Showing posts with label Music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Music. Show all posts

Wednesday, December 24, 2025

The Party Opener: It's All About That Bash

Who's that Pokémon
At the Pokémon Christmas Bash
Who's that Pokémon...
Brock: It's Brock...
Misty: ...Misty...
Ash: ...and Ash!
Who's that Pokémon...
Jessie, James, Meowth: Team Rocket's having a blast!
Who's that Pokémon...
All: Happy holidays from the Pokémon cast!
-- "Pokémon Christmas Bash", from Pokémon Christmas Bash

As I had said last year (see below), I'm running out of songs to feature from the "legendary" Christmas Pokémon album that is the above, and in fact there are two songs left. One of the songs is appropriately enough the opener (first track) and title track of this album, which sets the tone of the album; perhaps I should have featured it first or much earlier such a long time ago. But that is no matter, and now I can feature it in a "first and last" manner.

So, this opener and title track puts in the context of the songs of the album: a Christmas party where Ash and co. as well as Team Rocket - plus Professor Oak, not stated here but implied in the other tracks - gather for the celebration of the holiday. This is explained by Dexter (the voice of the Pokédex) in the first verse, also its only appearance on any of the songs in this album, after which all other characters in the context shine.

In fact, the following verses feature Brock, then Misty, then Ash, and finally the Team Rocket trio. They all explain what they're up to for this party and what their holiday wishes are - and those might involve romance, attraction, zeal, and a different take. Then there are the choruses, which echo their sentiments; the last one is quoted above, which features everyone alongside the lyrical vocals and Pokémon voices that tie everything together.

Many of the elements of this album, as I've noted time and time again in different places, are seemingly rather "ridiculous" for either Christmas or Pokémon, as various perceptions might suggest. The album starting off with this song and the way it is, however, also does suggest that the intent is to ease in the listener to all the quirkiness of the album, which would then make them not so quirky and in fact rather believable. 

Of course, by discussing this song, that means there's only one song left to discuss from the album (the "last last"), and that would have to come next year. For all that the album offers, as both Pokémon and Christmas, the important thing remains the celebration of either and/or both. And when it's "all about that bash" - no "trouble", or at least just a little bit here and there - even Pokémon still has a place amidst the goings-on of the season.

Five years ago: Christmas Song, Really
Seven years ago: Keeping Homes in Hearts
Eight years ago: Cool Wintry Song
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Friday, December 12, 2025

Album: Advance Adventure

To finish off this "gimme five" week - the final one too this year - with the topic of the "sounds of the season", I've decided to make another album discussion or review. It's conceivably another one from the Japanese side of things, since it is admitted that this side has more albums than others. Yet it also has its own dynamics, one of them being the "dynamic" album that becomes the one that I'm addressing in this post.

Said album is called "Advance Adventure" because it contains the first opening theme for the Hoenn saga since it's literally the title track, as well as its first ending theme, "Soko ni Sora ga Aru Kara" - the latter of which I haven't discussed but I might just do so in the future. Both of these in typical Japanese anime soundtrack fashion also have their instrumental or karaoke versions following the regular vocal versions, making them convenient for fans who want to sing them... like me at conventions and festivals with Ash's help.

Padding out the rest of the album is a small selection of background music pieces from the anime for this saga. It's nowhere near the entire collection as was practically the Sound Anime Collection that I discussed earlier, but it's a fine selection as far as things go. The one that I enjoy the most from this selection is the piece called "Tatakai", which many fans will recognize as one of the battle themes of the saga, played in various contexts for the main characters. While the other pieces might remain "rare", at least the ones here aren't.

With the small selection of songs and music on the album, it is possible to consider the album as an "extended play" for either set of tracks, even if taken together they just barely exceed the limit for a true "extended play" and thus qualifies it as being an "album". As an initial selection of the music for the Hoenn saga, it has the bases covered, which is a good thing - perhaps the only one aside from the songs themselves. It might have been hard to expect more from this album - at the time - but now fans don't have to settle for less.

Many things about sounds and music that pertain to various aspects of Pokémon still exist out there, like the overall body of music for the Hoenn saga, of which this album is only a small subset of that. They'll certainly have opportunities to be covered on this blog, further beyond this "gimme five" week that is dedicated to them, and likewise for other topics that have been discussed in this year. For now, this "five" is a "wrap".

Four years ago: Using the Master Ball
Six years ago: Sword and Shield Uptake
Seven years ago: Much Ado About Figures
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Thursday, December 11, 2025

"Rare" Pokémon Music

I had said this week would have posts related to "sound and music", and yet I haven't covered anything about the latter somehow. For that, now I'd like to do so with an actual topic related to Pokémon music. Now, quite a bit of music related to Pokémon is commonly found, if one knows where to look for it; a lot of this is the various opening and ending themes, as well as some related songs. But some music could actually be considered "rare" and hard to find or come upon, and that becomes the focus of this discussion.

One of these kinds is the background music from the anime, aside from the ones in the Sound Anime Collection album. As implied in that post, these pieces rarely surface outside of the anime - if at all - and practically the only place where one can hear them is the anime itself. That also might partly explain why the English dub of the anime, past and present, have used music pieces unique (original) to that dub, with some of the originals being hard to access. In turn, the unique pieces are "rare" themselves for the same reason.

Another kind is some of the backing tracks, instrumentals, or "karaoke" versions of certain Pokémon songs. On the Japanese side, most of the time, songs have their instrumental parts alongside when they are released; there are some isolated works, however, that don't seem to have theirs alongside, and then those instrumental parts become "rare" as a result. On the English side, instrumental parts are rather difficult to come by, even for popular Pokémon songs, and this exemplifies the "rare" classification.

