Pokeformers: Difference between revisions
No edit summary |
|||
| Line 7: | Line 7: | ||
It could be fairly stated that both ''Pokémon'' and ''Armada'' simply tapped into a tried and true marketing approach [[To sell toys|to sell their product]]. Furthermore, ''Armada'' was far from the first ''Transformers'' [[franchise]] to use the "[[Combiner|Collect them all!]]" approach; it has been a common marketing theme of the [[Transformers brand]] since its inception. | It could be fairly stated that both ''Pokémon'' and ''Armada'' simply tapped into a tried and true marketing approach [[To sell toys|to sell their product]]. Furthermore, ''Armada'' was far from the first ''Transformers'' [[franchise]] to use the "[[Combiner|Collect them all!]]" approach; it has been a common marketing theme of the [[Transformers brand]] since its inception. | ||
However, this ignores the fact that it is not merely buyers in the real world who are encouraged to collect as many Mini-Cons as possible; rather, the impetus to obtain and/or control the Mini-Cons and their powers is the driving force behind much of the conflict in the fiction and the focus of more than half of the television series' fifty-two episodes. It's also fair to point out that before the debut of Pokémon, quasi-sapient pet characters with restricted speech in action cartoons where generally limited to one per series, perhaps two if the villain group also had one. And that they were neither the object of the collectors' mentality within their respective fictional universes, nor in the related toyline (if any). Perhaps if that had been the McGuffin in ThunderCats, this phenomenon would be called Snarformers instead. | |||
{{-}} | {{-}} | ||
Revision as of 01:52, 12 June 2012
Pokeformers (or Pokéformers) is a derogatory term often used to refer to the Armada franchise by members of the Transformers fandom who weren't particularly fond of the series. The term is a portmanteau of the words "Pokémon" and "Transformers".
Some fans began referring to Armada as "Pokeformers" because of superficial similarities between the two franchise's premises: each featured a collection of small, cute characters with amazing powers and limited vocal skills which buyers were urged to collect as many of as they could. The Armada animated series did little to help refute this comparison, with the first half of the show featuring virtually nothing but the Transformers searching for new Mini-Cons in an attempt to "collect them all"—ironically taking the theme to an even greater extent than the Pokémon cartoon itself, which only gives over a small percentage of its episodes to the capture of new creatures. It tends to be the preference of the detractors in question, however, to ignore the fact that the "Mini-Con of the Week" focus disappeared completely as the series moved into its second half, and that the comic series was never like that (among other things, the comic Mini-Cons were every bit as verbose as their "bulk" brethren).
Although the collection aspect was enough of a similarity for people to draw comparisons between the two franchises (in both fair and unfair ways), it didn't seem to be at the true heart of the issue. Rather, the Armada show had a lot of stereotypical anime conventions (which had been seen in Transformers before), was marketed for pre-teens, and wasn't always serious: all traits shared with Pokémon... and hundreds of other shows. Essentially, this is a comparison made primarily by people who disliked Armada and wanted to make it sound dumb by associating it with something else they disliked (and assumed other people disliked as well, though the Pokémon franchise is still quite popular with the adult demographic).
It could be fairly stated that both Pokémon and Armada simply tapped into a tried and true marketing approach to sell their product. Furthermore, Armada was far from the first Transformers franchise to use the "Collect them all!" approach; it has been a common marketing theme of the Transformers brand since its inception.
However, this ignores the fact that it is not merely buyers in the real world who are encouraged to collect as many Mini-Cons as possible; rather, the impetus to obtain and/or control the Mini-Cons and their powers is the driving force behind much of the conflict in the fiction and the focus of more than half of the television series' fifty-two episodes. It's also fair to point out that before the debut of Pokémon, quasi-sapient pet characters with restricted speech in action cartoons where generally limited to one per series, perhaps two if the villain group also had one. And that they were neither the object of the collectors' mentality within their respective fictional universes, nor in the related toyline (if any). Perhaps if that had been the McGuffin in ThunderCats, this phenomenon would be called Snarformers instead.
Meanwhile
Yup.
