“Pokémon: To Be A Master” is an anime miniseries that serves as an epilogue to the “Ultimate Journeys” series; and the series finale to the main anime’s quarter-century run. Consisting of eleven episodes and the “Distant Blue Sky” TV special, the event serves as an emotionally powerful tribute to the franchise’s legacy and a compelling blueprint for its future.
After the events of the preceding season, Ash Ketchum (voice of Sarah Natochenny) and his Pikachu (voice of Ikue Ohtani) return home to the Kanto Region. As he reunites with friends and family, he reflects on what it truly means to be a Pokémon master.
The main 11 episodes of the series not only bring back both Pokémon and human companions of years’ past; the tone is an ideal blend of old and new story elements. Both the main miniseries and the “Distant Blue Sky” have animation that channels the early seasons with modern production values, alongside the return of classic music cues from composer Shinji Miyazaki.
The TV special “Distant Blue Sky” serves as a closer to the miniseries’ English dub and this era of the anime as a whole. Taking place in the alternate timeline established by “Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You,” the special sees Ash crossing paths with his father and a reclusive artist who is pining for a lost loved one; all of whom are united under a beautiful blue sky.
The miniseries also marks the end of an era in another aspect- it contains the final voice acting work from James Carter Carthcart (the voice of Gary Oak among many others); before his retirement from the franchise and acting as a whole due to throat cancer.
While saying goodbye to such a beloved show may be difficult, one line in the “Distant Blue Sky” special sums it up perfectly: “things we assumed would always be around are now something to be grateful for.”
While a potential return hasn’t been ruled out in the future, for now; “Pokémon: To Be A Master” is a masterful ending to 25 years of storytelling. As the franchise will be writing a brand new chapter with both animated and live-action spinoffs coming to Netflix in the near future; it will be well worth remembering how what came before told the story of the “greatest master of Pokémon.”
Starring the voices of Sarah Natochenny, Bill Rogers, Michele Knotz, James Carter Carthcart, Lisa Ortiz, Jason Griffiths and Ikue Ohtani
Available on Netflix
Rated TV-Y7-FV
My Rating: *****/5