Music from the Pokémon games mostly belong on the "common" side, again in particular if one knows of the resources for obtaining them (for those who know). But some of the older games might have their music pieces stuck in that game, and there may or may not have been efforts by certain fans to preserve them, making them also "rare" consequently. Even for some modern games, music preservation efforts may or may not be underway, and for the games without such efforts yet, its pieces may be considered "rare".

Whether or not certain pieces of Pokémon music are "rare", many fans of the franchise (and perhaps even a good deal beyond) will certainly enjoy all of the available music pieces by listening to them and even interacting with them. It then follows that if more music pieces could be made available, this could occur to an even greater extent. For now, it should be noted that a portion of Pokémon music is not all that "common", and their enjoyment may be limited as well. Some musical breakthroughs may just be needed in that regard.

Six years ago: Rethinking Game Linkages
Eight years ago: Pikachu Head Collectibles
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Saturday, October 4, 2025

My Pokémon Music Remix Artist Picks

Today's music scene is a varied lot. That also goes for electronic music, a lot of which is now lumped under the umbrella they call "EDM", short for "Electronic Dance Music", also suiting the styles for remixing music from other genres and sources. I'm no stranger to this, and I (and other) Pokémon fans would certainly love to see - and hear - artists that especially deal with this area of music also remix Pokémon music. To that end, I also offer my picks for artists who might just remix Pokémon music and especially in the referenced electronic style.

One of my picks would still be Ryutaro Nakahara or Ryu☆, whom I also referenced in last year's post about a possible Pokémon concert (as well as my meeting two years ago). A lot of his music can be considered as the "bright and happy" sort, like of the "happy hardcore" kind; this is certainly applicable to a number of Pokémon music pieces that are already happy and could be made (remixed) to reflect this genre. When I talked to him, he had said that he might just be open to it, and I would fully support it if it ever can happen somehow.

Not far removed from the above is Kosuke Saito or kors k. In his early days, he was a co-winner of a musician contest with Ryutaro, and to this day they're still associated together, especially through their "The 4th" collaborative unit. His music (in my view) is a little more darker and more intense, but this conceivably could be applied to Pokémon music as well, certainly fitting the various battle music. Given the above, they might just collaborate as well, but individual Pokémon music pieces remixed by him would also be essential and of (my) interest.

Still close to the two is my third pick, Masaya Oya or (familiarly) Camellia. He's a more recent artist, also achieving similar popularity in the same ways as with the two mentioned above, though not necessarily through contests. I would consider his style to be a "happy medium" of the two, possibly even "all-purpose", and there would certainly be a way to fit this into the framework of Pokémon music and especially for the purpose of remixing them. Yet he does seem a little "secretive", and that may lead to wonders about his possible involvement.

It may be inevitable that Pokémon music (and remixes of it) could be realized in different ways, including as illustrated by more recent ones. EDM-style remixes - or perhaps more correctly, even more of them - could be the ticket, and if they are, then the three artists above might just fit the bill for that. They're also my personal picks regardless for the possible remixers, and their varied styles lend themselves for that purpose. The broader world of Pokémon music and music in general surely might appreciate their presence for the variety they bring.

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Wednesday, August 13, 2025

Isyana and the World of Pokémon

Being that Pokémon can be considered to be "everywhere", as the theme I've taken for five posts this week, it certainly has affected or influenced many people. Some of those people definitely can be those from all different corners of the world, including mine. One of those is someone who had risen to fame within the past decade or so and has become a well-known "pop diva" in the country. And as expected, that goes for Pokémon affairs as well.

Isyana Sarasvati is a female Indonesian pop singer whose prime musical activities started in 2014, with her first album released a year later. A few more albums and EPs followed in the years after, which showed off her talent and versatility. She also had a "big break" several years ago by singing the cover of a famous song to an originally animated feature in its live action form. This last bit is an affirmation of the above and is effectively the lead-in to Pokémon matters.

With regard to Pokémon, she appeared last year in a performance at one of the venues of PIJ in the "big city", which I (through Ash) had happened to see. Her outfit for the festivities was a black and yellow one, which was clearly inspired by Pikachu. Later on, for the local dub of the Horizons series of the anime, she contributed a song titled "Makna Dunia" ("The Meaning of the World"), which became the opening theme of that dub. Both of these are certainly significant endeavors.

As her musical style is diverse (recognized as a multi-genre artist) and her fashion sense is a little on the eclectic side, she might draw a bit of comparison to a certain world-famous artist with similar sensibilities, but that's not much for me to discuss. What is clear, though, is that those two qualities can and do make a perfect match with Pokémon, and that has become evident with what has happened. She has certainly left her mark with Pokémon, and more could be made.

Pokémon is already "everywhere" with consideration of many respects, for which place and people are two of those. That has applied well to Indonesia in the past few years, pervading the country in many ways - including for and with the musical artist above. Having a renowned artist like her contributing to Pokémon is a welcomed and fresh take, and that is just another part of the bigger world of Pokémon with an even bigger reach in this world.

Six years ago: The Changing of Boxes
Seven years ago: Toy Block Pokémon?
Eight years ago: Cosplay Briefings
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Friday, August 8, 2025

Album: Pocket Monsters Sound Anime Collection

I've actually never done a discussion about a full Pokémon album, let alone one that is of Japanese origin; I have always preferred to discuss individual songs or music pieces instead for all their significance. In this case, though, the whole is more than just the sum of its parts, and thus I've decided to discuss the entire album as a single post. So, the album is called "Sound Anime Collection" because it's effectively the soundtrack to the Kanto saga of the Pokémon anime, certainly with the unabbreviated name of the franchise. Yet it has a few finer points, which are to be elucidated by way of this discussion.

