S23: Pokemon Journeys: The Series Episode Dub Title Thread (and Reflections)

[Dogasu]

I actually want Pokemon to leave Netflix entirely and go somewhere else.

I've said this before, but the Netflix model of dropping a dozen episodes all at once is kind of killing the dub in the U.S. Like, you'll see social media / message board posts about the English version of the show for like a two or three days after they're all dropped, and then...absolutely nothing for three whole months. Two or three days for the next batch, and then three more months of nothing. Two or three days for the next batch, and then three more months of nothing. And so on and so on.

Not having a steady stream of episodes coming out week after week is absolutely killing any buzz the English version could possibly still muster at this point.

If the show stays on Netflix for Season 24 then I think they really do need to rethink their release strategy.

 

[Johtoo]

I've said this before, but the Netflix model of dropping a dozen episodes all at once is kind of killing the dub in the U.S. Like, you'll see social media / message board posts about the English version of the show for like a two or three days after they're all dropped, and then...absolutely nothing for three whole months. Two or three days for the next batch, and then three more months of nothing. Two or three days for the next batch, and then three more months of nothing. And so on and so on.

Not having a steady stream of episodes coming out week after week is absolutely killing any buzz the English version could possibly still muster at this point.

If the show stays on Netflix for Season 24 then I think they really do need to rethink their release strategy.

To be honest: I think the only way to keep the dub active in the west is to release an episode within the same week of it's Japanese release.

 

[RileyXY1]

To be honest: I think the only way to keep the dub active in the west is to release an episode within the same week of it's Japanese release.

I don't think that a simuldub is really possible for a series like Pokemon.

 

[Johtoo]

I don't think that a simuldub is really possible for a series like Pokemon.

Why not? Simultaneous dubs are being done by funimation, so I don't see why TCPI can't do the same?

 

[Dogasu]

I don't think it's feasible, either. Doing a simuldub for a seasonal anime or a show with a limited number of episodes is a completely different beast from doing one for a show that airs around 50 episodes a year.

 

[L-05308]

As an Englishmen, where Pokémon Jorneys is dropped onto Pop - an obscure channel that’d never be advertised on mainstream channels, I’m gonna say I’d much prefer to just watch it on Netflix.

The episodes still release in batches of 12 3 months apart (mostly) and it’s just a hassle to make sure they’re all recording, sure we end up getting some episodes ahead of America but not by much.

Another problem you Americans don’t have to worry about is the TV license (basically just a tax, we don’t have to pass a test) which I’d really like to stop paying for and just stick to Netflix and Disney+ - I really don’t want Pokémon to be the one thing keeping me paying for my license... because it’s not really worth it...

 

[RileyXY1]

Why not? Simultaneous dubs are being done by funimation, so I don't see why TCPI can't do the same?

Simuldubs are more for seasonal animes that are more story-focused.

 

[Hidden Mew]

I actually want Pokemon to leave Netflix entirely and go somewhere else.

I'm not sure where it could go, at least as far as the U.S. goes. Cartoon Network and Disney XD obviously aren't going to pick up the series again. Nicktoons would be far in a way worse than Netflix. Given the TV landscape and how streaming is becoming more mainstream, I don't know what TV channel would want to pick up a long running series like Pokemon at this point. I'm also not sure if I could see Netflix letting the series go when it does seem to be successful for them.

I've said this before, but the Netflix model of dropping a dozen episodes all at once is kind of killing the dub in the U.S. Like, you'll see social media / message board posts about the English version of the show for like a two or three days after they're all dropped, and then...absolutely nothing for three whole months. Two or three days for the next batch, and then three more months of nothing. Two or three days for the next batch, and then three more months of nothing. And so on and so on.

Not having a steady stream of episodes coming out week after week is absolutely killing any buzz the English version could possibly still muster at this point.

If the show stays on Netflix for Season 24 then I think they really do need to rethink their release strategy.

While I agree that this does affect how much attention the dub gets, I also don't think that this is new exactly. There hasn't been much buzz for the English dub for a long time. Most of the major events, like the Kalos League and Ash winning the Alola League, get a lot of attention when those episodes aired in Japan. Once the English dub got to those points, there wasn't much, if any, reactions since most people would have already heard about it. With the Internet and subs coming out at a fast rate since at least XY, it does make it harder for the dub to attract as much attention as it used to when it comes to major events. Even Suicune was apparently trending on Twitter after last week's episode aired.

