Kids' WB! Talkback: "Pokémon" - April (Spoilers)

[Duke]

http://library.toonzone.net/talkbacks/kidswb.jpghttp://library.toonzone.net/talkbacks/pkmnadvbttl.jpg
Pokémon Advanced Battle
April, 2006

Gotta catch 'em all! Ash and May are close to both the Hoenn Pokémon League and the Grand Festival, but what waits around the corner, in the Battle Frontier?

Time: 10:00am
(All times in Eastern)
4

April 1st, 2006
Date Expectations (http://www.bulbagarden.net/~dogasu/comparisons/houen/ep115.html) http://www.toonzone.net/schedule/new.gif

May is on her way to Pacifidlog Town to compete in her final Pokémon Contest before the Grand Festival (which was 2 months ago. o.O), but the gang end up making an unexpected detour to an island full of Donphan! And they're in mating season to boot! When Max is separated from the group, will May forgo her last Ribbon to search for him? Will every Donphan find their mate?
Comments: Don'tcha love it when Kids' WB! plays episodes in the right order? I certainly do. Yep, very much so. Yippie-skippy.
4

April 1st, 2006
Mean With Envy (http://www.bulbagarden.net/~dogasu/comparisons/houen/ep116.html) http://www.toonzone.net/schedule/new.gif

May has arrived in Pacifidlog Town, but her Skitty starts acting up again, forcing her to run into a fellow Coordinator named Joshua. Unfortunately, Joshua's girlfriend, Erika, gets the wrong idea and thinks May's trying to steal her guy! To show her that she means business and that she is the epitome of feminine beauty, Erika shows off one of the ugliest Pokémon in existance: Jynx.
Comments: I hate Jynx. Even without all the stupid controversey, it's still an ugly and, especially nowadays, useless Pokémon.
4

April 8th, 2006
Pacifidlog Jam (http://www.bulbagarden.net/~dogasu/comparisons/houen/ep117.html) http://www.toonzone.net/schedule/new.gif

May, Joshua, and Erika compete in the Pacifidlog Pokémon Contest, and all three prove to be tough opponets! Joshua's Houndoom is just plain tough, and Erika's Jynx is really annoying. May and Skitty will have to use all of their skills gained thus far in order to defeat Joshua and Erika, but will a certain red-haired fashion queen and her Transforming Meowth make a surprise victory?
Comments: Meowth is awesome in this episode. Plus, he seems to have a black hole in that pouch of his.
4

April 8th, 2006
The Scheme Team (http://www.bulbagarden.net/~dogasu/comparisons/battle_frontier/ep133.html) http://www.toonzone.net/schedule/new.gif

With the Hoenn League Championship over with and the Grand Festival completed, our heroes split up and decide to head back home. Somehow, without a ferry, Ash arrives in Viridian City, where he reminisces about his Gym Battle there. However, he meets an old woman who seems to know a lot about Pokémon, as well as a man named Scott, who is apparently famous. Little does Ash know that the old woman is none other than Agatha, member of the Elite 4!
Comments: It took 400+ episodes, but we finally have seen all of the original Elite 4 members in the anime. Yay!
4

April 15th, 2006
The Right Place at the Right Mime http://www.toonzone.net/schedule/new.gif

Ash returns home only to find...Misty? The young trainer is visiting and the two old friends tell each other of what's been going on since they last met while traveling to Oak's Lab. There, Ash reunites with almost all of his original Pokémon, and introduces them to his Hoenn team. Just then, who should appear but May and Max! But where are Beautifly and Skitty?
Comments: This is a great episode for those who miss the old days of the series. Plus, Squirtle fans will love this episode.
4

April 15th, 2006
A Real Cleffa-Hanger http://www.toonzone.net/schedule/new.gif

Ash, Misty, May, and Max travel around so Ash can compete in the Battle Frontier and May can compete in the Kanto Pokémon Contests. The group eventually find themselves near Mount Moon, where the Cleffa, Clefairy, and Clefable are still praying to the giant Moon Stone. However, Team Rocket attacks once again, forcing Misty and Max to be separated from the group! Can they reunite with the rest of the group?
Comments: If only episodes like these were the norm in Battle Frontier, then it wouldn't take place in the name-only Kanto country.
4

April 22nd, 2006
Numero Uno Articuno http://www.toonzone.net/schedule/new.gif

Ash arrives at the Battle Factory, where Scott tells him that he can defeat the Frontier Brain known as Noland and claim his first Frontier Symbol. However, Noland is different from the Gym Leaders Ash usually faces. Not only is the Battle Factory more of a Colliseum, but he has a very unusual Pokémon by his side: an Articuno!
Comments: Remember when Articuno was awesome back in the Red/Blue/Yellow days? And now it's a rather sad Legendary? Well, at least it's better than Suicune.
4

April 22nd, 2006
The Symbol Life http://www.toonzone.net/schedule/new.gif

Ash must defeat Articuno in order to claim his first Frontier Symbol, but it's not going to be easy! After all, Articuno is a Legendary Pokémon, and thus has higher-than-average power! Grovyle, Corphish, Swellow, and Phanpy aren't going to be very advantageous in this match, and Pikachu's small frame would prove tough against the bigger Ice God. However, Ash does have a Pokémon that can not only fly, but also has a type advantage over Articuno...
Comments: One of the things I like about Battle Frontier is that Ash has given up his "Use only my Pokémon from the Hoenn Reigon" rule.
4

April 29th, 2006
The Master of Mirage Pokémon http://www.toonzone.net/schedule/new.gif

Ash, Misty, and Professor Oak are enjoying yet another wonderful day when they suddenly run across an evil corporation modifying Pokémon to be evil and turning them into Mirage Pokémon. Can our heroes manage to defeat this new evil, and at what cost? And where are May, Max, and Brock?
Comments: As one can obviously see, this one-hour special was created specifically for the U.S., and apparently features an all-new voice cast. Let's keep discussion of this civil, please.
4

NOTES


Seeing as how this is a brand new season, all the episodes this month are brand new!

If the episode's title is a link, then it will lead you to that episode's edit list, courtesy of Dogasu.

Debuts this month: Oddly enough, there are no new Pokémon this month! Unless we get a Diamond/Pearl Pokémon in the special.

Ash, May, Max, and Brock return home and re-organize their Pokémon teams!
Misty rejoins the group temporarily!
While May competes in more Pokémon Contests, Ash competes in the Battle Frontier!
What in the world IS this Mirage special?
Next month: We see a group of Onix have a kingdom, a Jigglypuff appears before the group, May and Drew compete over an Arcanine, Phanpy befriends a Psyduck, Sneasel and Mr. Mime open a restaurant, a Caterpie evolves into a Butterfree, and May competes in her first Pokémon Contest in Saffron City!

[Duke]

OK, so apparently, according to Dogasu, Jynx was replaced with Glalie.

The only problem...I never got Glalie. I saw Jynx in all its glory, complete with vocals and everything. In fact, it was pretty much the same as the U.K. airing. Did the extra-edited edition only air in certain areas?

[sdp]

Pokemon USA Inc To re-dub the entire series un-cut!
wow certanly unexpected announcement!


sdp on Tour ;D

In the next couple of months i'm going to be working PKMN events in different places (mostly around the midwest area). If any of you are going to go to any of them, it'd be nice to meet some of you,

4/22- Pokemon Festival:
Viking Conference Center – Opens at 09:00am
10709 Watson rd
Saint Louis, MO 63127

This event will hold the PKMN TCG: Mississippi Regionals (win trip to nationals), Holon Phantom Pre-Releases, HP and LM Afterdraft(s),Team Tourney, Unlimited Tourney's,non-tcg events: Pokeball Games (PKMN themed games from board to other activities), Movie Room (TV show and PKMN Movies playing), Pokeball Challenge (catch prizes!), Prizes for all trainers, various GB tournaments (catch deoxys!), trivia contests, door prizes (including PokePark DS). This will be a huge event for fans of the TCG or just Pokemon fans.


5/23 - Kansas City stop of Pokemon Journey Accross America 10 (10-5) (GB Tournament for trip to nationals in NY, I beleive it is 3 pokemon on 2 on 2 battles, they can be level 100). There will also be other events like TCG table, PKMN puters' gb/ds demo area, ummm..coloring ;D, tv show episodes, lucario movie preview, get your picture with pikachu and munchlax, you need to pre-register at pokemon.com, and get celebi on your game, they haven't sent me the exact location at the moment, but i beleive it the exact location isalready posted on pokemon.com.

I will also be in more states through out the summer but those are going to be mostly TCG events so i'm not sure if you guys be interested in those but they would be fun IMO, i'll also be at TCG Nationals at Origins and at TCG World's in Anaheim, CA, those two events should have a lot of stuff to do that would be interesting for everyone.

sorry to hijack the thread.

also one more thing, i thought i'd do something for the people that post on this thread, if anyone wants some free POP TCG promo cards, you can PM me and i'll send them out. :D it is the 10th anniversary celebration right? ;D

I'm also thinking of once the BF season begins, I can send out the actual BF medals just as ash is earning them, they are very well made and i think its a nice item to own, i don't know how many i'll be able to dispose of, since they are not for that, but i'll try to get as many as i can. Anyways thought that was something nice to do, if no one is interested then no biggie for me, i save a few bucks on stamps :D

(the uncut part was part of a lame april fools joke but TZ's joke screwed it up for me :sweat:)

[sdp]

The contest episodes don't seem as exciting as the league, its also weird watching something that 'happened' already even if they're new episodes. anyways, they were entertaining, even the donphan filler, did anyone notice chimecho to be a little 'shorter' though?
I really liked May's character in these episodes, she was great. Also i think i developed a toon crush on Erika :o


OK, so apparently, according to Dogasu, Jynx was replaced with Glalie.

The only problem...I never got Glalie. I saw Jynx in all its glory, complete with vocals and everything. In fact, it was pretty much the same as the U.K. airing. Did the extra-edited edition only air in certain areas?



I think that might be Dogasus "april fools" joke.

[Dudley]

Why are they airing the epsidoes out of order? May fought against the girl with teh Jynx before going to Festival.

[CyberCubed]

KidsWb skipped over this Contest at first, confusing people where May got her 5th ribbon from. At least they finally aired them, despite being horribly out of order.

:digs out reviews::

Date Expectations" was pretty good. I LOVED the May character development. May putting her brother above her contests was really sweet, as she was going to give up her entire Contest quest and miss out on the GF for the sake of her brother. I also loved the Ash/May moment as well as the flashback with her mother.

Other good parts, Ash recalls Phanpy, they discover Snorunt can use Ice beam, and the Giovanni using Donphan as bowling balls dream sequence.

Great episode, TR was pretty funny as well. Chimecho's astonish was hilarious.

"Mean with Envy"

I have to say, 4kids did a great job with the voices. Erika and Joshua sound great, and Jynx has the same voice it did back in season 1.

I loved the love triangle in this episode. Erika thought that May and Joshua were interested in each other and she acts all jealous around her. Erika/May tension = gold.

Meowth making that Ice sculpture of Giovanni was pretty cool. Although Jessie entering a contest at this point was pointless. I mean this was the final contest before the GF, even if Jessie won she'd only have 1 ribbon anyway.

TEEN GIRL ANGST!

May/Erika is a great rivalry. Why can't May ever have any ongoing female rivals? She needs a girl like her to keep returning. Drew/Harley are nice, but we NEED a female rival for May. I wish Erika would return.

The urgency of this episode was botched by KidsWb skipping it, as this was May's final chance to get a ribbon for the GF.

Both great episodes.

[Dogasu]

OK, so apparently, according to Dogasu, Jynx was replaced with Glalie.

April Fools!

[Umino]

April Fools!

Dude, that was GENIUS. I was so confused after I read that.

"Wait.. Galie? But I could've sworn I saw Jynx.."

Then I realized you had edited pictures up quickly, and the lack of the Kids WB logo on the screenshots. Really good prank though, kudos.

[Duke]

April Fools!
Ah, OK. I wasn't really into April Fools this year, so I didn't really tune in to all the gags.

[Freedom Fighter]

"Date Expectations" (7.5 out of 10):
- Introducing the most dangerous mating ritual in the world... featuring Donphan! If a Donphan doesn't break your heart, one'll break some other part of your body! :p
- Speaking of Donphan... I call for a new sport, Donphan Bowling! It's still cost-effective, as long as you do it outside!
- May deciding to not catch the last ferry to Pacifidlog and instead stay behind to search for Max... best decision she ever made! And naturally, she's rewarded for it... in the end, she still gets there in time!

"Mean with Envy" (7 out of 10):
- Okay, interesting concept... Joshua and Erika wanting to be the first couple to win a Pokémon Contest. Wonder if Erika thought if that would be acceptable to the judges and the audience?
- Sigh... once again Ash's outside training while May's competing. At least this time, it was just during the preliminaries.
- It should be easy to predict an Erika-May final... right?

I admit, Dogasu, you had me fooled with the April Fool's Joke, too. Never even noticed the WB logo wasn't on the edited pics until now. :sweat:

[Rolling Cloud]

1. Can somebody please tell me the right order of the episodes?

2. I missed 4/1/06's episodes

[Duke]

These two episodes and the next one take place in between "Who? What? When? Where? Wynaut?" and "Berry, Berry Interesting."

[Rolling Cloud]

These two episodes and the next one take place in between "Who? What? When? Where? Wynaut?" and "Berry, Berry Interesting."

Got it! Thanks!

[Rabi~en~Rose]

I was really surprised to see theres episodes I didn't know they were coming :eek:

the donphan one was very fun and touching to :) its good to get some more bits of May backstory but when does Max get some next? remembering little Phanpy was a nice touch to

second episode I liked more because of all the cute Skitty usage :anime: having two rivals for her last contest is pretty neat and seeing May take on Team Rocket for the second episode in a row is to good because she uses her pokemon way more interestingly then Ash :p

[Undrave]

I've said it before and I'll say it again, May is a MUCH MORE interesting travel companion for Ash than Misty ever was!

[CyberCubed]

I think most of us know that by now, except for the handful of diehard Misty fans (who are extremely vocal unfortunately), the majority of the Pokemon fandom applauded the decision to introduce May and give Misty a break.

After having only Ash shoved down our throats for the first 5 seasons, it's great to have a leading female character take the spotlight as well, for a season long story arc that even manages to push Ash into the background more often than not. (Although the writers have this awful habit of having Ash "doing stuff" during the Contest eps, but thankfully in the Contests following Ash just sits on the sides like Brock/Max)

The only thing is the Grand Festival was only 3 episodes long, while the Hoenn league was 7. Kind of shortchanged May in this department, the GF should have been a bit longer, maybe 5 episodes at the least.

[Undrave]

I think most of us know that by now, except for the handful of diehard Misty fans (who are extremely vocal unfortunately), the majority of the Pokemon fandom applauded the decision to introduce May and give Misty a break.

After having only Ash shoved down our throats for the first 5 seasons, it's great to have a leading female character take the spotlight as well, for a season long story arc that even manages to push Ash into the background more often than not. (Although the writers have this awful habit of having Ash "doing stuff" during the Contest eps, but thankfully in the Contests following Ash just sits on the sides like Brock/Max)

The only thing is the Grand Festival was only 3 episodes long, while the Hoenn league was 7. Kind of shortchanged May in this department, the GF should have been a bit longer, maybe 5 episodes at the least.

Yeah a longer Grand Festival with longer battles would have been neat. May's Contest Battles are a lot more spectacular visually (altough Ash's league battles were very intense!). Remember Beautifly's spinning tackle attack combined with Silver Wind? That was just so cool...


And the scenes in the Donphan episodes where May and Ash were alone together were more romantic than all the 'hints' of a Ash/Misty coupling that fans find all put together XD and that's from someone who doesn't believe there's any romance in the show (altough I wouldn't find a May/Drew couple odd).

[CyberCubed]

My favorite Contest episode would probably be the one with Beautifly Vs. Medicham, that was awesome. Really impressive display with Whirlwind taking care of Medicham's arms and whatnot.

In other news, I heard that 4kids is releasing Movie 8 on DVD this summer. I'm glad 4kids is doing this movie, mainly because it'll have the same voice actors we have now.

I guess Movie 9 will be the first one done by Pokemon USA next year, will that still be produced by Miramax?

[Undrave]

Yeah Beautifly was great in there ^^ I liked it alot too.

I got Jirachi Wishmaker on DVD and I wish I had some money to spare so I could buy Destiny Deoxys and the Rucario movie.

[Duke]

Dogasu has done edit lists for Shocks and Brawls (http://www.bulbagarden.net/~dogasu/comparisons/houen/ep129.html) and A Judgement Brawl (http://www.bulbagarden.net/~dogasu/comparisons/houen/ep130.html).

Don't forget, we head back to Kanto today!

PJ: The Trainer's Choice was unusually off today. While yes, Salamence can hurt itself, Graveler can as well. Just because Rock's weakness to Ground isn't as prolific as Dragon hurting Dragon, it is still valid. They should've used Sandslash instead.

Scheme Team:

- O.O RICE BALLS!

- I still wanna know how everybody got to Kanto without a ferry...

- They're Segways, not Scooters! :p

- They have cars that aren't jeeps in the Pokémon world?

- Scott's voice is decent, but Agatha's is boring.

- o.O Arcanine vs. Kirlia? Umm...I guess Arcanine has the advantage, since it can learn Bite. Why an Arcanine would bother with Bite I have no clue, but whatever. Maybe Extremespeed would be better.

- I never did understand how Pikachu could stand on a Shadow Ball...

- Whew. I was worried for a sec that 4Kids would change some of the game terms unnecessarily.

- So, THAT'S the English new motto. Eh, I kinda like the Japanese version better.

- I think Veronica Taylor's too used to playing May...

