Pokemon (2019)

I mean, What is there to say... This is, this is a masterpiece!

Yeah, nah lovely pokemon anime. I love what they did with the soundtrack with the remixed sword and shield gym theme. Very nice. The animation is fluid, OSTs from previous pokemon games are making an appearance. As well as characters such as Leon and Lance. Ash is not an idiot. In fact, he can go toe to toe with the world champion with Pikachu alone.

A lot of good to come from this anime. They are visiting different pokemon regions as well. Ash is still 10 years old, and he's past ... achievements are accounted for. We can see in the first episode all he's trophies in his room and badges.

Does "fanservice" make a show automatically great?
(This review does not include the 'Mezase Pokemon Master' miniseries)

What I liked about "Pokemon (2019)" / "Pokemon Journeys":
(+) Unpredictability (any story anywhere makes you wonder what comes next)
(+) New world-scale Pokémon battle ranking system with all gimmicks
(+) Continuity and fanservice (it remembers the past)
(+) Yuki Hayashi was one of my top requests to make Pokémon OSTs
(+) Some battles worth a look (vs Volkner, vs Bea, vs Cynthia, vs Leon)
(+) Some nice little self-contained arcs and some of the best episodes in the show (mostly thanks to continuity)
...
Even as someone who has followed this show for 20 years, I'll try to patiently explain why Ash's last season is one of my least favorites and whether I would still recommend it or not.

1. Formula / World-building / Fillers / Legendary
2. Goh / GO / Project Mew
3. Ash / Ash's Team / PWC
4. Chloe / Team Rocket
5. Fanservice / References & Callbacks
6. Conclusion / Recommendation

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1. Formula / World-building / Fillers / Legendary

TL;DR - The "open world" format was an interesting new setup that many fans have been asking for for a long time and it definitely feels refreshing, but the seeming lack of planning brought a lot of pacing and world-building issues.

1.1. Journeys is finally showcasing off the world of Pokémon, which is what the series is supposed to be about, and it looks like a decent job when it transports us to some of the postcard locations, but even then Kanto is probably shown more times than all of the other regions combined, which may be an issue in itself. The new Galar region that we should know better didn't get enough attention and many of its characters and locations were shown hastily or not shown at all (like half of the gym leaders). They could easily have Sakuragi institute in Galar, replace the legendary birds with the galarian versions, train Ash with Leon's master, replace some Project Mew member with Peony and so on. In the later parts of the series, it seemed like they realized that the generation was ending without showing many Galarian Pokémon and then desperately started stuffing more than a dozen debuts into a single episode to make up for it.

1.2. About that, maybe one of the most noticeable mistakes they made with this new formula is how they try to cram practically everything into one to two episodes when it would be better to have a multi episode arc. The more episodic and less directed nature of Journeys, with little use of very effective narrative devices like build-up and foreshadowing, makes for a dragging experience when you don't feel the same sense of progress and fluidity as in the pre-Alola regions and this also affects the way we experience worldbuilding: traveling on foot and camping between towns, you really get a sense of scale in the region and feel like you're on an adventure with the traveling group, but now Ash and Goh quickly jump from one region to another from one episode to the next, barely giving us time to feel that we're in a distant and different place from the previous one, and even casually meeting the TRio on the other side of the world. For a series called "Journeys" that encompasses all regions, it's ironic how the Pokémon world has never felt so small.

1.3. Now this might be a hot take: fillers are actually a good thing. Filler is supposed to give insight into the daily lives of the Pokemon trainers, where Pokemon can develop, show more of their personality with fun interactions, or even learn new moves. We've seen in previous series that MC's Pokémon often shine during filler while still provided more interesting ideas for scenarios for the traveling group, and even Sun/Moon had so many of them but yet it was mostly entertaining and successful especially because of the character moments (in addition to fitting the theme of the season and its region). However, I usually notice that Journeys fillers don't really say anything. There are lots of food contests, random races, weird rap battles, boring COTD's, tiresome two-parter comedy episodes, but all without much use with writers not even trying to fix the lack of screen time of Ash's Pokémon.

1.4. Despite being a commercial series and having made mistakes with Legendary/Mythical Pokémon in the past, the writers still have done a noble job maintaining the proper sense of rarity. When they weren't chased by rich and powerful organizations & people with broad resources and knowledge, they were usually only seen captured by powerful and mysterious Trainers or under unique and special contexts with some fair development. In Journeys however, we see 2-3 'Legendary encounters' almost every month with some episodes cramming 5 to 7 Legends into it. There are novices easily locating and catching with just a regular Poké Ball and a can-do attitude; characters having 3-4 Legendary with them; kids casually pulling one from their pocket out of nowhere etc; and of course, the infamous EP053 - one of my worst Pokemon episodes of all time - in which a fan-favorite one was featured intensely weak and incompetent to inexplicably let himself be part of a kid's collection at the end (they even made a part 2 in which the majestic Pokémon reappears only to clean up Grimer's waste in a stream; yes, that's how low Legendary has come). What would Takeshi Shudo - who literally got depressed when they simply 'gender-swapped' another beloved legend from Johto - think about this? (which now two kids climbed onto the back of it just for the sake of riding it) These creatures are suppose to be a fundamental segment of the mystique of the Pokémon world that keeps kids dreaming and seeking the unknown, now they're something so expositive and merchandising that I wonder why producers even bother calling them by that name. All the magic is gone.

1.5. Goh's story and Ash's battles feel like two completely separate direction teams that have nothing to do with each other, which makes the season just aimless and random - there's a prevailing sense of lack of overall storyline. This becomes less noticeable in the last third of the series as Ash approaches his climax, but for majority of the season the anime staff seemingly struggled with the dual protagonist story formula not knowing how to suitably balance screen time between Ash and Goh while still trying to find space for Chloe.

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2. Goh / GO / Project Mew

TL;DR - Goh/Go is the most controversial companion Ash has ever had for reasons already talked to death. A gary stu rookie trainer with inconsistent skills and personality who follows his own special set of rules in the universe, while making it feel like Ash's PWC goal and his team's development are frequently taking the backseat for Goh's casual adventures.

2.1. Worldbuilding. As is known, battling and weakening or befriending the Pokémon in order to catch it somehow does not apply to Goh who's not only filling the Pokédex but getting a ton of special treatment. The goal of catching Pokemon could be a useful show for kids if it talks about the types of pokeballs and the different ways to catch a Pokemon, but instead he just throws a pokeball and the mon is all his, which it makes a large number of his accomplishments feel handed to him on a silver platter without any impact or entertainment. I know how they want to make the anime familiar to the crowd that got into Pokémon through GO to capitalize on the audience, but there just downright bending the long-established in-universe rules set up for the anime for one singular character are a different thing. The fact that Ash, who embodies the older audience and took 20 years to start getting bigger stuff, is always there by his side, not only shows a certain contempt for the demographic that played Pokémon long before GO became a thing, it makes the worldbuilding random and confusing. Goh had so many powerhouses still in the beginning of his adventure, even Alphas and Legendaries (!), what would happen if he decides to join the PWC for instance? If they were in such a rush to make Goh an Ash's equal, couldn't they introduce him as a mid tier Trainer at the very least?