For starters, the album is "bookended" by two Japanese theme songs from the anime, as the ever-popular "Mezase Pokémon Master" in its full version and another titled "Pocket Ni Fantasy" in a cut version. The former is also the album's only music track that is significantly over two minutes long, as the rest of the album is made up of practically the entire musical suite for this saga - 40 tracks in all, many of which should be familiar to viewers on both sides of the pond for their extensive use in the episodes.

Notably, each of the 40 tracks contain audio commentary - specifically, spoken - in Japanese following a "ping", which might not be of interest for those not fluent in the language. Some fans might be interested in having versions of these tracks without the audio commentary for pure listening purposes, and that's something good to go for. These tracks are also subdivided into 16 "chapters" of tracks with certain themes of journeys and adventures, including ones associated with Team Rocket, covering all the bases.

Speaking as a matter of fact, this album also can be regarded to be a complete collection of the music for any segment of the Pokémon anime. Actual background music pieces from different segments or sagas of the anime seem either hard to find or incomplete, or perhaps even both. As such, the existence of this album with all its music tracks is somewhat a rare wonder for even Pokémon itself, with specific regard for the anime. The commentary is a plus for those who might want to dig deep into the music.

As far as the album is concerned, it's a treasure trove for those interested in the Pokémon anime and specifically the music used in it - at least for the earliest of ventures in this regard. The whole of this album may be considered to focus on the background music tracks, which is very true, but it's the other niceties on the album as well as its comprehensiveness that make it more than what it is, making it fit for a discussion.

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Friday, May 9, 2025

Masuda's Method to (Music) Madness

One cannot talk about Pokémon music without talking about the biggest name in it, and fittingly, I have to bring it up as the ultimate discussion for the current run. The biggest name would be none other than Junichi Masuda, whose compositions have graced the main series games (and even beyond, thanks to Pokémon Go). The name is big, which might also explain why this post took some time to make - it had been planned for over a year. But with the build-up of topics related to music, it makes perfect sense to write about it now... as well as to make sense of his particulars for Pokémon music and beyond.

Classical music served as an influence for him - in particular the works of Stravinsky and Shostakovich - as he became attracted to them while playing the trombone in high school; even so, he does say that techno is his favorite music genre. It wouldn't be a surprise, then, that his Pokémon pieces sound like music of either genre, and in return they could be fully adapted to them, which can be construed to have happened both officially and unofficially. Much like the Mario series - also might be considered a cited influence in this regard - music that works well with the games is a big and good thing.

Besides music, in many Pokémon endeavors, he has been involved in their production and direction, though music is still involved somehow. A specific one would be the Hoenn region, based on his childhood vacation days, which could be said to be not unlike the childhood experience of the man that initiated Pokémon himself. His design philosophies include the layering of difficulties (starting simple before becoming complex), continued usage of 2D graphics, and portability of consoles, all of which are still evident and important for Pokémon.

Related to the above, there is "Masuda('s) method", the reference for the title of this post, which in a nutshell is a process that concerns breeding Pokémon from different language versions in order to have better chances of obtaining Shiny ones. The name is an attribution (by fans) because the method itself was explained by Masuda in a blog post. Though less related to music and more related to game development, the regard is still maintained and it's still an appreciable one, given the contributions in the latter area.

At any rate, Junichi Masuda is still readily identified with Pokémon music, even though he has always had a bigger role for the franchise (including presently as Chief Creative Fellow of TPC). The influences to the former area are respectable and so are the principles that guide the development of Pokémon games. The "method to the madness" can thus be regarded as the music and ways of playing that capture the greatest vivacity of Pokémon in general.

Two years ago: Towards the TCGL Horizon
Four years ago: Glyphs of Pokémon?
Five years ago: Playing Pokémon All Day
Seven years ago: A Place for VGC
Eight years ago: Blue and Yellow Philosophy
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Thursday, May 8, 2025

Everyone's a Miracle

You and me, we're a miracle
Meant to be, and nothing can change it
Mountains move and oceans part
When they are standing in our way
You and me, we're a miracle
Angels stand watching over us
And heaven shines upon us every day...
-- "We're a Miracle", Christina Aguilera

For the next musical discussion, certain things in life have suggested that I go back to the "alternative" soundtracks for the Pokémon feature films or movies, and I've decided to pull out and play this card. It's one of the songs from the one for the very first one, and it may even have deserved a discussion much, much earlier than now. Yet now is a good time as any, and as it turns out, the song deserves an insightful look and the continued exposure along with it.

So, the overall theme of this song is certainly "miracle", by the overcoming of all hardships and obstacles - particularly as suggested by the chorus of the song as quoted above. There is even a reference to "tears", the most important symbol and element of the movie. As for the "you and me" part, that may be construed to refer to Ash and Pikachu as the primary heroes of the movie, and more loosely, it may be considered to refer to any person, especially those with a significant other. In that respect, everyone may be "miraculous", hence this post's title.

Those who recognize the artist of this song will also know that she got her career started in the place "next door" that is also known for some of its "miracles". As such, the contribution of this song to Pokémon is in a way a "miracle" in itself, further with it being composed in a similar manner. Miraculously, it could also be considered to be a proxy of the Japanese ending theme for the movie (something that may or may not be discussed separately and later on), for which the song probably should have had the same role, instead of being lumped into a medley with other songs from the soundtrack. The existing miracles of the song are still acceptable.

Yet, as miraculous as the song is, it seems to be rather affected by the contemporary rights management flurry for Pokémon (as with "2B A Master") and the song has become hard to find, perhaps not a surprise considering the big-name artist involved with the song. Perhaps its only other miracle is its apparent existence in multiple versions - as with another song on the soundtrack - and so a "Pokémon version" is distinguished for it. The next miracle for the song may be to keep its presence known among both Pokémon fans and music fans in general.

