Dogasu's Backpack Discussion

[AvatarAce2015]

Good job on the first Entei Enero, Dogasu. Very interesting to see how the movie could have turned out, and I'm looking forward to your revamped comparison with that knowledge in mind. Also, very interested to see what you have to say about the Pikachu and Pichu short; given what happened with the narrator.

 

[Ryu Taylor]

A drug scandal is a drug scandal, no matter the country. I remember when Jamie Waylett (Vincent Crabbe from the Harry Potter films) got arrested for marijuana possession and had to miss out on the final two films (resulting in the last film making it so that Goyle burned down the Room of Requirement instead of Crabbe like it was in the book). Gets me wondering if the UK is as harsh on that kind of thing as Japan. Speaking of which, Ms. Sakai also evaded arrest, which also never looks good on anyone.

I don't have an answer to your question about how other countries handled Pikachu and Pichu after this, but in America's case, I don't think there's any problem. I think the rights limbo it's currently in (along with Pikachu's Vacation and Pikachu's Rescue Adventure) is what's keeping it elusive right now. And like you said, America just handles these kinds of things differently. After all, all of Roman Polansky's films are still readily available for viewing despite what a depraved beast he became. It's basically a weird case of what I can only phrase as "hate the sinner, love the things the sinner made".

 

[SammyW27]

Well, I'm pretty sure that the short airs as part of Movie 3 when they play on Cartoon Network and Boomerang. I think I've even seen it happen since then a few times.

Also...YEESH! >_<

 

[Nicolas721]

The 3 movies are pretty much dead in Latin America, with no home media releases and no TV airings since 2008.

It's a shame that the short got banned, but maybe they wil re-record the lines with a different actress one of these days.

 

[AvatarAce2015]

Nice work on this week's Entei Enero, Dogasu! Quite interesting to see how much differently Japan treats drug offenses than the US does; as well as how the ensuing fallout has had lasting effects for both the Pikachu and Pichu short and for Noriko Sakai as well. I can't go so far to say that it's no longer canon because of the opening narration of Best Wishes (though I also can't say I have as many issues with that arc as you or others do); but I can definitely say I'll probably watching the short again on YouTube or my VHS copy of the third movie in anticipation of your revamped comparison. As for the dub "improving": I still remember when that Voltorb was mistakenly dubbed as its evolved form of Electrode. Even when I was 9; I knew they done goofed. Be seeing you.

 

[Ryu Taylor]

As for the dub "improving": I still remember when that Voltorb was mistakenly dubbed as its evolved form of Electrode. Even when I was 9; I knew they done goofed. Be seeing you.

Yeah, I also remember that gaffe. Personally, while I think the Pikachu and Pichu dub improved on the narration of the first short, it didn't improve on the second short's narration, or lack thereof in that one's case. I'd still love to see narration totally disappear from the Pikachu shorts, as that would actually show respect to the intelligence of those watching it. Although if they insist on letting them go narrated, at least don't let it intrude on every turn. And that's where I feel Pikachu and Pichu found a good balance with its narration.

Also, apparently the dub of this short kept all the original music (and by the way, the short's soundtrack was great), which will no doubt earn it gigantic kudos in the upcoming comparison.

 

[ii kanji]

So if Sakai Noriko is back in showbiz do we take it that she didn't end up retraining as a nurse then? (Tried to google, saw the words Ju-on the Grudge and closed the tab...)

The blog you linked to was absolutely fascinating and I was compelled to read it from start to finish (would recommend it to anyone else as well - the guy's a great story teller if nothing else!) I wonder whether institutions like those are still run similarly in Japan today.

 

[Garren]

Now that you mention it I've never seen a stoner joke in any Japanese anime, manga, or game.

 

[Dogasu]

It was too vague to ruin anything. The movie didn't actually establish that she had been in a hospital, so viewers were left to wonder about what her return meant. I think I interpreted it as the result of the Unown "fixing" reality to make up for the problems they had created. A more realistic explanation would be that Molly's mom had abandoned her, which is why Molly didn't even know about her until she decided to come back. The dub just made it so that the mom had shared the exact same circumstances as Spencer himself (as stated in the commentary), but that doesn't make more sense than the hospital excuse.

