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.

One year ago: Forgotten Music from Pokémon Go

Two years ago: I'm Spellbound, Wanting Tomorrow

Three years ago: The Old New Addiction: Pokémon Café Remix

Four years ago: Quickies: More Alton-Pokémon Quirks

Five years ago: Pokémon Go Community Day, 8/8/2020

Six years ago: The Other Side of "Childhood"

Seven years ago: Making Decisions in Magikarp Jump

Eight years ago: Pokémon Wrapping Paper

Delving into Team Rocket's Motto

Though they now have also departed from the Pokémon anime along with Ash, the villainous trio that is Team Rocket may still be on some fans' minds, including this one. Having been reminded of them, I've decided to gloss over something that is characteristically theirs: the motto they recite practically almost every time they appear. Though the motto is geared toward less savory deeds, there may be room to interpret its terms in a better light, which becomes the point of this post. 

While the initial part of the motto remains "dicey", at least the middle parts of the motto have that possibility for better interpretations. The objective of "protect[ing] the world from devastation" is certainly a prerogative - especially with consideration of today's real world - for continuing the team's efforts, at least if those haven't led to actual "devastation". Then, "to unite all peoples within our nation" becomes a very utopic objective, which as fans of other speculative fiction can attest, it becomes very difficult to achieve, whether with good or evil.

Continuing on, "to denounce the evils of truth and love" is actually a pretty good objective, knowing how truth and love in the real world has evils of their own. For "extend[ing]... reach to the stars above", that's an objective that's always on par with efforts in space exploration, in both the Pokémon world and otherwise. After that, it's just a matter of "blast[ing] off at the speed of light"... and as with the beginning, the last part doesn't really matter for a "better light". Overall, the room for that interpretation seems to be quite wide.

As an aside, it has been said that the form of the motto is actually "misread" by the trio (to a certain extent), which means that the motto is not in true form... making the one read by Cassidy and Butch to be reputedly more true in form as well as "sinister", leaving no room for a "better light" interpretation. That might also explain why quite a bit of the motto as above can be rendered with the "better light" interpretation, perhaps becoming a reflection of the "better side" of the members, given their backstories.

Even if further stories of the Team Rocket trio may not be heard anymore, some of the stories they leave behind are still worth looking into, like the motto they frequently recite by way of their frequent appearance. It might seem that the story of this motto presents an oddity with them being villainous, intending that in the motto yet having the chance for it to be seen in a better light. In a more perfect world, that "better light" may just be theirs for the taking... but until that is realized, trouble and a fight are still on the menu.

One year ago: From Bali with Love: Two Idol Songs for Pokémon

Two years ago: How to Regard the Orange Islands

Three years ago: The Lingering Places of Toxic Pokémon Fans

Four years ago: Taking It All Home

Five years ago: Sponsored PokéStops and Gyms in Pokémon Go

Six years ago: The Persistence of Legendary Raid Hours

Seven years ago: Poké Ball Mini Pokémon Figures

Eight years ago: Metal Unova Cap Pikachu Keychain

Measuring Up Costs (and Travel) for Pokémon Go

It's somewhat obvious by now that for Trainers to get somewhere in Pokémon Go, at least some spending may be in order. The problem may be in quantifying at least some of that spending for what it takes to do just that - travel, get somewhere. With that, I thought I'd take on this topic and provide my own takes for that quantification, to measure up costs for the game and undertaking its activities with the results of those activities.

For example, today is a Wednesday, meaning that there is a Raid Hour. I can choose to deal with that with others in my immediate vicinity, but that can't happen since they're absent. This means I'd have to travel to a place where I can cooperate with others - and there's certainly a cost for that. The specific costs of getting to that place (and then back) may be considered a quantifier of how many raids I should battle in at the very least to get the most out of the travel. This would also include the free passes, which would be quantified equal to a Premium Pass for this purpose - but that's my personal take.

