Welcome to Jesse's Ultimate Fan-Based Pokémon Website
1.31.01 If you like to keep up-to-date with the newest Pokémon product releases, then you should already have at least one pack of Neo Genesis cards. One way to describe it: if the Team Rocket and Gym Leader sets bent the rules, the Neo sets will snap them in half and blow them to bits. There's a lot mor stuff to keep track of, like the Baby Pokémon rule, and Scorch marks. Also, some cards evolve from Pokémon that were already released as cards, like Bellossom (from Gloom) ar Politoed (from Poliwhirl). I only have 22 cards, but I plan on getting more soon. (I think that there should also be two more Neo sets, like there are in Japan!)
2.04.01 This just in: Pokémon Stadium 2 should be released late in March (I heard it would be the 28th). Stadium 2 will have all of the same 3-D graphics and simple control ability, but it will also be campatible with Pokémon Gold & Silver.
2.22.01 Sorry I haven't updated my page in a while, but today I got some really good news. Most of it is on my new release date page, but I still could fit some in here. Pokémon was at number 11 on the Lycos search engine count (Valentines Day, Dragonball Z, and the IRS (don't ask why) were the top 3). The opening day parade for the Toy Fair 2001 was ruled by Pokémon. According to a report from pojo.com, "ten customized Pokémon vehicles--Lugia PT Cruisers and Pikachu Beetles also joined the show. At the end of the parade route, the Pokémon crew performed "My Best Friend" from the hit stage show "Pokémon Live." Photos can be found at http://www.pokemon.com/news/parade.html. In 2000, 3/5 (or 6) of the top 10 bestselling video games were Pokémon, representing 12 percent of total video game sales. I guess that's it! (Whew, I thought that would go on forever!)
2.28.01 Have you heard the news story about the Pokémon episode that wasn't translated into English because it reportedly sent hundreds of children to the hospital in epileptic seziures? Well, according to the Southern Medical Journal, "There's no question that there were at least some epileptic children who were affected....The answer is that...it triggered a case of mass hysteria." For a complete report on the subject, go to http://www.nypost.com/entertainment/24867.htm. A later report by Kit Kiefer (author of the story that I got this from (thanx, Kit!)) said that "Doctors first said the seziures were photosensitive epilepsy, caused by a scene in the cartoon that included a series of strobe-like flashes....Experts now say only a small fraction of the kids actually had photosensitive epilepsy and the rest were reflecting the mass hysteria that surrounded the event." On a lighter side, Pokémon was up to 9th on the Lycos network search engine. Harry Potter was at 23rd. (And I thought last weeks news would go on forever!)
4.16.01 I haven't updated in a long time! I added a contest, and I'm holding the thickest stack of Pokémon news I've ever held (must be half a centimeter thick!)! If you haven't heard, Saudi Arabia has issued a fatwa (or ban) against Pokémon, claiming that it "possessed the minds of Arabian children, and promotes gambling, Israel, and is 'un-Islamic.'" Nintendo claims that there was no intention to be disrespectful to certain religions and that nothing associated with Pokémon was associated with any form of religion. For more info, visit http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20010327/wl/saudi_pokemon_3.html, http://www.arabia.com/article/0,1690,Life|42654,00.html, and http://www.dailynews.yahoo.com/h/abc/20010326/wl/pokemon010326_1.html. The latest winners of the Nintendo Pikachu Beetle contest were featured on the Rosie O'Donnell show. For a transcript, go to http://www.TVEyes.com/database/expand.asp?ln=3163539&Key=pokemon. The Pokémon Stadium 2 web page is up. See it at http://www.pokemonstadium.com/stadium2/index.html. I have scans of the two newest Pokémon TCG promos up at images/promo cards 34+35.jpg. Gotta go now; it's past my bedtime!
