Pokémon :: Television Cartoons Essays

Pokà ©mon: Little Angels or Little Devils? My younger sisters are victims of the Pokà ©mon 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 Pokà ©mon 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 Pokà ©mon is just as benevolent as the individual Pokà ©mon themselves. "Pokà ©mon 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 Pokà ©mon in 1991" ("Poka" 2/3). There are over 155 Pokà ©mon to learn about and collect. There are Pokà ©mon trading cards, video games (several different versions), and a cartoon series on the Kids’ WB television network. The name Pokà ©mon actually means "pocket monsters" (Holmes 1/2). Pikachu, the most popular Pokà ©mon and my personal favorite, is an electric Pokà ©mon with special attacks such as "Thundershock" and "Lightningbolt." Other Pokà ©mon and their attacks include Krabby, a water Pokà ©mon, with a "vise grip" attack; Tauros a normal type Pokà ©mon with a "tail whip" attack; and Squirtle, also a water type Pokà ©mon, 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 Pokà ©mon that they train and become their own: Ash, Brock, and Misty. Ash wants to become a Pokà ©mon master which means that he must travel to all the Pokà ©mon gyms, defeat the gym leaders’ Pokà ©mon, and collect "badges" so that he can compete in the Pokà ©mon 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 Pokà ©mon as well as how and when to use their corresponding attacks. As the different Pokà ©mon become more experienced, they may evolve into a new and more powerful Pokà ©mon that the trainer can battle with.