The Peak of Discoveries

It's been three months, and that means the Season of Discovery in Pokémon Go is coming to a close. This time of year - the one of the season - is always impressive, given that it contains the anniversary of Pokémon Go itself, and in normal years the multitude of festivities that are associated with that. But then, it hasn't been a "normal" year for more than that time, and that may seemingly be the case for some time ahead. Yet I'm also reminded that discovery can be and is in fact an everyday thing, and that can be reasonably applied to all the discoveries that have occurred during this season, essentially becoming the proving ground for the viewpoint.

The eighth-generation Pokémon from Galar coming into Pokémon Go was a total curveball but also constitutes a significant discovery, given that it is leaps and bounds ahead of what is expected. Overall, so was the entirety of Pokémon Go Fest, even with the entirety of the agenda being known; I'm sure that many Trainers can vouch for what they got on both days of the event, especially me. Some matters will (at the least, may) have to be resolved in the upcoming season, which is now known and will be detailed soon enough.

Then, there's this year's big anniversary and the upcoming future of Pokémon. The anniversary point may have long passed, but more and more tidbits are still being divulged. The same is true for the games that will make up that future along with their details. What it seems to look like is that many discoveries are still to be made as the releases of those games draw near and well beyond afterwards, affirming what will likely be their everyday continuity.

In my initial post to mark the end of seasons, I noted that I loathed to call it the "end" of things, and with the Season of Discovery, I feel somewhat validated. The end of the season is just the peak for things, and they can and do always continue even after the seasons end. This is all the more true for discoveries, which have a way of making themselves evident.

The next season begins tomorrow, appropriately. While it may not be possible to sleep tonight and rediscover the world as it was before the next day, at least Pokémon and other discoveries today might help to tide over the seasons as they continue to change.

One year ago: Pokémon: Twilight Wings

Two years ago: The Start of a Decked-Out Adventure

Three years ago: Solidarity Making

Four years ago: Reunions!

Raids on Different Platforms

Today is a Monday, but there's an out-of-band Legendary Raid Hour for Zamazenta. Similar practices have been conducted before for Legendary Pokémon introduced not on a Wednesday with a limited timeframe that doesn't allow it to reach another Wednesday for a regularly scheduled Raid Hour. That is fine, but it's only half-related to what I want to discuss. It is likely that for these raids or any other raids in general, Trainers will likely find ways to schedule and initiate them, including the usage of different platforms to assist in doing so.

Of these platforms, they are likely to utilize rudimentary messaging platforms such as the apps of WhatsApp and/or LINE. Here, the raids are likely to be initiated with simple details of what to raid, when and where, and a list of participating Trainers that is to be filled in to confirm participation. Though the platforms certainly are not low-tech, the method of scheduling and initiating certainly is. Still, it works perfectly, especially if all or most of the participants are already friends with one another, and thus it is suited for close-knit and/or local communities. In this way, it's also convenient given the limits of the platforms involved.

Trainers who opt for a more sophisticated approach might go into platforms that allow chat bots like Telegram and Discord. Some groups (or "servers" in the latter case) are likely to be equipped with bots that allow raids to be initiated and scheduled, keeping track of the same particulars above but in a more organized and workable manner, though usage of the bots might dictate some experience first-hand. Yet it could become the preferred approach once everyone becomes familiar with it.

Some helper applications for Pokémon Go have grown in sophistication that it includes their own raid coordination feature, particularly for those not in the current region. It also allows one to "jump the gun" on some raid debuts. However, from my discussions with others about the features, they may be regarded as "finicky" at times with long waits and raids not coming to fruition. Therefore, while they seem to be OK, they may have some caveats.

Evidently, a degree of coordination is needed in order to make raids in Pokémon Go happen as they should, and the various platforms above allow a range of options from the basic and rudimentary to advanced and complex. They seem to depend on the whims of the Trainers to make things happen, whether in local communities or reaching out to Trainers who are farther away. And of course, they have to help whether in extraordinary circumstances like the out-of-band Raid Hour today or ordinary ones whenever raids take place.

One year ago: Competitive Stage Progress

Two years ago: Pokémon Go Event Rollup, 8/30/2019

Three years ago: Pokémon Go Event Rollup, 8/30/2018

Four years ago: Stories That You Don't Know

Respect for Veronica Taylor

I've thrown the name a couple of times around on a couple of posts on this blog, but I haven't directly addressed the person - not in four and a half years - behind the name much like the ones behind the Japanese voices for Pikachu and Ash - in other words, their voice talents. And yet, she's foundationally important as the first English voice actress for Ash. I'm speaking, of course, of Veronica Taylor, the one who filled the role of Ash so characteristically for the first few years of the English dub of the Pokémon anime. This foundational role makes her deserving of respect, and this post serves to do just that.

For those who don't know me, I grew up with the English dub of Pokémon. Therefore, I grew up being exposed to her distinctive characterization of Ash, and so did many viewers of my generation. It's easy to see why the "voice chaos" happened - one part of which is due to the attachment to this fact, as viewers hold her in high regard. Long after the "voice chaos" has passed, her role is still held in the same high regard; the evidence is that the presentation of old episodes still have her voice among others. If that weren't true, everything would have been redubbed by now, but that's not the case. And that's a good thing regardless.

Now on to her voice capabilities. She's important for voicing Ash, to be sure, but she's also important for being able to voice other characters, one of which is also fundamentally important for Ash as well as the Pokémon anime in general, at least early on: Delia, his mother. As with any voice talents under any agency, she can fill and has filled the roles of other characters, some of which I also had the opportunity to watch and listen to. Yet it cannot be doubted that her work on the Pokémon anime is extensive and even "legendary", and thus she is and always will be best known for that.

As I've noted early on in this blog, before the age of social media and smartphones, she made the effort to reach out to fans by a web site and even a mailing list. She utilized this to promote the Pokémon Christmas Bash album, which allowed me to pick up the album in time. Evidently, she can sing in character as well to a certain extent, given her presence on a few tracks on the album. That becomes further support for her "legendary" work on the Pokémon anime involving different kinds of vocal work for the first few years that laid solid foundations for the existence of the English dub.

If nothing else, that commands respect, and a lot of it. Someone once said - in comments for a different kind of sound work - that being legendary isn't necessary, but being foundational and especially for new kinds of things is always important. Veronica Taylor's contributions to the Pokémon anime, particularly the English dub, is exactly that, being foundational for its existence. But with her work still remaining a hallmark and masterpiece of the Pokémon anime today, the "legend" status is still very much worthwhile. It goes back to the respect that needs to be given as it is due.

One year ago: The Social Value of Pokémon Go

Two years ago: Adventurous Families

Three years ago: Media Master

Four years ago: Catching Up

Road of 25th Anniversary: Divided and United

I had planned on posting this later in the month, but then I realized that the supposed "half-anniversary" of Pokémon, which makes it as far away from the 25th anniversary of Pokémon this year as it is closer to the 26th anniversary that will occur next year, was yesterday... and I had posted the Pokémon Go event rollup in its place. Still, last year was the event rollup for that month (see below) so by posting about the anniversary road update today, I've performed an "equivalent exchange" of sorts and things still work out. So, the road of the 25th anniversary of Pokémon continues regardless.

I've decided to tag this road as "divided and united" because it describes the way things go up to this month. The reason is that things at a glance may appear to be or have been divided, or in other words separated that it dissipates the sense of togetherness. In reality, they still do appear together and united, and that's an important thing. No matter what Pokémon is or has been to many people, it can still present something that may be considered a united face. That's a truism that has to be carried through these current times and even beyond. That's the philosophical background - now it's time for concrete things.

As has been the case since the height of this year's anniversary, the special web site has featured a certain region of the world of Pokémon, and predictably from the previous month, the featured region for this month is Hoenn. This is a distinctively insular and partly archipelagic region based off on Kyushu, which alludes to the tag because of its divided appearance; nevertheless, it has an engagingly united story, one that I'm happy to have witnessed close to entirety. Other than that, my memories of Hoenn can be found in another post. It's a fondly united region for my Pokémon experiences as well.

