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Pokémon Chronicles

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Pokémon Chronicles
File:Chronicles logo.JPG
Pokémon Chronicles
GenreKodomo, Shōnen
Created bySatoshi Tajiri
Anime

Pokémon Chronicles, known in Japan as Shūkan Pokemon Hōsōkyoku (週刊ポケモン放送局), is a spin-off series of the Pokémon anime, revolving around characters other than Ash. It is an English dub of a number of special episodes that had previously aired only in Japan.

It first aired in Britain on Toonami, where the initial run has now finished. The only places where episodes are currently airing for the first time are the Caribbean and Latin America on Cartoon Network Monday to Friday at 9:00pm EST/ 10:00 MXT. However, in Latin America, it seems the show has been cancelled because Mew Mew Power was put when Pokémon Chronicles usually is. The series made its U.S. premiere on Cartoon Network on June 3, 2006 at 7 PM US ET/PT after it ended in most other countries.[1] In addition, episodes are available online through Cartoon Network's "Toonami Jetstream" online video site, and moved to the Miguzi block for November at 5:30 PM US EST on November 6, 2006.

Four DVDs have been released in Britain, with a U.S. release. The first two volumes are available in Australia as a bonus extra on the Season 1 boxset.

History

A number of special episodes of Pokémon were made alongside the regular anime series. This began during the 5th season with a special feature length episode called "Raikou: Legend of Thunder!" Though popular, these special episodes were never dubbed into English and the regular series continued to progress forward in the series' continuity.

A new program got a regular slot on TV Tokyo called Shuukan Pokémon Housoukyoku, known as the Housou or Hoso episodes by fans. This was an informational magazine show hosted by the characters of Brock and Misty. Occasionally, a 'special' episode would air instead. These episodes explored what other characters were doing while Ash was travelling in Hoenn.

Despite many hopes for a dubbed version, 4Kids disregarded these episodes and continued to only dub the main series. But at a press conference some time later, it was announced that they would be creating a new program entitled Pokémon Chronicles. There was some speculation at first as to the content, and it was eventually revealed to be a dubbing of the Housou episodes.

The episode order is altered slightly from the episode order for the Housou episodes, such as those starring the Pichu Brothers, which were moved back. The series also included previously unseen "Pikachu's Winter Vacation" episodes.

Pokémon Chronicles aired first in the UK, and began on May 11, 2005. It then aired in Canada, starting on September 9 of the same year. Then it began airing in Latin America on December 1, 2005. It began in the US on June 3 , 2006. It is also airing on Cartoon Network in Australia, although very rarely. There is currently no information on when it will air anywhere else. Starting October 9, 2006, Pokémon Chronicles has since been airing on Cartoon Network's online broadband service, Toonami Jetstream.

Shuukan Pokémon Housoukyoku has now been replaced by Pokémon Sunday, a similar show that airs on Sunday evenings.

Characters

Main article: List of Pokémon characters

As Pokémon Chronicles focuses on recurring minor or departed major characters from the main Pokémon anime, its cast shifts from episode to episode, and many different characters have played starring roles. These are listed here in order of appearance:

