Vol. 2, Issue 37 - Interview with TRsRockin
Vol. 2, Issue 37 - Interview with TRsRockin
An interview with TR Rose of TRsRockin, a fan website that was active between 2000–2011. Plus, a recap of the latest Pokémon news and more from the Johto Times mailbag
Welcome to Vol. 2, issue 37 of the Johto Times! This week, we are happy to be sharing an interview with TR Rose, the webmistress of a Pokémon fan website called TRsRockin. The site covered information on Team Rocket and game glitches such as MissingNo., along with fanworks, reviews, and other information. The website was active for over a decade, between December 2000 and February 2011. This issue also includes a recap of the latest Pokémon news, so sit back and enjoy!
News
Last month, we shared the news that the Pokémon Center in Nagoya would be closing temporarily, due to preparations for a new store located on the second floor of Nagoya PARCO East Building. At the time, The Pokémon Center website announced that this would be happening on November 8th, 2024, when it actually occurred on September 8th, 2024.
The Pokémon Company have announced that the store will reopen on October 12th, 2024, and feature Celebi and Pikachu as the store mascots. The new store also has an event space and a redesigned Pokémon Card Station, where attendees can play the game at various events that will be held there. There’s even a golden Magikarp statue on display! The Center offers a wide range of merchandise, including some exclusive to the store. For a full list of updates and further details, be sure to check out the source link.
Source: Pocket Monsters, Pokémon
A new PokéLid featuring Pikachu and a Game Boy console, was unveiled yesterday at the Nintendo Museum by Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa, and Takato Utsunomiya, COO of The Pokémon Company, ahead of its opening on Wednesday, October 2nd, 2024. This Pokémon-themed Utility Hole Cover is located inside the museum itself, and is one of many designs across Japan, currently the third in the city of Uji, Kyoto Prefecture.
PokéLids are part of the Pokémon Local Acts campaign, which assign Pokémon as ambassadors to specific areas of Japan, to aid their local economies, such as parks. At the time of writing, there are over 350 PokéLids across Japan, with some made into special PokéStops for Pokémon GO. Merchandise featuring the PokéLids are also available, which include badges, keychains, and mugs.
Source: Nintendo, Pokémon
Feature: Interview with TRsRockin
TRsRockin was a Pokémon fan website that focused on Pokémon glitches and Team Rocket. It began in December 2000 and initially provided Pokémon-specific content, but later expanded to cover glitches in video games in general. TRsRockin was first hosted on Angelfire and moved to several different homes before landing its own domain in September 2005, where it continued to operate until its final update in February 2011. I am very happy to share this interview with TR Rose, the webmistress of the website, to learn more about the site and her memories of Pokémon.
Thanks for agreeing to this interview, TR Rose! Can you please introduce yourself and your website to our readers?
TR Rose:
Hi there, I'm TR Rose from TR's Rockin and Meow About Cosplay, as well as Late to the Game on YouTube.
As we know, many Pokémon fan websites were formed in the late 90s and early 2000s, but your website took a different approach! What inspired you to create a Pokémon website themed after Team Rocket?
TR Rose:
I was quite a bit older than the typical Pokémon fan of the late 90s, as I was in high school and college when Poké-mania first took hold. Because of this, I never really identified with Ash, Misty, or the other kid protagonists of the series. Instead, I thought the Team Rocket trio was far more interesting – all of them have had a traumatic background, and they come together as a found family with a shared purpose in life. It's not a very good purpose, mind you, but I never got the impression that the Team Rocket trio we know and love were the really bad Team Rocket from the games and manga series. These aren't the trainers who would kill Cubone's mother; they're a bunch of goobers who are more interested in a big flashy entrance and "impressing the boss" than committing any truly evil acts. The Team Rocket-focused episodes were far more interesting (even heartbreaking sometimes) than "Ash gets another badge, even though he didn't deserve to" or "let's meet a new Pokémon of the week." And of course, Team Rocket gets the fun musical numbers and wacky costume changes.
The catalyst for creating the site itself came from the Pokémon Live stage show. As I mentioned above, I was in college at the time but I heard (probably from a game magazine) about the stage show and really wanted to see it. I lived in Pennsylvania at the time, and my dad and I drove across the state to see the show in Camden, NJ. After seeing the show (and falling in love with the soundtrack), I wanted to document the storyline and details about the show for everyone who didn't get the chance to see it. Basically, I wanted to create what I would have wanted to exist, had I not been able to see the show myself. What happened in the story? What were the characters like? Ironically enough, the Team Rocket actors in the stage show were my least favorite part of the show! I didn't like their portrayal on stage, and they came across more obnoxious than funny. Of course, Ash, Misty, and Brock were all played by adults onstage, so the whole thing felt more mature and aged-up from the anime. I did love how the stage show portrayed Giovanni, though – he wasn't just a mysterious voice in the shadows, he was an active villain with a plan for conquest using a robotic Mewtwo. I've always enjoyed live theatre, so it was really exciting getting to see the anime brought to life.
