"Detective Pikachu's" Ending Theme is "Electricity" by Honest Boyz® featuring Lil Uzi Vert
April 18th, 2019

Dogasu @ 01:35 JST -- Yesterday the ending theme to the Hollywood live action Detective Pikachu movie was revealed to be a new song called "ELECTRICITY" by the Honest Boyz® featuring Lil Uzi Vert.


Here's my translation of Yahoo! Japan's announcement:

The "Honest Boyz®" will step onto the world stage with the ending theme to the Hollywood live action "Detective Pikachu" movie On April 16th it was revealed that the five-man music group "Honest Boyz®," whose members include Verbal from m-flo (age 43) and Naoto from Exile (35), will be providing the ending theme to the Hollywood live action Detective Pikachu movie, in theaters May 3rd in Japan, with their new song "Electricity featuring Lil Uzi Vert" (release date TBD). But it won't just be used in Japan, which is getting the movie first; an original version will also be used in the Americas, Europe, Africa, and Asia. The song will serve as the group's debut onto the world stage. "Electricity" will also feature the U.S. top charter Lil Uzi Vert (23) and be produced by the eleven-time Grammy award winner Pharrell Williams, who's worked with acts such as Beyoncé and Ariana Grande. Detective Pikachu, meanwhile, is a live action movie based on a 3DS video game from the Japanese cultural phenomenon "Pocket Monsters." Pharrell Williams, with whom Verbal has become good friends with over the years, also has connections within Hollywood and so this collaboration with the country that gave the world Pokemon is a huge deal. Verbal cheerfully comments that "it really feels like a miracle's taken place." Honest Boyz® is a hip hop group started in 2016 made up of one DJ and four emcees. In January of this year they made headlines for their genre-breaking collaboration with the music duo Kobukuro on their new hit song Sakura feat. Kobukuro. "Electricity" will be the group's second collaboration with Pharrell after their song Tokyo Dip, released in 2018. Verbal is thankful for the support, saying that "It seems like there are contracts with the movie studios, and multiple record labels involved, and all this other red tape to have to wade through and yet Pharrell managed to make it all work out in the end." Verbal is no stranger to the world stage and Nigo (48) has also had a solo career as a worldwide creator. And then there's Mandy Sekiguchi (28), stage name "Mandy," who's experienced traveling on two world tours with his group Generations. Mandy has been playing the Pokemon games ever since he was little and says "It feels kind of weird. To get the chance to be involved with a Hollywood movie that represents Pokemon, one of the symbols of Japan, is something I couldn't have ever dreamed of." All eyes will be on the Land of the Rising Sun as it prepares for the Tokyo Olympics / Paralympics next year. And the country is relying on anime and video games to represent Japanese culture. Meanwhile, the final negotiations are currently underway to have "Electricity" released by major record labels worldwide. Mandy says "I still can't get over it. But the truth is our song really is going to be released all over the world along with this movie. I hope everyone will get to know the Honest Boyz® thanks to Japan's Pokemon. These days we're in an era when people from all over the world are enjoying what Japan's putting out there. I hope we can do our country proud and get more people interested in Japan" he said with a fire in his eyes. Detective Pikachu is a film based on the Nintendo 3DS game Detective Pikachu ~ Birth of a New Duo~ and is made by Legendary Entertainment, the movie studio behind such films as Godzilla and The Dark Knight. Pikachu's voice will be provided by Deadpool's Ryan Reynolds. The film's story begins when Pikachu's human partner Tim, played by Justice Smith, travels to Ryme City to search for his father when he meets a detective Pikachu who can speak human language that only Tim can hear. Japanese actor Ken Watanabe plays Lieutenant Yoshida in an original role. In the Japanese dub of the film, Tim is voiced by Ryoma Takeuchi and Lucy is voiced by Marie Iitoya.

The Honest Boyz® is a group of five Japanese hip hop artists:


On the U.S. side of this collaboration, Lil Uzi Vert (23) is an American rapper known for songs such as Money Longer and XO Tour Llif3. Pharrell Williams (46) is, well, Pharrell Williams. He doesn't need any introduction.

Preview clips of the song Electricity haven't been released to the public yet but with the movie coming out in a little over two weeks in Japan it won't be long before we get a chance to hear it.


Detective Pikachu will be one of two Pokemon movies coming out later this year, with the other being Pocket Monsters The Movie "Mewtwo Strikes Back! Evolution". The former currently has a release date of May 3rd, 2019 in Japan.

For the purposes of this website, I will be focusing primarily on the Japanese release of the film. More information about its release will be added as it becomes available.



