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Pokemon in Japan

kaiser soze

Reading ADWD
Im going to guess that 95% of people on this forum are from the US/canada/western europe/australia/etc., where pokemon became real popular in the late 90s but waned out as people got older, got tired, moved on to stuff like yu-gi-oh etc. currently its usually seen as a kids game (since most of the marketing is directed that way) although there are some of the old fans that play RBY for nostalgia, but they couldnt recognize any pokemon beyond 2nd gen. we all know the story

but what about in japan? Im curious how pokemon is perceived there, namely with the older generations. are they still into it? do the kids that were in grade school back in the 90s still play? looking into the news for pokemon events (since we havent had one in a while) I see they have them all over like at airports while ours are mostly at places that sell games or just wifi. anybody whos been to japan can share their experience?
 

randomspot555

Well-Known Member
Im going to guess that 95% of people on this forum are from the US/canada/western europe/australia/etc., where pokemon became real popular in the late 90s but waned out as people got older, got tired, moved on to stuff like yu-gi-oh etc. currently its usually seen as a kids game (since most of the marketing is directed that way) although there are some of the old fans that play RBY for nostalgia, but they couldnt recognize any pokemon beyond 2nd gen. we all know the story

Your perception that people moved on is correct, but you leave out that most of those fans were replaced by new, younger fans. The only difference between Pokemon Gen I and Pokemon Gen 5 is the mass media fad hype machine is gone. But merchandise still sells decently (Gen 3 was disasturous in the US/not Japan due to some issues with the distributor), the card game is still going quite strong, and the anime is getting good ratings on Cartoon Network and CN has said nothing but good things about the anime.

As to your question about Japan, it's basically as if the fad never died. The animated series is still consistently among the top viewed animes in the country, the movies are blockbusters still shown in theaters, and Japan gets a wide variety of soundtracks from the anime, movies, and games released. It's still a multi-media juggernaut there, whereas outside of Japan,the biggest aspect is the games and everything else is secondary.

It's still very much a kids thing in Japan, as the marketing suggests, but it's wildly popular. Pokemon Centers exist, tons of events, tons of merch, there's even a Pokemon MRI machine in one of the hospitals.
 

crystalzapdos

J.J. Swatt
I think Pokemons popularity has gone down because its not popular. Today, people seem to love FPS. Why? Its popular. People seem to love stuff thats popular. It makes them look "cool." FPS are going to be a fad, just like Pokemon, and people will move on to the next thing that makes them think their "cool." Basicly, Pokemon was just a fad, like everything else.

As for your queston, I think its just like here.

EDIT: When I say not popular, I mean among Other things.
 
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kaiser soze

Reading ADWD
Your perception that people moved on is correct, but you leave out that most of those fans were replaced by new, younger fans.

I my defense Im aware that pokemons still big with the under-10 crowd in the west, but yea I was more interested in finding out about the older generations of fans,
As to your question about Japan, it's basically as if the fad never died. The animated series is still consistently among the top viewed animes in the country, the movies are blockbusters still shown in theaters, and Japan gets a wide variety of soundtracks from the anime, movies, and games released. It's still a multi-media juggernaut there, whereas outside of Japan,the biggest aspect is the games and everything else is secondary.
no wonder they dont worry about fan backlash when they do things like make 150ish more pokemon. maybe Ill try to get the navy to station me in japan after I graduate
 

Zibdas

not bad
I think Pokemons popularity has gone down because its not popular. Today, people seem to love FPS. Why? Its popular. People seem to love stuff thats popular. It makes them look "cool." FPS are going to be a fad, just like Pokemon, and people will move on to the next thing that makes them think their "cool." Basicly, Pokemon was just a fad, like everything else.

As for your queston, I think its just like here.

EDIT: When I say not popular, I mean among Other things.

FPS? Frames per second?
 

Nakashima

Well-Known Member
FPS? Frames per second?

First Person Shooter.

And honestly, I dont think shooters are a hype thats just gnna die down, theyve been around and have been highly popular for a very long time now. And with a name as CoD out there I doubt that'll change any time soon.

On-Topic: I quite disagree with pokemon not being popular anymore. You should walk into a programming college, and ask everyone there if they still play pokemon. Most of them will answer with yes =P
 

kaiser soze

Reading ADWD
On-Topic: I quite disagree with pokemon not being popular anymore. You should walk into a programming college, and ask everyone there if they still play pokemon. Most of them will answer with yes =P

but are they playing BW or are they playing RBY on an emulator? theres a difference. I know plenty of college kids to do the later out of nostalgia, but that doesnt make them fans per se
 

Kdude146

Well-Known Member
A lot of people I know stoped liking pokemon when Misty left the show and they did not go and buy the gen 3 games
 

Hilijix

Back in Blue
Pokemon started in Japan, so it most likely has been known more, plus gets a lot more merchandise.

Also, the Japanese are more into "cute" stuff, while Americans are more into "cool" stuff. I'm betting average people in the west will shun it off. I know my parents do. :(

Incidentally, I believe Japan probably has its own super awesome Pokemon website, just like Serebii. Maybe their are people over there talking about Pokemon in all the other countries as we speak...
 

randomspot555

Well-Known Member
A lot of people I know stoped liking pokemon when Misty left the show and they did not go and buy the gen 3 games

By the time Misty left, those people had aged 6 years and grew out of Pokemon.