2.2. Personality. This slips a little more into subjective territory, but the inconsistencies seem glaring: while the idea is great, his "shyness" only pops up when it's convenient. He is suppose to be an introverted boy with no friends and got a good contrasting characterization to Ash in EP003, but this was promptly thrown out the window to show a newcomer who is competent at everything he does to the point of even outshining Ash in battle skills progression (as in EP036). Since he was younger, he's been a know-it-all who draws attention to himself and can allure any antisocial Pokémon with literally just a look. Writers seem to have also tried to make Goh seem brave and confident to kids audience but he came to look a bit petulant and pretentious instead, as when he insolently pointed a Poké Ball at Mewtwo's face or drew the entire cast's attention to himself in a self-absorbed speech in the first Ash's return to Alola. They also made overdramatic conflicts like Flabébé and Drizzle so we can sympathize with him better but it still feels forced since it's not a clear part of any ongoing development. Only in the last third of the series do writers try to deconstruct his Mary Sue status by showing him the way he was supposed to be in the beginning, though that ended up just making his character's inconsistency easier to point out (as in EP102 in which he suddenly becomes selfish and uncooperative when he never had that problem posed by the script before - only mishandlings - just to force "development" at the end of it). Regina (EP087) was an antisocial kid much better written in 1 episode than Goh in over 100.

2.3. Concept. There's a reason they never went "Gotta Catch 'Em All" with Ash: it doesn't work. If the MC catches all the different Pokémon he sees, the sheer volume of them makes it impossible to have enough time to focus or develop each one of them. One of the major themes and appeal of the anime is how Pokémon are characters themselves or valued companions, not tools, but Goh has stored all but three of his captures in a lab without ever getting to know them well. They're not his friends, they're just part of his collection. Writing staff tried to fix this by doing stories about Goh "bonding" with some Pokemon, but this is still innocuous because 1) they're still ignoring the vast majority of the other catches, 2) keeps consuming the Ash's much more interesting screen time with stories that do feel fillery, and 3) we pretty much never see these Pokemon again doing anything interesting anyway. There are so many damaging aspects about the goal of "Catch 'Em All" (which is kinda a discarded western slogan): it means eventually becoming literally a God-level Trainer; it lessens the thrill fans used to feel about captures by becoming so common and easy matter; makes the character's identity lost since the Pokémon is the expression of its Trainer; etc. (in addition to being ironic to happen precisely in the generation of Dexit). This all makes sense from a gameplay perspective where the protagonist is you, but for an anime adaptation that's supposed to be the portrayal of living in the Pokemon world, rejecting this concept was probably one of the best OLM/TVTokyo's decisions ever.

2.4. Project Mew. It gave Goh a plot structure for his goal paralleling Ash's and brought some solidly written and entertaining episodes as far as adventure and exploration can go, but unfortunately it came too late. Writers didn't tell us anything about the new characters, they took too long to remind us that Goh is indeed in a competition, they hard-nerfed Ash in it, the missions don't have any clear correlation to Mew, and it has such an anticlimactic conclusion that the only reason I didn't find this arc a waste of time was Gary. On top of that, it was more of a Legendary showcase to make them feel more like prizes waiting to be caught and less like extremely rare and strong living mystical beings.

Now that Goh will simply leave the show with his goal at 10% after all the damage the production has done through him, you really wonder what was the point of introducing a character like this into Ash's final season in the first place.

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3. Ash / Ash's Team / PWC
TL;DR - Mostly due to the previously mentioned issues, Ash and the most important campaign of his life are sidelined for a sizable part of the season which gives rise to serious development and powerscaling problems, lack of interactions and rivalries, and huge missed opportunities.

3.1. Profile. Ash spends the first half of the season often being overshadowed by a rookie companion when he should be more like a mentor figure to him, which doesn't help his status as still being the fairly strong Trainer from Sun & Moon despite his current design and personality doesn't sell that impression. Unfortunately, his success in the Manalo Conference is his only previous feat mentioned and Ash is never properly treated as a League Champion until 100+ episodes later.

3.2. Difficulty. Although the writers got it wrong by making any Trainer allowed to register for PWC/WCS (World Championships) instead of giving worthy value to Ash's history, the underrated Vs Visquez battle set up the difficulty level of the Championships very well; however, Ash's battles to make up for his early losing streak started to take place against random opponents off-screen taking the weight off each victory and making progress seem unimportant. Even when Ash starts to face stronger and familiar faces, the matches still feel weightless as they are almost all 1v1 or 2v2 in addition of happening in an isolated way after long gaps with unrelated episodes (where Ash barely mentions PWC as if he isn't interested or engaged at all). Furthermore, Ash's progression through the ranks was so fast that he jumps thousands to hundreds to dozens of positions with just the occasional quick match without ever suffering a single loss, which makes it feel like his skills isn't really being tested. And speaking of being proven, where have all the rivals been? Ash had many of them even in Alola but in the world ranking he only has Bea who barely appears? They could easily make Volkner, Marnie, Raihan and a ton of other options be recurring rivals interacting with each other based on the Class he's in but pretty much all of Ash's competitors look more like NPCs that he will predictably beat on the first try than real challengers with their own dreams and development.

3.3. Powerscaling. This has to be one of my main annoyances with this season: how did Ash's newly captured team manage to defeat the world's most powerful Trainers and their longlife partners with just a few 'months' of training? I can see how Ash would be an Elite-level Trainer at this point of the show, but the Pokemon he uses is a different story. Even though it's an inexperienced team, they've all somehow able to reach the Elite Four degree with very insulated arcs (when theres actually one), a few official battles, mostly off-screen training, and as a result, Ash's victories feel like the most ridiculous plot armor ever seen on the series. Dracovish's resilience is aberrantly inconsistent and it just beat a Champion-level mon in its first battle ever knowing only Water Gun until a few episodes earlier. Lucario is basically still a baby Pokémon and was able to beat a well-trained Gmax Machamp without practice his newly acquired Mega Evolution even once, literally one-shotting a Champ-level Trainer's Gmax ace without even using Mega boost (!), and even taking down the two greatest Sinnoh Champion's threats, and this was the Pokemon with the highest screentime among the new ones. Remember when Ash used to try some of his strongest partners at the time against an Elite and was completely humiliated? He didn't even scratch Flint's Infernape using Pikachu + two Pokemon that were already strong before they were caught (just like Gengar and Sirfetch'd - what makes these special?). All that godlike aura Elite Trainers used to have is gone thanks to JN team making them look like just the usual gym challenges, with Drasna and Raihan being the worst cases alongside Wallace who has literally become a joke. I know 'powerscaling' has never been this anime's forte, but since Ash is in his last and most important hooray, it's fair to expect the writing staff to be more careful in this regard in such a special competition. On top of that, we rarely see them interacting with each other or with other characters throughout the season to build some genuine bonding and empathy with the audience like we see happening with other Ash teams, and the writers still have the daring to make them win major battles with literally the power of friendship - a friendship that was never really shown. Alola Team felt like a family; JN's team look like battle bots. I just couldn't ever root for these new Ash Pokemon and their success never felt earned to me. Pikachu was the saving grace.

3.4. Rotations. Sadly, Ash hasn't used any of his reserves at any point in the World, Global, All-Region, Biggest Competition. Using the old Pokémon from the start of the championships not only would it automatically create the emotional connection with the older audience that they failed to do with Gengar and Dragonite, it would also make the power curve more organic and believable. Need to do Gen 4 propaganda? Bring back Infernape, Torterra, Buizel. Need to advertise Gen 8? Dynamax Melmetal, Kingler, Snorlax. This event should represent much more the culmination of all of Ash's past adventures than just "the Gen 8 thing", so making teams with his older partners would be very symbolic and a pleasing gift to fans. This was the unparalleled waste of the season.

3.5. Battles. If you don't care about things like powerscaling and plot convenience, some great battles can be found here, but never expect the dynamic animation of XY's heydays. The animation is more stationary, angles and camera are static and there is a strange practical absence of evasive movements this season. I know about the production hell OLM has been through over the last few years and therefore I tend to cut them some slack. What really bothers me is the lack of emotional weight in the battles. Without the heartfelt conflicts, clash of dreams, rivalries (even between Pokémon), as we saw in other seasons, there is no soul in the fights. They're just fights.

