pokemon

Super Duper Extra Deluxe Essential Handbook (Pokémon) (Pokémon)

Super Duper Extra Deluxe Essential Handbook (Pokémon) (Pokémon) — for gift shoppers

What it is

Ah yes, the Super Duper Extra Deluxe Essential Handbook — a title so magnificently redundant that one might suspect the marketing department was paid per adjective. This is, ostensibly, a comprehensive guide to the world of Pokémon, though I suppose calling anything in this universe 'essential' is rather like calling oxygen 'somewhat useful.' It contains facts, statistics, and colorful pictures of creatures that exist solely to be captured and forced into gladiatorial combat, which is perfectly normal and not at all concerning.

Perfect gift for...

This handbook is ideal for that special someone who has already memorized every Pokémon's type effectiveness chart but still enjoys the comforting illusion that there might be something left to learn. It's perfect for children who need to justify their screen time as 'research,' or adults who have accepted that yes, they are indeed going to spend their evening reading about fictional pocket monsters. Really, it's for anyone who finds themselves at the intersection of 'I love Pokémon' and 'I enjoy owning physical objects that validate my interests.'

Is it worth it?

Well now, that depends entirely on whether you believe knowledge has value, even when that knowledge pertains to the optimal moveset for a cartoon dragon. The book will sit exactly where you place it, neither judging your life choices nor questioning why you needed to know Pikachu's base stats in print form when the internet exists. At an unknown price point, it's either a tremendous bargain or highway robbery — but then again, isn't that true of most things we convince ourselves we need?

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