**Updated 1/11/15 with all episodes seen. ** Pokemon XY turned out to be a really worthy entry for Pokemon fans, old or new to sit down, relax and enjoy. STORY: 5/10 Mediocre Don't expect much story from Pokemon, for it is still a show that is primarily directed towards kids. You will still see the power of friendship, teamwork, trust and love swirling around every episode, so the basic formula did not change from the old Pokemon series. In Pokemon XY we follow Ash in his endeavor to beat all eight gyms to challenge the Kalos league, Serena in her conquest to obtain three princess keys bywinning the Pokemon Showcases in order to be granted the right to challenge for the Kalos Queen title, Clemont in his journey to learn more about the world and broaden his knowledge as a gym leader, and finally Bonnie, generally serving as the cheerleader of the party. The pacing is pretty uneven throughout the show, with Ash challenging the gyms at a crawling pace in the first half of the series, then him sweeping a number of them in the latter half. We see our human as well as Pokemon protagonists grow throughout the series, which is pretty satisfying. ART: 10/10 Outstanding Indeed, the art and animation of Pokemon XY is beautiful, that I was left dumbfounded and jaw dropped at the sight of the first episode. Granted, some characters look weird (for example Grant the Rock gym leader has hair resembling a crystallite), but most of the Pokemon designs in this generation could well be my very favourite, look at Scatterbug! It looked dull and boring in the official art, but in the anime itself it is one heck of an adorable creature. Look at Vivillion! It was majestic, almost unrivaled in its beauty. I always loved looking at animated Pokemon Battles, they are exciting, and on top of that they looked gorgeous in this latest series. Heck, even the usual Team Rocket motto looked gorgeous! The Pokemon Showcases are truly a spectacle to watch. I have nothing much but praise to the animation team, well done. This section alone makes Pokemon XY worth watching. SOUND: 8/10 Very Good You really can't go wrong with this part when it comes to Pokemon, as most of the voice cast are recurring from the previous generations, and the new voice actors did a good job voicing the new characters. The background music is often a delight to listen to as it is often the same song that plays in the game, which is sheer awesome. For the OP and ED, my personal favorite are V (Volt) and DoriDori respectively, and they are often used as inserted songs throughout the series, the former often plays during Ash's gym battles, while the other during Serena's performance. CHARACTERS: 7/10 Good The old characters who made their return in this series did not change much, Ash is still brave and cares for his Pokemon as much as he did before, and is still a bit of an idiot at times. The Team Rocket Trio is still as cunning and 'evil' as ever and you can always expect them to blast off every episode they are featured in. So the highlight should be the new companions that joined Ash on his journey. Serena is the childhood friend of Ash and the supposed crush of his in the series, she is also the cook of the group. Then, we need someone knowledgeable to provide us with all the info, and enter Clement, the gym leader of Lumiose City who will also humor us with his wide array of inventions, which will always blow up. Tagging along would be the imouto of Clement, Bonnie, who is the "awww cute" girl and she cares for Pokemon, a lot, well she's good for providing the needed cheerleading when Ash was battling. In Pokemon, the centre of attention is not always to human characters, but the Pokemon themselves as well. Utilizing the Pokemon natures well, we get to see the many personalities of the Pokemon. Using Serena's as an example, her Fennekin is a Careful one, always cautious when stepping out as she's not one who likes to get dirty; Pancham is an Impish one, sometimes doing naughty things like stealing Ash's hat; Eevee... ah my personal favorite, is definitely a Timid one, so shy that she can cower and hide somewhere when a stranger approaches her. Enjoyment: 7/10 Good Pokemon XY will be a decent show to kill some time weekly, it is, without a doubt, eye candy, and for a Pokemon fan like myself, it can provide good and relaxing entertainment in a weekly basis. The story did not end here, Ash hasn't won all the gyms, and Serena hasn't won all her princess keys. The 2nd season, XY&Z, judging from the trailer at the end of the show, promises more Mega Evolutions, more legendaries, and Team Flare will finally make their screen debut. Saying this again, the graphics alone make Pokemon XY really worth it.

A fans memory is very important one judging anime. However, memory is not always shed of the true subjective, but more of what the fans remember fondly. Pokemon XY is one good example of that. Fans considering the XY series as one of the best in the longtime Pokemon anime, and I did too. However, when I rewatched the series, there were parts where my memory failed me. Were this series were THAT half baked? People tends to remember the good stuff, and that’s why fans might not remember the half baked parts of the XY series. It also can be that they remember moreof the XY-Z series, which is another case. Do not get me wrong, XY series did a lot of things RIGHT. But it doesn’t mean it was perfect one hundred precent all the way through. In this review, I will try to pinpoint where XY succeeded, where it failed, or wether, it was just half baked. Let’s start with: Plot. The plot of Pokemon XY is the same as almost most of Pokemon anime - Ash starts his journey in a brand new region, Kalos, which inspired by France. It doesn’t take so much time to see, though, how XY differs from other seasons. Already on the first episode, you can see how XY try to renew things. As a matter of characters and plot, XY presenting more mature and different line of story. Not THAT different, but enough so it will make Ash journey in beating gyms and collecting badges a unique experience. With that being said, I’m referring to more character development stories, as Ash, once again, feels much more like the senior trainer in his group. Much like his treatment from DP. And there’s also a great story of Ash and his Froakie, which takes much more room than even Pikachu in the series plot. But all that doesn’t remove some bad stories that XY have. While the pace is essentially better than other seasons, the quality dropping a lot when fillers starting to appear. And it seems that the creators really had bad time thinking of those. Do not get me wrong, I do not think there’s “good” fillers on Pokemon, last time I watched the Johto season, it was dreadful watching. The whole format of “Ash and gang meeting a Pokemon and its trainer” had lost its taste long time ago. But in previous seasons, you could still feel there’s some creativity in them. in XY you can feel how the creators lost its creativity and struggle making those. That’s actually where fans memory is bad on, mostly because Pokemon is not used for rewatching. But when rewatching the series, when I got into those episodes, I felt cheated by my good first impression of the series. While those fillers ARE common, the plot of the canon episodes is just BETTER, and that’s probably the cause for the XY fillers to be forgotten from people hearts. Truly enough, the story is getting better as the series is coming to its last third. Mostly it’s due giving Serena a plot to revolve on. And also for giving more themes and plot for the series to rely on. You can really feel how the writers change of heart toward the last third of XY. But utterly, this gave XY the half baked definition. The ups and hills of XY feels like a game of minds of the writers, as you can really feel how the canon episodes are much better, and maybe the best in the Pokemon overall anime. While the fillers feels like an afterthought, losing any creativity the writers ever had in previous seasons. But then, closing to its end, the plot quality getting a real 90 degrees change. Next is the character. To be honest, some the characters in XY could be hit or miss, and mostly, it’s hit. Ash returned from its infamous childish nature in BW to it mature nature of DP. His confident coming alone with great ideas for pokemon battling, and his bond with his Pokemons are one of the greatest. With almost any Pokemon he catch in this series he have great plot and theme, and the one most importantly is Froakie, who leaves Pikachu in much more side character than main one. Ash and Froakie plot can be felt as a reminder of Ash and Chimchar for the most part, but toward the end of XY, their relation feels like entire different story of trust and bond. Clemont is probably the best Brock replacement up to date. Where Cilan tried to copy Brock girls thingy to other area of expertise, and Brock with his girls stuff, were anime original, Clemont gimmick is game original materials. Yes, he can annoy sometimes with his inventions, but those can be much more fresh than what Cilan or even Brock could offer. The hit or miss character is probably Bonnie, Clemont’s little sister. Last time we had fourth character for the gang, and also in the shape of child and sister/brother, was Max in the Advance series. At that time Max felt fresh at start, but his affection over the series had been fading slowly into being side walk character. Now, it’s not only because Max was filler character, while Bonnie is actually based on her game appearance, that her character succeeds in the series. But in the way of her introduction and characteristic, she were much more fitting into the group. Truly enough, you can feel how this was hit or miss, but in the overall she’s just a hit. It’s something about how - even in the episodes the focus is away from her - she felt much more natural. Truly she can be pushover sometimes, but unlike Max, where I just wanted to punch him in the face sometimes, Bonnie was more native. This great and delicate balance the writers gave her, that makes Bonnie little more memorable. The half baked character in XY, is actually Serena. Truly enough, Serena is another Misty replacement, and the writers seems to push her in a different way to makeover that rule in a brand new way. And so, Serena is much more like May in the sense that she didn’t went out to her Pokemon journey due her love for Pokemon or something. However Serena had been given a twist - she wanted to take that route because of Ash. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m one of Serena X Ash shippers as well. But in the long time test, you can feel how her character falling apart slowly. Where the writers gave a lot for her to follow Ash as a fellow trainer, something that resembled Misty, it fails where they wanted her to shine. Her emptiness in that area lead the writers, only in the last third of the series, to give her a gimmick similar to May and Dawn, in the shape of Showcase. No, you didn’t got it wrong, Showcase, not contests. While it felt once again more like a side story, as much as May’s contest, than Dawn’s. It did gave Serena the right push to her development, even to change her design and characteristic a bit. While this change was lovable to see in her, the fact the it took her so much time to get there, is enough for criticism. Truly, the writers gave her a lot of depth at the start, but until they didn’t fully used it in the last third, her character were just that, half baked character. And also where fans memory might failed them, as they remember Serena fondly due to her start and end of the series attitude, but forgotten most of her middle one. But that’s not all where fans remember fondly the XY series, and that is coming to this review last part - Art and animation. Truly enough, the animation in the XY was probably one of the bestest the Pokemon anime could provide. Finally gym battles felt realistic and freely, and maybe even more shounen’ish. Despite trying to fit the game mechanic, this is truly where XY series got lot better. While it’s not “too bad”, this animation improvement wasn’t through the whole series, but in the important battles. This isn’t making the animation of XY anyway wrong, but it’s also support why fans may remember more of those parts better than other. The art, on the other hand, is probably between BW to SM treatment. I won’t deny that XY had good art, but compare to the BW more “round” design, XY feeling little more “square”. That’s probably what OLM tried to fix in SM designs, only to squashing the design to feel not square at all, and where SM art felt lacking. And where XY succeeded little more in that area than SM, though the more fresh and stylish designs - square design isn’t necessarily bad. And as I could think of, XY art is Probably the best the series had ever was before going Journeys style (where it fixed SM art. but on that, in future review). While all that being said, it’s only for the XY series. The XYZ series, on the other hand, is entirely different issue, because it improved and fixed a lot of where XY hadn’t fixed, as I mentioned in this review. So as for XYZ, it deserves its own special review in the XYZ entry. On that note, see you in the XYZ review. To be continue.

