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Mewusic to my ears: Staff writer Carlos-Eddie Hermandez brings continuous coverage on a Year of Pokemon.

Story By: Carlos-Eddie Hermandez

Staff Writer

Hello again and welcome back to the monthly Pokemon update! February is a special month for Pokemon. Not only because the year long Poke-fest begins with the legendaries, but also because February is the exact month where Pokemon turns 20. The twenty-seventh, to be exact. So, let me take the opportunity to say Happy Birthday to Pokemon officially! This month, two main events are taking place: the Mew giveaway and the Pokemon Symphony.
First, let’s talk Mew. From now until Wednesday, February 24, you can receive your Mew at any Gamestop nearby. What you do is you go to the counter, ask for an event card, and the cashier will hook you up. Remember, though, This is a one per customer deal, so if you have more than one eligible Pokemon game (eligible games are Pokemon X, Y, Alpha Sapphire, and OmegaRuby), you will either need to have a friend pick up the spare or go to all three locations to make sure each of your trainers gets a copy of this mysterious cat-like creature. After you get your card, make sure your game is updated fully (X/Y will need to be the 1.5 version, and ORAS will need to be 1.4) and connect to the internet. When you see your menu on the game, go to ‘Mystery Event’, ‘Receive Gift’, and pick that card code option. Then, go to the Pokemon Centre and pick up your new Level 100 companion. Easy as one, two, Caterpie.
The second event was the Pokemon Symphony, which took place on the Friday, February 5, at the Devos Performance Hall. Yup. For one night only, at the Devos Performance Hall, the Grand Rapids Pop Symphony played orchestrated versions of the video game music Pokemon fans have grown to love. Speaking as someone who was fortunate enough to go, I will say it was a magical night. There were so many 3DS’s out, that I made sure to bring my friends’ consoles as well to get them Streetpasses. There were fans in Pokemon merchandise (I forgot my Magikarp hat like a moron), and some VERY dedicated fans who cosplayed for the event. The concert started with Kanto and one of the first songs was the music of Pallet Town that warmed the hearts of the entire audience. Three songs from every region was showcased and joining the orchestra was a giant screen that showed gameplay and we experienced 20 years of games go before us.
The concert ended with a word from the composer- who happens to be a GVSU graduate- talking about the project and announcing there would be two encores. The moment he said it would be a sing-along, the entire audience automatically knew he meant the iconic theme song to the Pokemon anime and we roared with excitement. The second was a song from the very ending of X and Y. When the theme song was played, the audience sung it to the best of our ability, and we all choked on the second verse. It was very comforting to know we at the very least failed collectively. The second song, “Miracle” actually had lyrics on the screen and managed to get me teary-eyed. It was one of the most magical evenings of my life and I am so glad I got to go.