Pokemon TCG Boundaries Crossed Prerelease-Madison, WI

Here's an interview from a recent Pokemon TCG Boundaries Crossed Prerelease in Madison:

In the interview, we discuss a few cards from the set:

-Victini
-Musharna
-Blastoise

The Arceus Gap-a Space in the Pokémon DVD Release Schedule

Transcript:

Hi everyone, Steven here. I wanted to take a moment to go over a series of events that occurred in the US distribution of the Pokémon anime a few years back. The story starts in April of 2009, when Warner Bros. released a two-disc set of the first three Pokémon movies on DVD. Now, there’s nothing really special about these discs-they’re just represses of the original DVDs that came out in 2000 and 2001, but keep the compilation's release date in mind for the rest of this video.

The remainder of the 2009 Pokémon DVD release list is fairly standard-six volumes of “Battle Dimension”, some “Pokémon All Stars” DVDs, and the start of the “Pokémon Elements” series. Then in early November, something interesting happens-remember that three-movie set from earlier in the year? Well, this is going off my memory, but what I recall happening is that there was a sudden shift in availability on Amazon.com-Amazon stopped selling it directly, and it was only available from third-party resellers from that point forward.

In any case, a few weeks later on November 20th, “Arceus and the Jewel of Life” debuts on Cartoon Network. Usually a DVD release follows a few months later, but that’s not what happens here in the US. In fact, the final volumes of “Battle Dimension” from October end up being the last new Pokémon DVDs in America for quite some time-leading to what I’ve termed the “Arceus Gap”.

Now, 2010 is where things start to get really interesting. While the only DVDs being released are more entries in the “Pokémon Elements” series, in May, “Pokémon the Movie 2000” shows up in the iTunes store. This wasn’t a complete surprise-the third movie was placed on iTunes in January of 2009, so it seemed like a logical progression. Just over two months later, however, “2000” mysteriously vanishes from the service. This reveals a pattern: The three-movie DVD set changed availability just before the tenth anniversary of “The First Movie”’s US theatrical debut, and 2000 was similarly pulled right before its ten-year anniversary. The theory I have here is that Warner Bros.'s rights to distribute these movies were expiring during this period, and the gap in new releases was caused by a prolonged series of negotiations, but we’ll probably never know for sure.

Finally, in November 2010, a light emerged-“Arceus and the Jewel of Life” was given a US DVD release date of February 1st, 2011. TV DVDs would resume in March 2011 with the release of the first volumes of Galactic Battles, nearly two years after that season debuted on Cartoon Network-but at least things were moving again.

While the Arceus gap may be over, there are still some lasting effects. Much like the first and second movies, the third Pokémon movie vanished from the US iTunes store right around its ten-year mark in early 2011, and all three of those movies are now out of print in the US. Also, while the movie gap has improved with the Zoroark and Victini films, the TV gap remains about the same-volume one of Black and White is scheduled to be released on DVD in November of this year, still nearly two years from when that season started.

So, that's the “Arceus Gap”. Be sure to let me know what you thought of this retrospective, and suggest any topics you might want me to talk about in the future. Thanks.

Sources:

Amazon: 

Pokemon: Battle Frontier Vol. 1 Box Set (2009): http://www.amazon.com/Pokemon-Battle-Frontier-Vol-Box/dp/B001675ZII/

Pokemon: Battle Frontier Vol. 2 Box Set (2009): http://www.amazon.com/Pokemon-Battle-Frontier-Vol-Box/dp/B001BP14F8/

Pokemon: Diamond and Pearl - Set One, Vols. 1-2 (2009): http://www.amazon.com/Pokemon-Diamond-Pearl-Set-Vols/dp/B001BP14FI/

Pokemon: Diamond and Pearl - Set Two, Vols. 3-4 (2009): http://www.amazon.com/Pokemon-Diamond-Pearl-Set-Vols/dp/B001CZJOZ4/

