Location: Orange County, California, USA
Hobbies: All things Pokémon (but mostly TCG), Sci-Fi (Star Wars, Star Trek, etc.), popular animé (DBZ, Gundam, Robotech, Speed Racer, Gigantor [hey I’m old, what can I say?]), Kurosawa samurai flicks.
Favorite Pokémon:
- Cards: Scyther and Dark Alakazam (they look good and make an awesome combo too)
- Games: Never really got too far with it, but I like Sandslash. Also like Pokémon Pinball too.
- TV Show: Tracy’s Scyther, a noble warrior who’s not as fickle as Ash’s Charizard…
Personal comments:
I’ve always loved Japanese animation since I was a kid and watched shows like “Speed Racer”, “Kimba the White Lion”, “Gigantor”, and many others (even “Thunderbirds” which is not even anime, but helps to verify my age). I fell away from it during high school, but then along came “Robotech” and rekindled my interest in what they now call “anime”. I now watch “Dragon
Ball Z”, “Gundam Wing”, and even “Sailor Moon”, “Digimon” & “Monster Rancher” on occasion.
My daughters & I got started watching the “Pokémon” TV show first on the day it began airing in America, and it turned out to be a really great way to help them get up for school (you should see ’em hop out of bed when the alarm clock rings). I watched it with them and found that I began enjoying the humor and action as much as the kids were. Even my wife who isn’t as crazy as I am about cartoons began enjoying it.
We then got interested in the GameBoy and TCG, so when PokéMania hit full stride we were well ahead of the pack. I started checking out websites like Pojo and Psylum’s PokéGym to find out more about the card game and realized that it’s more than just a “little kids game with shiny cards”. The strategies and tactics that go into building a good deck and playing it well are something that keep the game fresh and interesting and I think will serve into keeping it alive for many years to come. Also, it’s fun to play with the kids and to help show them how to behave socially with good manners (I’ve seen more than one kid “straighten up” since attending the Pokémon League where I play).
Remember, it’s just a game. Play happy!