Mewtwo Strikes Back Evolution manga to debut in May
April 17th, 2019

Dogasu @ 07:42 JST -- The May 2019 issue of CoroCoro Comics, on sale this past Monday, revealed in its previews for the next month's issue that the magazine will be running a Mewtwo Strikes Back Evolution manga. The manga will be a two-parter. The magazine's official website also posted a preview image.


No artist or story information (is it a straight-up adaptation? A side story?) have been revealed yet.

The original Pocket Monsters The Movie "Mewtwo Strikes Back!" received a 52-page manga "adaptation" back in 1998. That manga, written by Dengeki Pikachu artist Toshihiro Ono, made up a completely different origin story for Mewtwo and stopped at around the time our heroes reached New Island. Read more details about it here. If this new manga is indeed a simple 1:1 adaptation then this would actually be the first time this movie has received a manga adaptation.

The June 2019 issue of CoroCoro Comics goes on sale May 15th, 2019.




Detective Pikachu Pre-Release Screening in Japan
April 10th, 2019

Dogasu @ 23:45 JST -- Later this month there will be two events to commemorate the completion of the film Detective Pikachu.


The first one will take place on Thursday, April 25th and appears to be a Special Stage Show where Ryan Reynolds, Justice Smith, Kathryn Newton, Ken Watanabe, Ryoma Takeuchi, Marie Iitoya, and director Rob Letterman are going to all be in Tokyo to...well, we don't really know yet. I guess they'll go up on stage and talk amongst themselves for an hour or so, maybe? The official site is referring to this event as a "World Premiere" (ワールドプレミア) but they're not actually showing the movie that night so I don't know why they're calling it that. I've translated the details that have been released about the event so far and have compiled all that here.

The second event takes place the following day, April 26th, and this will be an actual Pre-Release Screening of the film. That's a week before its Japanese release and two weeks before it comes out in the U.S. The screenings will take place in five cities across Japan. I've compiled all the information released about that event onto its own page here.

Both events require you to apply online for a chance at being selected to attend . I've already applied for both events so let's see whether I get an invitation or not. Either way, do be aware that spoilers for the film will most likely hit the Internet shortly after the Japanese premiere in a little over two weeks.


Detective Pikachu will be one of two Pokemon movies coming out later this year, with the other being Pocket Monsters The Movie "Mewtwo Strikes Back! Evolution". The former currently has a release date of May 3rd, 2019 in Japan.

For the purposes of this website, I will be focusing primarily on the Japanese release of the film. More information about its release will be added as it becomes available.


Movie 22's Theme Song is revealed to be Kaze to Issho ni
April 9th, 2019

Dogasu @ 23:55 JST -- This past Saturday the official website for Mewtwo Strikes Back Evolution announced that the ending theme for the film will be a new version of Kaze to Issho ni, the theme song to the 1998 original Pocket Monsters The Movie "Mewtwo Strikes Back!" Sachiko Kobayashi, who sung the original version 21 years ago, is coming back to sing the new one and is being joined this time by Shoko Nakagawa.


Both Sachiko Kobayashi and Shoko Nakagawa gave comments regarding the new (old) song:

Comment from Sachiko Kobayashi

『風といっしょに』という素敵な曲に出会って21 年。 時を経て、また素晴らしいポケモンの世界を、こ の歌で表現出来る事にとても幸せを感じています。 子供の頃に聞いてくれて大人になった人たち、そ して今の子供たちが、優しい気持ちになってくれるように心を込めて歌いました。 幅広い世代の皆さんに、あの感動をまた感じて頂 けたら嬉しいです。

It's been 21 years since I got to work on the fantastic Kaze to Issho ni. A lot of time has passed since then and yet to still be able to use this song to express how amazing the world of Pokemon is makes me feel oh so very happy. I put all my heart into this song so that both the kids who heard the original and grew up to be adults as well as those who are still kids right now will feel nice, happy feelings. I hope people of all ages can feel those feelings again.

Comment from Shoko Nakagawa

子供だった21年前に出会えたポケモン映画。大人 になってからも思い出と手を繋いで歩いてきました。今度は、いまと未来の子供たちに歌を繋いで届けられるなんて、ポケモンがくれた”夢よりすごい奇跡”！ 憧れの小林幸子さんの歌声といっしょに、愛をこめて歌いました。そして、時代を超えて歌い継がれるこの曲を、ポケモンが好きな子供たちと一緒に歌えること を楽しみにしています。

I was a little kid 21 years ago when I first crossed paths with the Pokemon movies. And now, even as an adult, I'm going forward with those memories close to my heart. For this year's movie, the fact that this song lets us reach children of both the present and the future is all thanks to the "miracle even more incredible than a dream" that Pokemon has given us! Alongside Ms. Sachiko Kobayashi, who I absolutely adore, I put all my love into singing this song. I'm also looking forward to singing this generation-spanning song with all the children who love Pokemon.

