あしたはきっと by 鳥男＠シマママ！
Inspired by 2DT’s recent post, I’ve realized that I have yet to write my own post in the Diary of an Anime Lived series. Now I finally feel up to the challenge…
…so here we go.
As I’ve explained in my Anime Autobiography, my springboard into anime fandom began in my middle school years with Pokemon. Up until that point, I was purely a child, still enamored with innocent, childish things like cartoons and games. Middle school however, presented me with the world of preteens and their desire to grow-up quickly and cast away the things they loved in their childhood. At 14 years old, I was already considered a few years too old for Pokemon. But despite the constant peer pressure to become a typical teenager, some slight encouragement from a few choice friends and family members helped me stick with Pokemon, and eventually anime, which was what I really wanted. Just as the Pokemon franchise was taking off in those years, and Ash was beginning his Pokemon journey in the anime, I too began my bumpy journey out of childhood and into adolescence with Pokemon as my constant companion (though “obsession” is probably a better word =P)
don’t cry, smile! by KL
The three years of middle school went by, and as I was ready to start high school, I made the bold decision not to be shy about my anime fandom any longer. I covered my school notebook in anime pictures, and much to my pleasant surprise, managed to make friends who shared my interest and even found an anime club. Also around this time, the first generation of Pokemon was coming to a close and the second generation was taking off. Once again, Ash and company ended one journey to begin another in a new land, just as I ended my journey of uncertainty in middle school to start afresh with a new outlook in high school.
High school is where the person I am today really started to form. My anime fandom was growing and growing, but still I couldn’t deny my love for Pokemon and continued to follow the games and anime. As I was exploring who I really was and forming my first long-lasting social bonds, the third generation of Pokemon came with yet another new land to explore and new friends to meet. And still I grew together with the franchise as it was always an important “friend” in my own journey.
シンオウの思い出 by いす
After a couple of years at community college in the mid-2000s, I made the decision to head off on my biggest journey…well, it’s “big” for someone who had lived a relatively sheltered and routine life – going off on my own to a university. As if to coincide with my biggest journey, the fourth generation of Pokemon, the most highly anticipated one, was taking off. Once again Pokemon, my fellow journeying companion of seven years now, was closing one journey and beginning a very exciting one, and I was doing the same. Yeah, I’m sure by now you see the pattern I’m going for here…
Now we’re in the dawn of the fifth Pokemon generation (which officially begins in less than a week). Ash, with a new look, will be exploring another new land and making new friends. But this will be the first time that my journey alongside Pokemon will not be related to my status as a student. Actually, it’s been over a year since I’ve graduated college. But despite this, once again I feel that the beginning of this upcoming Pokemon journey coincides with a new journey of mine – namely that the current job I’ve had for about a year will be cutting my hours, so I’ll most likely have to search for something better. Up until now I’ve been dividing the stages in my life based on my school status (i.e., “when I was in high school,” “my college years,” etc). Now I can no longer do that. In a few years from now, I’m curious to see how this generation’s Pokemon journey will find me counting down the stages of my life.
想い出はパール！ by うさお
Pokemon has shown me time and again that one journey in life leads to another. Just as the ending of one Pokemon journey is bittersweet, soon enough you’re faced with another one with new friends (and foes) to make, new places to explore, new things to do, and most importantly, new changes to contend with. The words that Pokemon League Champion Shirona says upon the end of Satoshi (Ash) and Shinji’s (Paul) rivalry in the Sinnoh League ring true for a lot of our journeys:
“When one life meets another life, something is born.”
Even though there are separations and disagreements, and even though the meetings may seem short and insignificant, the act of meeting alone brings fourth things we don’t always realize. How long will Pokemon and I continue to journey together? Will I ever lose interest in Pokemon and continue my journey alone? Only time will tell.
And with that, I’ll wrap things up with some of my favorite lines from the very first Pokemon opening, “Mezase Pokemon Master”:
オレはこいつと 旅に出る
I’m going off on a journey with this guy.
きたえたワザで 勝ちまくり
I’ll keep on winning with the techniques I’ve forged,
仲間をふやして 次の町へ
Making friends, then heading off to the next city.
いつもいつでも うまくゆくなんて
There’s no guarantee
保証はどこにも ないけど
That things will always go well,
いつでもいつも ホンキで生きてる
But I’ll always keep living truthfully.
