Pokemon XY

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 by winning 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 excited, 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.