Pokémon Horizons: The Series will be available to stream on Netflix on February 23rd, right in time for Pokémon Day. While I am sad that the series will no longer follow Ash and Pikachu, I am excited about what direction the new series takes. The series will Liko and Roy as they brave new Horizons in the first new anime series in 25 years.
The OfficialSynopsis:
A new adventure is beginning within the wide world of Pokémon! Arriving at Indigo Academy, a girl named Liko receives her first partner Pokémon, Sprigatito. But she soon finds herself pursued by the Explorers, a mysterious group that’s determined to take the pendant necklace she wears. Liko isn’t on her own, though, as Friede, Captain Pikachu, and the other Rising Volt Tacklers offer her protection aboard their airship. Meanwhile, a boy named Roy dreams of becoming a Pokémon Trainer, unaware of the secret hiding within the Ancient Poké Ball he carries. As Liko, Roy, and the Rising Volt Tacklers set sail for new horizons, what kind of discoveries await?
Sneak Peak
A sneak peek of the first episode is up on the official YouTube, and I recommend you check it out if you can’t wait till February.
I wasn’t going to watch this series, but I just love the animation and character design to let it pass me by. Pokémon has never been a genre-defining anime, but it has always been a comforting one. For an anime that is designed to sell toys to kids, I can’t deny that it has its moments. I am sure this series will be just as cheesy and silly as the rest, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Whether you throw it on as background noise or sit down to watch it with your kids, this is looking like an adventure you aren’t going to want to miss.
I just watched Praise Petey, and am struggling to remember what it was about. This unimpressive animated series fails to leave an impression and entertain its audience. This is a boring series that you are better off skipping.
Petey is a New York girl living her best life. She has a plain fiancé, an amazing best friend, and her dream job. Petey finds her life in shambles when her apartment burns down, her fiancé cheats on her with her best friend, and she gets fired. With nothing to hold her in New York, she moves to a sleepy country town that her estranged father ran in secret. But this is no ordinary town. It is a cult, and Petey is now their leader. What will Petey do with her new power?
Praise Petey isn’t the worst adult animated series I’ve seen, but it isn’t worth watching either. The jokes aren’t funny, the story is boring, and the commentary it makes is lazy. Praise Petey attempts to redefine traditional female comedy by poking fun at the motifs associated with strong comedic female characters. The problem with this series is that it tries too hard to be raunchy, quirky, gross, and metacritical that it lacks focus. The series jumps quickly between jokes and gags hoping one lands, but they rarely do. Instead of redefining the genre, it does what other shows have done before, but not as well.
Praise Petey is a boring waste of time. You can watch it on Hulu, but you’re going to forget you did. Go watch anything else.
The 3rd episode of the new Pokémon mini series, Path to the Peak, is up on the official Pokémon YouTube channel. If you haven’t started the series, you need to. Its super cute and short. The series is about the TCG competative scene, but you don’t have to know anything about Pokémon to enjoy the series. Go check it out because trust me, you need this series in your life!
**This is going to have spoilers, so make sure you watch the series before reading this**
This series has been great so far. Obviously, they’ve changed some rules around to make the series more dramatic, but it doesn’t matter because the show is so cute and so much fun to watch.
Ava goes to internationals, and at this point in the story, she is undefeated in her local scene. Ava feels the tension and pressure that comes with undisputed, and this pressure affects how she looks at the game. What started as something fun that she did to make friends is now almost a burden because she doesn’t want to let her friends down. This shift in character presents creates an important moment in Ava’s character where she struggles between having fun and being the people’s champion. This episode deals less with Ava having fun with Oddish and more about Ava dealing with the anxiety of competing on a larger stage. This is a very powerful and relevant human experience that has been illustrated perfectly in a cute ten-minute cartoon.
I like that Ava loses this important match because it paints her as an imperfect character. Although she might be the best in her scene, she still has a lot to learn about the game. The loss gives her an adversity she has to overcome, a goal she needs to work words, and room for improvement. Will this be enough to make her quit the game? Will she leave Oddish behind to play a meta deck? It’s frustrating that I have to wait a week to find out how she reacts, but the series has done such a good job of making me love Ava as a character, that I am willing to wait.
I understand that this might be a little too deep of an analysis for a cartoon, but I love it and want it to be successful. I’ll try to do one of these for all future episodes, so make sure you like comment, subscribe, and share this with your friends! See you next week.
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I just watched Blue Period on Netflix and enjoyed it more than I thought I would. It can be a bit pretensions and cheesy when it comes to its obsession with the artistic method, but the themes it deals with and the story it tells make up for it. If you enjoy slice-of-life anime and enjoy art even a little, this is a great series to get into.