こいつたちがいる
These guys are with me.
ありがとうダイヤモンドパール！ by じっぺ
Thanks guys. Let’s keep journeying…together.
Ahhh… Pokemon… I believe that I have watch it for a long time, until the last year of High School when I was busy preparing to get into college. I got behind in D/P and I eventually stopped. I don’t watch the dub since its horrible and I depended on RAWs. I watched what they do and I can get a gist of what they are doing without the dialog.
I didn’t even hide my liking for Pokemon since I play the games on my free time during recess in my elementary years. As my username, it’s still pretty evident that I still like Pokemon even though I don’t really watch the Anime or blog about the show… As for the future games, I look forward as always like the other Pokemon games i played in the past.
@ chikorita157
I know the 4Kids Pokemon dub had plenty of flaws, but for someone who started their fandom with it and has watched so many episode, I can’t help but be attached to it. Though 4Kids did censor and change petty things, the voices of the characters themselves were great and the dub script had its own charm. Since PUSA took over in 2006 and totally recast the voice actors, I stopped watching the dub, and since then I’ve only watched raws or fansubs. I just can’t get used to the new voices and their dub script has none of the charm that 4Kids had.
Despite being teased in middle school, some of my classmates knew I liked Pokemon since I would bring my Game Boy or other Pokemon things to school. But I think out of all of them, there was only one girl who never made fun of me (I continued to be friends with her after middle school).
Is Chikorita your favorite pokemon since its also your username? =)
I first got into Pokemon when I was ten years old. How appropriate. (I believe the first episode I saw was Ditto’s Mysterious Mansion)
I was ridiculously and shamelessly obsessed.
Because I pretty much grew up on Kanto and Johto, I pretty much deny everything that happens post season five. (I cried so hard when Misty left.) However I still watched Hoenn, well, about 3/4 through Hoenn. But I still kept up with everything via Serebii. I realized throughout DP they kept reusing plots of some of the Pokemon which irked me to no end. Now for Isshu, I don’t even recognize it as Pokemon anymore. Too many changes, it bothers me. Also Ash has shoujo eyes.
Game wise, Blue was my very first video game. I only got four badges because the Pokemon Tower freaked me out. Then I got Colosseum, FireRed, LeafGreen, Ruby, Emerald, Diamond and Soul Silver. I”m actually extremely close to getting a black trainer card in SS.
(Sorry for the long reply.)
@ Myna
Ah, so you’re one of those past fans who doesn’t like the post-2nd generation stuff. I know that’s around when many fans lost interest in Pokemon and were turned off by all the changes and designs of the Hoenn pokemon (not to mention the fact that you couldn’t transfer pokemon into the GBA from the old games). I guess I’m one of those fans who accepts whatever new pokemon come out, regardless of what they look like as a whole. And since the changes in the games have been gradual over each generation, I have time to get used to them before they change again. So even though the fifth generation games are incredibly different from the old Game Boy games, they’re still Pokemon to me since I’ve been following the gradual evolution (no pun intended) of the games over the years =)
But since you have Emerald, Diamond, and Soul Silver, I guess you still somewhat enjoy the new generation games too.
And you were scared of the Pokemon Tower so you couldn’t move past that in Blue? That’s funny XD
While I’ve mentioned to you before why Pokemon isn’t a game I can play, it remains one of the first big Japanese influences on my life as well. There’s something about going out on your own in a big world and meeting countless people connected by one thread (in this world it seems to be anime).
While I haven’t seen the anime in forever, much less the original Japanese version, I remember that Ash didn’t win the overall Pokemon Master title unlike the events of the game. That to me signifies the overall meaning of the entire series: it’s not about going to the final boss and beating him/her but rather the journey through the towns and the people you meet. Even in Silver Red has lost his title and is still going around becoming stronger.
The new generations repeat the one big truth in life: there’s always more to discover. What we thought we knew (there were only 151 Pokemon in the world?!) becomes obsolete and we have to journey all over again. I’d say there’s only one constant in the world of Pokemon: Shorts are comfy and easy to wear!