Pokémon the Series: XY&Z Review (CONTAINS SPOILERS) It's not every day, I get to write a Pokemon review. It's always bittersweet, having a new generation of Pokemon come to an end. In the games department, X and Y was absolutely revolutionary for the Pokemon franchise. As for the anime, well... we just came off of the Black and White anime, which is widely considered to be the worst of the Pokemon anime. So X and Y had a lot of fixing to do? Does it succeed? Well, let's talk about that. First off, I don't know how they keep doing it, but the Pokemon anime just keepsgetting better and better, in terms of animation. That's undeniable. Right from the get go, the new art palette (teehee) is a huge step up from the already amazing looking Black and White (which is the only amazing thing about that season). Not only to the colors look improved, but Ash looks significantly older in this series. Of course he's still in 10 year old limbo, but we can at least pretend that he's aged over time, with this one. I get that they want to have a 10 year old protagonist so that the majority of the Pokemon anime audience can have a character that they can relate to, but I think it'd be even more impactful to have that protagonist grow up, along with its audience. While he may not be doing that in the age department, he definitely did that in the personality department. So in Black and White, Ash had completely lost and and all knowledge and skill he ever had, throughout the entirety of Diamond and Pearl. And considering D&P has an INCREDIBLY smart and deep Ash in it, Black and White back peddled like nobody's business! So when X and Y roles around and introduces this new, more confident Ash, I was really impressed. This Ash is more confident, courageous, intelligent, and acts as a mentor to his traveling companions. Usually that honor belongs to the older male traveling companion. But Ash does a really good job with this role, while also continuing to have growth and struggles of his own. It's by far the best Ash Ketchum in the Pokemon anime, and I'm REALLY sad that the small bits of the Sun and Moon anime that I've seen so far seem to completely erase that personality and rewrite Ash from the ground up, once again. But I guess we'll just have to wait and see if that's entirely true. Speaking of starting from the ground up, like always, Ash has an entirely new traveling party in this new region. And for the first time since the Hoenn generation, Ash is traveling in a party of FOUR this time, as opposed to three. First off, we have the female playable character in X and Y, Serena. Right from the beginning, Serena is a very interesting character. When we get to see her and personal life, she seems very atypical, compared to all the other female traveling companions that Ash has had, in the past. First off, she doesn't start off with any Pokemon, or even with any plans to get one and go on a journey. She's just a girl living at home, who doesn't seem to be really involved in anything related to Pokemon. But the reason she has for going on a journey is actually REALLY interesting. You immediately become interested in her story and hope to see it go somewhere that Pokemon has never really gone, before. Unfortunately, this big suspenseful journey gets wrapped up pretty quickly and anticlimactically. But that doesn't stop Serena from being an absolute joy to have on screen. Serena reminds me a lot of Dawn, in which she's a character that continuously grows in both victory and failure. She has her victories like every main character always gets. But it's not always like that. A lot of her victories involve overcoming obstacles such as people and past events that tell her she's not good enough. And I'm not just talking about jerkish rivals. I'm talking about parents who paved a predetermined path for her. I'm talking about legends in the industry of her dreams that tell her she has no hope of succeeding, simply because the great classics that came before her already set the bar and nobody will ever be able to top it, simply because it isn't a classic. Not only that, she has a lot of times where she DOES fail and it breaks her up. Seeing her in those darker states is one of the more emotional things to witness in the Pokemon series. But what's even more powerful is seeing her recovery from those moments. Serena goes through more growth and development in her journey than Ash was able to do in the first THREE generations of Pokemon! They didn't treat Serena like a side character. They made her important and an equal to Ash in the story. And not only does she look up to him for inspiration and admire him more than any other traveling companion in the past, but Ash also looks up to her, as well. We're always gonna have a soft spot in our hearts for Misty and I absolutely loved Dawn as a character in Diamond and Pearl. But I can easily say that Serena is the BEST female protagonist in the Pokemon anime's history! And I'm happy to say that the great characters don't stop there! Ash's next traveling companion is the 5th gym leader in X and Y, Clemont. Who I constantly refer to as Clementine, because reasons. My favorite character in the Pokemon anime has always been Brock. He's both incredibly hilarious and he's also been such a great role model to the other members of the group. But throughout all the time we spent with Brock over the years, he never had a journey of growth in the anime. At least not one that was very prominent. The reason for that is because he didn't really ever need one. Being a well seasoned gym leader, he was incredibly smart and focused more on helping others, due to him kinda already having his life plan all figured out. But as soon as he discovered a desire to start something new, he went and did it, alone. So we never saw any of the struggles he may have had. So now we switch over to Clemont, who is a gym leader just like Brock and also INCREDIBLY intelligent. But he isn't nearly as confident in where his life is headed and finds the desire to go on a journey to develop his skills and expand his horizons. And he gets that ambition from meeting Ash. Being a gym leader makes Ash look up to him, but Clemont returns those exact feelings in this random trainer that he just met. So they end up traveling together with a promise to help one another in improving themselves. Just like Serena, this made Clemont a lot more enjoyable to watch, since we get to see him grow, as opposed to just being the voice of reason. And while I still say Brock will always be my favorite, I can say that Clemont is the BEST male traveling companion that Ash has ever had. While his journey isn't as grand as Serena's, we still see a lot of growth that we've never seen in any male traveling companion before him. Something I'm really glad about is that he wasn't as super nerdy as I initially thought he was gonna be. Ya, he's a sciencey inventor type of guy, but he's not really nerdy about it. The only thing I really didn't like is that his new inventions that got introduced almost every episode ALWAYS came with an overly detailed explanation on what they did and how they worked. And they were always followed up with Ash saying "WOW! SCIENCE IS SO AMAZING!" It was like having 2 Team Rocket mottos in every episode, and it just took up too much time, on top of it being super cheesy and not nearly as cool as the Team Rocket motto. But still, he has a ton of kick butt, awesome moments that make him seem really cool and not at all like your typical nerd trope. I also like how he's the first of Ash's traveling companions to actually get tired from all that walking and running around that they always do. I mean seriously! Ash and company have traveled the world by foot for over 20 years, and we JUST NOW get a character whose like "I'm too old for this!" Granted, it's probably cuz he's always lugging around a giant metal backpack, but still. It was a funny addition to his character. Now like I said, this generation of the anime actually had FOUR traveling companions! The final member of Ash's group is Clemont's younger sister, Bonnie. Right off the bat, you're reminded of Max from the Hoenn anime. I actually like Max a lot more than most people do. I found him more interesting than May and he's also the main focus of my favorite episode in the entire Pokemon anime, "Do I Hear A Ralts?". So I was actually really excited to see another younger, non-trainer character join Ash's group. Bonnie is both absolutely hilarious and extremely adorable. At first, she does seem a bit much, with how she thinks every single Pokemon is "SOOOO CUUUUTE!". But she plays off of Clemont really well and has a lot of cute moments, herself. One thing she does is that she tends to go to every attractive girl she sees and asks them to "Take care of" her brother. Which then results in Clemont pulling her away, super embarrassed. Obviously this is just a re-skin of the Brock gag that we all know and some of us love. While it's not as funny as watching Brock's ear getting ripped off or getting poisoned to death but miraculously recovering from it, it's still funny to see. Bonnie actually plays a really important role in the anime, despite not being a trainer and thus not really being able to start a journey of her own, yet. She has a lot of episodes centered around her that range from cute to funny to "OH MY GOD IT'S SO SAD!!!!! ESPURR WHY!?!?!?!?!?" She gets even more important in the show's second half, known as XY&Z. First off, as if the jump from Black and White to X and Y wasn't impress enough, in terms of animation, the animation jump from XY to XY&Z is EVEN MORE mindblowingly amazing! Honestly, the episodes in XY&Z look up to par with the Pokemon MOVIES! And I don't mean the old ones, I mean the ones getting released right now! Seriously, this show is stinkin gorgeous and deserves respect for not only seeing how far the Pokemon anime has come, but also for simply being one of the best looking anime I've seen. But ya. Back to Bonnie. In XY&Z, we find