Pokémon, I Choose You!
Encyclopedia
is the first episode of the first season of the Pokémon
anime
series. It was first broadcast in Japan
on April 1, 1997 and was first broadcast in the United States
on September 8, 1998.
In the episode, Ash Ketchum
gets his Pokémon
journey off to a rough start when he receives his first Pokémon, the reluctant Pikachu
. After many failed attempts at capturing some Pokémon, Ash throws a rock at a Spearow, which gets angry and starts attacking Ash and Pikachu. Soon, an entire flock of Spearow start chasing them, and Pikachu is the only one who is able to step in and stop the flock.
Nintendo
, which publishes the Pokémon video games, asked for changes to be made to the English adaption of the episode. Some graphic sequences involving punching were taken out, including one where Misty
slaps Ash on the cheek. The script was translated by Paul Taylor. Veronica Taylor
, who provided the voice of Ash in this episode, said she enjoyed the script and recording Ash's lines.
Since airing, the episode has received mixed reviews from television critics. Andrew Wood of The Plain Dealer thought the episode stayed true to the games, but criticized it for focusing too much on the character Ash. A children's book adaption of "Pokémon, I Choose You!" was released in July 1999, and the episode was released on Game Boy Advance Video
in 2004.
As Ash drags Pikachu, he hopes that they can be friends, but Pikachu acts aloof and openly shows his distrust of Ash. Just then, a Pidgey flies by and Ash unsuccessfully tries to catch it by throwing his Poké Ball. Ash uses his Pokédex and finds out that in order to catch a Pokémon, a trainer must first weaken it. With Pikachu being uncooperative, Ash tries to fight the Pidgey, but is easily beaten. Frustrated, Ash throws a rock at what he believes is the Pidgey. However, it turns out to be a Spearow, which starts attacking Pikachu and Ash. Pikachu shocks Spearow, and in the process alerts a whole flock. Ash grabs Pikachu and dives down a waterfall in order to escape from the flock of Spearow. They are fished out by a young girl named Misty
, who tells Ash to take the injured Pikachu to a Pokémon Center in Viridian City. Ash and Misty spot Spearow and Ash escapes with Pikachu by "borrowing" Misty's bike.
When the Spearow flock find Ash and Pikachu on the way to Viridian City, Ash risks his life by protecting Pikachu from the attacking Spearow. Pikachu, after seeing how much Ash cares for it, performs a powerful Thunder attack which drives the Spearow away and destroys Misty's bike. After the battle, Ash carries Pikachu into Viridian City, and Pikachu licks Ash's cheek to signify the new bond they share as good friends. As the rain-clouds part, a mysterious golden bird flies over the rainbow.
to be made and aired in Japan. The episode was written by Shoji Yonemura
, and directed by Masamitsu Hidaka. When the production staff started on the anime, they wanted a specific character to focus on. They chose Pikachu because it was relatively popular compared with the other Pokémon and the staff thought that "potentially both boys and girls would like it". The episode was animated by Shogakukan
in Japan, and it was aimed at elementary school students.
revealed that they were planning on producing the anime in the United States, the episode "Dennō Senshi Porygon" caused controversy when it aired in Japan on December 16, 1997. In the episode, there was a scene with a huge explosion that flashed red and blue lights. At this point, viewers started to complain of blurred vision, headaches, dizziness, seizures, blindness
, and lost consciousness. A total of 685 viewers were taken to hospitals by ambulances. Alfred R. Kahn, chief executive of 4Kids Entertainment, announced on January 1, 1998, that the anime would be edited for the American market. Many American parents worried about the safety of their children now that the anime would air in the United States, but Kahn said: "We're confident it won't be a problem. [...] We've taken the problem seriously and fixed it."
Nintendo asked for changes to be made to the original Japanese show in the English adaption. "We tried not to have violence or sexual discrimination or religious scenes in the United States," said Masakazu Kubo, executive producer of Shogakukan. Some graphic sequences involving punching were taken out, including one from "Pokémon, I Choose You!" where Misty slaps Ash on the cheek. The names of the characters and monsters were Westernized: Satoshi became Ash, and Shigeru became Gary, and the Pokémon were given descriptive names. For example, of the three starter Pokémon, Hitokage, a salamander with a ball of fire on its tail, became Charmander
; Fushigidane, a dinosaur with a green garlic bulb on its back, became Bulbasaur
; and Zenigame, a turtle who squirts water, became Squirtle
.
, who provided the voice of Ash in this episode and all episodes from season one to eight, said that recording Ash's lines for the episode was "really great" for her. "Playing a 10-year-old boy with that energy and excitement, and the battles that he's in, and his low, husky voice was really terrific," she said.