Miracles can be present anywhere and anytime, and this song may be considered a testament to that, and a fitting one given the circumstances of the first Pokémon feature film or movie. After many years since this song first appeared, that too is also still relevant for today's world with Pokémon and everything else. Especially with the former, there are still happenings to go through with people and said creatures... and hopefully there will be miracles to go around.

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Wednesday, May 7, 2025

More on Arata Iiyoshi and His PMD Contributions

By now, it should be clear what the ongoing discussion topic is for my blog, and that would be Pokémon music. For that, the next discussion concerns a minor yet important figure in this realm. As I had brought up in a post reaching out to an external music game series I'm also interested in, in addition to contributing music there, Arata Iiyoshi has contributed to Pokémon by way of the Mystery Dungeon game series, obviously for its music. It's these contributions that I'd like to go over now in a little bit more depth to see how they are manifested.

According to genre, Arata's music is identified as "world" or "ethnic" music, so there are overtones of music styles from different regions. One of his BEMANI works, titled "BRIDAL FESTIVAL !!!", carries the genre of "happy jig" and with it thusly an Irish style; further, it too is remarkably similar to the opening music for the Rescue Team games and may be considered as close as it gets to having that in the said series of music games. The two pieces are still somewhat different, but the style is still definitively maintained regardless.

Meanwhile, there's also a certain diversity in his contributions to both BEMANI and Mystery Dungeon. The former is typically "electronica" but the world/ethnic style is "infused" therein, and the latter nicely adapts to various circumstances, including slow paces for tranquil settings and fast paces for intense circumstances (like boss battles). He also provides lyrics for some BEMANI songs, though of course that doesn't get put to use in Mystery Dungeon since it's all instrumental - yet one could try hard and compose lyrics for these if one wanted to.

I previously mentioned the "fusion of human emotion and nature", and an oft-cited example of this in the Mystery Dungeon realm is the music for the final throes of the Explorers games, from "Through the Sea of Time" to "Dialga's Fight to the Finish!", which also captures some of the diversity that I mentioned above. The instrumentation is definitely naturalistic yet the pacing and melodies are quite emotional, especially given the setting in which the music is placed in: a lead-up to and execution of a boss battle for the ages (literally).

One of Arata's aliases is "S.S.D.", which is short for "Shin Sound Design" and as such can be regarded as "New Sound Design", a common meaning of the first word in Japanese. World or ethnic music is nothing new - and some circles might also consider them "retro" - but it may be considered that true to the alias mentioned above, Arata can put his own "new" spin to it, evident in BEMANI and definitely applicable to Pokémon Mystery Dungeon. The manifestation brings together feelings, nature, and diversity, all of which are also thematic for Pokémon.

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Tuesday, May 6, 2025

Do You or Do You Not Understand?

They don't understand
How we communicate
Or so many things
That we do and say
They don't really get
What it's all about
No they never can 
Understand - Pokémon
-- "They Don't Understand", Dream Street

Here too is something I meant to discuss much earlier because the momentum was there and less so now - and it should make clear about what I intend to discuss in the next few days. Back to that momentum, it involved an incident where a person of a high stature thought lowly of Pokémon, amounting it to a "small business" - when it's clear to most that it isn't. It's a case of the person not understanding the situation, which happens with or without Pokémon. With that, the above song that has ties to Pokémon becomes pertinent, moreover for the purpose of this discussion. 

This song, brought by perhaps a somewhat lesser-known boy band, is associated with the second feature film or movie in western regions, and is thus part of its "alternative" soundtrack wherever that's a concern. It was even performed live at a special event for the movie, affirming its status as such. The quoted part above is the chorus, which can be considered to carry the ultimatum of the song: that one finds someone else's lack of comprehension disturbing. Hence, the title of this post was conceived as a question, for which this song and its regard becomes the answer.

In a way, the song could be interpreted as encapsulating the relationships between people and Pokémon (species, that is) as they coexist with one another. The relationships don't necessarily result in comprehension between the two parties, but when that happens, the result is bliss. At least, until certain people come along and they say they don't understand the relationship between them, at which point one can try to make them understand. And if they still cannot understand... then it goes back to the lyrics of the song, and the people who are involved will have to answer the question.

As for connecting this to real life matters, it may not only concern the incident with the person as above but also personal ones - as in, mine. It has been the case that I became involved in a number of situations involving Pokémon and the lack of understanding by other people, for which the song becomes relevant. But then there are similar situations involving other matters with similar elements of people failing to understand; worse yet, the consequences have not exactly been to my favor - perhaps even theirs - and thus the call to question someone else's understanding is relevant.

Since the incident, as I've indicated above, the momentum has died down, which may or may not indicate that the person has come to an understanding (about Pokémon). Even so, the incident may still be regarded as disconcerting for fans, and especially me, who may have gone through other and similar instances of people not understanding things. After many years, then, the song above - as loosely as it may be connected to Pokémon, apparently - still has relevant messages concerning those other people, with the only hope being that they'll eventually understand things.

Two years ago: Pokémon Keeps Me...
Three years ago: Brave with the Firefly
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Monday, May 5, 2025

On 2B A Master's 25th Anniversary

I meant to make this post much, much earlier in the year (and even at or closer to the tail end of the previous year), but some things got away from me. In any case, it's just as well to make the post now and supplement it this week with a few posts on related topics. So, around that time, there was an important milestone in Pokémon music, as far as the English side of things is concerned: it was the 25th anniversary of the "2B A Master" album, an iconic (by now) collection of Pokémon songs in English. Despite that status, the anniversary seemingly went by without much regard or consideration, and because of that I want to (re)draw attention to it and provide a few considerations of my own.

The contents of the album comprises many of the songs that western (influenced) fans like me will recognize, including the instantly identifiable Pokémon Theme as well as the PokéRap. All of the songs were also present over the course of the Kanto saga, though one needed to have the album to listen to them in their entirety. Besides the explicitly mentioned songs, it could be admitted that the others are slightly "cheesy" yet have significance, so there may have been the thought that the album could be remade to coincide with the anniversary as mentioned above and be made relevant to current Pokémon developments.

