Q. When and how did you first discover and become an advocate for Pokémon?
A. My earliest memory of Pokémon was the commercial for the Tamogachi-like virtual Pikachu (1998-99). I thought it was very cute, but I didn't know anything else about it. Substituting in elementary schools, I then learned about the controversy over Pokémon, and while I was not seeing the connection between the rumors and such cute creatures, being an animal lover, I was admittedly concerned about the battle aspect. I decided to do some research by sitting down and watching some (first season) episodes. I quickly discovered for myself what Pokémon was really all about (friendship, determination, etc.), namely the love for one's Pokémon that quickly took the place of any reservations I had about Pokémon battles. Later, while I was teaching at a summer program (1999), I caught a glimpse of a very cute Vaporeon card a student had asked his art teacher (who knew nothing about Pokémon) to draw - as I was the computer teacher, I decided to draw Pokémon on the computer for the kids which became very popular (an early version of Oekaki I suppose). By the time I began teaching in preschool (which also included K and older students [2000]), I noticed that the controversy regarding Pokémon had already spread throughout the school and I often found myself clashing with other teachers. Frustrated, I created this site to reach other fans in hopes of dispelling the misconceptions about Pokémon. I dropped off slightly during the Johto years (like other fans I've heard from, and once the misconceptions slowed), but resumed my interest after seeing the epic stories during the Master Quest season (Lugia, Red Gyarados) - and a terrible (and uneducated) review of the 5th movie! - at which time I quit teaching (for other reasons also), resurrected the site, and have been actively defending Pokémon ever since. After all these years, Pokémon still remains one of my favorite things in the world.

Q. What other animé do you like besides Pokémon?
A. The first animé I became interested in was Sailor Moon in 1997. My husband Alan and I also enjoyed Hamtaro (2002) and later IGPX (2006), for the brief time they were on television. We are also huge fans of The Prince of Tennis, that we began watching in 2006 when it first aired in the U.S., and is our favorite next to Pokémon.


Q. Do you like any other trading card/battle/monster-based characters/games/animé?
A. Nope, just Pokémon.


Q. Who are your favorite Pokémon?
A. Besides Pikachu (of course!) and Bayleef, it's so so hard to pick favorites between the Pokémon I've raised in the games, Pokémon my hubby and I love from the animé, and there just being so many...I love them all!


Q. Who is your favorite Pokémon (human) animé character?
A. Our hero Ash, of course. His strength, courage, compassion, determination, and unwavering love for his Pokémon never cease to amaze me; he has matured so beautifully, overcoming and enduring so much, yet with an innocence that continues to shine through the most trying of circumstances.


Q. What are your favorite Pokémon games?
A. Pokémon Ranger: Shadows of Almia is my favorite, followed by the original Pokémon Ranger and Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness (I can't think of any RPG stories I enjoyed more than these three; also the Ranger series has the deepest characters of any Pokémon games). Pokémon Red will always be special because it was the first Pokémon game I played.


Q. Do you play any other video games besides Pokémon?
A. Not really; I don't have a lot of time to play. Although, I did used to play Super Mario Bros. games back in the day, and as a child of the 80s, I have an interest in classic arcade games.


Q. What is your favorite Pokémon movie?
A. "Giratina and the Sky Warrior" (movie 11) - despite all the torment Ash endured from that *darling* little Shaymin, he never stopped trying to help Shaymin and ended up being the one who would miss Shaymin most of all when they parted.


Q. Do you follow any Pokémon character shippings? Do you write fan fiction?
A. Like a lot of fans, I started out as a Pokeshipper/Kantoshipper (Ash+Misty), until Ash and Misty parted as literally 'best friends'. I now mainly follow Orangeshipping (Misty+Tracey...love those Chronicles episodes!), as well as Contestshipping (May+Drew) and Eldershipping (Ash's Mom+Professor Oak). I also like the concept of Liveshipping (the possibility that Ash's Mom and Giovanni had a past and that Giovanni could be Ash's father! Very 'Days of Our Lives!'). I'm definitely not a Rocketshipper (James is gay, and we like him that way!) As for our hero Ash, I personally think he's too involved with battling and earning badges to really be involved in any serious shippings... however, I do like the idea of Ash and Angie (Pokémon Summer Academy episodes; Summerschoolshipping?) together...someone who can be his friend and even his rival first, and perhaps something more later? Of course, I think there will always be something between Ash and Misty (he sure is protective of that lure¹)! So far, the only shipping I've seriously sat down and written about is Orangeshipping (not posted; please don't ask). And I'm not even sure if this shipping has a name, but I knew there was something between Ollie and Elaine (Pokémon Ranger: Shadows of Almia), so I was thrilled when they got married in the extra mission "For the Bride and Shaymin."


Q. You mentioned that you are a writer inspired by Pokémon. How has Pokémon influenced your writing?
A. I actually began writing the Oak Branch Woods series of novels because of the severe lack of well-told animal stories during the 1990s in my opinion, and wanted to tell about the exploitation of animals by humans, as well as those people who protect them. When I later discovered Pokémon, I saw an even greater emphasis on the bond between humans and Pokémon, which parallelled the same bond between humans and animals in our world. Not only do these themes featured on Pokémon inspire me to continue writing, but it's also nice to be able to sit back and enjoy some of the best animal stories I've ever seen. Also, aside from the similarities I've found in the Pokémon and in the stories I write, one of the things I like most about Pokémon is that the concept behind it is beyond anything I would have ever dreamed of (a trait of many of the things I admire most) - a world where humans and animals (Pokémon) live in harmony, yet is centered around the sport of battling...and even more amazing is the love and compassion trainers have for their Pokémon, something almost unheard of when animals in our world are used for sport or entertainment.


Q. Is there anything you don't like about Pokémon?
A. Censorship (editing, paint-overs, etc...), self-awareness², and (dubbed) rap.

¹In the DP episode "Buizel Your Way Out of This", while fishing, Ash refused to let Dawn use his Misty lure that she'd given him during his final Battle Frontier challenge.
²Term I generally use for the extremely annoying occurrence in which fictional/animated characters acknowledge that they are fictional and/or animated. On Pokémon, this occurred often in the earliest seasons and then again in Battle Frontier and Diamond & Pearl, usually consisting of on-screen references to current or previous 'seasons', references to the viewing audience (as Pokémon is a non-interactive show), references to animators/writers, acknowledging the length of episodes, 'Diamond and Pearl' puns, and use of the word 'cartoon'. The term originated on Star Trek, and often refers to when holo-characters realize that they are in fact holo-characters (which usually leads to ship-wide malfunctions and havoc!)

Text and artwork copyright © 2000-2010 by Kimberly (RageOfInnocence) Pokémon © Satoshi Tajiri, Nintendo/Creatures, Inc./Game Freak, The Pokémon Company International the beautiful screenshots of Ash, Pikachu, Dawn, and Brock are from the episode "Pokémon! I Choose You!" and Diamond & Pearl opening "High Touch!"/"Stand Up!"

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