TCGP: Celestial Guardians Take Charge

It seems that after a slow start to things, TCGP has begun to pick up the pace for new cards through new expansions, perhaps owing to player fervor. And that fervor has apparently warranted things to be taken to a "galactic" level with the newest expansion, which involves "vanguards" of that space and the associated Pokémon species to those "vanguards". Aptly, the new expansion is called "Celestial Guardians" and brings into the game certain dealings of bright spaces above and below.

For those who haven't figured it out, the expansion deals with the Alola region, and it's a semi-major expansion consisting of Solgaleo and Lunala sub-expansions as their highlight Pokémon. Like the previous semi-major expansion, many of the Pokémon are of this region, but there are also complementary species from other regions and/or generations, some of which are necessary for dealing with this region's Pokémon - including the regional forms, which are indeed present to shake things up.

This new semi-major expansion also has its own selection of Shiny Pokémon, as well as an Item card that players of the physical TCG will recognize for dealing with Pokémon that evolve (in two stages specifically), and the game's first "immersive" card that isn't a Pokémon (being a Supporter card). In a way, it brings together the ideals of the previously introduced "mini" expansion along with new and old concepts alike to make things more lively, especially with the current state of the game.

With that, the expansion is composed of just as many "common" cards as the preceding semi-major expansion, although there's a fair bit of "rare" cards to collect - including the cards for Shiny Pokémon as mentioned earlier. Future expansions, even ones that may be designated as just a "Themed Booster Pack", will likely have their own share of Shiny Pokémon cards and thus more of the rare cards to collect, just like this one does. That will be something to be dealt with for this and later expansions.

Alola is always a fascinating region for contemporary Pokémon fans, and now thanks to the addition of this semi-major expansion, it has a substantial representation in TCGP, along with the feature additions since the very first expansion. If things may be considered to be picking up at present for TCGP, then it's doing so with an enigmatic region and the cards that are representative of that region; for that, the "vanguards" may just be taking charge to control the playing field in this game.

One year ago: Cosplay: "Mobile Japan Fest" [2]

Two years ago: Listen to Our Hearts

Three years ago: More Online Statuses for Pokémon Go?

Four years ago: Three Bears

Five years ago: Missed Pokémon Merchandise in Snacks

Six years ago: Watching in Style, with Friends

Seven years ago: To Know the Unknown

Eight years ago: You Are Blessed

Pokémon Go Community Day, 5/11/2025

Some days in life are special, and for those who play Pokémon Go in particular, Community Day is one such day - at least, most of the time, given my experiences and those of others. So it is that today's edition does fall on a certain special day for some people of a loving kind, but I won't touch on that too much. Instead, I'm going to touch on the featured Pokémon species, for which some may be loving toward it as much as it appears loving. That may or may not be indicative of the Pokémon, so I might as well just explain it plainly.

For this edition, the featured Pokémon is Pawmi; it and its species family -with the Shiny form debuting by this event - represent the "signature Electric type" of the ninth generation and therefore the Paldea region as well. It evolves twice, first to Pawmo and then to Pawmot, gaining the Fighting type in the process. For the purpose of this Community Day, it gets the Charged move of Brick Break to suit that added type. The second evolutionary process is one that would normally require 25 km of walking with Pawmo in the Buddy Pokémon position, but for this Community Day, it only needs 1 km, which also applies for the extended move window up to next Sunday.

The other elements of today are of the usual kind. The main bonus is quartered Egg hatch distance, always a useful one for "stuck" Eggs. Then there are extended Lure Modules and Incense, double Candy and Candy XL chance, another Special Trade and a trade discount, photo bombs, showcases, and item bundles in the shops - all of the standard ones. Research too is standard, with the usual Field Research tasks and rare ones for Pawmi with backgrounds, the Timed set for another Pawmi with a background, and the paid Special set - this one titled "Pawmi and You" - with all the perks. Not much more needs to be said, though they always need to be mentioned.

Meanwhile, there was no need to make things special for what I did, but I did anyway - with a little help...

Goh: Oh, you got Ash to do things.

Ash: Yeah - but just with the basic shirt and pants. And... a special Pokémon shirt by our friend!

Goh: That looks really nice! Um... "the ending has not yet been written"?

Me: Mm-hmm. It's a "technical term". Think about it - but not now, since we have Community Day.

Ash: I got a lot of Shiny Pawmi! 

Goh: Pawmi looks really cute, and so does its evolved forms Pawmo and Pawmot. 

Ash: You said it. I think we'd all like to have one.

Me: You did evolve a few all the way to Pawmot, right?

Ash: I did. They even got me a toy car from your friends.

Goh: I thought they were "frosty" with you two.

Ash: I guess they "thawed out" today.

Me: Don't expect this to be the norm - they might just become colder at any time. 

