>>57946143I rate Horizons a 5. Genuinely awesome start, loved Liko's introduction, loved Roy's introduction, loved the cat and mouse chases with the Explorers early on... but the show has genuinely massive problems that make it really boring to watch on a week to week basis.
The series lacks a lot in the way of comedy, which, for me, isn't something Pokémon should ever be allowed to opt out of. Going for a serious tone would be one thing, but as we learned, stakes don't really exist, as Friede might just teleport away from danger after a cliffhanger. There are also a lot of characters, and a lot of scenes where characters are standing around talking instead of doing anything. This is probably the wordiest series we've ever had, and it's not like these conversations are all brilliant and enthralling stuff. We get a lot of time for humans talking, and probably, by numbers, the lowest amount of Pokémon and Pokemon-centric adventures in a given series.
The animation was gorgeous in the first few months but it's impossible to ignore the fall off. We may never get another good looking episode, it's been almost a year now.
Lastly, I just wish Liko and Roy had a stronger dynamic. I really like Liko and Roy has also had some great episodes, but compared to Ash and Goh, I don't get the impression that these guys like to be around each other, or have any intense investment in each other. Liko vs Roy was truly awesome but it would have been so much better if the writers remembered they were supposed to be a duo.
I wanted a lot more for a female led anipoke series. I liked SM and JN more. I don't care that they dropped Ash and Ash has never been a driving force to keep me watching, but the weekly element of tuning into Pokémon to see the mons, battles, and comedy used to be a lot better. I love the ambition of Horizons, but I think a simpler premise with less characters and more room for format experimentation would better suit my preferences.
