#341: What starts as a conversation about YuGiOh and Pokemon turns into a discussion about passion, perseverance, frustration, and reflection on purpose and goals.
Transcript
Josué Cardona 0:11
Welcome to GT radio on the Geek Therapy network here at Geek Therapy. We believe that the best way to understand each other and ourselves is through the media we care about. My name is Josué Cardona. And I’m joined by Lara Taylor.
Josué Cardona 0:24
Link Keller,
Link Keller 0:25
what’s up?
Josué Cardona 0:26
and Marc Cuiriz
Josué Cardona 0:29
Mark, you went last, because it’s your turn. What are we talking about today?
Marc Cuiriz 0:32
Oh, okay. So, you know, I feel like this is a trend now. Because I feel like in almost every episode, I’m saying that, Oh, I started rewatching this or I started replaying this. And
Josué Cardona 0:43
there’s new stuff, too, you know, there’s new stuff that comes out.
Lara Taylor 0:46
Yeah. Marc doesn’t like new things.
Marc Cuiriz 0:47
No, I like to live in the past. Thank you very much. So I started rewatching. Yu-Gi-Oh! but not the the original, because I’ve already rewatched all of that. And it’s actually my first time actually watch. I guess I shouldn’t say rewatch. I watched for the first time the entire first season like a long time ago. So this time,
Josué Cardona 1:08
before you continue, what is yugioh? And how many series are there of yugioh like, please give us context.
Marc Cuiriz 1:15
Okay, so for context, Yugioh is a card game where it has like a lot of monsters and stuff. And it’s basically like, kind of like, Pokemon
Josué Cardona 1:26
is this a real card game like, like a physical card, you can play?
Marc Cuiriz 1:28
it is a physical card game that you can play,
Marc Cuiriz 1:30
it’s got so many different sets. The rules are very complicated. And I know next to nothing about actual, the actual card game itself. But like with every card game, and with every toy, and everything, every franchise, there has to be a cartoon adaptation. So like Pokemon YuGiOh came along. And since then, there’s like, I don’t know, eight different subsequent series. Now. I’m actually not quite sure how many seasons or series there are of yugioh. But I started rewatching. The second one, which is YuGiOh. GX. So it’s like a, it was to, like, introduce, like the newer cards and sets and stuff that were being introduced into the game itself. And this is a you know, fun little episode, like, you know, fun little anime to, you know, watch along with. So I started rewatching it because I remember, in this series, there’s a specific set like the elemental heroes, and I always thought they were really cool. And they’re in the like, they’re like the primary set in this in this anime. So it’s been kind of nice. And then like, like, when I’m watching it, and I’m listening to kind of what they’re talking about. I’m watching the dubbed version. And just like some of the things that they’re talking about, really got me kind of thinking about kind of, like, following your passions and sort of persevering through all sorts of different challenges, and, you know, like adversity and stuff like that. And I also know that recently, because it’s a double whammy here. Recently, there was some major updates in the Pokemon anime. So I know some of you guys had opinions and thoughts on that. Plus, there’s Scarlet and violet. So yeah,
Josué Cardona 3:25
yes. What are you referring to? Could you possibly be referring to?
Marc Cuiriz 3:29
Okay, if you’re referring to Okay, well, sure. For this, I guess this is big spoilers for people. But Ash Ketchum has finally, a Pokemon champion, finally did it. After all these years
Lara Taylor 3:47
after years of being the same age for all these years,
Marc Cuiriz 3:50
after all these years, this 11 year old kid has finally won a Pokemon Championship.
Josué Cardona 3:55
The real spoiler for people is that now they know he had never won before. In the 25 years that the anime has been has been going
Lara Taylor 4:05
there are a lot of Pokemon championships throughout the years and he he loses them all.
Marc Cuiriz 4:10
He’s always a runner up.
Josué Cardona 4:12
Yeah, but but the reason I thought that that would be a cool thing to also bring up in the context of you know, of going deeper into yugioh because ready you talked about like, oh, this idea of perseverance and like you have this goal and you’re pushing through and immediately I felt like to have like the protagonist of the of the Pokemon anime we’re always following him and Pikachu from the very beginning. It’s been over 20 years and and but his he never wavered, right like that. That was the goal. That’s what he was working toward. And it’s a big deal for a lot of people to finally see that happen. And honestly, I don’t know how long they could have kept like, not letting him finally win, it’d be too depressing. But But yeah, yeah, like it’s I think, I can’t think of a Just to have that much content, you know, following one person for so long with that one goal that they’re trying to achieve. And then, you know, it’s a 25 years for us, but it happened he did it. So I thought that would be cool context to add to this as well. Two very different shows. Pokemon and yugioh
Marc Cuiriz 5:23
Yes, but I feel like they, there are two very different shows, but they’re also kind of the same.
Josué Cardona 5:29
Please elaborate?
Marc Cuiriz 5:31
Well, I mean, like in terms of like what they’re trying to
Link Keller 5:34
they’re made to sell cards.
Marc Cuiriz 5:36
Yes, they’re both made to sell cards.
Lara Taylor 5:38
and video games
Link Keller 5:39
they’re to introduce gambling to children.
Marc Cuiriz 5:43
But like, also, there’s monsters
Josué Cardona 5:44
who’s the Egyptian god that possesses someone in Pokemon?
Marc Cuiriz 5:50
I mean, you could argue that like, there’s this whole connection thing with ash and his Greninja. I mean, there’s getting there’s there’s there’s these types of things that they incorporate here. I mean, there’s ancient gods and pokemon. With the movies like you have Arceus
Link Keller 6:06
they’re not Egyptians, but Egypt doesn’t exist in pokemon. So that’s the loophole.
Josué Cardona 6:13
So Arceus isn’t a god, he’s the God. He’s the creator of everything. I believe
Link Keller 6:17
there are many God, God, Pokemon,
Josué Cardona 6:20
but he’s the right. Isn’t he the creator of everything?
Link Keller 6:23
I guess I haven’t played that one.
Marc Cuiriz 6:30
But I feel like in this sense, though, like, they’re kind of the same in terms of like, the lessons that they teach you at the end of every episode.
Marc Cuiriz 6:42
And it’s like, again, like that idea of perseverance and stuff. Although I will say that the biggest difference is that, you know, ultimately, in the end, though, like, up until now, Ash has, always lost. And then he’s just been more determined, and he’ll come back. And then that’s when he starts in a new region. But in YuGiOh, the protagonist almost always wins. And he, they make in the show, they make him lose, to prove a point, or to further a plot point. But...
