So yesterday, I decided to go to marathon stream of Pokemon:Best Wishes, the newest entry in the Pokemon anime series. After seeing all current 17 episodes, I am extremely impressed at how the writers of the series decided to change the show's direction.
NOTE: SPOILERS AHEAD.
Team Rocket
This is by far, the most impressive change I have seen in the show. They are no longer the goofy Team Rocket that always tries to steal Pikachu, nor the Team Rocket that sells phony items to people to steal their money, nor the Team Rocket that peddle food during contests/Pokemon events. They are actually competent this time around. Yes, they still try to steal Pikachu, but they only do so if they come across Ash & Co. along their mission. In simpler terms, stealing Pikachu from Ash along with the "Pokemon of the week" has just become a sub-mission for them.
Majority of the current episodes feature them doing their own thing, such as meeting up with fellow Rocket agents to get their current mission, building robots to gather data to complete their machine that turns dreams into reality, making blueprints of a museum so they can professionally steal a meteorite containing immense power. They don't even fail their missions like they used to. They actually succeed this time around. Furthermore, they don't "blast-off" anymore. Get caught by Ash. & Co.? They throw a smoke bomb in the ground, then poof. They're gone. Rocket Balloon exploded thanks to Ash's bird Pokemon? They'll emerge out of the smoke riding hang-gliders. Did I mention they were in a high-speed highway chase with the police, which ended up with them crashing the truck off an unfinished part of the road, with the truck exploding, only for them to emerge fleeing in jet-packs? Plus, they even got a make-over in the form of black uniforms (thanks to a promotion) and a new, more sinister motto.
Pacing and Content
Holy cow, this show moves fast. In 17 episodes, Ash has managed to earn 2 badges and catch 5 extra Pokemon. They even throw some references from the Generation 1 anime series. Ash's new companions are pretty cool too. Iris is basically a inexperienced tribe girl. She comes from a tribe where her people get along with dragon Pokemon. She also reminds me of Misty, as she always calls Ash a child, being the "mature" one of the group. Dent is the Gym Leader of San'yō City. He is a Pokemon Sommelier, which basically means that he tells you how strong your connection is to your Pokemon partner. He's quite odd, as he keeps comparing situations to tastes. For example, when Ash trains his Mijumaru to use Aqua Jet, he comments on how it leaves a strange taste in his mouth.
Ash is, well, still Ash. His collection of Pokemon is somewhat reminiscent of his Generation 1 and 2 counterpart, with 1 Pikachu, 1 bird Pokemon, 3 starters and a random Pokemon as his sixth member of his party. This time around, he has a Pikachu, a Mijumaru, a Pokabu, a female Smugleaf, a Zuruggu and a Mamepato.
The fillers are pretty decent too. It always ends up with some form of growth for a character. For example, a filler ended up with Ash obtaining an egg, which ends up hatching into his Zuruggu, and Dent gets an Ishizumai by helping it get his shell-rock-house back. The music in the show is quite good. They compliment the current situation. Team Rocket versus Ash & Co. to stop Team Rocket from gathering the data for their machine? Throw in some intense bass and guitar solos.
Overall, Pokemon: Best Wishes! is a surprisingly good show. The writers have managed to reduce the campy fillers like "Ash & Co. visit a preschool where they leave learning the value of friendship
", the villains are actually villains this time around, and the series gives homages to previous events that happened during Generation 1.
NOTE: SPOILERS AHEAD.
Team Rocket
This is by far, the most impressive change I have seen in the show. They are no longer the goofy Team Rocket that always tries to steal Pikachu, nor the Team Rocket that sells phony items to people to steal their money, nor the Team Rocket that peddle food during contests/Pokemon events. They are actually competent this time around. Yes, they still try to steal Pikachu, but they only do so if they come across Ash & Co. along their mission. In simpler terms, stealing Pikachu from Ash along with the "Pokemon of the week" has just become a sub-mission for them.
Majority of the current episodes feature them doing their own thing, such as meeting up with fellow Rocket agents to get their current mission, building robots to gather data to complete their machine that turns dreams into reality, making blueprints of a museum so they can professionally steal a meteorite containing immense power. They don't even fail their missions like they used to. They actually succeed this time around. Furthermore, they don't "blast-off" anymore. Get caught by Ash. & Co.? They throw a smoke bomb in the ground, then poof. They're gone. Rocket Balloon exploded thanks to Ash's bird Pokemon? They'll emerge out of the smoke riding hang-gliders. Did I mention they were in a high-speed highway chase with the police, which ended up with them crashing the truck off an unfinished part of the road, with the truck exploding, only for them to emerge fleeing in jet-packs? Plus, they even got a make-over in the form of black uniforms (thanks to a promotion) and a new, more sinister motto.
Pacing and Content
Holy cow, this show moves fast. In 17 episodes, Ash has managed to earn 2 badges and catch 5 extra Pokemon. They even throw some references from the Generation 1 anime series. Ash's new companions are pretty cool too. Iris is basically a inexperienced tribe girl. She comes from a tribe where her people get along with dragon Pokemon. She also reminds me of Misty, as she always calls Ash a child, being the "mature" one of the group. Dent is the Gym Leader of San'yō City. He is a Pokemon Sommelier, which basically means that he tells you how strong your connection is to your Pokemon partner. He's quite odd, as he keeps comparing situations to tastes. For example, when Ash trains his Mijumaru to use Aqua Jet, he comments on how it leaves a strange taste in his mouth.
Ash is, well, still Ash. His collection of Pokemon is somewhat reminiscent of his Generation 1 and 2 counterpart, with 1 Pikachu, 1 bird Pokemon, 3 starters and a random Pokemon as his sixth member of his party. This time around, he has a Pikachu, a Mijumaru, a Pokabu, a female Smugleaf, a Zuruggu and a Mamepato.
The fillers are pretty decent too. It always ends up with some form of growth for a character. For example, a filler ended up with Ash obtaining an egg, which ends up hatching into his Zuruggu, and Dent gets an Ishizumai by helping it get his shell-rock-house back. The music in the show is quite good. They compliment the current situation. Team Rocket versus Ash & Co. to stop Team Rocket from gathering the data for their machine? Throw in some intense bass and guitar solos.
Overall, Pokemon: Best Wishes! is a surprisingly good show. The writers have managed to reduce the campy fillers like "Ash & Co. visit a preschool where they leave learning the value of friendship
", the villains are actually villains this time around, and the series gives homages to previous events that happened during Generation 1.
