Do you really wanna catch 'em all

yes...we all had them...the cards, at least 2 of the games, and every thing that comes with it.i had a extraordinarily small collection of 174 cards,Achint had 600 and above.But is it really woorth all the hype.they have been made in 1995.its 2007 and the worlds second largest game/comic book/movie franchise still holds all the young.and the the moderately old.here are some wikipedia ideas that amused me.but the thing that gets me the most is.... i havent used the word until now in this post. :P POKEMON

can you believe it.!!!!!!???



Criticism
Main article: Criticism of Pokémon

Racism

The original black-skinned Jynx design and source of the controversy.This original design of the Pokémon Jynx bore a striking, but possibly coincidental, resemblance to entertainers in blackface. A strong case can be made for Jynx being a parody of or homage to the Japanese Ganguro and Yamanba fashion trends, which were extremely popular when Pokémon was first released. Blackface-influenced characters have appeared elsewhere in anime and manga - examples can be found near the beginning of Osamu Tezuka's early graphic novel, Metropolis and also can be found with Dragon Ball Z's Mr. Popo.

As Pokémon became more popular in the United States, this perceived similarity to a racist image from the United States' past offended some. In particular, it offended children's book author Carole Boston Weatherford, who accused Jynx of being a racist stereotype in an article titled "Politically Incorrect Pokémon" in the magazine Black World Today, shortly after the anime episode Holiday Hi-Jynx aired.[citation needed] As a result, later episodes of the anime which feature Jynx were either banned or edited in the United States.

In 2002, in response to this controversy, Nintendo changed Jynx's face from black to purple and its hands from blue to purple in the video game series, a change which would be reflected in the anime three years later.


Animal cruelty
The primary mechanism of Pokémon has been compared to the generally-outlawed practice of cockfighting.[21] Seen from this point of view, the game consists primarily of Pokémon trainers capturing and bartering in wild animals, coercing them to fight one another, and also features various performance-enhancing drugs to give them an edge in the fight. Some people believe that this may encourage children to commit acts of animal cruelty and illegal gambling.[22]

In spite of these allegations, Pokémon maintains a fan base that views the battling as a friendly competition between two teams of Pokémon and their trainers. Seen in this light, Pokémon are not being coerced to battle by their trainers. There are references to some Pokémon being territorial (e.g. Pidgeotto[23]), but it is vastly different to the aggressively territorial nature of roosters, who will maim the "enemy" rooster until it or the other dies. Furthermore, trainers do not relish the idea of allowing two animals (or, in this case, Pokémon) to fight to the death while merely viewing from the edge of the "ring"; rather, Pokémon trainers are usually depicted as fighting alongside their Pokémon and providing moral support, not simply issuing commands for them to follow. In addition to all of the above, Pokémon do not actually die from battle; they either "faint" or are otherwise made unable to battle.

In both the games and the anime, the audience is taught that fighting is not necessarily a means to an end, and those who would rather fight than compromise are often portrayed in a negative light. Furthermore, the use Pokémon for selfish or "evil" purposes is frowned upon, and organizations such as Team Rocket, which is often depicted using Pokémon solely for personal (and usually monetary) gain, are generally considered villains.


Health
Main article: Banned episodes of Pokémon

One frame of the scene that caused the seizures.On December 16, 1997, more than 635 Japanese children were admitted to hospitals with convulsive epileptic seizures. It was determined that the seizures were caused by watching an episode of Pokémon, "Dennō Senshi Porygon," (most commonly translated "Electric Soldier Porygon", season 1, episode 43); as a result, this episode has not been aired since. In this particular episode, there were bright explosions with rapidly-alternating blue and red color patterns.[24] It was determined in subsequent research that these strobing light effects cause some individuals to have epileptic seizures, even if the person had no previous history of epilepsy. As a consequence, many publishers (including Nintendo) added warning labels to their video game products (or made pre-existing labels more prominent), warning that exposure to video games may trigger seizures in individuals vulnerable to photosensitive epilepsy.

This incident is the most common focus of Pokémon-related parodies in other media, and was lampooned by The Simpsons episode "Thirty Minutes over Tokyo"[25] and the South Park episode "Chinpokomon," among others.



ahhhhhhhhhh the joblessness of people in this world......