Respective Departures - Pokémon Horizons Episode 34 Review - A Party of Departure and Foreshadowing

While this week's episode of Pokémon Horizons was mainly a straightforward episode with the gang holding a party for Diana’s departure, I actually liked the subtle hints of foreshadowing for the future they snuck in. This episode has hints of the Rising Volt Tacklers going to find the Scarlet/Violet Book that harbors details about Terapagos, Dot going into battle, and Spinel and Agate hinting on usurping Amethio’s chances of finding the Black Rayquaza. This episode has done a lot to help build my excitement for what's coming in future episodes.

The parts of this episode with Diana were very sweet. While her time with the Rising Volt Tacklers was short, she did help the team out a lot, with stuff like melting Lapras’s ice, getting Liko and Roy to seek out her old acquaintances to follow up on possible leads, and helping to train them as well. The team certainly seems to have appreciated her presence for the brief amount of time she was with them. Really, Diana was the biggest factor behind why Liko started her journey in the first place, thanks to her giving Liko the pendant, and I can see both grandmother and granddaughter having a good relationship; it’s always so nice to see family getting along. I did like how the party consisted of curry, which was reminiscent of the curry picnic the gang had back in Episode 27. The video Dot helped Liko and Roy make was hilarious with the exploding effects. Diana is a great character, so I hope that she’ll return in the future.

In the beginning of the episode, Nidothing got a sponsorship deal, as she was promoting a cap in her video; it turned out to be a sponsorship that Iono rejected because she didn’t want to take off her hair accessories. It was nice seeing Iono again! The conversation she had with Dot really does make it seem like Dot will take the initiative and have a battle soon. I really want to see Dot get some proper spotlight! I want to see her battle and also catch a new Pokémon! She’s so underrated as a character and I really do like her; I hope that they'll give her a focus episode in the near future.

The parts of this episode with Amethio were cool to see. The battle between him and Hamber was brief, but well-animated. The fact that Hamber knew how to Terastalize was a big surprise; he also gave Amethio a Tera Orb, so Amethio finally gets that power-up he desires, but will it be enough? Spinel and Agate were eavesdropping on them, which makes me wonder if those two will play a bigger part in the near future as antagonists. I think Spinel's a great villain, so I'm excited to see what they might do with him. I also want to see what Agate can do, as thus far she's the only Explorers admin with the least amount of focus. She has a great design, so I hope it doesn’t come to waste; I expect her to be calm but also very fierce. Also, the part with Gibeon intrigues me. He called Rakua "his Rakua". Given that the historical origins of the Explorers as Lucius’s human friends, could someone have betrayed Lucius? Could Gibeon themselves perhaps be directly connected to Lucius somehow?

I can’t wait to see what 2024 has in store for Horizons. While the second chapter is moving at a slow pace, returning to Paldea can open doors for many potential plot lines and story arcs. I’d love to see more Paldean Gym Leaders and the Professor making an appearance. I wonder if Koraidon and/or Miraidon will appear as well. I can’t wait for the next year! How about you? What are you anticipating the most next year in regards to Horizons?