I still remember the first time I saw Pikachu when I was about 5 years old. I was staring at the television, watching sparks of electricity flying off of its little face as it jumped out of its PokeBall. Little did I know, this would spark an addiction that would last into my teenage years.
For those of you uncultured people who don’t know Pikachu, this character stars in the popular TV and video game series called “Pokemon,” produced by Japanese media company OLM Studio Films.
It might surprise you that I’ve watched each of the 24 seasons three times. That means I’ve watched 1,470 hours of the show. And who can blame me? With that adorable yellow face and zigzag tail, it’s impossible not to fall in love with the icon Pikachu is. However, if that’s where you think my addiction stops, you would be sorely mistaken.
As my parents and I were walking through Target in 2016, I saw it: a beautiful, Pokemon TCG Expanded booster pack with a huge Pikachu on the cover. I begged my parents for it, and when they inevitably refused, I threw a big, fat tantrum until they were so embarrassed of me that they relented. However, if my parents knew the damage that was about to happen to their bank account, they would have never made the grave mistake of buying me my first pack of Pokemon cards.
Every day after elementary school, I traded my Pokemon cards with my friends. For hours, we would do nothing but talk about different Pokemon and compare stats on different cards; it built some of the strongest friendships I have today. Every time my parents and I went to Target, I begged for more, because I just had to have that new set of Pokemon cards to trade. When I finally racked up a collection of 700 cards, totaling well over $500, my parents had to cut me off before I put us in debt.
Nevertheless, my obsession didn’t stop there, I still love to go through my old cards and fondly look back on those times. Whenever I have a bad day I cuddle up with my Pokemon plush and watch an episode of Pokemon as my worries melt away. Now every year, my friends must make sure to get me a Pokemon plush for my birthday or risk their invite being retracted.
