Opening Stats:

Japanese Opening Theme BW 01b:  N/A
American Equivalent(s):  "Rival Destinies"
Used in Japanese Episodes:  N/A
Used in American Episodes:  1501-1552 (unconfirmed)
Japanese Theme Running Time:  N/A
American Theme Running Time:  Thirty seconds

The clip show opening starts with Ash and Pikachu excitedly looking ahead.  Iris and Axew are searching for something from the top of a tree while Cilan referees a battle.  Ash's starter Pokémon - Tepig, Oshawott, and Snivy - all get an entrance scene before a shot of Pikachu cheering from atop Ash's shoulder is shown.  A Crustle, Krokorok and Unfezant are seen getting ready for battle before Pikachu lets out a Thunderbolt attack.  Ash orders an unknown attack, and Iris ducks out of the way inside a forest.  Next, Oshawott is seen using Razor Shell before a shot of the Gym Leader Skyla throwing a PokéBall.  Iris gets fired up as Axew fires off a powerful Dragon Rage.  Bianca looks worried about a battle she's in the middle of, and the Champion Alder braces for an incoming attack.  The Team Rocket trio are seen standing triumphantly on Milos Island, causing Ash to look worried.  His friends look relieved, however, as the trio of Tornadus, Thundurus, and Landorus descends from the sky.  Ash orders another attack before a rapid barrage of clips finishes the song.  These include Pikachu firing off another Thunderbolt attack, Iris and Georgia glaring at each other, Stephan looking triumphant, Burgundy pointing at Ash accusingly, Dr. Seger typing furiously at the controls of a helicopter, Trip looking dismayed, Alder charging forward, Elesa ordering an attack, and Clay spinning his shovel around.  The opening ends with a shot of the Pokémon BW Rival Destinies logo against an ocean background.

---

Thoughts
It's DP Battle Dimension all over again! 

For the second time in the franchise's history, TPCI has had to deal with the fact that Japan hasn't moved on to its second opening theme yet.  Best Wishes! doesn't seem to be going anywhere, so TPCI had to figure out where to get new footage from.  Should they use some of the clips they didn't use in Season 14's opening?  Maybe grab some clips from some of the ending theme animation?  Commission the Japanese animators to provide brand new footage the way 4Kids did for their Johto League Champions season?

Well, it turns out that we got a clip opening.  And not a good one, either.  While you can see that the editors tried to break things into "segments" - let's have a shot introducing the three traveling protagonists, let's give each of the starters their own shot, let's have a Kami Trio portion - the opening still feels like a disjointed mess.  A lot of the opening feels like the editors just threw a dart at a board to pick which clips to use.

Since there is no Japanese music video to compare this one to, I'm going to have to omit a lot of the things I usually cover in these opening theme comparisons. 

Lyrics
Here are the lyrics to the opening to the fifteenth season of Pokémon:

"Rival Destinies"

A new adventure, another day One more challenge that comes our way It's up to me and you We know what we've gotta do We are together now, friends forever now Whatever comes our way, we won't run away Standing tall, one for all It's our destiny Pokémon!

Good God, are there any lines in this song that aren't some horribly worn-out cliche?  No?  Alrighty then.

This season's theme song is a duet performed by Alex Nackman and Kathryn Raio.  These two previously worked on the ending themes to the two Victini movies, White Victini and Zekrom and Black Victini and Reshiram. 

Opening Text / Credits
Continuing the tradition started with DP Battle Dimension, TPCI has translated the opening credits and displayed them during the opening animation.  Here are all the credits as presented in the Japanese version of Best Wishes!, the first opening theme.  English translations are on the right.

