Pokemon Radio Show! The Rocket-Dan's Secret Empire Vol. 02

Dogasu's Backpack | Features | Pokémon Radio Show! The Rocket-Dan's Secret Empire

Vol. 02 of Pokémon Radio Show! The Rocket-Dan's Secret Empire was broadcast on July 8th, 2012 on 76.1 interFM in Tokyo, Japan. It came out in between the airings of Pocket Monsters Best Wishes! Episodes 087 ("Survival on the Island of Iwark!") and 088 ("Dent the Sommelier Detective! The Mystery of the Missing Kumashun!!").

Release / General Information

On-Air Date	July 8th, 2012
Runtime	28 minutes, 52 seconds
Special Guest	Unshou Ishizuka (石塚運昇)

Opening Sketch "The Sweet Child Jessie"

The opening sketch is a parody of the classic story Little Red Riding Hood.

A narrator (Kojirou), speaking with a very unique and exaggerated accent, opens the show by telling us that there was a young girl named Jessie (ジェシー). He tells us that Jessie was a sweet child who's full of life. Her dream is to become rich...or, at least, to marry a doctor. One day, Jessie went to a town to visit her sick grandmother and bring her some sweet bean paste bread (manjuu).

"Jessie was a very sweet child" the narrator tells us.

Jessie arrives at her grandmother's house and bursts into her bedroom to the sight of her grandmother (Nyarth) laid up in bed. "Are you OK?" asks Jessie.

"Jessie was a sweet child."

"It seems like I've caught a bit of a cold Nya" replies her grandma. "She" then turns to the side and laughs; today's the day she'll finally eat Jessie!

The narrator reveals that the person in the bed isn't Jessie's grandmother; it is, in fact, a giant ferocious child-eating beast who's been terrorizing the area! Jessie walks over to her grandmother's bed, completely unaware. "Hey grandma, your blankets aren't too heavy, are they? Do you have a fever? Give me your hand for a minute."

"Jessie was a sweet child."

Nyarth reluctantly shows her his paw. "Wow! Your fingernails have really gotten long!" Jessie says. "We've gotta cut them!" Nyarth tries to protest but Jessie cuts his nails anyway.

"Jessie was a very, very sweet child."

Once the grooming is done Jessie announces that she's brought something for her grandmother; sweet bean paste bread! Nyarth says he doesn't like the taste of sweet bean paste but Jessie says it's supposed to be good for you and that she should eat it anyway.

"Jessie was a very sweet child."

"Now lean forward and show me your face" Jessie says. "No, I'm OK. I don't want to ea--" Nyarth starts before being interrupted. "Y'know, I went to the trouble to buy these for you so quit your griping and open up!" Jessie then shoves the bread into Nyarth's mouth.

"Jessie is a very, very sweet child."

Nyarth's had enough; he can't take it anymore! With this, the Rocket trio begin to recite their Kanto-era motto.

Opening Music / Pre-Show Chat

It's time for the Pokémon Radio Show! The Rocket-Dan's Secret Empire! Each member of the Rocket trio introduces themselves and then reminds everyone how this show works: if you follow the show's Twitter account, (the now deleted) @Pokemon_Radio, you'll instantly become a member of the Rocket-Dan. That's all there is to it! Kojirou adds that any questions or feedback you have will have to fit within Twitter's 140 character limit (this was 2012, after all!) and then reminds everyone that their goal is to recruit 7 billion people -- that's the population of the entire planet! -- into the Rocket-Dan. Musashi adds that if you're a little kid who wants to join the Rocket-Dan then to make sure you talk to your parents first before going online.

With that out of the way, it's time to head into the first part of the show, the "Welcome, Pokémon Day Care Worker!" segment. Each week they invite guests who work hard to raise Pokémon every single day into the studio to talk about all the hard work they do.

But before that, a commercial!

Commercial -- Pokémon Mate

The Battle Subway brothers Nobori (voiced by Kensuke Satou) and Kudari (voiced by Kiyotaka Furushima) talk about "Pokémon mate," a line of merchandise featuring chibi-fied versions of the characters from the video games Pocket Monsters Black & White.

There are file folders, clear stickers, and more! And starting from April, new tin badges, personal accessories, and other merchandise will be released, one after the other!

