This week, we're reminiscing and remembering
plenty of strange and fun Parody shows. The Idea hit me that we're
probably all running out of shows and movies to watch, so why not stuff that
makes fun of other stuff, and what's more nerdy than parody and satire?
Definition of a Parody, Spoof, Homage, or
Satire:
A work that is created to Imitate, Make
fun of, and/or comment on an original work.
This is often done via satirical or ironic imitation.
Satire is when you mock people for their
short comings, faults, or vices.
Irony is when someone does or says
something that is the opposite of what we expect them to do or mean.
Example:
Satire – In Galaxy Quest, the actors
recoil and act on their cowardly instincts for survival upon first entering and
visiting the ship of Galaxy Quest.
Irony – In Little Mermaid, Ariel gives up
her voice for legs so that she can meet and fall in love with Eric. But Eric doesn’t recognize her without her
voice, and thus, is still looking for his love.
Parody Tv Shows
Big Bang Theory (Nerdy)
The Orville (Sci-fi, Star Trek)
Saturday Night Live (Various)
Simpsons (60s & 70s & 80s Family
Sitcoms)
The Office / Parks and Rec
(Documentaries, Office Life, and Government action)
Mom returns with tales of her journey in the world of pokemon. She have thoughts, Ideas, and our discussion was actually very interesting in the respects of Video Game ideas and philosophy of those that make the game, and where they come from. It's actually pretty interesting, as we've been doing this for over 70 weeks now, mom is getting quite comfortable and skilled at trying to understand the culture of the people who created the game, which is awesome. Plus our usual divergence in to Animal Crossing as well.
Homework Review
Spinoff Pokemon Games
Pokemon Stadium Series
Console: Nintendo 64
Developed by Nintendo as a response to the popularity of the Pokemon Games, these were the only way to see the Pokemon on the Big Screen. The game was bundled with the Nintendo 64 Transfer Pak, an add-on for the N64 so that you could transfer your Pokemon from the gameboy games to the N64 and use them in the game. The original intent was for tournaments, so that those watching had something to watch and see during the event, instead of the blocky, pixilated version of the game.
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Series
Console: Gameboy Advance, Nintendo DS, Nintendo Switch
Based on Mystery Dungeon Mechanics (When Dungeons or Zones are randomly Generated), this game found you the player transforming in to a Pokemon, based off a personality test, and visiting various dungeons to complete the game. Along the way, you can collect other pokemon to follow you and assist in the dungeons. Unlike other Pokemon games, the battles are simple, as you navigate through the dungeon and happen upon other enemy pokemon. Several games have come out over the years, with more light hearted affair and pokemon talking to each other. There also tends to be a lack of any humans around, so pokemon appear in a more natural setting, with many civilized trappings.
Pokemon Ranger Series
Console: Nintendo DS
Attempting to take advantage of the Nintendo DS’s bottom Touch Screen, this version of the game sees you capturing pokemon for a short period of time and using them on missions. The big change is that instead of the RPG mechanics of the main game, you use the stylus to draw circles around pokemon in order to capture it temporarily. Pokemon captured temporarily can then be used to assist with your mission or help with capturing pokemon. An example is a water pokemon may slow or immobilize the enemy pokemon you’re trying to capture with the stylus.
Pokemon Rumble Series
Console: Nintendo 3DS, Wii U
Like Pokemon Mystery Dungeon, you travel through various procedurally generated dungeons and fight other pokemon. The main difference being the real-time melee mechanics, which act out in real time, meaning you have to run up to attack them, but also dodge their attacks too.
Pokemon Snap
Console: Nintendo 64, Wii / Wii U Virtual Console
A less beloved, but still cult popular, game in the Pokemon Series. This one is an on-rail (Meaning you follow a set path as laid out by the game) sees you going through various areas and taking pictures of pokemon. The goal is to take pictures of Pokemon, with points awarded for the quality of the picture taken; this can be due to multiple pokemon, different pokemon in same picture, rare or evolved pokemon, or the actions the pokemon are doing in the picture. The pokemon are all in their natural environment, but with Pokemon Bait launched in certain parts of the area, you can trigger events to get more pokemon to show up, different pokemon to appear, or trigger a short event that makes for a better picture.
