Ash shows up in a new region and immediately gets his ass handed to him by a level 5 Snivy, which is exactly the reset the series needed after years of him being competent. The animation overhaul makes everything pop in a way the show hadn't managed before, and the new cast actually pushes back instead of just cheering from the sidelines. It's formulaic, sure, but there's something honest about a show that knows what it is and doesn't pretend to be anything else.

Ash Ketchum sets out with Pikachu for Unova, a region far from Kanto, Johto, Hoenn and Sinnoh, where he finds Pokémon he has never seen before and is eager to catch them. There he meets Professor Juniper and Trip, a new trainer who becomes his rival. Two traveling companions join him: Iris, a girl from a town known for Dragon Pokémon, and Cilan, a Pokémon Connoisseur who is the Grass specialist among the three Gym Leaders of Striaton City. Ash will need to build a new team if he hopes to take on the region's skilled Gym Leaders on his way to becoming a Pokémon Master. Based on the Pokémon Black and White games, this fourth animated Pokémon series mixes action, adventure, comedy and fantasy.