Side-Stories

In my last post I mentioned how the Pokémon anime should branch out and have other protagonists, in a way they did.

In Japan there was a show called Weekly Pokémon Broadcasting Station. The show aired every Tuesday from October 2002 to September 2004. The episodes were split into three different categories; variety shows, encore and side stories. The category Side Stories was translated into English, while the others were not. The series came to Canada in the fall 2005, and to the US the following year. They called it Pokémon Chronicles.

I don’t know Japanese, so I will be focusing on the dubbed version of the show. Pokémon Chronicles was interesting. The first few episodes were about Jimmy and Marina, who were two trainers from Johto region. However the series only focused on them for three episodes while they defended Raikou (the legendary beast of thunder) from Team Rocket. The rest of the episodes featured a wide variety of characters from the past for example Misty, Brock, Ritchi and Team Rocket.

The show wasn’t perfect, the intro song was the chorus from the gold and silver PokeRap, and some episodes were boring or unneeded. It would be interesting to see more of Jimmy and Marina since they seemed like a good team. Some of the stories were interesting, I learned that Misty gets her badges from a badge maker, that Brock’s family is crazy and that Ritchie is definitely Ash’s clone. It was just too bad that other than the Raikou special the adventures only lasted one episode. There were no new developments, and all they did was tie up loose ends.

They are now trying, it again in 2013 with a new special called Pokémon Origins. The trailer shows off the stunning graphics and bringing interest for old fans of Red's adventures.

Many fans were excited, myself included, about the idea of Red being the main character of his own adventure. For those that don’t know Red was the protagonist that you got to play as in the original Pokémon video games Red, Blue and Green (Japan only). The show first aired in Japan on October 2nd 2013. The English dubbed version of the special came out November 15th 2013. They took many similar aspects from the games themselves, for example the health bar during the gym battles, as well as the white hand in Lavender town. The special was split into four parts, only showing noteworthy events and skimming over the others.

For more infomation you can look at Pokémon TV, Pokémon Chronicles, and Serebii

Sabrina is a quiet and introverted person. She likes to read and write, watch anime and play video games. She recently moved to Ottawa, and now lives with two roommates and her cat Izzy. One of her favourite anime is Pokémon.  

Sites I use a lot: Serebii, Official Pokémon Website (US), The JWittz

Indigo League

Official Pokemon season one cover. 

I’ve been watching Pokémon ever since it began. Even with my eyes clouded by the nostalgic aspects of the anime I’m still aware that the overall plot of the anime wasn’t very well done. Each episode consists of Ash and friends completing a minor goal while still traveling working to become the Pokémon Master by the end. Nothing changes, other than who travels with Ash through each region.

Pokémon started in Japan in April of 1997 and didn’t come to America until October 25, 2003. It started out fairly slow but as time went on and with the help of marketing teams and the video games the anime grew in popularity.

In the beginning, Ash was a new trainer and didn’t really know what he was doing. He would make, making mistakes and learning from them. Which was good because I don’t think anyone could wake up and know all there was to know about being a Pokémon Master (unless you’re Ash’s rival Gary). But now we it is season 16 and Ash still makes mistakes almost as if he’s never gone on a Pokémon journey before, which makes him seem as if he's not a very competent trainer.

All is not horrible, there are some moments of the Anime anime that really pulled on my heartstrings and some that made me laugh, causing me to keep watching. Such as the first episode where Ash shows that he does care about his Pokémon. That he is willing to sacrifice anything to stay with them, even if he only just met them. All of that added to Ash’s overall character. They have some good heavy-handed episodes and some just plain silly episodes, which is a nice balance, in a perfect world it would be nice if they fleshed out the overall plot and caught Ash up to the skill level he should be, or even changed the protagonist each season. As with everything, I have my gripes about the franchise, but even without the changes I will continue watching. 