The Unown fixing reality thing is probably what the dub script writers were going for too but the problem is that we never get a scene of Mrs. Hale appearing from some void the way there was with her husband. Did she reappear somewhere other than the ruins where she supposedly disappeared from in the first place? Or did she show up somewhere else? Do the Unown keep different people in different dimensions, for some reason? Why did the Unown space things out the way they did? Their "explanation" doesn't actually explain anything.

Speaking of the DVD commentary, whoo boy is that thing a veritable treasure trove of wrong information, misinterpretations, and a hilarious inability to understand even the basics of filmmaking.

It's rather ironic that Shudo himself returned to his daughter after an unpleasant hospital experience. Maybe Sonoda referenced that without telling Shudo about it? Either way, Shudo didn't like it.

Yeah, I think Mr. Sonoda probably added that in as a tribute but in doing so he created a plot hole that rubbed Mr. Shudo the wrong way. Whoops.

(And also, Bulbapedia, your trivia about Mr. Shudo being upset at the whole wife thing being the entire reason he left the movies is a gross misinterpretation of what he actually says in his blog)

So if Sakai Noriko is back in showbiz do we take it that she didn't end up retraining as a nurse then?

Apparently the online school she was going to shut down in 2013 so she had to quit.

The blog you linked to was absolutely fascinating and I was compelled to read it from start to finish (would recommend it to anyone else as well - the guy's a great story teller if nothing else!) I wonder whether institutions like those are still run similarly in Japan today.

Yeah, I had to actually stop reading because it was getting close to midnight and I still had work to get the update up on time. But yes, definitely give it a read everybody!

 

[Ryu Taylor]

Speaking of the DVD commentary, whoo boy is that thing a veritable treasure trove of wrong information, misinterpretations, and a hilarious inability to understand even the basics of filmmaking.

Japanese filmmaking, that is. They seem to understand how to make a film the Western way (which, I must admit to liking the Western way better).

I don't remember them misinterpreting anything, but I do remember that part about Molly's mother was something they got totally wrong. As much as I value most anything English dub, I can't let that slide.

 

[Galactic_V]

Nice write on the Entei film like always, Dogasu ^^
I'd like to make a suggestion for Celebi's one. Celebi Segundas, maybe? Since you went with Spanish why not Portuguese too? (Segunda means Monday btw)

If someone already gave this possible name, I just second that

(can't wait for more info regarding GS Ball on this particular movie)

 

[Razorsaw]

Why does everything I read about Shudo sound like he's not someone who's really aware of the collaborative creative process?

 

[Trainer Gabriel]

Can we expect a comparison for "Entei at Your Own Risk" at some point, Dogasu?

 

[AvatarAce2015]

I'll have to think about the new movie's premise more. Granted, I was expecting the people involved to scale down after the Hoopa movie underperformed at the box office (I expect the DVD release and TV airings should help salvage things somewhat, high school idol shows be damned); but I wasn't expecting Ash to be attached to Volcanion for the plot (again, I'll have to wait and see how it turns out). That said, the potential Azoth kingdom might be cool; with that bit at the end of the teaser showing Pikachu amid all the lights and clockwork (I'm a bit of a fan of retro-futuristic styling). With the 20th anniversary celebration looking to have a broad spectrum of offerings; I can say this year will be one of the biggest ever for the series.

 

[Ryu Taylor]

Disregarding how much I believe the original version of the anime and anything about it (except the first movie and the undubbed banned episodes) is not fine the way it is, and I can't believe I am about to say this, but the "Pikachu and Pichu" comparison was actually really good and fair.

As for the short itself, though I'd prefer it not have been narrated at all, I'm happy to see the narration in this one wasn't intrusive. Plus, Pokemon antics in the city are a surprisingly rare sight.

Inevitably, I'll have to offer a defense for the dub. Specifically about Ash's line, "See that clock tower over there? We'll be back at six o'clock exactly." I don't think his original line, in which he tells everyone to meet up "when the long hand on that clock points straight up", is all that helpful considering that it's 10:00AM just before the title appears, and the party is at 6:00PM; ergo, the long hand will point straight up eight times in that timeframe. He should've added that the short hand would also be pointing straight down at the time he wanted everyone to meet up. Of course, the dub could've afforded to have Ash explain what 6:00PM looks like on an analog clock tower.

Actually, both versions should've been more clear.