[sdp]

hahaha, jynx was pretty funny, :D
wow Meowth battling, thats a nice change, he should do it more often hahahaha he used transform (i'm guessing there was a sunflora and kirlia in the audience ;) or maybe since the meowth trained so well it doesn't need the actual pokemon near
in that training sequence i really wonder how jynx was able to keep up running with the erika joshua and houndoom.
i still think i dont' care about the episode as much since iknow once she wins the ribbon we'll forward again, so the contest festival they hype up already happened ;o
hahaha, May looked so pissed before her match with Erika, and was it just me or did they cram a lot in this episode? it felt like a really long episode.
on a non-related note, my toon crush with Erika seems to have ended as she didn't charm me this episode :sweat:

oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh its pillow head! we got game! meet the stars! , wake up with me at 7 so dont' you dare shower, stop and stare, see which celebrities have the best pillow hair.
see if you can pick the pillow head
wear your pillowhead proudly now shout it loudly :yawn::yawn::yawn:
sorry, its just so catchy

man this skipping episodes really messes with my pokemon memory, i don't remember where we wh right now in the main storyline, counting i'm also watching Master Quest right now


---------

the goodbye was good too bad they show up again, i grew to like max and may was very good but they do represent the hoenn region, they should have been left there,
the visiting TR headquarters was very fun, too bad Giovanni has never had more episodes to show him more....
brock says goodbye again....
nice to see viridian city again, it looks very changed, hahaha Scott :D I don't like Scott's VA though, I always expected him to sound more 'laid back' and 'hawain' and man agatha looks young,
wow Rocket's got a great entrance!

did seviper always have that purple color in its face? its the first time i notice :O
man misty sounds different imo, she definately sounded more 'mature' than she did in her last appearance, i could be wrong though,

birch and max was kind of random at the end, hope there is a good explanation...which i know there won't. "oh we just came to eat lunch"

[Duke]

Dogasu's edit list (got up quick!) is linked in the first post.

[CyberCubed]

This is one of my favorite contests, purely for the May/Joshua/Erika thing. Is it just me or is May involved in so many love triangles? Erika thinking that Joshua and May had a thing going on was pretty funny.

At least Skitty didn't KO Houndoom, it just lowered its points.

May's "Leave me out of your problems!" line was awesome.

I liked the way she beat Jynx too, she had to go through Assist several times to get her Fire spin. This was perfect hype for the Grand Festival and Hoenn league, too bad KidsWB screwed up and didn't air these episodes when they were originally meant to air.

The Scheme Team

Lots of great stuff in this episode:

- The AG team splitting up. Could you believe I actually got a little sad when May and Max walked off, despite the fact that I already know they both return in the very next episode? (Well Max is already back, but May I mean)
I loved seeing Caroline too for that matter, she's so much better than Delia.

- Ash Vs. Agatha was great. Gengar using Hypnosis and Dream Eater was a first. Also, Ash actually put up a damn good fight against an Elite 4 member. Much better than his battles against Lorelei or Drake.

- Yay, Agatha and Scott have good voices. Yay, they call it the "Battle Frontier" and "Frontier Brains." Yay, Scott said " They're kinda like Gym leaders but much stronger." (you can say that again)

- Continuity! Ash said, "I already have this Gyms badge." See, I told you Ash keeps his old badges in his house somewhere! This also proves that if Ash ever wanted to re-enter the Indigo league, he can use his old badges.

- Misty's introduction was very well done. Misty and Ash just say hello, and Azurill had a nice introduction. "Tracey gave me this Azurill when it was just an egg." Ha! OWNED.

- Seeing Butch/Cassidy and Giovanni again was nice, as short as it was.

It'll be sad knowing all these voice actors will change next season, this episode showed how important the voices are to this show.

[Hyper Shadow X]

Will we be getting a new opening for Battle Frontier next week?

[Duke]

Will we be getting a new opening for Battle Frontier next week?
The Japanese opening doesn't change until the week after next's episode. As for us, we won't be getting a new intro. We'll be keeping "Advanced Battle" until the end of the season, which is 14 episodes away.

[Freedom Fighter]

"Pacifidlog Jam" (7 out of 10):
- Well, the Erika-Jester(Jessie) battle certainly ranks up there with the 'Weirdest Pokémon Battles of All-Time.' A transforming Meowth... heh, I found it funny that while in the Wailord costume Meowth's head looked like a blue pimple. :sweat:
- Joshua-May: Basically, a head-on collision. With them in sync. This is what it takes for Erika to realize May isn't trying to steal her man? (And I still couldn't believe she was holding onto the 'we'll win the contest as a couple' thought, even though in her dream she and Joshua are each holding half a ribbon.)
- (Title Match) Erika-May: This battle obviously had me stumped, as I was also confused as to why May continually used Assist... until Skitty finally produced Fire Spin! Interestingly, this act would've made it even more believable that May would listen to Harley's suggestion at the Grand Festival to use the exact same strategy. (Only it's not to bring out a specific attack from Assist, it's to use it just because it looks good.)

"The Scheme Team" (7.5 out of 10):
- Shock... how do we get unpainted Rice Balls again? Double shock... everyone's splitting up to go back home? Triple shock... we see Giovanni in person once again, and Cassidy & Butch are back (nice to see they still keep the running joke of James not calling Butch by his proper name). Gee whiz... this show gives me a heart attack sometimes!
Scheme Team:
- I still wanna know how everybody got to Kanto without a ferry...I know. Seriously... that does not make sense at all. I'm used to the occasional plothole in this series... but not the ones big enough to drive a truck through.
- So finally we meet the last of the original Elite Four, Agatha... hmmm, I'd actually thought she'd look a whole lot older than that. Still... she's an extremely good battler. Speaking of which... I'm glad my favorite ghost-type combo finally made the show. Hynopsis + Dream Eater rocks!
- I think Veronica Taylor's too used to playing May...Don't quite get what you're getting at...
- Finally, home to Pallet Town! Look, there's Misty, and Delia, and Professor Oak, and then Max and Professor Birch... wait, what are those last two doing here? Man, there's no such thing as being separated from your friends for more than one episode any more, is there?

[Duke]

Don't quite get what you're getting at...
Delia sounded exactly like May. Before, Ms. Taylor had managed to make them sound different, but with Delia being absent during all of Hoenn, she forgot how to change her voice.

[djthomp]

Heh, I'd like to know how everybody got to Kanto and to Pallet Town without a ferry in a single day. They even specifically mentioned Ash getting back there that afternoon, before they went their seperate ways in Hoen. Was the 'single day' bit just the dub, or part of the travel plot hole from the original?

[Duke]

Dogasu finally has the final (http://www.bulbagarden.net/~dogasu/comparisons/houen/ep131.html) two (http://www.bulbagarden.net/~dogasu/comparisons/houen/ep132.html) Hoenn Comparisons up, making this the first saga he's completed!

Also, Amazon has listings for the 2 10th Anniversary DVDs I told you about last month. Apparently, they're going to focus on Pikachu and Jigglypuff. No clue if they're going to just re-issue "Pikachu's Woods" and "Jigglypuff Pop" or if they're going to do a Best-of though.

[Duke]

Thanks to RightStuf, we now have episode listings for the first 2 10th Anniversary DVDs.

Volume 1, Pikachu will contain:
- Pokémon - I Choose You!
- Pikachu's Goodbye
- The Pi-Kahuna (I personally would've chosen "Pikachu Re-Volts," but that's me)

Volume 2, Jigglypuff will contain:
- The Song of Jigglypuff
- Beach Blank-out Blastoise
- A Scare in the Air (One wonders if this will be retitled "Spirits in the Sky" like the TV masters were)

Yea...even for $10 this is kinda crappy. At least give us 5-6 episodes! There's more than enough to focus on Jigglypuff and Pikachu for that long. Granted, it may not work out for some of the other Pokémon (I have no clue what they're gonna do if Blastoise or Elekid get chosen, or god forbid Pidgeotto [They're taunting me!]).

[Conan-san]

I think most of us know that by now, except for the handful of diehard Misty fans (who are extremely vocal unfortunately), the majority of the Pokemon fandom applauded the decision to introduce May and give Misty a break. Gimme May in the mermaid costume and I'll conicer shuting up. ;)

[FireStarterLE]

Thanks to RightStuf, we now have episode listings for the first 2 10th Anniversary DVDs.

Volume 1, Pikachu will contain:
- Pokémon - I Choose You!
- Pikachu's Goodbye
- The Pi-Kahuna (I personally would've chosen "Pikachu Re-Volts," but that's me)

Volume 2, Jigglypuff will contain:
- The Song of Jigglypuff
- Beach Blank-out Blastoise
- A Scare in the Air (One wonders if this will be retitled "Spirits in the Sky" like the TV masters were)

Yea...even for $10 this is kinda crappy. At least give us 5-6 episodes! There's more than enough to focus on Jigglypuff and Pikachu for that long. Granted, it may not work out for some of the other Pokémon (I have no clue what they're gonna do if Blastoise or Elekid get chosen, or god forbid Pidgeotto [They're taunting me!]).

Well DDD has it listed for $6 if you want to save a little bit. And they plan on doing 8 more of these as well .....

[Ultra8]

Well it's nice to see how May got her 5th ribbon, though I would have been happier had they shown these episodes before the whole Grand Festivall like they were supposed to.
Still some interesting contests and then a good bye for now/homeword bound thing, which was nice. The Battle Frontier sounds similar to the Orange Island gym battles, which isn't a bad thing since I always thought those were some interesting competitions.

Anyway found this on another board while catching up on all the poke info I might have missed.
http://s29.photobucket.com/albums/c272/pokesho/4%20Komas/?action=view&current=7wishes2.jpg
A bit funny/apropriate.

[Duke]

Well DDD has it listed for $6 if you want to save a little bit. And they plan on doing 8 more of these as well .....
I don't know if I'd actually get these episodes though. I mean, I have most of Kanto on VHS, which will tide me over until Viz wakes up and makes some Kanto boxsets. The only Pokémon I'd buy in a heartbeat would likely be Pidgeotto, Charizard, and, of course, Blastoise. Of course, I already own Pidgeotto's sole spotlight episode on DVD, and Blastoise never did have an episode where it got to kick some ass like Venusaur and Charizard did.

Look at that. I'm talking as if Pidgeotto's actually going to get a DVD for itself...

[Umino]

Volume 2, Jigglypuff will contain:
- The Song of Jigglypuff
- Beach Blank-out Blastoise
- A Scare in the Air

What the?! The last two episodes barely focus on Jigglypuff, where's the Clefairy vs. Jigglypuff episode? : (

[Dogasu]

Misty's backpack looks like a gutted out Spheal o_O

[Duke]

Misty's backpack looks like a gutted out Spheal o_O
Gotta love that. Too bad we don't see it more often.

Awesome that they kept the new title screen, though it's not surprising that they did.

Anyway, the Mirage Pokémon special actually looks halfway decent. About time Mewtwo made a re-appearence. Also, I thought I saw Brock, May, and Max at the bottom of the scene where Pikachu gets beaten up by Mewtwo, but KWB's flashy letters didn't let me get a good look.

[sdp]

next week Ash wins the Battle Factory medal, who wants their own Factory medal?
here is what they look like:
http://img501.imageshack.us/img501/5319/dscn02767xn.jpg
http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/1424/dscn02810rs.jpg

I have a few to give a way so just PM me, they are very neat to have and hey they are free, i should be doing this everytime Ash wins a new medal.


wished i had payed attention to misty's backpack :sweat:

first about half the voices seemed different, i thought the change happened sooner ;o
i didn't pay attention on why May or Max were there :confused:

i normally would love an episode like this with fan favorite characters just hanging around but i don't know maybe i wasn't in the mood...


"with the money we saved on the net"
lol
and man Oak is kind of short :sweat: at least on a few shots

and why did they get a new pokedex? i did like how may's was a different color.


-----------

when did brock rejoin the group?
cleffa in kanto? i'm sure they've made plenty of region specific pokemon mistakes before though, but since i'm very familiar with kanto poke's i notice.. i guess since its a 'baby' of a kanto poke i'll let it go :cool:

at least they have continuity with the bugs, that goes back to the first episodes of season one! how did max know about it though?

didn't max get lost last week as well? sure episodes aired out of order but still. haha at Max trying to impres Misty.

this episode actually felt like a season 1 episode, i also loved the ending :D too bad from the few spoilers i've read they ignore everything that happened there...

the mastermind logo looks like the He-man font ;D

for some reason i feel a little 'grumpy' and i'm takin' it out on shows i watched this morning, maybe thats it.

[Dogasu]

first about half the voices seemed different, i thought the change happened sooner ;o
All the voices were the same.

i didn't pay attention on why May or Max were there :confused:
Max arrived with Professor Birch in last week's episode. May arrived in this episode.


and why did they get a new pokedex? i did like how may's was a different color.
It has data on some of the new fourth generation pokemon they'll be coming across. It's kinda like the Pokedex upgrade Ash got in "Who Gets to Keep Togepi?" back in mid-Kanto.


when did brock rejoin the group?
At the end of the first episode that aired today.


at least they have continuity with the bugs, that goes back to the first episodes of season one! how did max know about it though?
He saw that she hated bugs during the two-part Togepi episode at the beginning of the Advanced Challenge season.


didn't max get lost last week as well? sure episodes aired out of order but still.

These episodes weren't aired out of order...

[Shining Swellow]

Thanks to RightStuf, we now have episode listings for the first 2 10th Anniversary DVDs.
There's more than enough to focus on Jigglypuff and Pikachu for that long. Granted, it may not work out for some of the other Pokémon (I have no clue what they're gonna do if Blastoise or Elekid get chosen, or god forbid Pidgeotto [They're taunting me!]).Thinks for this info Duke, for Elekid it would probably be the Master Quest episode when Casey catches it, if you were being Sarcastic Blastiose could be the easiest how bout Ash vs. Gary.

[Peter Paltridge]

I heard Misty was briefly coming back, so I turned it on for a few minutes this morning. Nothing's changed since I left.

The dialogue is still lobotomized, the events are still repetitive....and that listing for the DVDs up there doesn't surprise me at all. They're not making them for grown-ups, so they put as little thought into it as possible....just like the show.

This thing's just sad. I wish they would have made a spinoff for people who have the capacity to think.

[Rabi~en~Rose]

last week: the end to the last contest wasn't so great. the battles felt like regular ones there was barely any special and neatly done combinations it just didn't seem like much thought was put into it :(

Ash returning home shows this series faults because after all this time he still "can't expect to beat a elite 4 person" but hey who cares its time for another journey. the show overall just doesn't seem to progress ever

and I missed this weeks episodes :crying:

[Hyper Shadow X]

Only saw the first one.

[Dogasu]

This thing's just sad. I wish they would have made a spinoff for people who have the capacity to think.

Dude, it's an anime aimed for 5-year olds whose plot is based on the plot of a bunch of handheld games. Methinks you just have unrealistic expectations.

[Rolling Cloud]

a Caterpie evolves into a Butterfree

What episode was (is) that in?

[Shining Swellow]

What episode was (is) that in?'
S
P
O
I
L
E
R
For May
Evolution That Mystery! and Marvel! which comes right before The First Kanto Battle Frontier Contest

[FireStarterLE]

'
S
P
O
I
L
E
R



all you have to do there is (closing up the spaces) [ spoiler ] *insert spoiled text* [ / spoiler ]

and you can test it here: http://forums.toonzone.net/forumdisplay.php?f=4

*good set of episodes today. Really cant wait for next weeks, should be good

[CyberCubed]

This episode was a nostalgia trip, just for seeing all the older characters and Pokemon together.

Aw, Delia already knew who May was. I was hoping for better interaction between the two as this was the first time they met, but ah well.

ROFL, whoever said that Tracey and Max would get along great was right. They're both Prof. Oak worshippers, which is why Max kept complimenting Tracey.

The best scenes were May/Max meeting all of Ash's old Pokemon. We haven't seen any of them since AG began, so it was great to see them all. May even said, "Don't forget Squirtle and Charizard too!" I guess this proves that not only have they always been still considered to be Ash's Pokemon, but Ash told May about all his old Pokemon during their travels in Hoenn.

- Anyone notice that the only person Ash asked to come along with him on his journey was May? Brock kind of just invited himself at the end, Misty only tagged along till Cerulean, and Max had to ask his sister for permission.

- Caroline's love of Beautifly was remembered in this episode, which is why May left it with her mother. So long Skitty!

- The two Bulbasaur were impressed with each others attacks, everytime Ash's Bulba did something, May's Bulba looked impressed, and vice versa. May glances down at the two and approves, it looks like she can see that the two Bulbasaur like each other. This is one of the only Pokemon/Pokemon ships I like, particularly because the two Bulba will spend all of Kanto together, and since the writers made it apparent that Ash's Bulba is male and May's is female. They're also paralleling the mentor/student dynamic between the two Bulba with Ash/May

- So far, I don't mind May's Squirtle. May now has three Pokemon the same or similar to Ash, (Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Munchlax/Snorlax)

- Ash and May get new Pokedex's and May's is cream! Phanpy returns! Glalie and Torkoal stay at Oaks with the rest of the Ash Pokemon!

I really hope Ash gets a chance to use all his old Pokemon in the Battle Frontier, they need to get some workout.

"Cleffa hanger"

This episode was good solely for the Misty/Max scenes, and the May/Max moments. Aw, May loves her little brother more than anything. Misty and Max have pretty good chemistry, I love the fact that they bonded about their bossy older sisters.

I think this is the first time that May's place was directly mentioned in the show, Max said she came in the top 8 in the Hoenn Grand Festival.

The ending is one of the only throwbacks to the original Kanto I've seen. Looks like Clefairy got themselves a new Moon Stone!

[Duke]

We haven't seen any of them since AG began, so it was great to see them all.
We did see Bulbasaur in Advanced Challenge. Didn't Snorlax appear once as well?


- Anyone notice that the only person Ash asked to come along with him on his journey was May? Brock kind of just invited himself at the end, Misty only tagged along till Cerulean, and Max had to ask his sister for permission.
Well, Brock wasn't even there for Ash to ask, and Misty had already made it clear that she had to return to the Gym, so that just left May.