Pokemon Puzzle Games
Console: Gameboy Color, Nintendo 64, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo Switch
These are various games based off puzzle mechanics. Usually, these are re-skins (Reusing other games mechanics, worlds, models, etc, from games in order make new material) of other existing game series.
Puzzle Challenge & Puzzle League – Reskin of Panel de Pon / Puzzle League
Pokemon Café Mix – Reskin of Disney’s Tsum Tsum Mechanics
Hey You, Pikachu
Console: Nintendo 64
A unique game where you follow your Pikachu around and talk to it. Utilizing the N64 Voice Recognition Unit, an add-on included with the game, you can talk to Pikachu and direct it around to do stuff for you. Talking to Pikachu directly allows you to build trust and score, which can unlock additional skills for Pikachu. It’s unique in that its Add-on is only used for the one game, and also doesn’t work well with adult and teenager voices. While the gameplay is simple, it was launched right in the middle of the initial pokemon craze to take advantage of it.
Super Smash Bros
Console: Nintendo 64, GameCube, Wii / Wii U, Switch
While not a Pokemon game in of itself, pokemon have been represented in every Smash Bros game, and often favorite. Initial Super Smash Bros saw series mascot Pikachu to the roster from day one, and is often a favorite amongst other player, along with Jigglypuff as an unlock. Later series would add additional pokemon, including Pichu, Mewtwo, Charizard, Lucario, Greninja, & Incineroar. In Super Smash Bros Braw, we saw the introduction of the Pokemon Trainer, which could switch out between Charizard, Ivysaur, and Squirtle to allow varied gameplay in one character. Outside of the various stages in the game being pokemon themed, there are also Pokeballs, which contain any number of pokemon that can be summoned on to the stage and aid the thrower by causing damage, debuffs, or chaos during the match.
Pokemon Anime
Largely credited for opening up the Western Audience to Anime, Pokemon has been a staple of TV for the last 23 years. Pokemon’s Cartoon/Anime follows the adventures of Ash Ketchum(As in Catch them All, the series’s tag line), also simply known as Satoshi in Japanese, as he ventures around the world to become a Pokemon Master. The show follows the basic plot of the games, with side stories and adventures to flesh out the world and character, intended to be the common adventure of a Pokemon Trainer and his friends. The show’s art style has largely unchanged from 1997 till 2016, when the Anime had a change in art style.
There have been a few spin off series that are Pokemon Anime, but don’t follow the events of Ash.
Pokemon Chronicles – Following trainers for the Johto League, similar to the Gold and Silver character designs. The game follows their exploits, but takes place in the same world and time around Ash and his journeys.
Pokemon Origins – A more faithful retelling of the Pokemon Red and Blue series of games. It was a mini-series released just before X & Y’s release. While initially limited to Japan, they were eventually released on to the Pokemon Youtube Channel for free.
Pokemon Generations – A pokemon series initially released on Pokemon’s Youtube Channel. The series follows the first six generations of pokemon and Largely focus on side stories of various pokemon character that have been seen through the games, including trainers, Gym Leaders, and other random characters.
Pokemon Twilight Wings – A mini-series released on to Youtube, the series follows events of Sword and Shield, and only finished production in August due to Covid-19 delaying the production of the final episode.
Like any long running series, Pokemon has had some episodes removed or heavily edited due to Controversies regarding the material or elements of them.
“Cyber Soldier Porygon” – Likely the most famous example came early in Pokemon’s broadcast. The episode featured Ash and Pikachu being digitized and entering a computer to aid Porygon, a digital Pokemon. During the episode, Pikachu’s Thunderbolt Attack causes a mix of Blue and Red flashing effects in rapid succession, causing a strobe effect for roughly 5-7 seconds. This resulted in some viewers experiencing Blurred Vision, headaches, dizziness, and nausea, with some viewers experiencing Blindness, Seizures, convulsions, and losing consciousness. While 685 viewers were reported to have been hospitalized, it’s presumed that over 12000 child may have been affected by the episode.
