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07 Jul 2019 01:32 AM
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A new news article has been posted!
The official Pokémon movie website has updated. Translations follow:

A Report from the Pre-Premiere


The movie's pre-premiere was held in Tokyo Sunday June 30th.
Sachiko Kobayashi, Koichi Yamadera, Rica Matsumoto, Director Kunihiko Yuyama, Director Motonori Sakakibara, Shoko Nakagawa and the Pokémon Kids 2019 were all present on the stage.
And so were Mewtwo and Pikachu.



Director Yuyama started off by greeting the audience:
"All the Pokémon movies we've made so far has been in 2D, so I'm looking forward to seeing how this first full 3DCG movie will be received. Since "Mewtwo Strikes Back" was the first ever Pokémon movie we made, 21 years ago, it serves as somewhat of a nucleus of the entire Pokémon anime, so I'm looking forward to learning what kind of thoughts both those that watched it 21 years ago and those that are now watching it for the first time have on it."
When he was asked what he felt as he was directing this year's movie,
he replied "I wanted us to go back to where it all began and make it so that even more people would watch this movie."



Next, Director Sakakibara commented
"This year's movie is in 3DCG, which is why I get to be part of a Pokémon movie for the first time. 21 years ago, when the original movie premiered, I was there in the audience. That movie was a huge hit in America, and I wished I could make a movie like that some day. I'm really happy to be given that chance with this movie."
Sakakibara has been active on the forefront of Hollywood for many years,
and when he was asked what it was like to try making the first ever 3DCG Pokémon movie, he had the following to say:
"There were a lot of challenges involved, but the one that was on my mind the most was how to recreate the atmosphere, these anime characters that truly represent Japan, in 3D. There were all these things we had to consider in regards to the characters' design, like how we should interpret those bits on Satoshi's cheeks that turn into Zs, though in the end we came to the conclusion that if we kept their designs true to their original ones they'd turn out fine. I hope you'll pay attention to them as you watch the movie."



Rica Matsumoto, who plays Satoshi, then greeted the audience with an energetic
"All right, everyone, here I go! ...I got a Pokémon!"!
She continued: "I'm extremely happy that this 21 year old movie could be reborn in 3DCG and brought to you guys, and that I got to be part of it as Satoshi! I'm really moved by it all."
She was then asked what she felt when she first saw Satoshi, who you could call her alter ego, in 3DCG for the first time, to which she replied
"I thought his teeth were really nice. I was also really surprised at how realistic the material his hat is made of looked."
"The visuals were so overwhelming I started crying just 3 seconds in", she continued. "I am confident that this is a movie that will stick around for both 100 and 200 years in the future, so please look forward to it, everyone."



Sachiko Kobayashi, who plays Voyager, the woman managing the wharf, was next:
"I played Voyager 21 years ago, and I'm playing Voyager this year as well. When we were dubbing the movie, I said "(uses a cute high-pitched voice) I'm Voyager!" in what I thought sounded like a much younger voice that resembled the one I had 21 years ago, and the director just went "You can talk like the present Kobayashi-san" (laughs). This really ended up being a wonderful movie. Please enjoy it,"
she said, giving a greeting that included a behind-the-scenes story from the dubbing session which drew laughter from the audience.



Koichi Yamadera, who is in his 22nd Pokémon movie in a row this year, and who is reprising his role as Mew this time, punned
"I get to be in these movies every year, but when I see the smiles on your faces, it makes me really happy to be here with you-kata!", standing there in his yukata. And when he heard the children in the audience cheer, he greeted them with "It's been a while, but... Kyo mo genki ni, O-HA!"
He then continued: "Pokémon made it so that I got to host a TV show called Oha Suta, and that changed my life a lot. Not too long after that show started, "Mewtwo Strikes Back" happened, and while I got to play the role of Mew back then as well, I was also promoting the movie on Oha Suta at the same time. That movie was such a big hit all over the world it became a social phenomenon, and the fact that I was right there constantly seeing how the movie made such a massive impression on everyone that saw it makes me really happy to be able to play Mew here in "Mewtwo Strikes Back Evolution". I was a bit worried that I wouldn't be able to do the high voice, but I did my best, so please forget what I look like (laughs) and watch the movie!"



Shoko Nakagawa and all the Pokémon Kids 2019 then came onto the stage and joined Sachiko Kobayashi in a performance of "Kaze to issho ni".





Matsumoto, who had been listening to the performance, shared her thoughts on it, saying "I got really moved, remembering how happy I and my fellow voice actors got 21 years ago, when it was decided there was going to be a Pokémon movie.", with Yamadera commenting "You're trying to hold back your tears with all your might."

Kobayashi then shared a story from the "Kaze to issho ni" events she's currently doing with Nakagawa:
"I've seen mothers, holding their children, singing along with this song without any lyric sheets or anything. And...", she said to Nakagawa,
who continued, going "...and there's been adult men crying loudly as they remembered their childhood. Their eyes were all using Hydro Pump."
When she was asked what it was like to sing this song, Nakagawa replied "I got the feels! So so many feels!"
She then continued: "This song is full of precious memories for me. To sing it as an adult together with the Pokémon Kids 2019, as well as having it live on like this, expanding its popularity, working with Pokémon to make people smile... it really is a wonderful start to the Reiwa era.



The moderator then asked everyone "Pokémon Trainers set off on their journey when they are 10. What did you do when you were 10?"
Here is what they replied:
Kobayashi: "I sang "Usotsuki kamome" at the Tokyo Olympics."
Matsumoto: "I wasn't all that different from Satoshi. I was a girl with a similarly strong sense of justice as the one he has."
Yamadera: "I loved doing impressions, and was imitating all kinds of animals."
Nakagawa: "That was the year before the Pokémon games were released, so we were still in the Pre-Pokémon Era, but I loved video games, I loved drawing, I was friends with cats, and now I've become an adult that hasn't changed one bit in that regard."

Finally, the stage greetings ended with Director Yuyama saying "I think this is a movie that condenses everything Pokémon has been so far, so I hope you enjoy it."

"Mewtwo Strikes Back Evolution" finally premieres next week, Friday July 12th!
Make sure to come watch it, okay?

Source: https://www.pokemon-movie.jp/news/?p=3735