RIP Tomo Sakurai (1971-2025)

It is with great sadness I report the death if Tomo Sakurai, who has succumbed to cancer at age 53. The news was broken on her social feeds.

Sakurai's career began in the year 1987 with the idol group Lemon Angel, who debuted an anime that same year. She starred in numerous anime throughout her life, with a big one among younger generations being the Japanese voice of Sinnoh champion Cynthia in the Pokémon franchise. She even reprised the role a number of times; after a voice acting hiatus from 2016 to 2019. Other roles included the title role of Licca-Chan, Hinowa in Gintama and Kaede in Grandpa and Grandma Turn Young Again. She even had a handful of video game credits to her name, including Rimururu in Samurai Showdown III and Emma Granger in Super Dimension Fortress Macross.

I wish the best for Sakurai's colleagues and those close to her at this difficult time. May she rest in peace.

Pokémon Legends Z-A Countdown: 60 Days Remaining

Hey everyone- now that I'm back from my father's in CA (getting an Incineroar Amiibo and trying the Switch 2 during my visit to Nintendo SF); I will start with something simple to get back into posting: counting down 60 days remaining to the highly anticipated Pokémon Legends Z-A.

Courtesy: The Pokémon Company

As part of this weekend's Championship in Anaheim, a playable demo was made available; which filled all its reservations in just a single day. The demo was split into two sections of 10 minutes each. One focuses on the Z-A Royale, the other has the player tracking Zygarde 10% before engaging a rogue Mega Absol.

Both do a great job of showing off the new real-time battle mechanics; building on what was done in Legends Arceus. Rather than power points, each attack now is on a small cooldown that helps avoid spamming the same move repeatedly and encourages variety. I sincerely like this idea; and it builds on combat mechanics in and out of the franchise. It's actually not exaggerating when I say it reminds me of Souls-like titles in a good way; especially with the dodge rolls and stagger windows. I can now officially say it has less to do with the battles in Xenoblade and more with ones in Persona and the Ryu Ga Gotoku games.

Though I am not certain if the demo will be made available to all players ahead of the game's release; I am certain I will be preordering the game as soon as I have the money. That is all for now, and I will see you again soon- take care.

Pokémon Presents 7-22-25 Thoughts.

Hey everyone- have had a solid idea of what to say since the stream Tuesday morning; and now I've figured out how to say it. Here are my thoughts on this month's Pokémon Presents.

After a quick refresher on the PWC in Anaheim, CA taking place August 15-17, we are given a trailer for the second season of Pokémon Concierge streaming on Netflix starting on September 4. Though I am not sure what impact the ex-lover of Haru, Ken will have on the story; I can say that I'm looking forward to it as a fan of the first season (it also understands the Pokémon world from an adult perspective way better than Horizons does).

On that subject, we got a first look at the stop-motion spinoff from Aardman (Wallace and Gromit, Chicken Run, The Pirates: Band of Misfits), now entitled "Pokémon Tales: The Misadventures of Sirfetch'd and Pichu." Releasing in 2027, the spinoff will also feature fan-favorite Wooloo in stop-motion.

While there is no expansion for Super Nintendo World (yet), there is a smaller scale PokéPark Kanto coming to Inagi in early 2026. The approach is actually very sweet, and I really like the arrangements of the classic music.

Now, onto the many announcements surrounding the video games. There are a number of additions to the mobile service games; with the standouts being Eternatus coming to Pokémon Go, Carmine coming to Pokémon Masters EX and Latios and Latias coming to Pokémon UNITE (With the Pawmot line joining in the near future as well).

Regarding the trading card game, Mega Evolution will be returning in a new set that will ship on September 26 of this year. There is no date for Colosseum/Gale of Darkness on Gamecube Classics (yet), but there is a new spinoff that debuted on mobile and Switch after the presentation- Pokémon Friends, which revolves around solving puzzles to get daily rewards.

We also have a reminder of the recent Switch 2 update for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet (which has vastly improved the games' reputation); and some new events. We have new tracksuit cosmetics that correspond to each game, which can be claimed with the Mystery Gift codes STRACKSU1T and VTRACKSU1T. There also mass outbreaks and Tera Raids for shiny forms of the Treasures of Ruin, currently in progress. Once the titans have been defeated 1,000,000 times each; they can be captured.

Pokémon Champions will also be releasing on console and mobile next year; and I am lowkey excited for this one as a longtime fan of the Pokémon Stadium duology- it's like the third game from that I never got.

Now, it's time for the biggest reveal for myself and others have been waiting for- more details on the highly-anticipated Pokémon Legends Z-A. It seems in many respects, the leaks and rumors were true- we do indeed have a Mega Evolution for Dragonite; and I rather like the design. Character customization is back, and while I'm not entirely onboard with Mabel acting in the stead of Professor Sycamore; I am onboard with Emma returning as a detective. Allies include Team MZ, containing the fashion-conscious Naveen and aspiring dancer Lida. I am eager to see what role the Rust Syndicate and their leader, Corbeau play in the game. Suffice to say, I definitely plan to place my preorder once I have the money.