After the episode, Pokemon took a 4 month Hiatus. After the Hiatus, other episodes were edited to remove strobe effects, along with the Opening sequence being edited and changed. The episode has never been seen outside of the original broadcast and was removed by Nintendo. In the west, the episode was mocked and used as satire for Japanese Anime in other western animation, particular Simpsons and South Park.
Jynx – Jynx is an ice-pokemon, but upon release in America, it was criticized for promotion of Black Face. While the notion of Black Face was Foreign to Japan, who doesn’t have a large foreign population in Japan (only 3-4% of the population in Japan is Non-Japanese), Jynx was later changed to have a Purple colored Face instead. This was what led to the exclusion of the episode “The Ice Cave!” which heavily included Jynx before the edit.
Several Episodes have been removed due to illusions to Earthquakes or Destruction, namely episodes in Japan, as the episodes original Airing date was halted due to Earthquakes or Tsunami’s in Japan. Similarly in the West, two episodes were pulled temporarily pulled after the 9/11 Attacks during the initial broadcast: one featured the destruction of a city and another due to the title “The Tower of Terror”. Both episodes were eventually rebroadcast.
Some Episodes were only skipped in America. This included “Beauty and the Beach” where the characters participate in a Swimsuit competition, but features James of team Rocket sporting inflatable breasts. The Episode was initially skipped due to the previous content and concerns over over-sexualization, but later re-edited and rebroadcast as a ‘Lost Episode’. Another episode, “The Legend of Dartini” would have seen Ash and company looking for the rare Dartini Pokemon and visiting the Safari Zone, however was skipped due to the frequent use and appearance firearms in the anime. The episode leads to an error in the show, where Ash had captured 30 Tauros Pokemon, which see use later in the series.
Much like other long running Anime Series, Pokemon has movies, 24 theatrical released movies over the last 23 years. Pokemon itself in Japan releases a Movie every year, which often tells side stories for Ash and company which don’t get referenced or reflected in the mainline anime. It’s also amongst the only times in which major Legendary Pokemon get seen, as they are rarely referenced or seen in the main Anime. A handful of the POkemon Movies saw a release in the West, namely during the first and second generation, with later movies not seeing a Domestic Box Office release, but released to Video Instead.
While Japan has had one new Pokemon movie every year, the west released Detective Pikachu, which is amongst the highest grossing films in 2019 and second highest grossing videogame film of all time.
Today, we're starting the long
haul of going through Pokémon. We're going to discuss mostly the games
today and the world of Pokémon, because if we went through the myriad of
spinoffs, this would become an even longer episode. We go over the basics,
and try to discuss some of what Pokémon represents as a whole.
History
Created by Satoshi Tajiri, the game initially started based
off his love of collecting insects as a child.As the home he lived in started to become more urbanized, he noticed
bugs disappearing and children staying in the house more often.He wanted to create a game that would allow
people to catch creatures similar to insects, which he would call Pokémon.
Prior to Tajiri being known for Pokémon, he developed the
self-published magazine, Game Freak, which discussed Video Game, and eventually
began reviewing them, before becoming a video game development company.
The initial Pokémon game was Pocket Monsters Red & Green
in 1996, which was quite popular for the aging Nintendo GameBoy.It went on to re-invigorate the series, and
sparked its second coming.A further
version known as Pocket Monster Blue updated the graphics and went on to add
some more Pokémon and updated the graphics for many of their Pokémon as
well.This Blue version would be the
basis for the Red and Blue Pokémon titles we saw in the west and other portions
of the world.The initial idea for
having two games was that they could divide some of the monsters between the
two different systems, allowing for more of a reason to trade between other
players, which was a focus of the game.
About a year later, the Pokémon Anime would start in Japan,
which has been ongoing since 1998 until today, and included all of the previous
game series.The series follow Satoshi,
or Ash, with his Pikachu through various Pokémon regions and areas, interacting
with new Pokémon, gyms, and trying to become a Pokémon master.Pikachu was originally the second option for
a Mascot Character, as the original Jigglypuff was initially considered, but
turned down after lukewarm reception.
