Tuesday, October 7, 2025

The Charjabug Scuffle in Pokémon Unite

Though the anniversary celebrations for Pokémon Go for this year have already somewhat passed, that doesn't mean that the game can't experiment with new play modes as it had done for that very occasion, moreover ones that are similar to that. Recently, such a new mode has been implemented, and the dynamics of it are as similar as they are different to the previously implemented play mode, forcing players to enter a struggle to charge up their sides all the way to attain victory over the opposing side.

With that, the new mode is called "Charjabug Scuffle". This too is a 3-on-3 Quick Match, set in a "city garden" map. The Pokémon have to pick up the two Charjabug on the map in order to  charge their side's meter and earn points, with greater charging for those in the middle circular "terminal". There is no time limit; instead, the victory condition is whichever side charges up 300 points first. Obviously, teams will attack one another to knock off Charjabug and claim it to charge up their side, which will also demand some defending.

Further like the previous play mode, the Pokémon will have leveled up and need to have their moves chosen. Smart attacking and defending is then required for the Pokémon to keep the Charjabug close to the middle if possible and charging up their side. The "final stretch" moment occurs when a team has scored 250 points from picking up Charjabug, and it has a similar urgency. Of course, they also can and do have to take advantage of the entire map to try to retain possession of Charjabug and keep the scoring going.

Something that I didn't mention for Electrode Volleyball is that it also had a mini-event for earning points by completing daily battle tasks with the play mode and exchanging the awarded points for different and unique items. Charjabug Scuffle has a similar mini-event with similar tasks and a similar selection of items. Players will be challenged for these each day in order to earn the points and then the items.

Meanwhile, I have to say that my experience with the play mode has been hit-or-miss. When I play, it seems that either my team is doing really well and crushing it, or the other team is doing really well and crushing me and my team. This situation may also have something to do with certain team members that may be erratic in their movements or may not have a full understanding of the challenges of the map.

Regardless, it's those challenges that players can face right now in another fast play mode for the game that is different from the usual norms, yet still requiring the same skillset for those challenges. That skillset will demand players to charge things up to succeed with others while keeping the other side from doing the same; the results may be a jolt or a burst of energy that is as fresh as any development that has been made for the game.

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Monday, October 6, 2025

Catering Multiple Characters

I often get ideas for posts on this blog from the things that are being discussed around me. One of them happens to be the central theme of this post, which deals with how different franchises, universes, what-have-you can be said to "cater" multiple characters to fans, as those who enjoy them. The source of this theme was a recent discussion that I became an indirect participant of, which regarded books, media, and their content. According to the discussion, the different fandoms can be said to be clearly designed to present multiple characters for different fans, not just have everyone follow a designated character, or just a few in some cases. Obviously, this has implications, including some that are related to Pokémon.

The implications are that people have different interests, even those who are involved in the same fandom; in turn, this would mean that they can be attracted to different fandoms in different ways, even given the same fandom. Further, it takes greater and different efforts to keep those fans engaged in those fandoms, and what would be ideal and can play into this is all those different characters that are "catered" to them as such. Even though they would be following (or be engaged to) different things in the same fandom, they would still be - and rightly so - considered fans of that fandom, which is a great thing for all that is concerned.

For Pokémon, it is clear that all the species that have appeared from the past to present all have their fan segments, from the competitive kind to the ones who simply adore them. They are then "catered" in the regular ways that Pokémon offers - game, media, merchandise, and much more -  and evidently all kinds of fans snap them up, even crossing over segments if need be. For example, there will always be Pikachu and all its derivatives for those who are its fans, but then those fans in turn could also be fans of other species in specific ways, and they'll enjoy all of that. And then there are many more other elements that I can't all mention.

All kinds of media - not just limited to books by way of the discussion above - will certainly do their "catering" of different characters in all kinds of ways. The most important insight, given this blog's focus on Pokémon, is that Pokémon can do (and in fact does do) the same as well with all the elements that has been offered by it throughout the years. The "catering" idea is a powerful idea that may or may not have needed that discussion above to raise awareness of it, but it may just take this post to present the case for and its applicability to Pokémon.

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Sunday, October 5, 2025

Cosplay: Ohayou Sekai Vol. 2 x AITI

Me: So, last week we ended the month; this time, we kick it off.

Ash: This looks neat. 

Goh: Uh-huh. But... "Vol. 2"? When was the first?

Me: Good question. That one actually happened when this happened.

Goh: Oh, the day when there were two at the same time.

Ash: Oh, that's the one!

Me: Yeah, so now like this year's edition of that, there's nothing holding back. 

Goh: Other than other Pokémon things like Community Day.

Me: Pretty much. But my radar says there's nothing going on today... just yesterday, and I already took care of that myself.

Goh: Well, so Ash only needs to enjoy the festival.

Ash: Almost. I, uh...

Pikachu: Pi pika? ["Hmm?"]

Ash: Is it something that our friend needs to deal with?

Me: Oh, um... How's the "vibe" of the festival, from what you can see and hear from the outside?

Ash: I think it's OK.

Me: Then you can get in. Here.

Goh: I see. But then you'd have Ash in regardless if you signed him up for competitions.

Me: Sure. There's a singing competition... but it turns out it was already full when I wanted to sign him up. And then it turns out I was really busy the week before, so no way it was going to happen for Ash.

Goh: I think your business is really going to make up for that.

Me: I think it should. Then there's a character parade...

Ash: I got you in for that after I got in. 

Goh: There you go. 

Ash: I think there's only going to be three winners for that.

Goh: And you can bet there'll be a lot of characters.

Me: So, have fun and don't stress out. You have the Alola outfit for that. 

Ash: Great!

Pikachu: Pika! ["Seconded!"]

Goh: What about the rest of the festival?

Ash: Communities, food, and a lot of dance groups.

Me: Oh, yes. I almost forgot. The rest of this festival is somewhat focused on dance groups. Have a look.

Goh: So it is. Two stages, and most everything are for dance groups. I guess Ash didn't look at them too much.

Ash: I think they're just OK. They're still fun to watch sometimes.

Goh: And after all that, there were the winners. 

Ash: Uh... yeah. All of the characters had all won before somehow. And a couple are good friends of our friend.

Goh: Didn't happen after all.

Ash: And the ones for the singing competition were all male!

Goh: That's neat. So you might have gotten a chance.

Me: Depends on a lot of things, though. Maybe we'll see what next time holds.

Ash: After all that, the festival wasn't too bad!

Pikachu: Pika chu. ["Just great."]

Goh: That's neat. So it makes sense why a lot of people went to here instead of the other one.

Me: Yeah, that. Some lessons were learned that day, I think.

Ash: Even everyone else can't win 'em all.

Me: Well, sure. By the way, the festival's title means "good morning, world".

Goh: It's a bright name for a bright happening. 

Me: You can say that. So on that note, good morning - and if don't see you, good afternoon, good evening, and good night.

Ash: Who are you talking to?

Me: Um... nobody.

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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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Friday, October 3, 2025

How Hard Is It to Unite Pokémon Fans?

Presently, those who deal with Pokémon will surely know of Pokémon Unite, the game where players play as Pokémon along with a team to go up against other teams. Unions for this game often come easily for the Pokémon... and it seems less could be said about that when it comes to the matter as it relates to fans themselves. With that, the question posed in the title of this post becomes the key to the discussion of that particular topic.

I was also inspired to bring up this topic by a condition that some Pokémon friends of mine brought up. It seems that in some places of the world, it can be easy for Pokémon fans to gather (that is, "unite"), show off their merchandise and other things, and of course play the games and check out the entertainment. Then they asked, "why not here?", and that led into a discussion about the state where "here" is - their places and mine.

What was apparent is that certain difficulties are present that hamper a possible gathering of Pokémon fans in the place. The difficulties take the form of a lack of outreach between the official management and fans as well as among genuine fans to one another; this last bit is also exacerbated by the implicated presence of those who aren't "genuine", which demands a separate discussion in and of itself. These may be rather great concerns.

Meanwhile, in contrast, in the other places where it seems easier for fans to unite or draw themselves together, it may be that the great number of genuine fans are able to cast aside their differences and link their passions, as demonstrated by the condition that my friends brought up in the first place. Good communication seems to be a necessity as well, and while there may be the non-genuine "stragglers", they seem to be able to be eliminated.

As for the answer to the question posed in the title, given the above, it seems it might not be that hard to do so if the fans are loyal, true, and friendly to themselves and others, much as they are for other things in life. And if they aren't... then the difficulty seems to become rather apparent, perhaps even more so for other things in life as well. There may still be the need to have the hope that Pokémon fans can unite as easily as Pokémon in that game of concern.

