When it comes to the Pokemon Anime, there’s little doubt it’s one of the most influential anime ever. After all, it lasted over 25 years in its original “incarnation” via main characters Ash and Pikachu and only recently had its first sequel series. Within that time, it spawned tons of movies, several spinoffs or “reimaginings” of certain events, and so on. However, if you wanted to “go back in time” and watch many of the original seasons with Ash and Pikachu, you’ll find that’s hard to do. That got even harder when Pokemon TV shut down via its app. However, hope is not lost!
Hoopla Digital, and yes, that first word is rather close to a Pokemon name, is a special streaming app that several libraries use for their guests to access a variety of shows. The Pokemon Company has announced a team-up with Hoopla to bring seasons 6-13 of the Pokemon Anime to the service for fans to enjoy:
“We’re seeing a growing interest in animated and cartoon content with an impressive 22% year-over-year increase in television content borrowed in the genre across the hoopla platform,” Jeff Jankowski, the founder of Hoopla, shared in a statement noted by ComicBook.com. “As animated content continues to gain popularity in American pop culture, we’re happy to partner with Pokemon and support libraries with an expanded selection as they meet the evolving content needs of today’s patrons.”
So if you go to your local library, you might have access to these seasons. But what seasons are you getting specifically? Season 6 is the start of Pokemon Advanced, which was the first season set within the Hoenn region. This season was special because it was the first true season to have multiple new companions via May and Max and the first season not to have Misty at Ash’s side, though Brock did return.
As for Season 13, that was the season that wrapped up the Sinnoh region for Ash, where he, Brock, and the newest member, Dawn, traveled all around the region on numerous adventures. So, with this collection, you’ll have two full regions of episodes to enjoy, including some truly special episodes from the series. So, you might want to see if your local library has access to Hoopla!
For those who want new adventures, Pokemon Horizons has the first batch of its dubbed episodes on Netflix right now, and part two is coming soon. So there are plenty of adventures to enjoy all around!