[CyberCubed]

Well yeah, Ash's Bulbasaur did return for one episode to meet May's Bulbasaur right after she caught it. Most of the other Johto/Oak Pokemon we haven't seen for awhile.

Veronica Taylor had problems in this episode getting Delia to sound different than May. You could tell she was trying to make Delia sound as high-pitched as possible to avoid making them sound the same.

Rachael Lilis makes Misty sound depressed in these new episodes for some reason. She was far more upbeat and energetic back in the Togetic episodes in early Hoenn.

Episodes like this prove how important the voice actors are to this series, I can't imagine the change happening with the special and next season. I hope they at least keep the sound clips for all of Ash and the others Pokemon, they need to sound the same too.

[Tien85]

I noticed a bit of a slip up somewhat in the 2nd episode. As Brock is telling the gang about leaving Ludicolo at home, he mentions that even his mom liked Ludicolo. Anyone recall the episode back in S1 where Flint/Brock's dad tells why Brock can't leave Pewter City? (Episode 5 BTW) :D In a way I guess this can slide since the episode featuring Brock's stepmom was never shown here in the US, so thus, no one knows about it. But still, doesn't that seem a bit odd that they can remember all of Ash's Pokemon and accomplishments as well as Misty's fear of bugs, yet make a little mistake like that? Just wondering if anyone else noticed ;)

[Duke]

That's not Brock's stepmom, it's his actual mother. She never died in the Japanese version, she just ran away like Flint did, then came back during late Johto while our heroes were in Blackthorn (or around there likely). 4Kids likely forgot their own screw-up (remember, that apparently had no idea Junichi and Eusuine appeared in the series as well as the Crystal special, thought Arbok evolved into Seviper, and have no clue on how to deal with either rice balls or Pokémon Characteristics) and just wrote over it. Whoever does the new Trainer's Choices needs to read over the scripts for continuity...

[Tien85]

That's not Brock's stepmom, it's his actual mother. She never died in the Japanese version, she just ran away like Flint did, then came back during late Johto while our heroes were in Blackthorn (or around there likely). 4Kids likely forgot their own screw-up (remember, that apparently had no idea Junichi and Eusuine appeared in the series as well as the Crystal special, thought Arbok evolved into Seviper, and have no clue on how to deal with either rice balls or Pokémon Characteristics) and just wrote over it. Whoever does the new Trainer's Choices needs to read over the scripts for continuity...
Ah, okay. I was getting the info from Serebii.net and it seems the info is kinda a mix of the Japanese series and the English dub. Thanks for clearing up the confusion :) Yeah, I remember the Arbok into Sevider thing :p seems even 4Kids doesn't know much what they're gonna do with a series. Speaking of when she returned, wonder IF 4Kids will ever show it/is it a part of Pokemon Chronicles?

[Duke]

Speaking of when she returned, wonder IF 4Kids will ever show it/is it a part of Pokemon Chronicles?
It's the 5th episode of Chronicles, and 4Kids pretends that their mistake never happened. Dogasu has the full edit list on his site.

[Freedom Fighter]

"The Right Place and the Right Mime" (7 out of 10):
- I completely understand May leaving Beautifly behind. Skitty, not so much... my guess is that the writers have already hit the plateau with what Skitty and May can do together. (Add May leaving Bulbasaur, too.)
- Memories, ah, memories. I love how everytime we see all of Ash's old Pokémon, we're reminded of how many Tauros he has.
- Misty promising the gang that Team Rocket's disguises will never fool them again? Ha, if they still fool the kids after 400 episodes, what makes ya think they'll stop now?
- I just loved how Delia and Professor Oak were so calm, just telling Professor Birch to let the kids handle TR.
- Ash leaves behind Glalie (boy, we burned through him fast) and Torkoal (the ultimate wasted space) and Phanpy's back for some screen time!
- Misty accompanying gang to the Battle Factory since it's near Cerulean; Brock suddenly appears?! Where are you people popping up from?!

"A Real Cleffa-Hanger!" (7 out of 10):
- Yes, kiddies, that's right, Brock has a mom and she's still alive! Heh... Brock leaves behind crazy Ludicolo.
- Misty's sisters... okay, Daisy and the other two... ditzy as ever, can't do anything. For a trio that used to run the gym (though as if they didn't care), you'd think they wouldn't mind being substitute gym leaders until Misty gets back. Giving away badges... ha, that's only in the 'Kanto Ash' era!
- Is it just me, or have there been a lot of 'gang's forcibly split up' episodes recently?
- Misty and Max falling that far of a distance and landing comfortably on a bed of moss? What?! Must be a very thick bed...
- Munchlax and Metronome? Wow... what a dangerous combination! I can already see it... May's answer to Skitty's Assist.
- Just like that, Misty's gone. You know what... you guys are right! I really don't care about Misty leaving. May's kinda grown on me.

[Duke]

Is it just me, or does Nurse Joy seem more nervous than usual? Granted, Brock is a bit more horny than usual....

Noland = Vector. Oy. Though I suppose it's better than Dan Green again...

o.O Pikachu's using Volt Tackle in the special? Oh, goodie. Not only does the Mirage Pokémon special have a new voice cast, but it's airing out of order too!

[CyberCubed]

Good points about the episode:

- Ash remembered Articuno! Continuity! May had to look it up in her cream colored Pokedex

- Brock said he'd ditch the "children" in a second to stay with Nurse Joy. :D He means it too, get Brock a girl and he's off the show again!

- 4kids made a joke about Jynx. James goes, "Careful, don't jinx it!" and Meowth adds, "Yeah, let's leave Jynx out of this."

LMAO, they must have known that KidsWB delayed the Contest episodes.

- Charizard showing up at the very end thanks to the phone call.

- The Noland/Articuno backstory was pretty well done

- Random Pokemon! Sandslash, Rhyhorn and the rest of those whatyoumightcallthempokes.

- Lots of continuity. Brock talks about Liza and the Charicific Valley, Max recalls watching Charizard battle in the Johto League Championships, and Ash takes flight on Charizard, something he could never do before.

- For Ash's first official battle against a legendary Pokemon, he did pretty good! Charizard has gotten a lot stronger, and we can its training in the valley has page off. The new attacks it used were questionable, but overall I don't really mind.

This episode could have used better animation and better music, but it was still pretty good with what we got. Very epic.

- Ash gets the Knowledge symbol, as well as his Frontier case.

That's all.

[Duke]

Brock talks about Liza and the Charicific Valley
It's been a while since I've seen Johto Journies, but wasn't it the Chariffic Valley, not the Charicific Valley?

[Rolling Cloud]

I have a question.

WHEN is the theme song going to change? It's a new season and we still have this advanced battle stuff.

[CyberCubed]

In the Johto league, they call it the "Charicific Valley" too when Charizard came back to battle Gary and Harrison.

In the original episode where Ash left Charizard there, it may have been pronounced differently. Hell if I remember, Viz needs to get DVD boxsets of the Johto Journey season because I haven't seen those episodes in ages. Even though that had the worst batch of episodes of any saga in this series, there were still a few good ones lying around next to the crap.

[Duke]

WHEN is the theme song going to change? It's a new season and we still have this advanced battle stuff.
Who said the season changed? This is still Season 8, hence why we have Battle Frontier footage in the intro (which everybody noticed when it premiered but seems to have forgotten now). It'll still be Season 8 for another dozen or so episodes.

[Shining Swellow]

Duke not nitpicking or at least not trying to, but Dogasu has the comparisions up for Last week's episodes.
Also can't wait till Tommorrow to see Ash's Charizard again.(My affialte airs Celebration of the Eucharist at 10 or so, so i catch the new episodes on Sunday at 8 a.m.)

[Duke]

Duke not nitpicking or at least not trying to, but Dogasu has the comparisions up for Last week's episodes.
I know. Have known for a while. Just too lazy to update them. I will whenever Dogasu gets up comparisons for this week's episodes.

[CyberCubed]

I forgot to comment on this, but I'm glad 4kids didn't dub Ash "grunting" during the new title screen when Pikachu jumps on his shoulder. They usually always fill in silent scenes with random grunts or such.

I really like the Advance title screens. First there was the map of Hoenn, then the Badge and Ribbon cases, and now a pretty cool scene with Ash and the gang.

[Hyper Shadow X]

The new title screen looks nice.

[Dogasu]

They usually always fill in silent scenes with random grunts or such.

Eh...sometimes. They've done it a few times (i.e. the first movie), but they're not as bad about it as, say, the DBZ dub.

[ChibiGoku]

Eh...sometimes. They've done it a few times (i.e. the first movie), but they're not as bad about it as, say, the DBZ dub.

...What silence?

Anywho, next week is where we'll see the test grounds on the Nintendo/Pokemon USA dub. Hopefully the music and such is on par. While yes, I understand this special has not aired in Japan, but it's entirly possible it was Japan produced, just not aired.

At anyrate, we'll see.

[bigddan11]

It was great seeing Charizard in action again. He really burns Ash up, and he showed he's continuing to gain skills without Ash's help. I was trying to figure out which attack he was going to launch when he glowed like that and was shocked to hear it as overheat. I didn't remember Torkoal glowing like that when he launched overheat. I'm going to miss 4K!ds voices for the series come next year, but I'll watch next week and listen to the new voices before being too judgemental. Who knows, Poke'Mon USA could still surprise us and end up changing to the original voices if there's enough complaints. It would just require redubbing all the episodes again.

[Freedom Fighter]

"Numero Uno Articuno" (7 out of 10):
- Yep, I agree... Brock is certainly more horny than usual. That, or Max let him ramble a lot longer than usual.
- What is it with people who actually drive automobiles in this show being crazy and speedily insane behind the wheel?
- That's a new... Ash actually picking which Pokémon Noland uses. (Heh... imagine some lowlife trying to figure out which one is Noland's weakest, and challenge that one. I'm actually glad Ash is the opposite, with him always wanting a challenge.)
- Huh? Did Noland just fly his plane into Team Rocket's robot without it being destroyed, much less damaged?

"The Symbol Life" (7 out of 10):
- Nice to see Ash's most powerful Pokémon back, Charizard! A battle against a legendary Pokémon in Articuno? Even better!
- I'm loving it these days when combination attacks are pulled out, because you never know what you're going to get.
- So Charizard learned Overheat, huh? Well... if they had to take the one good thing from Torkoal, might as well have been that.
- Ah, the good ol' Seismic Toss... Charizard's patented Finishing Move.

Next week's special, "The Mastermind of Mirage Pokémon," will be intriguing for a lot of reasons. I can't wait to see how this turns out!

[Freedom Fighter]

Sorry to post twice in a row, but with the world premiere of Pokémon's 10th Anniversary a week away, we've got a shocking development!

'Pokémon' is not listed in Kids' WB's/CW's Fall 2006 line-up!

The five-hour block announced today at Mediaweek (http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/networktv/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002384275) (and being discussed in this thread started by me (http://forums.toonzone.net/showthread.php?t=165205)) states, amongst the fact that the block will not be airing any anime series in the Fall, 'Pokémon' won't be back because of sagging ratings!

This leaves an interesting dilemma... Pokémon USA just bought the rights to the series dub, and now they potentially have no TV network to air the upcoming ninth season (their first).

[CyberCubed]

This is quite shocking to say the least, I would have never thought KidsWb would ever cancel the show before it ended.

It really doesn't make much sense, since it usually got some of the highest ratings on the block. And didn't KidsWB snatch up Pokemon from CN about a year or two ago, and make a commercial saying "KidsWb is the ONLY place to catch Pokemon!" because CN was getting high ratings with the show?

If Pokemon USA is dubbing Season 9, they gotta already have confirmation that it's going to air somewhere. Unless it's just direct to DVD releases for the future of Pokemon, I'm guessing that Cartoon Network is its only option. It would fit in well with Miguzi...

[Freedom Fighter]

If Pokemon USA is dubbing Season 9, they gotta already have confirmation that it's going to air somewhere. Unless it's just direct to DVD releases for the future of Pokemon, I'm guessing that Cartoon Network is its only option. It would fit in well with Miguzi...If it were on CN, Miguzi would be the show's best and only viable option. Question is... can the show go back to having success premiering episodes on weekdays, which hasn't been done since what... Johto Journeys (US Season 3)? And will it suffer the same ratings flunk that accompanied "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" this past year and "Digimon Frontier" in '02-'03, both having to spread out premieres in bunches because of how close they were in proximity to the Japanese version (remember, our dub is only just under a year behind)?

[Duke]

If we were talking a few years ago, I'd say it was definite that CN will be airing Pokémon on Miguzi. But now, I'm not so sure. I mean, it'd make sense and all, but CN hasn't made sense in a long while now.

I wouldn't be surprised if Season 9 airs on Cartoon Network, but at the same time, I wouldn't be surprised if it didn't.

[CyberCubed]

True, I don't trust CN anymore either. With their randomly changing schedules, their cancellations of popular shows (Teen Titans and JLU) as well as their airings of old Live action movies, I don't know what they'll do.

Another scenario is Pokemon airing on CN for a little while, and then after it airs for about 4 months CN will yank it off the schedule and keep it in limbo for...the next 6 months.

It's a shame that the only network I could see it airing on is the one that's the most troubling recently in the first place.

[sdp]

you can see my opinion on the general animation thread, but a different questions is, why is KWB! more popular than 4kids tv? maybe it was actually the iconic lineups they had, with those gone maybe people will switch to see what the other channel shows, and get 4kids more ratings?


edit:man my general discussion post seems to fit better in this thread while this one on the other...

[Ryoutarou]

Didn't see this coming, this really is gonna be a problem since CN really is the only place that can air it. If 4Kids still had it, it could have gone there...but they don't and it can't, so Miguzi really is looking like the only place it can air. I just hope it doesn't end up in limbo or anything.

[Dogasu]

I can see it now...

Next up is Spongebob Squarepants! After that, stick around for a brand new episode of Pokemon Advanced ___, only on Nick!

[CyberCubed]

Do you think that PokemonUSA knew beforehand that KidsWb was cancelling the series?

Otherwise what did PokemonUSA get the license from 4kids for? To dub a cancelled series?

The whole new voice actors next weekend may be for naught, especially if the show itself isn't picked up anywhere.

I really wonder if PokemonUSA knew about this, because otherwise they have a series that basically hangs in limbo. It's a shame because the Battle Frontier arc was shaping up to be one of the best arcs in the series, and now it'll be left off near the beginning without any closure.

[Duke]

The Schedule (http://www.toonzone.net/schedule/index.php?browseNetworkID=1)'s been updated. Looks like Kids' WB! realized that not only do they have episodes left of all their series (though why they're playing Coconut Fred in reverse order I have no clue), but they're running out of Pokémon, so no more double-dip Saturdays for now.

EDIT: Oh, and "Hooked on Onix" is officially going into one of my Top 10 "Most Groan-worthy Episode Titles" for this series.

[Dogasu]

Well, they'll only have five episodes left in the season between the start of June and September, when the new season of Kids' WB! on the CW starts.

Rerun town, here we come.

[Freedom Fighter]

Do you think that PokemonUSA knew beforehand that KidsWb was cancelling the series?

Otherwise what did PokemonUSA get the license from 4kids for? To dub a cancelled series?

The whole new voice actors next weekend may be for naught, especially if the show itself isn't picked up anywhere.

I really wonder if PokemonUSA knew about this, because otherwise they have a series that basically hangs in limbo. It's a shame because the Battle Frontier arc was shaping up to be one of the best arcs in the series, and now it'll be left off near the beginning without any closure.We can only wonder now... *sighs* Wish we could go back to last month to either CN's upfront or PokémonUSA's announcement of taking the dub from 4Kids... this wouldn't be much of a shock if we knew the show was moving instead of now being stuck in limbo.

And though I don't want to think of it if it comes to Season 9 being DVD-exclusive... what would be a worthwhile selling package? What's the going rate for the 'Advanced' DVDs... 5 dub only episodes for $10? Would that be feasible? Would the PUSA DVDs have less episodes? More? Higher price? Lower price?


EDIT: Oh, and "Hooked on Onix" is officially going into one of my Top 10 "Most Groan-worthy Episode Titles" for this series.What? I think it's cute, if a bit outdated. That so would've worked a few years ago... not so much know, since Ash has gotten smarter over the years.

[Ultra8]

Dang. I was hoping Misty would have stayed around for more than 2 episodes.
-Well it's nice to see old faces like Tracey and Ash's mom again.
-I forgot Ash had so many pokemon in his reserves.
-Prof.Oak & Ash's mom's being so casual about TR was funny.:D
-A new journey a new pokedex.
-Brock having a mom was a surprise.
-Nice to see an old landmark like Mt. Moon again.
-Anything involving Misty's sisters is always chuckle worthy.:D

Lastweek:
-Scot is a maniac driver
-The Battle Factory was interesting. Not to many opponents let you pick which pokemon you want them to battle with.
-TR's new motto is growing on me.
-The Return of Charizard, very nice choice.
-Charizard Vs. Articuno
Not a bad battle though I was half expecting ash to lose or at least wait till next week for the results of the fight.
The Battle Frontier's got an Orange Island vibe to it,(which I like) I can't wait to see what Ash & co. get into next.(I really need to find the time to play[not to mention open] my copy of Emerald)

The promo for Master of Mirage looked killer. Looks like the only downside for the special will be the change in voice-actors.

[CyberCubed]

Dang. I was hoping Misty would have stayed around for more than 2 episodes.

Well she's in the 10th anniversary special next week. Although I really wonder why PokemonUSA is bothering to test a new Misty voice, especially since she hardly appears in the show anymore.

As far as I know, Misty has never shown up again in the BF saga since the initial 3-part opening. Testing a voice for a character we won't even see next season (until probably the last couple of episodes of it) is pretty odd.

