Review; Pokémon TV App

When we first introduced our TV section on the site we noted the way our viewing habits have changed. The advent of streaming capabilities to mobile devices has seen a new wave in content both newly created as well as older shows making a comeback. Most of these constitute a smorgasbord of shows of which to consume and usually with a price tag attached.

The Pokémon Company however have decided to take matters into their own hands and create an app dedicated to the beloved TV show. This is not a new idea but the fact it is totally free and crammed full of content may make it the first of a new generation of streaming apps.

I am a cartoon fan and always have been but nowadays my interest for cartoons has increased thanks to my son. So I will try to look at this app from both my eyes and his, I firmly believe that Pokémon is an all ages product so the ability for my son to access the content is an important part of this apps success. He will be the player of tomorrow and for any franchise to grow they need new blood buying into their product. This is perhaps the apps greatest triumph, it’s so easy to use and navigate that anyone could potentially access the content. There are no sub menus or search functions instead the episodes are laid out in a sliding grid structure.

The rows are structured by region instead of by season, with around 700 episodes of Pokémon to handle the organisation was going to be an issue. I’m not sure if this structure works better than the straight season structure but it does allow the creators to pick and choose episodes more freely. The app actually has 42 episodes which are updated weekly so you have to be on your toes to catch them all (sorry could not resist). There are also special episodes from time to time but at the time of writing none were available to comment on

I would like a way to see the episodes that you have watched even on a weekly basis. There is no colour change or notification to say you have watched it or a list. It is not essential but would give the user experience a boost. There is a large advertising bar on the top of the page, but it does not seem to lead to anywhere where you can buy things. Instead it promotes the new shows on Citv (in the UK) and the games currently on sale. This is a minor issue but I felt it should be noted. However for a free app it is very unobtrusive and you are by no means ever bombarded with adverts.

I have used the app on both my Note3 and Galaxy Tab 2 and found it works well on both. There was an odd glitch when I first downloaded the app it kept crashing on the loading screen, however once I restarted my and tab I have never had another function problem. Not sure why this happens or if it has been fixed when you read this but just something I think you all should know.

The simplistic presentation mixed with the huge back catalogue of content make the Pokémon App one of the easiest recommendations I have ever made, Go download it now.

Download Links

App Store

Google Play Store

For Kindle Fire