whatever evil they are up to, while the Explorers search for Liko and her necklace, causing continued encounters and battles between the two. While Liko could have dropped the necklace and gone back to her old life, she instead chooses to take a stand, solve the mystery, and help everyone she can along the way, which makes for some great character development that I can’t wait to see unfold. .
Pokémon Horizons it’s the type of show I could watch every week before school when I was a kid, and I’ll check back whenever I can to catch up on the latest episodes and see how the story unfolds.
The first series Pokémon Horizons are available to stream on BBC iPlayer today, with a new series premiering every week from 8 December.