a mysterious, unknown Pokemon. Bonnie takes it upon herself to take care of it and give it the name "Squishy". Now Squishy actually plays a very important role in the show's story. But honestly, having a name like Squishy makes it VERY hard for me to take a lot of those intense moments at the end of the show very seriously. Regardless, Bonnie is thankfully never pushed to the side or treated too much as a mascot character. She plays a very important role and she's an absolute joy to watch. All 4 of the main human characters play off of each other so well. I can easily say that this is my favorite group of human characters in any Pokemon anime generation. They were all fantastic and I very much enjoyed going on a journey with each and every one of them. And of course, Team Rocket. Unfortunately, they don't get NEARLY as much screen time and emotional episodes all to themselves as they did in Diamond and Pearl, but they still had a ton of great moments and were 1000 times better than they were in Black and White. As for the Pokemon characters... again, Diamond and Pearl has this show beat. Those of you who have seen Diamond and Pearl will probably understand and agree with me when saying that they had the BEST Pokemon characters in the history of the show. X and Y had some Pokemon that stood out more than others, but Diamond and Pearl made EVERY Pokemon important and likable. This show did not. Probably the most prominent one is Ash's Greninja. They tried REALLY hard to make Greninja the next Charizard. They REALLY wanted you to like this Pokemon. Did they succeed? Well... sort of? Greninja actually does a lot to make Ash more likable, as weird as that sounds. It's sorta hard to explain it all briefly, but you'll understand when you see the show for yourself, how Greninja makes Ash more involved in battles, as well as more deep of a character. The music is classic Pokemon style. It's good, but nothing super memorable. The 3 opening theme songs are all great, however. The 1st one is just a remix of the original theme song that we all know and love, so that may turn some people on, right off the bat. The other 2 are really good and also really different, compared to the theme the past couple of openings seemed to have. I just REALLY wish they made the english openings longer than 30 seconds. I mean, come on! Kids aren't THAT impatient! Especially at 8:00 in the morning. I promise you! Now, like every generation of Pokemon, there's a butt load of cash cow movies, trailing behind it. X and Y has 3 movies attached to it, which I'll go over very briefly. The Diancie movie has an ending that'll probably scare some kids who are new to Pokemon. But if you've seen the first Pokemon movie, you know EXACTLY how the "BIG PROBLEM" at the end of this movie is going to get resolved. All in all, not worth the watch. The second movie stars Hoopa, who is one of the most annoying talking legendaries in Pokemon movie history. Not nearly as bad as Keldeo, thankfully. But still incredibly annoying to where I'll tell you to avoid this movie, simply because Hoopa is in it. The last movie stars both Volcanion and Magearna, and I gotta be honest. This is the first Pokemon movie in OVER A DECADE that I can actually say wasn't absolutely terrible! It's still not as great as the oldies, but it was ACTUALLY fun to watch, which is something I can't say about any other Pokemon movie that was released within the past 10 years! Magearna is the best part of this movie. It's just a really cool Pokemon to look at. This movie made me love a legendary I probably never would've cared about, otherwise. They had moments that made me happy and sad, as well as whimsical and entranced in their story and just overall design. I would seriously recommend watching this movie just to see Magearna. This movie won't blow you away in the story department, but it's got SOMETHING, at least. So that alone is worth the watch, when compared to the past 10 years of shovelware Pokemon movies. Back to the anime, the XY&Z portion of the show is sort of a movie, itself. I may just think that because of how deep these characters are, but the final episodes at the Pokemon League, onward are actually really intense. Now, I'm gonna start talking about the outcome of the Pokemon League and what happens after that. So if you don't wanna be spoiled, I'd recommend skipping to the final paragraph. So with all the growing Ash had in this journey, and with these specific Pokemon on his team being SIGNIFICANTLY more powerful than teams he's had in the past. I truly believed that this would finally be the generation that has Ash win the Pokemon League! I thought it was finally time! However, he had some tough competition. There's this SUPER FRIENDLY rival of his named Sawyer, who is honestly one of the more annoying characters in this show (and voiced by Pikachu in the Japanese version). And there's also a character named Alain. Alain actually has his own series of spin off episodes that got released throughout the X and Y anime. I won't spoil what they're about, but it's pretty interesting stuff and gives you an idea of what a Pokemon anime without Ash would be like. Honestly, it was cool. And as much as I liked Ash in X and Y, I wouldn't mind seeing the world of Pokemon through someone else's eyes. But throughout that side series, you see that Alain is a ridiculously powerful trainer. He eventually meets Ash in XY&Z and the two of them become friends and wish to battle each other in the Pokemon League. Ash gets his wish when he goes up against Alain in the FINALS! This is the first time in Pokemon HISTORY that Ash has made it to the FINALS in the Pokemon League! I truly believed that this would be the time that Ash would come out on top. And throughout the whole battle between him and Alain, they make it all seem like it's going to come true. Ash and Greninja are in COMPLETE control of the battlefield, whenever they're working together. They make Greninja INTENSE and you just KNOW that they're gonna win and Ash is FINALLY going to win! .........but he doesn't. As ends up losing to Alain, even though the final attack is done by Greninja, who ends up fainting from exhaustion. This was the most frustrating part of the entire show. This was the PERFECT time for Ash to finally come out on top! I know the show creators have said that if Ash ever won the Pokemon League, his journey would be over. But I KNOW that's not true! Ash wouldn't just go home and stare as his 1st place trophy for the rest of his life, whenever he won it. He would go out to a new region to find new Pokemon and go to new places and take on a new challenge. He would NEVER end his journey, as long as there's still new places to explore in the world of Pokemon. He won 1st place in the Orange League! Did he stop his journey, then? Nope! He became king of the Battle Frontier and was even offered a position as one of the Frontier Brains! Did he take the position? Nope! He continued his journey around the world! So ya. It's nonsense to say that Ash isn't allowed to win, or else his journey would be over. He DESERVED to win here and it would've been a perfect end to an incredible journey with a character we all grew up with. But whatever. Alain wins the Pokemon League. But the show actually doesn't stop there. Out of nowhere, the final battle with Team Flare begins. And it's one of the most epic battles with an evil team in Pokemon history! Team Flare's ambitions are explained in a way that makes them seem a lot more intense and fierce, as opposed to how they were explained in the games. They made Team Flare both incredibly evil and genuinely frightening. So it's up to not only Ash, but Serena, Clemont, Bonnie, and the unsung heroes of Pokemon, Team Rocker, to stop Team Flare and save the Kalos region. All of them play a huge role in this final battle. Clemont and Bonnie have very deep and emotional moments that were both very sad and incredibly dark for Pokemon standards. Serena didn't stand out as much as they did, but considering how much her character rocked the rest of the show, I say she gets a pass. As for Ash... Let me just say this. The voice actors of both Ash and his traveling companions deserve recognition for how stinkin awesomely they voiced these last couple of episodes. It's honestly some of, if not the BEST moments of voice acting in the Pokemon anime's history. Ash sounds truly intense and is able to send chills down your spine with his words, alone. Clemont does just as good of a job as Ash with that, and Bonnie goes from cute mascot, to downright heartbreaking. Seriously. I know a lot of us were real uppity when the Pokemon dub got handed over to a new company and all the voices got changed. But I loved their work in Diamond and Pearl, onward. And now that they've been doing the dub LONGER than the original dub, and seeing the performances they gave with these last few episodes of XY&Z, I applaud the heck out of every single person who worked on this show. You all seriously did an amazing job and you should be truly proud of your stellar performances. In conclusion, Pokemon X and Y is FANTASTIC. It was a million times better than Black and White, the animation is the best it's ever been, the main human characters are absolutely incredible, and the ending of this series was everything that the ending of Black and White should've been. I still think that Diamond and Pearl wins by a hair, in terms of story and overall cast, however. Both of them are fantastic and the absolute highlights of the Pokemon anime. If you've been out of the Pokemon anime for a long time and don't really think it's worth returning to, I can tell you with total confidence that you WILL like X and Y. As long as you can accept that all the Pokemon and characters and their voice actors from your childhood aren't there anymore, X and Y will prove to be something truly special and something that can be enjoyed by every Pokemon fan, as well as fans of anime, as a whole. Pokemon The Series: XY&Z gets a 9/10