[icerbreaker]

hey guys don't give all ur hopes up. cartoon network and viz media are streaming anime cartoons on a online channel network called toonami jetstream coming july 17. they already have picked up megaman nt, nautro, samurai jack and many others. hopefully they will pick up pokemon for da 9th season. i hope so because i am getting really interested in battle frontier.

[Burgundy Ranger]

Just curious. If WB, CN and 4Kids have severed their ties with Pokemon, where is there left to show it?

Maybe there is a little bit of a break before PUSA has the next season ready.

Do you think Disney might want it for Jetix on Toon Disney? The options appear to be dwindling. Given enough of a break they could even come up with a one-hour combo of Pokemon's 9th season and Digimon's 5th.

Very odd not just to see this show off Kids WB but apparently orphaned as well.

[Freedom Fighter]

Well she's in the 10th anniversary special next week. Although I really wonder why PokemonUSA is bothering to test a new Misty voice, especially since she hardly appears in the show anymore.

As far as I know, Misty has never shown up again in the BF saga since the initial 3-part opening. Testing a voice for a character we won't even see next season (until probably the last couple of episodes of it) is pretty odd.Considering that, it could be just the opposite... at least in Misty's case, we could argue here she's treated as a minor character, and PUSA would not be befowled as much to get someone else other than Rachael Lillis for her part. It's a shallow argument, sure, but it's feasible enough for PUSA to do such a thing.

Naturally, such an exemption can't apply to Ash, May, Brock, Max, Jessie, James, and Meowth, the show's main cast.

[Duke]

Just curious. If WB, CN and 4Kids have severed their ties with Pokemon, where is there left to show it?
CN is still an option. They've said that they'd love to show Pokémon & Yu-Gi-Oh! again, so we'll probably get reruns sometime during summer or fall.

[Duke]

You guys aren't prone to this, so I'm not worried at all, but I figure I should cover my bases...

ANY angry, fanboyish ranting about the Mirage Pokémon special will get an automatic warning, plain and simple, no arguements.

You can still rant about it in a civil way like you usually do, but I don't want to see anything like "THIS BULL**** SUCKS! THIS CAST CAN DIE AND ROT IN HELL! #*&#*&@(*&#@#."

Like I said, I'm covering my bases.

[Ryoutarou]

All I have to say is...my lord, this is like a bad dub of a dub...it just doesn't make sense. Only one VA seems to fit the character well.

[GuardianKid13]

only 14 minutes left!:sweat::shrug: dont know if i should be happy or sad

[Animeforever'04]

All I have to say is...my lord, this is like a bad dub of a dub...it just doesn't make sense. Only one VA seems to fit the character well.is it Blue Water bad?

[Ryoutarou]

is it Blue Water bad?More like "I had no idea it was psychically possible to make a dub worse than One Piece" bad. The cast is just...off, it's like a mix of bad VAing and bad role choices.

[Animeforever'04]

i watching not too bad the old narrator is back thats weird

[Duke]

....Wow, the opening sucks, the animation's off, the changes suck, and to top it all off: we get the old narrator! Geez. What a way to start.

May sounds far too old, and somehow Brock sounds like a chain smoker.

Max & Ash sound familiar, but I can't place them...

Oak sounds like Jimmy Zoppi (aka every old man from the first 3 sagas, and Gary)

o.O Oak is refereeing?

Wow, the animation is REALLY bad, except for the CG. This is mid-Johto-level animation here. Even the worst AG episode animation was quite this bad...

[LordTerminal]

Boy did the puberty stick hit Ash bad.

EDIT:

Max & Ash sound familiar, but I can't place them...

Basically the chick who did Tuff on Kirby and Koby on One Piece. If this is supposed to be the company doing the dubbing and not 4Kids, then why change the cast voices if you're gonna use Central Media in the first place?


People the 4Kids VAs CAN be worse.

[Mighty_Bojingo]

In my opinion, the only voice so far that fits, is Meowths. All the other voices are just so wrong. Aside from the VA issues, (and the song), i'd say the movie is perfectly fine (from the first few minutes that i've seen).

[The Fullmetal]

They cast Luffy's VA as Ash! BASTARDS! Veronica Taylor should be extremely p**sed.

Meowth sounds fine, but Jesse and James sound hornier than ever. Misty is okay, but Racael Lillis was much better. Brock's new VA is rough around the edges, but he may get better with time. Professor Oak always sounded screwed up, but the new 4Kids dub made it only worse. Max and May sound just like they did in the TAJ dub, so I don't mind their replacements. Overall, this new dub sucks. I don't even like Pokemon anymore, but I'm still upset about this. I feel for the original voice actors. They must feel like their characters have been stolen from them.

We should just be glad they never attempted to dub Pikachu's voice. I can just imagine how THAT would turn out. And just imagine if they cast David Moo as James.

Hopefully Marc Diraison shows up somewhere and fixes this dub for us. WE NEED YOU, ZOLO!

[Ryoutarou]

At first I was okay with the changes and thought if done well that it could be good. And this isn't even "OMFG THEY GOT NEW VAS AFTER 10 YEARS!"...these voices just do not match at all. Pokemon was actually one of the better dubs on TV and now it just isn't anything like it was.

[EscaflownePilot]

Alright, from this point forward, I better not hear ANY one dare say that One Piece has the worst dub opening. This is the worst opening of any show. Period. No question. And if you have a different opinion, you're just plain wrong.


The voices mostly don't fit, the writing is sloppy, and, for the love of God, they're mispronouncing "Pokemon" worse, and more often than 4K!DS did even at the start.

I never thought I'd say this, but I REALLY wish 4K!DS was dubbing this.

The only good thing (and it's a very good thing, at that) is the music. Which, I'm inclined to believe, Pokemon USA had nothing to do with.

[Mighty_Bojingo]

We should just be glad they never attempted to dub Pikachu's voice.

You mean it wasn't changed? Pikachu's voice sounds weirder.

[Duke]

Duke, is "THIS DUB SUCKS AND THE CAST CAN ROT IN THE SHADOW REALM! @#$% @!@#@ !%$#" okay?
No, it's not. You can say, "This dub really does suck. Horribly. I never want to see this thing ever again," though.

You mean it wasn't changed? Pikachu's voice sounds weirder.
Pikachu's still voiced by Ikue Ootani, just like the past 8 seasons.

God, May sounds like she's 40. Though I wonder if this Mew voice is going to be the one used in the 8th Movie...

[Animeforever'04]

the dub ain't gthat bad execpt the villan ugh!

[ChibiGoku]

You know something though, lets ignore the voices for a second.

- Music sounds like it came from the Japanese OST? Check
- Silence Kept? Check
- Script doesn't sound it came from a blender? Check

I'm giving this a chance. While the voices aren't exactly what we want, it doesn't sound THAT bad. Not the greatest, but not that bad. We DO need to give them a chance, especially sense this is their first dub doing with the character. Nothings ever perfect.

[Ryoutarou]

You mean it wasn't changed? Pikachu's voice sounds weirder.Yeah, it's a new person they used as well.

[Duke]

- Script doesn't sound it came from a blender? Check
Actually, I think the script's even worse than the series. It just seems thrown together.


Yeah, it's a new person they used as well.
You sure? o.O It sounds the same to me.

EDIT: OK, it sounds more like they just cut out Pikachu's dialogue from previous episodes and cobbled it together. Kinda like Chef during "The Return of Chef."

Squirtle looks different. I've never seen May's Squirtle look so angry...

May: "See? Sometimes I CAN do the right thing!" Huh? What was that line for?

Well, it does get props for tying in the movies...

...Joy sounds like a porn actress...

[Animeforever'04]

Actually, I think the script's even worse than the series. It just seems thrown together.


You sure? o.O It sounds the same to me.
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/article.php?id=8206
FujiTV reported that Ikue Ohtani (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=846) was taking a leave of absence because she was in "poor physical condition" (literal translation), based on this ANN reported that she was ill. ANN has now confirmed that Ohtani is not ill, but in in fact on maternity leave. All other information in the news post about her replacements is correct. ANN regrets this mistake

[Ryoutarou]

You sure? o.O It sounds the same to me.Yeah, altough it could be due to the Japanese VA going on leave because she's having a baby and this being a new special.

[LordTerminal]

Well her Pikachu replacement is more believable then her Chopper replacement on One Piece. At least HERE, you can't tell that much difference.

[EscaflownePilot]

No, it's not. You can say, "This dub really does suck. Horribly. I never want to see this thing ever again," though.Alrighty, then. "This dub really does suck. Horribly. I never want to see this thing ever again,"...



You know something though, lets ignore the voices for a second.

- Music sounds like it came from the Japanese OST? Check
- Silence Kept? Check
- Script doesn't sound it came from a blender? Check
After paying more attention, though, I'm actually not minding the writing. There are a few odd moments where there's a real unnatural line, but still about on par with if not much better than 4K!DS.

So, I guess I have to agree with that, ChibiGoku. And the BGM really is well done stuff.

But still, the voice casting sucks, and *** **** *** *** ** *** ****** *****"!

[GuardianKid13]

the voices are bleh, but the storyline is good so far

[LordTerminal]

Am I going crazy or does anyone else think Brock sounds like Trunks?

[Duke]

I'm confused. I get why Yung invited Professor Oak, but why did he invite Ash, Misty, May, Max, and Brock?

...Ash should've been smart enough not to use Iron Tail against a Flamethrower...

[Ryoutarou]

I'm confused. I get why Yung invited Professor Oak, but why did he invite Ash, Misty, May, Max, and Brock?Probably heard about the Pokemon they met during the movies...I guess, otherwise it's just a plot hole.

...since when does Oak have a Dragonite?

[LordTerminal]

More like "What does Oak NOT have?" since he gets stuff from pretty much any trainer he gives a liscense too time after time.

[Corvair]

Obligatory photoshop anyone?
http://img142.imageshack.us/img142/1724/luffyash4ds.jpg

[LordTerminal]

Except that's not Dub Luffy doing Ash. That's Koby's voice. Trust me, I know.

[Umino]

Obligatory photoshop anyone?
http://img142.imageshack.us/img142/1724/luffyash4ds.jpg

That's awesome.

I actually like Misty and May's new voices. (Although May does sound a little too nasal) Everyone else's... not so much. Oak's voice actor cannot act, he sounds way too forced and lifeless. Brock doesn't fit, he sounds like a fat guy. Ash was okay, he sounds a bit dull.

The animation is really nice in the special (aside from the CCG, what the?), I'm surprised!

[Duke]

Speaking of Brock, where DID he go?

...All of those cast names were aliases. Great.

Oh, and I just figured something out. Dr. Yung was creating various creatures using data, right?

He was making his own Digimon! :D

Too bad that the only good animation was the actual attacks. Everything else was sub-par.

[Animeforever'04]

anybody catch the credits?the cast
Billy Peach
Michelle Knotts
Rodger Parsons
Bill Rodgers
Billy Regan
Jamie Peacock
Diane Stillwell
btw i liked the dub!~
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=968
for billy regan!

[RomanMack]

Wow... That was... Different.

Ash sounds too much like Koby from the One Piece dub...

Misty's is good.

May sounds too old.

Max's is alright...

Brock... Awful.

Oak... It's meh.

Though I was happy with the BGM. I'm just sad to hear all the old actors go. Taylor HAS Ash's voice. And I just don't think anyone can ever replecate it.

[CyberCubed]

My opinions on the new voices:

Ash: Excuse me as I cry myself to sleep because Ash sounds like Luffy from One Piece. Good god.

Misty: Great, she sounds the most like the original.

Oak: He sounded off in the beginning but got good toward the end. Pretty good.

May: Aside from sounding a bit too old, she was pretty decent. If her voice actor can settle into her role as time goes on, I won't have a problem.

Max: Eh, decent enough I guess.

Brock: WORST.VOICE.EVER.

Jessie: Decent

James: Why did they make him sound even more gay and flamboyant?

Meowth: He's fine.

[shaman_mya19]

good special!! but one little spoiler added bolt tackle pikachu learns it later after they join frontier!! ash's voice i wish they didn't change it!! it seem different to me

[xokxtrunks]

I just tuned into the special and hering the new voices made me cringe. Some of them are decent while others such as Oak and Ash are pretty bad. :sad:

[RomanMack]

I don't see why everyone is saying he sounds like Luffy....

He sounds more like Koby from One Piece's dub. Not Luffy.

[yoshirider13]

stop complaining people! Its there first dub!!!!! Its not like they wont change and get better later on!

[Djm912]

It's like DBZ when Funimation took over all over again....

[Animeforever'04]

stop complaining people! Its there first dub!!!!! Its not like they wont change and get better later on!
agree! sides! mabey it was a last minute thing! at least the orinal music is here! i watched the credits! all the orinal tv staff did this! pokemon usa only did the adaption!

[Djm912]

Ha!

Mew sounds like Ponygon from Zatch Bell.

[SSJ Jake]

Hmm, after watching it, I didn't think it was too bad. I thought who ever is now playing Misty, Max and Oak (well, Oak's voice at least got better near the end) did a good job at imitating the characters former voice actors. Ash's voice didn't sound horrible too me, but it just sounded a bit weird. As much as I hate Eric Stuart, this guy trying to imitate him as Brock and James is even worse. But meh, you'll always end up with some guy you don't like voice acting a certain character, right? And yeah, I agree, May sounds far too old. She's supposed to be 10 years old, not 40. As for Dr. Yung, I thought he sounded pretty good.

Now, about the music, I thought the new theme was terrible. It reminded me of "Set Sail for One Piece" and "Step into the Grand Tour", but much worse. However, I'm happy about them keeping the original BGM and not filling in music at pointless moments. I've never seen the original Japanese version of this special, but I'm guessing that this is the original BGM since it didn't sound lame and generic, like what 4Kids pretty much began to replace with in later episodes.

Also, I'm wondering, did they keep in some of the original Japanese voice actors for the Pokemon that were renamed in the english version? I could of sworn I heared the mirage Houndoom saying "Heruga" (Hellgar).

Either way, decent dub, overall. I'll be watching more episodes to see how this goes.

[ChibiGoku]

Shinji Miyazaki did the music, who apparently did all of Pokemon's original music. Meaning, this was defiently from the japanese ost.

[Animeforever'04]

Shinji Miyazaki did the music, who apparently did all of Pokemon's original music. Meaning, this was defiently from the japanese ost. you forgot Go Ichinose he was listed as well

[sdp]

first of all, damn my vcr for not recording last weeks episodes...no one seems to discussed them though...
second damn my local wb network, it kept coming off at random times while all other channels worked so i missed about 30 minutes of it from different parts :(

i came to watch with a very open mind, now:

VA:

ash: well he sounds more 'manly' but also not as mature**...
misty; she sounded good, except she didn't seem to sound as mature**
may: i liked hers, she just sounded umm...older which she should have been the one to least change
brock: he sounded ok i guess, at least it fit his character...
max: from what i heard he was the best.
Oak: :/ kind of meh
jessie:didn't sound too different but didn't have something 'special'
james: sounded more like him only not as good.
meowth:i guess he's changed voices tones a few times...

filler characterrs:they didn't sound bad then again do they count?

all the dubs didn't sound that they had 'energy'.

theme song: rap? fun and interesting, nice to see something new....lets hope rap is never used as a theme song though..




what exactly are mirage pokemon? computer generated? why where they getting so upset about them getting hurt?
out of so many characters only ash and the gang got invited into the event?
wow Oak using a pokeball!
the villian i thought was cool, reminded me of G/S games.
brock just left the team?
i didn't catch why max and may left...
it was actually very nice seeing ash have another adventure with misty imo though...
ithis special did feel a little out of character from the regular series.
so can we say this is the third part of the 'mewtwo trilogy'? "D
What's creepy is that Misty got more character development in this one-hour US exclusive than she did in all of Johto."
man, this was the perfect place to show Missingno on the cartoon :sweat:
'hey its mew" umm...she got her memory erased.. ;D she shouldn't remember.
does anyone know if they used the original soundtrack?

overall i enjoyed the special, at least storywise.

remember that this is the first time we hear the new voices...we might learn to like them...
though i hope they change the voices again after this, i can take a different take on the characters but this one seemed too much imitating...;(

**even though they didn't sound as 'mature' as they have recently in the series their face expressions/dialogue during the special also seemed very Season one-ish...so they didn't look too mature

[CyberCubed]

Storywise, why must PokemonUSA/4kids/whoever made this constantly glorify Misty?

She's the one who gets a full battle against Aggron, gets to go with Ash inside the castle (while May and Max have to wait outside...wtf?), and is essentially the best battler.

Also, what in the world was May's, "Looks like I can do something right," line about when rescuing Misty?

Does PokemonUSA really think Misty must be constantly glorified and that May isn't as important as her, when the actual series says the exact opposite? This Misty glorification is highly irritating, thank god the Japanese writers don't do things like this.

[RomanMack]

Storywise, why must PokemonUSA/4kids/whoever made this constantly glorify Misty?

She's the one who gets a full battle against Aggron, gets to go with Ash inside the castle (while May and Max have to wait outside...wtf?), and is essentially the best battler.

Also, what in the world was May's, "Looks like I can do something right," line about when rescuing Misty?

Does PokemonUSA really think Misty must be constantly glorified and that May isn't as important as her, when the actual series says the exact opposite? This Misty glorification is highly irritating, thank god the Japanese writers don't do things like this.Proboally because she's not in the actual series too much these days. I guess they wanted to give her some spotlight.

[Animeforever'04]

i say becasue it's just a spin off the music sounded like sason 1 ish like the battle theme! did you forget in pokemon hosu the gave a few episodes also.

[ChibiGoku]

Clip of Ash and Misty's New Voices, Plus Team Rocket (http://www.sonicfighters.com/FightingMagic/Temp/Pokemon%20-%20New%20Voices%2001.avi)

Here you guys go that weren't able to view it. Video's encoded in XviD.

[Animeforever'04]

Clip of Ash and Misty's New Voices, Plus Team Rocket (http://www.sonicfighters.com/FightingMagic/Temp/Pokemon%20-%20New%20Voices%2001.avi)

Here you guys go that weren't able to view it. Video's encoded in XviD.
want me to you tube it?

[GuardianKid13]

Storywise, why must PokemonUSA/4kids/whoever made this constantly glorify Misty?

She's the one who gets a full battle against Aggron, gets to go with Ash inside the castle (while May and Max have to wait outside...wtf?), and is essentially the best battler.

Also, what in the world was May's, "Looks like I can do something right," line about when rescuing Misty?

Does PokemonUSA really think Misty must be constantly glorified and that May isn't as important as her, when the actual series says the exact opposite? This Misty glorification is highly irritating, thank god the Japanese writers don't do things like this.Misty hasn't been in the show for a while, unlike May who is , i mean they probably wanted to give Misty the spotlight like someone said, ATLEAST for this special

[Yash]

Ash: meh. Max and Ash have the same VA, btw. I miss Veronica Taylor :(

Misty: Fine. Sounds exactly like the original.

May: Get 10 years younger and we'll be fine.

Brock: Worst. Voice. Ever.

Max: Fine, sounds exactly like the original.

Oak: Second. Worst. Voice. Ever.

Team Rocket: All fine, they sound close enough to the originals.

Rap theme: Get dead.

BGM: Huzzah.

Writing: Meh... nothing particularly stood out as bad. Except May's "I finally did something right!", wtf was with that?

Acting: Eww. Fire this voice director now. He killed Professor Oak.

Overall: 7/10... It's actually kind of worse than the 4Kids movies, but better than the series.

[PC!]

Intro: ...wow. We need a catchy 4Kids theme, stat!

Narrator: The original narrator is back! Ah, reminds me of the good old days when the show first started. Funny how they replaced all of the 4Kids voices, but brought back a voice that 4Kids replaced. Why exactly did he leave, anyway?
Ash: Sounds like Luffy. Could definitely be worse, but could sure be better.
Brock: Sounded like Eric Stuart with a sore throat.
Misty: A little less high pitched, but otherwise almost spot on.
May: If the actress could just get her voice a little higher pitched, I think it'd be spot on.
Max: Almost perfect. Just a little rough around the edges.
Jessie: Very close. Very close.
James: Sounds kinda similar, but the actor makes him sound too snooty.
Oak: Yarg. At least make him sound a little gruffer, then he might actually be close.

But all in all, the voices are halfway decent. Could be better, could be worse. I'm still going to give Pokemon USA my 2 cents.

[Strollymonster]

I don't watch PKMN, but I was flipping through the channels today and heard the god-awful new VAs. Okay, to be fair, only the main characters are god-awful. I'm sure some of the random background voices won't be too bad :p

[Game Freak 4]

stop complaining people! Its there first dub!!!!! Its not like they wont change and get better later on!
Well why did it have to be this special? Why couldn't they just dub a normal episode? Not only the voices, but the opening theme was awful crap! This will get people some bad ideas about this speical.

Off-Topic: Beware because "Coconut Fred's Fruit Salad Island" is coming back.

[ChibiGoku]

want me to you tube it?

Sure. I'm a bit too lazy to do it myself XD

[Ryoutarou]

Intro: ...wow. We need a catchy 4Kids theme, stat!Never thought I'd see the day when we liked a 4Kids theme better than something else.

[Rocketboy]

Dude...Why did they get Ponygon's japanese voice to do Mew?

I liked it, a little. The story might have been going super fast, but it was still good. I liked the CGI attacks for Mewtwo.

The voices? Let's just say more were bad than good.

[Animeforever'04]

Never thought I'd see the day when we liked a 4Kids theme better than something else.
no god no! no 4kids theme then they'll want to change the music again XD

[Goodfellow]

Is it just me, or did the episode on today actually sound like the voice actors finally learned how to do some proper voice work?

[Animeforever'04]

heres the youtube ver. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rffSO24vVpk

[RockmanDash]

Oh my lord X_X the voice actors sound very very werid

[Marvin Tikvah]

Wow, those new voices are so distracting. I mean, Misty's VA wasn't that bad since she atleast sounded convincing enough but most everyone else? Ugh... Ash sounded like the filler kids from Johto and May sounded way too old. Brock sounded like he had something in his throat. Max doesn't sound as annoying anymore so I guess that's an improvement. Team Rocket was okay. Now that I've watched the whole special, I can pass fair judgment: A rough first try, but it could get better. The ones that need the most improvement are Ash and May. One needs to sound different and one needs to sound younger.

[CyberCubed]

Why did they replace 4kids' VA with DIFFERENT 4kids VA? I really don't understand this, why bother to fire the main voices in the first place?

PokemonUSA should be e-mailed about this.

[Ryoutarou]

PokemonUSA should be e-mailed about this.That's what a lot of fansites and boards are doing. They're getting letter capaigns and emails set up so they can tell PUSA how they feel.


Just a warning! stay away from pokecommunity there is no option for op. for liking the dub! man they are whiney! sorry hijacking thread!:sweat:...or it could be you just spammed in that thread? Seriously "pathetic mortals"...? But enough thread hijacking.

[iMustang]

This is worst dubing I've ever heard in my life.

[Yash]

Why did they replace 4kids' VA with DIFFERENT 4kids VA? I really don't understand this, why bother to fire the main voices in the first place?

PokemonUSA should be e-mailed about this. I wouldn't be surprised if 4Kids started up some legal bs and didn't let Pokémon USA use the original voice actors.

Still, I wish they had just taken their own direction with the voice cast, instead of trying to hire imitations.

This whole thing reminds me of FUNi and DBZ btw.

[Rolling Cloud]

SHITAMMA! This was like Third Impact being brought onto the pokemon world!

Bad Voices: Ash, May, Brock, Professor Oak, Jessie, James, Meowth

Good Voices: Everybody Else!

[Golden Darkness]

Ehhh...

Only thing good about this that if this was a dub of an unaired Japanese version, the original score was kept.

Writing needs to improve. Brock's monolouge was painful.

And the voices, don't get me started on the voices. Sound alikes hardly sound alike in many of the cases.

And the plot... such a major plothole with the villian's knowledge of Mewtwo's existance.

[Ryoutarou]

That and the whole Volt Tackle thing.

[Peter Paltridge]

The good news is that if this is any indication, original scores are coming back. It DID make a difference in the drama of the whole battle, plus no impact scenes were edited short or cut completely (unless Dogasu's watchful eye says otherwise).

The bad news is that I heard Brock and laughed aloud. If there was any case to keep the original, it's that I doubt anyone can succesfully copy Stuart's gruff voice at all.

They missed the mark with Ash, which is just weird--the main character deserves the most tryouts! That's not the character you want to miss on! They can take the time to get Misty right, who won't be seen very often, but then this.....

Meowth sounds the same, but I suppose it isn't hard to mimic that voice.

And the "Pok-uh-mon" pronunciation is back for the first time since episode 5. Wee-urd.

It was hard to enjoy this since all I could think of was that Ronnie Taylor was watching at the same time while crying into a box of tissues.

[ShadowGUN]

Okay let see:
Ash: need work

Misty: she sounds almost like the original.

Oak: :ack:

May: the acting was good but she need to sound younger

Max: decent

Brock: he sounded like he was trying too hard to sound like Eric Stuart

Jessie: she sounded okay

James: he need to practice some more

Meowth: he's sounded fine and I like the fact that his accent wasn't as thick as the old Meowth


I hope that theme song was only for the movie. Because if it was for the series I hate to say it but 4KIDS could have done better.

[Game Freak 4]

I don't think it's that hard to mimic their voices. I've been working on all of the and I think I' ve been getting better. I think I could do better voice acting than those people. I don't even have to act.

[Ultra8]

Well that was one of the worst Op's I've ever seen. And the VAs:
Ash- meh.
Misty- Okay-ish
May- a little bit too mature, and oddly sexy:sweat:
Max- Close to the original
Brock- Arrgh my ears!!
Jessie- Close to the original
James- too corny
Meowth- meh
Prof. Oak- My ears! They bleed!:crying:
It also didn't help that alot of them didn't put a lot of emotion into they're dialogue.
Other than that and some plot holes in the story it was an okay special.
The Mirage pokemon was an interesting idea, (and probably the closest anyone will get to a digimon crossover:D )and Dr.Young a lively villian. It reminds me that a true villian doesn't belive he's doing anything wrong. Also the connections the the past movies was a nice surprise, though I was expecting that that was were Mewtwo was going to come from.

It was nice hearing the old narrator again.

Grade:
C
Horrible to sucky dub + okay story = really hoping PUSA gets their act together and hires back the old VAs if they plan to keep the series watchable.

[jlaking]

That and the whole Volt Tackle thing.

Actually Pikachu learns that move in a future episode.

[Ryoutarou]

Actually Pikachu learns that move in a future episode.I know, which is why I sa-- oh, no I didn't.

Plot hole

[Hyper Shadow X]

I knew I heard billy regan's voice in there some where.

[Zero Kagayaki]

new voicee actors really suck it goin to be hard to get used to it

[Rabi~en~Rose]

I just turned it off right now after that intro :( this is how they celebrate and thank their fans of 10 years? :confused:

[ChibiGoku]

I just turned it off right now after that intro :( this is how they celebrate and thank their fans of 10 years? :confused:

The intro is really the only horrible thing about it. The rest of the episode (music wise) was well kept.

EDIT: ...And so much for me THINKING Pokemon USA did that opening. This was listed as the credits...

""Pokemon Go!" Pokemon 10th Anniversary Theme Song by Atsushi "Toya" Tokuya"

[Duke]

agree! sides! mabey it was a last minute thing! at least the orinal music is here! i watched the credits! all the orinal tv staff did this! pokemon usa only did the adaption!
I'm thinking Pokémon USA ordered it themselves (a la the added scenes for the 4th Movie that 4Kids had made), since this hasn't aired in Japan yet. The choppy animation really makes me think that. If it was made for Japan first, it likely would've gotten a similar budget as the 1-hour special that aired in Japan a few weeks ago.

As for no 4Kids music, that's because...4Kids isn't dubbing it! Instead of paying 4Kids for the license to use their music, they just used the Japanese score (which sounds like all stock to me, no new pieces).

[Animeforever'04]

The intro is really the only horrible thing about it. The rest of the episode (music wise) was well kept.

EDIT: ...And so much for me THINKING Pokemon USA did that opening. This was listed as the credits...

""Pokemon Go!" Pokemon 10th Anniversary Theme Song by Atsushi "Toya" Tokuya"
wha!? no way! XD you got pics of the credits with this?

[Tien85]

HOLY Crap. I've just watched the first five minutes or so and the voices are so bad I'm thinking of just stopping right there. The Brock and James voices are painful to listen to, as are Oak's and the rest. I really hope Pokemon USA sees how crappy this is gonna be and trys to somehow get the original cast back. Someone wanna get me some earplugs so I don't have to listen to this (I can always read the closed caption :D)?

[Alex Toon]

I only saw the youtube clip, so I can't judge the episode for myself. Anyone have sound bytes of the other characters?

[ChibiGoku]

I only saw the youtube clip, so I can't judge the episode for myself. Anyone have sound bytes of the other characters?

Any in particular? I wouldn't mind getting more.

Also, here's proof on the intro song.

http://www.sonicfighters.com/FightingMagic/Temp/Credits.JPG

[Alex Toon]

ChibiGoku, I'd like sound clips of each of the characters as proof of their new voices,mkay? ;)

[bigddan11]

All I can say is ugh. Maybe this is the real reason Kids' WB! dropped Poke'Mon- they didn't want to have to put up with the new butchered voices. It's sad when the only ones that sound similiar are Meowth, Max & Misty. May's voice sounded decent, but as others have mentioned, it sounded too mature. Jesse's was fairly close to the original, but Ash, Brock, Oak, were torturing me. I don't think it should be too hard to mimic the Poke'Mon voices, but they all sounded fairly different compared to the originals. Poke'Mon USA really should get their head in the game after butchering this job. Hire decent actors or you'll destroy the slight amount of money you may still get from this series.

[Animeforever'04]

heres what i found on Atsushi Toya Tokuya
http://www.d-fraction.co.jp/ww-yokohama/wildwomen.html

[CyberCubed]

And to think, most people thought that Pokemon USA would actually *improve* the dub after taking it from 4kids.

Pokemon is pretty much the only anime that people want 4kids to continue dubbing. What a shame.

[Tash]

I've got it! 4Kids is secretly working with Pokemon USA to make a dub with voice acting so bad that we'll worship 4Kids' skills.

Seriously, I don't think I'll be able to get used to this new Ash after the last 10 years of my life. (or was it 8?)

[Rae78]

People are saying how close certain voices are to sounding like the originals, but that doesn't make them the characters--the personalities just weren't there.

People are also saying the new va's will get better with time. Considering that they had months to prepare this special, and thus rehearse and get to know the characters and not just their tonalities, I'd say that they had plenty of time already.

[Conan-san]

Ok, I think we can safely say, we should let the canadians deal whit this one, I will have my Scott Mcneal voice acting yet!

[Golden Darkness]

One of the new VAs posted on SPP's thread (http://www.serebiiforums.com/showthread.php?t=116598&page=33) about the new voices the new voice of Brock apparently.



Hello everyone,

I am hesitant to post here as I fear that many of you are greatly upset with what you heard from this weekend’s special, but I feel that someone from the new group of VAs must speak up.

Please understand that during this tough transitional time, the new voice actors that are working on Pokemon are trying their best to fill some very big shoes. In the past, I have had the opportunity to speak with many of the original Pokemon actors. They are terrific, talented people and I have a great respect for all the work that they have done in these past eight years to bring Pokemon to television, movies, etc. Unfortunately, due to the contracts that these actors have signed with 4Kids, they are no longer able to work on Pokemon. So, no matter what letter writing campaigns you start, these actors will not be allowed to work on Pokemon outside of the 4Kids studios.

That said, the new actors that have been brought in to voice these existing Pokemon characters are trying very hard to capture the spirit of the original cast. So please, don’t look at us as horrible people who are stealing jobs away from others. Instead, try to understand that we are actors who admire those who came before us and only wish to do all that we can to produce the best show possible.

This new Pokemon project only started a short while ago and many of us have been researching previous episodes to find a way to best capture the spirit of the show. Together with TAJ Studios, we are working with producers, directors and engineers who worked on the show’s earlier seasons. These professionals are also trying their hardest to get us to the right place so that this transition will work for the fans. This will take a little time, but we are working hard to make the fans happy. Please believe me when I say that I am not involved in this project for a “quick buck”. When I was asked to take over as the voice of Brock, I was honored that I would be able to carry on a legacy, and I promise you here and now that I will do the best I can to make that possible.

My reasoning for posting to this site is twofold. Firstly, I wish to inform the fans about the process that is going on to keep Pokemon the same great show it always was. And secondly, I wish to get feedback from the fans that I can take into the studio with me to help improve whatever I can to make the show great. I welcome all the input that you have, but please be mindful that there is a human being at the other end of this dialogue. I know that everyone at TAJ studios is concerned with the outcry of the fans over what has happened. Please try to help us make this show work for you.

I will post more in the days ahead, but for now I thank you for your time and patience during this transition.
Sincerely,
The New Voice of Brock

PS – Please understand at this time I can not post my real name due to possible repercussions from all the negative energy out there on the internet and in the world outside the web.

[Animeforever'04]

iwish this guy and everyone else good luck! i'm looking forward to this!

[Duke]

Unfortunately, due to the contracts that these actors have signed with 4Kids, they are no longer able to work on Pokemon. So, no matter what letter writing campaigns you start, these actors will not be allowed to work on Pokemon outside of the 4Kids studios.
AHA! I knew it! I knew it wasn't just a matter of PUSA being greedy.

And 4Kids screws us over once again. Same old, same old.

And reading this guy's other posts on the thread, he agrees that his new Brock doesn't work and that he's gonna work on it. And he does confirm that it was the Japanese seiyuu who was playing Pikachu in the special.

[Conan-san]

4k!DS Is the detroyer of worlds....the thing that made kirk make a meme...in genreal, they're not realy nice people. *Hic*

[CyberCubed]

There were still some 4kids VA's on the special though, just not the main people. It's irritating because they're using the same casting pool yet can't use the main characters.

[ChibiGoku]

That's how contracts go, I suppose. Regardless, PUSA did a better job in the music catagory, and I really hope they continue to use the original music.

[Conan-san]

I'm holding out for a "Dub the song" mentality, myself.

Onto the actual thing itself, this is orgional ground, concidering the bad guy is doing it cause he got punted on his ass from the insitute due to his ethics, that's new and intresting ground.
Also, his going back into the castle, no knowing where that's heading.

[PC!]

The voice cast. (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=6258)

I was pretty sure Sean Schemmel voiced Dr. Yung...

Anyway, it's good to see that TAJ actually cares about what we think of the voices. It will take me a while, but even though they'll never replace the originals, I'm sure I'll eventually get comfortable with the voices, just as the voice actors do. I recall that Veronica sounded a bit like Erica when she first started out (IMO, anyway), but she eventually made Ash her own. I know I'll do my part to let "The New Voice of Brock" know how the cast can improve. I'm glad they're listening to us in the first place.

Either way, I'm happy to see Phillip Bartlett back as the narrator. ^^

[sdp]

alright on my second viewing (or first complete viewing) my opinion already changed, so i definately think you guys should give it a second chance,

first i'll discuss the special which few people have done besides saying it was bad, but did anyone think mewtwo was behind the mask? i really thought that, second the special does feel a little out of continuity, i don't know Ash is acting extremely season 1ish, i mean in recent episodes like the hoenn league or his battle with drake of the elite 4 he showed off those traits a little but here he was in full swing since the beggining, brock did stay mostly 'in' character, i guess so did Max, though May was written different in the special, i guess it could be said she felt weird with Misty around (i know its not the first time she sees her), Misty also didn't seem as mature as had been portrayed and seemed very S1ish as well, at least with her it makes some sense since she did say "we're rivals again just like old times". (which would make CyberCubed happy since it would mean their relationship with each other was just rivals ;)). i'll say this again "man why were the only invites for the "gang"...:/ the special was definately rare pokemon galore, which is neat, the animation was way off, oh well, i rather have a surprise special than not having it. and i think may's "i can do the right thing' was more as a prooving misty wrong, since at the begging she was 'me and ash, you guys can stay'. and while misty and ash seemed to be familiar with mew (even though their minds were erased) since he wasn't in pikachu's memory i guess they did remember. and "this is not the mewtwo you're familiar with" so i guess he has been making appearances to people as well ;D, and man at the end launching all those rockets, seemed something goofy only TR can pull off. one last thing if mirage master dr. yung why exactly did he invite people, andnot just get his revenge ??? and oak's evidence was rather weak, he just gotlucky guessing imo..and mews death (umm...both of them) were def. emotional.
think of it this way, if 4kids would have made dr. yung a member of TR...
and i guess oak did care about Yung..


as for my second take on the VA:

Ash:i guess not that bad, it just sounds like he is not that experienced anymore, i hope he sounds more mature, he is not a kid anymore.

Misty: she got it right, but she sounds also too season 1ish, she her voice had matured over the years. maybe she's been hanging out with her sisters too much PlUeZe, whatEVER...

brock: hmm... not as bad as originally thought, it does sound kind of "coughy" hope it improves though.

max: sounded ok, he just doesn't sound as 'annoying' as he should you know? :sweat:

may: CC is right she doesn't sound like an old woman but she still sounds a lot older and more mature....out of all the characters she is the one that is still relatively new, not Ash..

Jessie: her new voice isn't that bad, while a new take on jessie could be better i'm fine with this one.

james: he does sound similar to the old james, but he is not. he just sounds like a bad immitator, i loved flaming james, but it can't be immitated a more serious voice is what he needs.

meowth: again he's voice has changed a lot over the seasons so i'll let it go.

jenny/joy- well they were almost ok, though they had also changed recently in the 4kids dub as well..

Oak: i just loved his old voice and i didn't like it on my first viewing but by the second one it seemed alright just a little tweaking it.



for all the VA though, they do need to learn to grow into the roles more which i think will happen, also they need more energy that is the main problem with the special, it seemed so bland...they also need to give their own take on the characters, not imitate.

[sdp]

there is some neat information on the mirage special on pokebeach.com which is usually a reliable site, here are some of his 'interviews' with his secret 'sources'...
anyways here is some things in case you haven't read them



Also, does PUSA want feedback about the special? Is that the whole point of airing it?

----Actually, the point to airing it is to give the American fans something special for the 10th anniversary. Think about it for a second -- when has America ever aired something before Japan? He/She does have a point. This will be the first time we actually get a special first. Funny though how its the 10th anniversary in JAPAN, but we are celebrating it here and getting the benefits of it.

1. Is "The Mastermind..." written by Americans or the Japanese? Some people have been saying that it will air in Japan soon (Pokeani).

---All Pokémon movies, shows, etc... are written and created in Japan; we just dub stuff here. ----Pokeani, through a proper translation, is actually just referring to a different special that I believe is airing in Japan later this year. They are wondering themselves (Pokeani) if Mastermind will air in Japan. So, this right here could be giving us a hint. PokeAni apparently said something about Misty showing up in the special, and yet if it is not the same special as Mastermind, why would they bring Misty back yet again? Could it be that she will eventually be returning to the main Anime next season in Japan? Also, he/she seems to be saying that the Japanese have always/will always write the plots, and that America will have no intervention in it.

2. Who animated it? The Japanese? PUSA?

---see above
6. Is the plotline cool (Everyone always focuses on the VA thing and never the plotline)? Can you tell me any of it or at least the jist of it?

----The plot line is actually pretty interesting. Good for a one hour special. There should be (cut the rest of it for exposure purposes, but he/she says the plot will be good)...

ving our Voice Actors - Pokemon USA has received our letters, and they have been reading them. They are 100% aware of our situation, and have actually read every single letter (and posts from forums) and have archived them. They are also very sympathetic towards the voice actors themselves, and appreciated us sending letters to them to save them. They could neither confirm nor deny any information about the VAs (meaning nothing has been said officially yet, so they cannot comment on it), but we were still able to ask a few questions. They kept mentioning the "Mastermind of Mirage Pokemon," and as we know from Veronica Taylor and Eric Stuart, it will have new voice actors. From talking to the representatives, it was alluded to us that everything is already set in motion, and that contracts have already been signed regarding the change of voice actors. It is highly unlikely anything can be changed at this point, but Pokemon USA just asks that we watch the Mirage Special first so we can make an informed decision.
MY OPINION: Pokemon USA took back the trading card game from Wizards of the Coast, and look how much more healthier it is now. Look at how much more people there are in the game. Look at all of the tournaments. We need to trust Pokemon USA and their decisions, and we need to trust that they will do just as well or even better with the Anime. They are on our side, and have been with Pokemon since the beginning. They know what we like, and what we don't like. 4Kids is a corrupt company who treats their voice actors like shiat, and who is money hungry for everything they can get their hands on and destroy. Unfortunately, it had to come to the voice actors losing their jobs for Pokemon, but life will still move on for both them and us. Change is something that will always come our way, and we need to learn how to adapt to it and embrace it. This could be a change for the better.
Pokemon USA and Websites - I was so surprised about this. THEY READ POKEMON WEBSITES AND FORUMS! I was so shocked when they were naming the websites and forums they go to EVERY DAY. They were telling me about people on the forums they go to, were telling me things about topics posted recently - THEY READ POKEMON SITES AND FORUMS! Some websites they mentioned were PokeBeach, PokeGym, PPN, Bulbagarden, and PokeAni. However, they are absolutely never allowed to post on our sites, since if it were to be traced back to them, they might get into trouble. Anyways, be careful about what you post, because they have people who have the job of reading our sites, printing out things, and talking about them in their offices... Big Brother is watching you..

[Duke]

There were still some 4kids VA's on the special though, just not the main people. It's irritating because they're using the same casting pool yet can't use the main characters.
I'm guessing the contract only applies to the main VAs (i.e. Veronica Taylor, Eric Stuart, Veronica Taylor, etc.) and not to the secondary VAs. As for the old narrator, he likely quit 4Kids, or at least Pokémon, so he doesn't have a contract.

[Conan-san]

Watching this over again, oh FSM, I think I just burst a gut laughing at the part where Brock is sent to inform the local Jenny of what the wrong is.

"Brock, all you want is some face time with Jenny"
"How dare you! At a time like this, would I ring her up..." (Does the action of dialing)
"And invite her out for dinner date" (Does Keyboard action for...some reasion...)
"With Some Alone time afterwords?! Are you nuts?!"
(Runs off, screaming Yahoo! behind him)

[RomanMack]

Well... It appears Rachel Lillis (the 4Kids actress who did Misty and Jesse's old voices) posted on this forum...

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/theincrediblerachellillis/message/1696

She's heard about the "New Brock" posting in Serebii.net and.... She says don't trust his words. Read ahead...

[Conan-san]

Oh...this is going to get ugly...

It seems Pokemon doesn't need 4kids to be contriversial in the big bad world of anime.

In all seriousness though, she'd be an awesome Mikoto (GaoGaiGar).

[CyberCubed]

I'm guessing the contract only applies to the main VAs (i.e. Veronica Taylor, Eric Stuart, Veronica Taylor, etc.) and not to the secondary VAs. As for the old narrator, he likely quit 4Kids, or at least Pokémon, so he doesn't have a contract.

Maybe, but why weren't secondary characters like Oak allowed to keep his voice? And what of Drew and Harley, since they didn't appear in this special? Their voices aren't as important as the big 3, so there should be no reason they can't reprise their roles.

[PC!]

Maddie Blaustein here.

Thanks for everybody's concern about the old Pokemon Cast (I cant believe I have to write it as the "Old" Cast)

anyways -- Rachel's post is quite correct --there was never any offer to the old cast to continue our work on Pokemon. To say I'm heartbroken that I can't perform as Meowth any more is an understatement.

Heck, my parrot says "Dat's Right"!

No doubt any conflicts between what the original cast might say and the new cast might say is all from what we are told.

To those of you who have appreciated my work, I'm not dead yet! There will be other shows that I (and the rest of the OVA of Pokemon) will be on. and I do hope you'll look for us there

Meowth will always always be the closest to my heart and I just want to thank all of you that have enjoyed watching him these last 8 years.

FWIW I actually didn't think the new Meowth was all that bad, Just needs to be able to sweetin' him up when needed. Meowth has a soft spot --but then it wasn't really called for in the special.


Blaustein Off!

Maddie

Click here for the post. (http://www.serebiiforums.com/showpost.php?p=3163875&postcount=786)

Needless to say, I'm interested in how this will develop.

[EscaflownePilot]

I don't know what to think of this.

The new voice actors don't seem to think ill of the previous voice cast, and the old voice cast for the most part doesn't seem to have a problem with the new.

They're just sort of going back and forth, pointing fingers, saying, "This is why the voice cast changed!".

Which leads me more to believe that Pokemon USA or 4K!DS (or, most likely, both) are either feeding false information to the VAs, or are completely keeping the VAs out of the loop here.

I kind of doubt "newbrock" would post all that if it wasn't what he truly believed, and I can't help but think that Rachel Lillis is missing something. Perhaps the contracts play no part in this, and 4K!DS is simply fudging things around to keep the VAs from reprising their roles while feeding a facade to the VAs.

Yeah, it's all rather conspiring, but then, this whole situation just smells like somebody, somewhere, is lying, and I highly doubt any VA is apart of it.

[Shift]

I want to clarify some things about the voices used in the special, just so y'all are not confused by any misleading info out there.

First, Ash, Max, and Officer Jenny, contrary to popular belief, are NOT being voiced by Bella Hudson (or Erica Schroeder, as some people refer to her as), who voices Luffy from One Piece. They are being voiced by Kayzie Rogers, who has done side characters and Pokémon like Mr. Mime, Snorunt, and most notably Wobbuffet, which she reprised in the special. Also, Prof. Oak, James, and Meowth are voiced by Jimmy Zoppi, who has done Gary Oak, Todd/Snap the photographer, and other characters like various old guys ladies the the Rocket Prof. Namba, and the director guy from "Go West, Young Meowth".

Second, Pikachu has and always will be voiced by its original Japanese voice actress, Ikue Ootani. I assume that it sounds a little because, like others have said, the actress is on maternity leave. In addition, Mew's voice is the original, as seen in the Japanese version of the Lucario movie. It's voice was just different in the first movie, that's all. Japanese voice actors change too, you know.

Third, the narrator is, indeed, the original, which makes most of this whole incident worthwhile to me. However, I don't think his name is Phillip Bartlett as many people believe (I believe it's just Mewtwo, since his name was only in the first movie credits). Rather, I think it's Ken Gates, but he's not credited by either names in this special, a point I will get to in a second.

Forth, the new voice actor for Brock has proposedly posted some messeges in the Serebii message boards in the New Dub Voices thread, though he wouldn't use his actual name. He sympathises with the fans and only asks that they give their opinions and give them a chance. He also said that the original actors were kept from reprising they roles by their contracts at 4Kids and there's no hope of getting them at this point. However, it seems that Rachael Lillis, the original voice of Misty, Jessie, Jigglypuff, etc., apparently has said that's not the case, that it wasn't a matter of contracts and that they just weren't approached for it, and that it's not too late to revert to the old actors. As you can see, the situation's about as clear as a tied game of ping pong.

Finally, I have taken the liberty of writing down the actual cast list from the credits, though I think it's safe to assume that many of these are pen names. Also, they weren't quite listed in alphabetical order; this list is exactly how they were listed. Here:

Billy Beach
Michele Knotz
Rodger Parsons
Bill Rogers Narrator
Billy Regan
Jamie Peacock
Diane Stilwell
Carter Cathcart (He didn't do voices, but he was the voice director, and he voices Vector the Crocodile in the Sonic games and show.)

So, that's all the real info we have so far. It has been said that the casting for the special was done in a hurry, so maybe some of these actors won't be absolutely final. We'll just have to wait and see.

[Peter Paltridge]

First, Ash, Max, and Officer Jenny, contrary to popular belief, are NOT being voiced by Bella Hudson (or Erica Schroeder, as some people refer to her as), who voices Luffy from One Piece. They are being voiced by Kayzie Rogers, who has done side characters and Pokémon like Mr. Mime, Snorunt, and most notably Wobbuffet, which she reprised in the special.
Kayzie as Ash? Where's your proof?

Sorry, but I don't think it's a good idea to believe anything anyone says anymore. There's never going to be a true answer to any of this barring a federal investigation.

[GuardianKid13]

great now i dont know who to believe, someone from 4kids (Rachel) or PUSA (the new voice of brock):confused:

[Shift]

Kayzie as Ash? Where's your proof?

Sorry, but I don't think it's a good idea to believe anything anyone says anymore. There's never going to be a true answer to any of this barring a federal investigation.Well, Kayzie Rogers was the voice of Tuff on the Kirby anime, who sounds exactly like the new Max, and Ash and Officer Jenny share that voice. She's also the one who's been voicing Wobbuffet and Mr. Mime all this time, and she's voiced minor characters like the Eevee kid and the kid from the Lugia episodes. I guess I don't have ultimately concluding proof, but I generally know what I'm talking about when it comes to voices.

[EscaflownePilot]

Kayzie as Ash? Where's your proof?I'm not sure what more proof people need. Just listen to Ash's voice - it sounds every bit like Cobi's voice, from One Piece, which was done by Kayzie Rogers.

Seriously, just watch the first episode of One Piece and compare Cobi's voice to Ash. It has to be Kayzie, and where SO MANY PEOPLE got the idea that it was Erica Schroeder is beyond me. They don't sound that much alike to begin with.

[Ryoutarou]

New Cast

Erica Schroeder (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=21759) as Ash Ketchum (new dub) and Max (new dub)
Ikue Ohtani (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=846) as Pikachu
Jamie Peacock (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=56130) as Brock (new dub)
Michelle Newman (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=2550) as May (new dub)
Jamie Peacock (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=56130) as Brock (new dub)
Michelle Newman (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=2550) as May (new dub)Billy Regan (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=6316) as James (new dub)
Diane Stillwell (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=56132) as Jessie (new dub)
Jimmy Zoppi (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=4302) as Meowth (new dub)
Erica Schroeder (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=21759) as Officer Jenny (new dub)
Jimmy Zoppi (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=4302) as Professor Oak (new dub)Kelly Davis (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=48903) as Misty (new dub)
Phillip Bartlett (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=3903) as Narrator (new dub)
Wendy Gaunt (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=50108) as Nurse Joy (new dub)

Killing any rumors "NewBrock" guy made. Post-Special Speculation
Source: SPPF and BMG topic http://www.bmgf.bulbagarden.net/showthread.php?t=12542&page=7


From: "rlil2001" <rlil2001@...>
Date: Sun Apr 30, 2006 5:16 pm
Subject: Interesting that we just had a discussion about rumors.

Interesting that we just had a discussion about rumors.

Apparently the new voice of Brock posted on Serebii's message
board. I can't not look at the boards, I guess. It's like a car
wreck. I might register with this message board myself just to
reply to this. This is just making me angrier. (yes, I know who
this person is) Just the first part of the message is posted here
since I don't have time to respond to the whole thing right now.

------------

"Hello everyone,

I am hesitant to post here as I fear that many of you are greatly
upset with what you heard from this weekend's special, but I feel
that someone from the new group of VAs must speak up.

Please understand that during this tough transitional time, the
new voice actors that are working on Pokemon are trying their
best to fill some very big shoes. In the past, I have had the
opportunity to speak with many of the original Pokemon actors.
They are terrific, talented people and I have a great respect for all
the work that they have done in these past eight years to bring
Pokemon to television, movies, etc. Unfortunately, due to the
contracts that these actors have signed with 4Kids, they are no
longer able to work on Pokemon. So, no matter what letter
writing campaigns you start, these actors will not be allowed to
work on Pokemon outside of the 4Kids studios."
-----------

(snipped)

This person does not speak for us and does not know our
business or the specifics of why we aren't doing the show. The
contracts do not per se prevent us from doing the show. It was
that _no one even appoached us to do it, no negotiations,
nothing, was done to allow the possbility._ The contract is not
impermeable in this fashion, and this VA has no idea what he's
talking about. That's why all of this is very shady and why I'm
very angry.

URGH. This is one headache of an example of rumors.


He wrote more, but I have to go. I just wanted to clear this up
here. This person should not be speaking for anyone, especially
what isn't true.




Theres nothing in 4kids contracts that prevent them to work on the new dub.

[Shift]

I haven't gotten to post what I actually think of the voices yet, so here go!

Ash: A real shock at first, and it took some real getting used to. It's funny; this actress has been doing incidentals and not-so-main characters for so long, it's rather interesting to see her as the main main character. Anyway, it's a little weird since she's already done a lot of small characters on the show, but it's decent in its own right. It does have some of the same qualities as the original VA, and by that I don't mean the English verson, but the Japanese version, which is basically what I comparing these new guys to since thinking of it as an ENG imitation of an ENG imitation of a JAP character ends up in kind of a mess. In all honesty, though, I do wish that a different VA could be used for a role like this.

Misty: It sounds pretty close to both the ENG and JAP versions of her, so that's cool. However, the performance did seem a little flat at points, but otherwise it was good.

Brock: I guess he needs of work, which the guys realized as seen on the Serebii boards, so I can only hope he improves. However, I really liked the way he did the lovey-dovey scene; better than the first ENG VA, I think. His good attitude on Serebii also earns him points in my book, and he sounds just unique enough to make the role work with some work.

May: I agree with the many others; her performance is just to mature for her age and character. If she could look at the JAP version and build up on that, and also try to be more emotional, I think it would work.

Max: Okay, but the fact that the first ENG VA's performance was closer to the original JAP version in pitch coupled with how the actress is also doing Ash, Jenny, and Wobbuffet, and sounds kinda the same in all the roles, is a little distressing.

Prof. Oak: It's not terrible, but it shouldn't be do old geezer-sounding, even if that's pretty much what he is. If they couldn't get and actor to match the first ENG actor, they should have gotten someone to do a version a bit lower and softer in pitch like the JAP VA, not higher and scratchier.

Jessie: She was really good and close to both the originals in a way. I did feel she had a little trouble staying consistent, though I'm not sure how to explain that exactly.

James: This is one of the only voices I really didn't like at all. I doubt anything could keep it from being mediocre at best when the new season comes. The voice is way to posh like some have said, but for me, it's really just how the voice itself clashes with the character. All I can hope is that the only reason he was cast in the role was because of the time strain, and I hope the actor choice isn't set in stone; even if the original can't do it (which is fine by me), I hope they can at least put some more thought into it.

Meowth: Hmm... At some points, it sounded a lot like the first ENG version (not the very first, but the general first), but at other points, it didn't. I would have liked them to take this opportunity and try and keep more to the spirit of the JAP version of it.

Prof. Yung/Mirage Master: Since there was no precident for his voice, it's a little hard to judge. He seemed a little off in the beginning when he was acting all nice, and as the Mirage Master, his voice was a little strange, but it worked well near the end. The one part of his performance as the Master that stood out was when he said to Prof. Oak, "You're in no position to make demands, but I, on the other hand, am." Just the way he said "am," it was kinda cool how the voice warp, while genrally making his voice sound strange, helped him say that one part perfectly. Anyway, I hope we see more from his actor in the future.

Officer Jenny: It was fine, I suppose. I guess it's hard to stay attached to one voice after it's changed twice, already.

Nurse Joy: This one was hard to read, but it's the best we're gonna get, I guess.

Narrator: YES! YYYEEESSS!!! The first, the best, the original narrator is back in business! Old Ken Gates is BACK!!! WHOO! Ah, having that guy back kinda makes this whole thing worthwhile...

I suppose that's it. I really liked how Wobbuffet will keep it's ENG voice. I also liked how Squirtle had it's very first voice, it seemed like, thoguh it could just be from the archives. Aggron sounded good, and Combusken was okay too. I liked how Absol had a lighter voice instead of a deep growl. And... I guess I'm done with that.

[CyberCubed]

So if there's nothing preventing Pokemon USA from hiring back the old cast, why didn't they let them reprise their roles in the first place? -_-

[Shift]

ANN is fan-submitted info, so it can't be relied upon. Nevertheless, I'm positive that Kayzie Rogers did Ash/Max/Jenny, like she did Wobbuffet, Tuff, and Koby, and that Jimmy Zoppi did Oak/Meowth/JAMES (not Billy Regan, who I've heard), like he did Gary, Todd, and others. I also know that Phillip Bartlett is NOT the narrator, because his name only appears in the first movie. It's Ken Gates, I tell you!

[Duke]

OK, to get some variety in this discussion, Pokémon.com now has the top 10 episodes, as voted by fans on their various tours so far this year:

1) Pokémon - I Choose You!
2) The Scuffle of Legends
3) The Lost Lapras
4) Electric Shock Showdown
5) Gotta Catch Ya Later!
6) A Six Pack Attack
7) The Pi-Kahuna
8) Abra and the Psychic Showdown
9) Rage of Innocence
10) The Wayward Wobuffet

[Shift]

People are also saying the new va's will get better with time. Considering that they had months to prepare this special, and thus rehearse and get to know the characters and not just their tonalities, I'd say that they had plenty of time already.Actually, I heard that it was a bit of a rushed job, since PUSA had just gotten the dubbing rights from 4Kids. They had to hurry to translate it (I think), find actors, let them rehearse, and have them perform, which they didn't have ample amount of time to do. I think that's partially the reason why they had a couple of the actors voicing several differnt characters and relying on Pokémon archive sound clips.

[MacGyver]

Hmmm... not so sure the Pi-Kahuna is all that great of an episode. Same for The Scuffle of Legends (really bad animation), or A Six Pack Attack. But, the others are cool enough.

Well, despite Duke's effort to add varitety to the thread, I thought that since I actually watched the special (it's a little difficult for me to do as the semester comes to an end, so I record them all and usually watch them all after finals) I'd sound off on it.

Plot: Eh. I've seen better. But I've seen worse. Given the fact that this was probably done on the fly, it's not too bad. It just kinda seemed to lack something. I also thought it was a little odd that they were showing footage from the movies, as the canon of the movies has always struck me as debatable.
After all, while Todd is looking for Articuno, Ash comments on how cool it would be if it had existed, despite the events of the second film. Yet when Ash and friends find Lugia on the Whirl Islands, they've seen it before. Perhaps it was bad dubbing (always a possibility), or just loose canon. But it just seemed odd to see movie footage when it's quite easy to debate the canon of the films.
There were also odd lines (I don't mean delivery, but the lines themselves). "See? I can do something right!" What the hell was that?
Also, since when is Mewtwo public knowledge? I'd always figured that Ash and friends kept him a secret. I guess they'd tell Prof. Oak, and he'd have data on his computer system, but it just seemed odd.

Animation: Well, I really think that that is some of the worst looking animation I've ever seen in Pokemon. However, given the fact that this was probably done on the fly, that can be easily overlooked. The battle animation was nice enough though.

The Music: The BGM was the best part of the whole thing really. It was great not to hear the same music cues over and over and over again. Hearing silence was great too. With any luck, PUSA will keep up with this, and not pull a 4Kids on us with BGM.
Which brings us to the theme. Sweet Jesus it was the worst theme song ever. EVER. I've always liked the 4Kids themes, and this just hurt my ears. For the love of God PUSA, please DON'T do this ever again.

The Voices: Well, I'll try to keep this short. They were disappointing. I mean, I didn't expect miralcles, but I was hoping for better.
Ash: Wow. That was painful. It really was one of the worst voices ever. I just couldn't get behind it. It was way too much like Max's voice, and it just didn't fit. This is one voice I can't get used to.
May: No emotion. And she sounds like she's 30. It's not a bad voice. It's just off. However, I do have hope.
Brock: So...I guess Brock's a chain smoker now eh? Not too bad in the emotion/acting department, just way too gravely. I'm sure he can improve though.
Max: Pretty close. Just that Ash is way too close. This one I can live with.
Prof. Oak: That was about as bad as Ash's. I really can't accept this one either. I hope to heck something is done about this before season 9.
Misty: Wow. One that I liked. Worst part is she isn't a regular. Oh well, take what you can get.
James: Eh, close, but no cigar. With a bit more work whoever is doing the voice will be an appropiate substitute. They just need to tone down the whole...flaming aspect that dub James has.
Jessie: Not too bad. Pretty close. Kinda flip-flopped from good to bad during the course of the special, but that can improve. I can accept her as is. But is she improves, I'll be happy with that.
Meowth: A mixed bag. At times he sounded good, but at other times, not so good. Hopefully he'll get better. I'm hopeful.
Narrator: I was pleased to no end to hear the original narrator. No complaints here.

Overall: A decent (yet odd) plot. Poor (but overlookably so) animation. So-so voice actors that I think can improve. 3.5 out of 5 Maybe after a couple more views, I'll lighten up to it.

I won't comment over the mud-slinging he said/she said about the old and new casts. Frankly, I'd just as soon see what happens.

[CyberCubed]

I fired up an e-mail to Veronica Taylor, and this is what she replied:


Wow, how do you have this info? I haven't heard any of it! Pokemon USA is not using the "old" voice actors because they never asked us to do the show. There has never been any discussion or chance to negotiate. The last I heard was they told 4kids that they were undecided as to who would dub season 9. As always, I would love to be working on the show as it means so much to me. I don't know if any discussion about season 10 is necessary at this point as the WB said they won't air Pokemon without the original voices and have taken it off the Fall line up.
Veronica

Wow, I wonder if this is true. Did KidsWB really cancel the show because of the voices? Somehow I don't think that's entirely the case, but it's still interesting, especially since Season 9, the first season with the new voices, is the first one KidsWb does not pick up.

Oh well, I wish Veronica the best of luck regardless.

EDIT: On SPP Maddie (voice of Meowth) added to this:


It's true. Kids WB wasn't interested in airing Pokemon with new actors and writers. At least that's what my sources have told me, and they're good sources.

Jeez, so the only reason KidsWb didn't renew Pokemon for the Fall was because of the new voices? Damn, what in the world is Pokemon USA doing? By not rehiring the old cast, KidsWB cancelled the show...

[Duke]

Jeez, so the only reason KidsWb didn't renew Pokemon for the Fall was because of the new voices? Damn, what in the world is Pokemon USA doing? By not rehiring the old cast, KidsWB cancelled the show...
While that does seem rather petty, this is Kids WB, so I can understand somewhat (remember all the inane edits they forced on 4Kids).

[CyberCubed]

If no channel picks up Pokemon for the Fall, could this extra time give Pokemon USA an incentive to hire back the old cast?

I mean, no point in dubbing a show if they don't have a place to air it. KidsWB would probably even take it back as a mid-season replacement if it had the old voices, it's still the highest rated show on the network.

And thus, it all makes sense why KidsWB dropped Pokemon in the first place.

[Conan-san]

Of course, in the land of crap and lies that is the UK, Pokemon with new voice cast will be welcomed with open arms...
Just like crystal Big Green God ball Dragonball Z movies.


OK, to get some variety in this discussion, Pok&#233;mon.com now has the top 10 episodes, as voted by fans on their various tours so far this year:

1) Pok&#233;mon - I Choose You!
2) The Scuffle of Legends
3) The Lost Lapras
4) Electric Shock Showdown
5) Gotta Catch Ya Later!
6) A Six Pack Attack
7) The Pi-Kahuna
8) Abra and the Psychic Showdown
9) Rage of Innocence
10) The Wayward Wobuffet
What the? Where's "Go West Young Meowth!"!?
No justice, I tell you, none.

Also, you don't think that possibly the looser editing standards had a role to play in the WB telling PKMNUS to take a hike? I meen, between everything, we had pokemon "dying" (Ok, they were digital, but point is valad) explosiions up the bum and goodness knows what else.
It's also a theroy as to why Viewtiful Joe got pun'kd too.

[Peter Paltridge]

What the? Where's "Go West Young Meowth!"!?
It's also missing Dues and Dont's, Who Gets to Keep Togepi, The Ancient Puzzle of Pokemopolis and the Poseidon ripoff. The first episode was fine but certainly not the BEST.

Kids WB nixed season 9 because the VAs weren't coming back.....well, THAT'S sure interesting. Loyalty above profits? Is this really what I'm seeing here?

[Nexus810]

New Cast

Erica Schroeder (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=21759) as Ash Ketchum (new dub) and Max (new dub)
Ikue Ohtani (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=846) as Pikachu
Jamie Peacock (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=56130) as Brock (new dub)
Michelle Newman (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=2550) as May (new dub)
Jamie Peacock (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=56130) as Brock (new dub)
Michelle Newman (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=2550) as May (new dub)Billy Regan (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=6316) as James (new dub)
Diane Stillwell (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=56132) as Jessie (new dub)
Jimmy Zoppi (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=4302) as Meowth (new dub)
Erica Schroeder (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=21759) as Officer Jenny (new dub)
Jimmy Zoppi (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=4302) as Professor Oak (new dub)Kelly Davis (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=48903) as Misty (new dub)
Phillip Bartlett (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=3903) as Narrator (new dub)
Wendy Gaunt (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=50108) as Nurse Joy (new dub)

Killing any rumors "NewBrock" guy made. Post-Special Speculation
Source: SPPF and BMG topic http://www.bmgf.bulbagarden.net/showthread.php?t=12542&page=7






Theres nothing in 4kids contracts that prevent them to work on the new dub.

These voice actors are wrong... at least I know for some.

Michele Knotz played Jesse & Misty. Probably more too.

[G1Ravage]

Shoot, I missed the special.

[Freedom Fighter]

Wow, there hasn't been this much talk about Pok&#233;mon in ages! And figures it takes a volatile issue to put the fire back in the fandom, if for a week at least.

Before I begin my review, I honestly wished I taped this, because with so much focus on the new VAs, I didn't get into the rest of the movie/special until it was practically over.

So let's start there... with the new VAs...

1) To be honest (and this is weird, considering what we went through when 'Sailor Moon' and 'Dragonball Z' pulled wholesale VA changes), the VAs that tried to emulate/sound like their characters actually were decent/acceptable. Not outstanding, but I could live with them. Team Rocket, Misty, Professor Oak, and Max all sounded like or close enough to the originals that, with some tweaking, I won't mind at all. But one out of four replacement VAs for the main characters (not counting TR) is not acceptable. Brock's VA was a little too deep for my tastes, but not so much to the point where he ruined the character. May's VA was weird... she made her sound too old, as if she was trying to make her sound sexier (admittedly, that should be a turn-on, but it's not)... if May wasn't jailbait-y before, she is now.

But by far, the worst, the WORST, just, JUST had to be Ash! ASH! The star of the show! Ash's new VA made him sound younger! I could surely joke about how all of that brain damage could cause Ash to regress... but come on! There's no way Ash should be sounding that screechy!

On an added note... there were times when the characters didn't sound emotionally attached to the script. Misty and May are the most disconnected, especially in their battle scenes towards the end. They didn't seem too into the battle like they should be.

2) The music. I know how poppy the Pok&#233;mon themes can be (at least the ones that made it to the American movie dubs), but I never found one from the ones I've heard that I was annoyed with.

That changed here.

I was so gosh darn embarrassed at hearing that OP that I rolled my eyes in disgust... to here that was the original music and not a PUSA creation was even more shocking.

Luckily, from then on it got better. From what I could tell, I noticed more and more that the music was fitting with the scenes better. By the end, I was totally into the BGM in the final battle scene. Not that 4Kids' battle themes were bad, some were pretty good... but it was refreshing to hear something that actually sounded natural. PUSA gets points for that, especially if that was the original Japanese music.

3) Plot/Storyline. Ah, onto the meat of my review...

To be fair, the storyline wasn't anything original, though it did get out of Pok&#233;mon's natural routine of using movies/specials to focus on legendary Pok&#233;mon only. Nice to see it break and not break the theme, what with Mewtwo back. (Though not the same Mewtwo we know.) I was being led into believing the MasterMind was Mewtwo, so the special got me on that one... Professor Young pulling a disappearing act? Definitely a surprise.

Still, the whole 'trying to create the perfect Pok&#233;mon' schtick also harks back to the Mewtwo days. I understand this is a 10th Anniversary special, but couldn't we keep from treading on past plots so much?

Speaking of 'back to the old days,' Ash and Misty... MISTY... take center stage! Half-expected Brock to be left out, but May and Max too? I understand glorifying Misty since most people have forgotten about her/found May a suitable replacement, but at least bring back the old raging Misty to do it. The firehead, take no guff from anyone Misty! Even her post-Togepi median between the egg sitter and the firebreather seems dull by comparison.

And May saving Misty later on didn't serve either girl justice.

Team Rocket seemed even more useless than the uselessness they are in the movies/specials. Bad puns/jokes and all, at least the screen time is worth it in laughs in past events... but not here, as they just seem to be there. Just 'being there' is never a good thing.

Heh... laughed at when I saw those Mirage System pikes land in the ground outside the castle, I was instantly thinking it was a homage to the Dimensional Area Generators of the 'MegaMan: NT Warrior' series.

I've been fooled again... I thought that was the real Mew, not a Mew created by the Mirage system. Still, once again we see Mew strong enough to hold off Mewtwo for someone to deliver the final blow.

Bolt Tackle? Pikachu (in the dub) doesn't know that attack! Heck, I even forgot such an attack existed until he used it!

The movie ends with Young walking back into a burning castle, and Jenny (with the castle still on fire) saying there's no telling what happened to him. Hmmm... not the uber-happy ending the show usually goes out on, but a happy enough ending, I guess.

The final verdict?
New voice discrepancies aside (for decent or for worse), even though they affected my enjoyment of the one-hour special, I think it's admirable that despite a lackluster story in itself, it was still interesting enough thanks to some good music, decent battles, and a few surprising moments. It's no secret the voices need work, but the rest of PUSA's first dub package came out pretty flawless. I will still dearly miss the old VAs (even though we'll still be hearing them for about ten more episodes or so, plus the eighth movie hopefully), but if the new VAs improve (especially the lead characters), I can learn to live with them.

6.5 out of 10 for "The MasterMind of Mirage Pok&#233;mon."

*P.S. As for the whole debate about who's responsible for the old VAs being replaced, between PUSA and 4Kids, and now apparently Kids' WB, who might have cancelled the show just because of the VA changes... I doubt we'll find any clear-cut answers any time soon, unless someone's got a master investigator on hand somewhere.*

[Conan-san]

Kids WB nixed season 9 because the VAs weren't coming back.....well, THAT'S sure interesting. Loyalty above profits? Is this really what I'm seeing here? I think it's a bit of both, I meen the WB know that changing the voices that are well known for nine seasions is a bit of a ratings disaster waiting to happen.

Heven knows, there's going to be a lot of "voice deserters" if Seribii.net is anything to go by so the WB may jsut want to get rid of the bad limb beofre it goes gangerious.

[GuardianKid13]

well, atleast we know KidsWB is on our side about the voices:sad:

[CyberCubed]

Guys, major news from Maddie!


[QUOTE=maddiejoan]whoa!!!!! THIS IS BIG!!!!! AND IT's HAPPENING NOW!!!

My own sources are telling me that right now TODAY!!!!...., Negotiations between CN and PUSA are underway.

That means there is no time to lose!

Please, if the old cast means anything to you write to these e-mail addresses PRONTO!
I am convinced if the two guys below are flooded with e-mail from fans who want the old cast back that the impossible can happen and the old cast will be restored!!

Contact Mark.Norman@turner.com and Bob.Higgins@turner.com immediately.

No really stop reading the forums and do it now!

Apparently CN may be picking up Pokemon, but write to those two e-mail addresses about the voices! Hurry!

EDIT: Veronica Taylor confirms this too:


At this moment Cartoon Network is talking with Pokemon USA and Nintendo about negotiating a deal for next season. Whether they know that the show they potentially acquire is a very badly done 'fake' is unknown. We need as many people as possible to flood them with emails letting them know that the 'special' we all saw on Saturday was beyond unacceptable. The actors, other than being lackluster and unable to fit the flap, lacked any emotion or character. The script was amateurish and flat. There was no direction. The Pokemon themselves all sounded incredibly different from the original show and video games. It was more violent than any other Pokemon episode has ever been. It was in no way up to the standards which have been set over the past eight years by 4kids, Nintendo and the WB. Are we all expected to simply sit by as Pokemon USA lies to everyone, saying the show will be "exactly the same", even though they have replaced every single element? We have now seen, through the fiasco which was the 10th anniversary special, that this is far from the truth. Please send emails immediately to the two executives at Turner Network (below) and warn them before they make a mistake they will certainly regret for a very long time. Bring Pokemon back to 4kids before it's too late.
Thank you in advance!
Sincerely,
Veronica Taylor

I'm firing off e-mails as we speak.

[sdp]

yeah....she want us to write them to not aquire pokemon....

[Conan-san]

Given the dub quality I can hardly blame her.

I meen, if E. Stwert did Brock, I'd be on the floor during that part between him and Misty.
I was still on my seat with the new guy.

[Ryoutarou]

So there might be a chance of seeing this on KidsWB again if they can get the old cast back? Great.

[Conan-san]

I wouldn't mind the WB taking a hike, on the prefance that anything they get tends to get punk'd.

AFIK, hte only decently handeled property was Viewtriful Joe.

[Duke]

CN negotiating to acquire Pokémon. Talk about the non-surprise of the year. :shrug:

[KuwabaraTheMan]

So there might be a chance of seeing this on KidsWB again if they can get the old cast back? Great.

And if you believe that I've got a bridge in Brooklyn you might be interested in.

I highly, highly doubt KidsWB's decision had anything to do with voices. More likely Pokemon USA decided to shop the show elsewhere, as they are now doing with CN.

[CyberCubed]

Why would PUSA want Pokemon off of KidsWB in the first place? It was it's home for 8 years. CN is a cable channel, so they're already taken a slight risk.

I think it's reasonable to assume that KidsWb cancelled the show because they didn't want to air it with new voices. It does make sense, because otherwise why would they drop their highest rated show?

[Duke]

Why would PUSA want Pokemon off of KidsWB in the first place?
Probably for a similar reason they took the license back from 4Kids.

It was it's home for 8 years. CN is a cable channel, so they're already taken a slight risk.
Well, except for premieres, most of the Pokémon reruns got better ratings on CN than on Kids WB.

[Rabi~en~Rose]

the sudden defense of 4Kids is strange to me :confused:

I dont like the new voices either and may even stop watching the series

but isn't it in 4Kids best interest to play the victim in light of the 4Sight and Microsoft annoucements?

and wouldn't it be in PUSA's worst interest to lie to their fanbase right out the gate?

with a cute eye for detail this girl says 4Kids is stretching the truth!

[EscaflownePilot]

It's actually a very smart move on PUSA's part to move Pokemon to cable, as cable continues to dominate in the ratings with children's programming while broadcast networks' ratings like Kids' WB! continues to fall more and more each year.

As for the letter-writing thing... I'm a tad undecided. While I have really grown to love the old voice cast, and am very iffy about the new, it's a bit of a balance. With PUSA, we have a chance of keeping the original music (or at least getting decent sounding US music), and while PUSA's script was a bit sloppy, they have the potential to improve, and become much better than 4K!ds' work (which is known for awkward writing as well).

The thing is, it's so very hard to compare right now, because PUSA's special was very clearly (in hindsight, anyway) a big rush job, and I can't help but feel that PUSA's writing and voice acting will improve dramatically on the series.

Ideally, I guess I want PUSA to work on the show while using the original voice cast. I just can't help but feel that PUSA will eventually do a much better job than 4K!ds at everything (voice cast aside) since 4K!ds was pretty terrible at it at times, anyway.

[ChibiGoku]

... You know what, Veronica. As much as I'd love to hear your voice back on the show, I'd rather the new dub to be off with PUSA. If she says violence and "Everything" there was a bad thing, she is out of her freaking mind.

I'm sorry, but I'm not going to help bring this show back to 4Kids and have them continue with their "standards".

*walks off*

[Duke]

and while PUSA's script was a bit sloppy, they have the potential to improve, and become much better than 4K!ds' work (which is known for awkward writing as well). Eh, it depends on who does the translating. If they continue to use Paul Taylor and don't revise it much, then I can see it working. The problem with 4Kids is that they took Taylor's translations and messed with it.

the sudden defense of 4Kids is strange to me images/smilies/confused.gif

I dont like the new voices either and may even stop watching the series

but isn't it in 4Kids best interest to play the victim in light of the 4Sight and Microsoft annoucements?

and wouldn't it be in PUSA's worst interest to lie to their fanbase right out the gate?

with a cute eye for detail this girl says 4Kids is stretching the truth! I don't think we HAVE gotten 4Kids statement on all this. Everything so far has been from PUSA's ADR Director and the voice actors. And notice how Eric Stuart hasn't come out and said that the new Brock approached him. For all we know, the new Brock is the only VA who did talk with the original VAs.

Which seems to me that 4Kids isn't keeping its VAs in the loop. Not all that surprising, though.


It was more violent than any other Pokemon episode has ever been.
Episode, yes. Well, in most cases (Getting burned alive and get electrocuted all the time is pretty violent when you think about it). But the movies, specifically Movies 1 and 3, are pretty violent themselves. Plus, it features Mewtwo. Mewtwo Returns non-withstanding, it's pretty damn hard to have that thing around and NOT have a violent battle. Hell, that wasn't even as violent as half the stuff in Yu-Gi-Oh! or ANYTHING on Toonami.

[Rabi~en~Rose]

I don't think we HAVE gotten 4Kids statement on all this. Everything so far has been from PUSA's ADR Director and the voice actors. And notice how Eric Stuart hasn't come out and said that the new Brock approached him. For all we know, the new Brock is the only VA who did talk with the original VAs.

Which seems to me that 4Kids isn't keeping its VAs in the loop. Not all that surprising, though.

what if the VA's are in the loop to an extent? isn't it possible that we have heard 4Kids statement through their mouthpieces the VA's :confused: they seemed legitamately dissapointed over losing their roles so it could be that they're following a 4Kids policy to play the blame game. I'm sure no actor enjoys being replaced so while they may not know the full details its not like they have to play nice

[Duke]

what if the VA's are in the loop to an extent? isn't it possible that we have heard 4Kids statement through their mouthpieces the VA's :confused: I guess it's possible, but it seems unlikely to me.


they seemed legitamately dissapointed over losing their roles so it could be that they're following a 4Kids policy to play the blame game. I'm sure no actor enjoys being replaced so while they may not know the full details its not like they have to play nice I'm not saying that they have to accept being replaced, I'm just saying that either 4Kids or PUSA is withholding some crucial detail from everyone, and given how fan-friendly PUSA has been up until this whole fiasco and how un-fan-friendly 4Kids always is, I'm going to place the blame in their corner until I find out more info.

Anyone else find it funny that these VAs are indifferent, annoyed, or in some way dislike their other 4Kids dubs (specifically YGO, Tokyo MewMew, and One Piece), but raised a hissy-fit about Pokemon? :p

[CyberCubed]

Probably because Pokemon was 4kids' best dub and they've been doing it for 8 years. :p

The problem I have aside from the voice acting, is the characters were out of character and had bad dialouge in the special. Granted this special was made for U.S. audiences and hasn't even aired in Japan, but there was some god awful dialouge.

Misty had lines like "Puh-leeze" and "Whatever!" Ugh, those are lines you expect her sisters to say, not Misty herself.

May of course had that degrading line where she said, "See? Looks like I am good for something." while saving Misty. Not only is that pathetic because it's like PUSA thinking that all U.S. fans prefer Misty over May (which isn't the case judging by the major Pokemon forums), but also because May would never put herself down like that.

Ash also sounded pretty damn stupid. Ash is supposed to be an experienced trainer in the Battle Frontier saga, now he sounds like a clueless 10 year old that he was in the beginning of the series.

Meh, the script sucked as much as the voices.

[ChibiGoku]

It's getting alot worse, Duke. Over at Seribii's forums, two VA's apparently got into a "small" arguement. The New Brock VA and the Old Meowth VA. Didn't last long, but it does show the tension rising.

By the way, just to insert my opinion: 4Kids honestly got what they deserved. And with the nasty attitude the original va's are making, they also got what they deserved. Sonic X had the same thing happen, except the new va's did not complain too much about the issue. Even Ryan was open arms on the Dub. (Though royally pissed about the game va change. That I can understand. But there's more to that then this.) What's going on here? The Va's complain about the Music, the script, the acting, everything.

To be honest, even at this rate, I doubt Nintendo/Game Freak would be too interested in giving the pokemon license to 4Kids again. Especially with the Microsoft and 4Kids agreement made.

[Duke]

Misty had lines like "Puh-leeze" and "Whatever!" Ugh, those are lines you expect her sisters to say, not Misty herself.
Actually, I think Misty has said "Puh-leeze" a couple times back in either Kanto or the Orange Islands.


Meh, the script sucked as much as the voices.
From the final result, it seems as though the Japanese were rushing through this as much as PUSA was. I mean, if the writing staff were planning this out as long as the other specials, they probably would've been able to make everything flow a bit better. It's also likely why the animation was so bad, except for the attacks and CGI, which were mostly stock. I don't even think there was any new music composed for the special either.

As it stands now, it just seems as though the special doesn't affect much. It's just...there. And I highly doubt it would've been a masterpiece even if Veronica Taylor, Rachel Lillis, Eric Stuart, etc. were there.

[CyberCubed]

Actually, I think Misty has said "Puh-leeze" a couple times back in either Kanto or the Orange Islands.

Yeah, but it doesn't fit with how Misty is now. Actually, now that I think about it Misty did act more like her feisty self back in the 1st season than she does now.

It's especially noticeable after those 3 Misty episodes after Hoenn, she was more calm and less jumpy in those episodes. Then in the special she's all hyperactive again, hmm.



As it stands now, it just seems as though the special doesn't affect much. It's just...there. And I highly doubt it would've been a masterpiece even if Veronica Taylor, Rachel Lillis, Eric Stuart, etc. were there.

It would have been more watchable with the old cast though. The special was really no better nor no worse than some of the average episodes. It's just the voices that made it far less enjoyable than it should have been.

I don't even think DBZ Season 3 was THIS bad. Ugh.

[Duke]

I don't even think DBZ Season 3 was THIS bad. Ugh. No way, Season 3 was much, much worse. This special didn't have anything remotely similar to Freeza's amigiously gay lines, the narrator talking in ebonics, really horrible music, or some really horrible lines. There was nothing in this special that was worse than "This'll be easier than coloring inside the lines!," "Whatever turns you on, big guy," "It's because I eat healthy everday," (or whatever that line was) or "KRILLIN'S IN DA HOUSE!" Nor were there any annoying jokes like King Kai's incessant jokes during serious moments, or anything like the trainwreck that was the episode where Piccolo was revived.

IMO, this special, even with the crappy voices, isn't even as bad as the MSB dub.

[SSJ Jake]

Not to mention, it continued to be as bad as season 3 in season 4 when they claimed that Dr. Gero was the leader of the Red Ribbon Army and in season 5 when they made Majin Boo a retard.

Anyway, I agree with ChibiGoku. Now that Pokemon is finally out of 4Kids's clutches, I want the franchise to stay far away from those bastards. They did a decent job in the first season, but as the show went on, the dubbing got worse. Here is a huge example of how godawful it got is this. (http://youtube.com/watch?v=dG8cTjsEXbk&search=Pokemon%20dub) Oh, and let us not forget this:

http://www.bulbagarden.net/~dogasu/comparisons/houen/ag092/onigiri01.jpghttp://www.bulbagarden.net/~dogasu/comparisons/houen/ag092/sandwich01.jpg

I suppose it's better than just calling a rice ball a sandwich, but it still doesn't look right. Not only does it look like the character is holding it by his/her fingertips, but it even begins to roll down hill. How in the world can a sandwich roll? It wouldn't roll if you dropped it, it'd fall apart. But I'm guessing 4Kids thinks kids would be too stupid to notice.

[Golden Darkness]

Who said anything about having the entire production back with 4Kids? The people just only want the VAs.

[Shift]

On another note, I now have the proof that it's Kayzie Rogers voicing Ash and Max, from one of Maddie Blaustine's messages: "Wobbuffet is voiced by Kazie Rogers (who happens to be a former student of mine!)" Wobbuffet has the same actress as Max and Ash, I know it! I just needed to find proof of the name!

[Duke]

Who said anything about having the entire production back with 4Kids? The people just only want the VAs.
The VAs are the ones that want it back with 4Kids. And at least according to Veronica, they'd rather have 4Kids' editing standards as well (says somebody who worked on Arcade Game Fubuki...)

[CyberCubed]

On another note, I now have the proof that it's Kayzie Rogers voicing Ash and Max, from one of Maddie Blaustine's messages: "Wobbuffet is voiced by Kazie Rogers (who happens to be a former student of mine!)" Wobbuffet has the same actress as Max and Ash, I know it! I just needed to find proof of the name!

Anyone know where to contact Kayzie Rogers? Because her Ash is really, really awful.

You'd think Ash's voice would get deeper as the show went on, not higher and more generic.

[Shift]

Anyone know where to contact Kayzie Rogers? Because her Ash is really, really awful.Well, I'm not really sure if I fully agree on that. Granted, the fact that she has voiced so many filler characters in the past is very distracting. But taken by itself? Hmm... It's actually not that bad, but I agree, he does need a different sort of voice.

[ChibiGoku]

As much as you guys may love to have 4Kids work on Pokemon again, I doubt this'll happen. If anyone here remembers at all, 4Kids had an agreement with Nintendo up until 2006, in which in turn, they did not renew the license. Then, they decide to go and team up with Microsoft, in which in turn is really initially rivals with Nintendo at this point. (Though, almost everything in some way uses Microsoft's product, so go figure.) Also, notice the lack of the Nintendo series licenses on 4Kids homepage. Kirby, F-Zero, Pokemon, even Nintendo, gone.

I'm guessing 4Kids and Nintendo's relationship went down the drain over the years, though I can't really blaim them for several reasons. (Hoshi no Kirby being pulled without good reason. F-Zero given a miserable dub, rumours about Nintendo not liking the changes made to the dub are around.) So I really doubt 4Kids will ever pick up the pokemon again.

[dth1971]

The 1 hour Mastermind of Mirage Pokemon episode aired on Kids WB featured the worst lineup of Pokemon replacement voices I have ever heard with none of them living up to Veronica Taylor and Eric Stuart and Maddie Blaustein and Rachel Lewis and Mike Pollack and Amy Birmbaum have done when 4 Kids had the rights and even Kids WB, soon to be part of CW, pulled the plug on the Pokemon airings as of 2006-2007. Maybe it would be great if Montreal, Canada based Cookie Jar (formerly Cinar) could get the licence with Pokemon and use this replacement Canadian based voice cast that's used for the Canadian Cookie Jar produced cartoons like Arthur and Caillou:

Sonja Ball would voice Ash.
Rick Jones would voice Brock and the opening/closing episode narrator.
Holly Frankel would voice May and Misty.
Cameron Ansell would voice Max.
Jessica Kardos would voice Officer Jenny and Nurse Joy
Ellen David would voice Jesse and Ash's mother.
Arthur Holden would voice James.
Daniel Brochu would voice Meowth.
A.J. Henderson would voice Professor Oak.

That's my guess. Do you think Cookie Jar of Canada could acquire the Pokemon rights and use this voice cast even when it is cheaper to use a Canadian voice cast for cartoons in America? Of course the Japanese born voice of Pikachu - Iuke Oitani (sp?) - will still be with the show but will do the "Pikachu" voice effects in Japan and not Canada. Comments welcome...

[Duke]

That's my guess. Do you think Cookie Jar of Canada could acquire the Pokemon rights and use this voice cast even when it is cheaper to use a Canadian voice cast for cartoons in America? Of course the Japanese born voice of Pikachu - Iuke Oitani (sp?) - will still be with the show but will do the "Pikachu" voice effects in Japan and not Canada. Comments welcome...
I don't think Pokémon USA will ever give up the licensing rights again unless Nintendo orders them to. And I seriously doubt they'll move out of NYC, as it's easier for them to keep an eye on the dub when it's being dubbed 15 minutes away.

[Animeforever'04]

hey duke i heard the pokemon special is animated in the usa is that true?

[ChibiGoku]

hey duke i heard the pokemon special is animated in the usa is that true?

I can answer this. No. It wasn't. Even the Credits state that OLM did the animation.

[Duke]

hey duke i heard the pokemon special is animated in the usa is that true?
As was said, the animation itself was done by OLM, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was PUSA who ordered this in the first place. They probably just went to the Japanese producers and said "Hey, can you make us a 1-hour special for the 10th Anniversary? We'll pay money..." and they said "Yes" of course.

According to the credits, all the usual people (sans the opening song) worked on the special in Japan. I still wonder if Japan's ever gonna air it.