Pokémon And The Globalisation Of Anime

There has been an exponential growth in Japanese animated cartoons, known as anime, since its foundation of manga dating back to the early twentieth century. Anime has dramatically influenced the globe and has changed the way people of all ages view and understand Japanese culture. It caters to all different demographics, behaviours and backgrounds due to its diverse range of genres and its influence from Westernised culture. With the popular animated media having well over 10,000 entrie, this independent art form plays a large role in multiculturalism and has a prominent place in our interconnected globe. This reflection will explore how anime has globalised the television and entertainment industry through semiotics and integrated marketing and how it became a significant part of popular culture using Pokémon, which is a depiction of a multi-media intertextuality, as a case study.

Growing up as a Vietnamese girl, born and raised in Australia, it is safe to say that I have taken grown up around a multitude of phenomenons considered to be part of Asian popular culture. From watching Korean soap operas in primary school, to having all my clothes covered in Hello Kitty’s face, my cultural background and upbringing has played a huge part as to why I am so familiar with all things considered to be Asian popular culture. Although, one facet that has stuck with me since I was able to formulate memories is none other than the amazing world of Pokémon. From collecting every stuffed toy from claw machines and street festivals, to playing every game released on devices starting from the beloved Gameboy, this adventurous trading game and all its associated marketing has and is still a huge part of my life. So much of my time revolved around these animated pocket monsters and it was not until I brought my first Pokémon Emerald game to school back in 2006 that I realised I was the only one who knew who Pikachu was. When it comes to Pokémon, people are either completely aware and have been following the game and series, or are completely puzzled by what is taking the world and internet by storm today. There are many factors which would affect this shock such as demographic and geolocation at the time, however it ponders me how now everyone today can recognise the iconic yellow mouse and much more.

Globalisation of anime has made Pokémon one of Japan’s largest successors in spreading its culture and one factor that catalysed this was the rise of their television series. Dating back in 1996, Pokémon was designed to be catered to children, with their cute characters that would appeal to that demographic. So, it puts into question, how did this global operation spread into the larger entertainment industry and become a global sensation? Moving from East Asia to westernised locations all over the world like America, Australia and Europe, Pokémon has successfully sold itself in huge markets. Starting off as a computer game with Nintendo, its success spun into an anime television series which remains ongoing. From its debut on Japanese television, Pokémon is translated and being broadcasted in over 160 countries worldwide. Over the years, the series has proven to be a smart and cunning marketing technique for the original games – a prime example of integrated marketing. Many different markets would benefit from the promotion of the new games and new monsters through the series. With each season released about a different Pokémon region, this lead to more stuffed toys, figurines, Pokémon cards, regional books, clothes, stickers and countless other merchandise. This range of licensed goods would cater to the diverse range of fans of the series, since with such a broad apparel, smaller groups can be targeted like boys, girls, children, teens and adults.

Semiotics is a huge catalyst in the fast production and popularity of Pokémon. It is the interpretation of signs based on our own experiences. Culture provides a way of understanding the world and through this, it is semiotics which helps us determine how popular culture becomes meaningful. With all the merchandise constantly being released, any consumer’s choice on what to purchase is being driven by emotions and subconscious perceptions. This symbolic communication ties in heavily with what consumers want to buy based on the brand’s marketing. Pokémon has used this to their advantage by separating themselves from stereotypical video games. They have evolved themselves to be influenced by culture rather than just responding to it. An example of this is Niantic’s Pokémon Go, launched in 2016, which has over one billion downloads worldwide. This augmented reality adventure game that was mobile accessible changed what stereotypical gaming culture mean. Pokémon Go is interactive in that it motivates players to explore and catch virtual reality creatures on their adventures, where they can battle and trade with other players. It merged the active and health-conscious society with Pokémon fans and therefore created a new meaning to ‘gaming.’ Consumers had a new interpretation of the game and this further developed the Pokémon brand. It continues to spread Japanese, gaming, and anime culture and in turn, becomes more and more globalised.

Pokémon today continues to expand around the world due to its devious marketing, branding, and manipulation of semiotics which leads to globalisation from eastern to western culture. Its international presence has bled to billions of consumers with their large apparel of licensed merchandise, video games, mobile games and anime television series. Creating a market which caters to all demographics increases their popularity and ability to be spread around the globe. From starting as a black and white game on one of Nintendo’s earlier models to becoming a billion-dollar company which has won the hearts of their consumers, Pokémon has undoubtedly taken the world and the internet by storm using tactics of semiotics and accommodation.