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Post by 8bitretroshit on Aug 8, 2010 15:32:30 GMT -5
A spiral on the belly of a frog's pretty common in cartoony frog drawings though. In Japan anyway. But I didn't know it was based on the visible intestines of real frogs, thought it was just some way to cute-'em-up.
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Post by The Qu on Sept 13, 2010 1:26:10 GMT -5
Bumping this thread in anticipation of the new generation. I'm going to try and do short write ups for Pokemon too (I haven't given up hope on that feature yet), starting with Dunsparce. Dunsparce: Ever wonder what this completely useless Pokemon is based on? I mean, it's a fat snake with wings. Kinda weird. Well, to put it simply, it's based on Japan's Bigfoot. Now, I don't literally mean a wildman cryptid- I'm being more metaphorical. The Tsuchinoko (Meaning Hammerspawn for some reason)is a Japanese cryptid with a centuries long history. In essence, the Tsuchinoko is a snake that is bigger in the middle than it is on its ends. It also has fangs and venom like a viper. Various legends also say that they can talk, are infamous liars, and have a taste for alcohol. However, these aren't as old as the creature itself, it seems, so it may have originated as the Medieval equivalent of a cryptid. The creature allegedly also could bite its tail to roll as a hoop, a characteristic shared with American legendary monster Hoop Snakes/ We need a Pokemon based on those too. The Tsuchinoko has also appeared in other games. In Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, the animal is a rare animal Naked Snake can capture. If captured alive and taken to the end of the game, he gets a rare unlockable. In Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow, the creature appears in one room and must be killed before it digs away. Lastly, Dunsparce's Japanese name refers back to the monster- Nokochhi. As for the wings, it may be related to feathered serpents. |
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Post by Johans Nidorino on Sept 13, 2010 8:16:44 GMT -5
Dunsparce always looked weird and ugly... I even used to think it evolved into Gligar because of their Pokédex vicinity. Don't call Dunsparce useless though ^_^ Given a little bit of luck, it can be fun on your side and annoying on your opponent's.
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Post by The Qu on Sept 13, 2010 8:59:12 GMT -5
Mew &Mewtwo Mew is a tad bit on the mysterious side. Best we can guess, it's based on a fetus, or the Recapitulation Theory, an outdated theory that the steps an embryo goes through echo forms mammals evolved from- fish, reptile, etc. It looks like a kitty, for some reason- complete with a name based on a Japanese onomatopoia for the sound cats make- similar to the English meow. Or maybe myu, the Japanese word for unique. Again, we don't really know in this case. Mewtwo, however, has a more interesting origin. It may be based on Giegue, the antagonist from the original MOTHER. Giegue was an alien that abducted a couple a half century ago. 50 years or so later, the couple's grandson Ninten comes into conflict with Giegue, who hates humans for some reason. The game was kinda light on story. See, APE Inc., the company that made the original MOTHER as well as EarthBound, was also involved in the Pokemon games. I'm not 100% what they do, aside from the card game, but the similarities between the two series lead me to believe it was an inspiration. And, seriously. Look at Giegue:  Tell me that doesn't look like Mewtwo. |
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Post by kirbychu on Sept 13, 2010 11:28:48 GMT -5
I thought the Japanese onomatopoeia for a cat noise was "nya"?
Either way, "mew" is used pretty commonly for a cat noise in English anyway.
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Post by TV Eye on Sept 13, 2010 12:42:42 GMT -5
Either way, "mew" is used pretty commonly for a cat noise in English anyway. Well, thanks to comics, English onomatopoeia has evolved into multiple words per sound (Meow, mroww, mew, etc.) while Japanese manga continues to use the same sound effects per noise (nya, goro, giri). In my opinion, Japanese words sound nothing like what they are representing (would you think of a heart beating making a sound "doki-doki"?) But, yeah. Mew's Japanese name is "Myu". I dunno if Mew is a literal translation, or something new entirely. |
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Post by The Qu on Sept 22, 2010 22:55:30 GMT -5
I'm going to keep up this Junior George Hutcheon stuff even though I doubt many of you care. Ekans and Arbok Now, I bet you're looking at this and thinking, "But Qu! I already know what those two Pokemon are based on! They're based on a generic rattle snake and a cobra, the former being indiginous to the United States and the latter being an iconic and deadly snake from India!" To which I say, you are correct, and you also think very detailed. But their inspirations are a tad more detailed. They draw obvious inspiration from consrictors, a type of huuuuuugge snake mainly form South America, for one, thanks to the move Constrict. I wouldn't bother pointing this out since it's so bloody obvious if it weren't for one thing- the beta name for Ekans was Aob, boa spelled backwards. I can only assume this was changed because, seriously. Try to say that! But the most non-obvious and interesting component in the Ekans' family's inspiration comes from its one time signature move Leer, which paralyzes its prey. This connects the family to the mythical Basilisk. First described by Greek historian Pliny the Elder- who first described an astonishing amount of fictitious creatures- the Basilisk is supposedly a snake that can kill with a single glare. The creature reappeared throughout Medieval bestiaries- eventually becoming confused with the completely different Cockatrice. Roleplaying Games have often used the Basilisk as a stock enemy. In most of these games, rather than being lethal, the creature's glare instead causes paralysis. Notable among these games are some Final Fantasy games and the tabletop Dungeons and Dragons. This could explain the difference between Leer and the mythical creature's leer. Interestingly, the only other Pokemon to learn Leer are also snakes- the previously covered Dunsparce and Seviper, which supports the Basilisk link. |
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Post by Johans Nidorino on Sept 22, 2010 23:44:41 GMT -5
You mean the move Glare  I had no idea about the boa anagram part. Accordingly, "Smugleaf" is going to be able to inherit Glare if its father is one of the old serpents. The standalone new dragon, Crimgan, will be able too, for some reason. The only other time I've heard about the basilisk in Pokémon stuff is with Giratina. |
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Post by The Qu on Sept 23, 2010 0:34:04 GMT -5
Looks like I was wrong on another thing- Ekans' beta name was Arbo. It's still a fractured anagram for Boa though.
Interesting on Crimgan learning the move. The sheer weirdness of its face makes me wonder if its based on one of the many, many types of dragons throughout bestiaries.
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Post by kirbychu on Sept 23, 2010 4:06:12 GMT -5
As far as Japanese language is concerned, Arbo is boa backwards, isn't it? what with their phonetic letters and all.
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Post by The Qu on Sept 24, 2010 23:16:34 GMT -5
Maril's body and ears may be based on a water molecule:  How cool is that? |
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Post by kirbychu on Sept 25, 2010 4:24:22 GMT -5
...I'm not seeing it.
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Post by Prince~Of~Light on Sept 25, 2010 10:01:23 GMT -5
Maril's body and ears may be based on a water molecule: How cool is that? What Kirbychu said. |
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Post by Johans Nidorino on Sept 25, 2010 10:49:04 GMT -5
The water molecule thing is one of those things that would be easier to believe if Game Freak people themselves said it. What would help is that the standard coloring of the atoms were exactly like Marill's but ones like this seem to be a minority from a Google image search. Just to copy things in their right place: Stunky and Skuntank seem to be based on skunks and buttocks, judging by their cheeks (especially Stunky's) and in-game cries that resemble flatulences or at least some sort of gas escape ( Stunky's, Skuntank's).  |
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Post by The Qu on Sept 27, 2010 20:29:45 GMT -5
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I had no idea about the boa anagram part.