3.6. Masters Tournament. The greatest tournament of all time... or it should be. Atsuhiro Tomioka (writer) really nailed the presentation of each Champion's battle style, wrote many references to combos and move effects from the games, and gave Pikachu due spotlight on every round. The staff also granted the necessary attention to Vs Cynthia and Vs Leon matches, the latter being perhaps the biggest and best battle in the show from a technical point of view, as well as delivering some surprises during battles with some unexpected highlights for secondary Pokemon like Spiritomb and Rillaboom. Unfortunately they missed a few key elements and really brought the experience down: It's literally a showdown between Champions but the choreography is constantly slow and unpolished making the battles feel actually turn-based; There are no rivalries between Pokémon like we've seen in Leagues; They made Leon way too superior to other Champions, and the lack of significant buildup within the confines of Journeys itself for all matchups except the Monarch vs Ash made the results too predictable; Alain was brought back only to make the Worf Effect barely interacting with Ash; Champion's aces never felt menacing enough; etc. Most matchups lack energy and intensity and just look like exhibition battles for fanservice, and with such an easy and quick climb through the ranks utilizing a freshly caught team, Ash seems out-of-place among the greatest Champions in the franchise (it was particularly painful to see Cynthia being beaten by this team and specifically by a baby Pokémon). We know it's only fair that Ash becomes the very best after so many years, but from a short-term perspective it felt undeserved. The event to decide who is the best Trainer should have easily been the utmost challenge test of his character and for the most part felt like a side story without any strong sense of hype or competitiveness. At very least, the ending was so well done that maybe it made up for all the plot armor Ash putted on to get where he got.

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4. Chloe / Team Rocket
Chloe/Koharu's personality has a very well written, flowing and authentic evolution, but her arc about not having a clear goal is just not interesting at all. She rarely interacts with Ash, and at the end of the day she was just a walking advertisement for Eeveelution. As for Team Rocket, the charisma of the Pokemon they bond with are the only element I really like about them and writers took that away with Rocket Gachat. The rest of the core cast was irrelevant to me.

5. Fanservice / References & Callbacks
The main selling point of the season is a pretty mixed bag. Ash and the other previous characters look younger than ever and because they haven't grown up a bit with their audience most of the redone flashbacks and callbacks don't pack as much emotional punch as they should. Writing staff have delivered things fans have been asking for for years but it feels so mechanical, insincere, and in contrast to the rest of the season, like they were just doing it because they're being ordered by executives to sell a product and not out of passion and understanding of the material, that as a result much of the fanservice feels hollow and surface level (many returns are just used to serve as springboards for new characters they haven't worked successfully on to make us care about). As an example, Dawn got 8 episodes for Gen 4 merchandise and her first proper interaction with Ash was only at the very end of the eighth (their trademark high-five), and while she has changed virtually nothing since D/P, Iris with only two appearances got one of the most massive buffs in the whole show with the power of off-screen (twice!). Sure, we also have the bright side of the picture: they found the perfect balance with Gary and Serena (except for the long-awaited reunion scene with Ash I guess) and they put so much genuine heart into the episode about the comeback of a certain memorable rival from Diamond & Pearl as well as into Sun & Moon's two-part conclusion that both are a must-watch for any fan of these series. Also, even though the cameos during the final tournament are just thrown at our face, the last 10 minutes of Pikachu displays what might be the greatest fanservice moment in Anipoké history.

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6. Conclusion / Recommendation
Pokémon Journeys lack soul. It feels corporate - like it's decided by a board of executive rather than by a team of writers and a director, where they just throw in what would be the most marketable material without really delving into it from an in-universe perspective; misdirected - like it doesn't know its own identity for trying to be a fanservice season, a GO ad and a Gen 8 showcase all at the same time; alongside a lot of missed opportunities. When we see Ash singing to Pikachu, being celebrated by Alola people, or slowly remembering Greninja at the sight of a Frogadier, we can recognize that there's still soul somewhere there, desperately trying to untie itself from the corporate shackles and show its full potential. You can argue "It is just a commercial show for kids", which is fair enough, but again, I wouldn't be writing all this if appealing and pleasing older audiences wasn't part of the very purpose of the season.

TL;DR - 'Pokémon (2019)' is all about chasing "hype", so I still recommend this show to fans who just want to "see" things happening (Ash with mega evolution, Ash becoming the very best, protagonist catching everything, old characters showing up, etc.) but don't care all that much about the "how" (powerscaling, worldbuilding, development, interactions, rivalries). And I also recommend it for the kids in your family, if you have any. It's still Pokémon nonetheless.

NOTE - At the time of this review, the "Mezase Pokemon Master" sequel miniseries is yet to air and looks like it will be the true final tribute to Ash that this season should've been entirely about, so let's hope they don't waste the last moments of the end of this era.

(My apologies for the lack of synthesis skills, but if you like to talk more critically about Pokemon I'm sure you've read everything.)
Thanks for reading.

I am 23 years old and I have a big confession to make.

I love Pokémon. And not in the "I'm a big fan!" kind. I only just want to talk about it, this is hardly a review but I just want to tell you to watch this.

I am truly in love, infatuated, and addicted to the franchise as a whole. From the moment I first played Pokémon Crystal as a child, I was hooked.

Why is this a problem? Because of my HUGE bias with the anime. I will be the first to admit, that around the fifth generation, Black & White, I lost ... some interest for a while. And during Sun & Moon, the criticisms that people had for it wore me down and made me struggle to admit that I was still loving it.

For a while, I thought the anime peaked in the 2nd generation, until generation 6 hit. XY and XY&Z were fantastic. The movies not so much but the series was phenomenal. REALLY kindled my love for one of my all-time favorite legendary Pokémon - Zygarde.

But I'm not here to talk about a series I described as phenomenal.

I'm here to talk about a series I describe as a fucking masterpiece. And I do not CARE if anyone says I'm jumping the gun, or showing my bias.

In my eyes, this anime is perfect.

I'll start with something I'm not very good at putting into words.

The animation.

Everyone is aware of the art style that spanned across the first six generations, and although you can see the differences between the two, they never really evolved. Think about the difference between a Quilava and a Typhlosion. Generation six, being the typhlosion. A fully evolved season that had "cool" slapped all over it.

Then Sun & Moon came along. Suddenly, we no longer had a Typhlosion. We had.. a Litten! It initially looked like a completely different series. Ash, ironically, looked even younger, and it really did feel like it was marketed towards a younger audience. Remember that "younger audience" comment. It shall arise again.

Anyway. While the art style on it's own wasn't that same "Cool" vibe we originally had, what wasn't lacking was the animation front. It still had poorly animated episodes, but what really learned to shine was how expressive and free this new direction was. Suddenly, visually, the anime felt more "fun". Given the setting of the story, Alola, it was fitting. But not everyone grew to love it. And that's okay. It wasn't amazing. It was different.

So with this season, I was half expecting them to go back to a cool art style. But then the trailer hit.

It wasn't that classic art style. It wasn't the new Sun & Moon style. It was... More like a hybrid. It really made SM feel like a test, to see what people would enjoy.

Don't take my word for the animation - I'm not good at describing. Please see for yourself and make up your own decision. I promise the animation doesn't disappoint.


The Story

Each generation has really ONLY focused on it's own region - Apart from a few odd episodes, like when Ash returns to Kanto occasionally. Seriously it was ONLY ever Kanto.

It was only ever Kanto.

Which I really hope you like. They're living in Kanto again - More specifically, Vermillion City is their home base. Does that mean this anime takes place in Kanto?