Many people will disagree with my low rating, but the fact is - when you watch too much of an anime (this anime has 93 episodes, and still has an XYZ season after it) it becomes it really boring, especially when there's a formula to an episode. I remember dropping on this anime at about episode 60, then a few months ago I went so far as to watch the XYZ version. The reason for all of this is because every episode, while they do something new, team rocket comes and annoys the hell out of them, then they get their Pokemon back, beat thehell out of them, and finally - continue whatever they were gonna do. It gets really repetitive as episodes go by. That's the reason behind my low rating on the show, even though when I was first watching it I thought it was amazing. You can't deny the great animation and sound, which carries the anime to 4. Without them I wouldn't have it at more than 2, or at most - 3.

When it comes to the Pokemon anime, many people make the mistake to assume it can be taken as a single anime. Each "cycle" is very different from the others, whether that be the narrative or the art style. As such, it must always be taken as several shows. If some of them are really bad (especially the first one and Best Wishes), some of them are absolutely amazing, for various reasons. Pokemon XY is an awesome shônen, with epic fights, a decent story (although not flawless), and an excellent art style. STORY The story in Pokemon evolved a lot. After 15 seasons, they learned to create deeper characterswith decent stories. They also made a very respectable Ash. Pokemon XY is still about Ash and Pikachu on their way to become a Pokemon Master. But now, they are at a whole different level than they were in the beginning. They have several Leagues of experience, which serve them a lot as they often defeat their opponents hands down. Aside from Ash, the story introduces Serena (who first follows Ash only by love, but then finds her way thanks to the Tripokalon, a contest show), and Citron and Eureka (a Gym Leader and his little sister, who travel across the region for fun). If these companions don't tell much story in the beginning, Serena's character becomes way more interesting when she starts practicing for Tripokalon. But for now, all that is quite basic in Pokemon. Luckily, XY also has a lot of other stories revolving around several other characters. In fact, it is divided into small arcs (which makes this show look much more like a shônen, Naruto style). Long story short, this anime tells decent stories, sadly they are quite independent from each other, which makes it feel a little broken. ART Pokemon XY is simply amazing. The drawings and environments are stunning, and the light effects are absolutely wonderful. The second opening starts with a view during dawn, and it is definitely the BEST dawn I've ever seen in japanimation, the colors really catch up the feels of a true dawn. The animation is also excellent. It is among the best we can find in japanimation, AND it's also way less rare than in other anime. My point is, in an anime, we often have to wait for around 5 episodes before we get one cool action scene, and that usually lasts only a few minutes. Do you see what I mean? That's not the case in Pokemon XY. ALL the fights have an excellent animation, and this show is all about fights. Finally, the show is very dynamic. The battles feel intense thanks to that. SOUND Pokemon has always had an excellent OST (in the original version, of course ; in dubs, the OST has been ruined a lot). Imo, this series has the best openings of the whole show (Volt is epic, Get Ban Ban feels very good to hear, and XYZ is pure rock). The music themes are memorable, especially Ash-Greninja's theme. Finally, the seiyuus do a wonderful job, as usual. Note that Citron is voiced by Yuki Kaji, the same as Eren in AoT. CHARACTERS Across the seasons (except BW), Ash became strong, learned a lot, and now in XY, he is BADASS and hardly defeatable. Yes, you heard right. While they do sometimes make him lose for the sake of suspense, in this series Ash is a beast in Pokemon Battles, he often one shots his opponents and is even considered a mentor by many other characters. While Ash is often criticized as a character, his XY version is mature and badass, and is a real fighter. Ash's new friends are charming, but it takes time before they tell decent stories. In fact, their characters really stand out only in the second half, particularly in the last season, XYZ. Eureka befriends a Legendary Pokemon, Citron prepares for his Gym Battle against Ash and also has to degend his City against Team Flare. But the secondary characters are really what makes XY stand out as a Pokemon anime. Many of them have a very interesting and progressive story. Among them: - Corni, a Gym Leader owner of a Lucario, must learn to control the Mega-Evolution to become stronger ; - Allan, who first wants to defeat all the Mega-Evolution, then has to fight with Team Flare to save his friend's Pokemon (which fell into a coma) ; - the star of this show : Greninja, who first evolves to his final stage and then reveals a whole new evolution called Battle Bond. It's always hard to describe the characters in a Pokemon show, because there's plenty of them. Long story short : in Pokemon XY, many characters stand out thanks to their interesting story. The way things keep progressing is really worth it, and watching this series it really feels like everyone grows up and evolves. ENJOYMENT There are two Pokemon anime that I find excellent: DP and XY. The reasons are different, though. While the story in XY is not flawless, it makes up for it with very interesting characters, very cool story arcs, and an excellent art style. It's definitely worth watching, if you skip the fillers.

