Poke Press Digest Podcast-Pokemon Discussions

Anne from Pikapi Podcast helps me discuss the music of Pokemon Conquest for the DS. This quirky crossover gave us a lot to talk about, including instrumentation, Japanese history, and a much more recent Pokémon game. On top of all that, there’s a game discussion after the outro that covers...much of the same. Editor's Note: I state in this episode that One Direction did promotional work specifically for this game. They were brand ambassadors during this time, but I was unable to find a promo for this specific game. Links: Pikapi Podcast: http://pikapipodcast.blogspot.com/ Pokemon Conquest History: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__AMe_WiuoA Poke Casters Network: https://www.pokecastersnetwork.com/

Anne from Pikapi Podcast drops by to discuss the music of PokePark 2: Wonders Beyond for the Wii. This sometimes-forgotten sequel delivers a fresh set of tunes, which have some interesting structural ties to the game. Afterwards, we move on to our feedback section, where we ponder whether the Japanese version of the second movie may have originally had a different credits song, and why having a backup plan is good idea. Finally, there’s a Wonders Beyond game discussion after the outro. Links: Pikapi Podcast: http://pikapipodcast.blogspot.com/ Poke Casters Network: https://www.pokecastersnetwork.com/

In the first segment (1:14-28:42), Anne from Pikapi Podcast drops by to discuss the music of Pokemon Rumble Blast for the 3DS. Like practically everything else in this entry, the soundtrack is an expansion of the original Rumble’s, but that didn't stop us from making some interesting observations. If you want to know what we thought of the game itself, be sure to listen after the outro. Our second segment (29:41-46:19) is a quiz of sorts, where I play disguised versions of voice clips from prior episodes, and Anne tries to guess which of us said it, as well as what we were talking about. Listen closely and see if you can figure it out before she does. Links: Pikapi Podcast: http://pikapipodcast.blogspot.com/ Poke Casters Network: https://www.pokecastersnetwork.com/

In this episode, Anne from Pikapi Podcast joins me to discuss the music of Super Smash Bros. Brawl for the Wii. This entry in the series massively expanded the number of available tracks, so the two of us had to be very picky in narrowing that down. After that topic, we have our feedback section, where I give a detailed explanation of why Pokemon: The First Movie doesn’t look completely uniform, and how that might be... "fixed". Finally, be sure to listen after the outro, where we have a Brawl gameplay discussion, and a preview of our next episode. Links: First Movie Film Size: https://youtube.com/shorts/ftnfxFQKXCA Pikapi Podcast: http://pikapipodcast.blogspot.com/ Poke Casters Network: https://www.pokecastersnetwork.com/

In the first segment (1:22-3:54), I interview Vince Krekeler of Day 2 events, the company that runs many of the regional Pokemon tournaments in the middle of the US. I took this opportunity to talk with him about how things are going for the first full season back from the pandemic, and gave him an opportunity to talk about some of the other events they run. The second segment (4:56-45:45) is a discussion of the music of PokePark Wii: Pikachu's Adventure. Anne from Pikapi Podcast helps me cover the soundtrack of this final fourth generation side game. As you might expect, PokePark's array of environments meant that we got to discuss a wide range of tunes. If you want to know what we thought of the game itself, we examine that after the outro. Links: Day 2 Events: https://www.day2events.com/ Pikapi Podcast: http://pikapipodcast.blogspot.com/ Poke Casters Network: https://www.pokecastersnetwork.com/

Anne from Pikapi Podcast joins me to discuss the music of Pokémon Ranger: Guardian Signs for the DS. This final entry in the trilogy may not change the Ranger formula drastically, but it does come with a wide array of new tunes. As usual, there’s a game discussion after the outro. Links: Pikapi Podcast: http://pikapipodcast.blogspot.com/ Poke Casters Network: https://www.pokecastersnetwork.com/

Anne from Pikapi Podcast drops in to help discuss the music of Pokemon Rumble. This WiiWare title is definitely meatier than My Pokemon Ranch in terms of gameplay, and we try to figure out if the soundtrack follows suit. As usual, there's a gameplay discussion after the outro, where among other things we compare Rumble to Pokemon Unite. Links: Pikapi Podcast: http://pikapipodcast.blogspot.com/ Poke Casters Network: https://www.pokecastersnetwork.com/

The first segment (1:14-9:00) contains a pair of voice actor interviews from Anime Milwaukee 2023*. Listen in as Suzie Yeung and Leah Clark share their experiences working on Pokemon. If you'd like to know more about what I did at the convention, look for a link in the episode description. The second segment (9:58-43:30) is a discussion of the music of Pokemon Ranger: Shadows of Almia. Anne from Pikapi Podcast drops by to help me cover the middle entry in this sub-series. Of course, this title is also known for its mechanical changes, and you'll hear us talk about those in the game discussion after the outro. *A press pass was provided for this event. Links: Anime Milwaukee: https://animemilwaukee.org/ Recap Livestream: https://youtube.com/live/n4FETjHWKnc?feature=share Pikapi Podcast: http://pikapipodcast.blogspot.com/ Poke Casters Network: https://www.pokecastersnetwork.com/

In the first segment (1:15-24:18), Anne from Pikapi Podcast joins me to discuss the music of My Pokemon Ranch for the Wii. While it might be light in...a lot of areas, this title still had enough material for us to make some observations. As usual, there's a game discussion after the outro. Our second segment (25:22-49:32) is a round of Pokemon music trivia. Anne tests her knowledge against a quiz covering the games, anime, and more! If you'd like to give it a try, there’s a link in the episode description. Links: My Pokemon Ranch Events: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyfoExH6WZM First Movie music discussion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9yA8pz0KJw Quiz (link expires Feb. 11th 2023): https://kahoot.it/challenge/06930407?challenge-id=017e545f-e59d-4c87-8159-5a7fcf813ac6_1673828170532 Pikapi Podcast: http://pikapipodcast.blogspot.com/ Poke Casters Network: https://www.pokecastersnetwork.com/

