Pokemon #113: Chancey, leading a Poke-feminist revolution?

I haven't updated this blog in a while, but one of my friends (and motivators for this blog) had his birthday yesterday, and requested I do a post on Chancey. So, Happy Birthday! Here we go! Although Chancey is Pokemon #113 of Generation 1, I chose to do it as my fourth post on this blog. Chancey has gathered some recent attention at conventions as of late in interesting ways, and since "her" introduction. So this is Chancey:

According to Bulbapedia, Chancey's Japanese romanji spelling looks like this ラッキー and translates to "lucky," which connects to the nomenclature of her name "CHANCE"-y. One of the most notable "Facts" about this Pokemon is that it is only found as a female in the game, meaning to get offspring you'd have to breed it to a Ditto. Yum.

Bulbapedia's description of Chancey interestingly notes "Chansey is a pink, ovoid Pokémon...Chansey lays several nutritious eggs every day, which it carefully carries in its pouch. A kindhearted Pokémon, it will share these eggs with injured people and Pokémon. The eggs become more delicious if Chansey is raised with love and care. Chansey is extremely rare in the wild, and is said to bring good luck and happiness to those who manage to catch it. It is more commonly found in urban settings."

Playing the game, I had no idea Chancey basically raised eggs for consumption only? So then, are Chancey cannibalistic? Are Chancey like sows, where they have to be separated from their eggs so they can hatch into their pre-evolved form, Happiny?

Examining Chancey's role in the Pokemon anime, this Pokemon is commonly seen working with Nurse Joy in the Pokecenters, helping to heal pokemon, which work well with its "delicious egg" ability, and the fact that it constantly is given a "caregiver" or "motherly" overtone in design, similarly to Kangaskhan, but without so much of a "tough" exterior appearance. Even Brock, according to Bulbapedia, had a Happiny that evolved into Chancey. Seriously, Brock, there are easier ways to get closer to Nurse Joy than raise similar Pokemon.

Notably in the manga, Pokémon Adventures, Chansey is seen as a Pokémon under the ownership of Daisy Oak, which previously belonged to her grandfather, the well-known Professor Oak. Chancey, while appearing calm and friendly, has been known to show agressiveness, particularly to protect others....or, you know, when boxing:

In terms of video games, In Super Smash Bros., "Chansey will sometimes appear from the Silph Co. Building in Saffron City, and can also be released from a Poké Ball in which case she will shoot out eggs." So again, no love for its own young. Come on, Chancey...you're supposed to be motherly...right? In Super Smash Brothers Melee, "When released from a Poké Ball, Chansey will use Softboiled and produce five eggs. Anyone can pick them up and they will either slightly heal the holder or contain items. If attacked, Chansey can be knocked away, stopping egg production. Chansey is also a Pokéfloat. The float will quickly bob up and down from the bottom of the screen four times."

Getting back to Chancey's evolution (and away from its weird nurse/offspring-devourer), in Gold and Silver, once you raise the happiness of Chancey to a degree, meaning you battle with it but don't let it faint, give it potions, etc. it may evolve into an even frillier version of itself, known as Blissey (and appearing more like a Lolita maid than nurse...oh, the naughty cosplay ideas):

The visual rhetoric behind this evolution strikes as interesting. Since Chancey is a female-only Pokemon, some could point out the stereotypical gender roles behind the evolution. In order for this Pokemon to become stronger, it must be pampered and made more beautiful than it already is (one way to make Pokemon more "happy" in the game is to take them to a salon). The suggestion here is that evolution is from healing/nurse to that of vanity. "Chance" becomes "Bliss," but does it mean duty sacrificed for vanity and that makes it appealing? Perhaps that's looking too deep into the Pokemon itself, but still, it's interesting to think about. Connecting to its visual appearance, there are definitely two main, but different, angles individuals go to when portraying Chancey: One is realistically (which has become an up and coming trend with Pokemon of all types), and with "human" appearances and characteristics. Realism: This form of Chancey, as shown by the images below, is terrifying. Chancey's cute appearance is dropped completely or warped to portray the Pokemon as a much more fearsome, and less feminine, creature.

Humanistic: With it being an "only-female" Pokemon, the fan art that have humanistic qualities is fairly limited....or so it seems. The human Chancey images range from pregnant women to women with chainsaws...oddly. Here are some examples:

Perhaps the most interesting thing about Chancey in relation to fans of the game is how Chancey has been cosplayed. While a character that is seemingly "cosplayable" by all body types, Chancey has become somewhat of an underground example of gender-bending and gender-expanding in both the fan art and cosplay world.

Is Chancey the vessel for a Poke-feminist revolution? Who knows...the evolution of Chancey seems to oppose this, but as this post examines, Chancey symbolizes both a strong and feminine character, and one that is well-known and has made its mark in the Pokemon community. Only time will tell how male characters and cosplayers embrace this Pokemon. Have a Pokemon you want me to write a post on? Just comment below! Until next time! References: http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Chansey_(Pokémon)http://www.wikihow.com/Evolve-Chansey Images from GOOGLE IMAGES