Pokemon: Diamond and Pearl - Set Three, Vols. 5-6 (2009): http://www.amazon.com/Pokemon-Diamond-Pearl-Three-Vols/dp/B001P807QI/

Pokemon: Giratina & The Sky Warrior: http://www.amazon.com/Pokemon-Giratina-Warrior-Sarah-Natochenny/dp/B001QWQJ9W/

Pokemon: The First Three Movies (2009): http://www.amazon.com/Pokemon-Movies-Artist-Not-Provided/dp/B001RPZE44/

Pokemon: Diamond and Pearl Battle Dimension, Vols. 1 & 2 (2009): http://www.amazon.com/Pokemon-Diamond-Pearl-Battle-Dimension/dp/B001VLBDC6/

Pokemon: Diamond and Pearl Battle Dimension, Vols. 3 & 4 (2009): http://www.amazon.com/Pokemon-Diamond-Pearl-Battle-Dimension/dp/B00287Z1DE/

Pokemon: Diamond and Pearl Battle Dimension, Box 3 (2009): http://www.amazon.com/Pokemon-Diamond-Pearl-Battle-Dimension/dp/B002G1WPOK/

Pokemon: Arceus & The Jewel of Life (2011) http://www.amazon.com/Pokemon-Arceus-Artist-Not-Provided/dp/B004AUCDOW/

Pokemon: Diamond & Pearl Galactic Battles 1 (2011): http://www.amazon.com/Pokemon-Diamond-Pearl-Galactic-Battles/dp/B004D2GMSU/

Pokemon: Diamond & Pearl Galactic Battles Gift 2 (2011) http://www.amazon.com/Pokemon-Diamond-Pearl-Galactic-Battles/dp/B004K4FUXY/

Pokemon Dp Galactic Battles 5-6 (2011): http://www.amazon.com/Pokemon-Dp-Galactic-Battles-5-6/dp/B0050MB3W2/

Pokemon - Zoroark: Master of Illusions (2011): http://www.amazon.com/Pokemon-Illusions-Artist-Not-Provided/dp/B005AU4RZY/

Pokemon Dp Galactic Battles 7-8 (2011): http://www.amazon.com/Pokemon-Dp-Galactic-Battles-7-8/dp/B005G172OU/

Pokémon DP: Sinnoh League Victors - Set One (2012): http://www.amazon.com/Pokémon-DP-Sinnoh-League-Victors/dp/B00634MKMI/

Pokemon Movie: Black - Victini / White - Victini (2012): http://www.amazon.com/Pokemon-Movie-Black-Victini-White/dp/B006P0FF3Q/

Pokemon DP: Sinnoh League Victors - Set Two (2012): http://www.amazon.com/Pokemon-DP-Sinnoh-League-Victors/dp/B006H37PUW/

Pokemon DP: Sinnoh League Victors Set 3 (2012): http://www.amazon.com/Pokemon-DP-Sinnoh-League-Victors/dp/B0083SI99K/

Pokemon Black & White Set 1 (2012): http://www.amazon.com/Pokemon-Black-White-Set-1/dp/B008SAPC9S/

Bulbanews:

'Pokémon 3: The Movie' now available on iTunes: http://bulbanews.bulbagarden.net/wiki/%27Pok%C3%A9mon_3:_The_Movie%27_now_available_on_iTunes

Pokémon.com updates with movie information: http://bulbanews.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon.com_updates_with_movie_information

'Pokémon The Movie 2000' now available on iTunes: http://bulbanews.bulbagarden.net/wiki/%27Pok%C3%A9mon_The_Movie_2000%27_now_available_on_iTunes

Movie 12 to finally be released on DVD: http://bulbanews.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Movie_12_to_finally_be_released_on_DVD

TPCi not happy about Cartoon Network movie cut: http://bulbanews.bulbagarden.net/wiki/TPCi_not_happy_about_Cartoon_Network_movie_cut