One of the most popular sections of your website was Tales from the Glitch, a series dedicated to Pokémon glitches which covered articles, reference materials, fanfiction and fanart. You even invited readers to send you information about Pokémon glitches that they had encountered. What inspired you to include this content on your website in the first place?
TR Rose:
I have always been interested in game glitches and strangeness, documenting odd occurrences I've seen in old games as well as playing with Game Genie codes that dramatically changed gameplay. This was the era of internet and schoolyard legends like "Mew under the truck," "Bill's secret garden" and "get the other starter from Professor Oak," so there was a lot of misinformation out there. A lot of it was easy to dismiss as silly rumors, but I read about MissingNo. in an issue of Nintendo Power (as official as you could find), and wanted to give it a try for myself - I had long since finished a copy of Pokémon Blue, so it was easy to fly to Cinnabar Island and give it a shot. I think my favorite part of the MissingNo. glitch was seeing what strange things would pop up in my glitched Hall of Fame. Opening up user submissions for glitches led to a lot of really fascinating discoveries that I never would have known about - including the Mew Trick, Glitch City, and MissingNo.-like glitches in Pokémon Yellow. And with user-corroborated stories, there was a way to see what rumors were authentic and which were fake.
Your website featured many other Pokémon-themed articles, reviews, resources, and tons of information about Team Rocket. Out of all your Pokémon content, which did you enjoy the most, and why?
TR Rose:
One of my favorite parts of the site was the Spriter's Challenge, an interactive event I would do regularly where I would throw out a specific topic for fans to create their own original Pokémon sprites (trainers or critters), and then award prizes (graphical banners) to my favorites. There were some really clever and well-done sprites entered, and it was always fun to see what folks would come up with. I did other interactive events too, like coloring contests and Fakemon creation events. Unique evolutions of Eevee were always popular, and I feel like these are a real oversight from Game Freak.
How did you first get introduced to Pokémon?
TR Rose:
While I had caught a few episodes here and there, I really started watching the show when I was in college. Because I didn't live on campus, and commuted to school by riding the city bus, I had a lot of downtime between classes and waiting for the next bus to arrive, so I spent a lot of time in the commuter lounge, a big room off the deli at the student union. The room had lots of chairs and a TV, and the station was usually turned to trashy daytime TV like Jerry Springer or cartoons. Pokémon seemed to be a big hit with everyone, and I remember plenty of times where Ash was ineffectively battling someone, and everyone in the commuter lounge was yelling about what an idiot he was. Also due to the long commutes on the bus, I brought a Game Boy Advance and Pokémon Crystal with me. I remember catching a lot of the early morning Pokémon, like Ledyba, while the bus was driving through downtown on my way to my 9am Latin class.
Over time, the direction of the website leaned towards more general gaming content, comics, anime and cosplay. How did this change in direction impact the website and your readership?
TR Rose:
At the time, there wasn't a lot of new content coming out for Pokémon. While I was still watching the show, there wasn't much new content to add. I was working at a job that had a lot of down time, but required me to "stay busy" at my desk. I started adding more types of content to keep the site going, bringing in fandoms I had [participated in] years earlier. This is also where the game glitches section came from – a way to keep the interest going in the site, without anything new "Team Rocket related" to add.
According to the last recorded archival page, the TRsRockin forum had over 430 registered users who wrote more than 138,000 posts. It featured boards dedicated to video game discussion, artwork, writing, art contests, forum games and more. How would you describe your original community from back then?
TR Rose:
There were several moves between forum boards, so the actual numbers may have been even higher. The boards were very active, with a passionate group of fans who were really focused on the Pokémon game glitches in particular.
Despite the website's inactivity and eventual closure, you never really turned your back on Pokémon! A few years ago, you joined a local club called Team Rocket Texas and took part in some events with them. Tell us a bit more about the group and the activities you take part in!
TR Rose:
Team Rocket Texas hasn't been very active recently, but the group hosted Game Corner events at local conventions. Club members would run carnival-style games for con attendees, who would win points depending on how well they did in the games. Some were skill-based, and others (like roulette) were entirely games of chance. The con-goers loved the event, and it was a way to experience what it would be like to enter the Pokémon world and interact with friendly Team Rocket members to win prizes at a casino. There was no fee to enter, and we did give away actual prizes including candy, buttons, and Perler Bead sprites of Pokémon. It was really exciting to see how much love people had for the Team Rocket characters, and even though they're villains in the game and show, everyone wanted to interact with us and take photos with "the Boss." We even had Jessie and James come through to play the games, and they weren't very good at them, which made it even more accurate!
Team Rocket Texas also hosts an event at the Texas State Fair, where members dress in their Team Rocket shirts (or full uniforms) and go around the fair as a group. Getting a group photo with Big Tex is a must. I'm not sure if the group is planning an event [in 2024], however.