Additionally, Sony Music Labels, Inc., the label who will be releasing the song, is running an open casting call for elementary school aged children in the Tokyo area to sing parts of the new song as one of the "Pokemon Kid 2019." This casting call news will affect approximately 0% of the people who read this site but I went ahead and translated the details anyway to give you a look at what all is going into the making of this song.


The CD single for Kaze to Issho ni, meanwhile, will be released on Thursday, July 10th, 2019. There will be three separate releases, as always:

The Perfect Limited Edition (CD + DVD) SRCL-11181~11183 2,408 JPY (not including tax) - Some kind of physical extra TBD - Comes in a Digipak-style case - The CD jacket will feature Pokemon artwork

Limited Print Edition (CD only) SRCL-11185 1,389 JPY (not including tax) - Comes in a Digipak-style case - The CD jacket will feature Pokemon artwork

Regular Edition (CD only) SRCL-11184 1,204 JPY (not including tax) No physical extras

More details about each release can be found in the CD Guide.

And since we're talking about it I went ahead and brushed off the my translation of the lyrics to the original Kaze to Issho ni. I'm assuming the new version will be exactly the same, lyrics-wise, so hopefully I'll just be able to copy / paste the work I did tonight onto a new page and call it a day.




"Pikachu Kanden Studio"
April 5th, 2019

Dogasu @ 07:51 JST -- In celebration of the Japanese release of Detective Pikachu, which comes out May 3rd in the Land of the Rising Sun, a special photo event called the "Pikachu Kanden Studio" ("Pikachu Electrocution Studio") is going to be held in five cities nationwide starting this month.


The event invites you to come and get a social media friendly picture taken at one of three booths: The "Pachi-Pachi Booth," where a Van de Graaff generator is used to produce static electricity like in the promotional image above; the "Mofu-Mofu Booth," where you can get a cuteness overload sitting in a room filled with soft, fluffy, Pikachu-yellow furniture; and the "Gira-Gira Booth," an area made to look like the neon sign decorated streets of Ryme City.

The full details about the event, originally posted on the movie's official website, have been translated and archived in their own page here.


Detective Pikachu will be one of two Pokemon movies coming out later this year, with the other being Pocket Monsters The Movie "Mewtwo Strikes Back! Evolution". The former currently has a release date of May 3rd, 2019 in Japan.

For the purposes of this website, I will be focusing primarily on the Japanese release of the film. More information about its release will be added as it becomes available.


"Detective Pikachu" Details
April 1st, 2019

Dogasu @ 00:05 JST -- There's another Pocket Monsters movie coming out this year and so of course that means I have double the work to do! This time, let's focus on the Hollywood live action film Detective Pikachu.

Release Date

First up, it was recently announced that the movie will be coming out in Japan on Friday, May 3rd 2019. That's a full week before its American release on May 10th. While that may seem strange for a Hollywood film to make its debut outside the U.S. there are quite a number of precedents; look up the Marvel movie international release dates, for example.


Speaking of Marvel, Marvel's Avengers: Endgame comes out the weekend before (April 26th) in Japan and so I'm guessing Detective Pikachu's going to be doing good to debut in second place at the Japanese box office.

It's also worth mentioning that May 3rd is right in the middle of Golden Week, one of the three big holiday periods in Japan. This year's Golden Week is going to be an unprecedented ten days long thanks to a couple of special holidays being added for the changing of the emperor and so a lot of families will be taking this once in a lifetime opportunity to go traveling. How will this affect the Japanese box office performance that week? I guess we'll find out in a little over a month!

By the way, I do plan to go to the earliest showing I can get to on the morning of May 3rd and will be doing all the usual reviews (spoiler-free and spoiler-filled), info dumps, etc.

Trailer

The second Japanese trailer was released and...there's not whole lot of new stuff going on here. But here it is anyway.

teaser02

The trailer does give us a glimpse of at least one change being made to the movie's soundtrack when it debuts in Japan. In the original we can hear Bonnie Tyler's Holding Out for a Hero used as what I guess is going to be an insert song while the Japanese trailer uses the Miki Asakura (麻倉未稀) cover entitled Hero - Holding Out for a Hero (ヒーローHOLDING OUT FOR A HERO). Ms. Asakura's version was originally released in 1984.


My guess is that in the case of Detective Pikachu, the English version will keep Bonnie Tyler's Holding Out for a Hero while the Japanese dub will swap that out with Miki Asakura's cover.

