On the Origin of Species: Sobble, Drizzile, and Inteleon

What seems at first like a casual episode of Pokémon Horizons ends up surprisingly plot relevant. Now that Uruto is permanently joining Liko and Roy in their travels, there's clear differences in his dynamic with each of them.

Netflix has revealed that the third batch of Pokémon Horizons: Season 2—The Search for Laqua will be releasing exclusively on Netflix in the U.S. and other territories on June 27th. This batch is expected to consist of 11 episodes, from 2x23 HZ068: Into a New Sky! The Brave Olivine!, to 2x33 HZ078: Entei's Fierce Battle Cry!.

It seems like my theory of even numbered episodes of Pokémon Horizons being focused on quelling Laquium-affected Pokémon, and odd numbered episodes being focused on battles, may be coming to fruition given how intense this latest episode has been—though I'll admit this one does mix both Laquium and battles, making it a bit of an anomaly formula-wise. It makes me wonder how the story will progress here on out with everything that transpired.

It’s really nice to see Mollie, Chansey and Maushold again, and for them to be co-stars of a surprise Hattrem-focused episode of Pokémon Horizons. I consider this episode to be a sequel of sorts to episode 38 which also featured Mollie, Hattrem back when she was still a Hatenna, and Maushold. I mentioned it several times in my previous reviews, but out of the adult Rising Volt Tacklers, Mollie is my favorite. I’m glad that she’s the first of the adults to reappear after the time skip! Also, one fun fact: this episode’s title is called the Pokémon Center Lady, which is the canon name of the Pokémon Center workers in the game.

This episode of Pokémon Horizons is a more relaxed one compared to other action-packed episodes. This one doesn’t even involve pacifying any rampaging Pokémon at all. Instead, Liko and Roy work together to restore the Rising Volt Tacklers’ reputation. I do wonder if there is an intended pattern with these episodes. Since the Mega Voltage arc started, the even numbered-episodes revolved around Laquium-affected Pokémon, while the odd numbered episodes mainly focused on Trainer battles and the Rising Volt Tacklers’ reputation. I guess we'll know soon enough.

The second batch of Pokémon Horizons: Season 2—The Search for Laqua has now released exclusively on Netflix in the U.S. and other territories. Pokémon Horizons: Season 2—The Search for Laqua follows dual protagonists Liko and Roy grow as trainers as they continue their journey with the Rising Volt Tacklers to uncover the mysteries of the Pokémon world. This batch of episodes will see Liko, Roy, and Dot in the second phase of their Tera Training, on the path to getting stronger for the quest to Laqua.

While this episode of Pokémon Horizons marks the start of Liko and Roy’s new adventure in solving Laquium cases and restore the Rising Volt Tacklers’ reputation, I find it interesting how a lot has been shown and told, despite this episode being a bit more simplistic compared to the previous two. I feel like the next few episodes might be episodic, as they're mainly solving the Laquium case of the week, but hey, the new arc needs to get some solid footing before the important stuff happens.

It’s so nice to see Liko and Roy reunited. I do like that there’s some parallels in this episode to how they met back in the beginning of Pokémon Horizons, with Roy sneaking into the Brave Olivine to meet Liko, saying that he wanted to see her again (though, he wanted to see Fuecoco). This time, he snuck into Liko's school campus from the skies to meet up with her again. It’s like Roy’s always the one to find Liko. I also found it sweet how Roy’s first thought was to see Liko when he realized he needs more help to stop these Laquium outbreaks. It shows that Roy’s someone who cherishes bonds, and that both he and Liko are very good friends and trust each other. Roy has always been very understanding of Liko, like with how when she refused at first, he accepted her answer. It shows that even though Liko’s someone who wants to understand others, Roy’s also good at understanding people’s emotions too. I guess there's a reason he's popular with the girls now?

Pokémon Horizons is finally back after three excruciatingly long weeks! I'm glad to be back writing reviews, it honestly feels surreal to see a timeskip in a Pokémon anime. I hope it goes in a good direction. Welcome to Horizons Shippuden—er, the Mega Voltage arc of Pokémon Horizons. Sit back, relax and be prepared to read a long review of the new episode.

