A new book coming out in Japan is exploring howPokémonlive in the wild. One of the best parts about the Pokémon franchise is that many of the monsters at the heart of the franchise are inspired by real-world creatures. ThePokédex entries found in various gamesprovide little tidbits about their living habits, often drawing parallels to the way real-world creatures interact in the wild. Now, a new book set for release in Japan is exploring the interactions between Pokémon and nature in more detail.
As reported byAutomaton,Pokécologyis a new 192-page book written by Yoshinari Yonehara and illustrated by Chihiro Kinoshita thattakes a scientific approach to Pokémon living in their natural habitat. Yonehara is an employee of The Pokémon Company, but he and Kinoshita are also University of Toyko graduates with PhDs in veterinary behaviorism and ecology.
The book will look at topics such as Pokémon eating and sleeping habits, migration patterns, and even hibernation, with explanations provided to help new readers understand the general ecological concepts.Pokécologywill be released on June 18, although no international edition for non-Japanese audiences has been announced as of yet.
Why Pokécology Is Important To The Pokémon Franchise
Pokémon Franchise Gets A Scientific Spotlight
Pokécologyis notable because it puts a spotlight on a little-noticed corner of the Pokémon world. Yonehara is credited as a coordinator for multiple Pokémon games and has multiple research papers studying the behavior of animals in the wild. As the franchise has evolved towardsgames that better reflect the real world, Pokémon behavior has also gained more of a spotlight. Thisputs a spotlight on some of the hard work that goes into the Pokémon franchise, which might not always get noticed by many fans.
The Pokémon Company has used its franchise as a way to draw interest in real-world scientific studies before. Pokémon also produced a traveling museum exhibit that used Pokémon fossils as a way to spotlight actual paleontology. ThePokémon Fossil Museum ran for several yearsat various natural history museums in Japan, featuring “life-sized” Pokémon dinosaur skeletons.
Our Take: Pokécology Better Get An International Release
This Is One Book We Want To See In English
I’ve never wanted anything more than to seePokécologyget an international release. Based on the description alone, the book captures everything I love about the Pokémon franchise and want to learn more about.Hopefully, this sparks a trend of Pokémon books that seek to examine the world of Pokémon through a scientific lens, as that’s a great way to both inspire Pokémon fans into a career in science and help further flesh out thePokémonworld.