Main characters

  • Ash's Pokémon (Satoshi's Pokémon): Ash's Pokémon get into mischief even when Ash isn't around. In the Winter Vacation episodes they are joined by Pikachu and some of Misty and Brock's Pokémon and meet a group of "Snow Snorlax."
  • Brock (Takeshi): Brock travelled around the Kanto region and the Hoenn region with Ash but between "Gotta Catch Ya Later" and "You Can Never Taillow", he visited his Pokémon Gym in Pewter City. There he found that his mother had taken over the gym, turning it into a Water gym.
  • Casey (Nanako): Casey was introduced in Johto, where she met Ash. They met a few times after that, although Casey only got 4 badges in the time it took Ash to get 8. When she isn't training Pokémon, she is a big fan of the fictional Electabuzz baseball team. Her Pokémon are Meganium (her starter), Pidgey, Rattata, Beedrill (given by Ash), Elekid, and the dub says she has a Magmar and Rapidash.
  • Gary Oak (Shigeru) Gary Oak is Professor Oak's grandson. He was very stuck-up and travelled with his female cheerleaders around Kanto. He eventually matured after losing in the Indigo Plateau a round before Ash. He re-appeared in Johto, and after losing to Ash in the Silver Conference, decided to become a Pokémon Professor.
  • Marina: Marina is an old friend of Jimmy's, and she battles to entertain, always making sure she puts on a good show. She also performs in dance routines with her Pokémon. Marina is based on the female character from Pokémon Crystal. Her favorite Pokémon are her Misdreavus.
  • Vincent/Jackson (Jun'ichi): Vincent battled Ash in the Silver Conference, although he was known there as Jackson. This new name was most likely another attempt to impress Marina, as he is trying to get her to become his girlfriend. Vincent's favorite Pokémon is his Meganium.
  • Misty (Kasumi): Misty has travelled everywhere with Brock, Tracy in the Orange Islands as well as Ash since he broke her bike. But at the end of Johto saga of the Pokémon anime, her sisters went on a World Tour, and she had to become the official Gym Leader of Cerulean City.
  • Professor Samuel Oak (Professor Yukinari Okido): Professor Samuel Oak is the world's foremost authority on Pokémon. When Trainers such as Ash Ketchum and Gary Oak begin their Pokémon Journey, Professor Oak gives them their starting Pokémon - Bulbasaur, Charmander, or Squirtle, (or Pikachu in Ash's case) When he isn't looking after all the Pokémon that Trainers don't have with them at the time - (you can only carry six) - he is studying them and upgrading the Pokédex.
  • The Pichu Brothers, (individually known as Pichu Little and Pichu Big): The Pichu Brothers live in Millennium City. Their days are all about having fun with the Pichu Possé in the clubhouse. They met Pikachu in "Pikachu and Pichu" - the mini-movie before the third movie, as well as a anime inside Pokémon Channel - they get into other mischief later, either on their own or with Team Rocket's Meowth.
  • Richie (Hiroshi): Richie and his trusty Pikachu, Sparky, battled Ash at the Indigo Plateau, and they have been best friends ever since, even though they only met once again (in the Whirl Islands.) Richie does decide to go and meet Ash in Hoenn, but he apparently decides against it, because he is later seen in the Sevii Islands.
  • Tracey Sketchit (Kenji): Tracey Sketchit travelled with Ash and Misty in the Orange Islands, and is now a lab assistant for Professor Oak. He loves drawing, and has produced many accurate sketches of Pokémon. He is also good friends with Brock.

Minor characters

  • Delia Ketchum (Hanako): Delia is Ash's mother. She really misses him while he is away, but she is happy at home with her Mr. Mime for company. She is also good friends with Professor Oak and Tracey.
  • Gilbert (Hajime): Gilbert is a new Pokémon trainer (and the mayor's son in the English dub). He prefers the Hoenn starters and wants stronger Pokèmon like Raichu rather than the ones that Professor Oak has to offer.
  • Sakura: Sakura is one of the Kimono Sisters from Ecruteak City. She originally intended to join Ash, Misty, and Brock on their Pokémon Journey, but decided to stay at home and learn more first. But now she is collecting badges in Kanto with her trusty Espeon, and her new Beautifly.