Useful Links: TamashiiHiroka, Bulbapedia Anime Article

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Sabrina Willis

Sabrina is a quiet and introverted person. She likes to read and write, watch anime and play video games. She recently moved to Ottawa, and now lives with two roommates and her cat Izzy. One of her favourite anime is Pokémon.  

Sites I use a lot: Serebii, Official Pokémon Website (US), The JWittz

X & Y

On October 12th, Pokémon X&Y was released worldwide. My roommate and I pre-ordered and went to the store early to get copies of the game.

The game was announced on January 8th, 2013, during a Nintendo direct broadcast. We spent the months after the original announcement waiting as the developers gradually leaked out information about the game. There were some welcome additions, such as new Pokémon, sky battles, and 3D graphics. The announcement of Mega evolutions, meaning that certain Pokémon with a specialized evolutionary stone can evolve into their mega form, caused some fans to questions the creators’ motives.  Many thought it to be a rip-off of another franchise called Digimon, while some think it’s a fun addition to the game.

From what I understand, Mega Evolution is considered a battle-only evolution, which means that if your Pokémon is holding the special stone, it will evolve during battle. That isn’t fun; I like it when my Pokémon evolves into a new Pokémon. The other additions only made me want to get the game even more. The 3D graphics and new Pokémon were awesome, and while I may not like all of the new Pokémon, I couldn’t wait for the game.

I purchased Pokémon X on the day of release. I chose that version because of the Legendary that came with it. I’ve been playing the game off and on ever since and I’m not disappointed. The graphics are stunning and the different Pokémon that you can catch on each route are amazing. The beginning of the game is fairly different; it doesn’t have as much explanation to slow down your progress. The creators have made it so that a few things are shown, but to keep the pace going they give you a book (comes with the game) that new players can read if they want to find out more. Many other aspects of the game will make it interesting, and I can’t wait to experience them.

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Sabrina Willis

Sabrina is a quiet and introverted person. She likes to read and write, watch anime and play video games. She recently moved to Ottawa, and now lives with two roommates and her cat Izzy. One of her favourite anime is Pokémon.  

Sites I use a lot: Serebii, Official Pokémon Website (US), The JWittz 

Comparing Pokémon Games

Image from the Official Pokemon website (US) 

Pokémon started in 1996, when Game Freak and Creatures Inc. created the video game, Pocket Monsters Red and Green. In a way, it started when creator Satoshi Tajiri began collecting bugs. Eventually, he wanted other children to feel the joy that he felt. It took many attempts to pitch the idea to Nintendo, but they persisted and eventually it happened. Pocket Monsters didn’t have the greatest start, but as time went on, more people got the game. With it gaining popularity and eventually an anime, they decided to bring it to North America in September of 1998. Pokémon as we know it was born.

I got the game that Christmas. My sister got the Blue version, and I got Red. Unfortunately, I never knew what to do once the SS Anne left the port, so I never got to finish the game. But that didn’t change anything for me. I still love the game and thanks to my friends I have finished it now.

There are always two games per generation, and the only real difference between the two is what Pokémon you can catch. In the beginning, the games didn't have much of a story. You went around and battled the gym leaders, and sometimes you would fight Team Rocket (the villains of that generation). As the games went on, the story evolved. The friends/rivals of your character gain more depth, as does the enemy team. Black/White is my favourite game in the series, mostly due to the better story of the game. Team Plasma was a well-developed team, with their ultimate goal of freeing Pokémon. This was a good goal; Pokémon should be treated with respect, and trainers were the ones who were in the wrong not the organization that was stealing Pokémon. I liked it because the team had good intentions, though they didn’t execute them well. As for the new game coming out later this year, I don’t know much about the story, but I can’t wait to play and see where the creators have taken it.

Links: Bulbapedia

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Sabrina Willis

Sabrina is a quiet and introverted person. She likes to read and write, watch anime and play video games. She recently moved to Ottawa, and now lives with two roommates and her cat Izzy. One of her favourite anime is Pokémon.  

Sites I use a lot: Serebii, Official Pokémon Website (US), The JWittz