Ash: They didn't react to the shirt either.

Goh: Well, let's not draw attention to it. Who knows what might happen.

Me: Good idea. Anything else I should know about?

Ash: A few of us wanted to battle Dynamax Suicune, but before we could, it started to rain.

Goh: Maybe Suicune wanted to be out and about instead.

Me: At least I already took care of it yesterday. But still.

Goh: I know what you mean. Suicune can be a bit finicky.

Ash: But Pawmi aren't!

Me: Good thing, and that makes for a good day too. 

Being the "signature Electric type", having a loving quality is practically a given for Pawmi and its species family. That said, this edition of Community Day might also be considered particularly loving, what with that special day I mentioned and what happened on my own end for it. Its fighting spark may just be the thing to keep things going.

One year ago: Cosplay+Pokémon Go: Pikachu's Indonesia Journey in Surabaya

Two years ago: Cold Appearances

Three years ago: Blogging on Blogs: Pokémon Blog

Four years ago: Forgotten (Event) Days

Five years ago: (Preparing for) Shuffle's Last Stand

Six years ago: Special Feature Film - "POKÉMON: Detective Pikachu"

Seven years ago: Just Like a Rainbow

Eight years ago: A Shout-Out to a Fellow Blogger

Best Generation to Start the Main Series?

A friend recently asked me a question about the main series of Pokémon games. The question involved a query regarding which game someone should start playing if that someone is interested in these games. At the time, since we could only converse briefly, I could only give a short answer in a short time. It's a fascinating question, so I thought about expanding it with a more substantial answer; naturally, that would be in the form of a blog post on this Pokémon blog, the perfect medium for its discussion.

The initial answer I gave was that if the person wanted to "get their feet wet" in Pokémon, I suggested starting with the games from the third and/or fourth generation, including the remakes from earlier generations and their own remakes in the later consoles. My rationale is that these games provide a good diversity of species that are well-known back then and still are today, and if they then wanted to get into competitive play, the basics are introduced fairly well. In either case, it's a fair balance to a good extent.

Still, if they want to get into competitive play right away, then they need to have the most recent games, the present case being Scarlet and Violet from the ninth generation. There will be a lot to learn, but the gradual design of the Pokémon games means that not everything will need to be applied right away. The most important thing as well is being able to battle with contemporary Trainers and not be stuck without a way of doing so in an older game for an older generation. Other concerns apply, but these are foremost.

For those who don't really care about any of the above, or at the least only care about the nostalgia of Pokémon through all these years, they can start on any older game that is accessible in some way or form. They can even start on the very old games from the first and second generations, even though they no longer have much of a bearing in today's Pokémon affairs. Nostalgia and history are still their bearings, if anything, and if they're the only important things, then any of these games are fitting.

It's understandable that Pokémon of today still carries with it the elements of its past, which includes all the prior main series games. Therefore, the question posed my friend is perfectly valid and demands to be answered. That answer too is not necessarily simple nor applicable to everyone, which becomes evident with the discussion above. At the least, I've delivered my take through both the previous conversation as well as the discussion in this post, and there are good Pokémon starting points for all.

One year ago: The Solo Challenge in Pokémon Unite

Two years ago: Still Not Quite Outside the "Ilex Forest"

Three years ago: The Rock-Paper-Scissors Principle

Four years ago: Transparent Language Presentation?

Five years ago: More YouTube Pokémon Highlights

Six years ago: Trading Styles

Seven years ago: The No's of Go

Eight years ago: Site Design

Masuda's Method to (Music) Madness

One cannot talk about Pokémon music without talking about the biggest name in it, and fittingly, I have to bring it up as the ultimate discussion for the current run. The biggest name would be none other than Junichi Masuda, whose compositions have graced the main series games (and even beyond, thanks to Pokémon Go). The name is big, which might also explain why this post took some time to make - it had been planned for over a year. But with the build-up of topics related to music, it makes perfect sense to write about it now... as well as to make sense of his particulars for Pokémon music and beyond.

Classical music served as an influence for him - in particular the works of Stravinsky and Shostakovich - as he became attracted to them while playing the trombone in high school; even so, he does say that techno is his favorite music genre. It wouldn't be a surprise, then, that his Pokémon pieces sound like music of either genre, and in return they could be fully adapted to them, which can be construed to have happened both officially and unofficially. Much like the Mario series - also might be considered a cited influence in this regard - music that works well with the games is a big and good thing.

Besides music, in many Pokémon endeavors, he has been involved in their production and direction, though music is still involved somehow. A specific one would be the Hoenn region, based on his childhood vacation days, which could be said to be not unlike the childhood experience of the man that initiated Pokémon himself. His design philosophies include the layering of difficulties (starting simple before becoming complex), continued usage of 2D graphics, and portability of consoles, all of which are still evident and important for Pokémon.