Team Rocket Villains

  • Atilla & Hun (Buson & Basho): Atilla & Hun are also members of Team Rocket, and are out to capture Raikou. Their names were probably derived from Atilla the Hun. (Hun was male in the Japanese version).
  • Cassidy & Butch (Yamato & Kosaburo): Cassidy & Butch do not follow one Trainer around like Jessie & James do. They pick random worthwhile things and Pokémon to steal. Unfortunately for them, they usually choose people linked to Ash in some way. They are the main villains in Pokémon Chronicles. Their names are probably derived from Butch Cassidy.
  • Jessie & James (Musashi & Kojiro): Jessie & James are starting up the Hoenn branch of Team Rocket. (Giovanni sent them to do so to get them out of the way.) When they aren't trying to capture Pikachu, they are spreading the name of Team Rocket for their boss. Their names were probably derived from Jesse James.
  • Meowth (Nyarth): Meowth is a unique Pokémon in that he can talk. He normally hangs around with his best friends Jessie & James, attempting to capture Pikachu. But he somehow occasionally finds time to visit Millennium City, and be the good guy with the Pichu Brothers. He is also quite helpful when communicating with Pokemon, as well as translating what they say to Jessie, James, or even Ash and his friends sometimes.

Opening and Ending

The original Housou episodes did not have a musical opening. Instead, they open with Brock and Misty talking (except for the Team Rocket Housous, where said characters would talk instead). Normally, it would result in Misty hitting Brock with a mallet, fan or water gun for being Brock. The endings would normally deal with that episode's character. Also, even though Pokéchronicles is almost all Johto, the Hoenn Pokémon Salamance appears twice in the beginning credits, and suggests those two scenes are taken from episode(s).

The Japanese Housous were seen as special episodes, hence the unconventional opening. However, it was dubbed as a completely new series, so a musical opening was required. While the openings from the main series interlink scenes from the related Japanese opening with scenes from the episodes, there was no Japanese opening for Pokémon Chronicles. Because of this, all the scenes in the opening, (besides the Pokémon logo at the end) are taken from episodes. There are 42 scenes in 36 seconds.

The ending is a repeat of the opening on the left of the screen, with the credits rolling past on the right. There are a few variations, however. The DVD version and first two parts of The Legend of Thunder shows footage from the battle at the start of Part Two. The ending for Pikachu's Winter Vacation on the DVD rolls over a full screen picture taken from the episode.

The original theme tune is a modified version of the "G/S Pokerap". However, there is an instrumental in the middle, where the narrator basically says what Chronicles is about:

Old Friends!
New Adventures!
Never before seen stories from the world of Pokémon!

Starting on June 10, 2006, the intro sequence was changed to a newer version, consisting of a montage of various scenes from "The Legend of Thunder" with more intense music.

Episode list

Air dates are for the episode's first airing in English, on Toonami UK. The volume numbers are for the UK DVD release. ( ) are for the episode's first airing in the US, on Cartoon Network's Toonami.

Volume One

File:Chronicles 1.jpg
The cover art for the first DVD
Title Episode # UK air date US air date
The Legend of Thunder (Part 1) 1 05/11/2005 06/03/2006
A three-part episode. On his Pokémon Journey, Jimmy meets his old friend, Marina, at a Pokémon Center. The two of them, later teaming up with Vincent, discover and attempt to foil an attempt by Hun and Attila to steal Raikou.
The Legend of Thunder (Part 2) 2 05/18/2005 06/10/2006
A three-part episode. On his Pokémon Journey, Jimmy meets his old friend, Marina, at a Pokémon Center. The two of them, later teaming up with Vincent, discover and attempt to foil an attempt by Hun and Attila to steal Raikou.
The Legend of Thunder (Part 3) 3 05/25/2005 06/10/2006
A three-part episode. On his Pokémon Journey, Jimmy meets his old friend, Marina, at a Pokémon Center. The two of them, later teaming up with Vincent, discover and attempt to foil an attempt by Hun and Attila to steal Raikou.
Pikachu's Winter Vacation 4 06/01/2005 06/17/2006
This episode is split into two parts, "Delibird's Dilemma" and "Snorlax Snowman". In "Delibird's Dilemma", Ash's, Misty's, and Brock's Pokémon must find Santa's missing presents before midnight. "Snorlax Snowman" is a retelling of Frosty the Snowman, starring the same Pokémon and featuring a Snorlax-shaped snowman.
A Family That Battles Together Stays Together 5 06/08/2005 06/24/2006
Brock returns to Pewter City, but is shocked to discover that his mother has returned, and has turned the Pokémon Gym into a Water-type Gym. He now has to battle to save the Gym for his brother, Forrest.