@ ultimatemegax
Besides the Orange League, I don’t think Ash has become the Champion of any of the Leagues he’s participated in. Like you said, it just goes to show that becoming a “Pokemon Master” in the anime is more about the people and pokemon you meet on the journey rather than the final destination. The games have this aspect too, since you don’t have to beat the Pokemon League at the end in order to just wander around and raise lots of pokemon. But since it is a game, it has to have an ending and you have to complete certain events in order to move on.
LOL, and that thing about shorts is a classic line from the original games XD
And I know you can’t stand the grinding part of RPGs, but I do hope you decide to give one of the newer Pokemon games a try one day =)
Very nice post, and interesting how your life kept matching up with the franchise.
It didn’t matter how old you were when Pokemon was big, the next year, people thought you were lame for liking it. This series had people of all ages obsessing over it, but I was in 2nd grade when the crazy hit, and by midway through third grade I was already being made fun of for wearing Pokemon T-shirts and such. Every single time I hear high school or college students going “OMG I REMEMBER POKEMON, THAT WAS THE SHIT” or anything like that, I feel like spitting on them. They only think it’s cool now because it’s retro-cool for them, but I was a fucking fan while they were all calling me names.
I was obsessed with Pokemon for the better part of four years. It was a gateway drug for other hobbies. Pokemon got me into Nintendo and gaming, and surely it helped sew the seeds of my anime fandom. But I won’t lie, I drifted from it, slowly. Anime started to become important, I got into Yi-Gi-Oh! when it hit, and it all came together with Ruby and Sapphire – I had Ruby, and I didn’t like it very much. It didn’t live up to the greatness of Silver (one of my favorite games of all time) for me, and I never got past the fourth gym or so (can’t remember if my bro beat Sapphire.)
But Pokemon will never not be a big part of my life. Especially because my little bro never got out of it at all – unlike me, he played Diamond and is revved up for Black, and my baby bro adores Pearl, with 90% of his favorite Pokemon being 4th-gen (he’s a legendary-fag, lol). Like any Pokemon release, Black and White will be an *event* in our house. It’s definitely something important to me.
@ digitalboy
Glad to hear that Pokemon is still important to you after all these years (we should battle sometime!)
That’s a good point that nowadays the people who are nostalgic for it and think it’s retro-cool were probably the same people who liked it briefly when it was at the top of its popularity, and then made fun of it a few years later, only to revert back now and realize they have fond memories of it. I have this jacket with old-school pokemon on it (Pikachu, Meowth, Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Charmander) and I’ve gotten so many compliments on it wherever I go. If I had this jacket in 1999-2001, I would definitely get made fun of by people my age, especially at school. Now it brings out pleasant waves of nostalgia for those same people. It’s funny how massive popularity does that to a franchise.
I guess I can revel in the satisfaction of knowing that little to none of them know the extent of what it’s like to be a true Pokemon fan straight for 11 years now XD
Thanks for letting me play my first Pokemon game ever – Snorlax mero mero~! I looked him up and he’s a cat-type Pokemon, which makes perfect sense. =)
Even if I start playing Pokemon, I doubt I will ever become as devoted as you are to it, but I can understand your devotion since it’s such an important part of your past and who you are as an anime fan. We all need a fandom we love and cherish!
As I finished reading your post, it struck me that my relationship to anime songs has some similarity to the “catch and train” gameplay of Pokemon. I’m constantly on the lookout for new anisongs that catch my ear, whether or not I’ve actually seen the anime (I listened and loved “Hemisphere” before I watched a single episode of Rahxephon). Having “caught” the song I either try to memorize it or look for alternate/cover versions of it, which is sort of like “training.” And then I “battle” with the songs when I play them while reading, writing, grading, etc. (I remember, when FF7 Advent Children came out, I finished grading a whole stack of quizzes with the main battle theme on repeat.) There are some non-anime songs I listen to while I work, but for the most part I “summon” Maaya Sakamoto, May’n, Megumi Nakajima, etc. to help me. =)
@ f0calizer
Heh, I’ve actually never heard Snorlax called a “cat-type” pokemon before. I guess if you had to pick an animal he looks like, the pointed ears would make him look like a big, fat cat…but to me he looks more like a relative of Totoro XD His species in the Poke-dex is Sleeping pokemon.
Since you’re one of the rare anime fans I’ve met who’s never once played a Pokemon game, I do hope you’ll decide to play through one of the games just to see what all the fuss is about =) There’s a reason why such a variety of people like it.
