Pokemon Journeys: The Series Netflix Original Part 1 Review
Major Spoilers are included in this season review. Please read with caution.
Pokemon is back on Netflix with a new series. Unlike the past 23-seasons of Ash and Pikachu’s adventure, this one took a new approach with a soft reboot on the series. The premise of this new show follows Ash, Pikachu, and new protagonist Goh becoming Pokemon Researchers for Professor Cerise in Vermillion City. The main goal is to research and catch as many Pokemon as possible, undergoing many investigations assigned by Professor Cerise.
The first episode was dedicated to giving us flashback backstories on newcomer Goh and Pikachu’s time as a Pichu, literally allowing Ash to oversleep the whole episode. This episode was the perfect opener for new kids who hadn’t learned about Pokemon yet, making it a great jumping point for them to learn about this timeless world. The first episode also recapped how Pikachu meets Ash while also establishing Goh’s character and his motivations as a Pokemon trainer.
Unlike the previous seasons, Goh is treated more like the main protagonist than Ash, which is a huge refreshing change of pace. Goh’s character is a walking Pokemon encyclopedia, making new fans associate with him more than Ash for their introduction into the Pokemon world. Yes, I know this show is designed for children, but y’all know adults without children are watching this show too. I like Goh more than Ash, honestly.
To reinforce the huge refreshing change of pace that was happening, the series chose not to lock itself down on one specific region. Over the course of the first part, Ash and Goh causally travel to other regions for their Pokemon investigations. They even revisited classic legendary stories on Ho-Oh, Lugia, and Mew. While some long-time fans would be annoyed by these changes, I must remind everyone reading this review that Pokemon Journeys: The Series is technically not designed for us older folk but for kids literally ten and younger.
Overall, I had a blast watching Pokemon Journeys: The Series Part 1. I would highly recommend this series if you want to see a new protagonist that isn’t Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town. I know there’s more episodes out there—subbed not dubbed—but I’m going to wait for Netflix to release Part 2 at some point. My love for Pokemon is pretty causal, so I don’t need to know what happens next despite the huge cliffhanger. Thanks for reading this Pokemon review, everyone!