Pokémon Presents: 5 Things We Learned
Now THAT's how you celebrate an anniversary!
To quote one of pro wrestling's most popular chants, "That was awesome!"
After the disappointment surrounding Zelda's 35th anniversary, expectations weren't exactly high for Pokemon Presents. A Nintendo Direct-style video celebrating 25 years of Pokemon sounded nice on paper, but given how poorly Zelda's latest milestone was handled there was a definite concern that Pokemon's 25th birthday bash wouldn't live up to the hype.
One glorious 20 minute video later, all such worries were forgotten.
Pokemon Presents was a masterclass in how to celebrate a major franchise. A brilliantly produced video package encapsulated how Pokemon "evolved" (ho ho) over the years, before focus shifted to the upcoming entries in the franchise.
This list will look into each one of those games in greater detail, but suffice it to say that 2021 is shaping up to be a great year for Pokefans. (And 2022 will see the arrival of something truly extraordinary)
Combining a triumphant celebration of Pokemon's past with an electrifying look at the series' future, Pokemon Presents was a well-deserved victory lap for the franchise as a whole, and a welcome gift for Pokefans around the world.
5. Pokemon Is Kind Of A Big Deal
In 2013, the American Cinema Editors described Steven Spielberg's movies as being "...indelibly woven into our cultural fabric". I mention this because (a) it's a cracking turn of phrase and (b) it perfectly sums up Pokemon's impact on mainstream culture.
Like any other long-running pop-culture phenomenon, from The Simpsons to Star Wars, Pokemon has been so big for so long it's easy to take it for granted. It's only when you take a step back and compare how it started to where it is now that the scale of what Nintendo achieved with the franchise becomes apparent.
This point was brought home in Pokemon Presents stunning intro segment. A five and a half minute supercut charting the history of the franchise, from its monochrome origins on the original Game Boy to last year's jam-packed Go Fest, this was a grin-inducing celebration of all things Pokemon.
Video games, anime, trading cards, arcade cabinets, fashion, food, concerts both real & virtual...
Pokemon has worn many hats in its 25 years, and this segment celebrated each and every one of them (even the toothbrushing app). It was the perfect celebration of Pokemon's past, allowing the rest of the show to set up the series' future.