Considering the above, paying more for a trip to go somewhere to play Pokémon Go - like for a special event such as Pokémon Go Fest - would certainly dictate that one would need to go through more activities (raids, Max battles, Egg hatches, and the like) compared to if one didn't go or had alternative arrangements. As for where remote passes fit into this situation, since they can be used anywhere and anytime, they may be considered as "extras" to whatever costs that one incurs for playing Pokémon Go, particularly the travel or transport.

Speaking of, since transport cost is absolute, irrespective of whatever discounts were incurred for that, it is also wise to consider game items in their full costs (also irrespective of discounts) relative to that cost. That would mean getting the at least the same money's worth of items as travel, and then certainly to exceed that to a certain acceptable amount to ensure the worth. It's a bit hard to explain from this point onward, but the gist should be clear that there is an incentive to make parity between play and travel costs.

At any rate, spending seems to be paramount to any accomplished achievements in Pokémon Go, whether for the in-game items or moving from place to place to do the things that make those accomplished achievements possible. The logical step from there is to quantify them and ensure that they're (at least) on par with each other and with the efforts that one takes to do that. It's a challenge that is as challenging as the game itself.

One year ago: Mountains of Faith: Mt. Moon

Two years ago: Cosplay: Idoltopia - Cosplayer Rising Star

Three years ago: Cosplay: "Seventeen Fest"

Four years ago: New Normal... and Still Loving

Five years ago: The Look of Pikachu

Six years ago: There Is Always a Way

Seven years ago: (More) Plastic Poké Balls

Eight years ago: Cosplay: Tomodachi 2

The Little Big Problems of TCGP

As discussed in the preview for the latest expansion to enter TCGP, this newest addition has a happening that didn't happen as it should, resulting in a "vagueness". Not only that, it also becomes a problem - and a big one at that - for this fledgling TCG platform. As it turns out, not everything has been perfect for this game either, with other little issues prior to the current happening. This post serves to discuss all of that, with a bit of a significant emphasis on the former since it's so profound for the game, not to mention Pokémon itself.

The big problem concerns the "immersive" three-Star cards in the expansion for Lugia and Ho-Oh. Their art, which includes the "immersive" animation, was found to have problems of - dare I say - "authenticity", and was pulled within mere hours prior to the expansion's release; it was replaced with a colored background showing the words "New Art Coming Soon", and going into the animation results in a brief black screen. As indicated, both of these cards will have new art (and conceivably animation), but only time will tell when that will happen. It's a really major issue impacting a really major part of the game's experience, and it has become a literal meme weeding into other areas of Pokémon, including a Pokémon Go infographic. In a way, it's "ridiculous" as well since it couldn't have been developed right in the first place.

Meanwhile, other issues in the game - that have been resolved since - are (or were) much more benign. They involved problems of translated texts for the cards not showing up properly for some people or in some circumstances, graphic issues (but minor ones) for some cards and effects applied to those cards, and a few gameplay oddities where certain cards were in play. Overall, if players never heard about them - or had experienced them directly - they might have not known that there were issues. The exception would certainly be the card art above, which definitely affects everyone and anyone playing the game - and, unfortunately and evidently, those who are "neighbors" to the game as well.

Compared to the bugs or issues in TCGL as the other virtual Pokémon TCG platform - and the one that reflects physical play - the ones here are or were not really game-breaking, but again, they do have their impact on the game's experience. Players in TCGL could obviously carry on before these bugs were fixed (and certainly after), unlike in TCGP, where carrying on may not have been feasible. Yet every bug or issue, minor or major, deserves and necessitates to be fixed, and the efforts in both of these games are certainly ongoing as they are also updated, in particular for the currently discussed case of TCGP. 

Every game will certainly have its share of bugs and issues that demand attention for their scope as well as ways of fixing them. In the case of the TCGP platform, its time seems to be at hand and majorly so with the visual problem above. Given how past issues are rectified, there is no doubt that the visual issue will also be rectified - somehow and whenever - and that will remain a due process for this game.

