By Harold Goldberg
At 7:30 am, I jumped on a trolley shuttle to get from the hotel to the Hawaii Convention Center. The trolley blasted pop music, which would have been cool had it not been for the hour of the day. (No, I wasn’t hung over.) Along the way over the Ala Wai Canal, fans already were moving briskly to queue up get a good seat or standing place at the big opening ceremony.
The opener was delayed about 15 minutes by a lack of audio. The crowd laughed and shrugged it off. With each short delay, the crowed grew more energetic, and when the Worlds trailer finally played with sound, showcasing the sights and sounds of Hawaii along with famous Pokémon characters, the group cheered heartily, loudly as one, similar the crowd at, say, a Radio City Music Hall concert like Japanese Breakfast.
The theme of the ceremony was decidedly indigenous Hawaiian. It was impressive to witness, singing, dancing, drumming, fire, all on a stage made to evoke a local village when Hawaiians themselves ruled their destinies. I only wish they had time to fully explain the meaning and history of the performances that went over so well with the audience.
Yet the convention center itself is full of compelling displays of Hawaiian culture, from musical instruments and sculptures to a full showcase of ukulele entertainer and film producer Eddie Kamae:
Near the end, Pokémon Company CEO Tsunekazu Ishihara took the stage to say “Please give it your all and strive to be one the world champion.” With that, the over 3000 trainers took to the convention floor to begin the competition.
Nearby, Bastien LaMotte took on Robin Schulz for a battle of the card decks. It was serious stuff, flipping through the cards, strategizing hands, taking deep breaths of tension, occasionally sighing, holding the head briefly, now and then shooting the stink eye at the opponent. All the while, judges in red shirts looked on, making sure it was all on the up and up. No need to look at them. That would be far too stressful. In the end, former world champion Robin Schulz won, 2-0.
Outside of the competition area, kids took photos in from of all things Pokémon. Dads snapped their iPhone buttons as sons and daughters posed. Influencers took over the media room, and I found a quiet room to write with no one inside.
It was cheek-by-jowl on crowded on the floor, reminiscent of E3 on its first day. People coughed. I held my breath. Tomorrow: a mask – beyond protection, it was because people were already so excited, the area was rife with sweat, smelly sweat. How could it they be stinky this early? It was the pheromones of older Pokémon fans amid the most thrilling Pokémon event of the year.
The Pokemon Company is a supporter of our NYVGCC Playing With Purpose nonprofit.