I still wouldn't mind if they changed the release schedule since only getting a few days of attention every few months might not help the dub that much, but I'm not sure if going back to a traditional weekly release would give the dub more attention either.

To be honest: I think the only way to keep the dub active in the west is to release an episode within the same week of it's Japanese release.

Yeah, that really wouldn't be plausible. Doing a simulcast dub for long running series just would probably be too much for the dub crew to handle. A more viable option would be to have legal subs, but I don't think that's going to happen anytime soon either.

 

[Pkmndub]

Oh yeah since this discussion is happening S1-21 of Pokemon got taken off of Disney XD VOD last week.

 

[Hidden Mew]

Oh yeah since this discussion is happening S1-21 of Pokemon got taken off of Disney XD VOD last week.

I'm surprised that it didn't happen sooner to be honest. They still air SM reruns on Disney XD and occasionally air some of the movies from time to time, but they obviously haven't been interested in the series for nearly a year and having previous seasons on their VOD despite not keeping the newest series was a bit odd.

 

[Kurolegacy]

Oh yeah since this discussion is happening S1-21 of Pokemon got taken off of Disney XD VOD last week.

That makes me wonder what happens with all those seasons now especially since Netflix only has the first 52 episodes of Indigo, SM Ultra Adventures, SM Ultra Legends and Journeys.

 

[BigDocFan]

Another S21 situation where we end not on the perfect spot but on a filler ep

On the brightside, we start Season 24 with a Chloe focused episode

 

[Pkmndub]

JN37-38 airs on Feb 13 and 39-40 airs on Feb 14 in France

For the VA lovers, nothing of note bc the French dub dubs over English Pokemon, but if your watching for Goldfarb tracks, keep an ear out.

 

[SKYRYAN]

They should move the series to Paramount+ once it comes out.

 

[RileyXY1]

They should move the series to Paramount+ once it comes out.

I don't think that's gonna happen unless Nickelodeon gets the distribution rights.

 

[Islander Princess]

Oh yeah since this discussion is happening S1-21 of Pokemon got taken off of Disney XD VOD last week.

That's a bummer, although I'm also surprised it took them this long to take everything down. It was nice to be able to go on there and know I could watch any episode whenever I wanted. If Netflix is going to remain the main distributor of Pokemon, I wish they would upload more of the older seasons and movies to watch.

^ I have to agree, as much as I often complain about the constant re-runs of Journeys on Terrestrial television, the day that Nextflix gains complete control over Pokémon is the day I shall no longer watch it.

I felt the same way initially, but honestly, I don't mind it so much now. I was pretty anti-streaming for a while, but the pandemic managed to get me more into it because I was always looking for something to watch when I didn't have any sports or new episodes of shows I usually watch on cable to look forward to. It's actually getting to the point where I need to start thinking about whether or not I'll actually get cable for myself or just stick to streaming entirely in the future, even though the oversaturation of streaming services does irritate me.

To bring this back to Pokémon, I just don't see them returning to cable TV any time soon. Kids especially have gotten so used to streaming services. One of my former bosses was telling us that her kid was so used to watching shows on streaming that one of the first times he saw a commercial on cable TV he actually freaked out. So for all of the younger kids who are just now getting into Pokémon and are likely watching it on Netflix, this is as natural to them as it was to those of us who grew up watching the show on cable TV on Saturday mornings. The cable networks just aren't doing as well as they used to and as a result are all turning to streaming.

 

[Dogasu]

Netflix would be fine if they just released one episode a week instead of dumping an entire four months' worth of episodes all at once.

(and also, y'know, Japanese audio option)

 

[Hidden Mew]

They should move the series to Paramount+ once it comes out.

That would be an odd move. I don't really see it happening, especially when they'd probably be more interested in getting more original material to get their new streaming service off the ground. At the moment, I think Hulu is the only other streaming service that I could see picking up the anime if Netflix didn't want to keep it around. I don't think that they'll remove the series anytime soon, but I'm not sure if any of the new streaming services would be interested in it either.

That's a bummer, although I'm also surprised it took them this long to take everything down. It was nice to be able to go on there and know I could watch any episode whenever I wanted. If Netflix is going to remain the main distributor of Pokemon, I wish they would upload more of the older seasons and movies to watch.

