Pokemon is celebrating its 25th Anniversary all year. Throughout the year The Pokemon Company has had promotions with a variety of brands and organizations featuring Pokemon branding or some card giveaways. Now it's honoring some of the musical artists that released songs and music videos throughout the year.
The cards were revealed in conjunction with the release of Pokemon 25: The Album that features the Pokemon-themed songs from the aforementioned artists and other international artists. Post Malone released a cover of "Only Wanna Be With You" and held a virtual Pokemon concert in April. Katy Perry dropped "Electric" in April, and J Balvin's single "Ten Cuidado" was just released on October 15.
The Pokemon Company honors Post Malone, Katy Perry, and J. Balvin with their own Pokemon V cards. The stylish cards were created by Naoki Saito, Yuu Nishida, and nagimiso, notable Japanese artists with a history of making Pokemon cards, and feature cartoon versions of each artist with their preferred Pokemon along with unique "moves." Post Malone features Dragonite and Butterfree with the move "Multi Beat." Katy Perry is paired with Pikachu with the special move "Heartbeat Ray." Finally, J. Balvin has a Charizard and the move "Llama Ritmo," which translates to "Flame Rhythm."
Making Pokemon cards of a musical artist is a peculiar decision. It is currently unclear if these cards will be put into mass production. The cards don't seem to be a part of any set as the set numbers have been replaced with their birthdays (007/004 for Post Malone, 010/025 for Katy Perry, 005/007 for J. Balvin), but the cards still preside by the rules of V Cards and have stats. Nevertheless, it's another way to show that The Pokemon Company is going all out for its 25th Anniversary celebrations and is continuing to choose some unconventional methods.
Reactions to the announcement of the cards have been mixed. Some reactions appreciate the thoughtful work put in by Saito, Nishida, and nagimiso. Others deride the decision for being a waste of time. Regardless of opinion, Pokemon cards have become a hallmark of gaming and nerd culture. A collaboration between music artists and the Pokemon brand does not seem all that out of place. These cards may have been just to give to these artists as a "thank you" for their contributions to the 25th Anniversary event.
Source: PokeBeach