To people in my generation, Pokémon has pretty much reached legendary status. (Get it? Legendary?) It's a phenomenon I've noticed with a lot of stuff from my generation's collective childhood: we still like the kids shows that were popular when we were kids. Weird? To people older than us, maybe. But think about it. Wasn't being a kid pretty awesome? Sure, it had its ups and downs, but overall, it was a pretty good time. So when we see the stuff that was cool when we were younger, it takes us back to that awesome time. Through all that stuff, like movies and TV shows, we can relive that fun, carefree time whenever we want! And the more epic the thing was back in the day, the more legit it is now. And back in the day, Pokémon was one of the most epic things out there.
AWWWWW!!!!!!
The Pokémon franchise we know and love actually started out as a bunch of classic Game Boy games, Pokémon Red and Pokémon Blue, that were created by Satoshi Tajiri in 1996. He based the idea for the game off his childhood love of insect collecting, which is apparently a hobby that someone in the world does. The games' popularity spawned a trading card game and the incredibly popular TV show that debuted in America in 1998. Though the original season (the one I'll talk a lot more about) ended in 1999, new episodes still air on Cartoon Network.
The Pokémon world is a lot like ours, only instead of having plain old run-of-the-mill animals, they have superpowered creatures. If that wasn't cool enough, it's also socially acceptable for ten-year-olds to go on epic, nationwide road trips to collect them. And raise them. And form unbreakable bonds of friendship. And lead them into epic fights. Yep, that's all part of being a Pokémon Master.
So is racing, I guess.
The TV show is about a kid named Ash Ketchum who, on his tenth birthday, starts his Pokémon journey. He gets his first Pokémon, packs up his stuff, and leaves home indefinitely. His ultimate goal is to become a Pokemon Master... but the show never explicitly states how to do that. It's assumed, though, that it takes two steps. Part one: catch one of every variety of Pokémon (thus the "Gotta Catch 'Em All" slogan). In the original season, Ash catches less than 20 out of all 151 varieties... so Ash gets an F on that one.
Since Ash got less than 20%, I'd say he deserves an F-.
Part two: battle and defeat the eight toughest Pokémon trainers in the country. They're called Gym Leaders, and beating them gets you Gym Badges. Defeating all eight of them lets you enter a big tournament (in the show).
Mission: accomplished.
So yeah, it's sort of complicated at a glance. But the bottom line is that lots of people - even kids - spend their lives roaming around the wilderness like delinquent drifters. Add cute animals into the mix and you have a recipe for success, right? To a kid, this sounds like one giant vacation. But that's because as kids, we didn't think about logistical things like, um, food. And shelter. And money. As a Pokémon trainer, you swear off all stability in your life: you live in tents or in mysteriously free hostels, you eat camp food, and you have no money. But you have the power of Pokémon friendship to keep you company, and to a kid, that's all that counts!
Also, let me reiterate this: ten-year-old kids leave home and wander around the woods unsupervised. Where are their parents, you ask? They're back at home, and they're 100% OK with their kids living off the grid. Because in the Pokémon world, parents don't give a crap about what their kids do. When you're a kid yourself, this may seem pretty sweet, but it's actually kind of scary if you think about it. You'd think those parents would have the common sense to not let their kids trek through unknown forests alone in the first place, or you'd at least hope the parents would seem at least sort of conflicted about the whole thing. But Ash's mom is cool with it.
It's funny because it's true.
She should be more concerned, considering how Ash is constantly pursued by criminals. That's right, a criminal organization targets this kid to steal his beloved Pikachu, who is somehow more special than any other Pikachu they could have caught in Viridian Forest with significantly less effort. These criminals, Jessie and James, are part of Team Rocket, a bunch of serious Poké-thieves. This duo is the comically inept division of the otherwise serious crime syndicate, so Ash is able to take them down easily in every episode. But if Jessie and James didn't suck at being bad, Ash would be in serious trouble, and no one seems to care.
At least Ash has some traveling companions to keep him company when Team Rocket harasses him. In the beginning of the season, Ash meets Misty and Brock, two Gym Leaders who, for whatever reason, abandon their livelihoods and follow him around on his adventures. Misty is feisty and funny, and Brock spends every waking moment hitting on women.
A perfect role model for preteen boys everywhere.
But the people aren't what makes the show so great. It's the Pokémon! And man, are they awesome. They come in all shapes and sizes, with all sorts of cool abilities, from shooting lightning bolts to lassoing opponents with vines to spewing out beams of pure energy. Just imagine if our pets could do stuff like that! Yeah, it would be pretty dangerous, but you have to admit it would still be cool. Then take some of them and multiply their cuteness by a bazillion, and you get Pokémon like Pikachu, Squirtle, Eevee, and Jigglypuff. They're great fighters AND cuddlers!
The bottom line, though, is that Pokémon is about friendship. Ash and his buddies are friends with their Pokémon. Heck, Pikachu is Ash's best friend, and he can't even talk! Ash and Co. go on tons of crazy adventures, and they all become closer because of it. It's something we all could relate to, even though we (unfortunately) can't own animals that can spontaneously light things on fire.
The power of friendship!!! And cuteness!
I know I was just giving the show a lot of sass, but it's just because it's funny to see how naive we used to be about stuff. Back in the day, we didn't see the glaring faults in the Pokémon world. We just saw an innocent, awesome adventure. And even though a lot of people criticize the show for its violence, saying that it's just a bunch of strange cockfights, it's a lot more than that. It's badass, strangely adorable, superpowered cockfights... with friendship. And, quite frankly, that's pretty awesome.
Feeling nostalgic? You can find a few of the original episodes of Pokémon on their official website, and I'm sure you can find any episode you want elsewhere. From the first episode to the Squirtle Squad one to the tearjerker when Ash lets Butterfree go (spoiler alert), you can see all those memorable Pokémon moments online somewhere. And while you're at it, you can read up about all the episodes that were banned in the US, because nothing says "awesome" like "too crazy for American TV." Go for it!
The Squirtle Squad commands you.
Not convinced yet? This will change your mind:
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