Romanticism of Tall Grasses

In the main series of Pokémon games, Pokémon are found in tall grass. If you've played the first-generation games, you'll no doubt recognize the warning at the beginning of the game of not going into the tall grass without a Pokémon of your own. For the rest of the time, you are only simply warned that Pokémon live in tall grass, and thus to avoid them, you'd have to sidestep any patches of tall grass. The fact that this has remained in the main series of games since the beginning is a sure sign that this is a part of the childhood image that Satoshi Tajiri attempts to share with Pokémon.

I don't know about you, but my childhood was different. I didn't grow up with sprawling fields of tall grasses, though I did spend some time in the country (or at least a little piece of it), and I've been told that the place I currently lived in used to be surrounded by fields and fields of a certain kind of grass, which while they're not quite tall, are bushy enough, before those fields turned into houses and buildings and became a part of the city. But to imagine doing what Satoshi Tajiri did while he was young, that which became part of the lore of Pokémon, feels pleasant and romantic in a way.

I can imagine spending a day with friends in tall grasses, finding critters that we can duke out against each other, and having fun all the while. The interactions that could take place and the emotions we'd feel would be so varied; maybe there would be times of happiness when things work out and sadness when they don't. Maybe we'd be glad to make new acquaintances - and just maybe, attractions - and be dejected when it's time to part. And in all that would be the camaraderie we'd feel when we're together. Come to think of it, I've already felt all that, while playing the games and watching the anime.

So really, the tall grass is where it's at. It's where Pokémon are found, and it's where feelings and emotions mingle into something much more... but only when you enter and interact. For some it would indeed be the greatest childhood memory, and for others who are less fortunate to experience it, Pokémon is there to help make it up. And that alone seems a romantic enough reason to re-enter that patch of tall grass. ❤