Judging from its first trailer, Pokemon Detective Pikachu is basically a live-action amalgamation of all those cool (and terrifying) realistic Pokemon drawings you've seen over the years - with Ryan Reynolds thrown in for good measure. The sheer anatomical fascination of seeing Pokemon living in the real world has kept it from reaching Sonic the Hedgehog movie levels of unnerving, but the movie's newly revealed merch line might just be strange enough to make up the difference.
As The Pokemon Company said in an announcement today, official trading cards based on 26 Pokemon as they appear in Detective Pikachu are on the way. These cards will be available in Detective Pikachu booster packs, and include Bulbasaur, Squirtle, Jigglypuff, and Detective Pikachu himself. Thanks to some sneak peek images released today, we also know that Charizard and Greninja are on the list. See for yourself:
Detective Pikachu is basically Pikachu with textured fur, so he's actually still pretty cute. Greninja looks surprisingly cool too, but that's mainly because his tongue scarf is only a minor feature in this portrait. I really don't want to see it in detail on the oversize foil cards which will be available. As for Charizard… why does he have so many clearly defined scales and striations and teeth? He looks like a carnivorous Cheeto, and oh god, now that you mention it, his tiny arms are kind of weird, aren't they? I shudder to think what the Jigglypuff card looks like.
On top of trading cards, The Pokemon Company is working with Wicked Cool Toys to release a line of Detective Pikachu action figures and plushies. Unsurprisingly, a talking Pikachu is on the list - and again, I have to admit it does look pretty cute:
I'm less sold on the buildable Pikachu model Mattel is apparently working on, but I'll give it the benefit of the doubt. That said, the very idea of walking into a room with a plush of that Jigglypuff waiting on the couch gives me the heebie jeebies, so I'll hold onto my skepticism.
Detective Pikachu will be voiced by Ryan Reynolds, and while he is a great actor, he is not Danny Devito, and that's a tragedy in its own right.