Of course, it's not always easy to do that, especially given the flurry of rights management in music today; some concessions may even have had to be made for using Pokémon Theme in the dub of the "finale arc". Furthermore, it may not be in the best interest to remake the album one-to-one as some elements may not be relevant to today, like Team Rocket, being no longer significantly present. Overall, the "hoops" for remaking the album are plentiful and not easy to go through, regardless of its significance for many fans.

For a Pokémon fan, though, any kind of related music will still be significant regardless if it's recent or long in the tooth, the latter of which applies to the album that becomes the focus of this post. After its 25 years, a little later than the one for Pokémon, it's still on my mind and perhaps likewise for many fans. Whether or not that leads to other developments like a remake is another matter, but it's still a fine album today as it was back then.

Two years ago: Special Research Guides
Three years ago: Brave with the Firefly
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Tuesday, December 24, 2024

Giving Pokémon Gifts... with Santa Included

Prof. Oak: I'm giving Santa a Pikachu this Christmas
Ash: Wow! Just like the one you gave to me?
Prof. Oak: That's right-
I'll hide it in my stocking
And he'll find it rather shocking
Ash: Ha ha ha!
Prof. Oak: 'Cause giving gifts to Santa's quite a novelty...
-- "I'm Giving Santa a Pikachu This Christmas", from Pokémon Christmas Bash

As I brought up last year (see below), the giving of gifts on Christmas is rooted in part thanks to a certain poem and otherwise by tradition. Considering what is involved, there is also the party of a certain "big red guy" (also see below, two years ago) in play as the giver. But what if the tables were turned, and the giver also becomes the given? This song from the Pokémon Christmas Bash album attempts to shed light on that matter, certainly with a Pokémon perspective.

The song is mostly a duet of Ash and Professor Oak, voiced by the then-current talents of Veronica Taylor and Stan Hart, with some background vocals thrown in. Its verses all begin with the phrase that makes up the title of this song, leading both characters to discuss what makes Pikachu such a wonder and how that wonder might just assist the "big red guy". And as noted way back near the beginning of this blog, it has a karaoke version, one of the only two tracks on the album with this property.

Now, for that perspective, the statement of Professor Oak as above captures what might be the sentiments of most people, that it is a "novelty" or unusual thing to give a gift to the "big red guy". But in the vein of Pokémon, it may be not all that strange if Pokémon and all people related to it (including fans) want to "give back" somehow to the figure, and that leads to the conception of the song. After all, Pokémon gifts are still somehow involved on the occasion of the holiday.

Of course, as further noted in the preceding post, certain people consider the song as being "kooky" or even "cheesy", an oddity among today's Christmas songs and classics. Still, I'm inclined to think that those who have such considerations haven't embraced the perspective presented by the song or Pokémon elements, or maybe even both. Beyond this apparent consideration, the song may just make both Pokémon fans and people celebrating this occasion think about what it all means.

Regardless of certain perspectives, gifts will always be given somehow on this particular occasion, whether from a certain "big red guy" or from one another. As noted, some of those gifts might just pertain to Pokémon, particularly among those in the know. And to get more people in the know, it might just be necessary to do something as wild and radical as suggested by Ash and Professor Oak in this song to make the (Pokémon) world more cheery and bright, for both a "big red guy" and everyone.

I'm coming down to the wire of songs that I can pull from this album for discussion - and in fact, there are two left, which should fill the voids in the next two years, assuming that I can still keep up discussions for that long. To close the current discussion, however, it's fitting to quote the final set of lyrics from this song to make things come together for this particular occasion. With that, gift giving for everyone on the occasion may just become something that is inherently pertinent. So...

Prof. Oak: I'm giving Santa a Pikachu this Christmas
It's just the perfect thing to do
Ash: And as his sleigh pulls out of sight
We'll hear him calling through the night
All: With a ho-ho-ho
And a "Merry Christmas!"
Pi-ka-chu...

Four years ago: Christmas Song, Really
Six years ago: Keeping Homes in Hearts
Seven years ago: Cool Wintry Song
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Tuesday, December 10, 2024

The Music of TCGP

Some years ago, I discussed the music that accompanies the gameplay of the designate virtual client for playing the Pokémon TCG, as Trading Card Game Online (TCGO). Fast forward years later, the game has been succeeded by Trading Card Game Live (TCGL), which has its own selection of music, though I'll have to save the discussion of this for much later on when it's more convenient. Luckily, the newest mobile, portable, and compact rendition of Trading Card Game Pocket (TCGP) also has its own selection of music, and that is something that I can conveniently discuss right now.

The music of the game can be described as "lounge-styled", starting from the intro music at the splash screen and going into the music of the main screen for dealing with affairs related to obtaining cards. The card display functions, for both owned cards and the Social Hub with its Community Showcases (friends and others), also share a piece that is similarly lounge-styled but is different from the main screen music. As with TCGO, the music pieces have a "chill" factor but are definitely somewhat more lively in comparison.

Booster pack selection - first the expansion and type selection, and second the pack draw itself - have ambient pieces that may (or may not) foreshadow what the packs may bring. After choosing and opening, though, the tune changes to a lively and minorly celebratory piece. The Wonder Pick process, for both selection and draw, meanwhile have pieces with a more lively quality, perhaps as a nod to the "Wonder" aspect. Having the lively portions being what they are may be considered a way to keep players attracted.

Certainly, there are also music pieces for the battle features. These are probably the liveliest pieces in the game, from the venue selection to the battle itself; the latter has pieces for the setup phase, the "primary struggle" (when neither player has two points), and the "crunch time" (when either player has two points, with different pieces depending on if one is behind or ahead). The battle ends with a mellow piece regardless of outcome, reflecting that the only source of intensity here is in the battles themselves.

