Pika-who?
Yep, the electric yellow mouse, the unofficial mascot of the bothersomely successful Pokémon franchise, is getting a name change for the latest titles, Sun and Moon.
Fear not - Pokémon No. 25 will still be called 'Pikachu' in old Blighty and the English-speaking nations.
The statically charged rotund rascal is switching its name in Hong Kong, and fans are bloody miffed about the hole debacle.
The issue stems from a shift in the language choice of the new games. Formerly, Hong Kong players were able to catch 'em all in Cantonese Chinese - in which Pikachu was called 比卡超 (Bei-kaa-chyu). The new titles will see the game released with a unilateral translation of Mandarin Chinese, which terms the chubby electro rat "Pikaqiu".
While that might not look like a big deal, for Cantonese-speakers, the pronunciation of 'Pei-kaa-jau' is very different to 'Bei-kaa-chyu' - to the extent that it sparked protests on the streets of Hong Kong. According to QZ, on 30 May dozens (okay, so it's not a massive deal) of Pokémon fans marched on the Japanese Consulate in Central, singing the Cantonese Pokémon theme tune demanding that Hong Kong receive a Cantonese release of the new games Sun and Moon.
Sure, it all sounds like a bit of a joke, but for citizens of Hong Kong it's a slap in the face from Nintendo (part owners of the franchise) for not respecting their local heritage and culture.
Nintendo's Hong Kong branch apparently responded to fans with a plea that they continue to read the name with a Cantonese pronunciation. Here's how the protesters reacted...
[Via: Quartz]