It would certainly be nice to have more older seasons and movies on Netflix. The older series are pretty easily accessible through DVDs, especially now that they've re-released some of them, but putting more episodes on Netflix would make them even easier for both new and old fans to watch them. Ideally, they'll be able to do both, but I'm pretty confident that we'll eventually get more movies. I'm still expecting a Secrets of the Jungle Netflix release date on Pokemon Day.

I felt the same way initially, but honestly, I don't mind it so much now. I was pretty anti-streaming for a while, but the pandemic managed to get me more into it because I was always looking for something to watch when I didn't have any sports or new episodes of shows I usually watch on cable to look forward to. It's actually getting to the point where I need to start thinking about whether or not I'll actually get cable for myself or just stick to streaming entirely in the future, even though the oversaturation of streaming services does irritate me.

I usually watch two episodes a week. I tried to watch one episode a week at first, but I got too excited when the series first started. Two episodes each Saturday felt like a way to kind of compromise, while also still making Saturday mornings feel special. I may go through the rest of the current batch faster just so that I can talk more about it before the next batch of episodes drop.

To bring this back to Pokémon, I just don't see them returning to cable TV any time soon. Kids especially have gotten so used to streaming services. One of my former bosses was telling us that her kid was so used to watching shows on streaming that one of the first times he saw a commercial on cable TV he actually freaked out. So for all of the younger kids who are just now getting into Pokémon and are likely watching it on Netflix, this is as natural to them as it was to those of us who grew up watching the show on cable TV on Saturday mornings. The cable networks just aren't doing as well as they used to and as a result are all turning to streaming.

The notion that commercials being that foreign to kids is both interesting and hilarious. Granted, I get annoyed whenever I can't fast forward through commercials On Demand, but it really does emphasize just how kids aren't used to commercial breaks or having to wait long for new episodes if they're that used to streaming. It has become so mainstream and plenty of kids have grown up with watching TV like this too. I can't see Pokemon going back to cable TV either. There really aren't a lot of options for them at this point as far as traditional TV channels go and there will be probably even less going forward. As much as I liked how Disney XD treated SM, I could easily see the channel shutting down within the near future, especially when Disney would want to put more of their resources to make some more sweet Disney+ money. I don't think cable will go away completely, but there might be fewer channels that could potentially air Pokemon down the road. Plus, streaming might be a better method to release the series just because of how many households have streaming services instead of basic cable at this point.

Netflix would be fine if they just released one episode a week instead of dumping an entire four months' worth of episodes all at once.

(and also, y'know, Japanese audio option)

I'm not sure if Netflix releases episodes of any series weekly on their platform. Even most other streaming sites do the same kind of release method. It might not be ideal for something like Pokemon, but it is more expected from streaming sites. A part of me does kind of wonder if Journeys is more enjoyable through binge watching it as opposed to watching it weekly, mainly because I'm not as upset or disappointed with it as I think most other fans watching it weekly are by comparison. Having official subs to go with the dub would be pretty neat though.

 

[Johtoo]

I think HBO Max is an option that is worth looking at. Warner Bros have a history with the Pokemon Company and the streaming service has become a huge hit after they diverted their movies onto the service. It's also a platform that is screaming for children's content, and they have gone out of their way to secure Ghibli films, so anime programs are definately up for grabs for them. I think having every season of Pokemon + all the movies would be beneficial for both parties. I know that Netflix is huge, but I personally see Disney Plus and HBO Max being the two biggest streaming platforms within the next 10 years.

Personally, I don't care where it goes, just as long as the quality improves. Speaking about that: I wonder if its possible for a streaming service to demand TCPI keep the original japanese music intact? Kids WB used to force 4kids to remove all japanese language from the show, so I guess it is plausible.

 

[GrookeyFan77]

Imma guess their titles:
JN037: Back to Alola! Fanservice!
JN038: Boring Filler and also Goh catches a Fossil
JN039: Solitary and Meancing 2.0!
JN040: The World's Weakest Zapdos Ever?
JN041: Worst Episode! Boring Marshtomp Filler!
JN042: Sword and Shield Part 1: Puppies
JN043: Sword and Sheild Part 2: Buildup
JN044: Sword and Sheild Part 3: Climax
JN045: Sword and Sheild Part 4: Evolution Deux-Ex Machina!
JN046: Mew 2!
JN047: Goh Abuses Skwovet and he Praises Himself for Skwovet's work!
JN048: Lucario and Cinderace's Bizzare Adventure Also Pikachu is here too oh wait it is Fake!