You can find Pokémon Mate merchandise in Animate stores across Japan, but that's not all! The Shinjuku, Ikebukuro, Akihabara, Shibuya, and Yokohama stores all have special display corners set up for Pokémon mate! Follow the traffic rules and head safely to your nearest Animate! Alllllllllllllll aboard!

"Welcome, Pokémon Day Care Worker!"

This week's guest is Mr. Unshou Ishizuka! "Hey there boys and girls!" the guest abruptly shouts in Dr. Ookido's voice.

The voice actor segment started with an introductory rap.

Kojirou: "Your name is Unshou Ishizuka and your job is a voice actor, no doubt?"
Mr. Ishizuka: "What should I do now? Should I answer?"
Kojirou: "Answer it yo!"
Mr. Ishizuka: "My name is...Unshou Ishizuka. And I'm a voice actor. No doubt! Yeah!"
(all laugh)
Musashi: "He just copied what...anyway...What month were you born, and where are you from? And while you're at it tell us your nicknames."
Mr. Ishizuka: "Huh? Um, I was born in May, you punk!"
Kojirou: "You punk...? And your nickname...and where you're from..."
Mr. Ishizuka: "I come from Fukui. Yup."
Kojirou: "And your nickname...?"
Mr. Ishizuka: "And while I'm at it, my nick...my nickname..."
Kojirou: "Spit it out!"
Mr. Ishizuka: "My nickname? Um, I guess I don't have one."
Musashi: "None?"
Mr. Ishizuka: "That's right. None. Let's go with that."
Nyarth: "None"
Musashi: "None!"
Nyarth: "What was your debut work Nya? Also, which work are you most known for Nya?"
Mr. Ishizuka: "Most well known...and debut work?!?"
Nyarth: "Let's start with your debut work."
Mr. Ishizuka: "What was it...Ah! Giant Gorg! That's what's up!"
Nyarth: "What Nya?"
Musashi: "He said 'Giant Gorg'."
Mr. Ishizuka: "I was the narrator. I did the narration yo!"
Musashi: "That's how you started? You were doing narration work from the very beginning?"
Nyarth: "Amazing."
Musashi: "They really pushed you into the deep end, huh?"
Nyarth: "And, And, And! What's the one you're well known for?"
Mr. Ishizuka: "Most well known for? Why, Pokémon of course!"
Nyarth: "Oh! I wouldn't expect anything less!"
Musashi: "Thank you for your kind words."
Mr. Ishizuka: "Don't mention it! (but seriously, it's Bebop). What? Oh, nothing! Nothing!"
Musashi: "Oh, well I love that one too."
Mr. Ishizuka: "What am I saying!? Pokémon's what I'm most well known for!"

The interview starts with Nyarth stating that Mr. Ishizuka's brought a lot of Pokémon with him and so they would like him to show them off, one by one, as they ask him various questions. Musashi heard that he brought some really big ones with him today, and Nyarth adds that he heard they were supposed to be really strong. Musashi says that she, personally, likes the purple goopy one. "Iwark?," Mr. Ishizuka asks. No, not Iwark, the purple one....Betobeter? Betobeton? Mr. Ishizuka says it's Betobeton he's brought with him and unleashes the Pokémon into the recording booth. "Beto~"

Betobeton seems to head toward Musashi for a hug. The three Rocket members laugh as Musashi comments on how heavy it is. Mr. Ishizuka puts the Pokémon away.

Musashi then says that, for them, one of his Pokémon that really stands out to them is that floating purple one from when they were just starting out. No, not Matadogas, the other one. Mr. Ishizuka lets out Matadogas anyway, though it seems to only be speaking with one voice today? Kojirou asks him how he does it, and Mr. Ishizuka says it's a bit of a pain for him because he basically has to record each line two times. Musashi pretends to not understand what he means by "record each line two times" and so Mr. Ishizuka, realizing that he's breaking the fourth wall a bit too much, hurriedly revises his statement and says that he meant to say that as he's getting older it's a pain for him to hear those voices so many times. Musashi's impressed by how deftly he was able to come up with an alternate phrasing.

