Pokemon Anime Officially Put On Hiatus

It seems that the extremely popular and long-running Pokémon anime is the latest show to go on hiatus due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The Japanese animated series has been chronicling perpetually ten-year-old Ash Ketchum’s journey to be the very best (like no one ever was) for 23 years at this point, in addition to spanning a number of feature films and spin-off shows.

Originally airing on TV Tokyo in Japan on April 1^st, 1997 and reaching the US via 4Kids Entertainment on September 8^th of the following year, the Pokémon anime serves as a loose adaptation of the popular Nintendo Pokémon games. Following Ash, his ever-faithful Pokémon partner Pikachu and their constantly-changing band human companions, the series observes their growth as they collect, train and battle. The show has proven to be tremendously successful on both sides of the Pacific, paving the way for other adaptations like last year’s hit film Detective Pikachu and the recent YouTube series Pokémon: Twilight Wings.

According to Eurogamer, it was announced yesterday that the Pokémon anime series will temporarily halt production due to the COVID-19 outbreak, with its current timeslot being filled by reruns. In addition, the show’s latest episode, titled “A Massive Panic! Sakuragi Park!!,” will be delayed from its originally-planned April 26^th airdate, with its new one still yet to be announced.

This is just the latest in a string of coronavirus-related TV delays in recent months, with online services like Disney Plus and NBCUniversal’s Peacock halting production on several of their planned exclusive programs and currently airing shows like the CW’s Arrowverse franchise being left with shorter seasons this year. In light of these setbacks, many have turned to video games to replace the void in entertainment, as online stores like Steam and Epic Games continue to offer up free downloadable titles to help with social isolation.

Still, it may be frustrating for fans of the Pokémon anime to have to wait so long to see what comes next in Ash’s never-ending quest to be a Pokémon Master, although the reason for this delay is very justifiable given COVID-19’s continuing presence throughout the globe and the ever-growing case of infections left in its wake. There is still no word yet on when new episodes of the Pokémonanime series will resume, so viewers should keep posted for new developments as they unfold.

Source: Eurogamer

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J. Brodie Shirey
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J. Brodie Shirey is just a simple man trying to make his way in the universe, but aren’t we all? He currently lives in York, Pennsylvania. He is a big comic book, video game, and science fiction fan, and likes writing articles for ScreenRant or scripts for some of his crazy TV show ideas.

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