Pokémon Archives | Otaku No Culture

I Choose You, Detective Pikachu! A Movie Review

By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

Loosely based on the video game of the same name, Detective Pikachu is a fun romp breathing new life to the Pokėmon franchise. The eagle eyed can try identifying every pocket monster featured and the enthusiast will giggle at the Easter eggs riddled throughout. When detective Harry Goodman is believed to be dead, his 21-year-old son Tim (Justice Smith) arrives in Ryme City to settle his father’s affairs–but learns that maybe pops is not gone. When he finds a Pikachu in his father’s abode and he can talk (voiced by Ryan Reynolds), they team up to see all is not harmonious with man and pokémon.

Continue reading “I Choose You, Detective Pikachu! A Movie Review”

Character Designer & Manga Artist Kenichi Sonoda Announced for Sakura-Con!

By James Robert Shaw (The Wind up Geek)

One of anime’s biggest names is coming to the Seattle and will be found at Sakura-Con 2017, the Pacific Northwest’s largest anime convention. Celebrating 20 years, it is only fitting character designer, writer, and manga artist Kenichi Sonoda will be one of this year’s guests.

Sonoda’s career started in the mid-80’s at studio Artmic, where he became a character designer for some of Artmic’s best titles such as Bubblegum Crisis (where he produced the original look of the Knight Sabers team), Riding Bean, and the Gall Force series. Sonoda was also designer on long-time fan favourites Otaku no Video and the super-deformed special Scramble Wars: Tsuppashire! Genom Trophy Rally.

Continue reading “Character Designer & Manga Artist Kenichi Sonoda Announced for Sakura-Con!”

Ed’s Pokemon GO Journals — The Cost of Gas vs Free Coins Debate

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

There is one aspect of the mentality of how Pokémon GO gamers (those who insist they do not want to spend money to buy coins in the game) play that I do not fully understand. While I get the idea behind driving to a new part of town to see what’s there to capture / find nesting grounds of other pocket monsters, when return trips are needed, that’s because the pickings are very good. Both are good reasons for investment in fuel (and less about time) well spent.

As for heading out to find out-of-the-way Poké Gyms to take down and power up for their respective teams is just odd. To drive around half the city to find such places costs more money in gas than money invested in the game just for a paltry 100 coin limit per day — especially if those gyms get taken down within 20 hours instead of sit for a few days. When the odds of those places being able to last for weeks, if not days, are variable for each location, is the time spent searching for them in a medium-sized town even worth it?

Continue reading “Ed’s Pokemon GO Journals — The Cost of Gas vs Free Coins Debate”

Ed’s Pokémon GO Journals — How to Truly Fix Gym Stagnation

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

Niantic‘s latest update to curb Pokémon GO gym stagnation is a step in the right direction but I feel more can be done. Players can now lower more prestige points from rival gyms and levelling up will be a touch more difficult. Trying to get more players to fight at gyms is still a problem and for myself, I will not tackle a level 6 or higher gym alone. If I have to feed this company’s coffers with real world money just for those egg incubators, lures and incense I will. And I have racked up enough survey points from different programs to get iTunes/Google Play gift cards without spending. This trick is one some players know about, and It beats spending money on gas to find gyms where a defender can be placed only to have an uncertain future of how long it will last.

Continue reading “Ed’s Pokémon GO Journals — How to Truly Fix Gym Stagnation”

An Autumn / Winter Survival Kit for Pokémon GO

Not everyone will be truly outdoors playing Pokémon GO. Only the hardcore will be and they’ll be ready for anything the elements (not the digital monsters) can throw at them! This list offers common sense items along with other ideas.

By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

When the days are getting shorter and the nights are getting colder, not everyone will be truly outdoors playing Pokémon GO. Only the hardcore will be and it’s a safe bet some will be playing in the comfort of their warm vehicle. There’s nothing wrong with that even though it defeats the spirit of what the developers intended with the game — but what else can they do? Nobody wants to get sick while playing the game. Freezing to death to catch an Ice type (fortunately there’s only a few, like the Jynx, in generation one) is not worth the effort. The myth of pocket monsters appearing during certain extreme types of weather is debunked over on The Silph Road.

Some areas can become vehicular disaster zones as a result of everyone wanting to stay cozy. I have talked about this problem in an earlier entry. In summary, these folks need to be considerate so the parks can be enjoyed by all.

For those willing to brave the elements, the following is just common sense:

Continue reading “An Autumn / Winter Survival Kit for Pokémon GO”

Ed’s Pokémon GO Journals – The Upcoming Halloween Treat is Not all that Sweet

The latest two updates for Pokémon GO has been lacklustre. Either Niantic is simply releasing simple tweaks of the game in hopes players will remain interested or they are struggling to think of creative ways to maintain its user base.

pokemon-go-halloween-169-en By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

The October 10th release made the life of a trainer a touch easier with catch bonuses — which is much needed — and a better method to train up a gym from the same team as the player, but that hardly felt like enough to maintain my interest. I still play, but not as much. I’m nearly completing my Pokédex in terms of pocket monsters fought or caught in North America, and I’m still pining for a proper tracker.

The latest fix released this week is merely cosmetic and adds functionality for Pokémon GO Plus users (to which I do not have). I see no reason to upgrade the game because I assume the bonuses offered are being handled server side than local. Beginning Oct 26th and lasting for a week players can continue catching, grinding and walking any Pokémon to net extra candy. More ghostly Pokemon will appear (and Cubones). When there’s only three in the generation one set, why? There’s no Mega Gengar I can evolve. This game is not Pokémon Shuffle — where this spirit’s special ability is useful. Generation two does not add to this category save for one: a Misdreavus. Certain Psychic types will appear more, which means swarms of Drowzees (the city I live in is overpopulated with them and they deserve to be washed away with the torrential rains my hometown often gets). Based on the lists I’ve been seeing, other creatures from this category, namely Abras, are not included. Shame! I do not mind the Zubats. They make sense for the season of the witch. Their evolved forms are said to make appearances too.

Continue reading “Ed’s Pokémon GO Journals – The Upcoming Halloween Treat is Not all that Sweet”