The Detective Pikachu franchise is easily one of the more unique things that The Pokemon Company has crafted from their pocket monsters series. It’s true that Pikachu is the most popular Pokemon of the bunch and that fans are always up for seeing more of him in new and exciting ways, but this spinoff series takes the cake. After all, they basically made him an “adult” who also happens to be a detective, complete with a deep voice and a deep love of coffee. Yet, for one reason or another, the franchise has done well and recently had a game release on the Nintendo Switch.
However, we’re not specifically talking about the game right now. Instead, we’re talking about a special short movie that The Official Pokemon YouTube Channel released today called “Detective Pikachu & The Mystery of the Missing Flan.” Yes, they’re really doing something called that, okay? In it, Detective Pikachu is doing a video when Tim Goodman realizes that the flan he was hoping to have for breakfast has been eaten. Naturally, he accuses his partner, but it wasn’t him. So they look at the clues and suspects around them, including a Munchlax who happened to be in the room, and see who did it.
We won’t spoil the ending, but we’ll admit it’s kind of clever how it all comes together. Plus, the movie does look rather crisp. In fact, it looks more crisp than the recent video game due to the engine it’s in. Maybe they’ll use that same engine to make more videos like this in the future. Only time will tell.
It’s not surprising that they would do something like this. After all, they’re doing this as a kind of promotion to remind fans to check out Detective Pikachu Returns on Nintendo Switch, which is out now. It didn’t get the greatest reviews, but it also wasn’t a game made for “every fan” of the franchise. It’s for those who don’t mind some silly adventures and mysteries in a world filled with Pokemon.
The sequel was a long time coming, even years after the live-action adaptation of the property that did well in theaters. Pikachu and Tim are still in Rime City, and they’re working together to figure out all-new mysteries while also trying to figure out what happened to Tim’s father.
While it’s not as successful as other parts of the franchise, the game’s development team has stated that they would love to do a third game.
