Review: Pokemon the Series Sun and Moon “Alola to New Adventure”

A new chapter dawns on the beloved Pokemon anime, and it more ways than one! Will it ride the wave to new horizons or get lost in the tide?

Spoilers Below

We begin with, who else, Ash Ketchum and his partner Pikachu, who still have yet to become champion of ANY Pokemon Leagues. Not that it seems to be bringing them down here, as they take a jet-ski sort of ride on a Sharpedo around the beach. Already we’re getting a taste of how different the animation is to previous seasons, which was pretty polarizing with fans when it was first announced, with most feeling skeptical, and outright hating it coming in a close second. That said, while it might take some getting used to, I’m not so opposed to it. Stuff like the recently released Pokemon Generations has shown differing styles of animating these characters can work pretty well if done right, and I don’t see any reason to worry yet.

The narrator tells us we’re on Melemele Island, one of the several islands in the Alola Region where Ash, Pikachu, and his mother are having a vacation. In case it wasn’t obvious, Alola is heavily influenced off the state of Hawaii, much like how the first four regions were based on Japanese cities, Gen 5’s Unova was based on New York, and Gen 6’s Kalos was based on metropolitan France. As Ash jets above and under the water, he gets a glimpse of several kinds of water Pokemon from across the various generations, which highlights Sun & Moon’s variety of cross-generation encounters. Another thing the show is basically advertising for is the introduction of Ride Pokemon (as first seen with Ash using the Sharpedo Jet-ski, and later with riding on land and air), something previous games sort of had in the past regarding use of HMs (Hidden Machines) like Surf or Fly, but now can be more personal and immersive for the player. I know that this show is not much more than a commercial for the games, but it’s nice when they can show off game mechanics in a way that seems natural to the story, as seen here. Other ways seen later…not so much.

Ash meets up back with his mom and her chosen Pokemon Mr. Mime, who’s been around since the early episodes, and apparently got them the tickets to get there in a lottery. We also learn (in rewinded flashback) that they’re also on an errand for Professor Oak to drop off an egg at his cousin’s place while they’re there. This is one of the few times a season of the show has started on its own without a lead in at the end of the previous one (the last time being in 2010), though I guess that makes sense with how much things have changed. They get a Pokemon Taxi being driven by a Taurus, whose rider explains the concept of Ride Pokemon and that Alola uses Pokemon to go anywhere. Stopping to get some Berries (which are really just the name for any fruit in this world), Ash runs into a new Pokemon called Grubbin (note to self, name first caught Grubbin “Hans Grubber”) and chases after it into the forest. As he enters, he’s spied on by glowing eyes that follow him. After losing the Grubbin, he realizes he’s lost and tries to find his way out, only to find a Bewear who chases him off. Now even more lost, Ash spots someone riding a Charizard and decides to follow it, eventually ending up at the Pokemon School where Oak’s cousin resides and wandering right into a bunch of riding Taurus who immediately run him over. Somehow not dead, he meets Lillie, who seems to have some sort of phobia about Pokemon, despite statements to the contrary. Next are the riders, Mallow, Lana, and Sophocles, and the guy who was flying before, Miawe. This is actually the first Pokemon season to have six total human protagonists, which usually caps at four. Also interestingly, Ash always tends to have at least one Gym Leader in his party per series, so I decided to look that up here too. Turns out that Sun & Moon did away with Leaders (at least for now), replacing them with “Trial Captains”, of which Mallow, Lana, Sophocles and Miawe are among in the game, so that’s another record there.

Mallow, mistaking Ash for a student, drags him (literally) to Principal Samson Oak, allowing him to meet up with his mom again. After checking in with their Oak, Mallow decides to give Ash a further tour, running into Professor Kukui, who takes the proper Professor spot for this Gen. Speaking filling spots, Miawe’s proper introduction is while he’s up against the Team Rocket of the region, Team Skull, who seem more of a gang than the usual organized terrorist groups we’re used to. They release nine of their Pokemon at once, showing off another relatively new feature of the new games where trainers can end up facing several opponents at once. Ash, being the main character, steps in to help. Not that he gets much of a chance as Miawe pretty much wipes the floor with all three of them, though Ash does get in some nice hits. To end with a bang, Miawe brings out his Z-Ring, allowing him to activate a Z-Move: Inferno Overdrive. Some might say using a move that looks vaguely like an atomic blast is overkill (and a little insensitive for a show airing in Japan) but remember, that this is Pokemon, so they’re only fainted, not dead!

Kukui explains that each of the four islands has its own guardian, and only by taking the “Island Challenge” can someone become able to use a Z-Move. Hopefully, it’s not like the Cinnamon or Ice Bucket Challenges because that doesn’t seem like it’d teach much. But this sends Ash’s hopes ablaze, distracted by the arrival of Tapu Koko, the guardian of Melemele. He tracks it down later that night, where it throws him a Z-Ring of his own because…well,  character. But this makes up his mind, and he decides to stay on the island to start Pokemon School with the others. That, and we wouldn’t really have a show if he didn’t stay. Onto the next adventure!

This is really starting out pretty differently than what I, and likely many others, are used to in a Pokemon series. Besides the new art style, the first noticeable overhaul seems to be that this will take place mainly in a stationary setting at the school, as opposed to the usual wandering around the region. I have no idea how this is going to go, but it seems like a neat way to change things up, especially with how different the new games are from the old. The larger than usual cast is also an interesting shift, as now we have multiple classmate friends who we can get to know over the course of the show. My one legitimate complaint so far (aside from him mentioning his capture of Taurus which simply draws attention to the fact that HE DOESN’T AGE) would have to be that Ash’s way of getting the Z-Ring through basically divine intervention doesn’t sit right with me. I’m familiar with Legendary Pokemon taking a liking to Ash in the past, but that was typically kept to the movies, which didn’t have an impact on anything in the show. It would have been nice for Ash to go for the Island Challenge himself and earn the ring, but now he just has it without working for it (something I’m finding is consistent with Ash after revisiting the first season). But all in all, based on this first episode, seems like all these changes might work out for the franchise.