Pokemon, which has gone from a digital amusem*nt for the Nintendo Game Boy console to a worldwide pop culture goliath of TV and big-screen anime, card games and mountains of character merchandise, celebrated its 20th anniversary on Feb. 27.
In the content business world, where trends can change in the blink of an eye, Pokemon has maintained a robust presence for an unusual length of time, becoming a lingua franca of sorts. Celebrity Shoko Nakagawa, 30, known as a hard-core Pokemon fan, even wrote a book called, "Pokemon ga ikiru imi o oshietekureta" (Pokemon taught me the meaning life).
"I remember the excitement of finally making a decision after being so torn about whether to buy the Red or the Green game that I had to go home once to think it over again," Nakagawa says, referring to the two versions of the original role-playing video game: Pokemon Red, and Pokemon Green. She says she will never forget her pulse quickening on her way home from making the purchase.
"What was groundbreaking about Pokemon was that it changed how video games were played -- which at the time was mostly by yourself -- into something that allowed players to exchange Pokemon characters they'd gone on adventures with and developed, or to fight each other, via a cable," Nakagawa adds.
When Nakagawa was a latchkey child, Pokemon was always there for her. As it was in her teens when she did not have many friends at school as a budding celebrity, and was prone to dark thoughts. Today, she appears on a variety TV show called "Pokemon no uchi atsumaru?" (Should we get together at Pokemon's house?) "For me, Pokemon represents love, dreams, life, smiles... it's hard for me to express my feelings for it in just one word."
In the 20 years since Pokemon arrived on the scene, countless games and characters created by content businesses have come and gone. Tamagotchi, a small digital "pet" whose popularity exploded around the same time Pokemon's first soared, failed to maintain its hold on the imagination of the masses. Pokemon, in the last two decades, has posted a total of 277 million copies worldwide in software sales, and as of the end of September 2015, Pokemon anime was being aired in 93 countries and regions around the world.
Takeshi Fujii, a 58-year-old professor at Hakuoh University's Department of Business Administration who is well-versed in the international expansion of video games and anime content businesses, cites the mixed media approach that Pokemon has taken as the reason for its longstanding success.
"In addition to the original software, rolling out anime, card games, and other paraphernalia created a synergistic effect, allowing people to enjoy Pokemon through a range of media and from different angles," he says. "This 'media mix' has been a major reason behind Pokemon's success."
The other main reason for Pokemon's staying power has been the extensive localization done to market Pokemon abroad, paired with an unprecedented arrangement to protect the Pokemon brand. Game software, which comprises the core of the brand, was developed by Satoshi Tajiri, president of game developer Game Freak, while electronics and software giant Nintendo Co. handles sales. The huge difference between Pokemon and other content is that The Pokemon Co., founded in 1998, handles the creative direction of all Pokemon products, including software and advertising campaigns. In particular, the company has taken a crucial role in localizing content to suit the needs of various cultures.
"I think the quality of our localization is top-class worldwide," says Takato Utsunomiya, 37, who is a managing executive officer and a member of the game development division at The Pokemon Co. "We have gathered valuable staff who can translate directly from the Japanese into the target language for when a game script is adapted, instead of first translating into English and then into the third language. Now, we try to keep our localization procedures at a level that can meet the standards of any country."
Pokemon's popularity may appear rock solid, but there are some causes for worry. One is that the game console market, where Pokemon originated, continues to shrink. The video game magazine Famitsu estimates that in 2014, there was a 261.7-billion-yen domestic market for game consoles. Meanwhile, the smartphone app market stands at about 2.7 times that, at approximately 715.4 billion yen. The Pokemon Co. has not changed its policy of focusing on game console.
"I don't think that rich storylines, which lie at the center of our games, can blossom on smartphones," Utsunomiya says.
Another possible concern is Japan's low birthrate. Utsunomiya remains optimistic, however, saying, "The birthrate is undoubtedly on the decline, but with 20 years under our belt, I think the number of adults who have played Pokemon games will only continue to increase."
To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the first Pokemon game's release, download sales of Pokemon Red and Pokemon Green for Nintendo 3DS began Feb. 27. It was announced on the same day that new titles -- Pokemon Sun and Pokemon Moon -- would be released in nine languages next winter.
Says Utsunomiya, "We constantly want to evolve, and are aiming for Pokemon's everlasting survival."
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