GalaxyCon began as an event company in large convention centers for 20,000 to 50,000+ attendees. They have sinced branched out to include Virtual events so that fans can meet celebrities and get personalized autographs without having to travel. GalaxyCon Live gives fans a chance to chat one-to-one with your favorite celebrities with One-to-One Video Chats, Personalized Autographs, and Interactive Live Streaming Q&A’s.

GalaxyCon will be holding two Pokémon Virtual Experiences events. The first one takes place on March 26th, 2021 and features classic Pokémon anime cast members including: Veronica Taylor, Eric Stuart, Rachael Lillis, Megan Hollingshead, Michael Haigney, Tara Sands and Stuart Zagnit.

The second event takes place on May 7th, 2021 and features current Pokémon anime cast members including: Sarah Natochenny, Cherami Leigh, Alejandro Saab and Zeno Robinson.

Classic Pokémon Virtual Experience: March 26th, 2021 at 6pm ET

Meet the cast of Classic Pokémon with GalaxyCon Live at 6pm ET on Friday, March 26th! Video Chat One-to-One, Get Personalized Autographs, and see a FREE Live Stream Q&A

Schedule:
Live Stream Q&A March 26th, 6pm ET with:
Veronica Taylor, Eric Stuart, Megan Hollingshead, Michael Haigney, Tara Sands, & Stuart Zagnit, hosted by RealBreakingNate

Video chats March 26th, 7pm ET with:
Veronica Taylor, Eric Stuart, Megan Hollingshead, Michael Haigney, Tara Sands, Stuart Zagnit, or RealBreakingNate

Send-Ins:
Purchase by March 21st, Deliver by March 26th

Personalized Autographs:
Available for Purchase through March 26th

Pokémon Virtual Experience: May 7th, 2021 at 6pm ET

The GalaxyCon FREE "Fan Interactive" Live Stream Q&A is the kickoff to the Pokémon Virtual Experience. You can also Order Video Chats and Personalized Autographs for a limited time for this event.

Schedule:
Live Stream Q&A May 7th, 6pm ET with:
Sarah Natochenny, Cherami Leigh, Alejandro Saab, and Zeno Robinson

Video chats May 7th, 7pm ET with:
Sarah Natochenny, Cherami Leigh, Alejandro Saab, or Zeno Robinson

Send-Ins:
Purchase by May 2nd, Deliver by May 7th

Personalized Autographs:
Available for Purchase through May 7th

Sources: https://galaxycon.com/blogs/12/mar-26-pokemon and https://galaxycon.com/blogs/18-1/may-7-pokemon

March 5th, 2021 marks the air date for the final 12 episodes of Pokémon Journeys: The Series, which are available to watch on Netflix. To promote the series, the official Pokémon website has posted a Pokémon Journeys: The Series Bingo PDF which can be downloaded and printed out to use while watching the series on Netflix.

The Adventure Continues with New Netflix Episodes of Pokémon Journeys: The Series

The research, battles, and adventures continue with 12 new episodes of the animated series.

The journey that began with a young Ash sleeping late and an enthusiastic Goh impressing a Pokémon Professor with his knowledge continues with the final 12 episodes of Pokémon Journeys: The Series, which have just arrived on Netflix. Ash and Goh have come a long way as friends and Pokémon Trainers, but episodes 37 to 48 will present fresh challenges, bigger battles, and exciting research opportunities. And with Pikachu and Raboot at their side, Ash and Goh are ready for any adventure.

In the first 36 episodes of Pokémon Journeys: The Series, Ash and Goh bonded over their shared passion for Pokémon and became research assistants at the Cerise Laboratory in Vermilion City. Their exciting new roles takes them across the Pokémon world studying, battling, training, and helping Pokémon in distress. As Ash works steadily toward his goal of challenging Leon and becoming a Pokémon Master, Goh commits to the lofty goal of catching one of every Pokémon in existence. Be sure to check out our full recap of the first half of Pokémon Journeys: The Series before diving into the new episodes to bring you completely up to speed.