On the next divided but united front, there is the P25 Music program. As an adjunct to the full album release later this year, the program has come up with two EP releases called The Red EP and The Blue EP. The former contains new songs by Vince Staples ("Got 'Em") and Cyn ("Wonderful"), along with the song by Mabel, while the latter contains those same songs, but remixed by Grammy Award nominee ZHU. All of the above will also be on the full album, with the remixes on the digital edition. The division here is of course along the lines with the traditional division of the main series games, but of course still being united.

Speaking of those games, it's worth noting that the practice has survived to this very day for the main series games, especially with the upcoming Sinnoh remake games. Even so, now Pokémon has loads of fans distributed across all its games, including the main series, TCG, Pokémon Go, and casual fans of its spinoff games (with Unite being what could possibly the next big thing), all of them not necessarily being played by one person. Yet in a sense, they remain united as anyone can conceivably transfer across games, especially if they're diehard fans like me and can stand to do as such with whatever they've got going. 

In a few month's time, it will be the actual time to part with the 25th anniversary as it moves on to the 26th and beyond. I had originally intended on this being the last post of the road, but with there being more to go, it seems inappropriate to end things right here. So this road will continue (or I will continue it) until the anniversary becomes ("divides" into) the 26th. Whatever happens, though, Pokémon will remain united - with me nonetheless - whatever anniversary it might be, and much is still to be expected no matter how the roads diverge ("divide") and converge ("unite") along further developments.

One year ago: Pokémon Go Event Rollup, 8/28/2020

Two years ago: Allying with Characters

Three years ago: PokéVerbalisms

Four years ago: After the Faraway Tournament

Pokémon Go Event Rollup, 8/27/2021

Like in previous years, the events (in the month) after a successful run of Pokémon Go Fest, including whatever editions of it there may be, comprise rewards for a great job in Pokémon Go Fest, accomplished through completing the Global Challenges at that time. In normal years, they would be called Ultra Bonuses, but with the world today, as with last year, they're called Ultra Unlocks. This time, those Ultra Unlocks are divided into roughly two-week periods, and they started around a week after the conclusion of this year's Pokémon Go Fest. As such, the first part and sub-event is the consequential event that I held off on discussing last month so I could put together this month's rollup as the "Ultra Unlock edition".

This year's Ultra Unlocks also have a running story, one that continues from Pokémon Go Fest itself. At that time, over the course of the latter half of the two-day festivities, a certain "lord of the rings" made itself evident, which would be none other than Hoopa, a Mythical Pokémon that can summon Pokémon - including but not limited to wondrous Legendary Pokémon - by putting up rings that allow the Pokémon to traverse space and time, including in the case of the event by bringing in Legendary Pokémon into raids. The antics of Hoopa continued into the Ultra Unlocks, and all sorts of Pokémon have been brought in as a result, including some that are way ahead of their time as far as Pokémon Go is concerned. Unown U was and is also regularly featured in Level 1 raids throughout.

The first Ultra Unlock from July 23 to August 6 involved the concept of "time", and Dialga is naturally a fodder for this one, appearing in Level 5 Legendary raids. Apart from Dialga, other Pokémon involved during this sub-event were of different times, and that meant a lot of things. There were fossil Pokémon - the likes of Omanyte and Kabuto, with Cranidos and Shieldon getting their Shiny forms; they also appeared in 7 km Eggs. There were "ancient" Pokémon like Baltoy and Bronzor, with some appearing in the wild and in raids. There were also certain Pokémon that cross generations like Magnemite and Porygon, and they too appeared in the wild and raids. Field Research and Timed Research complemented efforts to seek many of these Pokémon. All told, it was a total time fest served up with  Hoopa. 

In the second Ultra Unlock from August 6 to August 20, "space" as the complementary concept became the theme. Many of the stars of this sub-event were regional Pokémon in Pokémon Go, notably Heracross and Kangaskhan that appeared in Level 3 raids and could be Shiny. Other regional Pokémon that were involved were Shellos with its East Sea and West Sea forms, Basculin with its Red Stripe and Blue Stripe forms, and the rivals Heatmor and Durant temporarily appearing outside their respective regions, with Shellos in particular also featured in raids and two Spotlight Hour editions for each form, Basculin present in the wild, and all of these as possible Egg fodder. Needless to say, Palkia was the stuff of Legendary raids, and Field Research and Timed Research assisted things throughout for this space fest.

As for the final Ultra Unlock from August 20 up to the end of this month, that's a total curveball: the theme is Sword and Shield and the Galar region. A select number of species from the region (Skwovet, Wooloo, and Falinks, as well as the "box legends" of Zacian and Zamazenta in their Hero form) has been introduced. The first three are available in the wild and from Research - Falinks was slated for raids as well, but it was cut from there due to a bug - and the Legendary Pokémon are available in Level 5 raids, certainly, with Zacian from a week ago and Zamazenta from yesterday onwards. The sub-event also marks the introduction of more Shiny Galarian Forms - that of Meowth, Farfetch'd, and Weezing, in staggered Level 3 raids - and all the forms are available from 7 km Eggs. Everything about this is so new, in fact, that new stickers and clothing items became available and the sky turned dingy gray again with the characteristic Hoopa rings, obviously as a sign of its further antics.

The running story for this year's Ultra Unlocks has been a wild one, with a single culprit that contorted time and space, and even a "super future" of Pokémon Go that now makes up the present of Pokémon. Regardless, it is also the present of Pokémon Go, at least in partial for the time being. Hoopa also seems to need time before showing up to be addressed for capture. But that would be a time well-spent before that happens in the space of Pokémon Go, which has been even the case for this year's preceding Pokémon Go Fest that allowed things to happen.

One year ago: Road to the 25th Anniversary

Two years ago: Blogging on Blogs: The Pokémon Go Official Blog

Three years ago: My Pokémon Groups on Facebook

Four years ago: In-Town vs. Out-of-Town Events

Go Battle Night Burnout

Today is actually a significant day - or night, rather - in Pokémon Go, as today marks this month's occurrence of Go Battle Night, after occurring in June (covered in another post) and July 11 (which I didn't cover specially). The format is the same, even if league or cup selection is different, and that becomes something to discuss. Specifically, I want to discuss about my own general experience with it, which can be described as a "burnout". It's been a long time since I've experienced this feeling while playing through Pokémon Go, and though the feeling and circumstance are different this time around, I still deem it significant to discuss in that it could represent the views of others as well.

The "burnout" here is that Go Battle Night obviously has a lot of battles that take place - 100 in all - within a short time of 6 hours. Like it or not, a Trainer has to go through them all in a marathon to get through each and every single one of them, and the result can in fact become a burnout. That was what happened for me in June without being able to get through everything, and in July after going through everything. July was helped by the fact that the Element Cup was available, significantly reducing battle times. However, June was early in the season, so it was Great League or bust. While it is possible for opponents to forfeit, sometimes this can be far and few between, and most likely one has to battle in full, and thus the burnout. This could be rather frustrating if one is on the verge of going up to the next rank.

On the other hand, perhaps the goal is not to go through everything. Many Trainers after all have reached the Ace rank and are stable there or even dropped below the rating threshold of 2000 for the rank, thereby making them "faux Aces". A select few are stable in the higher ranks and can't or don't have to go further. In this way, they don't have to burn themselves out and can afford to take things more easily, especially with the Stardust bonus that awaits. But for ones that aren't stable, like me, then things have to be pursued as much as possible, and then that goes back to the possible burnout situation as above, even if it could be alleviated by the Stardust that could be earned from battling throughout the entire night.

And... that was the case tonight. While I did manage to battle for a good deal and got close to raising my rank, it fell down again and things look uncertain once again, leaving me feeling "burned out" mainly due to frustration. I spent most of my battles in the Great League, though all three leagues were available with no additional special format of any kind. This too was also with other things I had going, including writing this post, which turned out to be somewhat appropriate for the occasion. As of right now, I've battled many times and earned much Stardust, though I'm not sure I ought to continue up until the event ends with how I feel.

