Pokémon Horizons Volume 4 (EN) Thoughts.

Well, this took longer than I hoped; but here it is- now that I've seen it, here are my thoughts on Volume 4 of Pokémon Horizons' English dub, along with preliminary thoughts on the Rayquaza Rising storyline.

Courtesy: The Pokémon Company/Netflix

Though I still maintain I have nothing personal against the show; especially concerning the new lead characters and story structures, it's their implementation that's keeping me from fully investing in the anime the way others have. I have yet to formally begin the Rayquaza Rising arc (save for a few summaries I read); but it's another instance of predicting where the story is headed and getting it right nearly every time. Perhaps I feel this a bit harder as someone who immensely enjoyed the storylines in the Generation IX games; but I would have preferred a direct adaptation of those instead of just using a few elements to bolster the stories of the Explorers and Rising Volt Tacklers. I also would have been more onboard from the beginning if they had clearly established HZ as part of the existing continuity as opposed to having that detail outed by the Tera Leak.

That's not to say there aren't qualities I like about it- the animation (especially on the battle scenes) is very good; and when the story actually commits to adapting the video games, it works... for the most part. With the second season of the English dub coming in early 2025; I will have much more to discuss. I do legitimately think that the Terastal Debut storyline is good overall; but I shall see what happens with the "Search for Laqua" branding they're going with.

Likewise, though I don't think they'll go with every single plot detail revealed in the "Tera Leak" (I personally don't think this supposed betrayal sounds like a good idea), but with only one of the Legendary Heroes left to capture; I could honestly see them using the Rayquaza Rising storyline to wrap up HZ before the release of Generation X and Legends Z-A (talk persists of an upgraded model of the Switch).

I will do my best to make my December a fruitful one, and I hope to see you all again very soon. That will be all for now, take care.