Rightfully, even a compactly reorganized electronic implementation of the Pokémon TCG has to have its own assortment of music pieces. In this case, the moods are of major calmness - likely for those who are more attracted to drawing and collecting cards rather than playing them - and minor excitement for those who actually do enjoy putting the cards into play. Either way, they're all convenient adjuncts to whatever TCG experience that may be had.

Four years ago: Night Falls, Heavens Rise
Seven years ago: Cosplay: Utsuru F!
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Thursday, August 8, 2024

Forgotten Music from Pokémon Go

I've written two posts on some of the background music pieces featured in Pokémon Go, and they can't (and don't) cover all the music that the game has, so I thought I'd make one more. This time, however, I decided to go with a thematic approach, the theme this time being music that is "forgotten" from the game - pieces that used to be there or present in one form or another but aren't there anymore, or pieces that one in most cases may only hear a snippet of and then not remember the rest. Either way, they become "forgotten", and that's what I would like to highlight in this post.

A long time ago, entering a Trade lobby would prompt a special music to be played, which is similar to the evolution music, just like how the main series games also actually use the evolution music during trades. The piece, however, is somewhat muted and felt like a hum, and even with music turned on, some may not have realized that it was there; it was later on eliminated, and entering a lobby now just continues the regular overworld music instead. The trading sequence also used to take somewhat longer and one could hear more of its special music, but now one only hears just a snippet. For these reasons, both are "forgotten".

Similar to the above but in some ways less so is the music that plays when one purifies a Shadow Pokémon. If one performs this action directly after capturing a Shadow Pokémon, one will still hear the music in full, including the part where it loops. But if one does so for already captured Pokémon, one will only hear half of the piece - not even to the part where it loops back. So, while the piece is likely to be still present, there's the potential that one may forget a part of it existing due to the way the music is played under certain circumstances.

Then there are the "special themes" that used to be played during events like Go Tour and Go Fest. Admittedly, they're specific (contextual) to the events and will likely never be used again, but it bears mentioning them... since they would otherwise be "forgotten". But then there is the vocal version of the nighttime music, which would be expected to be context-free and could be reused in special events again, but this hasn't been the case - and as such, this piece has fallen into the same realm of "forgotten" music pieces.

By now, Pokémon Go has expanded in features and, by extension, the music used for those features. Yet if the above is of any indication, some of the music pieces have the potential to become "forgotten" - or perhaps they already are as such - due to the way they are (or were once) used. In covering music from Pokémon Go, this is indeed a fascinating aspect, and expectedly needs to be brought up, lest it's also "forgotten".

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Monday, June 24, 2024

To All the Lovely Boys (and Girls)

Hello! Boys and girls
Take me to your heart
With a kiss to a musical note
You and me "sweet song"
Is always with you
When we are holding hands together
Let's go! Boys and girls
Take me to your dream
I love these feelings, they are so sweet
Like a sunny day
I'm always with you
You only look at these dreams, oh lovely boy...
-- "L-O-V-E-L-Y ~Yume Miru ['I Dream of You'] LOVELY BOY~", Tommy february6 (interpretive lyrical translation)

Capping off this month's coverage of Japanese ending songs for the Pokémon feature films or movies is a (literally) lovely little number by a bubblegum-pop Japanese singer. It's the ending theme to the seventh movie, for which the English counterpart has been covered in a slightly different manner. That said, this song may itself be considered somewhat odd (different) for the movie in question, but it may still be regarded as workable, given the circumstances of both elements.

The quoted part above is the final double chorus, made up of line parts from the previous choruses. Typically I would provide a simple interpretation, but in this case, most lines of the choruses are already in English, and it doesn't take much to make the interpretation lyrical - which is exactly what I've provided. It also makes things evident that the song is a love song in many respects, which is probably isn't out of the ballpark for Pokémon, even if it's more direct than the other songs I've discussed. It may be more "par for the course" given the musical genre of the song itself.

As for actually interpreting this song in light of the feature film or movie, it may be considered that there is really only one connection. The "lovely boy" referenced in the song may be taken as a reference to the boy character Ash and the others meet in the main storyline and whose side story related to the main events of the movie is also presented at the beginning. The boy is pretty much a prominent character in that regard, even if he is only specific to this movie. While there could be other connections, especially in light of the nature of the song, that's out of my personal discussion range, and I prefer to just leave it at being a simple reference that explains the song choice for the movie.

Now I have to make an aside. For avid readers of this blog, they will note that this song was performed by someone else at the J-Song competition from a car convention several years ago - and by one of my friends, nonetheless. Thus far, it has been the only time that I've encountered someone else performing a song related to Pokémon at a singing competition, someone being other than me (as Ash, of course). It was, back then, a lovely day before things turned completely sour, as lovely as the references made in this song. Notably, the performer was a girl, so everything was just as sensible as lovely.

In regard to the message given by the title of this post, given the quoted part of the song as above, there is pleasantness to be had for any boy or girl who likes Pokémon. The song is in turn a further message that elaborates the title message, and given this as the last post for this month for the topic, it serves well as a concluding remark. Any other oddities that the song (and associated movie) may have can hitch along for the ride, while the ride for Pokémon fans continue, hopefully becoming as lovely as the romantic ride of this song.

Five years ago: The Show Must Go On
Six years ago: Jumping the 'Karp
Seven years ago: Married... to Pikachu?
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Monday, June 17, 2024

Not Alone... But Alone

No more fears, always be brave
You're no longer alone
Together and forever, we'll pursue the stars
As they shine
-- "Hitoribocchi Ja Nai", coba & Kazufumi Miyazawa (interpreted)

The coverage of Japanese ending themes for the Pokémon movies or feature films continue, this time on a slightly solemn note. That's because this one is for the fifth one, for which the solemn quality is very true indeed - but it should still be watched if possible. And in its progression, something (or things) are left alone - that is, go into a state of aloneness - which can be a little distraught for some. The ending song can then perhaps be construed as a way of speaking to that situation and providing reassurance.

