On Sept. 29 2022, Ed Sheeran released his new single, “Celestial,” which was created in partnership with Pokémon. The song will appear in the newest Pokémon video games,“Pokémon Scarlet” and “Pokémon Violet,” as they come out on Nov.18. For those unfamiliar with the franchise, Pokémon is set in a world where creatures called Pokémon have various powers, and partner up with humans on various adventures. With both video games and an anime released, Pokémon infiltrates various forms of media. As a long-time Pokémon fan, I was quite positively surprised to see this partnership — and scrolling to a pop artist collaborating with the franchise was certainly a surprise at first. Although “Celestial” is not the type of music I would typically listen to, the nostalgic aspect of the song drew me in. For a reminiscent piece on childhood and daily life, Ed Sheeran thoroughly delivers with this song. 

The music firmly places itself into the category of pop music with an exuberant beat. The piece sounds similar to those released in the 2010s, solidifying the wistful aspect of “Celestial.” Once you listen to the song, the soundtrack utilization immediately makes sense; although this song is upbeat, it simultaneously melds into the background.

Though the composition of the music was thoroughly thought out by Sheeran, and delivered for its purpose, what stood out to me the most was the accompanying video directed by Yuichi Kodama. Alternating between live video clips and animated portions, the video displayed Ed Sheeran’s daily life with Pokémon drawn in, creating a cute fantastical effect that leaves the viewer in awe. The creativity in the video composition instantly attracts viewers. The Pokémon drawn onto the live action clips were in a partially translucent simplified style, creating a unique effect, though a portion of the video is animated in the style of the anime.

Overall, “Celestial” makes use of the sentimental feelings of the older generations of Pokémon players, and is further being used to expand the Pokémon franchise. If you have any interest in art, Pokémon, video games, or music, I highly recommend streaming Ed Sheeran’s “Celestial,” a piece that wonderfully bridges together so many people to their childhood.