Kojirou pushes onward, asking Mr. Ishizuka if it's difficult to "raise" a Pokémon like Matadogas, and the guest replies that it is. So what other Pokémon do you raise? Mr. Ishizuka is a little shocked to be put on the spot like that. After the three of them pester him a bit about this Mr. Ishizuka jokingly wonders why the three of them even bothered to call him to come in if they don't know anything about him or the Pokémon he raises. Don't come in and start asking questions without doing your homework first, he says with a laugh. The three hosts join in. They're on the show because of Pokémon, of course! replies Musashi.

Kojirou heard that Mr. Ishizuka had been allowed to do a certain Pokémon in the past and the guest recalls that yes, he did the Onisuzume in the very first episode. Kojirou and Musashi emphasize that he raised them, right...!? Mr. Ishizuka realizes what he said and replies that yes, he raised Onisuzume. Nyarth asks him to bring one of them out so he complies with an "CAW!" The trio laughs. It's the legend itself, Onisuzume LOL. Musashi adds that the three of them weren't in that first episode and so, unfortunately, they weren't around to see those great Onisuzume of his.

Mr. Ishizuka then recalls that when he was asked to do the Pokémon TV show he wondered if there were any sort of rules regarding how he should "take care" of the Pokémon he was put in charge of. How should he show them off? Would just letting them go CAW CAW be enough? Musashi assures him that he ended up doing a good job his first time around. Mr. Ishizuka is grateful that, as time went on, the show developed more concrete rules and guidance for "raising" Pokémon.

Kojirou asks his guest what else he's brought with him today. "You mean other than Onisuzume?" he asks. "Of course" responds Kojirou. Mr. Ishizuka asks the hosts which Pokémon of his they'd like to see, and while Musashi starts to say "Kamex" Nyarth butts in and says that he, personally, would like to see Houdin. Mr. Ishizuka laughs; you're asking me to bring out another difficult one, you jerks~. Nyarth decides that, OK, how about Yungeller? You mean the Yungeller? Mr. Ishizuka says too bad, he didn't bring it with him today. OK then, Musashi says, let's go back to Houdin.

Nyarth can see that this back and forth isn't going anywhere and so he asks for a simple one; how about Iwark? Mr. Ishizuka warns that it's huge and might fill up the recording booth they're in so Nyarth and the others say they'll be careful. It might even hit up against the ceiling, Mr. Ishizuka adds. He lets out the Pokémon and...IWAAAAAARK! The Pokémon lets out a (surprisingly high-pitched) roar, prompting Kojirou and the others to insist that he put it away in its Monster Ball right away. Musashi acts as though she's been crushed by the Pokémon before adding that that's probably enough Pokémon for today.

Nyarth says that's fine and says that he, personally, would like Mr. Ishizuka to tell them about the Koiking Salesman. Kojirou asks Mr. Ishizuka what his relationship is with this salesman...is he a friend? Relative? As Mr. Ishizuka stumbles around a bit the other two join in. Is he an acquaintance? Kojirou adds that the salesman's caused the three of them trouble in the past so they really want to know more about him. Do you get along? Mr. Ishizuka reckons the two of them have a lot of similarities, probably. He then says that he and the Koiking salesman are acquaintances and that they talk on the phone with each other from time to time. He explains that the two of them discuss things like the different festivals coming up, where the best place would be to set up shop are, which places have the highest land permit prices, etc.

Kojirou then tells the listeners that Mr. Ishizuka is the oldest person out of all the Pokémon Day Care workers working today. Mr. Ishizuka is surprised to hear this; "I'm the oldest?" He then realizes that yeah, he guesses that's true since a certain so-and-so is no longer around. Musashi clarifies that Mr. Ishizuka is the oldest of the regular Day Care workers. Kojirou asks if he ever noticed this before, and he says he hasn't, really. He works with the same people all the time so he doesn't really notice things like who's the "oldest" or "youngest." So what does he notice, Kojirou asks. "Well, if someone with more experience comes in then I try to be careful," If someone who outranks him enters the room then he straightens up and tries to behave, making him feel like he's on a another island or something.

Next, Kojirou asks until what age he wants to keep raising Pokémon. And does he even want to continue? Mr. Ishizuka replies that he wants to keep doing this until he dies. So you're a lifer then, Kojirou asks. "I'm a lifer" Mr. Ishizuka replies. "I'll keep raising Pokémon until my voice gives out."