Yamaguchi is a rough character who is good at school but feels unfulfilled by his lack of ambitions. He discovers his love for art almost by accident when he is made to join the art club. For the first time in his life, he feels the threads of ambition forming within him. He sets his eyes on one of the hardest art programs in Japan and puts all his time and efforts toward making it happen. But the path to art school won’t be easy. Yamaguchi has never taken art seriously and must learn the skills many have taken years to perfect in a shorter amount of time. Will Yamaguchi’s hard work and passion be enough to get him into art school?
Blue Period is a stressful anime that will often deal with themes of depression, anxiety, and suicide. Consider how big of a trigger these themes are for you before watching this anime. Blue Period handles these themes respectfully and successfully captures the mounting stress of trying to get into a very competitive field. By the end of the series, I felt relief that the whole process was over, even though I wasn’t the one taking the test or trying to get into art school. This is a clear testament to how good the storytelling is.
Watching the physical, mental, and emotional toll the process is on the characters makes this anime hard to watch at times. The close the characters get to the exam, the darker the anime gets. This anime can be draining, but it is also inspiring to watch Yamaguchi grow through the process.
What I love most about this anime is that Yamaguchi isn’t a genius at the start of the anime. He has to learn skills that people either have naturally or have had years to learn. He will fail at times, but always learns and grows from these failures. Despite how tough he may seem about everything else, he has low self-esteem in his art. Most of the tension that exists in this series is from Yamaguchi’s apprehension. Is he really good enough for art school when there are so many talented people? What makes him more qualified than any of the other applicants? Watching Yamaguchi live with this anxiety and depression is hard, but it makes his growth inspiring to watch.
If you are looking for new anime to watch, Blue Period is a solid one to get into. The story is cool, the characters are memorable, and it makes getting into art school seem exciting. It is a little too stressful to watch if you are just trying to relax on your day off, but the journey is worth it. Go check out this short series on Netflix.
There is English dubbing available, but I could only find the Japanese trailer.The English dub is solid.
Pokemon Presents showcase had a few exciting announcements for games, anime, and the upcoming championship in Yokohama this weekend. I’ll go over the highlights I am most excited about in case you missed it, but you should watch the whole thing if you have the time. There were a few announcements for the gotcha games and Pokemon Go that I won’t be going over because I don’t play those.
Pokemon Worlds Championship
The Pokemon Worlds Championship is this weekend, and it marks an exciting week in the world of Pokemon. The tournament will run from August 11-13, so make sure you tune in on Twitch to watch some exciting competition. Check out the official page for the complete schedule.
The week will also be full of cool Pokemon related events around Yokohama that you should definitely check out if you are heading to worlds. Check out the official page for full details, but here’s a map to get you excited:
And if you are going to Worlds, don’t forget to reserve your slot to shop at the Pokemon Center. There will be a lot of cute and exclusive items that are going to go want to get your hands on, like this cute little Pikachu that is only available at worlds.
I’ll probably be watching some of the Pokemon TCG coverage, but I might just watch a little bit of everything. Good luck to the folks competing, and hope everyone going has a blast!
Path To the Peak Premiere
Worlds will also make the premier of a short animated series, Path to the Peak. The first episode will have a special screening at Worlds, but you can watch it on the official Pokemon YouTube channel on August 11.
The series will follow Ava as she rises in the ranks in the world of competitive Pokemon TCG. This is probably the announcement that has me that got me the most excited. I love the animation and art style, and the story seems super cute. I like that this series comes at a time where I am super into Pokemon TCG, but I am probably no where near as good as Ava. Check out the sneak peak below and tune in on Friday!
Pokemon Horizons
We also got to see a sneak peak for the new Pokemon Horizons Series with the new protagonist and I can’t put to words how excited I am. The animation and art style are amazing, and the world is unique and beautiful. I can only hope that this series doesn’t feel as rushed as Ultimate Journeys did. I hadn’t decided on watching it until I saw the preview. I’ve got the time stamp below for your convenience. There is no date revealed yet for the English dub yet, but I am excited either way!
Paldea Winds
We also got the announcement for Paldea Winds, another webseries coming to us on September 6, 2023. You can watch it on the official Pokemon YouTube, so make sure you follow to say up to date. Paldea Winds follows three students, Ohara, Aliquis, and Hohma, on their adventures through Paldea. It looks pretty cool at least from the trailer, I just hope its better they don’t mess it up like the Digimon web novel.
