Pocket Monsters "I Choose You!"

Dogasu's Backpack | Movies & Specials Guide | Pocket Monsters The Movie "I Choose You!"

A pamphlet went on sale with the Japanese theatrical release of Pocket Monsters The Movie "I Choose You!" A miniature size recreation of the pamphlet is included with the Movie 20 Japanese Blu-ray. Translations of the more interesting content from the pamphlet follow:

The pamphlet starts off with comments by the director of the film, Mr. Kunihiko Yuyama.

“Refine” - Kunihiko Yuyama

We had a goal...or a hope, rather...for the Pocket Monsters TV series we started to last three years...and then before we knew it 20 years had passed! The movies have also been coming out every summer like clockwork until we've arrived here at Movie 20!!

When it came to figuring out how to celebrate such a momentous occasion, we asked ourselves what we thought we should do and what we wanted to do before arriving at a single answer.
Satoshi and Pikachu, the icons of the Pokemon cartoon, the ones whose adventures we've been watching so closely all these years.

When you think about it, everything begins from the time Satoshi and Pikachu met.

So we wanted to take another look at the bonds the two of them share from the very beginning.

The time Satoshi and Pikachu first met. The friendship with your traveling partners. From getting a pokemon to raising it to it evolving...and, every now and then, it leaving. We wanted to refine, not remake, these elements of Pokemon and then condense those last 20 years of experiences. It's familiar yet fresh. Our goal was to make a Pokemon movie filled with love.

Of course this movie can be enjoyed by both fans who have been watching for 20 years and those who have only just recently started. But it can also serve as a primer for anyone who's ever just wanted to find out “What is Pokemon?” Whether it's by one person or many, we hope you are able to experience the love of Pokemon.

After this comment there are several pages that recap the story of the movie, followed by character bios.

Next up are comments from the characters' voice actors and the lyrics to the movie's theme song. The comments from the cast, with the exception of Rika Matsumoto's, are all different from what was posted on the official website.

Translation of the comments follow:

	Rika Matsumoto (Satoshi)
	I've been waiting for this! The 20th anniversary of the Pokemon movies! I've been playing Satoshi all these years wishing for Pokemon to become a staple of families throughout Japan and I believe that this year, at long last, that dream has come true. I'm truly grateful to Pokemon for allowing me to continue (playing Satoshi) for these 20 years. Thank you!!

Kanata Hongo (Souji)

I've been playing the video games for a long time so when I heard that I would get to order pokemon around in real life I got goosebumps and the whole “We'll fight together as partners!” thing really clicked with me. The director told me something that really stuck with me: “Even in the scenes where Souji's defeated his heart hasn't been beat.” I think that anyone who loves Pokemon is already a Pokemon Master, you know?

Shiori Satou (Makoto)

Makoto is a straightforward girl who always charges forward at 100%. Since the director gave me the advice to “always play Makoto as someone who's always looking forward” I would stand on the train platform, wait for a train to pass by, and then shout something like “Bubble Beam!” (laughs) to practice those lines where I really had to project my voice. Twenty years ago I went to the movie theater to see the first movie and I think it's amazing to see how unbreakable the bonds between Satoshi and Pikachu have been all these years.

Shoko Nakagawa (Joy)

The role I was given this year is Joy! Everyone's been helped out by a Joy at some point and even though I tend to think of her as this reliable older sister type I'm actually older than she is now (laughs). So I made an effort to make my Joy voice sound younger than I actually am. These days almost everyone around the world knows what “Pokemon” is. I hope this year's movie will become a part of someone's treasured summer experience.

Arata Furuta (Bonjii)

When I received the offer for a part in this movie I thought "I wonder if I'll be playing a pokemon?" but it turns out that I got a role as a human! When I first went into the studio I played Bonjii as this feeble old geezer but the director told me that “that's not it” (laughs) and that since Bonjii is an energetic person that “just your regular voice will be fine.” I rarely get to use my natural speaking voice when doing voice over work so this was a new experience for me.

Kouichi Yamadera (Marshadow)

I've been acting in these movies for 20 years now so I thought maybe there weren't any roles left for me. But I ended up being able to be in this one as well. I didn't quite get Marshadow's character the first time I read the script so the sound editor told me “it should feel like it's coming from your airways” (laughs). I remember thinking “This might be my most difficult role yet!” This is a kind of back to basics story so I think it's perfect for the 20th film. Satoshi's and Pikachu's bonds are so moving! This is a film that will make you think “now this...this is a Pokemon movie.”

The pamphlet also features somewhat lengthy interviews with the regular cast of the TV series, Pokémon Movie 20th Anniversary Q&A. Click on the image below to view those interviews.

Finally, the miniature sized version of the pamphlet that came with the Japanese release of the 20th movie Blu-ray contains a two page "Making Of" feature on the scene toward the end of the movie where Pikachu screams out after Satoshi disappears.

A translation of that feature can be found here.

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