That said, Go Battle Night is still extra special for Trainers who need the catching up or just want to earn the Stardust however which way, with all the battles allotted over the time that they are allotted. Besides the ones related to the preparation to enjoy this event to the fullest extent, one other caveat would be to (try to) avoid getting burned out with the way things go during it. I'll certainly enjoy Go Battle Night should it return on later editions, of course, and that would mean dealing with other Trainers' challenges as much as I deal with mine.

One year ago: Continuous Inspiration

Two years ago: Making Others (and Myself) Happy

Three years ago: Figure Gathering, Again

Four years ago: Cosplay: B-Bunkasai 2017 - Yume no Tobira

The Magical Wonder of PokéToon

Pokémon has an established presence in animation with a full-fledged anime, which the most dedicated fans can attest. With the advent of web videos, it has gotten into the trend with original content in this domain as well. One such content is a series called PokéToon, which involves animated content of a slightly different kind. It can be loosely described as a "magical wonder", which in relation to animation is often identified with that from a certain other pioneering party in this field, which I shall not discuss. But PokéToon deserves more discussion in all regards. 

The animation is different because it's less like the style of the commonly seen Pokémon anime and more like the style of classical traditional animation. It becomes easy to see why I've described this series as a "magical wonder", because the traditional animation - particularly from the other party I've hinted above - quite evokes the sentiment. Even so, it may have its own impression for Pokémon fans, who are likely to be more familiar with the anime style and may find this style refreshing even if it isn't (seemingly) terribly different.

Currently, there are five episodes of PokéToon, and they are available on the Pokémon Kids TV channel on YouTube... which is a mostly Japanese-oriented channel for Pokémon entertainment directed to young audiences, and that obviously includes this series. In fact, a few episodes already contain Japanese dialogue and even the first episode with Scraggy and Mimikyu have the names romanized from Japanese. English subtitles are present for those who don't know the language but are still willing to enjoy the series.

When it comes to Pokémon, it's hard not to escape the anime for something entertaining other than being active in playing the games. Yet it's also clear that the animation style presented in the anime is just one kind of animation, and there are many of these. It is therefore neat that with PokéToon, Pokémon decided to honor the classical traditional style while at the same time creating content that the most dedicated fans can enjoy. This also becomes its own brand of "magical wonder", which pretty much goes for the franchise in its entirety regardless.

One year ago: The Principle of Life

Two years ago: Expecting the Cards

Three years ago: PokéMusicians

Four years ago: Wallpaper: Ash XY Tribute Style

Flashback to a "Voice Chaos"

Some people today might not know it, but years ago in 2006, the Pokémon anime in the west had a bit of a quandary. It was related to voices and specifically the voice actors that provided the voices for the well-known characters. The issue was that the Pokémon anime was moving away from the previous rights holder for the English dub, 4Kids Entertainment, and therefore new voices had to be found, though in earnest there was an attempt to keep Veronica Taylor - the previous voice actress who voiced Ash - at the very least, but this obviously failed. The initial showing of these new voices with a certain hour-long special was met with criticism, and thus came the "voice chaos".

Many fans were not too pleased, to say the least, and there was a campaign/petition to bring back the old voices or at least a semblance of them. It should be noted that this was a time before social media and smartphones reigned supreme, so whatever communication that had to take place had to be conducted through slower means, one of which was by e-mail to a feedback address, which by now no longer exists. There was a direction to send e-mails to that address with complaints about the voice quality and pleas to save the dub of the anime. Predictably, I was caught up in those affairs, and I sent an e-mail of my own to back the campaign.

If nothing else, what this "chaos" showed was that lots of fans cared about the dub of the anime, and even though the English dub had only run for some years less than Pokémon itself, it still had become, in a way, "legendary" for its time. It would be understandable that fans had such strong reactions back then, and they needed a way to help the dub maintain its status among its fans, whether at that present time or down the line in the future. The same obviously applied to me as a Pokémon fan in general, which led to my contribution to the goings-on at that time.

By now, the chaos has long passed, the dub had since then settled into a "new normal" of its time, and the issue may now be described as "water under the bridge". But the happening is still memorable in some respects for what it entailed for one of the most popular facets of the anime, even detached from its origin. With the dub still continuing to this day and appearing to be just as good as it always was back then, the dub can be considered to have really made it out of the chaos back then, with new voices that continue to serve the enjoyment of Pokémon fans even now.

One year ago: Real Fights Over Imaginary Battles?

Two years ago: Cosplay: B-Bunkasai 2019 - Orihime to Hikoboshi no Monogatari

Three years ago: Trainers and Musicians Alike

Four years ago: Pokkén Downturn?

Survival Mode in Pokémon Shuffle

For players that are still engrossed in Pokémon Shuffle, like me, there might be one challenge that is still viable to take on. That challenge would be Survival Mode, a mode designed to test one's puzzle mettle and skills. On the 3DS version, this is accessed by tapping the Survival Mode button on the Main Stage screen, which will bring up a standard Pokémon selection prompt and item selection prompt before starting a stage. Yet with that, it becomes clear that this isn't just a standard stage.

The reason is that Survival Mode isn't just one stage; it's a series of stages. The catch is that one cannot change Pokémon after starting the mode, unlike with regular Main Stages. One can still use items from a limited selection and exchange Coins for them before starting the next stage in sequence, which might help when facing a tough Pokémon. The cost for starting Survival Mode is also a little more significant - 3 Hearts - but no more than that is needed for all the stages it offers, which are plenty.

The gameplay is like a Main Stage with moves, and what really helps is that one gets 5 moves after clearing each stage, so it helps to use the most powerful Pokémon and to be economical in making moves, saving them when they are to be needed the most. Item rewards can also be earned for clearing certain milestone stages, which should be very useful. The challenge of Survival Mode ends when there are no more moves, one decides to quit, or all stages are cleared, though it is possible to pause the challenge (using the "Take a Break" feature) before starting the next stage to play other games.

It becomes clear that the challenge of this mode is for those who have leveled up and powered up their Pokémon in the game, as without doing so, one is not likely to make it out of even the first few stages, though one can certainly try - Mewtwo awaits at the tenth stage, so that alone indicates how much of a challenge this becomes as one proceeds through the stages. The requirement of 3 Hearts also means that Survival Mode is best conducted when one has a few Hearts to spare and hopefully some time to spare as well, as even though the challenge can be paused, Hearts are still replenished during it.

Personally, I've been able to get quite far into Survival Mode thanks to a bevy of leveled up and powered up Pokémon, though not close to its completion due to some shortcomings. Because of the variety of Pokémon encountered, it is impossible to get through everything with just one or two types, and the best four of everything should be used along with the best Mega Evolution that can deal with just about anything the Pokémon can throw. This is something that I'll work on next time.

The challenge of Survival Mode lies in selecting the best of the best Pokémon, then taking them to deal with as many Pokémon as possible, or even all that are faced. It may sound simple, but it certainly is not, as it can demand everything that one has at one's disposal. It's an ultimate challenge that is also likely to be the ultimate way of showing that one has indeed mastered the game, one that is definitely worth pursuing while still being able to do what one can within the game.

One year ago: Pokémon Go Datamining Moments

Two years ago: It's Gonna Be...

Three years ago: A Mascot Reinterpretation

Four years ago: Local Hangouts and Pokémon

My Personal TCG Equipment Wishlist

As evidenced by the relative paucity of posts regarding it, I don't play the Pokémon TCG much even though I have basic knowledge about it and possess the physical cards and its associated equipment in some capacity. That physical equipment, however, is actually meager despite being sufficient to play. Even so, a small part of me still desires some other pieces of equipment if and when I decide to take up the physical cards again. I figure I should take a post to outline the equipment that can complement playing the physical TCG, especially in my case, and what I might desire for that.

Currently, the meager equipment I possess for the cards comprise card sleeves. For the Pokémon TCG - or any specialty card game for that matter - card sleeves are important in order to protect the cards, common or rare regardless. The cards are moved around a lot (particularly when shuffling them, an essential part of the game), and friction will get to them if they are not protected otherwise. The sleeves I have are transparent and show off the classic card back, which is the intent of getting the ones I got. If I were to desire something different for card sleeves, I might want a plain colored one or preferably something with a different Pokémon image. Still, the transparent ones I possess work for that reason, so that may be something to keep.