Scarlet and Violet DLC
If you’ve been playing Scarlet and Violet, there were a few announcements you should be aware of. Most importantly, make sure you go claim your Mew using code:
GETY0URMEW
The Get Mew and Mewtwo event is live now until September 18th. Players can add Mew to their team with the special code GETY0URMEW in the mystery gift menu. Players will also be able to challenge Mewtwo in a special Tera Raid Battle event that will run from August 31 – September 17th. Make sure you don’t miss out on these exclusive Pokemon because they look sick!
We also got to see the first part the upcoming DLC, The Teal Mask, coming out on September 13. The area will bring with it a new area with a new school, characters, and Pokemon. There will also be new story where they investigate the mysteries behind an old Kitakami folktale. I have Violet, but never got around to play it. It might be a great time to for my first play through as I get ready for the DLC.
Final thoughts and Misc. Announcents
This was a very exciting showcase. I can’t wait for the anime to drop, and I might come around to play some of the games. Don’t forget that the Obsidian Flames expansion comes out on August 10th. Its release is certainly shaking up the meta, and there are some cards I wouldn’t mind chasing. The new season of ranked starts on Pokemon TCG live, so make sure you finish up your battle pass and make your last minute climb. I just filled up my battle pass yesterday and love the full art cards I was able to pull. If you have a Switch, you will also be able to play Pokemon Stadium 2 and the Pokemon Trading Card Game on the virtual console if you have a subscription. If you’ve been enjoying these updates, don’t forget to do the things!
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I will start by saying that if you are a fan of the Twisted Metal games, you will be disappointed by this series. This isn’t the dark and twisted narrative that is the main draw to the franchise. This is a cheap and cheesy action series with a Twisted Metal theme. This series is bad. The writing isn’t great, the acting is inconsistent, and the CGI is horrible. But it isn’t the worst video game adaptation I’ve seen. Despite its many flaws, I had a lot of fun with this series. I enjoyed the games, and won’t deny my disappointment that this series isn’t a true adaptation. But I am also a fan of cheesy campy movies, and that part of me adored the general ridiculousness this series carries.
The world has ended. In a post-apocalyptic America, major cities have walled themselves off from the desolate wasteland that surrounds them. But not everyone can live in the cities. The undesirables are cast out, forced to fight amongst themselves in the ruins of the old world. Cities use these outsiders to trade goods with each other. These people are called milkmen, and milkmen are expendable.
John Doe is a milkman hired for the most important run of his life. If he can complete the delivery on time, he can enjoy a peaceful life inside one of these cities. But this won’t be an easy delivery. The roads are unforgiving, full of death and mayhem. Does John have what it takes to make it back alive?
The series is a prequel to the twisted metal tournament. The tournament is run by a mysterious figure who pits the best drivers around in a fight to the death. The winner of the tournament gets their wish granted. The story is pretty cool until it isn’t, but I recommend you watch the cut scenes or summaries on YouTube if you want the real story. The series exists as its own narrative, and while it does have some fun Easter eggs, I am not counting it as canon. It’s best to watch this series disassociating the two narratives, or you will have a bad time.
I enjoyed the series, but it isn’t for everyone. This series is bad, but it’s the fun kind of bad. There is an attempt at a story. It isn’t great, but it’s fine for how cheap the show is. There is a bit of humor, both intentional and not, but don’t expect this to be the action-packed mayhem it promises to be. The CGI looks terrible, and they use a lot of it. All of the action is CGI, and it is hilarious. I recommend this series to people who enjoy watching bad campy movies for fun. Everyone else, it depends on how much cheesiness you can stomach.
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Silo is a fantastic sci-fi mystery full of suspense, action, and conspiracy. If you have an Apple TV subscription or need a reason to start one, check out this series.
Earth has become a toxic and uninhabitable wasteland. The few remaining survivors live now live in an underground silo where life, for the most part, is peaceful. Everyone in the silo serves their purpose, settling into a routine that is decided for them. Most don’t questions the silo’s designs or the founders’ motives. Some get curious and ask the questions that peel at the veil of this carefully crafted façade, but they don’t last long. There is something wrong with the silo. A secret too big to keep hidden forever.
Juliet is a gifted mechanic who spends her days keeping the silo running. She does her job passionately and has never been curious about anything that isn’t mechanical. This all changes when she finds herself wrapped in the silo’s biggest conspiracy. Now Juliet finds herself searching for answers that will destabilize the peace in the silo. Will Juliet finally be the one to uncover the truth, or will she be silenced like all the rest?
Silo is a fantastic thriller with a well-crafted mystery, terrific acting, and a beautiful rustic aesthetic. Some actors aren’t great, and there is a bit of filler I would skip next time around, but the series left me wanting more. I started reading Wool, the book the series is based on, because I couldn’t wait a week for the answers. Once you binge this series in one sitting, I recommend you read the book or at least listen to it on Audible. It is a fantastic piece of science fiction. I’ll link some free copies of the audiobook below for those interested.
