BHUBANESWAR: Fans of popular cartoon and animation franchise Pokemon are set to experience a first-ever live action drama based on popular characters of the series. The movie Detective Pikachu is scheduled to be released May 10, 2019. Eminent Hollywood actor Ryan Reynolds has lent his voice and facial motion captures to the protagonist Pikachu, one of the most famous Pokemon characters, alongside Tim Goodman as Justice Smith who is the partner of Pikachu.
Indian fans had their first experience of the popular series in 2003 when it was aired on Cartoon Network channel. In 2014, the anime series had a 96.9 million strong Indian audience on Hungama TV, where it is currently telecasted. The recent android adaption of the series Pokemon Go had received a rousing reception from the gaming community due to its realistic content.
Idolising famous Pokemon characters like Pikachu,Bulbasur, Charmander, Squirtle and Chikorita among others is the fondest memories of childhood for many of us. We had experienced the story of Ash Ketchum, who started his journey in the world of Pokémon and dreams of becoming a Pokémon master along with his friends. The character of Pikachu is one of the smallest among all the monsters created by the franchise. However, it was also the favorite character of most fans which prompted the franchise to make it their official mascot.
Social media users have created pandemonium in various platforms after the release of first trailer of the movie. Most of the fans expect it to be a better version of what they are used to in the video games and anime series. Pardhi Goenka, a student and ardent fan of the franchise, said, “After watching the trailer, I realized that the movie pursues the fundamental thread of the game with youthful Tim meeting a Pikachu, whom only he can comprehend. They set out on a journey to discover Tim’s father.”
“I am really excited about watching the love action drama, which stars our beloved characters, which we all used to watch in the cartoons during our childhood. The starring of Ryan Reynolds will be an added bonus for the upcoming movie.”
Prasanta Swain said, “Pokemon is an essential part of my life as it has changed the way cartoon works are made. The franchise is originally a video game which was later transformed into animation and cartoon. It is also one of the many Japanese anime series like Dragon Ball Z and Ghost in the Shell among others.
Sudhir Dutta said, “Pokemon was originally created by Satoshi Tajiri in early 1989 for video games. In recent times, many popular video games have been successfully adapted into movies such as Resident evil, Lara Croft: Tomb raider and Angry Bird among others. My appetite for the series is tingling with anticipation. I sincerely hope that the movie shows us many of our beloved Pokemon characters.”
List of characters spotted in the trailer…
Pikachu
The lead character of the movie Pikachu is one of the most well-known characters of Pokémon. This is largely because Pikachu is the central character of the Pokémon anime series. It is also the mascot of the whole franchise. It can generate electric waves and can electrocute its enemies in the blink of an eye.
Bulbasaur
Bulbasaur is a small, quadruped Pokémon that has turquoise skin with darker teal patches. Known as the Seed Pokémon, Bulbasaur can survive for days solely on sunlight.
Squirtle
Squirtle, also known as the Tiny Turtle Pokémon, is capable of moving either on two feet or on all fours. Their skin is light blue in colour and they possess a long, curled tail. When they feel threatened, Squirtle withdraw their limbs into their brown-orange shells and spray water from their mouth with great force.
Charizard
A creature inspired by dragons, it has two teal wings with a orange body and back. Their plant grade feet have pads that are cream-colored like their belly with light blue eyes. Charizard can fly to an altitude of 4,600 feet. They can breathe intense flames that can melt any material.
Psyduck
Known as the duck Pokémon, Psyduck is constantly stunned by its headache and usually just stands there vacantly, trying to calm it. In the anime series, Psyduck’s appearances became a running gag.
Jigglypuff
Known as the Balloon Pokémon, Jigglypuff evolves from Igglybuff when it reaches a certain point of happiness, and evolves into Wigglytuff when exposed to a moon stone. Its name is a combination of the words “jiggly” and “puff”, intended to relate to its jelly-like appearance.
Mr Mime
Known as the Barrier Pokémon, Mr. Mime are gifted with the art of miming at a young age, and as they mature they gain the ability to psychically generate invisible objects such as walls and other barriers.
Arindam Ganguly,OP