If I'm going to have a ton of cards and different decks, I'm going to have to need some deck boxes to hold the decks, obviously. They hold the cards for the decks and keep them separate, preventing their mixing. For cards not in a deck, the boxes will surely be helpful for exactly the same purpose. Currently, I still only have my unmodified starter deck, so its box is sufficient for that purpose. But once I start thinking about modifying that deck and/or getting another deck, then I'll have to start thinking about actual deck boxes to keep things separate and organized as I tinker with the decks and still maintain the cards I edit out of them before they can find a place somewhere else.

One last equipment that might be beneficial is a playing mat. While I've gotten by without one, now I could see how it might be useful: without one, my cards tend to slip and slide while playing, and a playing mat ought to resolve this issue. It also comes with the added bonus of providing a way to keep things a little more organized, which is a plus because I tend to be messy with things including games - one reason I like and prefer the TCGO instead of physical cards. But if and when the physical cards are the way to go, I need a way (or many ways) to keep myself in line when I play, and a playing mat ought to provide at least one of those ways while I play.

The complementary equipment that I've described here, of course, necessitates that I get back into playing the physical cards, which is not likely to happen soon enough. It remains a minor desire for that to actually happen, and if or when that does happen, the minor desires for the equipment above may deserve to be fulfilled to some extent. The fact remains that a specialty card game practically requires lots of things to make them work (well), and that is no less true for the Pokémon TCG than any other specialty card game; the equipment I've detailed here represents steps in that direction.

One year ago: On the Mining of Data

Two years ago: Mementos of...

Three years ago: Cosplay Events, Wherefore Art Thou?

Four years ago: Connection Issues?

Quickies: Officer Jenny, the Keeper of Order

At least a couple of times before, I've identified people of the real world as "Officer Jenny", the characters of the Pokémon world who keep the people and the world in line. I speak, of course, of police officers, whether or not they're of the same gender as the character. On one hand, they evoke a mix of emotions, for those who have to deal directly or indirectly with them. On the other hand, they have to be respected for their role in maintaining order in the public. And that makes for a neat discussion, even a quick one.

Some of the real "Officer Jenny" that I often see and a lot of people know keep order in a neat way: they observe traffic by cameras to look out for violations, while others report the situation at certain points in time live on TV. They have to have a lot of charisma to deal with violators that they observe as well as in reporting situations when it comes time to do so. They obviously don't enlist the help of Pokémon in doing so, but if the same thing happened there, Pokémon would certainly step in to help. Nevertheless, it's a task for any of them to be able to keep order in such circumstances.

One notable circumstance where Officer Jenny was involved was when order had to be maintained following an incident with a log truck and the fallen logs that resulted from that, which also had to involve Machamp in helping to move the logs out of the way. It's a situation where order definitely does need to be maintained and is likely to happen in real life as well, though without the possibility of Machamp coming in to aid things. It's also not as technologically advanced as the situation mentioned above, but it's par for the course for the Officer Jenny of both worlds.

Hopefully, one does not need to be involved (too deeply) with anyone that can bear the "Officer Jenny" name. But it is important to know that if anything, regardless of evoked emotions, they have to be thanked and quite respected for the order that they help to maintain among people and in worldly situations, as well as whether or not Pokémon is involved. Their job may or may not be any easier with or without Pokémon, but it's one that they'll have to do well for the good of public order.

One year ago: Pokémon and Plant Eaters

Two years ago: The Price of Cosplay Costumes

Three years ago: Do Unusual Things

Four years ago: Futureproofing Transfers

Furthering Eevee's "Eeveelutions"

Eevee is a fascinating Pokémon, and much can be discussed about it. Arguably, the most discussed aspect is its many possible evolved forms, colloquially called "Eeveelutions". The set is comprehensive, with coverage of many "basic" types and "advanced" types. However, the coverage is not complete, and many "intermediate" types are missing. Therefore, a frequently discussed subtopic of this aspect is the discovery and development of more evolved forms of Eevee, in effect furthering the set of these forms.

A frequently invoked question is "when?" These evolved forms have come at a rather sporadic pace, with very few coming at one time. The focus on the trend of completely new forms (and evolution lines) for existing species families rather than a new evolved form for an existing family with an existing line doesn't help matters much. Something revolutionary might be needed in order to incite these forms being discovered and developed in spanning more types.

The most obviously linked question is "what types next?" Existing evolved forms of Eevee are mostly related to substances, and some of the types that haven't been covered are also of substances as well. They are most likely to be covered in a future and forthcoming evolved form of Eevee, though given its genetic possibilities, there is a chance that everything can be covered, which is evident in many fan treatments of these forms. They're still hypothetical, though, and true new forms will likely need "something to go by".

Ultimately, furthering the "Eeveelutions" - the evolved forms of Eevee - will take time and quite possibly precursors to make things happen. But it's something that can and should happen if Eevee and its evolved forms are to realize their full genetic potential, which they have already did, but only in part. For a genetic wonder, Eevee is rather exemplary even with old evolved forms, but it would be even more so with new ones someway, somehow. 

One year ago: More on Pokémon Go Gift Stickers

Two years ago: Red and Riley Keychains

Three years ago: The Apple and Pokémon

Four years ago: Cosplay: Nimatsuri 2017

In the Mix: Pokémon Presents, 8/18/2021

It's been about a year since the first Pokémon Presents came about, and it becomes clear that whenever Pokémon Presents (and previously, Direct) is involved, big-time Pokémon news is at hand. And there was that in yesterday's edition, which warrants it to be covered not on the day of - it came at 8 PM my time, barely enough to capture every sentiment - but the day after, in other words today. The big-time news this time can also be described in a certain way, and that would be "in the mix", the tag I've chosen for this edition.

This edition of Pokémon Presents started off with a roundup of happenings in the spinoff Pokémon games, including Pokémon Go. That particular bit I'll cover in its own rollup since it's relevant there (hint: it involves a generational curveball), but the other games can still be discussed in brief. Pokémon Unite, which was released one month ago for the Switch and next month for mobile will have a few new Pokémon added to the game. Pokémon Masters EX is having a Sync Pair event, and that's fairly significant as far as fans are concerned. Pokémon Café Mix, the new hit puzzle game, is getting a major update, and with it a new name, akin to Masters EX; it is now called Pokémon Café Remix. That's a mix of games and a mix of updates as well, and so the tag fits.

The bread-and-butter of this edition of Pokémon Presents, however, is the new big games to be released over the next year. Two of them would be the true long-awaited Sinnoh remakes of Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, which are due out on November 19. The earlier description of it being a "faithful remake" still applies, but with the preview here, there are a few additions that add flair to that remake, such as revamps to Pokémon Contests and the Sinnoh Grand Underground. They also won't replace the current Sword and Shield games as the main competitive venue and the games effectively simply complement them. Yet there's a lot to be said for all the nostalgia these games bring in a new form, and the new additions may be sufficiently enticing.

The third game would be Pokémon Legends: Arceus, the "open-world proposal". This game still takes place in a bygone time of the Sinnoh region, but it's not called that; it's called Hisui, its former name. The preview in this edition is more richly detailed and comes complete with a display of gameplay mechanics, one of which is move styles for Pokémon to attack either more strongly or more quickly. A number of new Pokémon (forms) were also introduced, such as Wyrdeer, an evolution of Stantler, and Hisuian Growlithe, a truly archaic-looking version of the well-known Pokémon. This preview should be able to erase some doubts from those who had seen the earlier preview, and then entice them to purchase it when it comes out on January 28 of next year.

In this edition of Pokémon Presents, there was an apparent mix. The roundup of things from the different games were a mix, and so were the things that were previewed in the upcoming major Pokémon games. The decision now for Pokémon fans is to "mix" these games (later, for the upcoming ones) into what they've got going. That decision could prove to be a hefty one, but the information gained from this edition should already provide the semblance of the mix that fans can truly create as they play the games.