Volumes Two and Three

File:Chronicles 2.jpg
The cover art for the second DVD
Title Episode # UK air date US air date
Cerulean Blues 1 06/15/2005 06/24/2006
Misty returns home to become the leader of the Cerulean City Pokémon Gym, but has to deal with a number of problems that have cropped up during her absence, including a rampaging Gyarados and her rivals the Invincible Brothers seeking control of the Gym.
We're No Angels 2 06/22/2005 07/01/2006
Team Rocket lands in a village where they are mistaken for Team Righteous, and face a dilemma deciding between building a robot army or living up to the high expectations of the villagers.
Showdown at the Oak Corral 3 06/29/2005 07/08/2006
Butch and Cassidy of Team Rocket break into Professor Oak's lab and steal all of the Pokéballs, so Ash's Pokémon have to get them back.
  • Near the end of the episode when Ash, Tracey and the others confront Butch and Cassidy, Professor Oak wonders what Pokémon he'll pick. Ash decides he'll pick Bulbasaur and says "Ah, Bulbasaur, one of my oldest companions...". This is incorrect because Ash got his Bulbasaur in the Secret Garden in one of the early original anime series.
The Blue Badge of Courage 4 07/06/2005 07/22/2006
Tracey and Sakura visit Misty at the Cerulean City Pokémon Gym, so that Sakura can battle Misty for a Gym Badge. Misty is out of Gym Badges, however, so the three of them travel to the home of the badge maker.
Oaknapped 5 07/13/2005 07/29/2006
Butch and Cassidy kidnap Professor Oak in order to learn about Pokérus for Professor Nanba's evil plans, and Tracey and Richie have to rescue him.
A Date With Delcatty 6 07/20/2005 08/05/2006
Casey visits Cerulean City to visit Misty and watch a baseball match with the Electabuzz. Meanwhile, Butch and Cassidy receive orders to steal the Delcatty of a trainer who also happens to have a crush on Misty and tickets to see the Electabuzz.
Celebi and Joy 7 07/27/2005 08/12/2006
Richie arrives in a town where the Mayor plans to demolish the Pokémon Centre, but an old Nurse Joy does not want to lose the memories it contains. Celebi sends Richie back in time to make things right.
Training Daze 8 08/03/2005 08/19/2006
Jessie recounts how she met up with James and Meowth, and how they became members of Team Rocket.
Journey to the Starting Line 9 08/10/2005 08/26/2006
Ash's Tauros stampede through Professor Oak's lab causing a baby Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle to run away on the same day that the mayor's son, Gilbert, is about to start his Pokémon Journey.
Putting The Air Back In Aerodactyl 10 08/17/2005 09/02/2006
Professor Oak and Tracey visit Gary, who is researching prehistoric Pokémon. They have successfully brought an Aerodactyl to life, but must gain control of it before anyone is endangered (or before Butch and Cassidy can steal it).

