This week, fans of the beloved Pokemon franchise have been celebrating the 20th anniversary of the show worldwide in the most delightful, creative, homage-paying ways. Case in point? A 20-year rundown of the history of the show packed with pokeballs and Pikachu, all smooshed into one simple GIF.
What makes the GIF, posted by @_gamemix_, stand out is the artwork in the seconds-long animation. It doesn't rely too heavily on its source material with its own artistic mark, yet is instantly recognizable. It also makes the clever choice of tracing the Pokemon lineage through Nintendo hardware, jumping from the 1996 Gameboy to Gameboy Advanced to the current model.
Not only that, but it brings back a bevvy of familiar faces, from protagonist Ash to Pikachu, Charmander and more. @_gamemix_'s work has seemingly made a lasting impression - Kotaku called it the best Pokemon tribute it's seen so far. Considering there's only a few days until the week is up, Pokemon fans might want to get their stuff online if they're looking for something to beat. (If a Pokemon/Grand Theft Auto mashup and a step-by-step video breakdown on types of Pokemon can't compete, I don't know what else can.)
The GIF is also timed perfectly with yet another evolutionary move in the Pokemon series: the re-release of the holy trifecta of Pokemon games - Pokemon Red, Pokemon Blue, and Pokemon Yellow - for Nintendo 3DS in true OG fashion, right down to the monochrome.
Check out the fan-made Pokemon GIF below.
20年の旅。20周年おめでとうございます！#Pokemon20 #ポケモン20周年 pic.twitter.com/fhCpBEvZGQ
— memi (@_gamemix_) March 2, 2016
If you want to look up some of our own coverage of Pokemon's 20th anniversary week, here's our how-to guide on how to celebrate, some top 10 facts about the iconic franchise,and last month's release of Pokemon Sun and Pokemon Moon. Yep, as they say - catch 'em all. (Right here on Tech Times, that is.)
Source: Twitter