Yes, we're back to talking about Pokemon, a franchise so long running that there are adults who weren't born yet when it started. I was, but I'm old and crabby. Any way, I was asked to review this particular part of the anime. So, all of you get to read me ranting about all the aspects of this anime franchise that get on my nerves. Besides, with Sword and Shield coming out soon and eliminating the Megas, it seems a good time to talk about when Game Freak was super proud of that element. Story: We open with Satoshi travelling over to the Kalos region leaving Unovaand all the Pokemon he "befriended" there behind. He meets the siblings, Citron & Eureka, and begins his journey to beat all the Kalos gyms while catching new Pokemon he'll inevitably leave behind when he moves on to Alola. Unfortunately for him, Musashi, Kojirou & Meowth are still following him to steal his Pikachu. I should note, the anime does not follow the game's mechanics as much as it makes nods to them. Which I can't really complain about. It would be even more boring if Pikachu had to dodge every attack because any hit would smash its frail defences and knock it the fuck out. The biggest problem with the series is just that it's all very repetitive and formulaic. You can pretty much tell exactly what's going to happen in an episode the moment the scenario is introduced. Satoshi will even say he hasn't decided which gym to go to next after every gym match, even against the 7th gym when there's literally one option left. In all fairness, the series can have a real sense of fun to it. And Team Rocket's goofy schemes can be entertaining even if we know every one is going to end with them getting blasted into the air and saying "this feels bad." Characters: This is where the big problem in the series lies. The main characters are dull. Really, excruciatingly dull. Satoshi has no personality whatsoever. He's just vaguely amicable. Which is part of the problem with the franchise keeping the same protagonist from region to region. The dude can't learn any lessons without repeating old territory. He also can't develop as a character because every writer who works on the anime has a cemented image of him and what he's supposed to be. And it is hard to see him as having a real connection with his pokemon when he has a long history of saying goodbye to them at the slightest provocation. Then there are his companions. Citron is a boring sciencey boy who makes machines that blow up and is vaguely nice. Eureka is an excitable child who thinks every Pokemon ever is cute. Even the shite ice cream cone no one likes. And tries to get her brother a bride whenever she thinks a woman is pretty. Serena is a girly girl with a crush on Satoshi because they met once in camp when they were all of eight. The best characters are Musashi, Kojirou & Meowth. Just because they're allowed to be bad and revel in that but there's also a real attempt at making them sympathetic. Every member of the group gets some episode or other that showcases the better part of their nature. This also serves to make them more enjoyable than the main cast as well as more complex. Art: The artwork is fine. There are some pretty cool battles. The characters look fine. And the Pokemon look like their game counterparts. I don't really care for most of the 6th generation Pokemon personally, but that may be because I'm old and grumpy. You damn kids and your cotton candy pokemon and your slime dragons and your key rings and your pogs and your street sharks. Sound: The acting is fine. Everyone is perfectly competent but most of the characters are so boring they don't have much in terms of complexity to convey. Which is why our best performances come from Hayashibara Megumi, Miki Shinichiro & Inuyama Inuko. The music is decent enough too. Not great but functional enough. Ho-yay: There are some moments with Serena and Sana. Eureka's obsession with pretty women also seems to be a strong indication that she won't be dating men when she gets older. Areas of Improvement: Ditch Satoshi as the main protagonist. Honestly, I think the Pokemon anime franchise would be a lot better if each region featured a new protagonist. You could get more complexity for the character without having to undermine their bond with their pokemon to show off the new region's creatures. Have some surprises. I get it, this is a children's anime and they can't get too complex with it. But at least have some events that are mildly against the grain or that subvert expectations. Maybe even let the villains win in some minor way that isn't too bad for the heroes. More personality for the protagonists. A big part of the issue with them is that the writers try to make them too squeaky clean good. Give them some real flaws to overcome that can lead to some interesting interactions. It would make the series a lot more interesting. Final Thoughts: Pokemon XY isn't a bad series. However, it's not a good one either. It's like that last Pokemon film I reviewed. It's a mediocre series that's probably enjoyable enough for the target audience, but doesn't provide much for anyone older. Even slightly older like teenagers. I'll give it a 5/10.

Disclaimer: I am writing this Review for the ENGLISH dubbed version of this anime, the Japanese Version may differ. On the road to becoming a Pokemon Master, Ash Ketchum arrives in the Kalos Region to deepen his battling experience. Right off the bat, he challenges a friend he met to a battle, without knowing that he was a Gym Leader. After meeting this Gym Leader, Clemont, and his sister Bonnie, as well as another companion who recently started her journey, Serena, the four teens began their journey around Kalos. Story Story-wise, this Anime never disappoints. On the Ash Ketchum side of things, this was an excellent piece ofdevelopment for him, expecially since he aspires to become a Pokemon Master. For Clemont and Bonnie, their goal was to learn more by adventuring with Ash, and they sure have. Lastly for Serena... we'll talk about it later. Ash starts off his Kalos journey on a terrible note... Losing to the bug-type gym leader Viola. However, as time progresses, he begins to understand what true power is. In the Ash-Greninja Training arc in XYZ, he loses to Wulfric, the eighth Ice-Type Gym leader. However, after an experience with Greninja in the forests, he gets to understand what true power's all about, and how he should always focus on his bond with his pokemon, and not the power it grants him. This was the entire moral of the anime, and a good one on that note. Animation & Sound The animation finally progresses to a 3D Camera! We can better see the talents of Ash's pokemon through this 3D Camera mechanic. Here are now the buttery-smooth panning and visual effects, and the animation was simply perfection. Sound-wise, this anime was excellent too. The sounds team really mashed up the most nostalgic theme song every in Pokemon history to an even better one, and a more nostalgic one, too. I would tear up when I hear the theme songs, knowing that this anime existed 6 years ago. It makes me really miss the characters. Characters ASH Ash was always too focused on the power his bonds with his pokemon provided him. He never really put thought into the bonds he had with his pokemon, he was power-hungry. He manages to overcome this with his Kalos Ace Pokemon, Greninja, who, thanks to his strong bond and abilities with Ash, can achieve the ultimatum of his strength- Ash-Greninja. The whole idea of the anime was revolving around power and bonds, which was very meaningful. CLEMONT Clemont is a Gym Leader who, ironically enough, doesn't like his role as a Gym Leader. He prefers inventing, but became the Gym Leader of the Lumiose Gym merely because he was an excellent student in his school, and everyone wants him to become an electric-type gym leader and trainer. THrough his journey with Ash, he discovers how many strategies can be used in battles, and begins to appreciate his role as Gym Leader. BONNIE Bonnie provides a breath of fresh air to the gang. Lively and eager to start her very own pokemon journey, Bonnie travels alongside her brother and a pokemon Clemont has caught for her, Dedenne. The bond between Bonnie and dedenne really shows how much potential Bonnie has as a pokemon trainer, and leaves us to wonder which pokemon she will capture and train in the years to come.