Musashi had heard that Mr. Ishizuka knows Dr. Ookido. "Yes!?" we hear Dr. Ookido say out of nowhere. Oh, you brought him with you too!? laughs Musashi. She then recalls a rumor she had heard that Dr. Ookido once referred to Mew2 as "Mew-ni" (with "ni" being the Japanese word for "two") instead of "Mew-two" (using the English word "two") in front of a bunch of kids...is that true? As Mr. Ishizuka starts to laugh, Musashi looks back on the Dr. Ookido voice she just heard and says that now, that she thinks about it, it sounds a lot like the Onisuzume voice they heard earlier. Nyarth points out that the two voices are very similar, and Mr. Ishizuka agrees. Going back to the "Mew-ni" story, Mr. Ishizuka says that's just a rumor. "But we heard that from the man himself" points out Kojirou. "And he purposefully said that to make the kids laugh" Musashi adds. "Ah," Mr. Ishizuka finally remembers, "I was probably drinking that day." The three Rocket-Dan members laugh. "Oh, he was drinking? Well imagine that" Musashi laughs. "It was, um, a Pokémon drink" Mr. Ishizuka adds in a hurry.

It's about time to wrap up the segment, so one last question from Kojirou: What are some good memories you have of raising Pokémon? Mr. Ishizuka says it has to be being beloved by so many people even this late in his life. This old man's a superstar! he proudly proclaims. Isn't that great? He then talks about his popularity compared to that of Dr. Ookido, saying that "If I give someone a present...oh wait, let me rephrase that...if Dr. Ookido gives someone a present then they just light up." Nyarth jokes that getting a present from Dr. Ookido is probably more exciting than getting one from Mr. Unshou Ishizuka so Kojirou puts it to a vote; who here would be happier if they received a present from Dr. Ookido than one from Mr. Ishizuka? All four of the people in the studio raise their hands.

Musashi tells her guest that she hopes he continues to raise lots and lots of wonderful Pokémon throughout his life. She then remembers that, oh yeah, they haven't really talked much about the new movie that's coming out soon, have they? She heard that Mr. Ishizuka's good friends Dr. Ookido and the Narrator appear in the movie, right? Mr. Ishizuka adds that Onisuzume is one of his good friend too, though of course it doesn't appear this time around.

Pocket Monsters The Movie Best Wishes! "Kyruem vs. The Sacred Swordsman Keldeo"& "Meloetta's Dazzling Recital"

Can you tell us more about the movie, asks Musashi? Y'know, in a promotion type of way, adds Nyarth. And so Mr. Ishizuka, in a very excitable Dr. Ookido voice, says the following:

"Pocket Monsters The Movie Best Wishes! "Kyurem vs. The Sacred Swordsman Keldeo" and, screening together, "Meloetta's Dazzling Recital" finally comes out July 14th~!"

After that performance, Kojirou says that it looks like they'll have to pay a commission to both Mr. Ishizuka and Dr. Ookido for today's episode. This is going to make things more difficult, the trio laughs. The hosts thank their guest for joining them as Nyarth brings the segment to a close.

Commercial -- Kids Station

Nobori and Kudari talk about the Pokémon programming on the cable network Kids Station. The network will be airing a different Pocket Monsters movie every Sunday at 12:00 noon as part of their special programming block, "Pikachu the Movie Special!" And that's not all! Every weekday the network will be airing reruns of the most current series, Pocket Monsters Best Wishes! One episode a day Monday through Friday at 5:00pm and two episodes on Saturday evenings from 6:00pm. For more information search the Internet for Kids Station!

The 'Orders from Double-Q - Try These New Items Out Ahead of Time' Segment

What's this!? The trio got an e-mail from the Boss!? Nyarth starts to read the mail out loud.

"Nyarth, Musashi, Kojirou, I hope you're well. I'm doing well. I'm writing to you with a request. The Rocket-Dan's new weapons development division, Double-Q, has received some new product. Accordingly, we would like you to try it out and send your impressions and feedback to HQ. We look forward to your report. It's been really hot these days so be careful not to get heat stroke."

