RJ Writing Ink

My Thoughts on the News About Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield

I’ve been a fan of Pokemon since I was a little boy. Heck, the original Pokemon show was my first anime. Playing through the classic games on my Gameboy and Gameboy Advance are among my fondest memories. The next generation of Pokemon has moved beyond handheld, though. This November, we are getting the first main game on a console: Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield.

Yesterday, Nintendo Direct released a 15 minute informational video about the upcoming games. As an avid gamer (and you know I’m getting this game), I wanted to go over some of the big takeaways I got from this.

The Power of Wooloo

Sheep-like Pokemon aren’t new. I remember there being an electric sheep-like Pokemon as far back as the Johto region. Wooloo, though, is on a whole other level.

Wooloo is, simply put, an adorable little ball of fluff that makes me want to go “aww”. I checked on Google, and there’s already a ton of fanart of Wooloo being just the cutest thing. It’s like a living plush toy.

I can see this Pokemon becoming one of the most popular in the new region when the game comes out. I know I’m gonna catch one when I get the came. As for a nickname, I’m thinking “Sean”.

Grass Encounters Are Gone

Since the franchise began, trainers would randomly encounter Pokemon within tall grass, caves, and bodies of water. We never knew which one until we encountered them. Sword and Shield seem to be ditching this age-old mechanic.

During open-world exploration, rather than appearing without any sign, the Pokemon are visible. While this will help players looking for specific Pokemon, I can’t help but feel sad that this old mechanic may be gone.
According to Game Freak, the Pokemon that appear will depend on the weather and time of day, so that part’s staying the same.

Dynamaxing (AKA Attack on Pokemon)

I’ve seen a lot of interesting mechanics in Pokemon over the years: mega-evolution, paegents, berry blending, Z-moves, bases, and more. I have never seen anything like “dynamaxing”, though.

To put it simply, dynamaxing turns Pokemon into giants with super-charged moves for three turns. It only works once per battle. In that regard, its like mega-evolution and Z-moves from previous generations.
I have mixed feelings on dynamaxing. On the one hand, I am digging the sight of a giant Pikachu (so fluffy!). On the other, I’m worried that it might not be as fun as they say it will be.

The Professor and Her Grandaughter

We have our next Pokemon Professor: Professor Magnolia. Nobody cares about her, though. Everyone cares about her granddaughter, Sonia.

I’d be lying if I didn’t say that Sonia is cute, but I already tell that that’s not going to matter in the end. Why? Because Pokemon doesn’t care about romance like that. If they did, then Ash and Serena would have become a couple at the end of Pokemon XYZ. I’m an Amourshipper, so what.

Still, that hasn’t stopped people from already flooding Deviantart, Twitter, and social media with fanart of Sonia. Fans will be fans, not there’s anything wrong with that.

The New Legendaries

It wouldn’t be a Pokemon game without a legendary Pokemon, now would it? Enter Zacian and Zamazenta, the Sword and Shield Pokemon. By the looks of them, they’re similar in appearance, looking like lions or wolves. The difference is their weapon motif. Zacian carries a sword around in its mouth, while Zamazetan’s mane resembles a shield.

They’re not the most creative legendary Pokemon, in my opinion. I think my favorite legendary’s still Mewtwo. Regardless, I am looking forward to catching them and seeing what they can do.

The Verdict

Yeah, I’m getting this game when it comes out. I want to be able to see if Pokemon can handle the transition to full-time console game. Hopefully, the upcoming E3 will tell us more. I can’t wait!

Edens Zero Chapter 47 Review/Recap

Beyond the fact that she was trained by Valkyrie, we know little about Homura or her past. Aside from her inability to keep her thoughts to herself, that is. If she wants to find her master, Homura needs to get past Xiaomei’s duplicate of her. A psychological battle as well as a physical one awaits us in this chapter of Edens Zero.

Recap

Homura’s visibly unnerved by the fact that she must find a replica of her master. So unnerved that she throws caution to the wind and goes on the attack. The replica, though, has all the original’s memories, and uses Homura’s weaknesses against her, pinning her to the ground.

Try as she might, Homura is too frazzled as the memories of Valkyrie come flooding back.

In a flashback, we see Homura was an orphan from a village that was destroyed. Before slaver’s could capture her, Valkyrie saved her. After hesitating, Homura follows Valkyrie, remembering her first lesson: ‘words gives us strength’.

In the present, Homura hardens her resolve, vowing to find her mentor, no matter what she has to go through. Ultimately, her resolve wins her the day, beating the replica Valkyrie, giving the crew of Edens Zero a perfect victory.

Review

It’s important to a good story to establish its side characters. They need to be able to help hold the weight of the story. In a shonen manga, that also means being able to have their moments to shine.

Homura manages to do both of these in this chapter, albeit it’s only a brief moment. I had a feeling that Homura was an orphan, so I wasn’t surprised to learn that her village was destroyed. This happens more in Mashima’s works than one would think.

Like the previous chapter, though, I felt like the whole thing was too rushed. I hope that this could play out over a few more chapters to push Homura so that she would grow stronger.

There’s also the whole “replica” thing. For some reason, I don’t buy it. Call it a hunch, but something tells me that that’s the real Valkyrie and she lost so that Homura woul surpass her. We won’t learn for sure until next week, though, so it’s up in the air.

In the meantime, I hope that the manga learns not to rush with the pacing. Edens Zero has the potential to be good, but if this keeps up, I fear it won’t end up living up to my expectations.

I give “Words Give Strength” a 3/5. And I’m being generous with this one.

There are a lot of organizations in the Marvel’s multiverse, but until I say so, I’m sticking with the original. Of all the organizations in the Marvel Multiverse, there’s one that stands out above the rest.

S.H.I.E.L.D.

The Strategic Homeland Intervention & Enforcement Logistics Division, or SHIELD. SHIELD’s been around since 1965, and whether people know it or not, they’ve played a big a role in Earth’s superhuman community. Almost always led by Nick Fury, the international law enforcement agency serves as the UN’s muscle. They conduct espionage, deal with metahuman and supernatural affairs, and protect the world. Makes me wish that we had something like this in the real world.

Crazy SHIELD

On second thought, it may not be helpful. SHIELD’s done some pretty sketchy stuff over the years, and it has gone through upheaval. It’s even gotten disbanded at several points in the past. One time, Nick Fury led them on an illegal strike against Latveria, leading to him being branded a fugitive and newcomer Maria Hill put in charge. That was in time for Marvel’s “Civil War” event which tore the the superhero community apart.

It gets worse: Tony Stark got put in charge of SHIELD, and he did a good job at first, but then the alien Skrulls almost took over the Earth. Stark got the blame and became a fugitive, and SHIELD got replaced by HAMMER, run by Norman Osborn.

Thank god that didn’t last long, and the US put Steve Rogers in charge of SHIELD. Then he got replaced by an evil, HYDRA version and tried to take over the world. So, bye-bye SHIELD. This time, for good.

Crazy thing is that all the stuff I mentioned has happened in the last twenty years. The MCU version’s got it even worse.