One year ago: Too Many Items from Raids?

Two years ago: This Is My House

Three years ago: Local Ex-Raid (and Changes), 8/19/2018

Four years ago: Pikachu Image Pillow

Chiki Balls Pokémon Coins: Selections

So, the Pokémon "coins" I discussed around a couple of weeks ago are these coins. They're found in promotional packages of snacks that are shaped like little puffy balls with a certain crispiness to them. They're meant for children, but older people like them, and so do I to a certain extent. The coins too are therefore as such, but that doesn't stop Pokémon fans like me from obtaining them, which I in fact did a couple of days ago and led me to obtain four of them, as can be seen below.

As noted by the promotion on the packaging, there are actually 100 of these coins in the current edition of the promotion. However, there are only two coins in each package, which means to obtain them all - a lofty goal if nothing else - one would have to spend for at least 50 of them as there are bound to be some repeats with random distributions. I'm not interested in eating 50 packages or more of them for the sake of everything, so these four will do just fine unless I obtain more of them in some way.

The four I obtained above are of course Bulbasaur, Charizard, Ho-Oh, and Groudon. I like that three of them have an intimate connection to Ash in some way, so that works out well for me. Yet from what I've seen, it may be that those who buy the snacks for the coins may be assured of at least one Legendary (or Mythical) Pokémon, in this case two for me. That may still a good thing in alleviating the inability to get each one of the 100 coins.

For those not familiar with these coins, they are intended to be able to be assembled into 3D structures, evidenced by the notches on the edge. With a large number, this can conceivably be created. However, with these coins being regarded as collectibles, they seem a little too precious for that, further with some suggesting that the build quality of these coins have decreased from prior editions. I'd sooner take blanks of these coins if I intended to build something.

These collectible "coins" are noticeably on the lower end of the quality scale for collectibles, but they are officially licensed merchandise, and they deserve to still be collected as such. Anyone who collects them should still be proud of what has been collected, whether a few or a lot. I can't speak much for the snack balls that one finds these Pokémon coins with, but the coins that come with them speak volumes about what Pokémon merchandise people like.

One year ago: The Power of Stories

Two years ago: Cosplay: STARNIFEST 2019

Three years ago: Cosplay: B-Bunkasai 2018 - Subarashii Maboroshii no Sekai

Four years ago: Battle of the Masters

Sparkling, Shining for the World

Indonesia

Red is my blood

White are my bones

All together in my spirit now

Indonesia

The beating of my heart

The pulsing in my veins

All as one in my aspirations now

Sparkling, shining

Rainbow in the sky

-- "Kebyar Kebyar", Gombloh (adaptive translation)

Let's get straight to the point: today's the 76th independence day of Indonesia, and as my country of birth and current residence, I feel obliged to honor that somehow and yet also link that honoring to Pokémon as what I'm passionate about and the theme of this blog. This time, I've digged into an old song that has become a patriotic staple of today's celebrations; the word in the title means "sparkling" or "shining", and I've included both interpretations in the translation above. I also consider it somewhat reflective of Pokémon impressions in some ways.

The colors of red and white, of the flag, need no introduction, as they're the first things I discussed on this day years ago (see below). It is worth reminding that they're both also the colors of the two halves of a Poké Ball, and this is a union that encapsulates spirits - the spirits of a Pokémon contained within it, as well as the spirit of the Trainer to which the Pokémon belongs. There is a sense of united spirits in many ways, as much as the two colors are united in the flag and the spirits of the country's devout patriots.

The beating of people's hearts and the pulses - of blood, that is - in their veins represent their life force, and together they drive people to achieve what they desire, as their aspirations. Some of those people might conceivably be Pokémon Trainers, who are and have been known to possess major aspirations themselves - I know I do. Of course, the patriots of the country do so too, if history is any witness. For both, their life force is still essential to keep them going in the situations that play out in life, even now.

The last bit about sparkle and shine is a little more demanding in explanation. I'd like to think that Pokémon Trainers are an "enlightened" sort of people, and I'm sure that ought to apply well. It can also apply to rainbows in an orange sky, perhaps after Ho-Oh comes about in the sunset, and that is probably the intent in the untranslated lines; I took liberties for this translation, in part for the meter. But whether it's the people of this country or Pokémon Trainers, they're likely to sparkle and shine as they face their brave future.

Though the future right now might look a bit bleak, there is a sense that it should be faced, certainly bravely. In that sense, this song seems to be rather suitable for these times. It is and has been attested to be patriotic for Indonesians, but with a little stretching of the imagery, Pokémon Trainers might have a stake in some of the imagery as well. And I know there are people like me that can lay claim to both roles, and I'd say that would be incredibly noble, as we show our sparkle and shine not only for the country but also for the world.

There is not much else to say. To fellow Indonesians, Happy Independence Day.

One year ago: Rise Up and Live, with Body and Soul

Two years ago: ...And Social Justice for All

Three years ago: United in Diversity

Four years ago: Red and White Philosophy

Thoughts of Cards, Again

I consider any problem related to Pokémon as my problem. This includes my own problems as well as that of others. For now, though, there is one problem that's kind of nagging, and that would concern the TCG. Since I've initiated things with the TCGO client and gotten my first physical starter deck, I've enjoyed many things about it, but then current conditions took effect and a lot of things happened, and that led to a few personal sub-problems with the TCG that make up a larger whole. The solutions don't seem to be easy either, which is why I've chosen to take this post to discuss my thoughts on them.

Some time ago, I had attempted to start playing again with the TCGO client, but I found out that the client wouldn't connect, let alone update. Yet the client had worked earlier with nothing changed on my PC itself, my preferred platform to play. One thing, though, had changed, and that would be the connection settings I use to connect my PC to the Internet, and that is mostly outside of my PC. Still, it's the most likely culprit of why the TCGO client is not connecting as it should, and I may need to bear with it if I don't find another solution.

Meanwhile, the solution for holding physical TCG battles in current times is Remote Battles that are facilitated by a smartphone and video transmission. It's a neat solution to be sure as it takes advantage of many people's current and available means of communication, provided that they have the device. However, seeing that I only have a local-language full deck and fragments of an English deck, this would be most workable with a local player, and that presents a few constraints of its own.

The primary constraint is that on the whole, the local cards still present a bit of a personal comprehension problem, which makes me a slower player than otherwise. This may or may not be desirable when it comes time to play with others. The secondary constraint is that I have not been keeping up with the pace of current cards, though obviously the cards themselves have, which is good for the cards and others but not so much for me. This is likely to be the hardest problem to solve, but a friend tells me not to worry about this too much.

Playing the TCG has had its own challenges and problems in current times, but at least some of them can or have been able to be resolved. Personally though, I seem to need to resolve a few more additional problems before I could jump back into TCG affairs. That is much of a problem as whatever problems that other TCG players may face, which to me is something I'm interested to know and solve just as much as knowing and solving mine.

One year ago: The Age of Post-EX Raids?

Two years ago: Capital Convergence

Three years ago: Getting Lucky with It

Four years ago: I Want to Splurge

Pokémon Go Community Day, 8/14/2021 and 8/15/2021

In August 2018, Community Day for Pokémon Go was unusual because it was held over two days. But that was for a good reason: the featured Pokémon was Eevee, and time was needed to allow it to evolve into its myriad of evolved forms. This month, Community Day was held on two days, yesterday and today... and it becomes obvious why. The edition of the event for this month marks the return of Eevee as a featured Pokémon along with its family of evolved forms, and this edition is bigger than ever, at least in some ways.

In the previous edition, Last Resort was the featured move for all forms available at that time, being Eevee, Vaporeon, Jolteon, Flareon, Espeon, and Umbreon; Leafeon and Glaceon received it in the "recap edition" the next year, while Sylveon - which has only debuted this year - hasn't yet received it. Last Resort is (or was, by now) still available for Eevee this time, but all the other forms got different moves. Vaporeon gets Scald, Jolteon gets Zap Cannon, Flareon gets Superpower, Espeon gets Shadow Ball, Umbreon gets Psychic, Leafeon gets Bullet Seed, Glaceon gets Water Pulse, and Sylveon gets Psyshock. Not all of these moves suit a STAB framework, but some may be useful for PvP, where they might help to fend off counters.

