Pokemon ..... Uh ..... Yeah

If the show was more like this ... I might have watched it!

                                       
Pokemon ..... Uh ..... Yeah

                                                           
by

                                                               
Jay Agan

     

I don't hate Pokemon. I have no BIG feelings toward it one way or the other. Small negative ones, yes.

I paid it no mind when it first came out in the 90s. I noticed it in ads & hobby stores & pretty much dismissed it as a kids' show/card game. This (And the execrable Sailor Moon.) was what a new generation of anime fans cut its collective teeth on. Was a little curious about that "tiger piglet" though  (Turned out to be an electric rat.).

At one point it started to get a little pervasive/oppressive to some. I remember talking with a fellow behind the counter at Hobbyland on Sawmill Road in Columbus, when a bunch of kids came charging in screaming about Pokemon cards. The guy looks at me & says, "gimmie a grenade!"

I also rember the "Pokemon Effect". Seems in one episode, the creators inadvertantly used the "right" shade of red & flashed it in the exact timing in one action scene to cause bad reactions in some people. A scene in the film The Andromeda Strain illustrates this well. I some times think of Pokemon as some kind of virus as well.

In 2000, I worked a few months at a "distribution center" (Warehouse!) dealing in all sorts of junk. Some of which was "all stuff Pokemon". As a picker, I got to know more about the show than I cared to. I can still recognize a lot of the characters 'n critters.

"Lets see ..... ONE Poliwhirl plushie, check. ONE childrens book, Pikachu I Choose You!, check. ONE Pokemon stickers activity book, check ..... " Etc. & so on, grumble, grumble.

This was around the time Cracked magazine made parody Pokemon cards (Psycho Duck, Jiggly Tush, etc.). I toyed with the idea of slipping a few into the decks. Should have done it. Dang!

The job in & of itself wasn't bad. The headgames & wierdness from the "higher ups" had me climbing the wall. Self appointed thought police were everywhere keeping things PC & cozy. Incessant meetings/rah rah sessions on productivity kept everyone from being productive. Other stuff they put me through too numerous to count. I finally understood why "violence in the workplace" happens from time to time.


For some this is Misty.

     

For others ..... this ..... is ..... MISTY!

It's a little hard for me to shake the mild negativity I have for the show. Lingers. If your'e into it, fine, though if your'e past puberty I can't help but wonder about you. Maybe it's those late teen/twentysomethings cosplaying as Misty/Kasumi keeping you interested. Or that creepy hentai.

Article copyright © 6-14-2011 Jay Agan



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