With the end of one era comes the beginning of another. We saw the original Pokémon anime officially come to an end with the wrap up of Ash Ketchum's journey. None of us thought for a second this would be the end of Pokémon anime as a whole because The Pokémon Company had to keep this money train going. The next logical question was what to do about their long-running anime series. Are they going to retread familiar territory with an Ash Ketchum 2.0 or are they going to go in a completely different direction? While it took arguably longer than it should have to get these episodes on Netflix, after taking the time to watch them, I would say that the pendulum swings towards the latter direction more than the former.

Pokémon: Horizons is a fresh start that seeks to blend the familiar with the new. Considering that the anime aired in Japan around the time that Scarlet and Violet officially hit store shelves, it's no surprise that a lot of the foreshadowing and lore of this series seems to be centered around recently-released media. There are appearances of fan-favorite characters like Nemona, the musical score carries a lot of familiar beats from the American Pokémon anime score, and we have a character named Friede who loves battling just like Ash (with his own Charizard and Pikachu companion). There are enough references and gentle nods for adult fans who have been there since the beginning. In fact, I would argue that the series itself probably skews a bit older compared to the beginning of the original Pokémon anime.

It feels like there's less of a formula here and that could be due to the absence of a concrete goal from the start. Our main character Liko is the exact opposite of Ash Ketchum. Where Ash was bratty, a bit abrasive, and at times, overconfident in his abilities in the beginning, Liko is timid, gentle, and a bit neurotic. She's very much a protagonist that I think people of today would find a lot more relatable than they would have twenty years ago. Forget trying to be the very best, like no one ever was, Liko is still in the throes of understanding what kind of Pokémon trainer she even wants to be. It's like taking May from the Hoenn saga and making her the main character—but handling it a hundred times better. Liko is a great protagonist for this type of series because, while it does feel like she's being dragged around by everybody else, she is still proactive in her approach to everything. A lot of the major decisions in the series are still up to her—and her arc seems to be about taking charge in a very chaotic world. There's a lot you can do with that and it has amazing potential.

But Liko isn't alone; there are a myriad of other characters that cover a variety of different bases. I was a little shocked to find that the cast of this series is roughly double the original. A few episodes in, we get to know Roy who seems to be set up as a dual protagonist alongside Liko as they are both roughly starting from the same place on their journey. Liko is a bit more reserved and polite while Roy feels wilder. Roy represents what we older fans felt like as kids when we were first introduced to Pokémon. They are surrounded by a crew of adults that round things out quite nicely. We don't get a lot from the Rising Volt Tacklers individually outside of Friede. Though, as a crew, everyone looks distinct with their unique and sometimes goofy designs. Each stands out and there is a strong sense of camaraderie that leaves room to be explored later on.

So, without gym badges, what's the story about? And what's all of this about a crew? Pokémon: Horizons is setting itself up to be a bit of a globetrotting story, one that focuses more on the adventure aspect of the franchise rather than the battle system. There are still plenty of Pokémon battles to witness—and a handful look phenomenal from an animation standpoint (particularly the ones with Captain Pikachu). However, setting up battles for obvious victory doesn't seem to be a major facet of this show's narrative outside of one or two episodes. These twelve episodes hopefully only scratch the surface of an overarching story involving the mysteries of Liko's pendant and the mysterious pokéballs that house these incredibly mythical Pokémon. It is, surprisingly, a more linear narrative structure compared to the original—but that's not necessarily a bad thing. However, I am worried about whether or not this mystery can last a significantly long amount of time without losing viewers or engagement. Plot-focused narratives work better when you have an idea of how the overarching story will resolve. Dragging too much risks losing the audience.

Whether they're hunting mythical Pokémon or casually improving their skills, the characters are likable. If they need to pad out some of the mystery with standalone, fun episodes, then I think they could get away with that by how well everybody bounces off each other. The dialogue feels snappy with some nice fun quips thrown in there without it feeling too gimmicky. It also helps that the cast might just be one of the most stacked English dub casts the franchise has ever seen. It has veterans from all across the industry present—with some I never thought would ever show up in Pokémon if you'd asked me just a few years ago. We have some returning LA actors from Pokémon: Journeys but we also have Matthew Mercer playing a potentially recurring villain while Crispin Freeman makes his return to the Pokémon franchise after over a decade. I still remember listening to Freeman's podcast where he said that he used to be an adaptive script writer for the early Pokémon seasons. Hence, it's cool seeing things come full circle with him playing Friede—and he kills it. Meanwhile, Alejandra captures the nervous yet determined qualities of Liko and Anjali sounds adorable portraying Roy. I don't think the Pokémon dub has ever sounded this good before.

If you're even a casual Pokémon fan, this should be on your watchlist. We have the opportunity to potentially see a new era for the Pokémon franchise from the very beginning—and how many times do you think we're ever going to get the opportunity to do that? While the majority of what we see is setup and foreshadowing, the characters are very likable and I think there's plenty for both new and old Pokémon fans to enjoy together. While I don't think anything will ever replace Ash Ketchum and the original Pokémon franchise in my heart, there is a lot of potential for Pokémon: Horizons. Let's hope they can keep up this quality in the long run.