No. This anime takes place in the world of Pokémon. No longer are we confined to the restraints of what the current video game is. They travel across the world - From Kanto to Galar. And the continuity is as great as ever because of it. Suddenly, we're able to see returning Pokémon we wouldn't usually get, or returning cities.

Or returning trainers. Something so rare for this franchise it's justified to think that every season is a hard ass reboot. For long term fans, I don't want to spoil which characters return, but so far it's been some good choices.

Everyone knows, and I mean EVERYONE knows, that Ash finally became a champion in Alola during Sun & Moon. But this isn't about becoming a champion, this is about becoming THE Pokémon master. And now he's facing a world championship, featuring trainers, gym leaders, and even champions from all around the world. With one goal - Slap the unbeatable bastard Leon off his throne.

And Ash isn't fucking around this season. He's getting a winning streak straight away. He has fan favorite Pokémon that people have been hoping he'd get for GENERATIONS.

His new companion this time is Goh - Which fulfills the "Gotta catch 'em all!" role. His goal is literally to catch them all and work his way to Mew. If I recall correctly this is the only time they've really delved too deep into a character actually doing the series' original goal in the first place.


The Music

For the first time in Pokémon's history, the main composer for the anime has been taken over. Goodbye Shinji Miyazaki. Hello Yuki Hayashi.

If that name rings a bell to you, that's because he's the main man behind the soundtrack of Boku No Hero Academia. And more than ever, the music shines. From the second episode, there's a scene that's pretty magical. And the music not only accompanies it, it MAKES it.

I also think it's one of the only anime where, 39 episodes in, I STILL haven't skipped the opening. There's been two versions of it so far - Both the same song, but different performers.


Anyway, all of this for my non-critical ass to say. I'm biased as shit and you should honestly watch this. It doesn't matter if you've never seen Pokémon before. You probably know the basics anyway - Is there a single person on the internet that doesn't know of Ash & Pikachu? I would be surprised if I ever met someone like that.


Thank you for reading me talk about the anime of one of my favorite franchises ever. It means a lot. Seriously all I actually wanted to do was talk about Pokémon.

See ya!

I love Pokemon. I love the Pokemon anime a lot. I personally enjoyed Pokemon Sun and Moon while it aired, and I think that this show takes the best elements from that season.

The animation is dynamic, the artstyle is cute and fun, the battles are gorgeous (though we haven't seen many so far), the music in this show is top notch, as expected of any Pokemon anime or game, and on a technical basis alone it's definitely a 10/10. Long gone are the stiff animations of basically anything prior to Sun and Moon, the nearly emotionless faces now gone as well. Finally a Pokemon series ... that looks as good as it's competitors in the anime market.

The story so far is simple: Ash becomes Professor Katsuragi's assistant, along with his new friend Gou. They go to different cities and regions to explore and discover new things about Pokemon. Simple premise, right? Well, I think it's far more interesting than the linear style of most other seasons, where you get the badges, battle in the league, lose, and move on to the next region. However, it also solves the problem many people had with Sun and Moon: the lack of adventure.
One of the biggest issues people had with Sun and Moon is that it lacked that adventurous atmosphere the Pokemon series is all about. Ash was basically stuck in one place the whole time, and the best episodes were the ones where the school traveled to different islands, or to Kanto, or when they went to solve the Necrozma issue. The writers must've heard the criticism, because now Ash explores some familiar (and less familiar) locations every episode! It makes every episode feel fresh and new, even if we've seen many of these places before, because now it's from the viewpoint of "What's that strange phenomenon?" or "What's that cool event they have there?" and it keeps things fresh.

That also brings me to another point: This show is accessible to newer fans. A kid who got introduced to Pokemon thanks to Pokemon Go or either or the Switch games, or heck maybe one of the more recent anime, will simply have no idea what Tangrowth or Alomamola are, and they definitely wouldn't wanna go through over 1000 episodes just to see what Ash has accomplished before this series. What the show does is make sure a kid who doesn't have any knowledge of any prior Pokemon series or game can get into this show and enjoy it! That doesn't mean the older fans are left hanging, Ash and Pikachu didn't seem to reset their abilities despite the reboot the series got. Ash's Orange Islands league trophy, along with his Alola league trophy and a Masked Royal action figure are displayed proudly in his room, and so far Ash seemed like a much more competent trainer than he was in the first few episodes of most seasons. Pikachu didn't reset either, defeating strong Pokemon early on in the series, unlike that one time it lost to a level 5 Snivy. The series is friendly to new and old fans alike.

Since the show has only started, I can't talk much about the characters, since they didn't have time to be fleshed out. As mentioned before, Ash appears to be more competent than you'd expect at this point in the series. However, he still acts like a kid or a preteen, unlike the more mature Ash we saw in X&Y. He's just a kid who likes Pokemon and is good at Pokemon battles and he's a blast to watch.
We also have Gou, a new character. What I like about this series is that instead of the main cast consisting of Ash, a cute girl and a guy who can cook, we just have two buddies going on adventures together. The Pokegirl of this region, Koharu, takes on a secondary role, and so we can focus on the bond between Ash and Gou, which is just wholesome. They're very similar in personality, with the main difference between them being that Gou is much less social than Ash, and has trouble making friends. Ash, as an extroverted trainer with experience, helps Gou, who has a lot of knowledge but lacks experience who also has some trust issues, open up and shows him all these pocket monsters have to offer, all the while becoming his first real friend. Their dynamics range from wholesome to hilarious, and I hope to see both of them help each other grow.
While Koharu isn't my favorite, she's definitely a lovely girl from the screentime she got, and I'm sure as the show progresses we'll get more of her. Professor Katsuragi is really sweet as well, I hope to see more of him. It's also important to mention that the Pokemon are brimming with personality, something which I felt was lacking in Sun and Moon. Gou's Scorbunny is energetic and has a kind heart, Mr. Mime is an actual troll and it's amazing, and the list goes on. I feel like it adds a lot of charm to the series.

overall, this show is really fun and really good, I wait for a new episode every week and I'd definitely recommend the series to people who dropped the Pokemon anime in the past. Why did I give it an 8? Because we're very early into the show, so I can't say it's perfect quite yet. Who knows, my opinion on it might change in the future, but right now it's a good and pretty show that will probably get even better as time goes on.

I hate Journeys so much. There's not much they can even do at this point to salvage this burning trash bin. It makes a mockery of you viewers and Pokemon lovers.

1. The animation is bad most of the time: They threw away everything that made Sun & Moon's animation good and kept only the worst parts. What's the point of doing a more "simplistic" art style if you take away all the expressiveness and fluidity of the animation? The world even looks less colorful than it looked in SM. And the character designs look so uninspiring. Gou's design is recognizable and sure Koharu and ... her family all have to look similar but new characters like Renji, Kikuna or Houji look so generic and some older characters that didn't make the transitions to this simpler art style back in SM were completely butchered. It all shows a complete lack of effort by OLM.

2. They did Galar and the entire gen 8 so dirty: Not only is the anime not focused on a specific region like all other seasons before but they basically disregarded its existence. They took the plot of the games and watered it down into a rushed badly written couple of episodes. This isn't to say that the Sword and Shield had an amazing plot but it was among the best in the whole main game series (which says a lot about the Pokemon series as a whole). And the games had some really great characters that weren't explored nearly enough if anything. Twilight Wings in its 42 minutes had more character and world building in Galar than this series had in 10 or so episodes in Galar. And it's actually quite sad that they chose to abandon the usual regional Pokemon league since SwSh were the first games to approach the of pokemon battles as a sport and to have an elimination tournament much like the anime used to have.