What adventures await our heroes in the remaining episodes of the season? Will Ash battle his way to the top of the World Coronation Series standings and finally take on Leon? Will Goh ever catch the elusive Mew? Start streaming Part 4 of Pokémon Journeys: The Series on Netflix now to find out!

Source: https://www.pokemon.com/us/pokemon-news/the-adventure-continues-with-new-netflix-episodes-of-pokemon-journeys-the-series/

Pokémon Journeys: The Series Bingo with Netflix

Make a game out of your Pokémon Netflix binge with bingo cards you can download and print.

Play Pokémon the Series bingo with printable cards and markers! With the final installment of episodes of Pokémon Journeys: The Series now available on Netflix, it's the perfect opportunity to watch the entire season all over again. Why not make a game out of Ash and Goh's adventures with themed bingo cards inspired by the events, characters, and Pokémon featured throughout the season? Whether you're looking for a fun family bonding activity without having to leave the house or a way to take your Netflix viewing parties to the next level, you're ready to play!

How to Play Pokémon bingo:

1. Download and print the eight unique bingo cards and sheets of Poké Ball markers.
2. Cut out the Poké Ball markers from the sheet.
3. Distribute one bingo card and a handful of Poké Ball markers to each player.
4. Start watching Pokémon Journeys: The Series on Netflix. It's not necessary to start at Episode 1, but it might be more enjoyable to play while watching the entire season.
5. When an event or Pokémon on your card appears, mark it by placing a printed out Poké Ball on that square.
6. The first player to mark five consecutive squares vertically, horizontally, or diagonally calls out “bingo” and wins the round!

To make your Pokémon Journeys: The Series bingo game even more fun, consider adding prizes for the winners, enjoying themed snacks during the game, and sharing the fun on your social media platform of choice with #PokémonBingo!

Source: https://www.pokemon.com/us/pokemon-news/pokemon-journeys-the-series-bingo-with-netflix/

YouTube Clip - Pokémon Journeys: The Series | Official Trailer 2

Ash, Goh, and Pikachu continue their travels and meet old friends, new rivals, and encounter some big Pokémon along the way! Don’t miss a second of Pokémon Journeys: The Series, with Part 4 available now on Netflix US!


Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOeiT_hblcQ

The music video of "1・2・3", which is the opening theme of the popular TV animation Pocket Monsters featuring the Karaage sisters Erika Ikuta and Sayuri Matsumura from Nogizaka46, has finally been released! The single will be available to download on Friday, February 19th, 2021.

The video was shot in late January 2021 at Toshimaen, an amusement park in Nerima, Tokyo, Japan. The theme of the music video is the adventures of the Karaage sisters who came back after a long absence and "If we can meet Pikachu, we may be able to regain the facial expressions we've lost..."

They were excited to see Pikachu and said, "Cute! Cute!". They chatted with Pikachu a lot, and after the shooting, they were so happy to receive a monster ball-shaped cake to celebrate Ikuta's birthday! Also, the scene where they eat in the music video is also their actual lunch, and they really enjoyed it as their own meal!


In the personal PV of Erika Ikuta and Sayuri Matsumura, the "Karaage sisters" were born from the keywords: "No facial expression (表情がない)", "I like fried chicken (からあげが好き)" and "sisters (姉妹)". Video director Shigeru Tsukita, who directed at that time, also worked on this Music Video!! The costumes they wear are based on the girl scout/picnic girl who appears as an opponent in the Pokémon games.

Source: http://www.nogizaka46.com/news/2021/02/music-video-8.php

YouTube Clip - Karaage sisters (Erika Ikuta and Sayuri Matsumura from Nogizaka46) "1, 2, 3" PV

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThUatkJODZM

Participanting McDonald's locations in Singapore will begin distributing a Pokémon Happy Meal featuring toys from the lastest Pokémon the Movie Coco film. There are 8 different toys that will be distributed during 4 time periods from February 11th, 2021 until March 10th, 2021. The toys were previously distributed in Japan in June and July 2020. Pictures of the toys have been added to an Imageboard thread.