To be honest, this was probably my least favorite region in the anime. I think that too much time was spent on Ash-Greninja (which didn't even go anywhere), time that could have been spent on some much-needed character development (I'm looking at you Serena!), or something more involving the Gen 3 remakes. For Fire Red and Leaf Green, there was a whole season with Ash going back to Kanto, for Heart Gold and Soul Silver, there were a few episodes in which people from Johto join Ash & crew, but for Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, the most we get are the Pikachu costumes, whichare incorporated into only one episode and a cameo in the Hoopa movie. I also think Ash acts very out of character throughout the series. He acts way too mature for Ash, and loses his goofiness. The kind of crazy antics that go on in the other series (see the Sinnoh episode Where No Togepi Has Gone Before! to get an idea of what I mean) is virtually absent, and in Pokémon Performances, the competitors are all girls, and the tasks are all "girly" things, like baking and fashion designing. I also think Serena needs to get a life, and realize that Ash's density is that of cement, and he doesn't have that kind of romantic attatchment to her, or anybody, really. Serena's personality in general left something to be desired; she loves fashion, hates getting dirty, and doesn't think her Mom is cool. I wish she wasn't so... stereotypically girly. I did enjoy Clemont and Bonnie, and I wish more was done with them. So, overall, I think Kalos could have been executed much better.

Okay, OLM, you did better this time. I'll give you that. Ash is competent in battle again, well mostly. You brought back contests, sort of. His companions are useful and complimentary. I even see myself in Clemont. My biggest issue though, it takes too much time for miss Serena to do anything and her calling isn't even in the games. This generation in general has been strange to the max. Sure, we had representation of both Kalos and Hoenn Pokémon in the series, but NOT ONE that was obtained for the main team was from Hoenn. NOT ONE. You had the odd other regions which works mind you but werejarring to say the least. You know, I missed that from Diamond and Pearl where they advertised Johto BEAUTIFULLY in the story. Every main character had a Johto mon at least once in the show. Instead, the secondary characters have the Hoenn Pokémon, and Ash and company have mainly Kalos. Ash also has a HUGE affinity to one type in this particular series and it seems to be meant for one feature of the games which only is explored officially ONCE. Oh and there's a release in this series that pissed off me and many others, which made me hate Iris even more. It's definitely an improvement from stupid Best Wishes (the games are still great mind you), but it had a few steps back.

This is the summit of all Pokemon series because of three things-- (1) the superb animation and design, (2) we have the best version of Ash Ketchum (3) the birth of the Mega Evolution I grew up watching Pokemon, but somewhere in my teenage years, I stopped watching it as I was calibrating my adolescence. The sooner I retrieved my interest, Pokemon XY has just finished. I could not remember that Pokemon was astounding as this as I remembered it when I was a kid. It has really improved a lot, and I realized how much I need to catch up on. The character designs aregreat including the new sets of Pokemon in Kalos Region, and the animation, specifically during the battles, really suit my taste. Aerial Battles are best animated. Nonetheless, the story is still in the episodical pattern of storytelling. It is generic and predictable. It has no concrete plot, except that Ash is on his road towards the Kalos League. Still, the character development of the main characters is still observable. Ash's new buddies established a great chemistry. They, too, develop on their own as they pursue their individual goals together. As for Ash, I think this is the best version that we had. Ash is driven with his dreams and constant principle of not giving until it's over, characterized as composed and less comical in comparison to other series, and I gotta say he is a lot cooler in the series because of his maturity growth. Yes, Ash evolved. The slight injection of love interest is something that I also looked-forward in the series. It gave sweeter tickling spice for the older audiences of the series. This is a successful attempt in consideration that the series' watchers are also growing as their interest also diversifies. More importantly, whoever formulated the Mega Evolution is a genius. The thrill of the series escalated, and the fans are amused with the amazing designs of the Mega Evolved forms of Pokemons, emphasizing the dope animation of the series. The Mega Evolution phenomenon has been a cue to audience that once activated it's like, "Alright, now we're getting serious", and the battle does not fail us at all. This arc of Pokemon is indeed the peak of the series. I believe it could even compete to other animes with concrete storylines. This series is best to watch when you either want to begin watching Pokemon, because it would really be discouraging to begin from the very start, or you're a returnee watched of the series, because rest assured, it will not fail your expectations. Pokemon could be greater, and this proves it.

Another review from me, even though, does contain minor spoilers regard Ash and the new friends that he makes in this series. Pokemon XY have exceeded my expectations when someone persuades me to watch this series after I did a review on how bad Decolora Adventure was due to content within the episodes. Story - 8 The beginning of Ash's (Satoshi) new adventure starts when he arrives at Lumiose City since he continues his dream to be a Pokemon Master throughout the regions he explores with old/new friends he makes along the way. First, he meets the gym leader, Clemont (Citron) and his little sister, Bonnie (Eureka);however, Team Rocket follows him like every other regions he went to with his buddy, Pikachu. Thus, there are times when he has to battle them with either Pikachu or the new pokemon that he captures during his journey. Also, a new female protagonist named Serena, was introduced for a short time during the first couple episodes till she finally meets Ash and his friends, Clemont and Bonnie. The main part of the series for every region that Ash goes to is getting badges, catching new pokemon and meeting new people who have dreams of their own and desires to fulfill it. That does sound predictable for the most part; however, there is a new concept that was not included in the game version of XY which is the concept of becoming Kalos Queen that is only for girls but its kind of similar to Pokemon contests in the 3rd and 4th generation games. Art - 8 The art is similar to Black and White; however, its more unique and special when it introduces an old/new pokemon and the battle animations look much cooler than it was in the previous series. It shows how much the makers are dedicated in making the series as interesting as they possibly can toward the audience, mostly to the kids. Sound - 8 The soundtrack remains good as it always been within this series since it changes vary depending on which episode it is but does reused them if it needed for that specific scene. The voice actors did a great job with the roles they have. Character - 9 Ash: He still have his positive attitude toward his friends and the pokemon that he meets or captures. Yet, he does do dangerous stunts that surprises his new friends since it shows he cares about his pokemon even if they are needed help in their abilities. Also, he supports his friends' dream as well as his. Likewise, his abilities to predict what would happen next within the battles show he is a step closer in fulfilling his dream from Kanto to now. As long he is with Pikachu and his other pokemon, he believes he can do anything that seems to be useful in his potential and the potential within his pokemon. Serena: She has a lot of character development throughout this series when there are episodes that focuses on her and what kind of dream she wants to become rather than following her mother's footsteps. When she figures out what she wants to do, she decides to stick with her dream in becoming Kalos Queen by first becoming a Pokemon performer because she wants to show how elegant her pokemon can be as well her abilities in making Poke Puffs and etc. Although, she wants to achieve her dream if she notices there are pokemon who have dreams that are similar to hers. Bonnie: There are episodes that focuses on her development on how she cares about Pokemon; even though, she couldn't become a Pokemon trainer due to her age. She does have a Dedenne which she kept inside her bag; but, her brother keeps its Pokeball in case something happens to Dedenne. In addition, she does show varies facial expressions depending what is happening like she does not get scared when something scary happens unlike her brother and her friends. On the other hand, she does something unrealistic that her brother doesn't want her to do is she proposes to girl for her brother's sake which is similar to Brock since she wants Clemont to have a happy life with someone who he loves dearly; but, fails to realize that he does not a girlfriend. Clemont: He is a gym leader in Lumiose City which temporary lets Clembot take over the gym till he returns from being a better gym leader. He does do similar aspects like cooking meals for his friends and pokemon and provides information for them to understand like Brock and Dent does in previous series. Moreover, he believes in the power of science will solve the problem; yet, he seems to fail when his inventions malfunction or breaks down for some reason. Similarly, he does have to take care of Bonnie like every brother would do. Additionally, there are times that focuses on the development of the pokemon and their bond to its trainer and other pokemon. Enjoyment - 8 I quite enjoyed most of the episodes for this series so far because the development within Ash and his friends and how they overcome the obstacles that they have to face like Team Rocket and their rivals which they promise to meet and battle against in the future. Also, the content within each episodes seem interesting for that specific character or pokemon but sometimes keeps its predictable aspects and does not at the same. Overall - 8.5/9 This series is way better than Black & White because of how it is set up in the beginning and continues to get better as Ash and his friends continues their journey to fulfill their dreams with their pokemon. Well, this review went long enough since its only the XY series and it continues with the first episode of XYZ along with another episode of Mega Evolution Arc next week.

