Part of Pokémon’s success lies in its anime. It’s no secret that even before the games hit the shelves or the majority of people’s Game Boys, the franchise was already a tremendous cultural phenomenon. Everyone was talking about it, and to some extent, the anime was to blame for this. That’s why it’s impossible to separate its success from its audiovisual production. And that’s why it’s so difficult not to talk about the new Pokémon series. Which is not animated but live-action.
This new Pokémon series is called “Pocket ni Bouken o Tsumekonde,” which can be translated somewhat loosely as “Stuffing an Adventure in Your Pocket.” Renamed “PokeTsume” by the Pokémon fandom, the series will follow a girl named Madoka Akagi, who starts working at an advertising agency called ADventure. Amidst the tension and stress of a new job and a new life on the horizon, she will find comfort in rediscovering her passion for Pokémon when her mother sends her a Game Boy Pocket with a Pokémon Red cartridge she hadn’t seen in 20 years.
The series trailer already hints that the tone of the show will be warm and fun above all else. Akagi will overcome her daily problems by relying on Pokémon and what she extrapolates from her experiences, including how her coworkers resemble some of these adorable creatures. For example, a boss as forgetful as a Slowbro, a coworker as useless as a Magikarp, or a colleague as beautiful and determined as a Ninetales.
The series is set to premiere on October 19th in Japan. There’s no release date yet for Western audiences, but this is the kind of production worth keeping an eye on so we don’t miss it when it finally arrives in our regions.
