Poke Press Digest Podcast: Episode 65: Discussing the Music of Pokemon Ranger: Guardian Signs

Anne from Pikapi Podcast joins me to discuss the music of Pokémon Ranger: Guardian Signs for the DS. This final entry in the trilogy may not change the Ranger formula drastically, but it does come with a wide array of new tunes. As usual, there’s a game discussion after the outro:

Links:
Pikapi Podcast
Poke Casters Network

I used AI to generate realistic pictures of Pokémon Masters EX characters. Here's what I got.

In my continuing experiments with Stable Diffusion, I took screenshots from Pokémon Masters EX and attempted to create photorealistic versions of the characters. Watch as Anne from Pikapi Podcast attempts to identify them:

Don't have a lot of time? Check out this short to see all the images. How many did you recognize?

Poke Press Digest Podcast: Episode 64-Discussing the music of "Pokemon Rumble"

Anne from Pikapi Podcast drops in to help discuss the music of Pokemon Rumble. This WiiWare title is definitely meatier than My Pokemon Ranch in terms of gameplay, and we try to figure out if the soundtrack follows suit. As usual, there's a gameplay discussion after the outro, where among other things we compare Rumble to Pokemon Unite:

Links:
Pikapi Podcast
Poke Casters Network

Musician Interview: GlitchxCity

GlitchxCity

The following is an interview with GlitchxCity, a musician specializing in video game remixes.

Where are you from, and how did you get into music?

I’m based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area in Texas. I got a late start in music when I chose choir as my arts elective in middle school, and then carried on with that in high school.

How did you get into Pokémon, and when did that start crossing into your musical work?

I got into Pokémon when I was 5 back in the 90s (like every kid)! It was actually the anime that introduced me to the series, and I’ve stuck with it ever since. It wasn’t until I was in high school where I wanted to have a creative outlet to show my love for the series.

How do you choose which tracks to remix/rearrange/create?

It depends on how I’m feeling and what the community is feeling. When a new generation drops, I pay attention to the characters that may have huge potential in the game and hope that their themes match up to my expectations. Outside of Pokémon tracks, I’m working on other projects from originals, to commercial work, and even tracks from other video game series!

What are some songs you've put out recently?

My most recent Pokémon track is the “Battle! AI Professor!” theme from Scarlet and Violet. The original was written by Toby Fox and I was so ecstatic to get my hands on it. It’s honestly one of my favorite battle themes I’ve worked on and I’m thoroughly proud of how it came out!

Anything coming in the near future you'd like to tease?

I just wrapped up a large project that will be launching on May 5th and I’m really excited for people to hear it! I’m also working on more long-form compilation projects that will launch during the summer in collaboration with a few illustrators!

Where can folks find you online?

You can find me on YouTube where I upload all my Pokémon and other video game related remixes, Soundcloud for an ad-free listening experience, and Spotify and Apple Music for streaming my music!

Excerpt: Which XY Pokémon Movie is the most popular?

In this excerpt from a recent round of Pokémon music trivia, I explain which Pokemon movie from the X & Y generation is the most popular, at least from what I've observed:

Links:

Original Livestream

Podcast Episode

Article Shown in Video

Review: The Arceus Chronicles: Gen 4 Anime Callbacks and Little Else

“The Arceus Chronicles” is one of the few Pokémon outings (it’s promoted as a movie, but it’s really more of a mini-series) that I consider legitimately bad, and would not recommend to even to fans of the franchise. It could certainly be worse, and there are those that will enjoy it, but I would suggest spending your time with one of the recent alternate universe movies instead.

Thematically, I’m not sure what the project was going for. It seems like it was supposed to be a tie-in for the Legends Arceus game, but very little from the game makes it into this, outside of a recreation in the early part of the film. Instead, the story mostly focuses on an attempt by members of Team Galactic to rescue Cyrus (their leader) from the dimensional rift he was imprisoned in during the Diamond & Pearl generation of the anime. This is a fine premise, but conflicted with my expectations of a time-traveling adventure back to Hisui, which I think would have connected better with the first part of the special.

