Pokémon

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Pokémon: Little Angels or Little Devils?

My younger sisters are victims of the Pokémon craze. On the weekends when I go home for a brief break from college life, Claire and Natalie are drawn to the television to catch the latest episode of Pokémon on Saturday morning. Catching a glimpse of the illuminated screen, I walk into the kitchen and sit down with them as they blindly spoon cereal into their mouths, not missing one millisecond of the cartoon. Watching them absorb the show makes me laugh and, when I do, they turn to me and tell me, "Shut up! We’re trying to watch the show!" I give them a funny look and proceed to watch the show with them. I find that I also am in love with the little yellow Pikachu and can’t get enough of this darling cartoon series. Our addiction to Pokémon is just as benevolent as the individual Pokémon themselves.

"Pokémon started as the brainchild of Japanese creator Satoshi Tajiri, 34, who combined his two childhood passions: monster movies and the study of insects to invent Pokémon in 1991" ("Poka" 2/3). There are over 155 Pokémon to learn about and collect. There are Pokémon trading cards, video games (several different versions), and a cartoon series on the Kids’ WB television network. The name Pokémon actually means "pocket monsters" (Holmes 1/2). Pikachu, the most popular Pokémon and my personal favorite, is an electric Pokémon with special attacks such as "Thundershock" and "Lightningbolt." Other Pokémon and their attacks include Krabby, a water Pokémon, with a "vise grip" attack; Tauros a normal type Pokémon with a "tail whip" attack; and Squirtle, also a water type Pokémon, with a "hydro pump" attack (Walk 1/2).

In the video game story there are three main trainers that travel around to different islands to catch wild Pokémon that they train and become their own: Ash, Brock, and Misty. Ash wants to become a Pokémon master which means that he must travel to all the Pokémon gyms, defeat the gym leaders’ Pokémon, and collect "badges" so that he can compete in the Pokémon league and achieve his dream. In the video games, the person playing the game takes on the role of Ash and attempts to learn about all the different Pokémon as well as how and when to use their corresponding attacks. As the different Pokémon become more experienced, they may evolve into a new and more powerful Pokémon that the trainer can battle with.

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