One year ago: Too Many Simultaneous Events in Pokémon Unite?

Two years ago: Brandon's Back in My Town!!!

Three years ago: The Hisui Cup of GBL

Four years ago: Good Game, Poor Communication?

Five years ago: Get Going for School, Pokémon Style

Six years ago: Increased Limits in Go... Indefinitely?

Seven years ago: Cosplay: YASUMI

Eight years ago: Perfection and Excellence

Collecting Stars in Café Remix

By now, those who play Café Remix should be quite familiar with the action of collecting stars as they complete different kinds of puzzles. It seems like an obvious action, but there's also a few more related things and finer points about and involving this action that deserve at least some explanation. It might also help and inspire others to make more progress within the game, which is why I've decided to write up about it.

First up, for those who haven't realized it, stars are essentially items as well. While they're marks for achievements in orders (stages), they can be accumulated, as in the case of main order stars (seen in the Past Orders screen) and for the Monthly Goals or Special Passes (seen in the respective screen). The earned stars are equivalent to however many are earned for completing an order or stage, and if they happen to be from Staff Training and multiple Stamina Shards were used, they'll be multiplied accordingly; this latter bit is especially useful for those who need lots of stars right away. Because they're items, they can be collected outside orders too - but this is more of a special case to be explained shortly.

Stars effectively come in two colors, yellow and blue. Yellow is pretty much reserved for stars that are collected from main orders, including ones that haven't been collected by replaying them through Past Orders and earning them. Blue is for the stars obtained through Staff Training, event orders, and other means outside orders, particularly for use in the Monthly Goals or Special Passes. In any case, yellow stars also contribute to those tracks just like blue stars do, so those efforts do not go in vain - as long as they're made.

The means of earning stars outside of orders is the Collect the Stars Challenge, which presently runs at the beginning and the end of the month (previously, it ran only at the end of the month). Completing its tasks allows one to earn many stars for the tracks as above, even more than from certain orders. The challenge is certainly directed for those who rarely open up the game - furthermore taking part in its run of events - allowing them at least to earn things from the tracks and especially if they paid for things like the monthly Premium Pass. Outside of this, stars have to be collected through the conventional manners as above.

Collecting stars is part of the usual routine for Café Remix and is evident in many ways. But then again, a few parts of it might not be so evident, and it helps to elucidate them in order to be able to take advantage of them for certain gameplay purposes. Regardless, the purpose of obtaining stars as best as possible remains the primary directive.

One year ago: Cosplay: (Program) Japanese Culture

Two years ago: The Prize Machine in Pokémon Unite

Three years ago: The Shining Moment: Pokémon Presents, 8/3/2022

Four years ago: Countermeasures for Pokémon Go: Madness in Madness

Five years ago: Countermeasures for Pokémon Go: What's In, What's Out

Six years ago: Cosplay: Utsuru SX

Seven years ago: (A New) Local Ex-Raid, 8/4/2018

Eight years ago: Pokémon on My Bed

Quickies: What Would Professor Oak Build?

Sometimes, one may need to make do with the things that one has in order to perform specific tasks. This state of affairs might also apply even to Pokémon Professors, with all the things that they do. Every Pokémon fan will recognize Professor Oak, who can be attested to be very knowledgeable, yet is sometimes a little "janky" as well; he might be considered the perfect (and foremost) candidate for having to make (build) things out of practically nothing in order to deal with problems that occur in the area of his laboratory and beyond.

For example, it may be necessary for the professor to keep two distinct groups of opposing Pokémon separate from themselves and even himself while he deals with them for purposes of studying them. Fences and/or separate rooms may already work well for this purpose, but it's also that he will need something more for this purpose. That probably could mean building an effective form of diversion (like artistic arrangements of everyday objects) to get the Pokémon to forget about their separation and confinement, let alone about attacking each other. It's a fascinating challenge and one that the professor may have to readily tackle.