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Thursday, October 2, 2025

Type Matchup Guides: Fast and Stress-Free Aids

More modern iterations of Pokémon games have what I call "type matchup guides", for either the Pokémon or the moves that they use. These guides are certainly to aid the player in using them and determine how effective they'll be against an opposing Pokémon. Regarding their function, they might also be considered to have other values in their implementation, and after looking at those implementations, it could be said that those other values are to relieve stress and make things fast for the player, as fast as the circumstances may be.

In the main series games, the "guides" appear for the Pokémon moves in battle. In regular gameplay, this would be more to relieve stress as players (Trainers) go through the battles. However, since VGC gameplay is timed in both move selection and overall battle, the speed issue plays quite a bit into the presence of these "guides". They remain helpful in either case especially after their introduction, but the values above still make themselves evident in both of these cases, and that's a good thing for the concern of all those who play.

Slightly going back to the puzzle predecessor of Pokémon Shuffle, the "guides" appear during Pokémon selection to indicate which Pokémon are effective against the Pokémon for a stage. In most circumstances, this would be more for the stress relief of selecting which Pokémon can or should work, but if the selection is to be made moments before the stage expires (as for a Special Stage), then the fast aspect would no doubt play into this selection. After that, it's just a matter of dealing with the speed and stress that the stage itself possesses.

Recently, Pokémon Go had implemented the "guides" for moves in all kinds of battles - raid, Max Battle, PvE, and PvP - and it's another "little big" transformation that I meant to cover in that post but somehow I just ended up forgetting about it. Regardless, all of these battles are fast-paced, and the "guides" help out a lot with that, which could make one wonder why they haven't been implemented in any and all of them until just recently. Of course, for the stress aspect, that comes into its own along with the speed needed for all of them.

Overall, the helpfulness value of these "guides" are very high, which makes them somewhat absolutely needed for Pokémon games in modern times for experts and novices alike. The individual circumstances of the games also provide perspectives into their implementation and in particular what aspects they also help out in. According to the above, that would be the aspects of speed (being fast) and stress, relieving the latter and generating the former. As that happens, it results in a great Pokémon gaming experience in these times.

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Wednesday, October 1, 2025

The Local Card Game Shop, One Year Later

While going through old posts for listing them as I make my latest posts, I noticed the post about the festival that was part of the opening celebrations for a card game shop in my local area. The local card game shop certainly features the Pokémon TCG alongside other franchises that have card games associated with them, and therefore it has a certain importance for that purpose. As for how great that importance would be, that would have to be determined by discussing it outright - and I've decided to do so on the one-year anniversary of the above.

Recall that specifically for Pokémon, the card game shop not only deals with the TCG proper (physical for the local version, and English version to an extent) but also some other forms of Pokémon merchandise. The last time I was there, the plush dolls were still there, but I also saw Pokémon mini figures - that of the evolved forms of Eevee. Their presence clearly enhances the Pokémon experience, especially for those who may not be too into the TCG, although they may be just as difficult to buy. Still, not being the primary focus of the shop, they could be hard to maintain, and that is something I'd need to see for myself when possible.

Perhaps the biggest achievement of the card shop is its capability of hosting various kinds of tournaments, for the card games as expected and beyond them. In fact, it has hosted a few for the Pokémon TCG as part of the local series that often requires the dicey preregistration, so that becomes a real accomplishment. The shop has specially designed tables and chairs for this purpose, not to mention a stage and video wall for the grand scheme of things. For the "beyond" aspect, meanwhile, I'm informed that a Pokémon Unite event has been held at the location, which also becomes impressive. Had the information come to me at the right time, I might have gone out of my way to try to attend, depending on other things.

For that, I also have to say that the card game shop is also quite distant despite being local,  and transportation that I can rely to get to it is practically non-existent. That explains why I don't frequently visit the place except if a special occasion is going on, like the above festival. Even then, justification to visit the place for an ongoing TCG tournament as its "bread and butter" is low since I don't play it frequently. If I was further intimately tied to it - as in, I have certain relations to do things for it - then I would obviously be frequently going to it, and the composition of matters for this post would be rather different as well.

The card game shop remains a local Pokémon "wonder" for all of the aspects mentioned above, and the local players for the TCG would perhaps be inclined to agree. It has become not only a place for the transactions necessary to play the game, but also a venue for playing that very game itself and show that off spectacularly. The possibilities of some other Pokémon dealings taking place there are also captivating and of interest to me and others. The only thing to do now is to hope for continued success in this regard.

One year ago: What Do You See?
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