Tag: pocket

Detective Pikachu Was a Small, But Potent Jolt for Pokémon

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Nintendo’s Pokémon series has had a powerful grip on pop culture for decades, and it’s doubtful to change anytime soon. The bulk of that power comes from the video and trading card games, along with the eternally ongoing anime and the movies and shows that’ve spun out of that. So how do you make one of the biggest video game properties even bigger? You take the big, bold jump to Hollywood.

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First released in Japan on May 3, 2019 and then the following week in the US, Detective Pikachu was the first ever live-action Pokémon movie, and also Nintendo’s first video game movie since Super Mario Bros. If anyone ever thought Pokémon would get a big budget flick, they probably didn’t think it’d come courtesy of Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures, let alone based off a 2016 spinoff game where brand mascot Pikachu is a private eye with the voice of Ryan Reynolds. Yeah, the monsters all looked impressively real and tangible in ways fans had always dreamed, but having Deadpool as the leading ‘mon could’ve undercut everything. Was this going to work?

Image: Warner Bros./Legendary Pictures/The Pokémon Company

The answer turned out to be “yes”: Detective Pikachu netted fairly positive reviews and made $450.1 million worldwide. Back then, it’d been the highest-grossing video game movie of its time, at least until the Super Mario movie knocked it off its pedestal last year. If the world hadn’t been hit with the pandemic and Hollywood strikes in the 2020s so far, we’d likely have a sequel by now; Portlandia co-creator Jonathan Krisel was tapped to direct it last year working off a script by Chris Galetta, but it seems at least two years off, minimum. (Coming out as Avengers: Endgame was still in theaters probably wasn’t right move, either.) As is, it’s a well-regarded movie that made a decent impression in the video game movie space whose future got buried underneath some bad luck.

At the same time, it appears to have made a decent impact when it comes to Pokémon’s transmedia output. The anime was always going to persist whether it did well or not, but the film’s success has certainly helped open Nintendo’s mind to the possibilities of what this franchise could be. Without it, we likely wouldn’t have Pokémon Concierge or the original drama series Pocket ni Bōken wo Tsumekonde, which is about the reach and impact of Pokémon rather than being set in its world. And this is just what we know about—a Pokémon Direct or two from now, we may learn that Nintendo’s got plans of doing up a movie universe in the vein of what Paramount’s doing with Sonic the Hedgehog.

Image: Warner Bros./Legendary Pictures/The Pokémon Company

Compared to other video game adaptations like Fallout and The Last of Us, or even Arcane, it wouldn’t be wrong to feel like Detective Pikachu has gotten overlooked. Its time in the sun will surely come whenever that sequel rolls around. In that way, it’s like the anime: whatever comes next will hopefully be an evolution that buils upon the winning formula of its predecessor. And if not, well, at least we’ve got a video of Pikachu dancing to brighten the day.

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

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Justin Carter

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May 4, 2024
Family identify woman killed in Sacramento shopping center shooting as Chasity Sparkman

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Family members of Chasity Sparkman identified her Wednesday as the woman shot and killed last week in a Sacramento shopping center. The shooting happened Feb. 14 around 11:15 p.m. near Florin Road and Greenhaven Drive in the Pocket neighborhood, the Sacramento Police Department said. Officers who went there found a woman with at least one gunshot wound.That woman went to the hospital and later died of her injuries.One week after her death, Sparkman’s family called for whoever did this to come forward and for justice for the young mother.“Chasity was really bubbly,” said Renee Jones, a cousin of the young mother. “More than life itself, Chasity loved their children. Her children were her world. Everything Chasity did was for her kids.” More than 100 people gathered one week later in the parking lot where, family said, Sparkman was shot. A police spokesperson said Wednesday that no arrests had been made and that no further updates could be shared so as not to compromise the investigation. Loved ones are demanding whoever did this to come forward.“We’ve got to stop the gun violence,” said Preston Sparkman, Chasity’s cousin.Preston Sparkman said his cousin was enrolled in school, pursuing a career in business and music, an energetic and loving mother.Many in attendance brought heart-shaped balloons and wore pink to Wednesday night’s vigil. Chasity, 26, died on Valentine’s Day. “She never missed saying, ‘I love you,’” Jones said.Details about the case remain limited.Family members are raising money to help care for Sparkman’s two young children.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app.