After completing the second season, episodes from the third season of Pokémon the Series, Pokémon: The Johto Journeys, are now available on the Pokémon TV YouTube channel, with three episodes being added weekly. These uploads have audio tracks in a total of 12 languages: English, German, Italian, Spanish (Spain), Spanish (Latin America), Arabic, Croatian, Dutch, Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), and Swedish; with closed captions currently only available in English.

What a way to end an arc! Pokémon Horizons definitely does experiment a lot and this episode is probably their craziest by far with all those sizzling twists. I find it interesting how the writers made it so that this arc doesn’t end happily, and leave the conflict that came up in this episode hanging to be resolved in the future.

I feel like this episode of Pokémon Horizons is just a testament to just how far Liko, Roy and Dot have come since the start of their journey. I feel like a proud parent just seeing them face off against the White Zygarde, and not be jobbed. Overall, this was a really battle-heavy episode.

The next arc of the Pokémon animated series, known as Pocket Monsters: Mega Voltage (Japanese: 「ポケットモンスター メガボルテージ」 Poketto Monsutā Mega Borutēji) will be debuting in Japan starting Friday, April 11th. The series, known internationally as Pokémon Horizons: The Series, is currently in the final two episodes of its fourth arc, which air in Japan on March 14th and 21st. After a 2 week break, the series will resume on April 11th with new designs for the main characters Liko, Roy, and Dot, along a new character, Ult.

Since the last episode of Pokémon Horizons was a battle-heavy one, it makes sense that this latest episode would be a story-heavy one to maintain balance and order like how Zygarde does things. And oh boy, the story goes all out here. I’m already at the edge of my seat watching this episode.

While this is a battle-heavy episode, I still enjoyed it because Spinel got so much screen time and you know he’s my favorite character. Other than that, I do think that Horizons’ strongest suit is their battles because they always improve after the previous ones. I know I keep saying it, but this battle is the best one by far because the heroes are at their strongest for now.

Netflix has revealed that the second batch of Pokémon Horizons: Season 2—The Search for Laqua will be releasing exclusively on Netflix in the U.S. and other territories on April 25th. This batch is expected to consist of 11 episodes, from 2x12HZ057: The Terapagos I Don't Know, to 2x22 HZ067: Shine on, Terastallization! Liko vs. Roy!

In a post that perhaps went up a little earlier than intended, the official Pokémon Philippines account on Facebook has confirmed that all-new episodes of the globally popular stop-motion animation series Pokémon Concierge will be making their way to our screens this September, exclusively on Netflix.

A new animated special, 『カイリューとゆうびんやさん』 (Kairyū to Yūbinya-san, transl. Dragonite and the Mail Carrier) or Dragonite and the Special Delivery, is now available on the Japanese Pokémon YouTube channel in commeration of Pokémon Day 2025 (February 27th). This special is 14 minutes in length and its cast includes 福本莉子 Riko Fukumoto as Hana, 藤原夏海 Natsumi Fujiwara as Rio, and 高橋伸也 Shinya Takahashi as Dragonite.

This past week's episode of Pokémon Horizons was basically introducing Laqua to the viewers and to the main characters, hence why it feels slow-paced. It’s supposed to be that way for immersion. I honestly love how beautiful and peaceful Laqua looks, with a plethora of Pokémon living harmoniously. It’s crazy to see so many of these different species of Pokémon, including Legendary Pokémon, all gathered in one place. Though, that’s just what it looks like on the surface. I like that while it looks like that in the front, delving deeper into Laqua shows the darker, thornier aspects of the paradise.

This past week's episode of Pokémon Horizons was a nice respite before the group makes it to Laqua. It also makes sense that they have to make a stop as the Brave Olivine isn’t impervious. It does suck that Orla, Mollie, Murdock and Ludlow are always left behind at the airship, but it makes sense for them to stay just in case something bad happens as it’s revealed that the Explorers’ base is on the island, and that Chalce is wandering about.