3. This series is written as if it was a fanfic and a bad one at that: To put it short, it relies a lot on fanservice. First, there's a substantial number of Pokemon caught or evolutions that feel very undeserved and just happen to appeal to fans who been whishing to see the main characters having those Pokemon. While Gou is quite literally playing Pokemon Go, chucking pokeballs at anything that moves, Satoshi himself got some very popular Pokemon without putting in any of the hardwork and/or having the emotional climax as in previous series. For those who actually seen the anime you might know exactly the multiple Pokemon I'm referring to but for those who haven't, and without spoiling it, Satoshi's team at the time of this review is composed mostly of certain Pokemon species that might have had a noticeable role in his previous adventures. And this wouldn't be so bad if these previous interactions with these Pokemon didn't feel like better times to get them. Unfortunately, this show's writing is so bad that it almost seem like they're just handing them to Satoshi. And don't even get me started on Gou.
Secondly, it relies a lot on older characters. The whole concept of the show itself is like a mechanism to show as many older characters as possible, be it in battles for the World Championship or simply by travelling to the various regions in single episode escapades.

4. What does this mean to gen 9?: If we are to get a generation 9 (which we will definitely get in the future), how are they gonna do the anime? Pokemon (2019) is already showing a lack of imagination, so much that it has to rely on fanservice and nostalgia. Are they gonna return to have it focus on one region? What does this mean to the whole continuity? Am I supposed to believe that no trainer from X future regions participated or showed up in the World Championship? Since Gou plans to catch every pokemon in on his way to find Mew, is he gonna be in the next seasons as well? So many questions to be asked and no answer. I'm genuinely worried for the future of this series and if you like Pokemon you should be as well.

As a fan of the pokemon series for more than 10 years, I'd say this piece of anime completely ruins the pokemon world settings.

It is understood that this anime is based on Pokemon Go, not the traditional game series like all the other anime. And I guess that explains how Goh catches all pokemon without a battle with a single ball. However this completely defeats the system that all the previous anime has built up. Does any one remember how Ash's pokemon joined the party?

Goh's Grookey is stolen from Team rocket, and somehow that is not questioned. Yes, maybe Grookey wasn't having a great ... time in the hands of Team Rockets, but if you remember back, Pikachu had his problem with Ash in the first few episodes of the original Pokemon. That can't be the reason for Goh to steal other people's pokemon. Also, if anyone remembers in the past seasons, James is portraited as someone who has exceptional bonds with his pokemon(like Carnivine). Personally I think James treats his pokemon way better than how Goh treats his.

After Grookey joins the party, he causes all sorts of troubles for the party, and that is not treated seriously, and even gets praised when he makes up for what he did, as he should, which is one more part I don't get. This is the pokemon world equivalent of irresponsible children and parenting.

The only satisfying episode so far was episode 68, where Goh got absolutely roasted by Gary, claiming that he isn't worthy to be Ash's partner.

This review is turning out to be a Goh roast, which kinda suits my point. The series would be so much more enjoyable without a second main character who appeared outta nowhere and taking all the screen time and acting like a veteren.

This is terrible if you have watched any previous pokemon series and I assure you that I binge watched the entire series this summer and I have currently watched all 121 episodes of Journeys that are out now and this is the worst thing that I have laid my eyes upon. It's really really unwatchable for many reasons.
1. The writing is terrible. I just started watching a spin off series of pokemon called "Pokemon Chronicles" and although it is really old, it is so beautifully written compared to whatever this is.
2. Ash and his pokemon have been relegated to a far off galaxy and ... you can argue that he doesn't add anything to this atrocious show.
3. If they were going to relegate ash to a different galaxy, then at least have him use his old pokemon for the World Coronation Series, because then we would at least have something to watch for, instead of these new pokemon of his that get very little to no development. Tell me why Dracovish is strong enough to beat Champions? He has like 3 appearances in the show fam. Where's the development? His pokemon in previous series had to go through hell and they still couldn't beat strong league trainers, why are his rookies strong enough to beat Champions?
4. As for all the good reviews, have you guys really watched any of the previous series? If you need a jogging of your memory, please go watch a few episodes of those and tell me how you can call this thing a "masterpiece". Like you need to pick up an english dictionary and read the meaning of every word before you call this thing a "masterpiece". Come on mate, it's just disrespectful to write such good reviews for such a bad show. There are B-grade anime that will never see a television screen that have much better writing and execution than whatever this is.

So i have seen the 22nd episode in the anime. It was a GOU focused episode and it sucks! gou is becoming ash [the main protaganist] and basically making ash a side character. the writers have tried to focus on 2 characters at the same time and it failed horribly wrong. gou catching pokemon easily always triggers me hard and makes me want to quit the show but i kept watching and it doesn't get any better. ofcourse ash catches cool pokemon but thats not enough! he must get more focus but it doesnt happen. gou gets more attention in the anime which is not ... right! if they did a better job in writing gou's character atleast a bit better that would've been great! Gou just becomes main focus of the show like ash. He gets what everything ash got in the starting. He also experiences same situations! The reason I'm dropping the show is because of gou. He's annoying. I even came to know that he gets a legendary Pokemon easily and that reason is enough for making me quit the show. There are other flaws but ik Pokemon anime is not like a good written show anyway so I just overlooked it. But the things that makes me real angry is gou

Okay, so this latest Pokémon Anime disrespects everything prior to it.
Ash does not go for gym badges anymore, instead he's now the new professor's assistant.
So every episode Ash and his new bud Gou travel to some other region to see a special event, or rare Pokémon, or whatever. There is no overarching plot at all.
So far, so bad. But what makes this really bad is that the legacy of gym battles is now gone. It was already in Sun/Moon, but that one had a replacement for that.
Lance gets defeated in the global pokemon league by some shit called Leon.
Yes, Lance. Who wiped our asses ... in Multiple Pokémon games and was always kind of a badass in the anime.
Defeated by a big chungus charisard.
I am salty af.

Pokemon has been an incredibly big part of my life and especially so during my childhood. I would wake up in the early hours of the morning and plant my backside right in front of our family TV, anticipating another new episode of Pokemon, wondering what new species I'll witness next. I would play my Gameboy Color that I got for Christmas in 1999 along with Pokemon Gold, under my blanket during bedtime, hiding it away from my parents as I relentlessly played it through the night. I would nag and nag at my Grandma the following year to buy me Pokemon Red, which was ... seemingly still on the shelves for sale, and eventually got what I so desired. I would collect Pokemon Trading cards, trade and battle with friends, buy figurines, I would eat, sleep and breathe Pokemon. Suffice to say, I was very addicted.

Twenty plus years later, I am caught up with the latest installment of the Pokemon anime, and while I still check out the newest games, I have only ever played through Gens 6-9 once over. Personally, it just doesn't hit the same. The previous series, Pokemon Sun and Moon was a highly controversial anime that split the fanbase with it's newly non linear story line and a lack of gyms, Pokemon Journeys follows suit as Ash does not travel a single region, collecting badges along the way. This was very refreshing to see after so many years, something different than the bog standard story and I enjoyed the change. Ash's homebase is in Pallet Town, Kanto, at the Sakuragi Institute where he works as a research assistant alongside new companion Goh, and travels to different regions investigating or simply observing Pokemon.

We can't talk about Ash and not talk about Goh, another controversial thing about this series. Goh is quite simply the co main character for the first half of the show, an energetic, emotional and sometimes naïve boy who's goal is to capture Mew. He spends all his time capturing anything he sees, wanting Mew to be the last Pokemon left for his Pokedex. A lot of people didn't like Goh stealing the limelight from Ash and also absolutely abhor some of the decisions made from the creators when it came to what Pokemon he captures (he's just doing what every little kid did, capture every single damn Pokemon). Purists. I had no problem with it and hoped to see more. His character develops as he deepens his bonds with his main Pokemon and finds courage in battle, something he lacked.

