Pokemon Master Mandom Man
On the outside, Mandom Man is just an ordinary primary school teacher. But in fact, he’s the only Pokemon Master in Hong Kong, owning over 5,000 of the toys. He talks about his Pokemon passion, and his other hobby: keeping ants.
HK Magazine: Have you had to sacrifice your savings to build up this massive collection?
MM: It’s hard to say. But now that you ask, I think I might trade them for money to buy an apartment! But I didn’t buy all of my collection at once. It’s taken me the past 12 years. I had an exhibition for them recently and before that, I hadn’t realized my collection was that big. It’s hard to count when you’re living in an average sized flat and most of your collectables are boxed up.
HK: Why does Pokemon fascinate you so much? I guess that you were already an adult 12 years ago...
MM: I love it because it’s so meaningful! Pokemon takes Tamagotchi [the electronic game where you raise a pet within a portable egg-shaped device] to a higher level. Not only can you raise your own electronic beast, you can also use it to interact with others, getting them to fight or form alliances. I’ve also learned so much about animals from them. Yes, they’re not real, but they’re all based on real animals and they share certain characteristics. They also help me to teach and communicate with my students.
HK: What’s your most precious possession?
MM: Not a particular item, but my official title as “Master of Pokemon.” I claim it as my trophy because it’s a title that money can’t buy. To get it, you have to answer a list of really tricky questions, from quoting lines of certain television episodes to the item number of certain plastic figures. I did the test 10 years ago, and they’ve since stopped offering it to people. I tried to find out if there’s anyone else with the “Master of Pokemon” certificate, but I couldn’t. All evidence says that I’m the only Pokemon Master in Hong Kong.
HK: Do you wear Pokemon clothes?
MM: I’ve bought the shirts but they’re more for collection purposes. And as for underwear, they only have the kid’s line, so no luck for me! Actually, in Japan, the Pokemon clothing and accessories brand is quite developed. I’ve seen bags with a silhouette of Pikachu that resembles the LV monogram.
HK: Do you think many Hong Kongers are bored because they don’t have a hobby?
MM: Totally. Some might even hate those who have diversified interests. They also say that you’re pretentious simply because you have more hobbies than other people. This is from my personal experience.
HK: What’s your other special interest then?
MM: Keeping ants. They’re amazing creatures that can always surprise you. I just love to see them moving around and looking busy. It’s actually quite inspiring to see how they solve problems, too.