こ の星の不思議な生き物 ポケットモンスター。。。 ちぢめてポケモン！		The mysterious creatures from this world, Pocket Monsters... Or "Pokémon" for short!
今、 少年サトシとポケモンたちの 出会いと冒険と戦いの 物語がはじまる！		Now, the story of The meetings and the battles between A boy named Satoshi and pokemon Is beginning!
原 案	田 尻 智	Created by	Tajiri Satoshi
	増 田順一		Matsuda Jun'ichi
	杉 森　建		Sugimori Ken
スー パーバイザー	石 原恒和	Supervisor	Ishihara Tsunekazu
ア ソシエイトプロデューサー	吉 川兆二	Associate Producer	Yoshikawa Chouji
ア ニメーション監修	小 田部羊一	Animation Supervisor	Kotabe Yoichi
企 画	福永 晋	Planning	Fukunaga Susumu (Shin?)
	久 保雅一		Kubo Masakazu
掲 載	小 学館コロコロコミック	Publication	Shougakukan CoroCoro Comics
	別 冊コロコロコミック		Supplemental CoroCoro Comics
	コ ロコロイチバン		CoroCoro Ichiban
	ポ ケモンファン		Pokémon Fan
	て れびくん		Terebi-kun
	幼 稚園		Kindergarten
	入 学準備　学習幼稚園		School Entrance Prep Tutorial Kindergarten
	小 学一年生		Shougaku Ichi-Nen
	小 学二年生		Shougaku Ni-Nen
	小 学三年生		Shougaku San-Nen
	小 学四年生		Shougaku Yon-Nen
総 監督	湯 山邦彦	Executive Director	Yuyama Kunihiko
シ リーズ構成	冨 岡淳広	Series Construction	Tomioka Atsuhiro
キャ ラクターデザイン	山 田俊也	Character Design	Yamada Toshiya
美 術監督	金 村勝義	Art Director	Kanemura Katsuyoshi
色 彩設計	吉 野記通	Color Keys	Yoshino Noriyuki
撮 影監督	白 井久男	Director of Photography	Shirai Hisao
編 集	辺 見俊夫	Editor	Henmi Toshio
音 楽	宮 崎慎二	Music	Miyazaki Shinji
音 響監督	三 間雅文	Sound Recording Mixer	Mima Masafumi
音 楽協力	テ レビ東京ミュージック	Music Provided by	TV-Tokyo Music
協 力	ジェ イアール東日本企画	In Cooperation with	East Japan Marketing and Communications, Inc.
OP アニメディレクション	柳 沢康敬 (Creatures Inc.)	Opening Animation Direction	Yasunori Yanagisawa
オー プニングテーマ 「ベストウイッシュ！」 作詞　：　戸田昭吾 作曲　：　たなかひろかず 編曲　：　小 谷野謙一 コーラスアレンジ　：　河野陽吾 歌　：　    松本梨香     （PIKACHU RECORDS）		Opening Theme "Best Wishes!" Lyrics:  Toda Akihito Composition:  Tanaka Hirokazu Arrangement:  Koyano Ken'ichi Chorus Arrangement:  Performed by:  Matsumoto Rika (Pikachu Records)
ア ニメーションプロデューサー	神 田修吉	Animation Producer	Kanda Shukichi
製 作担当	加 藤浩幸	Production Assistant
ア ニメーション製作	O L M	Animation Production	OLM
監 督	須 藤典彦	Directed by	Sutou Norihiko
プ ロデューサー	佐 々木　亮 （テレビ東京）	Producers	Sasaki Ryou (TV-Tokyo)
	田 中茂裕		Tanaka Shigehiro
	盛  武源		Mori Takemoto
製 作	TV-Tokyo	Executive Production	TV-Tokyo
	MediaNet		MediaNet
	ShoPro		ShoPro

The English dub more or less translates the credits as shown in the Japanese opening, with the usual omissions.  Missing is the opening text about Satoshi's adventures, the information about the franchise's publication, the involvement of TV-Tokyo Music and East Japan Marketing and Communications, Inc., and the data about the opening theme.

A credit for Executive Animation Director is given to Toshiya Yamada and Tosihito Hirooka in the English opening when no such credit is present in the Japanese version.  Shinichiro Tsuzuki replaces Masakazu Kubo under "Planning," and Takuro Muratsubaki replaces Takemoto Mori under "Producers."

The English version places the Japanese names in Western order - given name followed by family name - instead of the original Japanese order.

Final Thoughts
In the last opening comparison, I said that I thought TPCI had gotten the hang of editing video to make a music video.  Sadly, it looks like I'm going to have to take that back.  The amateurish AMV we got as an opening this year is preetty awful and it's unfortunate that we'll have to put up with it for another year or so. 

We Will Carry On

Next Opening