POKÉMON HAPPY MEAL® TOYS NOW AVAILABLE!

Week 1: February 11th to 17th, 2021 - Pikachu Periscope and Pikachu Compass
Week 2: February 18th to 24th, 2021 - Pikachu Digging Tools and Pikachu Handy Fan
Week 3: February 25th to March 3rd, 2021 - Pikachu Camping Lamp Cup and Pikachu Sun Visor
Week 4: March 4th to March 10th, 2021 - Pikachu Explorer Lens and Pikachu Whistle

Source: https://www.mcdonalds.com.sg/campaigns/happy-meal/

To celebrate that the Pokémon the Movie: Coco was a big hit in Japan and to continue its promotion for theater viewership, the Number One Pokémon Movie Contest vote was held on the official Pocket Monsters movie website from January 26th, 2021 until February 4th, 2021. The official Pocket Monsters anime Twitter account reminded people about the vote during that period. Screenshots and images from this special have been added to an Imageboard thread.


Viewers were asked to vote for the number one most popular movie of the series. The first place winner of each series was broadcast on a special live stream on the official Toho MOVIE Channel on YouTube starting at 12:00 on Sunday, February 7th, 2021! The stream was region locked to Japan and was a live only broadcast, so it was not archived on the channel.

The special stream was hosted by Koichi Yamadera (山寺宏一), and a special segment was held in-between each movie to announce which movie won that series era vote and to also briefly give a summary of that movie. Also a cast or staff member from the Coco movie would discuss their role in the newest Pokémon the Movie: Coco film.

The winners of the vote were as follows:

• Original Series: Short 5 - Pikapika Starry Sky Camp and Movie 5 - The Guardian Gods of the Water Capital Latias and Latios
• Advanced Generation: Movie 8 - Mew and the Hero of the Wave - Lucario
• Diamond and Pearl: Movie 10 - Dialga VS Palkia VS Darkrai
• Best Wishes: Short 16 - Pikachu and its Eievui Friends and Movie 16 - Extremespeed Genesect: The Awakening of Mewtwo
• X and Y: Short 18 - Pikachu and the Pokémon Musicians and Movie 18 - The Archdjinni of Rings: Hoopa

Moka Kamishiraishi (上白石萌歌), Coco voice actress briefly talked about her character after movie 5. Tetsuo Yajima (矢嶋哲生), the Director of the Coco movie also talked about the Coco movie after movie 8 aired. Shoko Nakagawa talked about her role as Karen (カレン) during a segment after movie 10. Taiiku Okazaki (岡崎体育), the music producer for the Coco movie talked about the songs in the Coco movie in a brief segment after movie 16. Finally at the end of the stream, Koichi Yamadera, as a 'surprise', had a couple of minutes segment talking about the new Coco movie and thanked the viewers for watching and making it that far into the long broadcast. The special had a running time of about 8 hours and 10 minutes.

Sources: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXia-WLV9N8 and https://www.pokemon-movie.jp/tohyo/

A special Max Raid Battle event is coming to Pokémon Sword and Shield! Starting February 3rd, 2021 at 4 p.m. PST, work together with your fellow Trainers to defeat Cramorant in Max Raid Battles and help unlock rewards that’ll help in your adventures!

Zarude can play an active role in Pokémon Sword and Shield Max Raid Battles

From Thursday, February 4th, 2021 at 9:00 a.m. JST to Tuesday, February 9th, 2021 at 8:59 a.m. JST, Max Raid Battles in the Nintendo Switch game Pokémon Sword and Shield will feature: Nuoh, Flygon, Goloog, Uu, and Yessan (Female Form), which are all Pokémon that are featured in the hit film Pokémon the Movie: Coco, and they are now more likely to appear.