More action-packed episodes coming to DVD: http://bulbanews.bulbagarden.net/wiki/More_action-packed_episodes_coming_to_DVD

Dub of 'Black Hero,' 'White Hero' to be released this December: http://bulbanews.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Dub_of_%27Black_Hero,%27_%27White_Hero%27_to_be_released_this_December

Bulbapedia:

Pokémon Elements http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Pokemon_elements

Pokémon All-Stars http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Pokemon_All_Stars

Pokémon: Diamond and Pearl: http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon:_Diamond_and_Pearl

Pokémon Diamond & Pearl: Battle Dimension: http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon_Diamond_%26_Pearl:_Battle_Dimension

Pokémon Diamond & Pearl: Galactic Battles: http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon_Diamond_%26_Pearl:_Galactic_Battles

DP105: http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/DP105

Pokémon Diamond & Pearl: Sinnoh League Victors: http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon_Diamond_%26_Pearl:_Sinnoh_League_Victors

Pokémon: Black & White: http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon:_Black_%26_White

IMDB:

Pokémon: The First Movie - Mewtwo Strikes Back: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0190641/

Pokémon: The Movie 2000: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0257001/

Pokémon 3: The Movie: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0266860/

PokePress Twitter Feed:

 7/20/2012: https://twitter.com/pokepress/status/18990442530

2nd Black and White DVD set comes to US January 22, 2013

The next volume of Pokemon Black & White DVDs has been announced for early next year:

Amazon

The first volume of Pokemon Black and White is scheduled for release on November 20th.

Interview: Pokémon TCG Fall Battle Roads 2012: Rockford, IL

The following is an interview with Ricky Berliant, winner of a recent Pokémon TCG Battle Road tournament in Rockford, IL.

Ricky Berliant

Me: Hi, I’m Steven Reich, here at Top Cut Comics in Rockford, IL, at one of the Pokémon Trading Card Game Fall Battle Roads 2012. I’m here with Ricky Berliant, who is the winner of the Masters Division at today’s Battle Road tournament. Ricky, you had a Darkrai EX/Hydreigon deck, so for people who aren’t familiar, what is the basic strategy with that?

Ricky: The basic strategy is you use Hydreigon’s Ability called “Dark Trance” to move around [dark] energies (including blend), while you have Darkrai’s Ability, “Dark Cloak”, which gives Pokémon with dark energy attached to them free retreat.

Me: It’s a very popular deck, but one thing you put in there is the Sigilyph card [Dragons Exalted 52], and it’s got the “Safeguard” Ability. What does that do, and how did you end up using it in your deck?

Ricky: Safeguard is an Ability where no EX Pokémon can attack Sigilyph*. It’s useless against decks like Empoleon and Garchomp/Altaria, but he comes in handy against decks like Rayquaza, Zekeels, and so on.

Me: You went undefeated today, but is there any one game that stands out in your mind?

Ricky: One game that really stood out to me was round two. He was playing Zekrom/Eels/Mewtwo, and he was ahead by four prizes. He kept knocking out my basics using his Thunderus.

Me: How’d you end up turning that around?

Ricky: Well, I played an N [to reduce his hand size]. I also noticed he had used up all four of his Catchers already, and I felt pretty safe from there, but it still was a long road for me.

Me: All right, well thank you very much Ricky, this has been Steven Reich from Top Cut Comics in Rockford, IL, at one of the Pokémon Trading Card Game Fall Battle Roads 2012.

*Editor’s note: Giratina EX is notable exception in that its “Shred” attack ignores Abilities and other effects on the defending Pokémon.

Pokemon TCG Fall Battle Roads 2012: Madison, WI-Kyurem EX/Registeel EX

Here's an interview form a recent Pokemon TCG Fall Battle Road tournament:

In the interview, we discuss the player's Kyurem EX/Registeel Ex/Klingklang deck, and his experience using it in the tournament.