GameFreak and Nintendo would continue to release new games,
adding to the expanding roster of Pokémon with each cycle, or Generations.There are too many spins off to name; the
series is likely one of the best selling franchises behind Mario, and probably
more common than Mario as well.
Premise
The world is very similar to ours, save for more wild
forests and areas that have been unaltered or inhabited by humans.Typical animals do not exist, but instead
replaced with Pokémon, many of which resemble animals of our own species, as
well as various planets, materials, and forms.Most Pokémon are animals of some king, but some are plant based, take
the shape of rock golems, or even pool of slime.There are even ghost Pokémon.
Pokémon carry an affinity, or known as a type, which
signifies what abilities they have available to them.Some Pokémon may use abilities that are not
associated with their type, and may even have more than one type associated
with them.Pokémon all have special
abilities, from head-butting and clawing, to even producing fire, water,
electricity, and even psychic abilities, and more.These abilities form the basis of Pokémon
battles and fighting.
Pokémon come in all shapes and forms, and most can evolve
after a period of time, or training.Evolved Pokémon follow a simple track and always evolve in to the next
line of Pokémon in their species, save for an Eevee, which can evolve in
various other Pokémon in its species family.Evolved Pokémon are almost always more powerful than non-evolved Pokémon.
Pokémon live in the wild, but can also live with humans much
in the same way you would pets.Depending on the type of Pokémon, they might life in forests, caves,
near water, or even in snow.Pokémon
typically reside in certain regions of the world, and even then only in certain
areas, though some Pokémon are more common than others in some regions.If a Pokémon lives with humans, it’s not
uncommon for them to be treated like members of the family.It’s not uncommon for Pokémon to develop long
lasting relationship with their human owners, or trainers, often coming to
their aid or defense if anything is to arise.Most humans have at least one Pokémon, if not more, of their own; though
for younger generations, they may have a family Pokémon, as adults are less
likely to have huge Pokémon collections.
If living with a human, Pokémon typically reside within a
Pokeball, a ball that electronically houses the Pokémon within a ball roughly
the size of a softball.The size of the Pokémon
doesn’t matter, as it is digitized and placed within the pokeball.No science has really gone on to explain the
mechanics or sciences behind it.Pokémon
generally get caught in a pokeball once they have been weakened in a battle,
usually by throwing the ball and having it tap the pokeball. Once a Pokémon is
in a pokeball, they are forever tied to that pokeball and can be recalled back
into the ball if they are in a weakened state.
Most people who go on to raise and train Pokémon are known
as Pokémon Trainers.Pokémon Trainer is
a person that trains Pokémon to become stronger or better over time, with the
usual intention of using the Pokémon to perform battles with.Pokémon Battles are typically 1 on 1, with
each trainer being able to use up to six Pokémon in total.Pokémon battles are typically affairs to see
who is the better training, but also a way of resolving most major
disagreements.Anyone and everyone can
be a trainer, even those with jobs already, and it is not uncommon for a battle
to break out at a moment’s notice, though most do not do so indoors, but tend
to do it outside, or in specialized locations or Arenas.If a Pokémon take enough damage, they will
faint and return to their pokeball until they can be healed or revived.
The goal of most Pokémon Trainers is to become Pokémon
Masters, competing in tournaments and competitions to crown truly skillful and
great trainers.In order to be able to
compete in these tournaments and competitions, Trainers must compete in Gym
Battles in the local area, and defeat the Gym Leader to receive a Badge that
signifies the Trainer’s skill.These
badges are often requirements four tournaments, competitions, or matches, and
trainers without a significant number, or certain badges, will not be allowed
to compete.
Beyond battle competitions, there are Pokémon Coordinators,
a type of trainer that specializes in showing Pokémon Skills and talents, along
with clothing, in order to prove their worth.Rather than fighting, a Pokémon may use their abilities to create shows
or tricks that can be judged by judges.Similar to Gym Battles, most major towns have some sort of competition
that can be entered throughout the year.
At the age of 10, young children can start their adventure
to become a Pokémon Trainer.They are
often gifted, or earn, a Pokémon, and from there are allowed to leave the house
and start their own adventure.A typical
trainer will start with some basic necessities, including some pokeballs and
medicine for their Pokémon, along with basic camping and survival gear.Pokémon Trainers can make money off of other
trainers or collect rare objects in the wild to help them along.
Everyone has access to Pokémon Centers.There are locations that offer to heal and
rehabilitate Pokémon if they have been injured, hurt, or incapacitated in a battle.The process is relatively quick, and free of
charge to any Pokémon trainers.The Pokémon
Centers offer bedrooms and meals for children trailing on their own adventure,
along with helpful advice and information about the area.They are found in every town, village, and
city, and even long specialized routes or locations.
While most people are good natured to their Pokémon, not
everyone is, and some will use their Pokémon for evil or malicious
intentions.There are some leagues of
villains that band together, like Team Rocket, which attempt to steal and
kidnap Pokémon from their owners in order to assist with world domination or
some other evil plot. They are often the antagonist of games and other media.
Much like bad people, there are good people, who try to
study Pokémon throughout the world.To
aid young adventures, these professors of Pokémon offer a Pokedex, which keeps
track of all known Pokémon in the region and other locations, and offers
information, pictures, and collecting of Pokémon.The intent is for trainers to fill up their
Pokedex, and return the information to the professor for further analysis and
study, leading to their symbiotic nature.
Games - Mainline
Generation 1 (1996 – 1999)
Console: GameBoy
JP: Pokémon Green & Red, Blue, Yellow
US: Pokémon Red & Blue, Yellow
Total Pokémon: 151
Region: Kanto
These initial games were the basis for the Franchise, which
hasn’t deviated much from the initial formula.Released in Japan in 1996, and the US 1998, the series has one major spinoff
in Pokémon Yellow, an enhanced version with updated sprites for the Pokémon,
minor game play tweaks, and the ability to have Pikachu follow you from the
start.Pokémon Yellow is meant to mirror
the anime, which mirrors the original game as a whole.The original game took place in the Kanto
region, similar to the real life Kanto region of Japan, which is the home of
Tokyo and surrounding prefectures.
Generation 2 (1999 – 2002)
Console: Gameboy Color
Pokémon Gold & Silver, Crystal
Total Pokémon: 251
Region: Johto
This generation was the first major advance, debuting on the
gameboy color, but if you still had the older hardware, would still work on a
regular Gameboy.He series added a day
and night system, as well as an in-game clock, with some Pokémon only appear at
certain times of the day. The game also introduced an additional 100 Pokémon,
and evolutions for other Pokémon that didn’t exist before.Players upon finishing the Johto region could
travel back to the Kanto region and continue the adventure there.Players who also had the older games could
trade Pokémon from their older version to the new version, allowing for a full
complete pokedex.You can not trade from
a newer version to an older version however, as the older Blue & Red games
would have the newer Pokémon added.Taking place in the Johto region, which mirror modern day Japan’s Kansai
region, with places like Osaka and Kyoto included in the area.
Generation 3 (2002 – 2006)
Console: Gameboy Advance
Pokémon Ruby & Sapphire, Emerald, FireRed &
LeafGreen
Total Pokémon: 386
Region: Hoenn
This was the first generation to offer remakes of older
games, with FireRed & LeafGreen faithful remakes of the original Pokémon
Red and Green, but using the updated pokedex of 386 Pokémon.These games also offered the first series of
2 on 2 battles, pitting four Pokémon against each other.The series is however not well regarded, as
they dropped the day and night cycle due to issues with the battery in the
cartridge, as well as limited updating of the series elements, including trying
to limit the collectable Pokémon to 202 instead of the full 386.The games take place in Hoenn, an island
similar to Japan’s Kyushu Island.
Generation 4 (2006 – 2010)
Console: Nintendo DS
Pokémon Diamond & Pearl, Platinum, HeartGold &
SoulSilver
Total Pokémon: 493
Region: Sinnoh
Introduced on the two screen DS, the games offered an
improved Day and Night cycle, found in Generation 2, as well as introducing 3D
Graphics to the game in certain areas.Due to the Nintendo DS’s wifi capabilities, it allowed people to also
play against other people in local areas virtually, meaning you could be
battling or trading with someone on the other side of a building or network.
Like the previous generation, the also remade Generation 2’s Gold and Silver
games, being relatively faithful adaptations and remakes using newer hardware
and technology.This time, the Sinnoh
region acts as Japan’s Hokkaidōisland,
the very north of Japan’s islands.
Generation 5 (2010 – 2013)
Console: Nintendo DS
Pokémon Black & White, Black 2 & White 2
Total Pokémon: 649
Region: Unova
Unlike other generations, 5th generation is
unique for a couple of reasons.Firstly,
at the time, it’s offered the most new Pokémon at 156, but none of the Pokémon
were evolutions for previous Pokémon in other generations, meaning only New Pokémon.It also was the first generation to not
remake older games, which would have been Ruby & Sapphire by normal
conventions. It’s also the only series to have direct spin offs in the form of
new games; these games continued the story from the first game, but played as
though it was you were a new trainer coming in to the continuing story.It is also unique in not offering a third,
director’s-cut version of the game, like with Yellow, Crystal, Emerald or
Platinum.It is also unique in that the
setting is meant to be New York City and not a part of Japan as previous
versions had been.
Generation 6 (2013 – 2016)
Console: Nintendo 3DS
Pokémon X & Y, Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire
Total Pokémon: 721
Region: Kalos
6th generation is notable for introducing fully
3d Pokémon, with all Pokémon fully rendered in 3d.It also introduced Mega Evolutions, a rare
additional evolution that is limited but extremely powerful form for some Pokémon.Introduced was the Pokémon Bank as well,
which could hold all your Pokémon online for an additional fee, and upload them
in to other games without link cables or wifi access locally.The 6th generation returned with
remakes of older titles, with Ruby and Sapphire getting the remake
treatment.The Kalos region is heavily
influenced by France, but also by the greater Europe as a whole as well.
Generation 7 (2016 - 2019)
Console: Nintendo 3DS & Nintendo Switch
Pokémon Sun & Moon, Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon, Pokémon
Let’s Go!
Total Pokémon: 809
Region: Alola
For the first time in many generations, the ability to trade
back and forth with older versions was made available again, with X & Y,
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire, and Virtual Console remakes of Red, Blue,
& Yellow, allowing players to collect all 809 Pokémon.It was also the second time in which new
versions of the games were released as direct sequels to the first.A new feature wasn’t necessarily new Pokémon,
be regional Pokémon, with some Pokémon switching elements and getting new
looks, associated with them, leading to variations on the same Pokémon.Pokémon Let’s Go Pikachu and Eevee were also
released for the Switch, which were faithful adaptations of Pokémon Yellow with
Pokémon Go style controls.The Alola
region is based off Hawaii and it’s islands.
Generation 8 (2019 – Present)
Console: Nintendo Switch
Pokémon Sword and Shield
Total Pokémon: 896
Region: Galar
The first mainline game title for the home Console, Sword
and Shield offers a refinement of all the classic systems.Rather than an overhead, or 2d plane, the
game is fully 3d and follows players in a similar fashion as they world a 3d
game, though areas are still laid out like maps.Pokémon now have a new evolved form, making
them huge, and in some cases, new features and forms, but giving them new
abilities as well.One major dislike is
that while there are a total of 896 Pokémon, only about 400 total Pokémon are
available for collection and being added to the pokedex, with many fan
favorites being omitted from the final roster.Dubbed Dexit, after Brexit and pokedex, the news was not well received,
with Nintendo and Gamefreak stating that they couldn’t support all nearly 900 Pokémon,
and realized they would have to limit it at some point, as well as focusing
their energy on improving the quality of the remaining Pokémon.Galar is loosely based on Great Britain and
the British Isles.