I'm actually kind of glad they didn't tip their hand with 30th anniversary plans yet; and I will bring you more information as it becomes available. That's all for now, take care and seek out all Pokémon.

Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road delayed to November 13.

(sighs) I was really hoping I was done with this. Just coming off house-sitting ahead of seeing my father and the next round of dentistry. City the Animation and New Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt just started; as did the next course of Sakamoto Days. I even had myself all hyped for the next Pokémon Presents (hoping for more Legends Z-A footage and dates for Colosseum/Gale of Darkness on Gamecube Classics); but leave it to Level-5 to pull out one more yellow card.

That's right- with just under a month left to release, Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road has been pushed from August 21 to November 13. Here is a statement from Level-5 on the matter.

“Due to the content volume exceeding our initial expectations, additional time is required for voice recording, multi-language localization, and other related processes. As we work toward the final stages of development, we have decided to adjust the release date to ensure the best possible quality. The release date of Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road has been changed from August 21, 2025, to November 13, 2025 (GMT)]. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused to all the fans who have been eagerly waiting for a long time, and truly appreciate your understanding and continued support.”

As you can imagine, this news once again fills me with mixed feelings. On one hand, this last delay can help the game avoid an uncharacteristically crowded launch month (including Gears Reloaded, Snake Eater Delta, Mafia the Old Country, Kirby and the Forgotten Land on Switch 2, and my primary target, Shinobi Art of Vengeance). On the other, this sends the game directly into an even more crowded fall window (including Ghost of Yotei, Ninja Gaiden 4, Digimon Story: Time Stranger, Outer Worlds 2, the HD2D remakes of the first two Dragon Quest games and especially Pokémon Legends Z-A). 

I'm not the only person who's invoked comparisons to Duke Nukem Forever or Beyond Good and Evil 2; and it's admittedly not hard to be concerned. Here's hoping that this last quarter of a year can put the last coat of polish on this game, so don't unlace your cleats just yet. Might not be a huge fan; but even I want this game to succeed amid all the setbacks and delays, just like Fantasy Life did. That's all for now, take care.

PS: Go see the new Superman, it really is that good.

Pokémon Legends Z-A Countdown- 90 Days Remaining

Hey everyone- with 90 days remaining to the release of Pokémon Legends Z-A; I thought I would expand upon points I have mentioned ahead of next week's Pokémon Presents livestream; and correct a few misconceptions I keep seeing.

Courtesy: Nintendo/The Pokémon Company/Game Freak

First off, this game isn't a spinoff- it is canon to the main games; as shown with the presence of characters and mechanics from previous titles. This is also the case with Legends Arceus. I also don't think the size of the map will be a problem, as I've played titles with similarly-sized ones before. Lastly, I do not see the similarities to Xenoblade as someone who isn't a fan of that franchise. Honestly reminded way more of SMT/Persona, which is a very good thing.

Now, let's expand on ideas that I've been wanting to for a while. I am curious to see what role Quasartico plays, especially if there are ulterior motives in their "urban redevelopment plan." Having said motives for urban development and profiting off it is certainly not a stretch these days. The presence of characters and ideas from X and Y does tell me those games are still canon.

Gameplay-wise, I am still eager to see how the real-time combat system fares. Given how this is a first-party Nintendo title with all that comes with it; it will indeed be the ideal game to send off this era of the franchise. Some are claiming this is a "make or break" moment, and I would respond "is it though?" Even with the launch kerfuffle, the Switch 2 will be cementing the redemption arc for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. I keep hearing this game was going to be out a year ago, before the SV launch and all its fixes. So, it was likely an internal delay.

That will be all for now, and I will see you after the Pokémon Presents next week. Take care, and seek out all Pokémon.

James Carter Carthcart Dies at age 71.

This is not the update I originally intended, but it must be addressed. It is with great sadness I report the death of James Carter Carthcart; who has succumbed to throat cancer at age 71. The news was broken by his family on his social feeds. His illness was the key factor in his retirement, but the news nonetheless comes as a shock.

James had a long career, which included voice director, script adaptor and pianist. His best known voice acting role was Gary Oak in the Pokémon franchise; with him being the only actor to keep the role throughout the show's original 25-year run. He also took over voicing for Professor Samuel Oak, James and Meowth from Battle Frontier onward; alongside a host of supporting characters.

As a longtime fan of the man and his work, I wish the best for James' family; friends and colleagues at this difficult time. May he rest in peace.

Cyberpunk Edgerunners to Receive Sequel Anime and Prequel Manga.

Hey fellas- going to be mainly working on writing bigger projects I've been working on a while this month; so here's a quick update on something I'm looking forward to.

As revealed at this year's Anime Expo, the highly-acclaimed hit anime Cyberpunk Edgerunners will receive more content due out next year- both a sequel anime that directly links its events to the source material of the games and a prequel manga centered around fan-favorite character Rebecca. As a big fan of Edgerunners and its source material,  I am looking forward to them both; and I will bring you any further information as it becomes available. That's all for now, and I will see you again later.