Another recurring character is Koharu, this seasons Misty, May, etc. She's a lot more laid back and her screen time or importance isn't as great as previous heroines, but she also gets some nice development. Struggling with an identity crisis, and the pressure of having a Pokemon Professor as a Father, she grew up not liking Pokemon at all, or at least indifferent to them. A chance meeting with an Eevee who cannot evolve leads to a significant relationship, and they both help each other understand their own predicaments and grow from it.

Now we have Ash. He's mostly along for the ride until the latter half of the show where the World Championships arc is in the forefront of the narrative. This arc is by far the most interesting arc of them all and has many older characters making small cameos and comebacks from time to time, quite a bit of fanservice for us older fans.

Ash's team is absolutely stacked in terms of popular Pokemon and even strength wise as well. There are many things to like and dislike about Ash's battles and his Pokemon this time around...

Strengths:

- The useage of abilities and in game mechanics and tactics are comfortably the best I've ever seen them used in a Pokemon series so far. A lot of first time plays as far as I'm aware.
- A lot of switching in and out Pokemon from Ash's rivals.
- Sublime soundtracks for stand out Pokemon.

Weaknesses:

- A complete lack of simple dodging, something that used to be a common occurrence.
- A lack of a sense of hard, episode to episode training, it never felt that Ash's team was the best it's ever been.
- Which in turn garnered a bit of disbelief as to who he was facing often times.
- Some Pokemon didn't really get their dues.

Look, it's something different. I'm well aware that this will definitely not be everyone's cup of tea, but I enjoyed the ride and am excited for what's to come in the near future. There's already a few brilliant shorter series out there, released in the last 3-4 years, what I would give to a TV show in similar quality.

Basically the reason being is it's no longer about Ash the show is becoming only fillers with a single episode here and there that actually focuses on the story. I love Pokémon but this series is leaving a bad taste in my mouth. Other Pokémon series always had a good split between fillers and story. This one has been almost 80% fillers about Gou and nothing about Ash. What do they plan on doing with Gou at this point. I get he is part of Project Mew okay cool but why is it only 1 episode of him doing that ... then back to fillers. Same thing with Ash they haven't had him do ANY league battles in so many episodes it's like the creators forgot all about it. I love Pokémon but I wish they would stop focusing on Gou so much and bring out Ash's story again.

To describe the series in one word: Fresh.

After dropping out the anime since the sinnoh region, I started rewatching the anime again. I read on Serebii that the anime would feature different regions and this really gave a new setting, for the better. Ash helps a new professor in Kanto with his research, being some kind of field researcher. He does this together with Go, who starts without pokemon. And this is actually the better part of the series: Ash is teaching Go things about pokemon instead of heaving someone who teaches Ash, like Brock. Thus far, it is just the two boys as the ... main protagonists, lacking the typical poke girl. Personally, I really enjoy this, since they feel more "connected". As an example, Ash is more the pokemon expert, understanding them, while Go is more the general logic guy (even using survival of the fittest). This leaves room for Go to grow as a trainer/character.

Since the story is just starting, it is hard to give grades. But everyone who dropped out the anime should at least try to watch it. I really think it is your worth while. Overall, I would give a 8 for now, but at the end I would not be surprised if I change it to a higher grade.

This series was something that as I returned to just because of the nostalgia bit. Told myself I would watch the finale, the same way I swore in grade school I would watch Naruto, Bleach, One Piece to the very end. (Of course, that doesn't imply any obligation towards movies, spin-offs, legacies and so on.) What could I say, other than the fact that I enjoyed one or two battles and reunions, there isn't much of that nostalgia brought back in here. The show oscillates between couple fillers, couple interesting episodes, but this gamble actually killed some expected interactions, some reunions got lost in the ... filler spectrum of events, training for relevant battles sometimes is expected to be imagined, the alternative stories struggle to make a point or to become relevant, and some characters are so empty of their nostalgic originality that it's depressing to watch.

Other than the fact that the show is ridiculous as it always was (what can you do, that's the risk of the job), some fights are decent enough, some bonding moments are heartwarming and you're happy that everyone's happy and almost everything stays the same even after the end.

Maybe they do a better job to close the curtain in the next short series about Ash, who knows?

Overall, on one hand I am thankful that I got to see the end, on another it was pretty much no difference if I didn't. Thank you, Pokemon, for that reunion that I expected at the end, that made my day, but it wasn't enough for the whole impression. No thank you for the new side stories, fillers and redundant dialogues, zero real character development on the humans, and arguably on the Pokemons too, since getting new moves isn't relevant to character development in almost any way.

It's a company. This it how it makes money. The previous seasons are almost no different. But take a look back at the first few seasons, and you will see a huge difference. Just stop getting it mediocre scores or better because of the nostalgia bait. It incentivizes it to create further crap content, and you are directly responsible for it.

3/10 with huge efforts and bound by nostalgia, otherwise 1/10.

At this point of time this anime didn't ended up yet so I am just the reviewing the first 92 episodes from this anime.
Pros:
- story takes place in all of regions that we got to see so far in Pokemon Anime,
- new style of pokemon battles ranking system,
- small story arcs can be really interesting
- showcasing mega evolution, gigantomax, and z moves in one anime season,
- the pokemon battles are really nicely done,
- Ash team is really well balanced,
- showcasing different characters goals

... Cons:
- dual protagonist story formula,
- Goh character can be really inconsistent,
- Chloe (Koharu) development so far,
- Team Rocket Gacha machine,
- some anime director decisions regarding the plot,
- story takes place mostly in Kanto region,

Overoll I am really mixed about this pokemon anime generation, because the plot bounces for me beetween Advance quality of storry telling to best wishes. It's like a sine wave it one moment the story it's good but in another it's just Best Wishes standards. One of key elements that downplay this series is unreal Goh 100% catching Pokemon luck, this problem started to show it's self around epsiode 20, and the it gor worce as the time go on. Now for his personal goal it's kinda interesting, but the character execution in anime feels more force and robotic rather than as a natural progression. It's like a read the attendance list during an English lesson and the Pokemon he catches are type as present in the class. This is why some fans don't like this character at all, but it still has the chance to change.
When it comes to Ash his character still continues to grow after the well done prevous Sun Moon anime generation, with a really balanced Pokemon team, however some parts of hi training are cut from anime du to dual protagonist story formula. Lastly for Chloe (Koharu) really need more character development, because so far she really is shifted as a side character in this generation, aniem writers have a lot of potential here. Now when it comes to all reagions showcase Johto, and Galar had very little showcase in the main storyline. Galar is even the main region where the games Pokemon Sword and Shield takes place so it's even worst here. So far anime focuses solely on Kanto first, and the on other regions.

PS. Right now anime is in weird position where it can be rated as one of the less fan favorable, or one of the best which depends on future choices of anime creators. We can only hope that they have learned the lessons from Ash loses in every Pokemon League prior to Sun Moon anime so they won't repeat them again, and Goh character needs some catching pokemon nerf, and some expansion like usage of a different Poke Balls. Chloe (Koharu) needs some serious character development like catching more fairy type Pokemon (her Eevee doesn't need to evolved), deciding on her goal, and more screen time in anime.

By far the best Pokemon series to date! This is my first written review and will have some mild spoilers of what pokemon the main characters catch, if you care about that!

I realise that Pokemon as a series is one of those that can be quite difficult to get into if you're not hugely into Pokemon as a concept. Some people (like myself) have grown up with pokemon as a big part of their childhood and no matter what the series is like, if it's to do with pokemon, we'll love it. So understandably this series may not appeal to people who don't know an ... awful lot about the series already. However, I would argue this is one of the most accessible pokemon series of them all, largely due to the Pokemon Go game parallels. I am incredibly biased towards loving anything pokemon, so understand that going into my opinion.

