Post — Aaron Ngo

Major Spoilers are included in this season review. Please read with caution.

On September 11, 2020, Netflix released Pokemon Journeys: The Series’ Part 2—another 12 episodes. I watched leisurely throughout that weekend and finished on September 15, 2020. Having watched Part 1 recently during August—the link to that review is here—it was good timing for the next part to drop. There were low stakes during Part 2, but I did enjoy the follow-up with the cliffhanger from Part 1.

After taking care of the Dynamax Drednaw—with a Dynamax Pikachu—Ash (Sarah Natochenny) had a battle with World Champion Leon and lost. After this defeat, Ash’s new goal was to have an official rematch against Leon through the World Coronation Series Tournament, a tournament based on ranking. Goh, on the other hand, is continuing his goal of catching all the Pokemon and filling his Pokedex.

After finishing Part 2, I realized—or saw how the show better conveyed—how the main two characters display two different Pokemon Game philosophies and how they can actually coexist with each other.

Ash is obviously old-generation Pokemon Game whose love for Pokemon battling exceeds all else while Goh is more in-line with the current generation—Pokemon GO—and simply likes to collect the Pokemon. Over the years—and sometimes now, I think—these two philosophies would clash toxically, trying to “prove” they are the better way.

The series conveyed that important message in Part 2—regarding how these two philosophies can coexist with each other through the characters—better than Part 1. Pokemon Journeys: The Series even dedicated an episode about Ash and Goh giving these small children a tour on Pokemon, and how those kids took a liking to their approaches.

What I appreciated the most about Part 2 was the character focus on Scorbunny and his evolution into Raboot. Part 2 pulled a “Charmander to Charmeleon” twist on Raboot, making the Pokemon more distanced, edgy, and rebellious from Goh. After two episodes or so since the awesome evolution, the issue was addressed by giving us a full-circle vibe on how Goh and Raboot first met during Part 1.

I almost cried—the only time I had done that watching Pokemon since hitting adulthood—when Goh thought he had to let Raboot go for him to find happiness, but Raboot managed to get on the train back home like before. No matter what evolution he goes through, Raboot will always care about Goh. What an unexpected payoff.

Overall, the stakes in Part 2 were low compared to Part 1, but the message was clear: Have fun adventuring with your friends—despite the difference in opinion regarding your love for the same thing—and bonding with your adorable pets. There was no high-stake cliffhanger at the end of Part 2, so the wait for the next batch of episodes will be quite chill. I’m a casual fan so I don’t need to see what happens next, but I am excited to see where the story goes next.

Thanks for reading this Pokemon review, everyone! I’ll see you all when Part 3 eventually drops on Netflix.

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