Discusses the phenomenon of Pokemon in a transnational and multidisciplinary perspective Emphasizes Pokemon's significance as the first Japanese cultural product to enjoy substantial worldwide success and challenge western dominance in the global production and circulation of cultural goods Initially developed in Japan by Nintendo as a computer game, Pokemon swept the globe in the late 1990s. Based on a narrative in which a group of children capture, train, and do battle with over a hundred imaginary creatures, Pokemon quickly diversified into an array of popular products including comic books, a TV show, movies, trading cards, stickers, toys, and clothing. Pokemon eventually became the top grossing children's product of all time. Yet the phenomenon fizzled as quickly as it had ignited. By 2002, the Pokemon craze was mostly over. Pikachu's Global Adventure describes the spectacular, complex, and unpredictable rise and fall of Pokemon in countries around the world. In analyzing the popularity of Pokemon, this innovative volume addresses core debates about the globalization of popular culture and about children's consumption of mass-produced culture. Tracking the reception of Pokemon in Japan, the United States, Great Britain, France, and Israel, they emphasize its significance as the first Japanese cultural product to enjoy substantial worldwide success and challenge western dominance in the global production and circulation of cultural goods.
Table of Contents
Contexts and Issues Introduction; Structure, agency and pedagogy in children's media culture; Cuteness as Japan's millennial product Global Circulation How Japanese is Pokemon?; Localizing the Pokemon TV series for the American market; Panic attacks: Anti-Pokemon voices in global markets Places and Practices Initiation rites: A small boy in a Poke-world; Pokemon in Israel; How much is a Pokemon worth? Pokemon in France Pokemon goes to school Localizing Pokemon through narrative play; The multiple identities of Pokemon fans; Masculinity, maturity and the end of Pokemon Conclusion The rise and fall of the Pokemon empire