Some may find the main cast formula change to the two male main protagonists to be either a positive or a negative depending on how you liked the larger main casts in the previous series. Everyone is familiar with Ash Ketchum and his Pikachu, but Gou is the character for newer pokemon fans or pokemon go players to see themselves in since his goal is similar to a casual pokemon Go player, catch everything you find. While Ash wants to battle to be considered the best, Gou wants to catch and collect every pokemon he sees, ideally without much resistance or battle, to eventually work his way up to catch Mew.
When I first heard of this concept I wasn't sure what to think but seeing it in action has confirmed that it was the right direction to go in for some freshness in this 2 decade long series. There are quite a few elements that have made this particular pokemon series feel like something new and not just a repeat of an old formula.
Because Gou looks for and catches so many different pokemon, each episode highlights brand new pokemon, giving us the sort of variety we need when there's almost 900 pokemon. Gou has the option to pick from his huge selection of caught pokemon for help to solve a problem, either a battle or physical help, such as using an Alolan Exeggcutor to get down out of a huge tree.

There's also the matter of Team Rocket, who are always one of my favourite elements of the show. Instead of catching their own pokemon, they summon a Team Rocket Gatcha machine from a delivery Pelipper, which they slot Meowth's forehead coin into and use just like a capsule machine to give them random Rocket trained pokemon with notes on their movesets included in the pokeballs. This means we see so many different combinations of pokemon battling, including different moves and typings each episode. It's a lot more refreshing than seeing thunderbolts every episode but that still has its fair share of screen time.

In comparison to every other pokemon series title, Pokemon 2019 isn't set in one specific current region. In this case, Ash and Go work for a research labratory in Kanto as a home base and make journeys (oh hey!) to every current pokemon region. This gives us pokemon and characters from every anime and game so far, such as an episode based in Sinnoh episode for a swimming race with an Empoleon and Croagunk, to then going to an episode in Johto looking into Ho-oh sightings.
All of these features make me greatly look forward to every new episode because I can never tell what the episode will be based on that week. I may be repeating the same words a lot but I simply love the variety in this.

The opening theme is amazingly catchy and is one of the only few that remixes the same song for different versions of the intro. I still think the first version was the best one but none of them are bad. (This is the japanese intro, not the biggest fan of the dub intro).

There is a clear case of what I call "secondary mascot syndrome", in that there are a lot of pokemon that are being pushed as a main focus above the one and only OG mascot, Pikachu. In later episodes there is a big focus on the Ash/Lucario and Gou/Cinderace pairing mostly for a lot of cool blue/red contrast imagery. After Go's Scorbunny evolves he soon gets a Sobble which takes up the position of small cute starter out it's pokeball a lot of the time. The main female character, Koharu, who plays a much more minor part than main female characters of the past, of course had to get an Eevee because there's been so much focus on Eevee as an equivalent to Pikachu in so many areas of Pokemon. All while Pikachu fades into the background and rarely does much outside of a move or two in some episodes.
I'm not necessarily saying that's a bad thing because as I've said I appreciate the variety and no doubt people are sick of seeing Pikachu in the spotlight. I just wish there was more of a balance since it's so obvious to see the push for more mascot pokemon.
Another ever so small complaint I'd mention is that the amount of variety also has its drawbacks. Specifically, that when the main characters catch super cool and powerful pokemon, such as Ash's Gengar and Dragonite, and Gou's Heracross and Flygon among many others, don't get seen as much as we'd wish since they're not always with Ash and Gou on their Journeys.

I do wish Ash's ranked competition battles happened more often since they're the closest thing Ash has to stakes and we can see his strong pokemon shine. The battles themselves are usually great and fairly engaging, they're just not that frequent.

I suppose the main reason I can't rate this a perfect 10 despite all my praise and general pokemon love, is that at its core it's still a usual pokemon show. The characters don't have much development or growth moments, there are fairly low stakes most of the time and there's a lot of playful, slice-of-life filler episodes. Not that these are totally bad points, of course, it just doesn't get much deeper than surface level with Pokemon.

TL;DR
In summary, I love this series to bits and believe it's the most varied and interesting Pokemon series to date. I think it's worth even casual pokemon fans diving into some episodes and enjoy some light-hearted Pokemon fun. This is the direction the Pokemon series has needed to go in for a long time.

I actually ended up watching this season all the way through twice. Which ended up being a good thing, because it really hit different the second time around. I wasn't that impressed with it during my first watch-through. What really made the difference was that, going into it the second time, I was already aware that this would be Ash's farewell season. That gave me a different opinion on the way Journeys is structured.

So to get some of the initially negative things out of the way first...
Pokemon Journeys can feel pretty disjointed at times. The idea of Ash and Goh being research fellows ... and going on a different adventure-- visiting a different region each time-- every episode or so sounds fun. And it was at times. But I've mentioned countless times before that I'm not really one for episodic storytelling. I miss the long continuous journey through a region.

Now I'm a little torn about this aspect. On the one hand, I can really appreciate the opportunity it afforded them-- to go back and revisit all the people Ash had traveled with before. That helped contribute to a really beautiful sendoff.
On the other, I can't help feeling that, because it had to share the season with all the other places in the Pokemon world, the Galar region wasn't really done justice in Pokemon Journeys. That was another big thing that changed for me. The first time around, I hadn't played Sword/Shield yet. The second time, I was already familiar with this region. But I'm a big believer in an adaptation being able to stand alone. I don't feel like you should have to play the games to feel like you got the full experience. And the first time around, I felt little to no connection to the episodes that went into the main storyline of the game with Eternatus and the Darkest Day. We'd just spent too little time in Galar up until that point. It definitely clicked better the second time, but I'm standing by my 'blind' opinion of that particular flaw.

But aside from that one aspect, I really have nothing but praise for this season. Particularly, Journeys crafted some of the best characters Pokemon has ever seen. Chloe's story was a little weak, but Goh really impressed me. I can't remember another time a Pokemon character's backstory held such a clear influence over who that person grew up to be. There is such a clear pipeline from: Lonely kid whose parents didn't have time for him, so he comforted himself with solitary research... to Know-it-all kid who couldn't make friends and learned to get defensive and combative at the slightest hint of judgment after the first few bad experiences. It really makes his character growth-- watching him make his very first friend in Ash and becoming the open, well-adjusted person he is today-- kind of beautiful. Especially because you really get to watch him grow over time. It is by no means effortless. I loved the little details they threw in along the way-- how awkward and on edge he'd get the first few times he met some of Ash's older friends, having to acknowledge that other people had a claim on his new friend too. For a character I initially found annoying, it was really great.

Similarly, there was a lot of depth to Leon. Even not having as much time to explore him, that's one place I felt the anime did one-up the game. I loved the episode where he spent one-on-one time with Ash and revealed that, as much as he loved being champion, that stress of being known as 'unbeatable' was starting to get to him. I don't feel like it's talked about enough that the Galar region's presentation of the Pokemon League is a very modern one. Its stars are celebrities in an age of social media. Their fans are constantly watching. They never get a break. There's this really great little scene, when our heroes first meet Sonia and she's talking about how she grew up with Leon and watched him become the star he is today. It's this still-shot of a much younger Leon, surrounded by adults aiming to capitalize on his early success, and just looking totally overwhelmed, almost fearful even. A picture is worth a thousand words, indeed. That really tells the whole story, right there.

Which all goes towards making it so satisfying to see him hand over the crown at the end. Those last few minutes of the Pikachu v. Charizard battle genuinely gave me chills. And overall, I think this was the best tournament arc Pokemon ever had. I don't think there's ever been another League where I felt connected to all of the competitors and everyone felt like real competition.