Taylor explained the process of recording an episode in an interview with Animerica Magazine; first, the script is translated from Japanese into English, it is then adapted to fit the lip flap (movement of the mouth). Taylor said that she is the only one in the recording booth when she works, as they record each voice separately throughout each episode. Taylor added that she is often the first one to record so she has to imagine how the previous line would be said. "Luckily, I work with a great director who helps with the interpretation of the line, matching of the lip flap, and consistency of the voice," she said.
believed the best moment of the episode to be the Pokémon battle on television at the beginning, stating that "the Pokémon battle side-to-side in black and white. Their movements are slow and appear to be turn-based. It emulates the game perfectly, then quickly transforms into a more realistic, full-color battle. Few game-based anime series incorporate the game elements so well." X-Entertainment considered the best part of the episode to be the moment when Ash spots the mysterious Ho-Oh, a Pokémon whose data was not included in the Pokédex.
Nintendo announced on September 24, 2004, that two Game Boy Advance Video
cartridges, featuring "classic" episodes from the early days of the Pokémon series, would hit stores on September 27 that year. The Pokémon episodes were packaged in two separate packs containing two episodes each, and the four episodes available were "Pokémon, I Choose You!", "Here Comes the Squirtle Squad", "Beach Blank-Out Blastoise", and "Go West Young Meowth", all from season one.
Pokémon (anime)
, abbreviated from , is a children's TV anime series, which has since been adapted for the North and South American, Australian and European television markets...
anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
series. It was first broadcast in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
on April 1, 1997 and was first broadcast in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on September 8, 1998.
In the episode, Ash Ketchum
Ash Ketchum
Ash Ketchum, known as for all appearances in Japan, is a fictional character in the Pokémon franchise owned by Nintendo. He was created by, and named after, Satoshi Tajiri as the protagonist of the anime and manga series, as well as on various merchandise related to the franchise...
gets his Pokémon
Pokémon
is a media franchise published and owned by the video game company Nintendo and created by Satoshi Tajiri in 1996. Originally released as a pair of interlinkable Game Boy role-playing video games developed by Game Freak, Pokémon has since become the second most successful and lucrative video...
journey off to a rough start when he receives his first Pokémon, the reluctant Pikachu
Pikachu
is one of the species of Pokémon creatures from the Pokémon media franchise—a collection of video games, anime, manga, books, trading cards, and other media created by Satoshi Tajiri. As do all Pokémon, Pikachu fight other Pokémon in battles central to the anime, manga, and games of the series...
. After many failed attempts at capturing some Pokémon, Ash throws a rock at a Spearow, which gets angry and starts attacking Ash and Pikachu. Soon, an entire flock of Spearow start chasing them, and Pikachu is the only one who is able to step in and stop the flock.
Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
, which publishes the Pokémon video games, asked for changes to be made to the English adaption of the episode. Some graphic sequences involving punching were taken out, including one where Misty
Misty (Pokémon)
Misty, known as in Japanese versions, is a fictional character in the Pokémon franchise. She has appeared as a Gym Leader in the Pokémon video games, several seasons of the Pokémon anime, The Electric Tale of Pikachu manga, the Ash & Pikachu manga, toys, books, and other media.-Design:Misty's...
slaps Ash on the cheek. The script was translated by Paul Taylor. Veronica Taylor
Veronica Taylor
Veronica Taylor is an American voice actress. Taylor is best known for her dubbing work in English-language anime adaptations, in particular for voicing Ash Ketchum in the English dub of the Japanese anime, Pokémon....
, who provided the voice of Ash in this episode, said she enjoyed the script and recording Ash's lines.
Since airing, the episode has received mixed reviews from television critics. Andrew Wood of The Plain Dealer thought the episode stayed true to the games, but criticized it for focusing too much on the character Ash. A children's book adaption of "Pokémon, I Choose You!" was released in July 1999, and the episode was released on Game Boy Advance Video
Game Boy Advance Video
Game Boy Advance Video is a format for putting video onto Game Boy Advance cartridges. The video is played using the game system's screen and sound hardware. These video cartridges are from Majesco Sales, but the Pokémon video cartridges were published by Nintendo. The video cartridges are colored...
in 2004.