Meanwhile, it is somewhat well-known that some (of Ash's) Pokémon are quite "attached" to the professor, so he would often need to keep them in check while the professor does other activities that don't necessarily involve these Pokémon. That doesn't necessarily mean separating and distracting them as in the previous case, but it could mean having something to make sure that they keep themselves in line and still get what they need - for example, a "feeding time" activity using a Pokémon feeder along with other items that accomplishes the purpose of providing them sustenance while keeping them entertained.

The above situations might be somewhat idealized, yet they are also somewhat realistic given the demands of the activities of Professor Oak. Being a Pokémon Professor who knows a lot about the ways of Pokémon might demand him to combine that knowledge with that of other ways of life in deterministic ways. The question as posed in the title of this post then becomes a way to reflect on all of the knowledge that the professor poses while at the same time being able to express his "janky" side that works and plays well with many other Pokémon.

One year ago: The Adventures of Pikachu and Snorlax

Two years ago: Let's Go on Routes

Three years ago: The Pokémon Unite Phone-Switch Transition

Four years ago: Nostalgic "Coins" of Pokémon

Five years ago: Remote Raids and Invitations

Six years ago: Pokémon Go Community Day, 8/3/2019

Seven years ago: Divergent Anime?

Eight years ago: A Hobbled Pikachu... 3DS XL

TCGP: Looking for Sky-High and Deep-Sea Wisdom

The recently continued pumping out of expansions in Pokémon TCGP game has been amazing and sensational, as described previously. Yet it seems to also give pause, in that there is the concern that some things are not (as) happening as they should be. For that, it appears that the latest expansion may (need to) invoke an introspection of some sort, to look for insights. The given places to look for those insights are the deepest sea and the highest sky, and that becomes the heart and soul of this new expansion.

"Wisdom of Sea and Sky" is aptly the title of this expansion. For those who haven't figured it out by the clues above, the highlight Pokémon of this expansion are the Legendary duo from Johto: Lugia and Ho-Oh. Appropriately, most of the other Pokémon in this expansion are also from the region of concern. As with previous expansions, these two Pokémon have golden cards of the Crown rarity and immersive cards of the three-Star rarity... which has been clear in previous ones but now has a "vagueness" to it.

Meanwhile, there are 161 numbered cards in this expansion, which is quite a lot, and it makes it practically a major one. Besides new Pokémon species, there are also a few new Pokémon Tool cards as well as Trainer cards with truly new and wild effects; then, there is the usual boatload of full art cards and Shiny Pokémon cards, padding out the expansion to over 240 cards. This new expansion might keep players busy for quite some time and developers for a bit more due to a certain regrettable state.

For that, regrettably, the above concern has been proven true. The "vagueness" I also referred to above concerns two of the highlight cards for the highlight Pokémon species, and unfortunately, they are the most "highlighted" cards as well. The rest of the details I actually want to save for a discussion in a separate post along with other goofs that the game has had up to the present. It seems rather apropos ill-timed for such a major goof to happen with a scintillating title for an expansion, but that's the way these cards fell.

Considering other aspects aside from the goof, this is a great expansion that many players will have surely waited for with its two highlight Legendary Pokémon, now being here in (almost) true form in the same TCGP style. There's a lot of wisdom to be taken from these two Pokémon, where they reside, and everything in between those levels, with the rest definitely coming from the fallout of the goof. The next step is then introspection to make these cards and later ones the best they can be, wherever they are.

One year ago: The Red and Blue Duality and Pokémon

Two years ago: All My Best Pokémon Friends Are...

Three years ago: (This Is) Just the Start

Four years ago: Heuristic vs. Methodical Trainers

Five years ago: Let There Be No Lies

Six years ago: Topic Balancing, Again

Seven years ago: The Music of Magikarp Jump

Eight years ago: Pokémon Is Everything