No idea on the “is” but if you had a gun to my head the numbers are references to Roland Drum machines. The original Pokédex in Base Set was HANDY505, the New Pokédex in N1 was HANDY808, and the FRLG Pokédex was 909. These are all numbers of Roland drum machines (the 808 the most famous of them), and Junichi Masuda is probably quite fond of them.
Incidentally, it was once pointed out to me that Twinleaf Town’s theme is almost completely lifted from a demo track on the Rоland SC-88. One day someone will have to go through Masuda’s work for the series and figure out what else he has lifted from drum machine demos, as DP’s GTS theme is lifted from the Yamaha QY-70’s, and while Shirley Temple isn’t a drum machine, Masuda’s composition of RGB Route 1 sounds identical to her rendition of Polly Wolly Doodle.
But, uh, back to the cards – 910 isn’t the number of a Roland drum machine, but since they stopped numbering Pokédexes after this card, maybe the break in formula made them decide to abandon the reference entirely.
Blob Takeshi
Never got the weird numbering system or what “is” meant.
Ambassador
No idea on the “is” but if you had a gun to my head the numbers are references to Roland Drum machines. The original Pokédex in Base Set was HANDY505, the New Pokédex in N1 was HANDY808, and the FRLG Pokédex was 909. These are all numbers of Roland drum machines (the 808 the most famous of them), and Junichi Masuda is probably quite fond of them.
Incidentally, it was once pointed out to me that Twinleaf Town’s theme is almost completely lifted from a demo track on the Rоland SC-88. One day someone will have to go through Masuda’s work for the series and figure out what else he has lifted from drum machine demos, as DP’s GTS theme is lifted from the Yamaha QY-70’s, and while Shirley Temple isn’t a drum machine, Masuda’s composition of RGB Route 1 sounds identical to her rendition of Polly Wolly Doodle.
But, uh, back to the cards – 910 isn’t the number of a Roland drum machine, but since they stopped numbering Pokédexes after this card, maybe the break in formula made them decide to abandon the reference entirely.