Pokémon Horizons: One Year Later

Well, that certainly was something, wasn’t it? Hello everyone, and welcome to my checkin with Pokémon Horizons- one year later. This anime has been able to last a full twelve months; and it’s headed for a new phase in its story, so let’s open it up.

When we last left this anime, we were nearing the end of “The Departure of Liko and Roy” storyline; and about to start the “Terapagos’ Shine” storyline. Now that both have concluded, I can say the latter is better than the former; but both still have their fair share of issues surrounding the anime as a whole.

Fortunately, it seems the people in charge are not just hearing my concerns and others, they’re listening. In fact, the events leading up to the current storyline, “Terastal Debut” have provided the means for a soft reset. With both the Brave Olivine and shiny Rayquaza getting wrecked at the end of the previous storyline; the new hub for the story is the Naranja Academy in Mezagoza, Paldea. Both the key art and preview materials have shown that more characters and elements from the games will be adapted; with yet more characters from Scarlet and Violet (potentially previous anime as well) hinted at.

At the same time, I sincerely hope that they can keep improving other areas. While I was never against the idea of a serialized storyline with greater focus on characterization; it’s the execution that’s the main problem I and others have. Even when I get answers about how a character operates, I’m left with more questions. Usually, I just get information drip fed about how the leads operate, and there’s lots of details I still don’t have. I’m also not confident in constantly dragging out the story for long stretches or locking key details about the lore in a “mystery box.” 

Though some have said the appearance of Shiny Zygarde intrigues them, I get more of a vibe that the Legends Z-A reveal caught the creatives off guard as much as us. I reiterate that we’re not at the stage of a hard reset yet; but the shift in setting and premise definitely signals a soft reset. I have continually pushed back against comparisons to previous entries and similar anime unless absolutely necessary; since it’s clear we’re in uncharted waters in this specific case.

With the “Terastal Debut” storyline now in motion, I will say that the anime is undergoing a strange; yet necessary experiment. That being said, I still prefer Pokémon Concierge, Paldean Winds and Path to the Peak of the adaptations that released in the last year. I also consider the Origins miniseries and live-action Detective Pikachu better adaptations that don’t feature “you-know-who.” As someone who enjoyed “To Be a Master,” I am actually glad they’re playing a potential return close to the chest (gives us time to miss him, you know). 

Much like before, I am holding off on full reviews of the Horizons’ storylines until I have an English dub for all the episodes. That is all for now, and I will see you for my full review of The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero. Take care, everyone.