Because we live in a world where "Holding Out for a Hero" is now a Pokemon song I went and added the lyrics to the Japanese version to the Lyrics Archive.

Japanese dub cast

Ryoma Takeuchi will be providing the voice of Tim in the Japanese dub. This is actually old news but with the latest information dump he also provided a new quote on his being cast:

映像をみた時本当にポケモンたちが生きているみたいでビックリしましたし、ポケモン世代のいちファンとしてこの世界観が表現された ことが嬉しかったです。舞台となるライムシティは、ポケモンがたくさん居て、こんな街があったら行ってみたい、そのくらいリアルで夢のような世界で興奮し ました！初挑戦となる吹替えは、想像の何倍も難しいですが楽しいです。ジャスティスが演じているティムとリンクして見えるよう、彼の芝居の１つ１つ見逃さ ず大切に演じていきたいと思います！ティムはコンプレックスがあったり、すべてに素直になれない青年。そんな彼の成長物語にもぜひ注目してもらいたいで す。

When I first saw the footage I was really surprised by how much it felt like the pokemon were really alive, and as a fan from the pokemon generation I was also happy to be see how the rest of the world sees Pokemon. This movie takes place in Ryme City, a town with lots of pokemon and somewhere I'd want to visit if it was really real, and the whole thing is so real and exciting that it feels like I'm dreaming. This was my first time doing dubbing work and it ended up being several times more difficult than I had imagined but I had a lot of fun! I studied the way Justice (Smith) played Tim, down to the finest detail, and then really tried to play him in a way that makes it seem like Tim and I are one and the same. Tim has a lot he's dealing with and is also the kind of guy who doesn't take things lying down. I hope you'll definitely see how he grows throughout the course of the movie.

It was also announced that fashion model Marie Iitoya (飯豊まりえ) will be playing Lucy Stevens. Here's her comment:

「ポケモン」は小学生の頃からゲームが出たら絶対に買ってきましたし、今でも時間があったらポケモン映画を観返すほど大好きだった ので、今回ルーシーの声に決まった時は夢のようでした。しかも、たまたまこの映画の予告編をみていた時に連絡があったので…！運命的でビックリしていま す！ 私自身、実写作品に息を吹き込ませていただくのは初めてなので、難しいと感じることも多いですが、ワクワクしたり、笑えたり、謎解きがあったり、色々な展 開があって本当に面白い作品なので、楽しんでできればと思っています！今は相棒・コダックが可愛くて仕方がないので、一緒に頑張ります！

From the time I was in elementary school I'd be sure to buy every game that "Pokemon" appeared in and I love it so much that I would rewatch the movies whenever I had the time and so when I was chosen to play Lucy it was like a dream come true. And actually, I just happened to be watching the trailer for this movie when I got the call...! It must have been fate or something! For me, this is my first time to dub over a live action movie so I felt there were a lot of things about it that were really tough but since this is a really great movie with a lot of excitement, laughs, mysteries, and other things going on I was able to have a lot of fun with it! My partner Koduck is also really cute so the two of us will do our best together!

Finally, Ken Watanabe (渡辺謙) has been confirmed to be providing his own Japanese language voiceover for his performance as Lt. Yoshida.

Masafumi Mima (三間雅文), the sound director for the Pocket Monsters animated series, is also directing the Japanese dub of this film. He's made a bunch of tweets about the progress of the Japanese dub so I went and translated them all and collected them on their own page here.


Strangely enough, with all this voice actor talk Japan still hasn't revealed who will be playing the voice of Pikachu in Detective Pikachu!

Pre-Order Tickets

In Japan, pre-ordering a ticket to a Pocket Monsters movie usually gives you some sort of legendary or mythical pokemon that you can download into your main series games. Hollywood movie pre-order tickets, on the other hand, usually come with some sort of physical item. Detective Pikachu is being treated like the latter and so there's a bunch of stuff out there for you to get depending on where you buy your ticket.



I've compiled details about all the pre-order bonuses being made available in Japan into their own page here.

Relevant Media

The movie will be featured in a number of magazines coming out in Japan over the next week or so, according to the official website:

Release	Publication Title	Contents
April 4th (Thursday)	Nikkei Entertainment! 日経エンタテインメント！	Interview with Ryoma Takeuchi
April 5th (Friday)	ami	Cover story / introduction to the film

I'll be sure to pick those up and report on their contents once they go on sale.



Detective Pikachu will be one of two Pokemon movies coming out later this year, with the other being Pocket Monsters The Movie "Mewtwo Strikes Back! Evolution". The former currently has a release date of May 3rd, 2019 in Japan.

For the purposes of this website, I will be focusing primarily on the Japanese release of the film. More information about its release will be added as it becomes available.