I enjoyed both versions almost equally. I loved the TV series because the actors did a great job portraying their characters, I enjoyed the attention to detail in the world and mannerisms, and I liked that the series felt more like a thriller. There are some suspenseful moments in the series that kept me at the edge of my seat even though I knew what was going to happen. I enjoyed the book because it felt more like a mystery. I felt like Juliet got more answers in the book. There are also details in the book that were left out that I felt were done better. I can’t tell you which version I enjoyed more, but I do recommend you dive into them both.
If you haven’t seen this series yet, it is a great time to start it. It is a fantastic mystery set in a fascinating world led by a great protagonist. My only complaint is that I’ll have to wait for season 2 for more answers, but I guess I can read the books in the mean time.
this version of the audiobook isn’t finished, but it does cover everything that happens in the series. It is also the better of the free version
This version isn’t as good, but you have both parts:
If you have been enjoying my content and want to support what I do make sure you like, comment, subscribe, and share this with your friends. You can also buy me a coffee
If you have been enjoying my content and want to support what I do make sure you like, comment, subscribe, and share this with your friends. You can also buy me a coffee
I just finished binging Kipo and the Age of the Wonderbeasts and loved every minute. It is the perfect coming-of-age story, full of adventure, action, and humor. If you are looking for a new cartoon to get into, or simply looking for something to watch with your kids, this is a great solution.
In a dystopian future, society as we know it collapses. Animals have mutated and become sentient and form warring factions that fight over control of what remnants of civilization. The few surviving humans live in underground burrows, hidden from the chaos. Kipo is a burrow girl with big dreams and a bigger heart. She gets separated from her home and ends up in a land full of wonder and danger. Kipo must find her way home, but her journey won’t be easy. Luckily, she finds friends who help her. What will Kipo discover along the way? What will she help others discover?
What I love most about this series are the characters. Kipo is quirky without being annoying, which many shows get wrong. She is a capable teenage girl who will win you over as she does many of her friends. She has her flaws, but the series does a fantastic job of showing her work through them. She is an excellent protagonist and one of the major reasons you should be watching this series.
Kipo’s friends are amazing. The cast is full of fun and memorable characters who also go through an incredible journey. I loved watching the characters grow as they learn from their experiences. I gushed hard at moments that lasted seconds because of how pivotal they were for a character’s development. The attention to detail in this narrative is phenomenal. The series also has some fantastic villains who have great motivations and help mold the story.
This series isn’t perfect, but it’s close. The voice acting is mostly great, but there are a few awkward lines reads. The writing is fantastic, although there is a general cheesiness throughout that is hard to ignore. That said, I believe the flaws give the series its charm.
Kipo and the Age of the Wonderbeats is a rollercoaster of emotions that you need to experience once. I was so invested in the story, characters, and moments that I cried a few times. This series has a lot of laughs and some cool action, but when it needs to get serious, you better be ready. The story is fantastic, the art style is fun, and the soundtrack is phenomenal. If you are looking for a cartoon to watch, it needs to be this one.
You can stream Kipo and the Age of the Wonderbeasts on Netflix.
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I have to say that Apple TV has figured out the formula for wholesome television. I find that their programming is always hit or miss, but the stuff I love is done spectacularly. My latest obsession is with the series Shrinking. If you haven’t already watched this series, I urge you to go watch it now. It is amazing!
Shrinking is the story of a shrink who hits rock bottom after his wife dies. At the bottom, he finds he has become estranged from his daughter, isolated himself from his friends, and has been spiraling for the past year. He decides to do better and start participating in life again. As he learns to take care of himself, he teaches others to do the same. The series becomes this collection of stories of broken people trying to become whole again. It is a quirky and wholesome experience worth every minute of your time.
The concept is a bit over the top, but it works. Some of the psychoanalytical stuff is exaggerated, and some plot points are pandering, but the series is solid throughout. The acting is fantastic, the writing is mostly solid, and the concept is interesting. The actors do a fantastic job of giving this series its charm. While the writing is solid, the actors do a fantastic job of earning your love. Not all of the characters are well-rounded, but that doesn’t matter. You need to watch this series, at least to appreciate the performances.
The series does go into heavy issues like dealing with death or divorce. They touch on a lot of topics about mental health, but it never gets too sad or serious. The series has the perfect balance between sad and happy moments to keep the series feeling wholesome.
The series has a similar tone to Ted Lasso, and I would argue that it is just as enjoyable. You can stream it on Apple TV if you have a subscription, or start the trial if you don’t.
