I'm teaching a short course on Anime!

[Alzrius]

Not that I partilarly recommend it for enjoyment, but it seems to me that no analysis of its genre with an interest in its impact on the west would be complete without reference to a kids' anime like Pokemon.

I disagree. I find that there's a difference between an impact and just being popular. Pokemon was undeniably very popular, but how much of an impact did it really have? It didn't change the way we look at animation as a medium for television, nor did it convince people that views on Japanese animation needed to be re-evaluated as something more than just "cartoons" (other than convincing studios that the next big cash cows could be found in anime).

Pokemon was a highly successful fad, but didn't seem to have any more impact on American than Tickle Me Elmo did, IMHO.