Pikachu panic revisited

By: Brian Thomas
Date: Saturday, June 24, 2006

In December of 1997, more than 700 people in Japan suffered mysterious seizures while watching an episode of POKÉMON. In an adventure entitled "Computer Warrior Polygon" (Episode 38) set inside a computer, Pikachu sets off a "vaccine bomb" with his electric powers to destroy a virus. The explosion is illustrated with red and blue flashing backgrounds, after which a 5-second shot showed red lights flashing in Pikachu's eyes was shown. This reportedly caused convulsions, nausea, fainting, irritated eyes and other symptoms in both children and adults watching the show. In the following days, an estimated 12,000 people reported symptoms. When TV news reports showed clips from the episode, more victims were reported. The TV Tokyo network ran a health warning on following broadcasts of the show. Video stores pulled POKÉMON tapes from their shelves. Nintendo stock took a dip when it was feared there was something inherent in the POKÉMON game and characters that could be harmful. Experts called it a case of "photosensitive epilepsy" or "television epilepsy", and warned that similar scenes in videos and games could cause more attacks. A similar but much smaller incident was reported in 1994 when a commercial featuring flashing, moving graphics appeared on British TV.

However, no one could fully explain the incident, or why these seizures hadn't happened before. The flashing technique used, known as "paka-paka", has been common in anime for decades, and every other episode of POKÉMON had used it at least once. Though flashing lights can cause seizures in some epileptics, most of those affected do not have the disease. Further analysis suggests that the incident was caused by a combination of factors bringing on latent photosensitive reactions the intensity of the color flashing combined with sitting close to a large screen may have affected some children to varying degrees. Following word of mouth and especially media coverage, Japanese kids trained in conformity underwent a sort of mass hysteria and began recalling their own symptoms, whether real or imagined.

Subsequently, the Epilepsy Foundation issued recommendations to reduce the risk of the "Pokémon Effect", and a Dutch researcher developed a filter that could help make monitors safer. However, no one knows if there is a significant danger in viewing anime and if so, isn't the same danger present in other graphics, from the flashing video in TV commercials and shows like CSI to traffic lights and police car flashers? I decided to give POKÉMON another look to see for myself recently, and found the results conclusive: watching the show for more than 15 minutes gives me a headache not from any animation technique, but from the squeaky voices, cardboard characters, loud sound effects and inane plotlines. Who will save our children?!


SPOTLIGHT OF THE WEEK

Our Food For Plugs project bears fruit literally:

(O) LEROY & STITCH (Buena Vista) Experiment 627 arrives on Earth! Lilo & Stitch in an all new DTV feature in which evil Dr. Hamsterviel breaks out of prison and forces Jumba to create an evil twin of Stitch. Plus, a new episode of the LILO & STITCH TV series, a flight simulator game and more. And hey, those crazy folks at Disney sent me a huge Dole pineapple as a promo item! Is that kooky or what?

NEW DVD RELEASES

Here's a rundown of the constant stream of anime comin' at ya on DVD from around the world:

(O) ANXIOUS ANIMATION (Facets) Six cutting edge shorts from Lewis Klahr, Janie Geiser, Jim Traynor and more. Includes booklet.
BANNER OF THE STARS II Complete Collection (Bandai)
BOYS BE... Volume 4: Winter (Right Stuf) You may not want to think about winter already in the middle of summer, but everybody likes to think about romance all the time. Especially these tween boys.
CARTOON MEGAPACK (Delta) 24 public domain cartoons (Betty Boop, Superman, Felix the Cat and other usual suspects) on 2 discs plus iPod ready disc that allows you to drag & drop these cartoons directly into your iPod. Don't contact me for tech support.
EUREKA SEVEN Volume 2 (Bandai) Episodes 6-10. Renton struggles to fit in among his new teammates, and is often subject to harsh teasing due to his status as a newcomer. He also has to come to grips with the fact that Holland isn't exactly the perfect guy Renton thought he was, and is subject to harsh lectures from Talho for no apparent reason. Eureka, meanwhile, seems to be getting weaker for some reason. Plus, the crew of the Gekko state is running low on cash. Includes commentrak, interview and more.
FAMILY GUY PRESENTS STEWIE GRIFFIN: THE UNTOLD STORY (Fox) Now that this DTV FAMILY GUY feature has played (in edited form) on TV as three connected episodes, Fox is reissuing the DVD bundled with either PCU or SUPER TROOPERS. What other tales of Stewie remain untold?
FIGHTING SPIRIT Volume 12: Look of Determination (Geneon) Episodes 56-60. Ippo enters the second round of his bout with the champ, and rest assured, there's a bit more action than just the expression he wears.
FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST Volume 10: Journey to Ishbal (Funimation) Al and Ed continue to bicker as they continue their mission on foot, and their snake woman guide Marta adds to their distrust of the situation. Also available in a limited edition metal box.
(O) GALAXY ANGEL Complete Collection (Bandai) The sexy fan favorite complete in one box. I mean the series is sexy, not the fans. Not that the fans aren't sexy, but well, whatever.
GALAXY HIGH SCHOOL Volume 1 (Media Blasters) 1986 US/Japanese TV series about two Earthling students who attend a school in space full of kids from a lot of different planets.
G GUNDAM Complete Collection 2 (Bandai) Mecha classic continues.
KANNAZUKI NO MIKO Volume 2: The Solar Princess (Geneon) Three teens try to deal with their godlike powers and adolescence. Includes pencil board.
LOVE HINA Complete Collection (Bandai) Another Anime Legends package a boon to those who want to snatch up a complete series at a bargain price, but aggravating to those who bought all the individual volumes.
SAIYUKI RELOAD GUNLOCK Volume 2 (Geneon) Episodes 5-8. Kougaiji has been transformed into a brutal killing machine, and fights Goku to the death. Plus, a board game turns deadly.
SHADOW SKILL Volume 5 (ADV) Episodes 18-21. The annihilation of the Holy Nation has begun.
TACTICS Volume 1 (Manga) Episodes 1-5. Spook sleuth Kantaro and his team of supernatural adventurers finally track down Haruka the Demon-Eating Goblin. Includes interviews and more.



And be sure to check back next weekand every weekfor CINESCAPE's Anime Avalanche! And check in every Tuesday for the latest DVD Shopping List!

Anime Avalanche (© 2006 Brian Thomas) is our weekly animation column. Brian Thomas is the author of the massive book VideoHound's DRAGON: ASIAN ACTION & CULT FLICKS, available now!

Questions? Comments? Let us know what you think at DVDShoppingList@cinescape.com.