Plot
Ash Ketchum is about to receive his very first Pokémon from Professor Oak. At the age of ten, boys and girls like Ash can get the license to become Pokémon trainers. On the day he is supposed to get his first Pokémon, Ash realizes that he has overslept and runs in his pajamas to Professor Oak's laboratory. When Ash enters to take his Pokémon, he finds that all three starter Pokémon have already been taken. Ash pleads for one and Oak replies that he has one, but there is a problem with it. Ash does not care and takes the Pokémon, which turns out to be the electric-type Pokémon Pikachu. Ash thinks that it is cute, but it gives him a shock when he picks it up. Oak gives Ash a Pokédex and six Poké Balls, and he heads out on his journey to become the greatest Pokémon trainer of all time.As Ash drags Pikachu, he hopes that they can be friends, but Pikachu acts aloof and openly shows his distrust of Ash. Just then, a Pidgey flies by and Ash unsuccessfully tries to catch it by throwing his Poké Ball. Ash uses his Pokédex and finds out that in order to catch a Pokémon, a trainer must first weaken it. With Pikachu being uncooperative, Ash tries to fight the Pidgey, but is easily beaten. Frustrated, Ash throws a rock at what he believes is the Pidgey. However, it turns out to be a Spearow, which starts attacking Pikachu and Ash. Pikachu shocks Spearow, and in the process alerts a whole flock. Ash grabs Pikachu and dives down a waterfall in order to escape from the flock of Spearow. They are fished out by a young girl named Misty
Misty (Pokémon)
Misty, known as in Japanese versions, is a fictional character in the Pokémon franchise. She has appeared as a Gym Leader in the Pokémon video games, several seasons of the Pokémon anime, The Electric Tale of Pikachu manga, the Ash & Pikachu manga, toys, books, and other media.-Design:Misty's...
, who tells Ash to take the injured Pikachu to a Pokémon Center in Viridian City. Ash and Misty spot Spearow and Ash escapes with Pikachu by "borrowing" Misty's bike.
When the Spearow flock find Ash and Pikachu on the way to Viridian City, Ash risks his life by protecting Pikachu from the attacking Spearow. Pikachu, after seeing how much Ash cares for it, performs a powerful Thunder attack which drives the Spearow away and destroys Misty's bike. After the battle, Ash carries Pikachu into Viridian City, and Pikachu licks Ash's cheek to signify the new bond they share as good friends. As the rain-clouds part, a mysterious golden bird flies over the rainbow.
Production
"Pokémon, I Choose You!" was the first episode of the Pokémon animePokémon (anime)
, abbreviated from , is a children's TV anime series, which has since been adapted for the North and South American, Australian and European television markets...
to be made and aired in Japan. The episode was written by Shoji Yonemura
Shoji Yonemura
is a Japanese writer who has done work for various anime and tokusatsu television shows and films. He is originally from Fukuoka Prefecture, Kyushu Island, Japan.-Biography:...
, and directed by Masamitsu Hidaka. When the production staff started on the anime, they wanted a specific character to focus on. They chose Pikachu because it was relatively popular compared with the other Pokémon and the staff thought that "potentially both boys and girls would like it". The episode was animated by Shogakukan
Shogakukan
is a Japanese publisher of dictionaries, literature, manga, non-fiction, DVDs, and other media in Japan.Shogakukan founded Shueisha which founded Hakusensha. These are three separate companies, but are together called the Hitotsubashi Group, one of the largest publishing groups in Japan...
in Japan, and it was aimed at elementary school students.
English adaption
Just before 4Kids Entertainment4Kids Entertainment
4Kids Entertainment is an American film and television production company in bankruptcy since April 2011. It is known for English-dubbing Japanese anime and specializing in the acquisition, production and licensing of children's entertainment around the United States...
revealed that they were planning on producing the anime in the United States, the episode "Dennō Senshi Porygon" caused controversy when it aired in Japan on December 16, 1997. In the episode, there was a scene with a huge explosion that flashed red and blue lights. At this point, viewers started to complain of blurred vision, headaches, dizziness, seizures, blindness
Blindness
Blindness is the condition of lacking visual perception due to physiological or neurological factors.Various scales have been developed to describe the extent of vision loss and define blindness...
, and lost consciousness. A total of 685 viewers were taken to hospitals by ambulances. Alfred R. Kahn, chief executive of 4Kids Entertainment, announced on January 1, 1998, that the anime would be edited for the American market. Many American parents worried about the safety of their children now that the anime would air in the United States, but Kahn said: "We're confident it won't be a problem. [...] We've taken the problem seriously and fixed it."