And that’s really funny how you’ve related your interest in anime songs to Pokemon XD Gotta catch all the Maaya Sakamoto songs!
Now that’s what I call a long and developed history of fandom! I’ve always been a bit behind the curve, so when I actually did find Pokemon, the fandom had largely disappeared. Add that to my relative immaturity at the time, and that just results in Pokemon merely being a curiosity and a time waster.
At the same time though, it’s great that you have found something that you can personally connect with on a deep level. It’s especially interesting that you’ve fallen in love with the anime itself rather than the games, which is probably flipped for a lot of other Pokemon aficionados. I guess it’s really the epic nature of the journey that you’re interested in then?
@ Mystlord
Yeah, 1999-2001 were the golden years to be a Pokemon fan in the US. Though it’ll probably always be around and be semi-popular, much of the fandom did disappear with the third generation around 2002.
And I think you’ve misunderstood, though it’s not your fault since I didn’t make it clear in the post – I’m actually the opposite of what you think…I’m much more in love with the Pokemon games than the anime. I mostly watch the anime in order to see the pokemon and other characters animated, and because it’s a big part of the franchise that I’ve been following since the beginning, so why stop now since I can’t help but be attached to it after all these years? The games are my favorite part of the franchise though.
The journey aspect of the games and anime is great, but my favorite thing to do with the games is simply to raise different kinds of pokemon and try them out in various teams, usually against computer opponents. I don’t care to have the strongest pokemon and I rarely play competitively online or in tournaments with real players. The games allow you to play any way you want and still have fun =P
That whole issue of only liking pokemon now for being retro seems to be described pretty well in this awkward zombie comic. I didn’t care for third gen so never really played pokemon through high school but my time was invested in CCG’s from pokemon to yugioh and then MTG along some other minor ones.
@ Bonehimer
Hahaha, that’s a cute comic XD Thanks for sharing.
I was into Yu-Gi-Oh! for a while too – many anime have come and gone throughout my fandom, but there was never a time when I didn’t love Pokemon and kept following the games and anime (however I did stop collecting the cards sometime in the early 2000s).
There is no such thing as a journey that never ends. However, in your (and in this case, Pokemon’s) journey, it ends and begins anew. The aim is still the same, but everything else is different, new, and of course, exciting as they are challenging. Your staying fandom with Pokemon is truly a feat to behold, not mentioning the number of years you spent with it. I guess it does define how you look at your personal life in a way, since the the very lifestyle depicted in Pokemon is very similar to ours.
@ Shance
Yes, all journeys have to end because we’re mortal beings – even if we spend our whole lives journeying, we have to die eventually and that will be the end. Of course, if we pass our journey onto to someone else, I suppose it could continue in a sense.
I wonder how many more years new Pokemon journeys will be born…I wonder if I’ll be able to experience them all or if Pokemon will outlive me =P
@Yumeka
It’s not that I reject ALL post 2nd generation Pokemon, just the anime.
Although I do shun a large majority of fourth generation. I actually enjoyed Hoenn.
But I always judge on an aesthetic level, and I find the majority of what I’ve seen from fifth generation so far to look a little ridiculous.
The only ones I don’t mind too much are Smugleaf and the new deer Pokemon.
and I couldn’t help it! The ghosts scared me when I was seven years old OTL :P
@ Myna
I agree that the original season episodes of the anime we’re better – they had their share of flaws of course, but they got away with a lot more “darker” content than in the Advanced and Diamond & Pearl series. Pokemon’s massive internationalization is to blame for this – the show was no longer being made with only the Japanese audience in mind, so they had to make it as family friendly for an international audience as possible.
And my initial impression of the fifth generation pokemon is actually better than it was for the third and fourth. Guess everyone’s got their own taste in pokemon designs. But every generation has their ridiculous-looking pokemon and their cool pokemon XD
@Yumeka
Perhaps, but then again… I have a good list of favorite Pokemon I like out of the whole 493 out there… Now there is going to be 600 I hear…
Such a pity that they don’t have a Bottle Nose Dolphin yet. Maybe next time… I hope. :p
@ chikorita157
Yeah, 649 I hear. They haven’t all been revealed yet so there’s still a chance we’ll get a dolphin pokemon this time :3 (the closest thing we have to a dolphin pokemon now is Lanturn).