Wednesday, February 22, 2017

Poke Press Digest Podcast: Episode 5-Pokemon 4Ever/Anime Milwaukee 2017

For this fifth episode, we have two segments. In the first (0:46-39:24), Anne from Pikapi Podcast returns to discuss the English and Japanese ending themes of Pokémon 4Ever. We talk about the songs themselves, and which one we prefer.

Our second segment (39:32-46:57) is from Anime Milwaukee 2017, where I interviewed the winner of the Pokémon Sun & Moon Tournament, who just so happens to be a YouTube Manga reviewer. Find out about his team, and his channel.




Note: During the first segment, Anne incorrectly states that Russel Velazquez wrote "Two Perfect Girls" and "Biggest Part Of My Life" on Totally Pokemon. The only song from that album he wrote is "The Game".

Links:

Segment 1:
Pikapi Podcast

Segment 2:
MangaMan's Channel
Anime Milwaukee

Wednesday, February 15, 2017

Pokémon TCG Sun & Moon Prerelease: Madison, WI

Zane Rego
The following is an interview with Zane Rego, a participant from a recent Pokémon TCG Sun & Moon Prerelease event in Madison, WI.

Where are you from, and how did you get into the Pokemon TCG?
I am from Stoughton, Wisconsin. I always collected Pokémon cards since I was young, so I had a lot of cards but no idea how to use them. Eventually (about a year ago), I decided to learn how to play the game through the Pokémon Trading Card Game Online.

What got you to come to this prerelease?
I really wanted to get my hands on some cool cards right away. I also thought that building your deck out of random cards was a fun idea. This prerelease was the closest to me so that made it convenient to go.

What are some cards you liked from the Sun & Moon set? What did you like about them? 
The three cards I liked the most were Professor Kukui, the Oranguru prerelease card, and Lapras GX full art. I liked the Professor Kukui card because it was interesting; it doesn’t have the same effect as past professor cards. I liked the Oranguru prerelease card because as a collector having something unique and limited is what I like. The Lapras GX full art looked super good to me-the way the card shines catches your eye with ease. Not knowing much about the meta of the game, I don’t know how well it would do in play but I really liked pulling a rare card.

What's your opinion on the new GX mechanic? How does it compare to EXes?
I think the new GX mechanic will add another layer of strategy to the game. Being able to time when you use your GX move could help you win the game or maybe flip it in your favor. Being able to shift the course of the game that way makes them more interesting than EXes to me.

What kinds of things would you like to see in future Sun & Moon sets?
Personally, I would like to see more amazing art on the cards. Being a collector, that’s what I love most about them. Cards don’t have to be an EX or full art-I like the cards that are hand-drawn or clay. In this newest set, I have a Poliwag card where the art on the card is made of yarn. I think that is super cool. I also want to keep seeing more full art trainer cards.