Related to the above, there is "Masuda('s) method", the reference for the title of this post, which in a nutshell is a process that concerns breeding Pokémon from different language versions in order to have better chances of obtaining Shiny ones. The name is an attribution (by fans) because the method itself was explained by Masuda in a blog post. Though less related to music and more related to game development, the regard is still maintained and it's still an appreciable one, given the contributions in the latter area.

At any rate, Junichi Masuda is still readily identified with Pokémon music, even though he has always had a bigger role for the franchise (including presently as Chief Creative Fellow of TPC). The influences to the former area are respectable and so are the principles that guide the development of Pokémon games. The "method to the madness" can thus be regarded as the music and ways of playing that capture the greatest vivacity of Pokémon in general.

One year ago: Submerged in Attraction

Two years ago: Towards the TCGL Horizon

Three years ago: Journeys Gap Ad... in T-Shirt Form

Four years ago: Glyphs of Pokémon?

Five years ago: Playing Pokémon All Day

Six years ago: Getting Lucky with Friends

Seven years ago: A Place for VGC

Eight years ago: Blue and Yellow Philosophy

Everyone's a Miracle

You and me, we're a miracle

Meant to be, and nothing can change it

Mountains move and oceans part

When they are standing in our way

You and me, we're a miracle

Angels stand watching over us

And heaven shines upon us every day...

-- "We're a Miracle", Christina Aguilera

For the next musical discussion, certain things in life have suggested that I go back to the "alternative" soundtracks for the Pokémon feature films or movies, and I've decided to pull out and play this card. It's one of the songs from the one for the very first one, and it may even have deserved a discussion much, much earlier than now. Yet now is a good time as any, and as it turns out, the song deserves an insightful look and the continued exposure along with it.

So, the overall theme of this song is certainly "miracle", by the overcoming of all hardships and obstacles - particularly as suggested by the chorus of the song as quoted above. There is even a reference to "tears", the most important symbol and element of the movie. As for the "you and me" part, that may be construed to refer to Ash and Pikachu as the primary heroes of the movie, and more loosely, it may be considered to refer to any person, especially those with a significant other. In that respect, everyone may be "miraculous", hence this post's title.

Those who recognize the artist of this song will also know that she got her career started in the place "next door" that is also known for some of its "miracles". As such, the contribution of this song to Pokémon is in a way a "miracle" in itself, further with it being composed in a similar manner. Miraculously, it could also be considered to be a proxy of the Japanese ending theme for the movie (something that may or may not be discussed separately and later on), for which the song probably should have had the same role, instead of being lumped into a medley with other songs from the soundtrack. The existing miracles of the song are still acceptable.

Yet, as miraculous as the song is, it seems to be rather affected by the contemporary rights management flurry for Pokémon (as with "2B A Master") and the song has become hard to find, perhaps not a surprise considering the big-name artist involved with the song. Perhaps its only other miracle is its apparent existence in multiple versions - as with another song on the soundtrack - and so a "Pokémon version" is distinguished for it. The next miracle for the song may be to keep its presence known among both Pokémon fans and music fans in general.

Miracles can be present anywhere and anytime, and this song may be considered a testament to that, and a fitting one given the circumstances of the first Pokémon feature film or movie. After many years since this song first appeared, that too is also still relevant for today's world with Pokémon and everything else. Especially with the former, there are still happenings to go through with people and said creatures... and hopefully there will be miracles to go around.

One year ago: Problems with Pokémon Go Groups?

Two years ago: Tournament: SWEEP JR vs. Your Storage Is Full (SA Factions)

Three years ago: The Wish for (and Caveats of) Time Travel

Four years ago: The Lengths We Go To... T-Shirt

Five years ago: Pokémon Stickers on WhatsApp

Six years ago: Looking from Far Away

Seven years ago: (High Noon at the) Local Ex-Raid, 5/8/2018

Eight years ago: Ash and Pikachu Keychain

More on Arata Iiyoshi and His PMD Contributions

By now, it should be clear what the ongoing discussion topic is for my blog, and that would be Pokémon music. For that, the next discussion concerns a minor yet important figure in this realm. As I had brought up in a post reaching out to an external music game series I'm also interested in, in addition to contributing music there, Arata Iiyoshi has contributed to Pokémon by way of the Mystery Dungeon game series, obviously for its music. It's these contributions that I'd like to go over now in a little bit more depth to see how they are manifested.

According to genre, Arata's music is identified as "world" or "ethnic" music, so there are overtones of music styles from different regions. One of his BEMANI works, titled "BRIDAL FESTIVAL !!!", carries the genre of "happy jig" and with it thusly an Irish style; further, it too is remarkably similar to the opening music for the Rescue Team games and may be considered as close as it gets to having that in the said series of music games. The two pieces are still somewhat different, but the style is still definitively maintained regardless.