Anne from Pikapi Podcast drops by to discuss the music of Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time, Darkness, and Sky. This second set of games from the beloved side series features another boatload of tunes, which we try our best to cover, even if we couldn't possibly get to every song we wanted. That said, we do make sure to talk about the game's characters and story, which you’ll hear about in the game discussion after the outro. Links: Pikapi Podcast: http://pikapipodcast.blogspot.com/ Poke Casters Network: https://www.pokecastersnetwork.com/

Anne from Pikapi Podcast joins me to discuss the music of Pokemon Battle Revolution for the Wii. This follow-up to Genius Sonority's GameCube titles has a number of venues with a diverse set of tunes, plus an announcer to boot. It may also have some shortcomings due to being released early in the system’s life. As usual, if you want to know what we thought of the game itself, there's a bonus segment after the outro. Links: Pikapi Podcast: http://pikapipodcast.blogspot.com/ Pam Sheyne Interview: http://pokepress.blogspot.com/2015/08/songwriter-interview-pam-sheyne.html Poke Casters Network: https://www.pokecastersnetwork.com/

In the first segment(1:18-21:20), I interview Michael Haigney, a localizer for early seasons of the Pokemon anime. We talk about his career in entertainment, what the process of adapting an anime is like, and a few of his other experiences. Don't forget to check out his podcast, Original Pokeman. The second segment (22:35-26:14) is an archival interview with Kyle Hebert. Originally recorded at Anime Milwaukee 2014 (a press pass was provided for that event), I asked him about his recent role as Professor Oak in the Pokemon Origins mini-series. Kyle was more than happy to explain how he approached voicing the character, and we hope you'll find it as interesting as we did. Links: Original Pokeman Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/original-pok%C3%A9man/id1615998907 Anime Milwaukee: https://animemilwaukee.org/ Poke Casters Network: https://www.pokecastersnetwork.com/

In this episode, Anne from Pikapi Podcast joins me to examine what can be heard behind the vocals of various Pokemon songs. "A Small Thing", "Polkamon", “Blah, Blah, Blah", and several others all get a close listen in this discussion. We may not have found any secret messages, but it does shine light on some interesting aspects of these tunes, and we think you'll find it revealing as well. Links: Pikapi Podcast: http://pikapipodcast.blogspot.com/ Poke Casters Network: https://www.pokecastersnetwork.com/ Alternate Version of "Blah, Blah, Blah": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4TxNgk8wP4

In this episode, Anne from Pikapi Podcast drops by to discuss some of the songs from Pokémon 25: The Album. In addition to the tracks themselves, we cover the release strategy, music videos, and whether these songs would work with Secrets of the Jungle. Links: Pikapi Podcast: http://pikapipodcast.blogspot.com/ Poke Casters Network: https://www.pokecastersnetwork.com/

In this episode, I interview James "D Train" Williams. While many of you will know him as a co-performer of the original PokeRap, it turns out he’s actually had a very extensive career, both as a lead singer and a backup artist. For even more stories, be sure to listen after the outro. Links: D-Train's Website: http://theofficialdtrain.com/

In this second part of our "Secrets of the Jungle" discussion, we cover the score of the film, and our thoughts on the movie itself. In the process, we revisit a song from a previous Pokemon movie, and make some observations about scientists in the franchise’s recent cinematic outings-there's definitely a pattern. Links: Pikapi Podcast: http://pikapipodcast.blogspot.com/ Poke Casters Network: https://www.pokecastersnetwork.com/

In this first part of our "Secrets of the Jungle" discussion, Anne from Pikapi Podcast helps me go over the movie’s six songs. It’s a lot of material to navigate, but we manage to cover all of them, including comparing the ones that are different between the Japanese and Western versions. So…maybe it's really ten songs then. In any event, we had a lot of fun with this one, and we hope you do too. Links: Pikapi Podcast: http://pikapipodcast.blogspot.com/ Poke Casters Network: https://www.pokecastersnetwork.com/

This episode features a series of interviews from Anime Milwaukee 2022. My first convention in two years, it gave me an opportunity to talk with voice actors from the across the franchise. Characters like Dr. Zed, Detective Decker, and Karen are all represented. If you still want more, you’ll find some outtakes at the end. A press pass was provided for this event. Links: Anime Milwaukee: https://animemilwaukee.org/ Recap Livestream: https://youtu.be/ihZyNvdq3Po

In this episode, Anne from Pikapi Podcast drops by to discuss the music of Pokemon Ranger for the Nintendo DS. This final side game of generation three is best known for its touchscreen mechanics, but we manage to get quite a bit out of its varied soundtrack. To find out what we thought of the game itself, and hear even more about audio cassettes, be sure to listen after the outro. Links: Pikapi Podcast: http://pikapipodcast.blogspot.com/ First Movie music discussion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9yA8pz0KJw Poke Casters Network: https://www.pokecastersnetwork.com/

In this episode, Anne from Pikapi Podcast joins me to talk about the music of Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Red & Blue Rescue Team. These initial entries in Pokemon's most successful side series have a number of interesting facets, including being the only side games with a full-on remake, which adds a third version to every tune. Luckily, the two of us are more than up to the task of covering this soundtrack. If you still need more though, we have the usual game discussion after the outro. Links: Pikapi Podcast: http://pikapipodcast.blogspot.com/ Poke Casters Network: https://www.pokecastersnetwork.com/