And so it's time for The 'Orders from Double-Q - Try These New Items Out Ahead of Time' Segment! Here is what the Boss sent the Rocket trio today:

What they've got here "Preserved Food / Emergency Supply Rations - Just Add Water" (水だけあれば食べられる常備食・非常食)! Just add water! There are three flavors of mochi here; soy sauce (shoyu) mochi, bean paste (anko) mochi, and roasted soy flour (kinako) mochi. The Rocket trio is thankful to receive such a gift. Kojirou says that this would be handy for them since they'd have food no matter what situation they find themselves in while Musashi asks "Just add water...that's it?" The trio decides to try them out right away.

The trio opens one packet each. Nyarth mentions that the mochi block is hard and dried out; you definitely shouldn't just eat this as-is. Musashi pours water on each of their mochi blocks while Kojirou takes a bite of the dried-out mochi anyway. Musashi then tells the others that the instructions say to wait 30 seconds. As they wait Musashi notices that the mochi is starting to rise! Nyarth clarifies that at this stage, the mochi is still unflavored. "Is it sticky yet?" asks Kojirou, as he can't see the tray clearly. Musashi says that since Kojirou tried the dried out mochi she'll try this mochi that they've just added water to. Musashi takes a bite of the unflavored mochi...and it's surprisingly delicious! Nyarth adds that this mochi seems like the type you could put in a nabe pot since it's cut so thinly. Nyarth then picks up the roasted soy flour flavor and comments how the sugar packet is separate from the flavoring packet, which is great for those who maybe don't like their mochi so sweet.

Nyarth assigns flavors to each member of the team; Musashi is to try the roasted soy flour flavor, Kojirou the bean paste flavor, and Nyarth will try the soy sauce flavor. The trio all seem to dig in at once. Musashi tries to talk with her mouth full of mochi but it's hard to understand what she's saying so she waits until she finishes before saying that it tastes too good for it to be emergency rations. Nyarth, meanwhile, is trying the soy sauce flavoring pack. Musashi is surprised that a soy sauce flavoring is a powder, not a liquid...? Nyarth takes a bite and..."it tastes just like soy sauce Nya!" Kojirou exclaims that his roasted soy flour mochi is great as well. Musashi worries that just listening to them eat on the radio like this must be weird for the listeners so Nyarth says they'll post photos on the show's official Twitter account.

Musashi then quizzes the other members: "Who thought this was delicious?" Everyone claps and says "me!" "Who's going to eat this again?" "Me!" She then reads that this instant mochi is good for up to five years. But Kojirou says it's good enough to eat even when there isn't an emergency. Nyarth elaborates, saying that if you're at home and want to eat on something but haven't done your grocery shopping yet then this would do great in a pinch. He then mentions how soft it is and how much it tastes very similar to freshly pounded mochi. Musashi says that the amazing thing about this is that you can make it just by adding just a little bit of water.

Musashi tells Kojirou to write up the report for the Boss and to tell him that they all thought it was delicious.

Music

Nyarth announces that the song for this week's episode will be Mite Mite Kocchicchi, the current ending theme to the Pocket Monsters Best Wishes! Season 2 animated series. The song is performed by Momoiro Clover Z.

A 1 minute 20 second version of the song plays.

The Rocket-Dan is Quizzed on Their Knowledge of the Super Short Intros

Nyarth announces that this segment has the Rocket-Dan members listen to the opening and ending themes from the TV show that those brat kids star in and try to guess which ones they are. But today...they don't have enough time! But they did give us some homework in the previous episode so let's hear the intro one more time:

Listen

Nyarth reveals that the song is, of course, Hyaku Gojuu-Ichi!

As the song plays in the background, Nyarth explains that Hyaku Gojuu-Ichi is sung by none other than Dr. Ookido! Musashi is shocked; you mean the friend of today's guest!? "Eh!? Really!?" exclaims Kojirou. Nyarth adds that the song is also performed by the Pokémon Kids, a group of children who sing backup on the song.

Closing Words

It's time to end the show! Nyarth asks everyone how doing this second episode was and they both say it was a lot of fun. Musashi adds that a lot of people worked really hard to put this show together and so she feels very grateful to have everyone's support. She especially wants the Boss to see just how hard they're working to make this show a success.

