Pop-culture reference in Pokémon

[KaylaBaraonda]

sorry i only made this thread cuz obsession stuff from when i was p much a slave

 

[Dieter]

Why would it be more cringy in Japan-based regions? Aside from the fact that these regions and the Pokemon introduced in it don't draw inspiration exclusively from their real world counterparts. The region design part is more obvious in the anime, which for example based Alto Mare in Johto on Venice. Venice is most certainly not in Japan. Not to mention pop-culture is hardly limited to a white, American audience. So I'm also not quite sure why you think pop-culture references are used to make the Japan-based regions more appealing to kids. Additionally, two of your examples are references to media from the 70s and 80s, which still has a very real chance of being overlooked /by ten year olds (as that would be old people stuff to them). Kirby is a character from a Nintendo franchise, which makes it a reference to Japanese pop culture, so audience makes zero difference here. And honestly, I can't remember the meme speak in DPPt, but sure.

So yeah, I'm not sure what you're getting at...

Regardless, I voted no because pop culture references rarely age well, and what is popular now could have been totally forgotten next month. Considering the average development cycle of a videogame is a little longer than a month, you can't really keep up with references to contemporary pop culture. Established pop culture on the other hand, sure.

 

[BlancSister]

I like memes so I'm fine with it. Though put them where they're fitting, rather than spamming them at random

 

[Dieter]

I just remembered the Fossil Restoration Center on Akala Island, which is a reference to Jurassic Park. I can't compare the English dialogue with the Japanese version, but the concept as a whole reeks strongly of a pop culture reference. It works though in this case, as it's a logical reference (most of JP was filmed in Hawaii) and JP is an established franchise spanning several decades, so it's part of our cultural memory

 

[KaylaBaraonda]

1) I meant more of, the pop culture should match the region, and be kept the same way in America, referencing the same stuff. But no adding pop culture where's no need to.

2) Yeah. The gen 1 to 4 regions are just SHAPED like the real world counterparts but three of the four of them seem no more Japanese than they seem American, so it's possible that an American TV show's events and catchprases happened in Kanto, Hoenn, or Sinnoh instead. Heck, maybe the English language version names are their in-universe ones, and not the Japanese language ones.

3) Yeah. It's like chipmunked voice or "up to eleven". They've become slang, but originated as popculture references. So they crop up in places where the things that they're references to, do not exist. And for the minnesota viking thing, that's propably just the writers loving to insert the popculture references where they should'nt be. Although it still does'nt really make sense in Pokémon, it happens a lot in the anime, expecially in episode titles.

4) Yeah, i think this makes it more of an in-joke? Since the same people translate both Pokémon and Kirby games. Pokémon has a lot of fourth wall breaks and in-jokes can be considered a type of it.

5) Yeah. I remember more, 4channers who never played the games, shitposting about DPPt seeming too memey, than DPPt being memey itself. It's pretty much the same as RBYFRLG but in Sinnoh instead of Kanto.

So, in short.

In the anime the writers do americanize it a lot and add a lot of pop-culture references.

In the games there is'nt really much of a pop-culture reference and it is'nt that americanized. So the "Pop-culture references did'nt exist in japanese version and were added in american version although they did'nt make sense" only really counts for anime not games.

I pretty much seem to mostly have made the rant because I used to find Gobias Koffi and the Never-Nude trait cringy because I'm not from a country where Arrested Development is mainstream.

But Sims 3 =\= Pokémon Diamond. What is fine in one is'nt fine in another. Sunset Valley will never be Sinnoh, and Sinnoh will never be Sunset Valley. Now that I can separate them as being completely different games (bunches of pixels), I don't find Gobias Koffi cringy anymore because I know he's just a comedic relief background character and that Arrested Development is mainstream in other countries. Actually, I don't think any of the Sunset Valley premades would work as Pokémon trainers. And none of Sinnoh's cast would work as premade sims in Sunset Valley as it's two different games that work completely differently. Although there were documentaries that mentioned both, it was meant to be complete separate, too. You cannot fuse them!

 

[Daenerys]

I like pop culture references in the games: The Lady Gaga reference from the Psyduck in Snowpoint City is my favorite thus far. I dislike memes, but a few in-jokes are tolerable.

 

[Ruffimutt]

Hitmonchan = named after Jackie Chan
Hitmonlee = named after Bruce Lee

Also not really ‘popculture’ but kangaskhan
Is Genghas Khan

Jessie and James are references to Jessie James.

 

[SeanWheeler]

As the Pokémon World grows, it really distances itself from our world. Just about every animal has a Pokémon substitute. The first four regions replace Japan, Unova replaced New York, Kalos replaced France, and Alola replaced Hawaii. Lt. Surge, the Lightning American was retconned to come from Unova. It just seems like pop cultural references just make plot holes the more the series goes on. Well, at least Pokémon isn't live-action and doesn't use big name actors, because that would make things even more awkward. They haven't referenced other 4Kids shows like Yu-Gi-Oh, right?

 

[TechSkylander1518]

It just seems like pop cultural references just make plot holes the more the series goes on.

That kinda depends on how the reference is made, though, doesn't it? A reference that's not acknowledged as a reference in-universe (like naming Hitmonlee for Bruce Lee when we don't have information on how Pokemon are named in the games) doesn't cause any plot holes, while references made by characters (like Ash talking about the Minnesota Vikings) can grate against canon because it involves the characters knowing about something that doesn't seem to exist in the Pokemon universe. (though it wouldn't be too hard to claim something was in a part of a region the player never visited.)

 

[SeanWheeler]

Well, I wasn't exactly talking about Hitmonlee.

 

[Cute Charm]

The first four regions replace Japan, Unova replaced New York, Kalos replaced France, and Alola replaced Hawaii. Lt. Surge, the Lightning American was retconned to come from Unova.

It was never retconed flat out. Going by the first 4 regions being identical to the actual regions in real life that they were based on...plus a few minor border differences. Who's to say America as a country doesn't still exist in the pokemon world? For all anyone knows right now Unova could just be a state that combined New York and parts of New Jersey.

 

[TechSkylander1518]

Well, I wasn't exactly talking about Hitmonlee.

Hitmonlee's undeniably a pop culture reference, though, isn't it?

 

[dig]

My Pokemon is Fight is a DPP reference to an old, old meme; My Tank is Fight.

One of the translators was pretty immersed in SomethingAwful culture.

 

[SeanWheeler]

Hitmonlee's undeniably a pop culture reference, though, isn't it?

Hitmonlee's it's own Pokémon. The Bruce Lee connection could just be a coincidence in-universe. I didn't really get the Bruce Lee reference until much later because I hadn't really heard of Bruce Lee at the time. Hitmonchan I was able to get because Kids WB was airing a Jackie Chan cartoon.

 

[TechSkylander1518]

The Bruce Lee connection could just be a coincidence in-universe.

That's exactly my point, though-they can do pop culture references that don't cause plot holes.