As we noted yesterday, Pokemon Day is drawing ever closer. Right now, it’s two weeks away, and fans are curious about what might be done during the traditional fan-made holiday that The Pokemon Company later turned into an annual event. We say “annual event” because the company also seems to do something on the day to honor the brand and give fans something in return for their loyalty to it. Many are wondering whether a Pokemon Presents will happen, potentially showing off the new games they’re making or getting hints at what may be in the pipeline.
Sadly, we don’t have anything on that outside of rumors. However, we do know of one thing that will happen, and it involves the Empire State Building. The Pokemon Company announced today that a special “lighting event” will happen at the building, where the lights on it will go yellow and blue in honor of the franchise.
The keyword here being “franchise,” because as ComicBook.com noted, The Pokemon Company released a statement saying that this wasn’t just about celebrating the games but the upcoming anime that is about to make its US debut:
“As the first new mainline Pokemon animated series released in over 25 years, Pokemon Horizons: The Series will ring in a new era for Pokemon, with unique characters and stories that will expand and evolve the franchise,” noted Taito Okiura, vice president of marketing at TPCi revealed in the statement. “As we quickly approach the highly anticipated U.S. premiere of the series, we invite Trainers to help us commemorate this major milestone on Pokemon Day with a special lighting at the iconic Empire State Building.”
Oh, but if you can’t make it to the Empire State Building to see the lights in action, the landmark’s various social media pages will be covering the event, so you’ll be able to see it up close while still being far away.
As for the anime they mentioned, it’s the first truly new series not to feature Ash Ketchum in any way. They even did a special version of his partner named “Captain Pikachu” to differentiate the series further. The new main characters, Liko and Roy, have different journeys ahead of them than Ash did, and so far, the response to the series has been positive. New episodes are still coming out in Japan, and that means the West is in for a treat when it debuts on Pokemon Day on Netflix!