Family members of Chasity Sparkman identified her Wednesday as the woman shot and killed last week in a Sacramento shopping center.

The shooting happened Feb. 14 around 11:15 p.m. near Florin Road and Greenhaven Drive in the Pocket neighborhood, the Sacramento Police Department said. Officers who went there found a woman with at least one gunshot wound.

That woman went to the hospital and later died of her injuries.

One week after her death, Sparkman’s family called for whoever did this to come forward and for justice for the young mother.

“Chasity was really bubbly,” said Renee Jones, a cousin of the young mother. “More than life itself, Chasity loved their children. Her children were her world. Everything Chasity did was for her kids.”

More than 100 people gathered one week later in the parking lot where, family said, Sparkman was shot.

A police spokesperson said Wednesday that no arrests had been made and that no further updates could be shared so as not to compromise the investigation.

Loved ones are demanding whoever did this to come forward.

“We’ve got to stop the gun violence,” said Preston Sparkman, Chasity’s cousin.

Preston Sparkman said his cousin was enrolled in school, pursuing a career in business and music, an energetic and loving mother.

Many in attendance brought heart-shaped balloons and wore pink to Wednesday night’s vigil. Chasity, 26, died on Valentine’s Day.

“She never missed saying, ‘I love you,’” Jones said.

Details about the case remain limited.

Family members are raising money to help care for Sparkman’s two young children.

See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app.

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February 22, 2024
Supermom In Training: 5 Must-have things for your family roadtrip

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We’ve got quite a few roadtrips planned this summer, and it’s always a challenge to keep my bean occupied and distracted during the long stretches of driving. While I’ll admit I definitely load up the laptop/tablet with movies and shows (for those reeeeally extended treks), I don’t like to only resort to technology. So I’ve found that some careful planning by way of toys, activities, books and more makes going “on the road again” a lot more enjoyable.

LeapFrog LeapStart. LeapStart is an interactive learning system that gets kids excited about counting, learning to read, problem solving and more through fun, replayable activities. The magic behind LeapStart is a stylus that reads invisible dots on every page, triggering questions, challenges, songs, jokes and more. This kept my bean occupied all the way to a cabin in upstate New York (that’s four hours, people). We can’t wait to try out the hundreds of books that can be incorporated into our system.

Where’s Waldo? Games on the Go! To be quite honest, I may have gotten this for my bean but I played it just as much as my son. Finding that sneaky Waldo is super addicting, and definitely helps to pass the time. This awesome format contains classic “Where’s Waldo?” challenges as well as spot-the-difference activities, matching exercises, quizzes, doodles, mazes, brainteasers, and more.

The Travel Activity Book. It’s got it all: Doodles to draw, puzzles to solve, games to play, and stickers to find. What we love about it is that it has illustrations and photography for lots of visual fun, and it also highlight facts and information about real destinations and monuments, so littles can discover life and culture around the world. Learn about cultural norms, such as why it is considered polite to remove your hat at the dinner table or in which country you shouldn’t eat everything on your plate! There’s also a page of stickers included, which is always a hit with my bean.

Kandoo wipes make roadtrips cleaner and less stressful. I always have them on-hand when we travel (and in the car… and in my purse). They’re flushable and super gentle on sensitive skin, not to mention compact. Eating meals and snacking on-the-go can make for a sticky mess, so tuck these into the pockets on the backs of the seats, in your child’s travel bag, etc.

Skiphop backpack. The bean has the adorable Hudson Hedgehog backpack, and he takes on every trip we go on. It’s a perfect little bag, with both a small compartment and a larger one, ideal to tuck next to him in the backseat of the car. It even has a mesh side pocket for his water bottle.

A full-time work-from-home mom, Jennifer Cox (our “Supermom in Training”) loves dabbling in healthy cooking, craft projects, family outings, and more, sharing with readers everything she knows about being an (almost) superhero mommy.

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July 5, 2022