Two animated series are celebrating their 30th anniversary this year. 

Both Persona and Pokémon began in 1996 and they are thrilled to look back on old times before moving forward into a (hopefully for Pokémon) bright future!

First, Pokémon is re-releasing a life-sized Pikachu plushie. Pikachu’s original design depicts him as being short, fat, and in my opinion, much cuter. In 1997, the original life-sized Pikachu plushie was released but eventually stopped manufacturing. But for the 30 year anniversary, he’s back and squishier than ever!!

I’ve always personally preferred Pikachu’s original design and I’m so happy they brought back this plushie! I wish I could get my own 🙁 

In other news, the Persona series has also reached its 30th anniversary!

This series has been close to my heart for YEARS. I first picked up the Persona games in 7th grade and it became one of my favorite series ever. I found the gameplay, characters, music, themes, and art to be remarkable. I was totally obsessed and I still am extraordinarily fond of this series. Seeing it come so far is amazing.

One thing that is spectacular is seeing the entire franchise get appreciated. Not enough love is shown to the first two games – or even the third game until recently when it was rereleased. I love this entire franchise as well as Shin Megami Tensei. 

On the site, there’s a full walkthrough on the entire history of the game series. There’s so much that’s come out and even more to come! Persona 4 Revival was announced not too long ago. It’ll basically be a re-release of Persona 4 with modern graphics and what not. I’m hoping that someday they’ll remake Persona 1 and 2 as well. Persona 1 is admittedly awful and impossible to play with any level of enjoyment. Sorry. 

But if you’re interested to see more updates and announcements, definitely keep a tab on the official 30th Anniversary website!

I hope to see a lot more from these franchises in the future! Yay!

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