The Mythical Pokémon Zarude's Jungle Heal move works wonders against the powerful all-out attacks these Pokémon use! A Zarude that knows the move Jungle Heal was distributed via a serial code to everyone who has seen the film Pokémon the Movie Coco at movie theaters nationwide in Japan.

Also, if Trainers work together to win the Max Raid Battle against Uu more than 500,000 times during this period, they will receive useful items for their adventures, such as a Flame Orb, via the Internet starting on Wednesday, February 10th, 2021 at 2:00 p.m.! Furthermore, if Trainers win a total of one million times or more, they will receive additional items for their adventure, such as the Gold Bottle Cap.

Items for winning more than 500,000 times:

・Flame Orb (かえんだま)
・Toxic Orb (どくどくだま)
・Light Ball (でんきだま)

Items for winning more than 1 million times:

・Gold Bottle Cap (きんのおうかん)
・3x Bottle Cap (ぎんのおうかん)
・3x Pearl String (おだんごしんじゅ)

Sources: https://twitter.com/playpokemon/status/1355049463560032258 and https://www.pokemon.co.jp/info/2021/01/210129_gm01.html

Iyuno Media Group, a market leader in localization services to the media and entertainment industry, today announced it has entered into an agreement with Imagica Group Inc. to acquire 100% of SDI Media, the world's leading media localization provider, offering dubbing, subtitling, and media services for international content owners worldwide. Iyuno currently dubs the Pokémon anime in the United States while, SDI does the dubbing for the series everywhere else around the world, besides certain Asian markets.

Iyuno Media Group Enters Agreement to Acquire SDI Media

Iyuno Media Group, a market leader in localization services to the media and entertainment industry, today announced it has entered into an agreement with Imagica Group Inc. to acquire 100% of SDI Media.

This transaction, which is subject to review and approval from relevant authorities, brings together two companies with the shared mission of supporting, innovating and leading the art of global storytelling. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

“SDI Media is a great fit for Iyuno,” said Shaun Gregory, CEO, Iyuno Media Group. “We are well-aligned in our quality standards, complementary strategies and compatible service offerings. As a combined company, we will continue to deliver best-in-class services and technology innovations to our industry. We are certain that new and existing clients will benefit from the collective experience and capabilities of the combined company.”

“The media and entertainment industry has been growing rapidly in recent years with the rise of video streaming services and we have seen media companies merge to create and deliver more content to more diverse audiences around the world,” said David Lee, Executive Chairman, Iyuno Media Group. “Now, more than ever, viewers are watching internationally produced programs localized in their language. This creates an increased demand to produce the breadth of languages needed, delivered at the scale and speed that our customers require."

Consumer spending on content is predicted to double from 2019 to 2024; this explosive growth brings with it a parallel increase in demand for high quality localized content.

“As two of the leading media and entertainment localization service providers in the world, together we will provide an unprecedented solution to the market,” continued Mr. Lee. “Both companies are perceived as leaders of quality services, global coverage and innovation. By combining the two, our goal is to effectively support the rapidly growing need from media businesses around the world – not only by offering scale, global coverage and end-to-end capabilities across our worldwide operations – but also by utilizing state-of-the-art technologies such as AI to bring true best-in-breed support for the industry.”

“We are excited to join Iyuno and become part of the industry’s leading localization services company,” said Mark Howorth, Chief Executive Officer, SDI Media. “We believe that the increasing global content distribution needs of the industry can only be served by a complementary service provider that can scale with them in support of their needs.”

Iyuno was supported in this transaction by Altor, Shamrock Capital and SoftBank Ventures Asia, its primary financial partners. The three investors are pleased to see this sustained momentum in the expansion and diversification of the Iyuno Media Group portfolio. The completion of this transaction remains subject to review and approval from relevant authorities.