In translation, the title of this song means roughly the second of the four lines quoted above. Structurally, this grouping of lines is a little hard to define, but it could be thought of as the "answer verse" to an initial verse (or a set of them as the first); it's also the first of two, as the second one contains a small difference. Overall, the lyrics of the song itself speak much about companionship, both spiritual and physical, as well as the struggle for "the one" alluded in the song as well as their companion. Love isn't mentioned directly, but it could be taken to be implied. All this is done with an upbeat and fast rhythm, which is kind of odd.

What makes this song even more of an oddity is that it seems to sound a little inspired by French melodies rather than Italian ones (as the setting of the movie and its inspirational underpinnings would imply that it should be). But then, both countries are Mediterranean Sea countries - if not just straddling, as the former of these countries would suggest - so the musical aspect seems to be respectable to a certain degree. While it's also not sounding too bright, the fast rhythm also makes it sound brighter than it seems to be, a further oddity among oddities. The song seems to want to make up for the darker premises of the movie, which seems to be fine if not a slightly odd claim to be made.

Now, coincidentally, I'm writing this post on a "half dark" and "half bright" day - that much I can say. The lore behind this day states that some things had to "depart", perhaps much like what does (or did) happen in the movie being referenced in here; some years ago on the same day of all days, I had to experience a similar "departure" myself, in a way leaving me to become alone. All that, therefore, seems to be fitting to demand for this song, just like the movie itself seems to want to demand this song after what happens (or happened) in it. It seems crazy how some things seem to work out, including revolving around this movie.

After the happenings of the movie, some people and fans might become particularly divided on how to regard them, perhaps becoming "alone" in mind. Yet then this song comes along, and it seems to be a bright spot, or perhaps the only bright spot, other than the movie itself. With it, it seems that they become as the title of the song suggests, being no longer alone... even if they actually are, whether or not that would be similar to the movie happenings. At that point, it may just be a matter of taking things in stride.

One year ago: The Mystique of 151
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Tuesday, June 11, 2024

Signs of a Good Day (and Morrow)

All around me, the windows are brightened
There are dreams in the heads of the people
It seems today is a fine day
Tomorrow should be a good day
Tomorrow should be a good day...
-- "Ashita Tenki ni Shite Okure", Fumiya Fujii (interpreted)

Next in this month's "four a month" coverage, which pertains to Japanese ending songs from the Pokémon feature films or movies, is a rather gentle number. This song is the ending for the fourth movie, one that highlights the penchant of a particular time-traveling Pokémon. "Time" also seems to be an appropriate descriptor for the song, as it has some pertinence to a concept of time. In fact, the title itself contains "ashita" - Japanese for "tomorrow" - and the song essentially revolves around that.

The overall message of the song is about finding all the signs of a good day in daily life, and consider that they might also just be indicative of a good day in the next one (the morrow - that is, tomorrow). Those signs are indeed listed in the verses and choruses of the song, for which the quoted part represents the final chorus with its repeated final line; the choruses contain the title of the song as their final line, with my interpretation as above based on certain translations. It's still a fine message in any case, and one transitioning time - exactly a theme explored in this movie.

In a way, the song might be considered to daisy-chain into a couple of non-Pokémon songs. One of them is "The Sweetest Days", one that I've brought up very early on in this blog. It has some similar (not completely the same) messages and may also be considered to be somewhat more abstract than this song. The other is a certain song with a similar vibe, thematically and musically, that is made for another Japanese series - which I'd rather not mention for the purpose of this post - yet came out much, much later than this song; while it may or may not be a "tribute", even in partial, but it's still nice to think about what that song reflects vis-a-vis this one.

One other thing to note is that the song itself (by its title in translation) could also be considered to be alluded or referenced in the ending song for the English dub of the movie. Even with this adaptation, at least it might show that the producers of the dub at that time - and I do mean "at that time" - understood some of the Japanese contexts of either the movie or the song (or both) and decided to include the reference in the most subtle place as the ending song. In that way, the English dub is made to preserve a partial contextual tie to the original Japanese - a nice touch.

Some Pokémon species have the apparent capability to make themselves persist throughout time, one of them as evidenced in the movie or feature film being referenced as it relates to the song above. Considering the song, time persistence is also indicated by its themes, and that aligns well with the concepts presented in the movie. It is likely one watching the movie and then listening to this song afterward will consider their day to be fine - and hope that that would be the case even as the next one dawns.

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Monday, June 3, 2024

You and Me, In Our Life Struggle

Courage and hope flowing from a place
Will lead me to save you from drowning
There is not a soul who believes me, and yet
I have walked so long, never straying from my way...
-- "toi et moi", Namie Amuro (interpreted)

Since the "four a month" approach - pick a topic, write on it almost weekly - seems to work in getting me to write about Pokémon things, I thought I'd apply it again this month. I was also thinking I'd do it on a Pokémon game, but none seems to fit right at the moment. So I decided to shift gears and cover something else related to Pokémon, and this time, I've decided to get musical and cover some of the Japanese ending themes from the Pokémon movies or feature films like that one time in the past. As with other Japanese songs, I offer interpretations of the quoted part(s) based on translations rather than the translations themselves.

The song I've quoted above is the ending song for the second movie, which may have overtones of "unveiling" per the original Japanese title or "self-determination" by its English title. The part that I've quoted could be regarded as the "chorus" of the song, since it may be a bit challenging to determine its structure. The song actually contains a portion of English aside from Japanese, but that portion may be deemed to accent or augment the Japanese messages in the rest of the song rather than to elaborate those messages further.

