Next on the "Pokémon Is Everywhere" journey is a stop at a bastion of Japanese pop culture. The weekly Shonen Jump magazine features many of the series of Japanese manga (comics) that fans in said country and all over the world recognize and read in some way, shape, and form, which includes through the magazine itself. With that, Pokémon has encroached upon this space through a special collaboration with the magazine and its associated manga series.
The illustrators of the featured manga series in the magazine have recently come up with illustrations of their characters along with a Pokémon species that they might have. Some of them are even in their Mega Evolution forms, which makes sense because the collaboration is intended to promote the newest Pokémon TCG expansion that features such forms. Still, all of the featured Pokémon and series are significant for the authors and their readers.
One of these series is in fact the "flagship" series of the magazine and one that many people know: One Piece. It's also one that I enjoy and have brought up on this blog a few times alongside Pokémon. For the purpose of this collaboration, its main character Luffy is paired up with Pikachu, the de facto series mascot for Pokémon. The "flagship" theory for matching them up thereby makes sense, not to mention due to other commonalities.
All the Pokémon appear just as expressive as the characters they are paired up with, including the aforementioned Luffy-Pikachu combo. Yet it does seem slightly odd that the collaboration came up just as another TCG realm is having problems with its art. Disregarding this situation, all the Pokémon are still emblematic of the series and characters they're joined up with, as well as the fancy of the illustrators that make them what they are.
Collaborations of this scale don't happen often for Pokémon, but when they do, they can be wide-ranging as in this case with Shonen Jump, reaching out to many of its contributing illustrators to contribute their own Pokémon fancy in the style of their manga creations. In doing so, Pokémon ventures to a place where it doesn't normally go, and its "everywhere" status is furthered for the enjoyment of fans and beyond.
One year ago: Absurdly Heavy Pokémon Matters
Two years ago: Rarest Pokémon Merchandise
Three years ago: Dream Pokémon Food from Café Remix
Four years ago: On Pokémon Who Talk and Speak
Five years ago: The Fate of (Monthly) Go Fest and Safari Zones
Six years ago: Localized TCG (Not Quite) Taking Off
Seven years ago: Pokémon Go Community Day, 8/11/2018 and 8/12/2018
Eight years ago: Cosplay: DANOBU 4
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