I really loved the photograph of you, your husband and your son all dressed as Team Rocket members. It’s quite nice to see that the love you have for Pokémon is thriving within your family! How has it been passing down your knowledge and experiences of Pokémon to a new generation?
TR Rose:
Pokémon Let's Go, Eevee! was a really fun way to introduce my kiddo to the fun of Pokémon without the old Game Boy graphics and clunky gameplay. And of course we got the [Poké Ball Plus] accessories that went with the game, too! I'll be honest, a big reason that I got the Pokéball for myself was because it included Mew, who is my favorite Pokemon. We also used to play Pokémon Go together, and it was fun taking walks around the local mall to hit the Pokéstops and collect new critters, especially on Community Days.
At the time of this interview, there are now nine generations of Pokémon, over 1000 Pokémon, and Ash’s story along with Team Rocket’s in the Pokémon anime has now concluded. What are your thoughts and feelings about the franchise in recent years?
TR Rose:
I haven't followed the fandom or the series very much in recent years. I have played a few of the most recent games – Let's Go, Eevee! was a great way to introduce Pokémon to my kiddo, and it was really fun to go back into the world of Pokémon Red & Blue again, but with updated graphics and quality of life improvements. I've also played New Pokémon Snap, as I spent a lot of time on the original N64 version, and really enjoyed Pokémon Legends: Arceus, as it was a whole new approach to the Pokémon world. I loved the open world exploration and the unique storyline that was more than "10-year-old collects everything, battles villains, and enters the championship" that so many Pokémon games follow. I also played Pokémon Go for years, but now that I've caught all the ones I recognize, I've fallen away from that as well. I think the only Pokémon game I'm consistently still playing is Pokémon Café [ReMix] on the Switch! I heard that Ash finally got to win a championship in the anime, and it feels like a satisfying conclusion to his story arc. I feel like the series could have been better if they'd switched out the protagonists every few years to coincide with new game releases, but I guess they wanted to keep the focus on Ash and Pikachu. I did really enjoy the Detective Pikachu film, especially the Pokémon designs.
Although it may sound traitorous, I'm really enjoying Palworld more than I have a Pokémon game in quite some time. No, it isn't Pokémon, but it's doing things with the concept that I've long wanted to see from a Pokémon game. Let me interact with ALL of the creatures, ride a bunch of different ones, explore the world, and find uses for even the small cute critters that may not be heavy hitters. I would love to see the Pokémon franchise take some notes from Palworld and make the world feel more alive. I would love to see something with the same feel as Ryme City in the Pokémon Detective Pikachu film, with people and their Pokémon just going about their lives.
Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions, Rose! It’s been a pleasure speaking to you and learning more about TRsRockin! Do you have any final words you would like to share with our readers, and to anyone who may have visited TRsRockin in the past?
TR Rose:
Thanks to everyone who visited the site over the years. I'm very grateful for all the positive comments I've received over the years, along with everyone who contributed to the site while it was running. Running the site was a big part of my life for almost 10 years and I hope it brought enjoyment to everyone who visited. While I'm not running a site anymore, I have moved to YouTube to keep creating content (or you can find me on Instagram), so if there's something related to the old site that you'd like to see me share or talk about, drop me a message and let me know!
An extra special thanks to TR Rose for taking the time to answer my questions, and sharing her memories with us. It’s cool to see that Pokémon continues to be a part of her life, and long may it continue! We wish her the very best of luck in all her future projects.
Mailbag
We’ve had a further rummage into our mailbag and found another letter from a familiar face to the newsletter: Corylus! He’s back again with a further piece of watercolour art, and this time it's Charizard.
[Charizard is] probably the most drawn Pokémon by me and many others. It's just such an excellent design with its simplicity. Despite that, it took me some sketches to figure out a pose I was happy with. While it might be a bit basic with its feet on the ground and spreading its wings, I think it looks interesting enough. After scanning it I have to admit there's a resemblance with the sprite from the Red and Blue version, or is it just me? Either way it shows how much of an impact those games had on me.
Corylus, Germany
Hello Corylus, and thank you once again for another great piece of art! Charizard is a favourite of many fans, myself included. Your watercolour artworks continue to impress me, and I am thankful that you decided to share it with us! I think my favourite part of this piece is the wings; you got the shape just right, and they look great! As always, keep up the great work.
Want to be a part of our newsletter? You’re welcome to submit content including (but not limited to) questions, fan-created art, short stories, cherished memories, photographs from your collection, and anything else you think we would like to see.
I'm slowly catching up with these fansite interviews -- thank you for continuing to make them! I loved to read TR Rose's perspective on Team Rocket in the show. For me and many others, TRSRockin' was THE source of endless tidbits about Pokémon rumors, glitches, and bootleg games. The site also introduced me to Telefang (via the bootlegs Pokémon Diamond and Jade), a lasting influence and passion in my life. It's always awesome to get some insight into a website that influenced so many childhoods.