Pokemon Journeys got off to a questionable start but bloomed into something beautiful by the end. I thought I was ready to say goodbye to Ash years ago. Now I'm sad to see him go.

This is my favorite Pokémon series so far.
I´m a big fan of the games, but never really liked the anime.

Story- 8
Since the Sun and Moon series (I´m currently watching it), the anime has a more funny and cozy touch.
I think it was a great great idea making the main characters travel around different regions, which, given the currently large number of Pokémon, helps exploring this vast world and gives every Pokémon some screen time. This is also helped because of Gou, which catches almost every Pokémon he sees! and also because of Team Rocket having a new gatcha that lends them new Pokémon randomly.
Has ... this new season isn't focused in a region, the system of gym leaders wouldn't make sense, so I think it was a great idea creating the world championship, which also possibilities the appearance of old characters of the vast cast of the anime.
As of now (episode 38), there weren't situations like saving the world and antagonists very villainous, which was a major thing that I disliked in the Black and White series (and I think there was something like that at the end of the XY series)

Art- 7
Also since the Sun and Moon series, the art became more fluid, which added to the fun.

Sound- 7
It's not remarkable, but I noticed some tracks from the Sword and Shield games, which makes a better experience for who played that games

Characters- 8
I am a big fan of Gou, I think his addition contributed to creating more fun moments, due to his tendency to catch every Pokémon he sees, leaving Ash in his battles to do this. But the main reason that I´m liking him is due myself having also, nowadays, the objective of catching them all. His addition enables the anime focusing in the two major aspects of Pokémon- the battles (which honestly I'll never like in the anime, because they don't respect the rules of the games) and completing the Pokédex.
I´m also enjoying the evolution of Koharu´s feelings towards the Pokémon.
Ash keeps his dream of being the very best, and honestly, I'm liking his role of being more knowledgeable about battles than Gou, and remembering past anime characters, places and Pokémon, making him a little more mature.
Team Rocket is more funny that in older seasons, where I found them a little annoying.
Ahs and Gou make a great partnership, specially because they both feel like the main characters (which they are indeed! ahaha), which I think didn't happen in past seasons, were other main characters were only given protagonism sometimes.

Enjoyment- 9
For all I've said, I´m really enjoying this new season.

Overall- 8

Thanks for reading and I hope that I've been helpful!

My thought about this season:

Story:(8/10) Ash travelling to the 8 regions made me feel like the regions are the gyms and the world championships looks like the Pokémon league, but Ash didn't recall the memories he have while travelling to the regions, but overall the series is fresh.

Art:(9/10) I did love the art of the Sun and Moon season and I'm not of those people who watched the Xyz series and hated the Sun and Moon season but on how they simplified the character design made me feel like Ash is a different person.

Sound:(7/10) I have problems with the sound especially with the sound effects. ... The sound effects made me feel like that Pokémon is legitimately for kids. The OP song, sounds like a legit Anime OP and the battle music matches with the Pokémon Game.

Character:(9/10) I don't have problems with Gou catching Pokémon in one hit, after playing the game Pokémon: Let's Go Eevee and Pokémon Go, the style on catching a Pokémon on the game is also similar on how Gou catches a Pokémon, you can also here the sound "Nice", "Great" or "Excellent" when Gou catches on one hit. Ash knowledge has increase after the Sun and Moon season knowing Pokémon Match-ups and Etc. and HE already caught a Pseudo-Legendary as his first Pokémon and HIS first Ghost Type Pokémon and Caught a Riolu which was my dream. And about Team Rocket, the Pokémon Vending Machine made me feel like the Team Rocket Trio had leveled up.

Enjoyment:(10/10) Form my ratings, of course this rated out of 10.

Here's my take:

Pokémon Journeys is an interesting anime, we still have Ash and Pikachu on their quest to become the very best like no one ever was. Ash has entered a lot of Pokémon Leagues, battled strong trainers, faced legendries, and cheated death like it's another day in the office. But during his journey, ever wondered what happens if the writers weren't actually biased against Ash?

Yep, Ash gets buffed. A LOT.

Here we take the review piece-by-piece:

Story: 9/10
The story is interesting given that I see it in a way that it caters to different Pokémon fans, those who want to see battles, and those who want ... to complete the Pokédex. Ash and his companion Goh fills the wants of each Pokémon fan. Ash's plot focuses on his (ongoing) journey to become the strongest trainer. Capturing all the powerful Pokémon the fans wanted him to catch. (Yes this isn't the same as in Unova where Ash's team is absolute garbage). Think of Ash's story arc to have the same feels of his time in the Sinnoh and Kalos regions. Goh's story on the other hand fills the niche of completing the Pokédex, a goal different from the usual companions Ash had. That it pretty much the story itself, Ash wants to battle while Goh wants to catch every single Pokémon, even legendries. Oh and after Sun and Moon, gyms aren't a thing now, but it's compensated for this huge tournament where every trainer (yes, EVERY trainer) is competing. So expect a few familiar faces to pop-up in and out of the story.

Art: 8/10
The art somewhat resembles the Alola anime, where it complements the goofy nature Ash's journey has. This isn't the same as X and Y where the tone of the art gives off a serious vibe. Aside from that, the Pokémon more or less looks amazing, the visuals of the Pokémon resemble their in-game art and the animation for their attacks looks real stunning. Not as beautiful as animated Pokémon shorts or any Pokémon film, but still, the art is amazing.

Sound: 8/10
The soundtrack is really nice given that you can hear some Generation 8 music remixed into the anime's soundtrack. The music itself helps give the scenes that special "magic" that gives you goosebumps each time you hear it.

Character: 8/10
Ash is pretty much Ash, there's nothing else to expect from him to be honest. If you already grew up with him throughout the years, you can see what kind of character he is. In the anime, Ash has pretty much grown, he is still a goofball from time to time, but his resolve to become the very best and desire to battle is still there. It's like seeing XY Ash but with the antics from the Sun and Moon Ash. For his companion, Goh is somewhat decent character. Despite his obsession of catching all the Pokémon and Mew. Goh for me is the anime equivalent of us when we were young, big fans of Pokémon. He may come off annoying, but his character improves overtime. Often learning from Ash that perhaps there's more to Pokémon than completing the Pokédex, and the episodes that focus around him do it so. Goh learns to battle, put trust into his Pokémon and etc.

Enjoyment: 10/10
The enjoyment is 10. Given that this anime is basically fan-service for Pokémon fans. You'll get to see some familiar faces return to the series, and you'll definitely enjoy the moment they appear in the show. Plus ASH GETS BUFFED. No longer will he be done dirty by the writers. They went all out for Ash and when you get deeper in the series, you'll see why. Also the filler episodes were fun as well.

Overall:
If you watched X and Y before and want the same kind of energy Ash has, this anime is for you. Everything in the series appears in this anime, from all the gimmicks to the characters. This anime is basically eye-candy and like what I've said, fan service for older Pokémon fans.

Growing up watching the Pokemon anime series I was quite disappointed in the direction they decided to take Pokemon Sun and Moon. Scrolling through my Youtube Home page I found a video about this new series and decided to give it a shot. I have to say I am quite impressed by the way the writers have changed the course of the show. Ash embarks on a new journey that is very new and clean to avid Pokefans. Something I was quite surprised about was the new character in "Go". Go Ashe's traveling companion is quite a unique character with a goal the pokemon anime ... world as not seen before. Watching this series makes me actually believe that the writers finally must have gotten some freedom and a raise. I am quite happy with the direction this show is going in a very short amount of time. I think that if you were like me and hated the Sun and Moon series you have to give "Pokemon 2019" as the show goes on I start to get more and more nostalgic and excited and I am sure you will too!