Pokémon Horizons: Liko and Roy's Departure - Review

Setting of on a different kind of journey.

Those who have been visiting this little blog of mine for a few years (thank you kindly) will know that throughout the entire run of Pokémon Journeys, I kept up with the show. I wasn’t 'on top' of the series—I didn’t watch the Japanese version—but I did watch an episode every Sunday and always tried to get the review of the last season out before the new one started. I was eternally behind the curve with that approach, but it worked out just fine for me.

I liked this approach enough that I tried to continue it with Pokémon Horizons, the first Pokémon series after Ash's 25+ year journey came to an end. 'Tried' is really the keyword in that sentence. Life threw a few curveballs my way, making it difficult to keep up. I haven't been able to hit that 'one episode each Sunday' quota for a while now, and the Western dub hasn't helped either. Pokémon Horizons no longer has 'seasons,' so I can't split the series up by structure anymore.

I’m not going to wait until the entire series is over to review it though—I don't feel like doing that. As such, I’ve decided to take a page from the Japanese release, which is divided into 'chapters.' As of writing, the third has concluded, and the fourth is about to start. These will be my 'seasons.'

With all that out of the way, let's dive into this Ash-less Pokémon anime and its first chapter—episodes 1–25, also known as 'Liko and Roy's Departure'—and see if this gamble paid off. Is this a series worth tuning into?

Let’s talk about it.

Liko has just enrolled at the Indigo Academy in the Kanto region to begin her Pokémon education. Though thoughtful and kind, her shyness and lack of self-confidence make it difficult for her to make friends. Even her chosen partner Pokémon, Sprigatito, isn’t interested in her at first. This all changes when a mysterious man arrives at the Academy under false pretences and tries to steal the pendant Liko's grandmother gave her as a good luck charm.

Cornered by the man and his Ceruledge, Liko and Sprigatito are saved by Friede and his Charizard. Friede is the leader of the Rising Volt Tacklers, a group of international explorers hired by Liko's mother to protect her from the mysterious 'Explorers'—the group the mysterious man belongs to.

Joined by Sprigatito, the Rising Volt Tacklers, and later the excitable islander boy Roy, Liko embarks on a journey of a lifetime. It’s a quest to uncover the mystery behind her pendant and, perhaps even more importantly, a journey to find herself.

Our big trio for this series. Roy, Liko and Dot. 

Just from this admittedly barebones (but 'I refuse to spoil stuff') plot setup, you can tell this anime is quite different from the Ash-focused series that came before. Although Sun & Moon and Journeys started exploring narratives beyond the 'beat the 8 gyms and enter the Pokémon League' formula, this series takes it a step further.

Battling and competition are no longer the focus. In fact, if you allow me to look ahead, battles don’t really come into play until the third chapter. Instead, Horizons focuses on the 'travel around the world' aspect of Journeys and leans heavily into mysteries—the mystery of Liko’s pendant and the Pokémon, [cough] Terapagos [cough], the mystery of Roy’s ancient Pokémon and the Black Rayquaza, the mystery of who the Explorers are and what their goals are, and how all these mysteries are connected.

I quite enjoy this approach. I love a good mystery, and I like where these ones are going. Giant Pokémon? An enigmatic explorer? Travelling the world in an awesome airship? Yeah, count me in. Plus, with Terapagos promising to play a special part, we might finally dive into some of the lore that Scarlet & Violet didn’t fully explore. If I were to speculate, I’d bet that the 'paradise' the old explorer sought is Area Zero. We´ll get back to that prediction in due time, I´m sure!

Also, a fun oddity: the focus on Galar in this first chapter has not gone unnoticed and is much appreciated. While Journeys was the anime of the Sword & Shield generation, its plot didn't focus much on Galar. Seeing more of that here, especially with someone like Gym Leader Kabu showing up, feels like a nice bit of catching up.

Now, let's talk about the characters. A problem with the 'Ash-era' of the Pokémon anime is that the characters, including Ash himself, became flanderized. He lost a lot of his complexity and smarts, becoming an always-overexcited kid who lived and breathed Pokémon battles. While that works for kids, it’s not that interesting for older viewers.