Meanwhile, there's also a certain diversity in his contributions to both BEMANI and Mystery Dungeon. The former is typically "electronica" but the world/ethnic style is "infused" therein, and the latter nicely adapts to various circumstances, including slow paces for tranquil settings and fast paces for intense circumstances (like boss battles). He also provides lyrics for some BEMANI songs, though of course that doesn't get put to use in Mystery Dungeon since it's all instrumental - yet one could try hard and compose lyrics for these if one wanted to.

I previously mentioned the "fusion of human emotion and nature", and an oft-cited example of this in the Mystery Dungeon realm is the music for the final throes of the Explorers games, from "Through the Sea of Time" to "Dialga's Fight to the Finish!", which also captures some of the diversity that I mentioned above. The instrumentation is definitely naturalistic yet the pacing and melodies are quite emotional, especially given the setting in which the music is placed in: a lead-up to and execution of a boss battle for the ages (literally).

One of Arata's aliases is "S.S.D.", which is short for "Shin Sound Design" and as such can be regarded as "New Sound Design", a common meaning of the first word in Japanese. World or ethnic music is nothing new - and some circles might also consider them "retro" - but it may be considered that true to the alias mentioned above, Arata can put his own "new" spin to it, evident in BEMANI and definitely applicable to Pokémon Mystery Dungeon. The manifestation brings together feelings, nature, and diversity, all of which are also thematic for Pokémon.

One year ago: Pokémon Species in Squeezy, Pillowy Form

Two years ago: Cosplay: Foodtopia Competitions

Three years ago: Introducing Mega Legendary Raids

Four years ago: Pokémon Asia McDonald's Happy Meal Toys - "Expedition Series", Selections

Five years ago: Hanging by a Cliff

Six years ago: Folding Paper for Pokémon

Seven years ago: Pokémon in Poké Balls Stickers

Eight years ago: Cosplay: J-COSHOKAI 2 - Utsukushii Hana

Do You or Do You Not Understand?

They don't understand

How we communicate

Or so many things

That we do and say

They don't really get

What it's all about

No they never can 

Understand - Pokémon

-- "They Don't Understand", Dream Street

Here too is something I meant to discuss much earlier because the momentum was there and less so now - and it should make clear about what I intend to discuss in the next few days. Back to that momentum, it involved an incident where a person of a high stature thought lowly of Pokémon, amounting it to a "small business" - when it's clear to most that it isn't. It's a case of the person not understanding the situation, which happens with or without Pokémon. With that, the above song that has ties to Pokémon becomes pertinent, moreover for the purpose of this discussion. 

This song, brought by perhaps a somewhat lesser-known boy band, is associated with the second feature film or movie in western regions, and is thus part of its "alternative" soundtrack wherever that's a concern. It was even performed live at a special event for the movie, affirming its status as such. The quoted part above is the chorus, which can be considered to carry the ultimatum of the song: that one finds someone else's lack of comprehension disturbing. Hence, the title of this post was conceived as a question, for which this song and its regard becomes the answer.

In a way, the song could be interpreted as encapsulating the relationships between people and Pokémon (species, that is) as they coexist with one another. The relationships don't necessarily result in comprehension between the two parties, but when that happens, the result is bliss. At least, until certain people come along and they say they don't understand the relationship between them, at which point one can try to make them understand. And if they still cannot understand... then it goes back to the lyrics of the song, and the people who are involved will have to answer the question.

As for connecting this to real life matters, it may not only concern the incident with the person as above but also personal ones - as in, mine. It has been the case that I became involved in a number of situations involving Pokémon and the lack of understanding by other people, for which the song becomes relevant. But then there are similar situations involving other matters with similar elements of people failing to understand; worse yet, the consequences have not exactly been to my favor - perhaps even theirs - and thus the call to question someone else's understanding is relevant.

Since the incident, as I've indicated above, the momentum has died down, which may or may not indicate that the person has come to an understanding (about Pokémon). Even so, the incident may still be regarded as disconcerting for fans, and especially me, who may have gone through other and similar instances of people not understanding things. After many years, then, the song above - as loosely as it may be connected to Pokémon, apparently - still has relevant messages concerning those other people, with the only hope being that they'll eventually understand things.

One year ago: Pokémon Go Tools in Niantic Campfire

Two years ago: Pokémon Keeps Me...

Three years ago: Brave with the Firefly

Four years ago: On "Digital Talents" and Pokémon

Five years ago: Play Pokémon on a Plane

Six years ago: A Tropius Keychain

Seven years ago: Cosplay: J-COSHOKAI 3 - Saikou no Yorokobi

Eight years ago: Shuffling Stages