Volume Four

Title Episode # UK air date US air date
Luvdisc Is A Many Splendored Thing 1 08/24/2005 9/23/2006
Misty and Daisy each have a new Luvdisc, but only one loves the other. To make matters worse, Butch and Cassidy steal them for Professor Nanba, who plans to use them to rid the world of love forever.
Those Darn Electabuzz 2 08/31/2005 9/23/2006
Casey meets the pitcher for her favourite baseball team, the Electabuzz. He left due a shoulder injury, but has lost the fire to perform, while his Charizard has literally lost its fire and ability to fly. She must restore the fighting spirit to both of them.
The Search for the Legend 3 09/07/2005 9/30/2006
While taking a voyage on the SS Anne, Richie meets a trainer called Silver, who is on his way to battle Moltres with two Professors from the Bogus Fake University of Science. However, the "professors" are really Butch and Cassidy, and they want to capture Moltres for Team Rocket.
Of Meowth and Pokémon 4 09/14/2005 10/07/2006
Meowth takes a break from trying to capture Pikachu to spend time in Big Town. But his dream project to build a golden statue gets off to a bad start when he loses his picnic basket in a series of mix-ups. And then to pay for it he gets some jobs, but makes the Pichu possé to do the work. This story is continued in "Trouble In Big Town."
Trouble in Big Town 5 09/21/2005 10/14/2006
When playtime turns into a fight, the Pichu Brothers get separated. Compounding this, Pichu Little is soon miles above the ground with only balloons on a string keeping him up, and a wild Murkrow bent on popping the balloons is flying around. This story is continued in "Big Meowth, Little Dreams."
Big Meowth, Little Dreams 6 09/28/2005 10/21/2006
With two days left in Big Town, Meowth gives up on his statue, and just wants to eat his tuna fish sandwich, which then mysteriously runs away from him. Then, the next day, he tries to woo a Skitty while the Pichu Brothers chase after an Azurill.
Pikachu's Winter Vacation 7 10/05/2005 12/11/2006 [1]
This episode is split into two parts, "Christmas Night" and "Ice Games". In "Christmas Night", Pikachu, Togepi, and more of Ash, Misty and Brock's Pokémon cause havoc on Christmas eve. In "Ice Games", the Pokémon go exploring the mountain.

A note on the DVDs

The episodes have been released in a series of DVDs. It should be noted that, if bought as standalone Volumes, Volume Three is packaged in with Volume Two as a "bonus Volume". This is likely because the covers of Volumes One, Two and Four depict the evolutions of Charmander, Squirtle and Bulbasaur, respectively. A box set is also available with Volumes One, Two and Three, though Volume Four is only available as a single disk Volume. Unusually, the box set packages Volume Three in its own case with the Bulbasaur cover, leading to two near-identical Volume covers. Also unusually, an image on Play.com depicts a completely different cover for Volume Four, though this cover is used on the outer case of the box set.

The DVDs do not contain any special features besides episode and scene selection. They do not have subtitles.

The covers promise never before seen footage but this is minimal. There are some differences between the DVD and TV versions. Most notably, The Legend of Thunder is all together, and so the title card says "the movie", rather than "Part X". The end credits of Pikachu's Winter Vacation roll over a picture from the episode, rather than the normal credits.

Volume One was released in the UK on Monday 13th June 2005, while Volumes Two and Three were released on Monday 22nd August 2005. Volume Four was released in early 2006. A US release is expected in the future, though any dates are yet to be confirmed.

Cast

Japanese Cast

  • Ikue Ohtani as Pikachu
  • Rika Matsumoto as Satoshi
  • Inuko Inuyama as Nyarth
  • Mayumi Iizuka as Kasumi
  • Megumi Hayashibara as Musashi
  • Shinichiro Miki as Kojiro
  • Satomi Koorogi as Togepi
  • Tomokazu Seki as Kenji
  • Unshou Ishiduka as Okido-Hakase
  • Yuji Ueda as Takeshi
  • Yuko Kobayashi as Shigeru
  • Takehito Koyasu as Kosaburo
  • Unshou Ishiduka as Narrator

English Cast

Additional Voices

See also

  1. ^ "Cartoon Network Acquires Pokémon Series for June 3 Premiere". Toon Zone. 2006-05-16. Retrieved 2006-05-16. {{cite web}}: |first= missing |last= (help); Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameters: |accessyear= and |coauthors= (help)
  • Dogasu's Backpack Dogasu does original to English dub comparisons. Out of the Pokémon Chronicles episodes, 1-21 are finished.
  • Bulbagarden Forums 1 2 3 - Initial reactions to the localization of The Legend of Thunder on one Pokémon-themed forum.
  • Serebii.net Long descriptions and pictures for each episode.
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