Until today there have been over 1000 episodes of the Pokemon anime. Maybe for some of you, the number might sound absurd. However, it isn’t. Mostly because most of us know Pokemon since we were children, this statement explains how something can last 1000 episodes and still be watchable. When it comes to the film industry, including anime, most shows can’t make it through a few seasons. 

Besides, Pokemon is a franchise where the main characters frequently collect monsters and beat other monsters. The maintained popularity has lasted longer than the combined Friends, The Office, How I Met Your Mother, and Star Trek: The Next Generation. For short, Pokemon is seen as the very best, like no one ever was, and it lasted so long because the franchise has dedicated itself to tweak and renovate itself continually. Pokemon spans for 22 seasons, and it is licensed for broadcast in 169 countries and regions in more than 30 languages.  

Pokemon: Sun and Moon

Besides, no other arc has overhauled the show more than Pokemon: Sun and Moon, based on the games with the same name. Pokemon: Sun and Moon was aired in 2016. However, in 2020 the latest Pokemon installment is Pokemon: Twilight Wings, with the first episode being aired on January 3rd, 2020. 

Speaking of Pokemon: Sun and Moon, this installment had so much popularity, mostly because it was made to be visually different from the other Pokemon series. The design and animation of Pokemon: Sun and Moon are more cartoonish than they’ve ever been. Besides, even the hope of seeing Ash Ketchum age or grow old is long gone. However, the cast of characters and monsters look fabulous when animated. 

This anime series is very similar to the Spectacular Spider-Man team, where they had budget limitations. Of course, they wanted to differentiate their cartoons from the many precedents Spider-man shows. With the new looks added, the final designs looked great when they moved. 

The Sun and Moon show does not shy away from the silly and the sad, mostly because the show places the relationship between people or people and their Pokemon companions in the first place. You can get the sense that there is a lot of love for the characters, rather than just pushing them through their arc. For example, we can see that Lillie, in the beginning, was terrified of strange Pokemon, and she grows up to be very competent in handling them, which feels that real growth happened here. 

There is also some sort of awareness of the history that the anime has built up. This awareness is seen when Team Rocket deals with the idea that maybe they are just not so good at their job and no longer threatens Ash and Pikachu. In this show, Team Rocket has an existential crisis. That alone is what makes this Pokemon series worth watching.

Pokemon Popularity

Pokemon as a series was always about imagination. Even when looking back in history, the most Pokemon experience came through tiny screens on handheld devices, such as Nintendo GameBoy. Also, every spinoff, whether it’s anime or manga, has a kind of living based on how well it reflected that imagination.

Pokemon has become a global phenomenon launched in Japan in 1996 as a role-playing game for Nintendo GameBoy and has reached Europe and the US in 1998-1999. Since then, Pokemon has grown into one of the most entertaining franchises globally, and in the video game industry, Pokemon is the most successful video game franchise.   

Besides the anime, video games, and manga, Pokemon is also seen in merchandise. Many fans can find Pokemon in the Lego collection, Pokemon nanoblock collection, plush toys, clothes and even phone cases, and many more. Besides, do you guys remember the trading card games? For example, the year 2020 was the best year of Pokemon merchandise sales in both the UK and Germany. 

Besides, at the beginning of 2020, Bandai and Bluefin have announced a new Pokemon character model kit. These model kits blend the iconic characters, which are simple, pre-colored, and can be assembled by snapping them together. Besides, some kits are sold separately and can enhance the Pokemon character kit. 

About The Author Tyler

Owner/founder and editor-in-chief of MangaMavericks.com (formerly All-Comic.com) with an insatiable manga/anime addiction

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