@Callidus : It hasn't changed as much as one might expect, but it isn't like it hasn't changed at all since the protagonist has explicitly pointed out on several occasions things which are different.
Yeah, obviously not as different as one might expect things to be in 5000 years though. I think that is a case of the mangaka having no sense of the time-scales involved. It would be more believable on a scale of 500 years. But then maybe there are factors (besides magic) that hinder human development.
Oh and as for the Pochi thing, it is totally just you two. Pochi is cute. This series would be boring without her.