Halloween will be coming soon, and it got me wondering in some specific scenes and music dating back to Gen 1.
Lavender Town: the first time I played Pokémon Red, I remember arriving at Lavender Town and instantly connecting with the eerie music
I remember thinking “man, this is totally different from the other parts of Kanto I just visited” but it wasn’t until I entered the tower and saw all of the graves of the Pokémon that had passed away I knew something was off. And back then, I didn’t understand and really didn’t care because I gravitated to darker things and thought it was cool. But now as I’ve gotten older, it makes you wonder what the intention of doing this by putting this in a franchise focused on children. There has to be a deep philosophical meaning to it. At least that’s what I believe. I’ve read the theories online about Lavender Town Syndrome.
Back in Gen 1, after Ash failed miserably at Sabrina’s gym, he was convinced that getting a ghost Pokémon would defeat Sabrina to get the Marsh badge. After finding Haunter, and Haunter taking out Ash and Pikachus soul, whether you see it as a soul or ghost spirit or whateva, you see Ash and Pikachu staring at their bodies seeing they were dead. Again, another topic that I don’t think has been talked about as the purpose as to why they did that. There are theories online that Ash and Pikachu died and that’s why they never age. But you can say the same for most of the characters.
No matter what, there is always an intention when something is said and/or created. When I create, it’s a vehicle of self expression. Where words fail, I leave hidden hints throughout my work in film to convey where my emotions can’t. It’s up to you to decipher what I’m saying.
To me, this is no different. What were the intentions when these elements were added? Did you notice when you played the game and/or watched the anime that this was very random? WHERE IS ASHS DAD?! Thoughts?
In the original Pokemon Red/Blue, when you encounter your rival in Lavender Town he asks whether or not you know what it’s like to have one of you Pokemon die. At this point in the game, he no longer has his Raticate that he used in previous battles. Your rival battle before this took place aboard the S.S. Anne. Your rival’s Raticate sustained serious injuries from the battle… But, because of crowding and confusion on the luxury liner, he was unable to make it to a Pokemon center in time and the Raticate passed away.
The real reason your rival is in Lavender Town to begin with is to lay his deceased friend to rest. Despite all of the, your rival never outwardly tells you that you’re responsible for the death of his Pokemon. He hides his grief and instead channels that energy into the motivation he needed to continue his quest to become Indigo League Champion. The death of his Raticate effectively destroys your rival’s impish, childhood innocence.
Although he tells himself towards you which further fuels his ambitions. Tearfully swearing upon his Raticate’s grave to not fail in what he set out to do, he trains hard in hopes of becoming better that you… Defeating you… And eventually make it to the Pokemon League. Mere moments after he became Indigo League champion, he was defeated… By you. Although he fulfilled his promise to his fallen Pokemon, it was only for a painfully brief instant. In the end, your rival is scolded by his grandfather while you receive the professor’s praise.
During the course of the game, you steal your rival’s innocence, crush his dreams, and ultimately snatch away the love of his own grandfather. Oh and by the way, your rival doesn’t have any parents. He’s an orphan.
Honestly even when I replayed the original pokemon series as a teenager, I still found the Lavender Town’s bgm to be a tad bit creepy. That combine with the simple sprites without showing any emotions, I guess it really was the innocence and bravery of a kid due to that lack of knowledge limiting the potential overthinking that allowed me to breeze through lavender town as a kid.
Not exactly a “dark theory” , but something I think is neat.
TLDR;
Pixels on screen make brains light up.
Brain scans determine specific pathways generated from the developing brain exposure to pokemon games. It goes into more specifics based around the design of the game and the visual band width required to make distinctions.
The reasoning behind Ash’s dad being absent (and for the absence of all of the dads in the mainline Pokemon games sans Norman in Gen 3) is likely because in Japanese culture, the fathers are typically working very long hours. Pokemon isn’t the only game where this is a thing, either. You see this in a lot of Japanese RPGs.