Nyarth tells listeners that if they have any questions or requests about the show that they should make sure to use the hashtag #RocketDan. But make sure to write your hashtag out in English letters; using #ロケット団 won't do it! Nyarth spells out the hashtag -- R-O-C-K-E-T-D-A-N -- for the show's listeners, just in case. Musashi says that in order to get to their goal of 7 billion people they'll have to work a bit harder than they have up until now but Kojirou wonders if that's even possible considering that 7 billion people equals the population of the entire planet.

Nyarth moves on, saying that if you have any ideas for new segments or have any guests you want them to invite to the show then to let them know! Questions are welcome as well! The Rocket trio each sign off. Until next time, Victory! Ii kanji!!

This radio program is brought to you by Kids Station and Movic.

Show notes

As with every episode, the contents of Episode 02 were broken up into segments and placed on different CDs.

The opening sketch can be found on the Pokémon Radio Show! The Rocket-Dan's Secret Empire Volume One - Musashi Version CD. It's Track 4, "The Sweet Child Jessie" (優しい子ジェシー).
The Unshou Ishizuka interview can be found on Pokemon Radio Show! The Rocket-Dan's Secret Empire ~Selection~ CD. It is the second mp3 file on Disc Two, "2_PokemonRadio_DJCD04."
The "Orders from Double-Q - Try These New Items Out Ahead of Time" Segment can be found on the aforementioned Musashi CD. It's Track 5, "Orders from Double-Q! ~ Food Version 1 ~ (QQ指令！～食べ物編1～).

According to this tweet from the show's director, Masafumi Mima, both Episodes 01 and 02 were recorded on the same day.
The accent that Kojirou gives his narrator character in the opening Little Red Riding Hood sketch is referred to as "sounding like a foreigner" by Nyarth in the show's final episode. The performance is a fairly stereotypical caricature of what many Japanese people feel foreigners sound like when they speak Japanese.
Musashi's character's name in the sketch, "Jessie," is very obviously a reference to her name in the English dub of the animated TV series. A similar thing will be done with "Cassidy" (カシディー) in Episode 13.
As stated in the opening rap, Unshou Ishizuka provided the narration for a show called Giant Gorg (巨神ゴーグ) in 1984. The show is currently licensed in the US by Discotek Media. As for Pokémon...well, he was known primarily as the voice of Dr. Ookido and the Narrator but he also ended up voicing literally dozens and dozens of other characters throughout his two decades or so on the show. A full list of his voice work in Pocket Monsters can be found here. The "Bebop" Mr. Ishizuka jokingly mentions at the end is, of course, Cowboy Bebop, in which he played Jet Black. Cowboy Bebop also happens to be the show where Megumi Hayashibara (Faye Valentine) and Unshou Ishizuka first worked together. FUNimation currently has the rights to the series in the U.S.
The second Pokémon Musashi asks to see -- " that floating purple one from when they were just starting out" -- is referring to Kojirou's Dogars, who Mr. Ishizuka also voiced.
The "Mewtwo / Mewni" story Musashi brings up is one that her voice actor, Megumi Hayashibara, would expand upon on her own blog about five years after this podcast episode came out (and about one year before Mr. Ishizuka's death). Here's how she tells the story: "It was around the time of the first movie, and Mr. Ishizuka was participating in various campaigns and the like dressed as Dr. Ookido. The son of someone who came to the studio one day to hang out asked Mr. Ishizuka something about Pokémon and he said something like "Mew-2...ah, Mew-ni right?" Waitaminute...Mew-Ni !! MEW-NI ?!?!?!? Oh, professor...The kids shot him a mean glare and said, clear as day, "this professor's a fake!" She then explains that Mew-2 is, of course, pronounced like the English word "two" and not the Japanese word "ni."
The e-mail that Sakaki sends to the Rocket trio is written very much like your typical Japanese business letter. Start with small pleasantries, get into the purpose of the e-mail, and end the message with some comment on the weather. These types of correspondences are typically form letters that people copy/paste before changing a few details around.
The product in this episode's Double-Q segment, "Preserved Food / Emergency Supply Rations - Just Add Water," is from a company based out of Kobe called Chlorella Institute of Scientific Research (クロレラ科学研究所).

Sign board from this week's guests.
"To all the members of the Rocket-Dan.
It's me, Ookido. - Unshou Ishizuka"

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