As noted, this edition takes place over a couple of days with current standard features on each day, from 11 AM to 5 PM local time, with Trainers being free to use extended Incense and/or Lure Modules depending on the situation. The "move window" for evolving Eevee into its various forms, however, is extended, from approximately last Friday to Monday tomorrow. This was intended to give time for Trainers to evolve Espeon and Umbreon as they normally have a significant walking requirement, but due to a bug that was reclassed as a temporary bonus feature, they only need to become a Buddy Pokémon. Sylveon, meanwhile, has its evolution requirement of 70 buddy hearts temporarily reduced to just 7 for this event.

For the other features, the bonus was quartered Egg hatch distance, which ought to allow Trainers to catch up on hatching their Eggs, some of which could contain Eevee. The paid Special Research this time is called "What You Choose to Be", reflecting the fact that Eevee has a myriad of evolved forms. In fact, all of those forms can be gotten from this Special Research set, which might benefit some Trainers, as Vaporeon, Jolteon, and Flareon still evolve randomly from Eevee in Pokémon Go, and that should alleviate some Trainers in not getting the evolved Eevee form they desire, albeit with variable stats. The entire set, as I cannot stress enough, is always worth buying for its value.

After two days, I substantially increased my Candy stock, gained many Shiny Eevee, and some usable ones with high stats or for PvP. On the first day yesterday, I decided to go out to try to hit up a couple of my friends in the nearby area, and that worked out well; it was then that I also focused on catching as many Eevee as possible within the event period. Today, I did the same but only met one friend instead, and I opted to take a more loose approach by partly employing my Poké Ball Plus to assist in the capture of the Eevee that appeared. Both of these were coupled with a few errands to make the trip outside more significant. As for evolution, I evolved a few Eevee with high stats that I already gained, as well as a few others for possible PvP usage. Although Last Resort has some niche PvP usage, this Community Day really warranted evolving, and I may evolve some more tomorrow.

Eevee remains a most unusual Pokémon, as it has many different evolved forms. Therefore, the Community Day featuring it and its extended species family this month has to be unusually designed as well, like that from three years ago. Fortunately, in many ways, it's also quite expanded from then, with many possibilities of the Eevee family for different Pokémon battles. It becomes the task of Trainers to choose and tailor the Eevee that they have caught for different purposes, and that's a certain usual business made greatly possible this weekend.

One year ago: Matters of Shadow and Light (Purification)

Two years ago: The Subtle Generational Spoiler

Three years ago: Don't Look Back... in Anger

Four years ago: Pokémon Desktop Wallpapers

Let's Talk About Cards for Humanity

Ash: Hey, we didn't get to talk at all last month!

Me: We didn't, did we? Well, it was a busy month and all with a certain two-day Pokémon happening.

Ash: I see that. Maybe I could have joined in.

Me: Well, when the world gets all better again, there might be a time when you can join in... I hope. No guarantees yet, either way.

Pikachu: Pika chu! ["Why not!"]

Me: Anyhow, right now we can talk about something else related to Pokémon that you became a part of by way of me sending you. The recording is available for everyone to see.

Ash: Yeah! That's an interesting one. I know that Pokémon battles usually take shape with actual Pokémon in some way, but some people try to make that happen with cards.

Me: Indeed. While it's not the Pokémon as they appear in the flesh and full of life, the cards are a bit of an abstraction of how Pokémon battles might go. I've played it, and it's fun when you understand the system.

Ash: I can see that. I also see that some of the cards look really different. I mean, they can be used to battle, but they seem too good for that.

Me: That's also very true. At that point, people can buy and sell those really good cards and make money off them. It may be hard to believe, but it can and does happen.

Pikachu: Pi pika chu. Pi pika pika! ["I'll believe that. They look so good!"]

Ash: That explains a lot about the skit that I did with one of your friends. In the skit, my friend played someone poor, and I played a Pokémon Trainer. I gave him a pack of those cards, and he found a few of those good-looking ones. He sold them so that he wasn't as poor anymore... but then it was surprising what he did at the end.

Me: You've got the gist of it. It's also not to be taken too seriously. The whole thing is tongue-in-cheek and exaggerated, but the bit about the really good cards being able to be sold for a pretty penny is quite true. A few friends of mine who deal with them can vouch for that.

Ash: I trust you. You also sent me when your friend talked to you about the idea.

Me: I did. It was kind of out of the blue, but any time I get to send you to do stuff, it's always fun. I and others got good entertainment out of it, and you get to see how my world and the Pokémon world work together.

Pikachu: Pi. Pika pika. ["Yes. They can."]

Ash: I guess it makes the cards and Pokémon familiar to people, doesn't it?

Me: It does. Even the cards themselves were made to be familiar to the local people, in their local language, in order to get the game and Pokémon battles really going. It's been two years in the making (and my one-year discussion was last year - see below), and given that the cards are still being sold and updated, people are still accepting of them.

Ash: It's great to see more and more people becoming familiar to Pokémon. It's pretty much what you're trying to do when you send me to do things.

Me: Exactly! If the cards are the formal way of doing things - which is very much necessary in any case - the way we do things is a bit (actually a lot) more informal, but I'd like to think that we accomplish the same goal. You could call it "cards for humanity" with Pokémon in tow.

Ash: Will you be playing the cards again soon?

Me: I hope I can. There's been a lot of things holding up my progress. But I can assure you that it is just as important, as are you and other Pokémon matters.

Ash: Yeah! I agree!

Pikachu: Pika! ["I do!"]

Me: And if possible, we ought to make them come together for the good of the people.

Ash: That should be "in the cards."

One year ago: Localized TCG: After One Year

Two years ago: Who's That...

Three years ago: Worldly Reverence

Four years ago: All in Good (Life)Time

NGOCO Podcast: What's Up with Pokémon?

One of the recent realized social media experiments involving Pokémon, and of course me, is my being featured on a podcast belonging to a local band I know very well, Hyakushiki. It is also an experiment for them as they deal with non-band content. The podcast is titled "NGOCO", which is an abbreviation of "Ngobrol Bareng Konco", meaning "Talking with Friends". Obviously, we're really good friends with each other, which is why they chose me as their first guest, and that is an honor to be sure. The first episode with me in two parts is titled "Ada Apa Dengan Pokémon?", which is a rib on a very popular local teen romance movie and means "What's Up with Pokémon?".

In Part 1, which is only about 15 minutes long, I and two of the band's members - the drummer and a guitarist - discussed mostly about my cosplay background, including where I started and what makes me tick as a cosplayer and a person in general, including my daily life. The answer to the first can also be found elsewhere on this blog, while the second is obvious, as it is the overarching theme of this blog and subsequently a partial focus of their episode with me. Another key point that was discussed in this part is my popularity relative to local events and conventions, which in a way has become quintessential among other things. It serves as a neat introduction to who I am and their new podcast concept.

Part 2 is significantly longer at nearly 30 minutes, around twice as long. There are a few more tidbits about me in this part, but a good deal of time in this part was spent for answering questions that had been submitted ahead of time. Interestingly, many of the questions could be answered by tidbits that I had previously dropped in Part 1 and a little earlier in Part 2, so it was only a matter of elaborating some of the more obscure tidbits. At the end of Part 2, the band members also presented a challenge to rate the cosplays of certain people since I had been a judge before; I have to admit that since it wasn't a formal judging, my ratings were slightly generous, but it was a fun challenge nonetheless.

The nice thing about this video podcast is that certain images can be shown for clarification, including Trainer Red as one of the non-Ash characters I've cosplayed, as well as the event poster where I first cosplayed. This was also very much necessary for the rate-the-cosplay challenge in order to provide context to viewers. One thing that I had been hoping for is that since Hyakushiki is a band, we could have done a collaborative musical number to go along with the podcast, but admittedly none of us were ready when we recorded the whole thing. Still, the rest of the podcast is what matters, and perhaps we can save the collaboration for another time when we are all ready, especially with more of the band.