Pokemon started in Japan, so it most likely has been known more, plus gets a lot more merchandise.

Also, the Japanese are more into "cute" stuff, while Americans are more into "cool" stuff. I'm betting average people in the west will shun it off. I know my parents do. :(

This is not true at all. Pokemon is still largely a kids franchise in Japan, and the Japanese have first person shooters and slasher movies filled with blood and all that jazz.

Your parents are not a demographic Pokemon is intended for. Of course they shun it. Most people who are old enough to be parents don't play any type of video games at all.
 

StarBP

Well-Known Member
As to your question about Japan, it's basically as if the fad never died. The animated series is still consistently among the top viewed animes in the country, the movies are blockbusters still shown in theaters, and Japan gets a wide variety of soundtracks from the anime, movies, and games released. It's still a multi-media juggernaut there, whereas outside of Japan,the biggest aspect is the games and everything else is secondary.

It's still very much a kids thing in Japan, as the marketing suggests, but it's wildly popular. Pokemon Centers exist, tons of events, tons of merch, there's even a Pokemon MRI machine in one of the hospitals.

Actually, based on game sales, it DID "die" just as much as it did in the USA. Only difference, it was more than twice as big to begin with in Japan as it was in the USA, so instead of going from "huge sensation" to simply "well-respected brand", it went from "unreal success" to just a little bit ABOVE "huge sensation". Basically in Japan right now it is just like it was in the USA around the turn of the century. Only 9 games have eclipsed 5 million in Japan... 5 of them are the Pokémon first sets (R/G/B, G/S, R/S, D/P, B/W). (Source: VG Chartz). In just a couple of months, five of the top 7 in Japan will all be Pokémon pairs. Sales in both the US and Japan have reduced by a factor of roughly 1.7 from R/G/B to D/P (B/W is not mentioned because it has not gone through a holiday season, which enhances sales in the USA but not in Japan). See here for Pokémon game sales in the United States (check previous link for sales in Japan). Based on population figures, Japanese sales for any product must be multiplied by 2.4 to get the equivalent American sales totals. That means, in Japan the games AT THEIR LOWEST POINT (R/S... B/W is currently tracking nicely with the higher-selling D/P in Japan) essentially outsold American R/B sales by a factor of over 1.1 (12.91 million equivalent [a number only one non-bundle game, Wii Play {which actually WAS a bundle in a sense... it came with a Wii Remote}, has exceeded in the USA] vs 11.44 million), and R/G/B in Japan made the equivalent of 24.5 million American sales... a number that only 4 games, all bundled with systems, have managed to even come close to in the USA (Source: VG Chartz).
 
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Battlestar

TRC Boss
Pokemon does have quite a bit of competion in japan. But i think pokemon here in the west is more aimed at 10 under rather than teenagers
 

gliscor&yanmega

Well-Known Member
but are they playing BW or are they playing RBY on an emulator? theres a difference. I know plenty of college kids to do the later out of nostalgia, but that doesnt make them fans per se

There are people in an older age group who play each new generation that comes out. Not everyone grows out of it just like that, and don't always go back to playing the old games either.

I've seen people in an older age group buy Black and White. Pokemon is more targeted at a little kid audience, but it's not like teens and adults don't play it, there are things that can still appeal to them.
 

Zibdas

not bad
Pikachu is like the Mickey Mouse of Japan.

i swear to god it is

Except that Mickey's friends tend not to murder each other uin combat.
 
First Person Shooter.

And honestly, I dont think shooters are a hype thats just gnna die down, theyve been around and have been highly popular for a very long time now. And with a name as CoD out there I doubt that'll change any time soon.

On-Topic: I quite disagree with pokemon not being popular anymore. You should walk into a programming college, and ask everyone there if they still play pokemon. Most of them will answer with yes =P

Nice idea. =) I was thinking about programming (of course I'm 11 so I have a while) so...... I can get some more friends.
For example: My friend, back in 3rd grade, he was an obsessive. Now, in 6th, I asked him if he wanted to trade, he said: Pokemon's dumb, my mom just got it for me.
P.S. I ****in' hate FPS games. I think CoD is crap.
 

shadowdorothy

Well-Known Member
In Japan pokemon is much bigger than it is here.
In Japan McDonalds has a contract with game freak to produce as many pokemon themed toy sets a year as it likes. And this is finally happening here, as of next week McD's is going to have pokemon toys in it's happy meals.

Also in Japan there are many pokemon based things that America will never see, such as non-alcoholic sake for kids, ramen, yakisoba, lollipops that don't fit to American size for sale. Also clothes, plush toys, action figures, dolls, anime and more. Most of the last ones are for health concerns.


In Japan pokemon is so much bigger. It isn't uncommon for adults to play together on lunch breaks, or for house wives to play together while there kids are at school. BTW women in Japan almost never have equal pay or jobs after they get married, thus why Japans population has decreased rapidly over the last ten years, excluding earthquakes and other natural disasters. Another reason why most stuff is not targeted at children in Japan.
 
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