RetroDaze

What the
heck is a
yuletide?

RETRORATING: 9

Memories of the Nanuet Mall

OFFICIAL

The Disney Afternoon Revisited

RETRORATING: 13

Top 5 Best and Worst things to get in...

Don't mess
with the bull.
JOIN!!!

5 COMMENTS

RETRORATING: 6

FAVORITED 0 TIMES

Pokemania! My time during the Pokemon Craze

By: ThatDudeintheHoodie

With Pokemon being over twenty years old, it's about time I talk more about the little franchise that could, did, and has been going. But will this titan of a series hold up or has it been on borrowed time? This is a new series called Poke'Mania, in this series I'll look at many aspects of the franchise from the games to the cards and everything in between. But first a bit of history on the series and my experience with it.

Source: http://www.syfy.com/sites/syfy/files/2017/11/nintendo_insider_image.jpg

The Pokemon games came out in Japan on February 26th 1996 and in the US on September 28th 1998 while the anime came out in Japan on April 1st 1997 and in America on September 8th 1998 and a card game came out in October 1996 in Japan and in the US in December 1998. The card game publishing has shifted hands a few times before Pokemon International took over first with the US in July 2003 and Japan in 2013. There are twenty animated films, twenty seasons of the anime, seventy seven games across multiple platforms, and a card game. The main inspiration for the series was the creator Satoshi Tajiri's childhood hobby of collecting bugs.

Source: http://www.retroland.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Pok%C3%A9mon.jpg

Pokemon was everywhere when I was a kid, and I loved it. I got into it after playing my friend's Pokemon Red version and soon was hooked. Soon after that I watched the show, collected the cards, and eventually got the games. My first game was Pokemon Yellow. Followed by Crystal, Sapphire, Emerald, Fire Red, Pearl, Platinum, Heart Gold, White, Y, Moon, and finally Ultra Sun.

What do I get out of it? What do I get out of a franchise like this that is just collecting creatures and fighting them over and over? Well, it helped me make friends. I saw other kids play the games while I was growing up and played with them from time to time. I didn't have many friends growing up and this franchise helped me make new friends. I still do with the current games and cards. I was coming out of my shell. I also got a sense of adventure out of it. Since life can be monotone, repetitive and one note, having something that brings that sense of discovery, adventure, and challenge changes up life for a while, if only for a few minutes.

While Pokemon is more kid focused, it has not lost the heart that captivates the kids at heart with adults playing it as much as kids. This is a living, breathing, franchise. Ever changing, ever evolving to keep with the current generation while keeping what made it such a hit in the first place those many years ago. I owe a lot to it and I have no plans on stopping. This is only the beginning, but until then remember to live life and live nostalgic.

Looking for more from ThatDudeintheHoodie?

READ 100086 TIMES

Superman Posted on Mar 11, 2018 at 10:55 PM

If I remember correctly, I was in 5th grade at the time that Pokemon hit the scene. It was probably the last animated series aimed at kids that I got into, though I didn't find myself nearly as interested in it as some of my peers.

Mr Magic Posted on Feb 13, 2018 at 11:12 PM

If there ever was an excuse to toss away the homework after a hard day at school, Pokemon was it LOL.

Hoju Koolander Posted on Feb 13, 2018 at 11:09 PM

Pokemon has always been my cutoff point for retro kid crazes. It just didn't connect for me as a 14 year old. But I do remember about 3-4 years earlier a bunch of kids in my neighborhood getting me into collecting these shiny square Japanese sticker cards with little monsters on them. I can't remember the name, but I always wondered if they were the initial wave of Pokemon imported from Japan. Anybody know what I'm talking about?

Benjanime Posted on Feb 13, 2018 at 09:52 PM

the year of 1998 will forever be an unforgettable experience as far as the pok'emon phenomenon went. if only the series now was as impactful as it was those many years ago.

Mr Magic Posted on Feb 13, 2018 at 07:21 PM

I got an Eevee bank last year.

https://hottopic.scene7.com/is/image/HotTopic/10610703_hi?$pdp_hero_zoom$

Bill and Ted's Excellent Merchandise

Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure was a sleeper hit on VHS in the late 80’s thanks to the non-heinous tale of two would-be rocker buddies surfing...

Vintage WWF Merchandise

If you were a kid in the 80’s it was hard not to be drawn in by the larger than life characters an...

Action Figure Reclamation Project Phase 6

It’s been a while but I’m back again with the 6th installment of my ongoing Action Figure Reclamation Project series. For the uninitiated, through...

Vintage ThunderCats Merchandise

In 1985 ThunderCats were loose on TV screens in syndication and capturing the imaginations of elementary school age children across the worl...

GoBots Merchandise Revisited

Let’s face it, GoBots never had the staying power of their fellow transforming robot vehicle competitors The Transformers. From box art, t...

MOST RECENT RETRORATING FEATURED OFFICIAL

Go to page: