Pokémon switch to HD + new ending song in April !!!

[Piplup]

http://www.serebiiforums.com/showthread.php?t=386823
http://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/anime/pokemon_dp/

I'm not 100% sure this is true and the computer I use now isn't even showing me Japanese... so let's wait for someone to confirm this but it seems to be true
I think this might be really great! Though sometimes it's hard for me to get used to changes but I think I'll like this change
And a new ED!

 

[dman_dustin]

Unless I'm wrong about this, it's about time the ending changed to reflect the changes in the team. Like Grotle, Mamoswine. Staraptor, eh, it just evolved so it doesn't seem to be in the same place as Grotle and Mamoswine.

Or does New Ending Theme not equal New Animation?

 

[Dogasu]

The Pokemon animated series powers up starting in April!

01) A new ending theme is being sung by Nakagawa Shoko. The details will be announced during the March 26th broadcast, so be sure not to miss it!

02) A cast member from Pokemon Sunday will have a role! You'll enjoy finding out who it is!

03) The show will be broadcast in HD!

Here's some more information about the ending theme from Nakagawa Shoko's blog:

From April, I'll be doing the ending theme to Pocket Monsters, 「もえよギザみみピチュー」 ("Burn With Ambition, Notch-Eared Pichu")! *squeal* The full-sized version of this song is too fun and be listened to dozens of times (^ω^)

"Burn with Ambition" isn't that great a translation, but it's the best I can do with a word like moeyo.

 

[Piplup]

Well I guess it WILL be a real new ED but there's always the possibility of new version of the current song... but I'm sure it'll be a brand new ED
EDIT: Dogasu now confirmed it IS a new song since Shokotan didn't sing the current ED

 

[Musashi]

Anime tend to get new OP/ED in October and April, so I had a strong feeling that's when we'd get the new ED since the team is getting more out of date every week.

This HD thing is a complete shock though. Considering how cheaply the show is made, I figured it'd be a few years before this happened. I'm realy looking forward to this. I know Cartoon Network has an HD feed, so there shouldn't be a problem with the dub doing this as well.

http://blog.excite.co.jp/shokotan/

Seems like this is the same woman who's doing Notched-ear Pichu's voice.

Maybe someday the Rocket-Dan will get a new song.

Edit: And it seems the new ED is about Notched-ear Pichu. Can't say I'm surprsied.

 

[Silktree]

It's really about Notched-ear Pichu? Goodness, even I am a little surprised by the heavy focus it is getting. The anime has only ever showcased movie-related Pokémon in openings after the premiere, rather than before, and it's never been done for endings at all.

Added with the knowledge of the game promotion's tie to Notched-ear Pichu, it is all but guaranteed to be featured in a game by the end of the year.

 

[Quagbert]

I knew the anime would switch to widescreen/HD eventually, but I didn't think it'd do so until at least some time in 2010, or right before Generation V. And if by going HD next month they're talking about the [bp=DP121]first two[/bp] [bp=DP122]episodes[/bp] that month, then it looks like Kunihiko Natsume (if not Shimura, who directs DP122's animation) will have the honor of being the first animation director to produce an episode in widescreen.

It'll be interesting to see how much the animation improves detail-wise since the animators now have a bigger space to work with. Probably not that much, but still...

 

[Sketch]

Does it not say WHEN it's going into HD? Is it in April with this new ending?

Now, what does this mean for the art directors? Because seeing crappy animation in HD won't be nice. D:

 

[ii kanji]

HD?! Ooooh! I didn't think it would happen so quickly. I hope we get at least a bit of improvement in animation, but I guess we'll see.

As for the ED, it better be a good song, though I'll be glad to get away from the current one. Something about an ED based on NE Pichu gives me a sense of foreboding.

 

[Hyatt]

Sigh, I knew it was going to happen sooner or later...

it seems like the world is telling me something.
I've always hated hd and thought hdtv should only be for videogames.

 

[Grave-E]

Titles like this I'm usually a little apprehensive about, since I can very easily picture this just focusing solely on Pichu, Pikachu and Pochama. I hope it's something akin to Polka o' Dolka, where everyone else gets to join in on the action and there's some funny animation to go along with the lyrics. I'm not really up for another cutesy thing like the current ending, to tell the truth :/

 

[Yoshi1001]

This HD thing is a complete shock though. Considering how cheaply the show is made, I figured it'd be a few years before this happened. I'm realy looking forward to this. I know Cartoon Network has an HD feed, so there shouldn't be a problem with the dub doing this as well.

I actually think that HD may have been in part due to pressure from CN-having another core show in HD would help the network get more HD carriage on cable systems.

 

[dman_dustin]

Titles like this I'm usually a little apprehensive about, since I can very easily picture this just focusing solely on Pichu, Pikachu and Pochama. I hope it's something akin to Polka o' Dolka, where everyone else gets to join in on the action and there's some funny animation to go along with the lyrics. I'm not really up for another cutesy thing like the current ending, to tell the truth :/

I'd like an ending that has some battling in it, like each Pokemon (of the main characters) battle against another Pokemon with one of their moves being used. Like Staraptor, I think it would be awesome if there was a scene where it used close combat on another Pokemon before going to the next Pokemon. But is there enough time to pull that off?

As long as the ending is editable and when the team changes I hope the ending will update. And also every main characters current Pokemon is an absolute must, no specific endings like the Piplup one please.

I can see Pichu running up to various Pokemon (like Pikachu, Staraptor, Mamoswine, Croagunk, just to name a few) and interacting with them. I think that would be neat. It might be a pain to edit but if that one scene with all of Ash's Pokemon using a move is editable, then it shouldn't be that bad. Of course if the ending is high quality then I doubt it could changed to reflect the team changes.

 

[swampertuska]

So if it the will air in HD where can we download these series in HD format?

Edit from Dogasu: Don't ask for downloadable episodes.

 

[GoldChaos]

How many shows on Cartoon Network is actually in widescreen/HD?

And can we be sure that Pokemon USA will retain the widescreen format for broadcast?

 

[Dogasu]

Why are people bringing up Cartoon Network? A cable network based on the other side of the world has absolutely zero effect on what an animation company out of Japan decides to do.

I'm actually surprised that the switch to HD is happening so soon, though. While plenty of other shows have already jumped the boat, I always assumed that Pocket Monsters would have been one of the last ones due to it being one of the lowest budget shows on Japanese TV at the moment.

What's also interesting is that, in Japan, the analog-to-digital conversion isn't happening until July 2011. Which means the producers could have gone on another year or two without having to change.

 

[Ben Cousins]

Well, about time IMO

 

[Sketch]

How many shows on Cartoon Network is actually in widescreen/HD?

And can we be sure that Pokemon USA will retain the widescreen format for broadcast?

They don't have a choice in this case...there isn't going to be a non-HD format for them to air.

 

[GoldChaos]

They don't have a choice in this case...there isn't going to be a non-HD format for them to air.

I don't know, I heard Dinosaur King was originally in HD, and that got cropped to 4:3 SD.

Same thing with the Super Sentai footage used for the last couple of seasons for Power Rangers. Either cropped or stretched to fit 4:3.

 

[Hyatt]

Doubt it would happen but knowing that Pokemon has done parodies on other anime before, I wouldn't mind seeing Satoshi, Takeshi, Hikari and Shinji doing a pokemon version of the Hare Hare Yukai. Shinji would make a great Yuki and Hikari a great Mikuru.

I wonder what the odds of that are. But seriously, the trainers should do a dance for an ending for once.