Learning Japanese: A Trainer's Journey

The following is an interview with Jason Simon, a player I met at Worlds 2012. He wanted to share his experience learning Japanese as a result of being a Pokemon fan, which eventually led him on a trip to Japan.

What area are you from?
I am from Los Angeles, California, USA.

How did you get into Pokemon? 
I got into Pokémon around the time that Ruby and Sapphire were released in the United States. Pokémon Ruby Version was my first game for the Game Boy Advance.

What was it about Pokemon that got you interested in learning Japanese? 
Many aspects of the franchise inspired me to learn Japanese. At the forefront, however, would have to be the fact that the games are released there much sooner than they are released here. When I would visit a variety of news sites, I would see information on games that had just come out in Japan. Since I knew that I would not understand anything going on in the games, I decided that it would probably be best to learn Japanese so I could import the games. At the time, taking on a whole new language seemed like a better option than waiting for six months, so I went with learning the language.

How did you go about learning the language? 
First, I went to Costco and bought the Japanese version of the Rosetta Stone software to get myself into the mindset of the language. Realizing that relying on only Rosetta Stone was probably a bad idea (the program does not do a good job of teaching oral proficiency, something that is very important to me), I decided to take a few private lessons. A combination of taking private lessons, using Rosetta Stone, and immersing myself in the language by watching most of my news in Japanese helped me become fairly fluent in the language.

Did learning Japanese enhance your appreciation for Pokemon? If so, how?
Learning Japanese greatly enhanced my appreciation for Pokemon. It also brought me closer to the franchise as a whole. After becoming proficient in Japanese, I began to import the new video games from Japan before they hit the shelves in America. Once I started importing, I began to pick up many of the Japanese Pokemon names, which, due to my knowledge of Japanese, made sense. Aside from the games, my knowledge of Japanese also made me more attentive to all of the merchandise that they release in Japan. Soon after I became proficient in Japanese, I began to investigate these products and contact Japanese-speaking wholesalers who sell these products to retailers overseas. Since I was able to communicate with them, I managed to set up accounts and began to purchase many Japanese Pokemon items. Today, I still deal with these Japanese-speaking wholesalers and sell Japanese Pokemon merchandise online. The online communities that I buy and sell on made me more aware of events such as Worlds. Worlds 2012 was my second year spectating at the event, and one of my favorite aspects of the event is speaking Japanese with all of the people who come over from Japan!

How did you end up going to Japan? What did you see that was Pokemon-related while you were there? 
My dad used to take many trips to Hong Kong, so he promised me that if I managed to fluently speak Japanese, he would take me to Japan on the way to his business trip in Hong Kong. I managed to meet his expectations, so he took me on the trip. In terms of Pokemon-related things in Japan, they are everywhere. In fact, the train I got on from the airport to the Tokyo railway station was decorated with decals promoting the Arceus movie (I went to Japan in summer 2009). Furthermore, I went to three Pokémon Centers while in Japan—Tokyo, Yokohama, and Osaka. Pretty much everywhere I went, there was something Pokémon-related.

What would you tell other people who might be interested in learning Japanese? 
If you want to take Japanese, be prepared for a big time commitment and a lot of work. For me to speak fluently (not perfectly, but fluently to the point where I could easily get around), it took around 3 years, from the moment I bought the Rosetta Stone disk to the instant I touched down at Narita International Airport. The language has many intricacies, which makes it easier than English at times, but most of the time much harder. I think that learning Japanese should be something that a hardcore Pokémon fan should consider; it truly opens up a whole new side to the fandom that you do not even know exists.

Geek.Kon 2012: Exteme Multitasking: Tournament Edition

Here's another interview from Geek.Kon 2012:

In this interview, we discuss the attendee's participation in a Super Smash Bros. Brawl tournament and a Pokemon Black and White Tournament. Did I mention that the tournaments overlapped each other?