5.13.01 Been almost a month since my last update! I got a truckload of news for ya, along with a bunch o' new scans. One of the scans is of a page of the Pokémon TCG league Year 2 book (it's from my own book!). Click here to see it. As of May 6, Pokémon Stadium 2 was the #1 video game rental. As of May 6, Pokémon was 7th on the Lycos search database. Rumors say that more 'shiny' Pokémon, like Gyarados and Magikarp from Neo 3, will appear in Neo 4 (to see a Togepi card from Neo 4, click here). Pokémon Crystal's release has been advanced to July 30. The new top priced Pokémon card in the world is Gold Mewtwo, passing up Base Set 1 Charizard with a $260 tag on E-bay. The newest major Pokémon website site is up: http://www.pokemon2001.com. It has all the latest info on the fourth Pokémon movie, but it's in Japanese, but on the other hand, it has lots of cool pictures! Neo 4 is on sale in Japan now (see above). CoroCoro Comics in Japan has released a "Shining Mew" promo card (click here to see it). Rumors say that Pokémon #151 will play an important role in the fourth Pokémon movie. I have a picture from the April 21 issue of the pojo.com news: "Black Mewtwo" from Neo 4. Click here to see it! Nintendo has pushed back the date for the Japanese release of its Game Cube from July to September 14. That should also affect the US release. After only 10 days on the screen, Pokémon 3: The Movie has fetched almost 13 million dollars! Get this--some kid named Nick put a Mew decal on his Boy Scout pinewood derby car and won first place! I wonder why I didn't think of that last year. Mike from Taiwan gave pojo.com a scan of the Shining Celebi card from Neo 4 (if you haven't noticed, I'm only putting news up in the order I'm getting it!); click here to see it. The new Scizor promo card for the Pokémon TCG league is here; click here to see it. To see the previous 4 Pokémon TCG league promos, click here. Two more pics on pojo.com: Pokémon TCG 2 for GameBoy promos from AJ (click here) and 3 new Pokémon from Tim (click here). Man, that's the most news I've ever seen in a LONG time!
6.21.01 The first set of GameBoy Advance have sold out (;_;)! Still, there's a silver lining in every cloud, and the silver lining here was that the Target I was looking for GameBoy Advance at was taking reservations for Pokémon Crystal (^_^)! Click here to see the reserve ticket (don't even TRY to counterfeit it; I've electronically voided my scan about 5 times!) and here for a scan of the box! Note: Pokémon Crystal will be compatible with Pokémon Stadium 2.
Ever see something like the picture at right and wanted to buy it? Don't--it's fake. Yes, once again, the criminal mind has succeded in producing a false Pokémon product, but failed to make it convincing enough for moi. Last I knew it was selling on E-bay, but don't look into getting it. Pokémon Green always has, is, and probably always will be a Japan-specific game.
On a lighter note, I saw a snippet from pokemonzeo.com about Pokemon VS, a new, reformatted card expansion of the Pokémon TCG! As far as I know, there are no new rules, but a whole TON of new cards, including 16 NEW gym decks and Elite Four decks, as well as Japan's FIRST 1st Edition cards!!!! Here's a list of some images I have:
7.19.01 Before you read today's news, have you ever wondered how I organize all of the news I put on this site? If so, here's how! Now, back to our regularly scheduled news. According to Glenn at japanime.com, at the end of the fourth Pokémon movie, there is a fifteen-second trailer for the fifth--yes, fifth--Pokémon movie! There is life out there....sorry. Anyway, Pokémon 4 is out in Japan; click here to see some cards with screenshots on them (from hometown.aol.com/willis778/MainframeMyhomepage.html)! The PS2 hard disk is coming out soon. pokemoncrystal.com is out. The Pokémon 3 The Movie VHS/DVD release is August 21; it'll feature an Unown "J" promo card, a Pokémon 4 movie trailer (hopefully, in English), facts about the "To Know the Unown" music video, the new Pokérap, commentary from some filmmakers, various little-known facts about the Unown, a decoder coin, and full-screen format. Pokémon TCG for GameBoy 2 will supposedly be called "Return of the Rockets." Team Rocket takes over the Pokémon card world, and the goal is to collect all 500 cards and beat all eight trainer clubs. It'll probably have the cards from between Base 1 and Gym 2. Here's a description of Pokémon Crystal (to be released August 1) from nintendo.com and some pictures: Olivine battle tower, Ruins of Alph, and Unown. There will be an infrared port adapter for GBA. And, last but not least, the chances of finding a shiny Pokémon in Gold/Silver is 1:655361! (Not counting that one Gyarados.)
8.12.01 Not much happened while I was on vacation. There'll be a new Pokémon CD out on Oct. 9: "Pokémon Christmas Bash". I guess it'll have Pokémon versions of classic Christmas songs (you know, like "Here Comes Santa Jynx"). The Brooklyn Museum of Art is now showing 12 pieces of art from well-known Animes like Sailor Moon, DBZ, and Pokémon. Check out more info at brooklynmuseum.org. Pokémon Stadium 2 was holding steady at #5 on the top rentals list as of 8/10. Pokémon is coming to nationwide Six Flags theme parks. Click here for times and locations. The Pokémon TCG Southern Islands set is out. It includes 18 cards (6 reverse holos), 6 postcards, 3 recent booster packs, and 9 card sleeves, all in a 3-ring wrap-around binder (see the pictures). That's all for now!