Let's be honest here. After the mess that was Best Wishes, I didn't really want to watch the Pokemon anime anymore. That was until I saw the trailer for the 1hr Special for the first two Pokemon XY episodes. I was pretty surprised and eager to see how far this would have played out. And I wasn't disappointed! First of: Story 6/10 Pokemon anime guys! Don't ever expect too much plot! But... I really was NOT expecting plot. While a little more romance than usual thanks to Serena, there is a plot for the XY series currently going on, with some of the key characters andplots being introduced in the Mega Evolution Specials. Others, such as the rivals, get their own specific episode story. A good example would be Sanpei, who's story you would not really pay attention to until you realize how plot relevant it is during the XY&Z saga. However, I would compare the story content to Ruby & Sapphire or Diamond and Pearl level. Progressing along a little slower than both, however, due to focusing more on world building and characterisation. Art 9/10 One of the best quality art/animation I've seen since... well, Pokemon DP? But it is very obvious that it has improved leaps and bounds. Art style is different from the normal, Ash looking older (Probably to match Serena), and Serena looks her age instead of a ten year old (And they worked in the whole fashion aspect of XY too!). Attack animations are MUCH BETTER, actually showing the movements of the Pokemon as the scenery moves along instead of a colored background, and attacks looking more accurate than their usual depiction. Flow of movements actually looks smoother than usual. Scenery... since this is based off France it is perfectly understandable that the scenery is beautifully detailed. And of course there is the use of the VS panel! A surprising inclusion, but it does up the tension a little for official matches. Sound 9/10 The score for XY was beautiful in game, but when transposing it for a live band/orchestra... Well... thumbs up and cheers all around as it is the most amazing thing I've heard yet! Opening songs and closing songs were all really good, the first two openings getting you pumped for the adventure ahead, the third, giving you a sense of travelling and the experiences. The first two ending songs were both light hearted and cute, with the second definitely about the peaceful fun days the XY gang goes through. The third ending is both the insert song for Serena, and most likely her theme song, talking about her pursuing her dreams. The fourth is back to light hearted and cute, talking about the Pokemon themselves mostly having fun. Insert song wise: Brilliantly is actually Citron/Clemont's theme song, but shows up pretty much every time a character is in need of a supportive push and gets through. Beautiful and encouraging! (Its also one of the rare insert songs that made its way into the Pokemon anime) Character 8/10 Best characterisation in the series so far, all the characters actually having motivations, backstories, character expansion episodes, and occasionally story arcs of their own. THIS INCLUDES THE POKEMON! In fact almost every single Pokemon this season has a proper backstory and reason for joining the team, same going for Team Rocket's new members. But the best thing? While Ash hasn't exactly matured much... HE'S THINKING THROUGH HIS BATTLES!!!! Enjoyment is 9/10 Not that I haven't enjoyed the anime before, but as stated earlier, I lost interest in the Pokemon anime and skipped most of Best Wishes because it was an utter failure in my eyes. Episode N was its only redeeming quality. XY has brought that enjoyment back. Actually going a little deeper into lore, having several side plots key to the actual anime, the game villains actually set to make their appearance. Battles are more fun, strategic, and entertaining. Musical score is gorgeous. Art was better this season than most. Less filler episodes than usual, most of them contributing to a few Pokemon character growth or expanding on Serena, Bonnie/Eureka, and Clemont/Citron. Overall, XY is definitely the Pokemon anime at its peak, and the one season where I actually watched every single episode for the sheer entertainment value. I recommend watching it along with its Specials, due to plot relevant information scattered throughout both. For those of you who were disappointed with Best Wishes, XY will make things all better for you!!! (Note: This review is based on the original and not the dubs. Because the Pokemon dubs honestly went downhill with the Battle Frontier)

Pros: - They have learned a lot since tragic Best wishes anime series, - showcasing first ever full romance story in pokemon anime, - the artstyle is the best in Pokemon anime, - Ash get's an exclusive pokemon form, - character development, - mega evolutions, - really good cast of main characters, - pokemon fans really like Serena,Cons: - Ash don't win Kalos League, - Some battles are not well done, - Team Rocket appearance annoying is a tradition that cannot be broken at this point, - The story development is being held up by corporations policy tradition, Overoll I recommend watch this anime without putting the hopes for the regional League, because as always Ash will lose. But the rest of the anime storyline is one of the best in historii.

Pokémon XY is the best of the best when it comes to Pokémon (the anime), and you should give it a watch at least once in your life. Story 8/10: The plot, Ash Ketchum (/Satoshi) goes to the Kalos region; to battle the gym leader's there and he meets many friends along the way and catches some new Pokémon. Art 8/10: The best art style of any Pokémon Anime! (Still true to this day) Sound 9/10: I love the opening and ending themes of this show and the background music is really nice too. Character 8/10: I like all the characters; they are some of the better characters inthe anime series! But out of all the characters Serena is one of my favourite characters in Pokémon. Enjoyment 9/10: Overall, I had a great time watching Pokémon XY and would recommend you watch the series.

Pokémon XY introductes Pokémon legendary embodying natural forces heighten the stakes, while the introduction of Mega Evolution, a temporary transformative power boost for select creatures, reinvigorates battle strategy and breathes new life into pre-existing species. Character development shines, particularly through the performer’s journey of self-discovery, which parallels the protagonist’s growth. The cycle balances lighthearted camaraderie with high-stakes conflicts against a clandestine organization seeking to harness ultimate power. This cycle modernizes the series’ formula while honoring its roots. Though occasionally formulaic, its emphasis on bonds, ambition, and evolving identities cements it as a standout chapter, blending nostalgic charm with bold innovation.