What can be construed about this podcast is that it is as much an experiment for them as it is for me, as I've noted even way before. Yet it is a good experiment with a good concept, in bringing friends who (may) have been somewhat disconnected even in current times and reconnecting with them through lively dialogue. For me and many others, though, Hyakushiki will always be known for their band content, but this new content allows for a deeper insight into their non-band relations, and especially in letting guests like me shine. I feel like I've done just that with my appearance as their first guest and with the information I've brought on the podcast, and the hope is that we can all continue to shine no matter what we take up.

One year ago: Get Sporty for Sports, Pokémon Style

Two years ago: The Changing of Boxes

Three years ago: Toy Block Pokémon?

Four years ago: Cosplay Briefings

On Pokémon Who Talk and Speak

It is quite well-known today that Pokémon communicate by uttering expressions that in effect contain bits of their species name, yet still contain distinct meanings. Pokémon who communicate in human language therefore becomes an oddity. Yet it's an oddity that deserves a certain consideration because of its implications for the way that the creatures communicate with others of their kind and even people.

The most famous (and practically the only example) is Meowth of Team Rocket fame in the anime. As the story goes, Meowth picked up human language - with the bipedal characteristic as an aside - in order to get in touch with a "humane" side, but it turned out to be too much. Yet Meowth is still able to understand communication among the creatures and has at times been employed as an "interpreter" by them. The human language communication may then be considered just a human "front" for Pokémon communication that still takes place in their "vernacular".

For Pokémon of the Psychic type with exceptional abilities, they may opt to use telepathy instead, with anime evidence indicated by Mewtwo and Lugia. In any case, they don't physically appear to be able to show common vernacular communication with other Pokémon - in the case of Lugia, howls can be particularly significant - but they need to communicate somehow. Given their ethereal abilities and limited physical communicative means, telepathy makes sense as communication may still be necessary at times and toward people, even if it's not a primary thing for them.

It should be noted that the Pokémon anime had originally been planned to have Pokémon talking in human language, much like the "monsters next door", but this was considered infeasible, and the anime simply had the "vernacular" of the species name. The games never went beyond this except in Mystery Dungeon and games where only Pokémon are concerned, where the captions contain their communicative messages and the name "vernacular" is simply added for emphasis of what likely actually took place.

Considering human language communication for Pokémon as an oddity, the early Pokémon manga by Kosaku Anakubo becomes an oddity as well, in that the manga clearly depicts as such, except in the case of one Pokémon. Yet in this inverse state, it may be plausible to think of it instead as "artistic license" rather than a complete oddity. It's still not possible to escape the fact that the manga has a very different style for everything, especially in comparison to normal expectations, so the consideration of it as an "oddity" may still hold.

The reality is still that aside from the case of Meowth with a clear backstory and some Psychic-type Pokémon with an innate ability, human language communication for Pokémon isn't the norm. What is the norm is a more natural mode of communication with their species name, but with a shade of linguistic interpretation. Whether it's an oddity or not, that may be up to the Pokémon to decide, perhaps with their human companions as well.

One year ago: The Fate of (Monthly) Go Fest and Safari Zones

Two years ago: Localized TCG (Not Quite) Taking Off

Three years ago: Pokémon Go Community Day, 8/11/2018 and 8/12/2018

Four years ago: Cosplay: DANOBU 4

Great League and Ultra League, Newly Remixed

The momentum for this has slipped away quite a bit, so before it slips away any further, it should be discussed. Late last month, I discussed the possible "remixing" of GBL formats beyond the standard leagues, two of which has gotten the treatment (Great and Ultra) in the current season. However, I didn't address those current treatments since I wasn't ready for that. The Ultra League Remix had just concluded a couple of days ago, and with that, I'm more or less ready discuss the two remixes of the two standard leagues in the current season.

An important point of the current remixes is that they are new. It is new for the Ultra League Remix nonetheless, but the Great League Remix is also new. The primary reason is that unlike the initial implementation of the remix treatment for the Great League, this remix treatment has more Pokémon that are excluded or banned: specifically, there are 20 species banned for each of the remixes. These represent the species most frequently used by Trainers of Ace rank or higher for each and the full lists can be seen on the official blog. Furthermore, the lists of banned species were predetermined at the start of the season instead of being determined mid-season as with the initial implementation. This new implementation therefore has a very radical change.

Nearly all of the Pokémon banned in the original Great League Remix were still banned, though now specific forms were targeted (specifically Alolan Marowak, Deoxys Defense, and Galarian Stunfisk). Raichu notably left the list, and 11 new species joined the rest. Not surprisingly, they include a few of the species that I had previously mentioned as popular and dominating, being Politoed, Medicham, Altaria, and Bastiodon. The new remix thus improves on the earlier remix by removing further possibilities of dominance by the species that the earlier remix didn't catch, which subsequently had become dominant.

Meanwhile, the new Ultra League Remix was rather weighty, in that it both started out with 20 species right off the bat and contains some really heavy Pokémon. Venusaur, Umbreon, Swampert, and Talonflame, which are out would be as dominant here as in Great League, are banned. Other banned heavy hitters include Charizard, Empoleon, Togekiss, and Escavalier. From the "Legendary and Mythical Club", Articuno, Registeel, Giratina Altered, Cresselia, and Melmetal are also barred from usage. While there are lots more heavy hitters than the ban list - which indeed became prominent afterward - the list presented a heavy but good challenge.

It is evident that there was the realization that only banning 10 species did not make too much of a dent in the meta, or the "mix" in the remix if one prefers. With 20 species banned for each league, the meta was sufficiently changed up somewhat, which I can attest with the Ultra League Remix and my difficulty in planning for it. One might have better luck if one were to have the counters for the original meta instead.

Variability was clearly intended with the expanded remix for the Great League and the all-new remix for the Ultra League. If Trainers were not being variable enough with the regular leagues, in the case of the Great League along with its original remix, the two remixes would force a greater variability of selected Pokémon for battle. With the variability, Trainers would have to take the momentum of battle among the viable species that weren't banned and power through others with similar compositions, even greater still this time.

One year ago: Pokémon Go Feature Wishlist Realizations

Two years ago: Monthly GO Fest/Safari Zones?

Three years ago: Pokémon Go Personal Feature Wishlist

Four years ago: Cosplay Scrapbooking

Realized Personal Social Media Experiments with Pokémon

About two months ago, I wrote up a post about some personal social media experiments involving Pokémon. That post was actually a hint to a few of those experiments actually being conducted, and I'm happy to say that they've been realized in some form with the efforts of myself and friends. The experiments involved all the social media venues I mentioned in that post, being video, podcast, and this blog. With these advancements in mind, I thought I'd take this post to update on those experiments.

The first to come was a podcast - a video podcast, to be precise. Since current conditions took effect, my friends at Hyakushiki, one of the bands that helped to guide my musical forays in events, have not had much to do, with potential gigs in events gone along with the events themselves. So, they decided to start a little something unique on their YouTube channel: a podcast that involves them talking with their friends. I got the honor of becoming their first guest, and the post about social media experiments was actually made a couple of days after I met with them to record the podcast. The episode with me has been released in two parts on their channel, and I do suggest checking it out; the podcast is in Indonesian - a given, since these are my local friends - but I'll plan on making an English summary later for the benefit of my readers. It's a nice idea for a podcast, and I'm glad to be a part.

Next came a clip-based video experiment. A friend whom I've known since the early days of my cosplaying has recently dealt with promotional/parody clips on Instagram using its Reel feature, and I got invited to participate in one of them to promote the localized TCG. We got together one morning with a script and recorded the whole thing on that morning; I spoke no lines - the narrator spoke for me - but I did wear my new first-generation Ash costume and thereby "sent Ash to do the job". The clip has an interesting storyline that could apply to anyone considering the TCG, but I won't detail too much about it; I suggest watching the Reel clip on Instagram... and maybe later on Ash and I can break it down. Interestingly, the band above also has planned on having that friend of mine on their podcast, so things are coming into a full circle - but that's not a bad thing, if I may say so.