9.01.01 Not much here today. From pokemon.com: Over 150 Poké-fans packed themselves into a makeshift statium at the Boys and Girls Club of Hollywood to watch the daughters of world-famous boxers Muhammad Ali and Smokin' Joe Frazier, Laila and Jacqui, duke it out on Pokémon Stadium. Ali won the first two minigames, but Frazier surprised the crowd with a come-from-behind minigame series win and a victory at the "Ultimate Battle" to secure her the victory! Following, Nintendo made a five thousand dollar donation to the Boys and Girls Club of Hollywood. From wizards.com/pokemon: Starting this month, the Pokémon Trading Card Game Tour and Super Trainer Showdown quailfiers will be traveling to various places around the country. Check the link for more. (You can't be older than 14 to enter the STS). That's it!
9.10.01 A bit of news here. The Pokémon Mini will be coming out in Japan soon. The approximately 6-centimeter-wide unit looks slightly similar to the Pocket Pikachu units, with a few exceptions. One is that the unit has cartridges that come with it. Another is the buttons. On the top, there's a grey button, but don't ask me what it does. On the right side, there's a button called 'C', and on the bottom of the unit there's a bulge that goes out from the unit about less than a centimeter. It'll be 4800 yen in Japan. Europe will see this next year, but there's no release date for the US yet. Click here for screenshots. (From nintendoeye.com). Pokémon is now on Cartoon Network, but the episode or time is unknown. The Pokémon GameBoy Advance game will be released in mid-September 2002, and about six months later for the US. Pokémon 3 The Movie was the top-selling video this past week, and a picture of Harry Potter on a broomstick in a movie scene appeared on the cover of a recent Vanity Fair magazine. Pokémon was the #9 search on Lycos, too, followed by the IRS. Is that sad or what--the IRS on the top 10 Lycos searches?
10.5.01 Some news has come in since my last installment. The delay was mostly due to the terror that hit the United States of America almost one month to date. Finally a reason to agree with President Bush! Still.... Three main companies, Sony, Microsoft, and the video game giant Nintendo, will go head-to-head-to-head with their 128-bit video game powerhouses: Nintendo's GameCube (which sold 300 thousand units by Sept. 20), Microsoft's Xbox, and the current number one 128-bit system, the Sony PlayStation 2. GameCube was to be released on September 14, and did so, though it wasn't as publicized as was expected. Xbox was delayed to November 15. THQ Inc. and Electronic Arts Inc. signed two big names; EA re-signed golf star Tiger Woods, and THQ signed none other than Britney Spears (no offense, but why? and yuk!) to medium-length video game contracts. A special Pokémon episode will be released. Supposedly titled "Mewtwo Returns," it's main plot is Ash & friends supposedly stumble upon an island in a volcanic lake in Johto, where Mewtwo is living, and a battle with an actually COMPETENT Team Rocket member ensues (click here or here for screenshots). It is supposedly to be released in December of this year. Also, a new Birthday Pikachu was released recently. Although Topps, the renowned baseball card producer, was stumbling in Pokémon related sales, its non-Pokémon related sales boomed, and still on deck are two big theartrical-related productions: Lord of the Rings and Monsters, Inc. cards are on the way. The Harry Potter books are still doing well, placing at numbers 1, 5, and 11 on the USA Today bestsellers list. NFL Showdown 2002, the first Wizards of the Coast TCG and first TCG ever to combine electronic realities with card game play, is on store shelves now. And finally, Pokémon 3 The Movie was 3rd on the DVD top movie list. *Whew*! -_-;;
10.20.01 A bit of news today--click here for my notes. A special Pokémon movie feature will be released straight to VHS and DVD on December 4 in the US. In the feature, the Team Rocket boss discovers Mewtwo's hiding place and sets a trap to try to catch him. Ash and his friends get caught up in this, and try to save Mewtwo from Team Rocket. It'll cost $14.95 for the VHS, and $19.98 for the DVD. The Pokémon Johto League Championships TV series debuted as Kids WB's #1 TV show. Pokémon 3 The Movie was the 10th best-selling video as of my last check. DBZ had videos at numbers 2, 3, 4, and 5 on that list. Toys 'R' Us sold out of preorders for Nintendo's GameCube 128-bit video game machine in a record 4 minutes (tell me if you've heard of a quicker sellout of anything)! And to cap it off for today, the third Neo Pokémon TCG expansion, Neo Revelation, will be released within weeks, and will have 64 cards, 3 or 6 of which will be the three legendary cards.
