Pokemon and the Sliding Time-scale

   

     For the longest time one of the biggest complaints about the Pokemon anime was the fact that Ash never ages. Resulting in immortality jokes, or the sucking of life force from side characters, or worst yet the fan theory that Ash is in a coma. Of course this is all because we love this show and want it to be something grand. And for brief moments we see it, but then it dips away with rehashed plots and character development. But what if I told you that a majority of the inconsistencies could be solved with a concept from Marvel Comics. What I am talking about is the sliding time-scale.

     For those who do not know the sliding time-scale in Marvel pertains that the events that happened to characters like Spider-Man, The Fantastic Four, The Hulk, And others back in the sixties still happened in today's more modern continuity. So how do you explain that. Well here comes the sliding time-scale. Ultimately major events stay cannon and are updated periodically, for example Tony Stark was originally injured showing of weapons during the Korean war, in the seventies/eighties this was updated to Vietnam, nineties to the Gulf War, and is now the conflict in Afghanistan. Same event different details, no reboot. Another thing to note is how smaller story arcs are truncated for forgotten completely. This results in more time between major events in the comics.

     So how does this apply to the Pokemon anime. Well when viewed this way, the story lines are not taking years, but more like months, or even weeks. If you also take out fluff and filler stories, that timeline makes a little more sense. with this in mind, here is how i see the events unfolding. All of Kanto, the Orange Islands, And Johto take place in around three months time, when focusing on travel, gym badges, and other major arcs like catching Pokemon. most other regions probably take about a month to a month and a half to complete. This seems reasonable for a hyperactive ten year old child to accomplish in a society dedicated to this lifestyle.

     Does this solve every problem? No. No it does not. But with this thought maybe we can stop complaining about this little continuity problem. Hell under more scrutiny this theory might be full of holes. This is simply my view of the continuity of the series.

Thoughts On the Nintendo Switch Presentation

[Please note this is about the presentation that Nintendo put on, not on the Switch itself]

     It should be self evident that the presentation for the Nintendo Switch has been a tad divisive. Some feel as if it was great, others feel as if it is spelling doom for Nintendo. While writing this I feel that the observations I place here will not change many minds. However i do hope my thoughts can add clarity and focus to the event we all watched.

     First I would like to bring up my over arching opinion, that this was not a consumer presentation, but a business one. Notice that the audience was filled with stanch, middle-aged, Japanese businessmen. There nary seamed a fan in sight. Nobody to whoop and holler in excitement. The added bits of personality that were on display were not met well by the audience, and seemed awkward most of the time. And the reiteration on the consoles features and not spec shows off that Nintendo wants to have a wide variety of games.

   Of the games the were announced during the presentation, most of them feel as if they were calculated to show longevity and business deals. Party games like 1 2 Switch harken back to the Wii, one of Nintendo's best selling consoles. Square-enix showed off a number of games, like the super popular Dragon Quest, and a new IP. They showed cult favorites like Shin Megami Tensei, and the works of Suda51. Also Suda51 came and represented indie developers. Fire Emblem Warriors was there to show their commitment to continuing the expansion of the existing IP's. Splatoon 2 was a huge hit in Japan, showing the audience their commitment to keeping an eye on what's popular. And with Skyrim and FIFA, Nintendo shows that they are having a much better relationship with American developers.

     Now this is probably just me overthinking it. This may just be me trying to justify a somewhat lackluster line up of games for the upcoming year, though I am excited for about 70% of the games announced I understand why most aren't. Part of me is just hopeful I guess. I hope that what we saw was not their entire strategy for the system, but just a single part.  So here's hope for the future.

Beck Mongolian Chop Squad or the Essence of Following a Band

     One of my favorite bands of all time has no music, no albums, and nothing in the way of members. This band does not exist on a technical sense. While yes they are real enough to be known, by any logic they are not a musical group. This band is Beck, a fictional band from a manga of the same name.

     

     Starting serialization in 1999 and running till 2008, written by Harold Sakuishi, Beck is the story of five young men trying to make a go at being a band. We follow their trials and tribulations through lineup changes, live venues, studio recordings and more. Throughout the story we see them go on to break into the world stage and get the respect they deserve. It is a highly enjoyable and impactful journey, and I encourage anyone reading this to go seek it out. It is easily one of the best stories of recent years. 

     However i would like to change track real quick to talk about one of my favorite real world bands, I Fight Dragons. They are a pop-punk/chiptune band from Chicago, and I have been a fan since around 2011. I have watched and listened to this band ever since, through album releases, tours, festivals, and their departure of their record label. There is a part of me that takes great satisfaction in knowing about this band before others, and spreading the information about them. Hell I still have my membership card for what is their now defunct fan club. Even further than that my fan club number was my license plate number on my first car.

Always remember the Advanced Guard

     Now why did I go through the effort to describe my time following a band. Because it is a feeling that not many people go through. The aspect of following a band, becoming a dedicated fan, and following their story is a major part of indie and underground music. In that sense you feel like you are a part of the band, even more so for me and this band, as the fan club I was a part of helped spread word of the band. Ok again, what does this have to do with Beck. well in my opinion everything, as that is the tonal feeling of the entire story. 

     Throughout the story we as audience members follow this band and their up's and down's. We cheer them on while they are on stage, and wait in anticipation for their next show. We wait with baited breath to see the results of them recording an album. Every step they take forward we cheer them on, as expected of a story. We root for the guys we want to win. This is not any thing new, we all know this, so why does it feel different, to me at least.

     I think part of it is that I have that experience of following a band, through hardships and successes. It is a visceral feeling of artistic catharsis, of liking a band and knowing they will succeed. There is no apprehension, it is a light hearted story and you know that they will win in the end. You do not have to wait years for their next album to see if they make any money, just turn the page. All of the benefits of following a band but none of the heart ache. Do you need this lense to understand the story, no, no you do not. This is just a layer, a thought next time you want to go through this story. And for those that follow musicians and band, but dread the thought of them failing, check out this story to lift your heat up a little bit. Hopefully you become just as big of a fan of them as I am.



     Some minor things of note. Yes I am aware of the anime, seeing as that is my number one anime. And I am aware of the music within the show. I do not consider the music Beck's, seeing as in the album and credits for the show attribute it to a real world band.