...I suppose it wouldn't be much of a review if I just said "The hype was real" and left it at that, would it? No? Well, if you insist... Prepare for a story... A few years ago, I picked up a copy of Y, having seen the first episode of someone's walkthrough and being utterly blown away at the progress Pokemon had made during my absence. (The last game I had played was Sapphire.) This kind of brought me back to the Pokemon sphere and I started listening in on news for the anime as well, which I also heard great things about. I geta little obsessive over doing things in chronological order, so I couldn't just jump into Pokemon this far down the line. And then I reasoned that I never actually watched the original all the way through anyway... And so here we are. That one episode of a walkthrough I spent my study hall watching eventually led to roughly a year and a half's journey of watching Pokemon all the way through from the beginnig. And upon reaching this season, I was impressed from the beginning. I love the animation and designs for this season. (Especially since the reveal for Sun and Moon's designs, which I am not so fond of.) The battles have never been more dynamic, and Ash has regained his ability to strategize after a shaky journey in Unova. And it helped that the creators were clearly very aware of their strengths. I remember it being a huge selling point when people found out you would get not only one of the Kalos starters in the games, but one of the original Kanto starters as well, upon reaching Lumiose. So, in a really nice callback, the first opening remixes the original opening, and though I was skeptical at first, I ended up really liking all of the music throughout this show. I mentioned in my review for Advanced that seeing the gym leaders animated was cool... but didn't add as much to my enjoyment as I thought it would. That is not the case here, where the gym leaders all have so much personality and feel like real additions to the story rather than just the eight obligatory milestones Ash needs to achieve before moving on to the Pokemon League. (And I kind of love what they did with Olympia, whose game persona is perfectly mystical... but not really intimidating like her anime self is.) Which sort of leads into his companions for this season... I'll be honest. I never really felt one way or the other about Clemont. And Bonnie is just plain annoying. Literally her only redeeming quality is that it's cute how Clemont takes care of her. (Which wouldn't seem like much, but I much prefer this to the way they handled Max's character in Advanced Generation. Max himself was obnoxious, and his presence only served to drag May's character down with him, bringing out the worst in his older sister.) But around the midway point, I became really fond of Clemont. He was definitely the best companion gym battle Ash has ever had, and I think some of that might be because we get to spend a lot of time with him beforehand, rather than the battle being his introducion. I really liked Clemont temporarily breaking away from them to better prepare himself for that battle. There was a part of me that genuinely didn't want either one of them to lose, but when Ash did win, it felt like he earned it. Honestly, it's probably one of the best gym battles he ever had, period. Which leaves us with Serena. Serena is an... interesting case for me. For one, her character has to be approached a little differently than I'm used to with Ash's traveling companions, because she's the first to explicitly be crafted to be a love interest. I know it was pretty clear that Misty had a thing for Ash as well by the latter half of their travels together, but it's not quite the same. And even before May found her dream of being a coordinator, she was out and about for her own personal reason-- because she wanted to see the world. Serena doesn't really have that. Early on, her entire personality revolves around a crush on Ash that she's been nursing since some childhood summer camp. And this isn't meant to be derisive in any way. It was just... different. I'll leave this saying that I'm still on the fence about Serena. I have my worries. Sometimes, I have to stop to wonder if Ash is being written to be just a little warmer to her than is typical. Like, are the writers making him just a little bit out of character in the hopes of encouraging that pairing amongst the fans? He's always very naturally positive and supportive of his friends, so it can be a little hard to tell if my understanding of certain scenes is being influenced by the knowledge of Serena's very obvious crush. Like, there is no other way to interpret the way she feels about Ash. But then there's the whole matter of the Pokemon showcases which just feel... shallow. Like, the contests had that aesthetic appeal element to them also while still managing to be very cool. I don't get that feel from the performances. They're just... all fluff, no substance. But I can appreciate that Serena has grown an awful lot since day one. All of his female companions brought a feminine element to the team, but Serena is the only one who was just flat out... prissy to begin with. Like, there's an episode where she has to run through a mud puddle to save Fennekin from Team Rocket, and it's a big deal for her. (And the fact that they characterize her this way was particularly interesting to me, because her game counterpart is this tough, driven daughter of a pair of ace trainers who's out to make a name for herself separate from their accomplishments.) But I think this aspect of her character puts an interesting spin on her relationship with her mother. I couldn't seem to help comparing it to Dawn's relationship with her mother at times. Joanna and Grace both obviously care very much about their daughters, but they go about supporting them in very different ways. Dawn was headstrong but a little fragile too. Her mother knew just when to be tough on her and when to remind her not to get too down on herself. This made a very interesting parallel for Grace, who was very tough herself but never seemed to know quite how to handle her extremely girly daughter. In fact, she almost makes Serena give up her performances, claiming that she's never had it in her to stick with anything before. While Grace kind of came across as the bad guy in this episode, it was also pretty clear that she did it out of love, because she was worried for Serena. And it ended up being a really good episode for Serena, finally proving to her mother that she is capable of sticking to her guns on something and taking care of herself. Anyway, I'll stop my rant. As I'm sure you can tell, I have a lot of opinions on Serena, and I hope she continues to grow throughout XYZ. XY was interesting because I was already familiar with the characters from the game, for the first time since Sapphire. That said, Shauna, Trevor, and Tierno were pretty much the way I expected them to be. I always had a soft spot for Tierno, and I liked seeing his team come together. Okay, so Shauna was even more... valley girl-ish than I'd expected, but I can live with that. The pairing of a kind of dweeby Trevor (and I mean that in the kindest way possible) and a particularly fiesty Charmander was a really nice contrast. I always thought it was a really cool aspect of the game that it's not just you and a rival anymore. You've finally got a group of friends to travel with, and it felt like a really nice touch, so I hope we get to see more of them as the journey continues. If there was one thing that I found really disappointing, it's that Team Flare has yet to make their appearance. Particularly because they gave Team Rocket some of their in-game schemes instead. I mean, I assume it has to be coming up, and that's what Olympia's vision was referring to, but the regional villains' stories have been pretty rushed in the past, and I was hoping to avoid that here. But overall, XY has been a great payoff to a long, long journey. And I can already tell I'm going to be disappointed when I reach the end.

***THIS IS A SPOILER FREE REVIEW*** Heads up: This is not a review for just the first season of XY; it's a full review for all of XY. Pokemon XY has done the impossible for me. It has somehow reignited the fire inside me for watching Pokemon. Once the Diamond and Pearl episodes were finished, I lost pretty much all desire to watch anything Pokemon related (since the Pokemon Adventures manga is 10000x better). What got me back into Pokemon though was the sheer amount of reputable YouTubers stating that “Pokemon is back!” Story: 7/10 Got to say, I was not expecting to be drawn in by the storyof these new seasons. I had watched a small bit of Best Wishes! which made me want to gouge my eyes and ears out. I was expecting sort of the same with XY but I was pleasantly surprised at what I ended up seeing. I think the inclusion of Serena was the reason why I was so invested in this season. She had the fire of May and the Charm of Dawn (two things that really has not been present in a character of Pokemon). The show did a great job of pointing out that the show isn't just about Ash; it's about all the supporting cast. The best part of the show though is by far the ending. The stuff revolving around the Pokemon League is top notch and that ending...dat a boy. The only thing that has me worried about the ending to the show is of course what we have been shown so far for the next season...ugh. Animation: 8.5/10 This is the best that Pokemon has ever looked. The dialogue scenes still look a little stiff but those battle scenes...omg dude. The battles take on a whole new level of quality and polish that I did not expect to see in Pokemon (or a fair number of other long running shows). The characters look pretty good even it Ash still looks like he 10. I was also impressed by a fair number of the background shots in the show. This region looks very lush and detailed. It is such a shame that the newest season of Pokemon is going to change the animation and artstyle so drastically. I feel like what was done in this season was the best compromise that could had been achieved for Pokemon. Sound: 5/10 To this day I do not understand why they push the voices so fucking loud in the overall mix. Ever since Best Wishes the characters just sound so loud. It is so detrimental that I had a hard time marathoning the show due to getting actual headaches from watching it. Ash and Bonnie were the worst offenders here, just tone it down a little bit please. The music is pretty good but the show suffers from that long season blues which is recycling music over and over again. Characters: 8/10 It's a mixed bag here. Ash is still annoying as hell due to how oblivious he is. Bonnie I want to fall off of a cliff. Her brother Clemont is annoying but provides a lot of great scenes later on. The champion of the show though is of course Serena. She is probably the most fleshed out main character I have seen thus far in Pokemon. She has desires, past memories that shape who she is, and isn't the typical 100% always happy female lead that's just there to get the man guy going. I think it was brilliant to include the backstory of her having respect for Ash from such a young age. When she sees Ash again for the first time in years, I genuinely starting giggling like a school girl. She is the best part of this series and I really wish she would pull a Brock and stick around for multiple zones. Seeing her descend down that escalator in her final scene (how about that scene though :O) was truly heart breaking. Overall: 7.1/10 Pokemon is absolutely back. This season was by far the best I had seen for a long time (still not Indigo level but it was close at some points). I strongly recommend you follow this list in order to cut down on unnecessary filler episodes. It will make the watching experience much better. If you were like me and thought Pokemon was just not worth the effort any longer then please give this one a shot. It genuinely had me on my toes in many situations. Enjoyment: 7.4/10 Thanks for reading my review! If you liked my writing style, would like to see some other reviews, or just want to talk, please stop by my page! Sincerely, Awesome Drummer