ABOUT IYUNO MEDIA GROUP

Iyuno Media Group (www.iyunomg.com) is a market leader in media localization with leading-edge technology providing dubbing, subtitling and media engineering services in over 80 languages. An innovative trailblazer with grounded core values in an ever-changing industry, Iyuno Media Group uses its sophisticated in-house technology for all of its product and service offerings. Today, the company operates 35 local facilities globally, spanning a network of fully owned sites across 30 countries in Europe, Asia and The Americas – offering end-to-end solutions for broadcasters, all major film studios, OTT and streaming platforms.

ABOUT SDI MEDIA

SDI Media (www.sdimedia.com) is one of the world’s leading media localization providers offering dubbing, subtitling and media services to content owners, broadcasters and multi-platform distributors. SDI Media offers a complete end-to-end localization solution for theatrical releases and episodic series, using one of the most comprehensive suites of customizable localization software applications in the industry. Its network of 33 owned and operated dubbing facilities in Asia, EMEA and the Americas boast over 150 recording rooms and 85 mixing rooms globally.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This press release may be deemed to contain forward-looking statements, which are subject to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements regarding Iyuno’s strategy to provide enhanced localization and translation solutions utilizing SDI Media’s assets, the expected completion of the acquisition and the timeframe in which this will occur, and the expected benefits to Iyuno and its customers of completing the acquisition. Readers are cautioned that these forward-looking statements are only predictions and may differ materially from actual future events or results due to a variety of factors, including, among other things, that conditions to the completion of the transaction may not be satisfied or such completion may be delayed, the potential impact on the business of SDI Media due to the uncertainty about the acquisition, the retention of employees of SDI Media and the ability of Iyuno to successfully integrate SDI Media and to achieve expected benefits, business and economic conditions and growth trends in relevant markets and various geographic regions, global economic conditions and uncertainties in the geopolitical environment, and other risk factors. Any forward-looking statements in this release are based on limited information currently available to Iyuno, which is subject to change, and Iyuno will not necessarily update the information.

Sources: https://www.iyunomg.com/news/press-releases/iyuno-media-group-enters-agreement-to-acquire-sdi-media and https://twitter.com/iyunomedia/status/1352672469119766528

Takara Tomy has revealed the Pocket Monsters Mini Mini Gacha Poké Machine (ポケットモンスター ミニミニガチャポケマシン) and it is now available for purchase in Japan. There are 5 different mini machines and they each cost 1400 yen including tax. The machines are branded with the Pocket Monsters 2019 logo and features Satoshi and Go's Pokémon.

Product Description:

There are 5 different machines to collect:

• Pikachu Version (ピカチュウver.)
• Lucario Version (ルカリオver.)
• Aceburn Version (エースバーンver.)
• Strinder Amped Form Version (ストリンダー(ハイなすがた)ver.)
• Strinder Low Key Form Version (ストリンダー(ローなすがた)ver.)

Each machine includes:

• 1 x Gacha Poké Machine
• 1 x Eye-catching Plate (アイキャツチプレート)
• 1 x Eye-catching Tool (アイキャツチツール)
• 1 x Monster Ball Figure (モンスターボールフィギュア)
• 1 x Logo Handle Mini Tool (ロゴハンドルミニツール)
• 1 x Logo Plate (ロゴプレート)
• 1 x POP Tool (POPツール)
• 5 x Mini Capsules (ミニカプセル)
• 5 x Mini Plate (ミニプレート)

Product Details:

• Manufacturer: Takara Tomy Arts
• JAN: 4904790890031
• Size: Gacha machine: approx. 60mm, Plate: approx. 35mm
• Material: ABS, MABS, PS, PP, Paper, PET

Source: https://p-bandai.jp/item/item-1000154068/

The 51st Next-Generation World Hobby Fair was held online for the first time ever. Exhibitors from Shogakukan's Corocoro Comics, Shonen Sunday, Chao and other magazines gathered together to present games, hobbies, character bios and the latest information from various franchises.

Two Pokémon Stage segments were held on day 1 which was Saturday, January 16th, 2021, Pokémon Stage by Pokénchi and a Pokémon Mezastar stage panel. The stream was only available live on YouTube for the Pokénchi segment but Mezastar stage panel was also posted on the official MezastarTV YouTube channel after its live broadcast. High resolution pictures of the Pokénchi panel have been added to an Imageboard thread.