Yet there is one experiment that hasn't been realized, and that involves my blog - at least tangibly. Readers might recall a comment on a post on this blog regarding this blog that I noted in a certain post, and that comment is actually more significant, as the commenter actually offered to make a background for this blog. However, nothing has come out of it, and my response in an e-mail has gone unanswered. At this point, I'm tempted to simply consider it a lost cause. Even so, the offer to make the background has led to the realization that I've had this blog for more than four and a half years, but I have never bothered on touching up its appearance. This is a delectable experiment that I want to undertake, but the results might not be borne out for some time. Still, the thought experiment has been realized, and that may lead to the tangible experiment at some point.

With two months having passed, there is a sense of accomplishment that the Pokémon social media experiments that I've discussed previously have (mostly) come to fruition in some form. The fact that they involve friends further affirms what is - and always has to be - at the core of social media: good communicative links with good people and good things. I've got good people, evidently, and I've got something good - Pokémon - and it doesn't take an experiment to affirm that as well as the good communication that occurs.

One year ago: Let's Talk About Events, Conventions, and Beyond

Two years ago: A Tale of Two (OK?) Performances

Three years ago: Ode to Magikarp

Four years ago: Snorlax's Awakening

Trainer Green and Ash XY Pikachu Figures

It's not often the case that I jump on Pokémon figures, but in this case, these figures are quite remarkable and well crafted that I just had to jump on them. I say "these" because there are indeed two figures of Pikachu. But they're not just any old Pikachu; they're Pikachu dressed up as Trainer Green and Ash in his Kalos outfit. That's rather unique, and so is the general gist of these figures.

The two figures are actually a part of a series of six of them where Pikachu dresses up in different outfits, including the two mentioned above. Others in the series include Pikachu in the style of Goku (of Dragon Ball fame) as well as wearing apparel from Bathing Ape. It's a totally original idea, and because of that, it may be safe to say that the figures are unofficial or "bootleg", a term that one of my friends uses for such merchandise. Even so, the quality is rather evident even just on these two figures.

The paint jobs on the two figures are extremely detailed and appropriately colored. The same goes for all the minute details they possess. The outfits of Trainer Green and Ash tend to have many details, but these figures have most of them visibly, including their hats, clothing on the upper and lower body, and shoes; they even have fur ruffles to match the hair off their characters. The gender of the two Pikachu are also appropriate, with the Trainer Green Pikachu being female and the Ash Pikachu being male. 

Even with their likely unofficial or "bootleg" quality, the attention to detail on these figures is excellent. It is as if the creator of these figures knows what is expected of these characters, and then designed the figures to suit. Looking at the pictures of the other figures, this is quite evident as well, with the Goku Pikachu almost looking like it could go into Saiyan mode any time. But all that I have are the "true" Pokémon figures, so it's not a total loss and they fit well within my collection.

Incidentally, I only planned to obtain just one of the series by random pick, and I got Trainer Green first, a few days ago. Seeing that the quality of the figure is great, I went back in order to grab the Ash Pikachu figure, and I managed to obtain it only today. Regardless, I did find the quality to be just as great, which opened the door for me to write up this post today. I'm not likely to obtain the other figures myself - moreover, they are less related to Pokémon - but I'd be pleased if I were to get them somehow.

Each of the figures in the series deserve attention, certainly, but Pokémon fans like me would certainly place greater attention on the ones that exemplify Pokémon the most, and that would be these two figures. I don't regret jumping on the chance to get these, and I feel that they've added a nice touch to my collection of Pokémon figures. And I cannot ask for more than a couple of well crafted figures like these.

One year ago: Into the Myst

Two years ago: Raid Stories

Three years ago: Evolution Is a Change

Four years ago: Historical Pokémon

Quickies: More Alton-Pokémon Quirks

Years ago, early in my blogging efforts, I noted that I'm a fan of Alton Brown of Good Eats and Food Network fame - and I still am even now. Recently, I've had a binge of his most recent content on YouTube, including some that deal with current conditions, and I have to say that they still resemble my blog posts - or rather, my blog posts still resemble them. That's a minor and really indirect "Pokémon connection", but it's still one nonetheless. At this point, I'd like to consider other ways of relating Alton and Pokémon, even superficially.

Alton has lots of knowledge about food, so he's like a professor in the sciences. He's also eccentric in his ways, just like certain kinds of professors. Therefore, he could be likened to be a professor in some ways - and in my eyes, he could be likened to be a Pokémon professor. In this case, he could be likened to Professor Willow from Pokémon Go. Their eccentricities are comparable, especially for those who have gotten to know Professor Willow through the textual narrative of Special Research sets. By appearance, Alton could use some more hair to look like Professor Willow, but with the appropriate outfit, he could just almost look like the Professor Willow. Then, they could speak about the same things and be virtually indistinguishable... at least until one talks about food and the other about Pokémon.

For many of his fans, Alton resonates deeply with food science, which is why when his breakthrough show Good Eats ended some years ago, many eventually felt a longing for it, even me. Yet, I've been told that the show has been revived a few years ago with new content, which becomes appreciable for its fans and also shows that Alton can't be too far removed from what he is known for. This story might be considered to be similar to the story of Mewmore, who continued to dip back into Pokémon music remixes even though horizons have been broadened, showing that it still has a certain relevance for the artist. The hope is that for fans, everything that they've done can remain relevant somehow. 

It's been a long time since Alton Brown came to the limelight with what he offered for food science, and the appearance of Pokémon isn't far removed from the timescale. And after all that time, for me to still be passionate about the latter and him about the former, that's still impressive. It seems passion is a key binding thing in many things that people are attracted to, but that is no problem at all when they resonate, just like Pokémon and food science.

One year ago: Pokémon Go Community Day, 8/8/2020

Two years ago: The Other Side of "Childhood"

Three years ago: Making Decisions in Magikarp Jump

Four years ago: Pokémon Wrapping Paper

Taking It All Home

Baby come come now, pick it up up up

If you wanna take it home

Baby come come now, with ya love love love

If you wanna take it home

Like, where do we come, where do we go

Baby right nah nah nah

Where do we come, where do we go

Baby come come now, with ya love love love

If you wanna take it, you wanna take it home...

-- "Take It Home", Mabel

Speaking of songs, there is this one to take care of, which I've divulged at the end of last month for the anniversary road post, exactly one week ago. Those who are not in tune with current trends in music (like me, I'll have to admit) might find this an odd artist, but she's actually quite successful. She's part Swedish and part English, and she just had her first major success a few years ago. With that recent of a breakthrough singing career, she is a novel addition to the P25 Music program, especially with this song.

This bouncy little number is an R&B song featuring her distinctive vocals. It comes along with a music video that has quite a bit of dancing and Pokémon appearance, thanks to the presence of Jigglypuff and Pikachu, though Jigglypuff is the primary one this time around. The part that I've quoted above is from the chorus, and it becomes evident how this song is "bouncy": even in the chorus there is quite a bit of repetition, which carries the feeling through and all over as the song progresses.

Some people have said that they have a hard time seeing how this song fits in with Pokémon, but considering the lyrics, it shouldn't be hard to tell. The lyrics contain "I'm your champion", "by your side", and "we can't lose", all of which are ultimate goals for Trainers and their partner Pokémon. Reading between the lines, the entire song can be construed as representing the journey of Trainers with their partner Pokémon wherever it might take them - yes, even home - and this is also evident in the chorus above.

This musical pick for the P25 music project is rather trendy and contemporary, which is a given because the artist is exactly just that, with her success having come rather recently. It is also inclusive of certain Pokémon concepts if one is willing to look hard enough and believe in them, just like a Trainer would for their partner Pokémon. The new and latest addition to the music program ought to satisfy those with current and specialty music tastes, as well as Pokémon fans who just can't wait to bring it all to the place to be.

One year ago: Sponsored PokéStops and Gyms in Pokémon Go

Two years ago: The Persistence of Legendary Raid Hours

Three years ago: Poké Ball Mini Pokémon Figures

Four years ago: Metal Unova Cap Pikachu Keychain