After the success of the Pokemon Black and White Nintendo DS games, the follow-up game is due to hit UK game stores next month. Unlike previous games, which would have simply brought out one 'Bonus' game with added features and a revamped story like, such as Pokemon Platinum in to Diamond and Pearl, Emerald was to Ruby and Sapphire, Crystal was to Gold and Silver, and - who could forget - Pokemon Yellow, which featured the undisputed Pokemon mascot Pikachu, these new games are literal sequels to the original games.
Moreover if the reaction to this trailer is anything to go by, it seems that cute little Pikachu is starting to lose his following and his audience. After watching this promotional trailer for the new Pokemon Black 2 and White 2, my first thought was to find out what others thoughts. I was not surprised to find that many people had viewed this trailer wistfully, wishing that this was an actual anime. 'Is that really what I think it is?' one comment said, 'Pokemon... being cool?'
For me, the story-line behind the games has always been the highlight of the whole thing, and from other have said, these new games are going to carry on the arch of Team Plasma and the struggle between two factions - those loyal to Ghetsis and those loyal to N. It has to be said that the latter has enjoyed a lot of popularity with the gamers as one of the most complex villains/rivals the games have ever seen. Unlike previous Bosses in previous generations, N is more misguided than bad. As a result, he has very much been taken to the heart of the gamers, especially the female players who (and I felt this too when I played) feel strangely drawn to his faye personage.
Needless to say both male and female fans are thrilled to see his return in this new trailer, and this trailer, together with the established story of the first two games and the new ones, many people are starting ask - why can't the actual Pokemon anime be like this?
Speaking for myself, I have not watched the Pokemon anime since I was about eleven years old at the most specifically because it became too childish for me. I know that an awful lot of maturity can be lost between the Japanese and English dubs, as I found out around the same time when I was into Cardcaptors only to discover how much was cut and re-edited from the original Cardcaptor Sakura. I stayed with that fandom until I was around fourteen when I started to lose interest in anime simply because it usually was so dumbed down by the time it got to the western world.
The games on the other hand maintain their storylines throughout and I feel this is what people pine for. The kids, like me, grew out of the anime but you never grow out of playing the games. Moreover, if the prospect for an edgy and universally appealing Pokemon series was produced, whether it was a 13 episode short or a movie, they would watch it.
The feelings I got from the trailer were reflected in the comments of others fans, who felt that while the games have grown up with the audience - i.e. portraying the heroes as being 16+ and seeing them face greater perils - but the rest of the franchise has not. I only found out recently that Pokemon was still being dubbed into English and shown on TV. Moreover, and I get the sense this is what bugs the audience the most, the hero Satoshi (Or "Ash" as the English audience know him) has never grown up either literally (Indeed, he appears to still be ten years old after 14 years of travelling), or as a person. Given that kids shows need only to be repeated with each new generation, keeping him in limbo for that long is, I suppose, silly.
I for my part agree that maybe it is time for him to move over for some new heroes. While I am unsure how successful a B2/W2 anime would be, given that the B/W storyline and characters are so prominent. I get the feeling - and I concurr - there is some disappointment that Touko and Touya don't appear in the game at all, except for one reference.
Either way, this trailer has certainly made me hopeful for the new games.
