This anime started out as kind of annoying to me as Ash repeatedly made mistakes that he should not have been able to make after traveling through more than four regions. It started to get better after a while, but now it's back to annoying. The shows writers need to come up with some more original material. I say this because so far, whenever the going has been getting good, the writers suddenly come up with yet another battle competition. It gets old after the third time within twenty episodes, and now there's another one going on. Also I don't like how the writers have dealt with Iris' characterization. She's just a stuck up brat who likes to put down others for her own amusement...and then they give her a fully evolved Dragonite.
Also, there's Georgia, the self proclaimed 'dragon buster', who can't even win one battle against the 'Main Cast'. Not to mention Paul...oh, sorry, I mean Trip. I can't really tell the difference between them. (show less)

As season 1 has been concluded and Ash has gained all eight necessary badges to enter the Isshu Pokémon League, I think it's finally time to review all 86 episodes which make out the first season. The story progresses good, and this time around the fillers seem like they still serve a point (some of them at least) making it worthwile to watch. Though it is clear that this is aimed towards a young audience, making the dialogue a bit too simple at times. The animation is really colourful, vibrant and is all in all well drawn, so nothing to really comment on there. The gym battles are still what you look forward to the most, and they always keep you at the edge of your seat, as you know there will be a twist at the end and it is always unsure whether Ash will get his badge or not. (show less)

As with a few of the other reviewers, I grew up both playing Pokemon and watching the Anime. This season is good in that it is back to a character(Ash) going around catching Pokemon and challenging Gyms. However, what I find hard to stomach is that Ash, whilst going around multiple regions still makes rookie mistakes. The battle against Shootie in episode 10 his greatest strategy against a flying type was, after losing with a water type, send a fire type out. Whereas in 'Battle Frontier', he was facing up against pokemon like Articuno and requesting for Charizard to come and help out.

I get that this is supposed to be introducing and advertising what the games are all about, but the producers lost the plot when they decided to make it purely about it. They should have continued on in the direction that they clearly had in the 'Advanced Generation' series' which was show Ash maturing both as a trainer and as a person, then write him out, maybe bring him back for some cameo appearances every now and then but follow a different character around. Also all these 'rivals' that Ash keeps on coming up against, come on, there's nothing new about them, it's just the same old argument, heart vs head. At some point the producers forgot what a storyline is and made it goal based rather than plot based and at some point they are going to have to face that.

But, complaining session over. This series, as I said, is good in that it is back to basics, the animation is better than it ever has been. (show less)

I've been in the Pokemon scene since the old days of the very first season in Kanto. I loved the anime! But then got turned off as the production quality and voicing started degrading. I remember seeing a Salamance take land and take flight without moving what-so-ever; no wing flapping, no head movement, no foot movement, nothing :\ I felt like I was watching colored manga scans with mouth movement.

I took a chance with this season, feeling a little nostalgic for an old anime favorite. Immediately, I noticed a HUGE change in the animation and production.

Story: With some changes to details and characters, the basic premises of Satoshi/Ash catching new pokemon, battling gym trainers, and entering the Pokemon League still remain. However, I'm still disappointed the only original pokemon he has is his pikachu. I would've hoped he would keep some of his others he trained so hard. I'm also a bit bummed that he didn't grow at all. He's still 10 years old and acts inexperienced, despite how many adventures and battles he's been through.

Dialogue: Its an anime meant for kids, so you have to take the script with a grain of salt if you're older. I think it serves its purpose extremely well. My only complaint: Satoshi has a bit of a potty mouth for a 10-year-old kid!

Animation: A HUGE high point for this season of Pokemon! Its not any of the movie high-budget stuff, but its a couple nice steps above the laziness I saw in previous seasons. Flying pokemon flap their wings when they fly, there's more dynamics with the special effects, especially during the battle sequences. The CG use is quite; fits perfectly for the attacks. I hope the animation budget stays high for this one :)

Entertainment: Its a kid's show. Young, Modern day Pokemon fans will absolutely love it! Long time fans will more than likely love this arch as well! People like myself who were fans of the older seasons may like this anime too, but may feel behind if they're unfamiliar with the myriad of new moves and pokmeon (like myself).

Final Verdict: Its worth the download! Its not a mind-blowing, world changing anime, but this season of Pokemon should keep a wide variety of audiences well entertained. Happy viewing! (show less)

It's been almost 16 years since Ash's adventures were first animated but the this anime just never grows old on me (and strangely enough so does Ash who seems to be destined to stay as the eternal 10 year old). Critics might complain about it's commercial reasons for being but the series as a whole is essentially good entertainment for kids. Growing up with the English version makes stop and think about how different it is from from the original Japanese version. But the question of whether the you find the Japanese dub superior to the English one or vice versa is as I believe a matter of personal taste. I watched both versions and I find pikachu pika-pika-pi just as cute so I personally have no complaints. The animation does get better as the seasons pass ever proving that the producers are really getting good a buck for an anime that continues to advertise an already popular video game. Some may argue that the story is getting stale and that Ash is starting to get old (as the main character). Sure enough a new main heroine does show up as the anime tries to play catch up with the games but at this point it wouldn't be wrong to make Ash grow up (literally) and make the story focus on a new main hero, possibly a relative (like his son) or maybe focus on his rival Gary Oak. On the up side what I find to be nice about the series running for as long as it has is that it really helps in bridging the generation gap. I imagine parents who grew up with the series playing the games and watching the anime together with their kids as chance to bond in 5 more years. And so to wrap things up I give the story 3/5 which makes it good enough for kids. 4/5 for dialogue, Animation, and Entertainment Value.

And in case you're wondering Ash is supposed to be 25-26 years old by now. LOL (show less)