For those messages, the song could be construed to represent the struggle of a person in light of another significant person; as expected, love is a related theme for the song, though it's not elaborated too deeply in the lyrics. This, of course, resonates with the premise of the movie - for the "be all that you can be" of the central character and the one who is unveiled in the progression of the storyline. The song title itself is neither Japanese nor English - it's French for "you and me", making it further appropriate to the premise of the movie.

In some respects, the song is rather emotional - if the slightly pulsating beat of the song doesn't already suggest as such - for the movie and its storyline. But then again, for some fans, the movie itself could be emotional as well, so for them there is a neat connection. It's a somewhat different message than the song used for the English title, which makes for a good post but will have to be made at a much later time.

As Pokémon is Japanese in origin and I'm also immersed in Japanese things in part through Pokémon, I feel that it is also right to give some representation to this aspect, like with this and other Japanese songs for Pokémon, some of which are to come. At least, different perspectives may be gleaned, as through this song with its struggle vis-a-vis a movie depicting what could be depicting a great struggle of its own.

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Tuesday, May 28, 2024

"Pokémon in Concert"?

Pokémon is known for having a breadth of musical content for all of its media forms, from the games to the anime and beyond. It's a rather wide breadth, and what could seem to be a good idea is to take elements of that wide breadth, package those elements in a single happening, and make it available for audiences to view. Certainly, I'm suggesting a concert of the musical kind, which would seem to be an exciting prospect by the above, yet would also have to be fleshed out in detail.

Some Pokémon music has been featured before in concert - specifically in orchestral form - in the "Smashing... Live!" concerts from many, many years ago, but these were for the greater Nintendo co-mingling that is Super Smash Brothers. Furthermore, there has been a history of some other Pokémon songs in orchestra symphonic form, and they could make for good concert material. As such, an orchestra seems to be in demand for a possible Pokémon concert, along with the musical material for it, some of which might need further adaptation while others can be used directly in this form.

Many artists have graced Pokémon, for the anime or otherwise, and their songs can stand to be included. Rica Matsumoto is certainly an artist fodder, but admittedly she's getting on in years - which does explain why things moved from Ash - so if she is to be included now, the Pokémon concert has to be realized quickly. A more recent entrant is YOASOBI, who has contributed to Pokémon with a song of their own and has in fact performed with Pokémon mascots in their concerts, and thus could also be included. Any other artists who have (covered) Pokémon(-related) songs are also surely welcome.

Recent local Pokémon events (in my area) have also featured a "Pikachu EDM" segment featuring electronic music and dance, and this could also become fodder for a full-fledged Pokémon concert, expanding the musical diversity. The current concept could be utilized, but it could also be possible to collaborate with others like Ryutaro Nakahara (Ryu☆), who also happened to be at last year's ICC and might be interested in dropping a few contributions of his own. EDM is certainly not everyone's cup of tea, but at least some of it might just appeal to Pokémon fans and other concert-goers.

With all the content possibilities, a musical concert built around Pokémon musical works could be an enticing possibility, even with the possibility that it might be difficult to realize such an event, considering the talents that might be involved. Yet it could be a great Pokémon wonder if one ever comes to be, for the more musically inclined fans like me and perhaps a few music observers in general, as a showcase for all existing potentials of Pokémon music that is just as diverse as the species. 

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Saturday, May 18, 2024

And Now, We Go

Discover whole new different worlds
Ready, set - here we go
Together to the farthest places
There's a magical adventure ahead if we go
Wherever our destiny takes us
You don't have to be afraid anymore
Spread your wings
Believe you'll rise up and soar
We go, We go...
-- "We Go", aespa (English version)

So, that one other song for the "musical tributes" for the new Pokémon anime isn't so much a "tribute" because it constitutes actual Pokémon music - or one that has been inducted as such. Yet it has to be "honored" in some way, and what better time than now, as I'm getting into the new series. It ties into the anime by serving as an opening theme for that series, including its "other language" version, which will soon be made evident in a moment. By that, its significance becomes paramount to the series.

That "other language" would be Korean, and thus the song is also part of the K-Pop fabric, being sung by a girl band. Over in the land of ginseng, the song is used for their local language dub of the anime series. In some ways, this is important, as it becomes a clear indication that the appreciation of the people over there for Pokémon, which I had also pointed out in another post, is still maintained even today. The song having an English version becomes fortuitous for the rest of us... to an extent.

I say that because the English version of the song is indeed used as an opening theme, for the Asian English distribution; even the Indonesian dub, which I also had the chance to preview recently, has this song as the opening as well. Here, it replaces the common English distribution opening entitled "Becoming Me", though its instrumental version is retained as an ending. I'll get to this other song at some point later on, but this situation becomes unique as the song itself is unique.

By that, through the (admittedly partial) English version, for which the chorus is quoted above, and translation notes for the full version, the song suggests a sort of "renewal" for the individual(s) mentioned within it, to seek new places and rise to greater heights. Evidently, this aligns very well with the spirit of the new anime series after a change in the main character, and especially as a good wish for that. The titular phrase is repeated many times, affirming its intent for newness.

As this "musical tribute" series of posts for the new Pokémon anime concludes with this song, which goes beyond the "tribute" concept, all that becomes left to do now is to continue watching the anime and see where the journey of Liko, Roy, and the gang continues and takes them - and to touch on other matters involving the series once they become pertinent. In essence, we are all fulfilling the core premise of the song, and things can only proceed onward and upward from there.

One year ago: Every Day Is a Grind
Three years ago: One-Day Pokémon Adventure
Five years ago: Trainer Image Cards
Six years ago: Marathons...?
Seven years ago: Pins and Pins
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