Review HZ002: The Pendant of Beginning, Part 2

[Articfoxgamez]

Also wasn’t psycho cut aimed at Friede and he dodged it and that’s when it went towards her?

Maybe? Looked to me more like he was trying to stop Liko from getting away but either direction is plausable

Ash’s Anime sure. However this one has already made it clear the moves are much more dangerous. Liko had bandaids from Sprigatitos scratch attacks and we saw several times that the moves did serious damage when they hit building and stuff. I don’t think we’ll be seeing attacks do no damage like they did with Ash.

The main thing is, Pokemon moves being able to severely hurt humans doesnt have the... best of implications over what they do to actual Pokemon too. And I don't think that was scratch as in the move but rather just... the action.

 

[Midorikawa]

The main thing is, Pokemon moves being able to severely hurt humans doesnt have the... best of implications over what they do to actual Pokemon too. And I don't think that was scratch as in the move but rather just... the action.

Regardless if it was a move or action, she was injured. And we saw the Pokémon take damage too, but of course biologically they are going to be naturally stronger than humans.

I don’t think we can ignore the damage it was showing and Likos reaction to it either. It was treated very seriously, much more than it ever has been in Ash’s anime.

 

[R1ke]

Finally got around to watching these. It’s fairly good. The cast are enjoyable so far and Liko is distinct from Ash. This also seems more story driven which is a plus, hope this series is more streamlined and there’s no boring fillers anymore. The animation is there but tbh I wasn’t super impressed by it. I was kinda hoping the art style would be cleaner too, to me it’s like journeys one. Just something more distinct akin to twilight wings and the like

But still, this series is shaping up to be a good one, just want them to take their time telling their story and not just throw in past characters/storylines early on. Not sure how much I’ll tune in but I’m glad the anime seems to be in good hands rn

 

[SonansuMan]

Took a minute to end up watching both episodes with subs, and after getting enough time to process them I think this is one of the strongest openers we've had for the anime in a minute

I'm glad that Liko is already a big departure from Ash in terms of character and I hope that she continues to serve as a way to keep the identity of the series unique and fresh as she receives more development down the line. Just some of the small things like her monologuing and choosing to back down if a situation inconveniences others help to differentiate her a lot. Having Sprigatito contrast a lot with her character will also hopefully give more fun interactions and I definitely think she has a lot of potentials to be a good protagonist

Not too sure how to feel about the RVT yet since I feel like SM already struggled to juggle a big cast, but personality wise they seem very cool, and I like that every Pokémon they have on the airship is incorporated into certain roles. Also nice to see slightly less used mons like Carkol (who funnily enough never even appeared in Journeys) and Shuckle be a part of the crew

Also, not too much to say about the Explorers yet since it's still pretty early, but Amethio being an antagonist that does not try to achieve his goals by any means of foul play is an interesting shift from Team Rocket, and I'm curious to see what they'll do with his character. The only hope I have is that he is allowed to get some more light-hearted interactions with his teammates so that they don't feel solely confined to being plot devices with legs. It's also interesting that they're already acknowledged by the RVT in the series so I wonder if this means they're a well-known organization

ADDITIONAL NOTES:

• Animation was on point in these episodes, especially during the battles Yajima's influence is great to see and it makes me optimistic to see them start off the choreography of the fights so strong
• I like that they didn't have Liko and Roy battling for screen time in these episodes. I hope HZ004 is able to do him justice and flesh him out just as much

OVERALL SCORE:
9/10

 

[Giri]

Glad that they didn't blast off like Team Rocket.

 

[FelipePR]

Wow, it was a crazy and very action packed episode.We've had the addition of several new plot-relevant characters, the initial development of the season's plot, and the presentation of several very well-animated battles.

And what was that cliffhanger at the end of the episode? Frighteningly unexpected that in this franchise, and as early as episode 02, there could be a separation between two of the main characters.

Still, for me, the scene-stealer of The Brave Olivine episode, the depiction of the aircraft and all its mechanisms and machinery was something truly incredible and interesting.

While I can't help but notice that everything seems a little unnecessarily rushed in these two initial episodes, there is a real eagerness to get the show rolling rather than give it the necessary time. And yet, where is Roy? I wonder how many episodes it will take for him to be introduced.

It took XY007 for Serena to officially join the XY crew also. I hope we're at least introduced to Roy in HZ003, but I wouldn't be surprised if it took a couple episodes for him to join Liko. Its not out of the ordinary.

Indeed, but we got the introduction of Serena as soon as the first few minutes of the XY series, whereas, in the first two episodes of Horizons, there is not a single mention or glimpse of Roy. And for a series called the adventures of Liko and Roy, this is, to say the least, a little unexpected.