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Li-Fang J. Huang Pokémon, short for Pocket Monsters, was created by Satoshi Tajiri, 34, because he wanted to reflect upon his childhood. With the idea set, his friend, Ken Sugimori, was given the task of drawing all the Pokémon characters. The characters in Pokémon are Ash, Misty, and Brock who make up a team that searches for adventure while trying to catch and train more Pokémon. Also, Ash's sidekick, the captivating and popular yellow cat-mouse, named Pikachu, helps him out in battles by electrocuting other Pokemon. What is it about Pokémon that attracts some teenagers, and even people as old as 20, when it was only meant for four to twelve year olds? I myself got into Pokémon for two reasons. First, a friend got me interested in it and secondly, you have to admit that Pikachu is adorable. There are over 150 species of Pokémon, but only one or two actually talk. The other Pokémon can only growl their names repeatedly. Each Pokémon has his/her own distinct superpowers. Time magazine's November 22 issue informed me that, "the names of the characters and monsters were westernized" to appeal to a North American audience. In every cartoon, there are enemies. "Team Rocket," which is comprised of Jesse, James, and a talking cat called Meowth. Team Rocket want to catch more Pokémon, but are always encountered by Ash and his friends. However, they never succeed and they always end up "blasting off again!" According to Charles Laurence of The Daily Telegraph on April 24, 1999, Pokémon "began as a cartoon in which teenagers compete to capture the pocket-sized monsters, prized for such powers as zapping enemies with megabolts of electricity. Then the Nintendo Game Boy version appeared." I have interviewed 38 Jarvis students between the ages of 16 and 20, and the results showed that 10 watch Pokémon, 23 don't and 5 used to or do sometimes. When asked why they didn't, they made comments such as "There's no point to it," "I hate Pikachu," "The dialogue is stupid," "It looks retarded," "It's brainwashing,""It's worse than Sailor Moon." On the contrary, OAC student Julia Lee said, "it's soooo cute!" Rafael Ramirez, 18, said, "It's entertaining, a very...good influence." Wilson Ng, 18, said, "Do I watch it? I buy all the videotapes and..." One 18-year-old male said, "Pokémon makes me relax." All 38 students were asked, "What do you think of Pikachu?" The most popular answer was "cute." I noticed that more than half of them don't watch Pokémon, but they know who Pikachu is. Do they think they are too old to watch Pokémon? But there's more than just the television series: there are numerous Pokémon accessories that toy companies are selling to a huge market of children, making millions of dollars in profit. Three of the students who said they didn't watch the show admitted to owning a toy. Three students who watch Pokémon said they own over 100 Pokémon accessories. Has the slogan got to them? In fact, half of the toys were purchased at Burger King, who sold Kids Meals with a Pokemon toy for about two months I went to Burger King four times, but I bought it only once with the toy because it was always "sold out." There was a large demand on the Pokémon toys, which caused Burger King to run out of the stock earlier than expected. Consumers can buy trading cards instead. Pokémon: The First Movie, which opened in theatres on November 10, 1999, had grossed $25 million on the first two days in the U.S. alone, reported by Time magazine in the November 22 issue. At Paramount Theatre, it was said that the buyers of the first 100 tickets sold would receive a free trading card. But I wondered if the movie was another attack to entice kids and teens to spend more money. Julia Lee, who watches Pokemon, thought the movie was "stupid." Also, the soundtrack to the movie featured at least three artists who were younger than 20 years of age. The question is, will Pokémon fade out over time as new shows of products emerge in the next five years? OR will they become classics like Mickey Mouse or Winnie the Pooh? I asked the same 38 students, if Pokemon will become unpopular, and found that people think: "It will fade out like Power Rangers," "Of course, dealing with children fades over time," "It's a common trend," "Because it will not work for a future generation," "It's a fad, like Sailor Moon," "When a new product comes out." It appears that teens think it's a fad, that something like Pokemon can't last long, but what if is does? Elisa Lochan, 18, said, "It might come back in 20 years." I sat there pondering, and I think I can agree with her. My brother used to watch Sailor Moon in the 1970s and look what happened to it: it came back in the early 1990s. So perhaps there are ways to preserve Pokémon, but only if future generations will still be interested. Sure enough, some teens are addicted to Pokemon. I'm glad that being 18, I'm able to relax and enjoy a show or two of Pokemon. Go Pikachu! Please respect our writers' original works. If you wish to make use of their words, use quotation marks and footnoting. Thank you. Back to the top^ |
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