The Pokémon franchise has become an anime institution unto itself. Aside from the ever-popular main series, there have been numerous different spin-offs. However, of all these spin-offs, Pokémon Generations has been the most beloved. Ever since Pokémon Generations ended, fans have been desperate for more series following the same format. Now, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Pokémon franchise, a new series will finally be launching, and it seems to be taking its cues from Pokémon Generations.
Pokémon Generations was released in 2016 on the official Pokémon YouTube channel. Following on from the also popular Pokémon Origins anime, this 18-episode show told a series of stories inspired by the various Pokémon games, covering all of the regions released up to that point. The combination of gripping stories, beautiful animation and a heaping helping of nostalgia made the series a smash-hit with fans.
The new series, titled Pokémon Evolutions, is a limited anime series that aims to celebrate the history of the Pokémon franchise. According to the press release put out by the Pokémon Company, the eight-episode series will visit each of the regions found in the games in reverse chronological order. The first episode will be set in the Galar region, as seen in the latest games Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield. From there, the series will revisit Alola, Kalos, Unova, Sinnoh, Hoenn and Johto before the final episode returns fans to the Kanto region -- the one that started everything 25 years ago.
The series will be produced by The Pokémon Company International, and studio OLM will be handling the animation. OLM previously animated many Pokémon anime series and was the team behind the beloved Pokémon Generations, so fans can expect that this new series will be in good hands. The trailer gives viewers a taste of what to expect, featuring some beautiful shots of various locations from the franchise and characters from Pokémon Sword, Pokémon Shield and other previous games engaged in various Pokémon battles. While the trailer gives little away about the stories themselves, it does prove that OLM's reputation for beautiful art will continue to be upheld.
Pokémon Generations and Pokémon Evolutions sharing both a format and team is a good thing. On the most basic level, giving the fans more of what they want is always a good idea, and celebrating milestones is something to be encouraged. Due to the time between games, every Pokémon region has certain areas that remain unexplored, especially as the main anime tends to undergo a soft reset whenever Ash moves to a new area. On top of this, the regular anime only follows a handful of characters and arcs, overlooking everyone outside the core cast. The self-contained stories found in Generations and Evolutions allow the writers to explore previous areas in more depth and tell stories they never got the chance to do the first time. Moreover, as these stories are all self-contained, the writers can focus on less-spotlighted characters and situations, leading to a series potentially overflowing with pure creativity.
Pokémon Evolutions is the perfect tribute to the Pokémon franchise, allowing fans to revisit their favorite regions. Hopefully, the series becomes as popular as Pokémon Generations and gives fans that same sense of excitement and warm nostalgia. And just maybe, if it does grow popular enough, we'll see the Pokémon franchise take further trips back to older regions, letting fans continue to enjoy the franchise's wide and varied history.
