Suspending My Disbelief

When it comes to surrealistic fictional things, there is a term that floats around regarding their perception. That term is "suspension of disbelief". The basic understanding is that the one who perceives those things lets go of common reasoning or realistic ideals to believe that the surreal is in fact real. This very much applies to Pokémon, where many fantastic and even surreal things happen, and especially in my case.

In terms of my case, I feel that I have succeeded. I have no trouble believing that the most surreal things happen in the world of Pokémon, even if much of the rest is real. I accept the fact that Pokémon can do the things they do, and then they interact with people in the ways that they do, whether in the games, anime, or other forms. It's not that different from other fantastic worlds, some of which may be nearer than even the world of Pokémon. I sense that most of my Pokémon friends and colleagues are of the same frame of mind.

Of course, there are certain things that still seem unreasonable, and that a rational mind would ideally like to seek answers for. However, to me, as much as this is interesting and natural for any fan, it also chips away at the suspension of disbelief that I've managed to build. Some of the things I've discussed like the "one ball" matter may qualify as this, and there are other similar things that could be discussed in the same way. As it stands, I won't try to do it too often, but once in a while seems OK without going too much into the details that would wear this state away.

I love Pokémon, and as fictional as it is, there is a part of me that thinks that somehow things are real. That's what suspension of disbelief will do; it makes wonder and fantasy believable. Pokémon has a lot of that wonder and fantasy, and though some of it seems unrealistically plausible and open for debate, which would otherwise wreck the suspension, most everything seems believably realistic for the way things happen. I'll accept it, as would be expected of anyone with an attachment to this series and franchise.

One year ago: Ash, Satoshi, or... Ali?