The animation is okay. It’s clearly a step up from a regular episode, but not on the level of what one of the full-fledged animated Pokémon movies would have gotten.

Pacing is what really dragged this down for me. It really does seem like they had to pad things out to fit the target run time, and I wanted this to end 5-15 minutes earlier than it did, even when I was watching it with other Pokémon fans at Worlds 2022 in London. There simply wasn’t enough action or character development to keep me interested.

Musically, I don’t think there was much memorable about the score, nor were there any vocal songs. As is usually the case with the TV show, much of the Japanese score was replaced, but as someone who hasn’t found the work of Shinji Miyazaki and co. particularly interesting as of late, I’m skeptical it would make much of a difference, regardless of quality.

Pretty much the only thing I can say this special does well is bring back characters from the Diamond & Pearl arc of the TV show. If you wanted to see Dawn, Brock, Cynthia, or their Pokémon, they show up, though I can’t say they were used in a particularly interesting way.

Part of me really wants to know what happened with this project. It’s possible the writers weren’t allowed to use as much material from the Legends Arceus game as they wanted, or that multiple ideas were pitched and this is the result of some sort of compromise. Whatever the reason, it seems very likely that this wasn’t given enough time and other resources to coalesce into an interesting product. As I stated earlier, do yourself a favor and watch one of the alternate timeline movies instead (particularly “The Power of Us” or “Secrets of the Jungle”, which could use some more attention). I can’t guarantee you’ll love them, but the odds definitely seem better.

-Steven "Yoshi" Reich, Poke Press Editor

Anime Milwaukee 2023: Merari Marin of Pengunia’s Presents

The following is an interview with Merari Marin, owner of Pengunia’s Presents, a vendor I met at Anime Milwaukee 2023*.

*A press pass was provided for this event.

Where are you from, and how did you get into craftwork as a profession?

I’m based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I got into crafting because ever since I was young, I was always making things. I love art and the different mediums it can take.

How did you get into making the Pokémon terrariums?

I got into it because I love Pokémon. I remember collecting the cards when I was younger and imagining a whole world just from the card artwork. The terrariums express that imaginary world in the real world.

What goes into making them?

The amount of work that goes into making them varies depending on the world I decide to create for the terrarium. For example, the longest process is the lava layouts I make, but they’re also by far my favorite to make.

As for materials, I’m always on the lookout for items that fit inside the terrarium that make the world feel a little more real. For example, I found these mini wheelbarrows and they fit inside the Poké Ball. I imagined someone collecting flowers and putting them inside the wheelbarrow and pop! There's an Eevee in the wheelbarrow amongst the flowers.

What were some of your favorites that you've made?

As I mentioned before, the lava layouts I make are my favorite layouts; they especially stand out when they have lights inside. I also very much enjoy making Vaporeon terrariums, as that's my favorite Pokémon. However, any time I have someone reach out to me for a custom terrarium, those are by far my favorite to make. I recently made a Porygon and that one I absolutely adored. Knowing someone has a special place in their heart for each Pokémon, I want to make sure that feeling is conveyed in the efforts I put into making the terrarium.

What's it like being a vendor at an anime convention?

It's so much fun! Meeting new people, seeing familiar faces adds to the experience. Seeing someone's face light up when they find their favorite Pokémon or seeing someone mentally debating which Pokémon to take home, seeing all those emotions sometimes still surprises me; that my creations can stir those positive feelings. I hope when people stop by my booth it adds happiness to their day at the con. Being able to be a part of such a positive experience is really enlightening.

Any other conventions you'll be at in the near future?

I will be at Carthage Con on April 15,2023 in Kenosha, Wi. I will also be at Anime Magic in August 18-20, 2023 in Rosemont, Il. My schedule is usually updated on my Instagram.

Where can folks find you online?

People can follow my work on Instagram and they can also reach out to me at my email.

If you'd like to see more of Merari's work, take a look at this short: