Here it is! The start of a new Era! 2-3 more years of Isshu, Isshu, and more Isshu!!!
Let's go over the basics, shall we?
Opening: An all CGI opening. That's a first! Is it any good? Well, it's certainly different. One thing you may notice going into the second episode is that, while here all the Pokemon are silhouetted in black, they slowly start to reveal themselves. As the show progresses, I'm betting it continuously gets updated to show all the new Isshu Pokemon. Pretty creative! Let's hope the dub does that.
The song was definitely pretty cool, if a bit tame. It'll need more disection as we move along. Tons of "Daijoubus!" though.
The episode: Pretty much the definition of a clean slate if you ask me. Ash, Delia, and Oak are the only characters we see returning (besides the villains) for the whole episode. We don't see or hear from any previous characters, which I think is a good stage to set. And it looks like the whole family will be chillin' in Isshu for now.
Rockets and Giovanni are back! Followed by mysterious secretary lady. Team Rocket may still be up to their old tricks, but they sure aren't making the same mistakes (not yet anyway).
The whole "Electrile Dysfunction" of Pikachu which I thought was going to be a major plot point in the series.... fixes itself pretty much just as quick (in the 2nd eppy). Soooo much for that!
All in all, the episode was setting the ground work for the rest of the series, so it may not be as exciting as some of the future ones. Though seeing Shuuti pick his Tsutarja over Mijumaru was probably the highlight.