Nintendo asked for changes to be made to the original Japanese show in the English adaption. "We tried not to have violence or sexual discrimination or religious scenes in the United States," said Masakazu Kubo, executive producer of Shogakukan. Some graphic sequences involving punching were taken out, including one from "Pokémon, I Choose You!" where Misty slaps Ash on the cheek. The names of the characters and monsters were Westernized: Satoshi became Ash, and Shigeru became Gary, and the Pokémon were given descriptive names. For example, of the three starter Pokémon, Hitokage, a salamander with a ball of fire on its tail, became Charmander
Charmander
Charmander, known as in Japan, is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon franchise. Created by Ken Sugimori, Charmander first appeared in the video games Pokémon Red and Blue and subsequent sequels, later appearing in various merchandise, spinoff titles and animated and printed...
; Fushigidane, a dinosaur with a green garlic bulb on its back, became Bulbasaur
Bulbasaur
Bulbasaur, known as in Japan, is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon franchise. Designed by Ken Sugimori, their name is a combination of the words "bulb" and "dinosaur." First appearing in Pokémon Red and Blue as a Starter Pokémon, they later appeared in subsequent sequels,...
; and Zenigame, a turtle who squirts water, became Squirtle
Squirtle
Squirtle, known as in Japan, is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon franchise. It was originally conceived by Game Freak's character development team and finalized by Ken Sugimori...
.
Voice acting
Veronica TaylorVeronica Taylor
Veronica Taylor is an American voice actress. Taylor is best known for her dubbing work in English-language anime adaptations, in particular for voicing Ash Ketchum in the English dub of the Japanese anime, Pokémon....
, who provided the voice of Ash in this episode and all episodes from season one to eight, said that recording Ash's lines for the episode was "really great" for her. "Playing a 10-year-old boy with that energy and excitement, and the battles that he's in, and his low, husky voice was really terrific," she said.
Taylor explained the process of recording an episode in an interview with Animerica Magazine; first, the script is translated from Japanese into English, it is then adapted to fit the lip flap (movement of the mouth). Taylor said that she is the only one in the recording booth when she works, as they record each voice separately throughout each episode. Taylor added that she is often the first one to record so she has to imagine how the previous line would be said. "Luckily, I work with a great director who helps with the interpretation of the line, matching of the lip flap, and consistency of the voice," she said.
Reception
The episode first aired in the United States on September 8, 1998. Since then, it has received both positive and negative reviews from television critics. Andrew Wood of The Plain Dealer had mixed feelings for the episode, stating the episode did a good job of setting up the world of Pokémon, and that it was faithful to the game. However, Wood thought it was "apparent" in this episode that without a traveling partner, "Ash just isn't all that interesting". Andrew Tei of Mania.com said that "one great thing about listening to early dubs is how the voice actors haven't completely gotten into their roles yet. Ash's and James' voices are much deeper than where they end up at." Louis Bedigian of GameZoneGameZone
GameZone is an American multiplatform video game website. GameZone's daily coverage includes reviews, previews, news, hints & cheats, and editorials. Additionally, GameZone offers downloads, a child-targeted website and in association with GameStop, hosts GZGameShop, an online retailer...
believed the best moment of the episode to be the Pokémon battle on television at the beginning, stating that "the Pokémon battle side-to-side in black and white. Their movements are slow and appear to be turn-based. It emulates the game perfectly, then quickly transforms into a more realistic, full-color battle. Few game-based anime series incorporate the game elements so well." X-Entertainment considered the best part of the episode to be the moment when Ash spots the mysterious Ho-Oh, a Pokémon whose data was not included in the Pokédex.
Book adaption and re-releases
A children's book adaption of the episode was released in July 1999. It was published by Scholastic Corporation and written by Tracey West. The episode was released on Video Home System (VHS) and Digital Video Disc (DVD) on November 24, 1998, and December 13, 1998, respectively.Nintendo announced on September 24, 2004, that two Game Boy Advance Video
Game Boy Advance Video
Game Boy Advance Video is a format for putting video onto Game Boy Advance cartridges. The video is played using the game system's screen and sound hardware. These video cartridges are from Majesco Sales, but the Pokémon video cartridges were published by Nintendo. The video cartridges are colored...
cartridges, featuring "classic" episodes from the early days of the Pokémon series, would hit stores on September 27 that year. The Pokémon episodes were packaged in two separate packs containing two episodes each, and the four episodes available were "Pokémon, I Choose You!", "Here Comes the Squirtle Squad", "Beach Blank-Out Blastoise", and "Go West Young Meowth", all from season one.
External links
- "Pokémon, I Choose You!" at TV.comTV.comTV.com is a website owned by CBS Interactive. The site covers television and focuses on English-language shows made or broadcast in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Japan...
- "Pokémon, I Choose You!" at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...