Pokémon Stage by Pokénchi (ポケモンステージ by ポケモンの家あつまる？)

The Pokémon Stage by Pokénchi panel featured Pokénchi hosts Shoko-tan, Rinka and Abareru-kun and they were joined by MC Kajisac Onashas. Hyadain was not in attendance.


To promote the Pokémon the Movie Coco, they started off by introducing the Coco TV Commercial (Theme Song Collection) which began being broadcast on Japanese television just before the movies premiere in December 2020. It is available on YouTube on the official Japanese Pokémon YouTube channel as of December 24th, 2020.

YouTube Clip - Official Pokémon the Movie Coco TV Commercial (Theme Song Collection)

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iN3m4DjhuM4

Abareru-kun then transitioned to promoting the Pocket Monsters 2019 anime by showing the latest trailer for the series that showcased upcoming scenes in 2021. The VTR video didn't play exactly on cue, which got him a laugh as he kept repeating himself for the video to start. The trailer originally aired as part of Pocket Monsters Christmas Special: "Battling & Getting! Mewtwo Comes Back" special on December 25th, 2020.


The stage show featured two Get a Flash of Inspiration! Let's PokéRiddle quizes which Abareru-kun presented and Shoko-tan, Rinka and Kajisac tried to solve along with the viewers watching the stream. The first hint to the puzzle was to use Flamethrower 「かえんほうしゃ」を使おう！ After a few seconds to figure out the hint, it was revealed that by melting the ice letters with Flamethrower and reading the remaining letters as they fell like Tetris pieces, it would reveal the answer. (「かえんほうしゃ」で氷の文字を溶かして残った文字を読んでみましょう)

Answer: Lizardon (セイカイハ リザードン)


The second puzzle was more difficult than the first one and they were given a board to write their answers down. Read the letters in order from the top left and follow the instructions to read the letters there. (左上から順番に文字を読んで指示に従いそこに書かれた文字を読もう). The Pokémon is hidden in the box third from the right, first from the top. (みぎからみっつめうえからひとつめにかくされているポケモンがにたえ).

Answer: Karakara (からから　カラカラ)


They then switched over to games where they announced that New Pokémon Snap would be available in Japan on April 30th, 2021. They showed the latest trailer to highlight their talking points. This trailer was also available on the official Japanese Pokémon YouTube channel as of January 14th, 2021.

YouTube Clip - New Pokémon Snap PV

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKzYOCXlR9s

To finish off the stage show, they highlighted the ICHIGEKI Master and RENGEKI Master TCG set and played a brief game to highlight the new Single Strike Style and Rapid Strike Style Battle Styles gameplay mechanic that will debut in the set.

Pokémon Mezastar Special Live Stage

Viewers on this event got a first-hand look at the Pokémon Mezasta Set 3 and got to hear Naomi Tamura (田村直美) and Tomohiro Hatano (幡野智宏) sing "Visit! Pokémon Mezastar! (見参!ポケモンメザスタ!!)" in a special live performance! The four Mezastar Navigators: Masato (マサト), Sakura (サクラ), Ai (アイ) and J where the hosts of the event which took place on January 16th, 2021 from 11:00 to 11:30.

YouTube Clip - Pokémon Mezasta Special Live Stage

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rF02STw8mPs

Pokémon the Movie: Coco premiered in Japanese theaters on December 25th, 2020. On May 13th, 2020, it was announced that the movie would be postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.


For the weekend of December 26th and 27th, 2020, first place in that box office was Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba The Movie: Mugen Train, which is now highest-grossing film ever in Japan. Pokémon the Movie: Coco placed second though making 276 million yen in the box office.

Source: https://eiga.com/ranking/jp/ and http://www.kogyotsushin.com/archives/topics/t8/202012/28162318.php