In Horizons, the characters feel more like real people. I vibe with Liko a lot. She’s shy and withdrawn, much like I was at that age, but she grows more open and adventurous through her bond with Sprigatito and the Rising Volt Tacklers. I’m looking forward to seeing where her journey takes her—I suspect that by the end, we might forget she was once the shy girl no one noticed! Yet another prediction we´ll circle back to one day. 

The rest of the cast is enjoyable and relatable as well, even if they don’t stand out as much. Roy is the new Ash but not as battle-obsessed, more laid-back though still excitable. Friede is a kind and slightly goofy leader. Captain Pikachu is... Pikachu with a captain's hat. No surprises there. 

Dot is the only real exception to this rule, though not necessarily for the better. She’s the 'modern kid' character—a tech whiz and online streamer through her 'Nidothing' persona. Liko’s attempts to befriend Dot, who refuses to leave her room, while being completely oblivious to her being Nidothing, were both endearing and fun. 

However, the Nidothing shtick annoys me to no end. I understand that this is a kids' show, and these YouTube-style segments and social media references are for them. They probably relate to it. For me, though, it feels like the show is trying too hard to appeal to modern kids, and I don’t enjoy that at all. Call me old, but that’s how it is.

Moving on from the narrative-heavy episodes the more 'episodic' outings of Horizons. Some are a lot of fun, creative and even insightful. The episode in which Dot finally leaves her room is one of the standouts if you ask me. And then there are episodes I’ve already forgotten. 

It feels like there’s sometimes a pacing or content issue—like they didn’t have enough ideas to fill the runtime, so they stretched things out. That’s just my impression, though, so take it with a grain of salt. The main takeaway is that some episodes felt slow and filler-like, and they didn’t hold my attention. 

But that’s only part of the equation. Pokémon, as a series, is all about collecting monsters and raising them for battle. So, how does that aspect stack up? Pretty well, though it’s clear battles aren’t the focus anymore. There are stretches of episodes where there are no real battles—just quick skirmishes here and there. If you like those old Gym Leader style battles, then I´m sad to say you won´t find them here. 

On the upside, when a significant action sequence does happen, they don’t hold back. I noticed right away that the animation quality was much better. Movement is smoother, and the dynamic, near-cinematic camera work makes these battles feel like real events—truly a treat to watch, not to mention the clever tricks and twists in the battles themselves.

Speaking of animation, it’s sharp and reminiscent of Journeys, but with more detail and restraint in the comedic bits. No more 'characters fall over when someone says something stupid' gags here. In short, it looks great.

This is a still but just look at how hard this shot goes. Imagine that but for the entire sequence. 

That brings me to the music and one final point. Aside from some oddities, like in episode 6 where the music was way too quiet, I didn’t really 'notice' the soundtrack—except when they used a remix or cover of a game track. Those immediately caught my attention.

Which leads me perfectly into that last point: my brain didn’t just go, 'Hey, that’s game music!' It lit up whenever they delved into game lore and mechanics. Whether it was mentioning a Pokémon's ability or having it be a plot point, I found it noteworthy. Pokémon has long outgrown its need to be a commercial for the games, showcasing creatures and the world in ways the games can’t. So, seeing these educational moments pop back in stood out to me.

Conclusion

I’m fairly happy with the first chapter—the first 25 episodes—of Pokémon Horizons. This new direction for the series has led to a very enjoyable experience. The 'character-over-events' approach should make it easier for kids to connect with. Liko is a relatable protagonist, especially for shy or withdrawn kids, and the rest of the cast is charming in their own way. While there isn’t as much battling as there used to be, when battles do happen, the improved animation and dynamic visuals make them a treat to watch. Yes, the pacing falters in some episodes, and the social media focus is off-putting to me, but I’m not the target audience—kids are.

Overall, this first 'Liko and Roy's Departure' chapter offers a strong, balanced adventure with mysteries, character development, battles, and, above all, fun. It’s not perfect, but it has enough intrigue to keep me watching.

Now, if you´ll excuse me I´d better get back to it. Chapter 2 has been fully released on Netflix and I´m going to try and binge-watch it. Since my weekly approach floundered, I just want to try it out. See how that approach treats me.