If you remember the PPAP song and dance craze, then get ready for more. As the singer and comedian Pikotaro will be teaming up with the popular Pokemon Pikachu for a new song that will be released on August 31 in Japan. The title will be “Pika to Piko.”
The song will debut through the “Pokemon Virtual Quest” event which will be held on Cluster, a Virtual Reality social media service. Those who don’t have an account, don’t worry as the song will also be uploaded on Pikotaro’s official YouTube channel.
In relation to the collaboration, Pikotaro commented that Pikachu is "yellow like I am, so I've always felt an emotional connection." The intention for the creation of the song is to help bring in positive vibes to children who are unable to experience summer and special events due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and recent heat wave in Japan.
Kazuhito Kosaka, better known by his stage names Daimaou Kosaka and Pikotaro, is a Japanese comedian, television personality and entertainer. Kosaka insists that Pikotaro is another person promoted by him, but they are considered the same person. He is currently signed with Avex Management Inc. under Avex Group. His song PPAP is a massive hit inside and outside Japan.
Speaking of Pikachu, the second part of the ongoing Pokemon Journeys: The Series anime will be available for streaming on Netflix beginning September 11, the company announced on Wednesday. The stream will be available for the U.S. region.
The anime first premiered in Japan on November 17 last year, just two days after the release of the Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield shield games worldwide. The first 12 episodes of the anime premiered on Netflix for the United States region on June 12 with new episodes to be added quarterly.
The anime’s new episodes had delayed airing due to COVID-19 but officially resumed on June 7. Another series under the franchise Pokemon: Twilight Wings also had a delay on its fifth episode.
The franchise’s 23th anime film Gekijōban Pocket Monster Koko was supposed to premiered in Japanese theaters on July 10, but its moved to winter due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
About Pokemon Journeys: The Series
On a new day in the Kanto region, Satoshi gets invited by Professor Yukinari Ookido over to Professor Sakuragi's lab-opening ceremony in Vermillion City. During the ceremonial speech, Professor Sakuragi receives an alert of a possibly rare Pokémon appearing in Vermillion City's harbor, leading Satoshi and the other trainers to rush to the area in hopes of finding the mysterious Pokémon. At the harbor, they find Lugia—a Legendary Pokémon—engaged in combat with other trainers.
Noticing the other trainers' tactics, Satoshi has his partner, Pikachu, strike Lugia with a Thunderbolt attack. Unfazed, Lugia flees, but not before Satoshi determinedly leaps onto its back. To Satoshi's surprise, he meets another boy, Gou, who leapt onto Lugia's back as well. The two ride on Lugia's back as it brings them along on a bizarre adventure across the seas. As it lets the two back on the ground, Satoshi and Gou bid their farewells to Lugia and return to Sakuragi Institute.
Impressed by Gou's findings and Satoshi's insight taken during their encounter, Sakuragi requests for the duo to be his new research partners. And so the duo's journey begins, traveling across multiple regions to meet many new Pokémon—including ones that have the ability to Gigantamax!
Source: ANN