 

[AvatarAce2015]

Nice work on your revamped "Pikachu and Pichu" comparison Dogasu! While I'm not sure how to feel about that first paragraph's assessment of the plot; I found the short, much like its kin; to be enjoyably silly. With the information you provided; I can definitely see why this skit is an outlier among the usual things that 4Kids did (which are still reasons I see why they're bankrupt; with what's left of them now a subsidiary of Saban Capital Group). So, feel free to take all the time you need with revamping your comparison of the third movie (as usual, I'm working on my own piece; but I don't expect to have it out till the 15th anniversary of the film coming stateside in April). Think I'll watch it again to help celebrate the 20th anniversary of the series; already in progress.

 

[Dogasu]

Nice write on the Entei film like always, Dogasu ^^

Thanks!

I'd like to make a suggestion for Celebi's one. Celebi Segundas, maybe? Since you went with Spanish why not Portuguese too? (Segunda means Monday btw)

I was leaning more toward "Celebi Sundays" myself but "Celebi Segundas" can certainly work as well!

Why does everything I read about Shudo sound like he's not someone who's really aware of the collaborative creative process?

Eh...I can see where you're coming from but I don't think that's quite it. I think Mr. Shudo just had a certain vision for the franchise and that once it became this huge international hit and all these new people got involved he suddenly had a lot more people to answer to. His combativeness seems to be him trying to prevent the franchise from turning into the Mad Libs that it would eventually become and I admire the fact that he tried to stick up for his ideas as much as he did. A lesser writer would have just done everything he was told no questions asked.

I mean if you read about the T-Rex pitch he talks about how he was anticipating for the blowback he was going to receive for it and prepared appropriate rebuttals. He knew how his superiors thought.

Can we expect a comparison for "Entei at Your Own Risk" at some point, Dogasu?

I'd love to but I don't really see how I'm going to be able to squeeze that in at the moment.

Nice work on your revamped "Pikachu and Pichu" comparison Dogasu! While I'm not sure how to feel about that first paragraph's assessment of the plot; I found the short, much like its kin; to be enjoyably silly.

Oh it's certainly silly and fun and all that. But when I think back to Pichu and Pikachu I don't remember it fondly because it had a good plot. It's everything else about the short that makes it stand out.

 

[Razorsaw]

Eh...I can see where you're coming from but I don't think that's quite it. I think Mr. Shudo just had a certain vision for the franchise and that once it became this huge international hit and all these new people got involved he suddenly had a lot more people to answer to. His combativeness seems to be him trying to prevent the franchise from turning into the Mad Libs that it would eventually become and I admire the fact that he tried to stick up for his ideas as much as he did. A lesser writer would have just done everything he was told no questions asked.

I mean if you read about the T-Rex pitch he talks about how he was anticipating for the blowback he was going to receive for it and prepared appropriate rebuttals. He knew how his superiors thought.

I'm sorry, but I don't agree with that. When you become part of a multimedia franchise - that you didn't even create, in fact - you need to have a sense of awareness of where you are. Not to mention, I find his "vision" for the franchise, and his eventual plan of Pokemon rising up against humans and Satoshi/Ash's journey ending with him becoming disillusioned - to be overly pessimistic and a disservice to the character.

 

[ii kanji]

When you become part of a multimedia franchise - that you didn't even create, in fact - you need to have a sense of awareness of where you are.

I fundamentally disagree with this. There is plenty I dislike about Shudo's ideas/viewpoint but the guy was a creative genius. The anime is arguably Shudo's creation (even if the franchise's concept is not) and you can't expect him to have pandered to the expectations of the lowest common denominator of his own accord. Not that I know diddly squat about business, but anecdotally I think it's not uncommon that creative leads don't always have the global overview required to mint money from whichever product/service which is why you have other managers etc...

 

[Dogasu]

To add to what ii kanji said, you also have to remember that Mr. Shudo was with the animated series from day one. Back then Pocket Monsters was just a cartoon based on a black and white Game Boy game that was probably only going to last two years and that would be it. The idea that the show would ever leave Japan, much less become the huge international sensation that it would become, was probably the furthest thing from the minds of everyone working on the show.

And when it did become a huge hit after all, Mr. Shudo adjusted accordingly. He got feedback from his higher ups all the time - don't have Mew speak human language, make the second movie more lighthearted and adventurous than the first one, don't do that weird T-Rex movie - and he went along with all of it. I think he understood the collaborative creative process just fine.