Road of 25th Anniversary: On with the Show

The 25th anniversary of Pokémon may be regarded as something phenomenal. In fact, it may be considered a "show" of sorts that fortunately is not just restricted on its specific day, in particular thanks to the coverage on the special web site that I mentioned a month just before the big day. And that show has indeed continued to this day, which makes this "road-of" post still pertinent and deserving of a spot, to update on the happenings of the anniversary.

Of those happenings, there's one on the site that I've neglected to mention. Gradually, the special site is unveiling "regional exhibits", which consist of a showcase of particular features from each region, as they appear in both the games and the anime and, for the latter, useful information on how to watch the relevant episodes. The first exhibit was for Galar, which started off on the big day to also serve for March, and the second was for Alola, which was last month's. They effectively set a theme for their respective months. This month, the featured region is Kalos, which means all the things that are so characteristic of that region.

Along with the exhibited regions, there are special featured merchandise featuring things from the regions. Pikachu dresses up as the player characters from the respective regions in plush form, which makes for something cutesy as well as emblematic for the regions. For something a bit more fancy, fans can elect to obtain "charms" of the starter Pokémon made out of silver, which should be indeed quite attractive, especially as jewelry that they're meant to be. Either or both of these should carry the spirits of the respective region.

Speaking of shows, the P25 "music show" also continued this month with the very first artist that was revealed for the program, Katy Perry, also as above. Her musical contribution to the program is something that might be considered empowering, both literally and figuratively, in part thanks to the role of the de facto mascot (Pikachu) of the franchise. It's neat in many ways, but I'd like to take a full post to present its finer details.

With the musical contribution also comes neat merchandise in the form of clothing and tote bag with a promotional illustration of Pikachu, not to mention the single release of the song itself. For the music-minded or Pokémon-minded, the merchandise items should be appealing, although apparently Asian fans won't be able to get them directly as the items can't ship there. Overlooking this particular detail, the merchandise remain as some of the most unique things one can possibly obtain with Pokémon in mind.

In any case, Pokémon itself is phenomenal even after a quarter century, even beyond all the big anniversary tie-ins. Those tie-ins, especially as above, only serve to affirm its status as a phenomenon. String everything together, and one has a "show" of sorts, complete with musical accompaniment that truly makes a "show" what it is. And so the show goes on to deliver more of the phenomenon that it has promised.

One year ago: Friendship and Community

Two years ago: Gatherings for Blessings and Success

Three years ago: Reconsidering Trade Evolutions

Four years ago: What's Appenin' (Mobile Games)