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Media Factory and Pikachu Records have announced some new Pocket Monsters Anime products that will be going on sale in Japan later this year. Can You Say the Pokémon? BW (ポケモン言えるかな? BW), the current Best Wishes ending sung by Takeshi Tsuruno (つるの剛士) will be released on CD on June 22, 2011. It's retail price is 1,155yen and its catalog number is ZMCP-7132. The CD will also come with 3 special Pokémon cards: Yanakkie (ヤナッキー), Baokkie (バオッキー) Hiyakkie (ヒヤッキー). The CD has been added to the database.

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Also announced was a DVD for last years ANA short Pocket Monsters Diamond&Pearl Pikachu's Really Mysterious Adventure (ポケットモンスター ダイヤモンド・パール ピカチュウのふしぎなふしぎな大冒険). The DVD will also come with the Diamond&Pearl Hikari special Hikari Sets Off Anew! (ヒカリ・新たなる旅立ち!) that aired in February. The DVD will be released in Japan on July 16th, 2011 for 2,250yen. It's catalog number is ZMBS-6088. The DVD has been added to the database.

Source: http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/
The American International Toy Fair 2011 is being held this week at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City from February 13th to February 16th, 2011. JAKKS Pacific revealed their Pokémon toy line up for 2011 at the show. Their full press release is posted below. asmzine.com also posted pictures of the JAKKS Pacific booth and they have been added to our Imageboard archive.

Pokémon also had an official booth where they showcased the upcoming Pokémon Black and White games as well as related merchandise. Revealed at that booth was the box art for the English dub DVD of the 13th movie Zoroark: Master of Illusions. Kotaku posted a video of the official booth at the Toy Fair on YouTube.

DVD

JAKKS Pacific Press Release

Pokémon™, one of the top kids’ entertainment brands over the past decade, is set to have a blockbuster year in 2011. To coincide with the launch of the much-anticipated Pokémon Black Version and Pokémon White Version video games for the Nintendo DS™ family of systems and the new TV animation series, Pokémon: Black & White, JAKKS Pacific, Inc. (Nasdaq: JAKK) is set to introduce a brand new toy line aimed to bring to life the experience of a Pokémon Trainer: to catch, train and battle Pokémon in the quest to becoming a Pokémon Champion.

The comprehensive and innovative new toy line from JAKKS is slated to include an all new Skill & Action line of toys for older kids, which allows them to “Catch,” “Train,” & “Battle” their Pokémon in unique, interactive and competitive toy-based experiences. JAKKS will also launch new figures and plush featuring all new Pokémon characters, playsets that emulate the new Unova region, and “Trainer” role play items inspired by the TV series.

The JAKKS™ Pokémon toy line, which is expected to hit retailers in May 2011, is based on three core ways kids want to play Pokémon: Skill & Action Play, Action Figure Play and Trainer Role Play.

Skill & Action Play! One of the featured products in this line is the innovative new Pokémon Pop ‘N Battle Launcher and Target (SRP $9.99). The Poké Ball Launcher pops open and reveals a 1” figure on a sliding base. Kids can then launch this figure into battle across the table towards an attack target. If a successful attack is launched, the unique target will then snap closed on the figure. The side of the attack target that lands face up then determines the strength and effectiveness of each attack and ties into a larger game play experience. The Pokémon Pop ‘N Battle Rivalry Pack (SRP $19.99) sets the stage for a 2-person battle and includes 2 Pop ‘N Battle Launchers, 2 Attack Targets and 2 Figures. It also includes a bonus of 2 Battle Clips for on-the-go play and 2 Battle Meters to track the competition against your friends. The Pokémon Catcher (SRP $12.99) allows kids to catch Pokémon using a unique, retractable Poké Ball that captures Pokémon micro figures and allows them to play out what a Pokémon trainer would do. It comes with 3 micro figures and also a special base that allows the figures to work with the Pop ‘N Battle Launcher line.

Action Figure Play! Products in this line include Pokémon 3” Figures (SRP $5.99); Pokémon 5”-7” Deluxe Figures (SRP $12.99); Pokémon 3” Attack Figures (SRP $7.99) which come with a shooting attack base that brings to life the attack of that Pokémon type (e.g. Electric, Grass, Water) and can shoot attack disks over 6 feet; and the Pokémon City Battle Playset (SRP $19.99) which is inspired by the new Unova region from Pokémon Black Version and Pokémon White Version and sets up a Pokémon battle in the city. This includes an Attack Figure with base and 4 shooting disks as well as a unique motorized target base that works with all 3” figures. Figures pop off the target base when kids successfully aim and shoot their attack disks at the target.

Trainer Role Play! Products in the line include Pokémon 5” Mini Plush (SRP $6.99); Pokémon 7”-8” Reversible Plush (SRP $ 12.99) that transforms from a Poké Ball into a Pokémon; Pokémon Throw Poké Ball (SRP $10.99) with a mini Pokémon plush inside that launches out to battle when released by the Trainer; and the Pokémon Soft Poké Ball (SRP $1.99) featuring all the different types of Poké Balls. Ages 5+

Pokémon Black Version and Pokémon White Version launches in the U.S. on March 6 as one of the most anticipated video game releases of the year, introducing players to a brand-new world with more than 150 never-before-seen Pokémon featured in an all new adventure. The games’ release in Japan last September shattered all existing sales records in the country, making them the fastest-selling Nintendo DS games in history with 5 million copies sold to date (Famitsu, Jan. 2011). The toy line release will coincide with a new animated series and feature film on Cartoon Network, and trading card game expansion, Pokémon TCG: Black & White.

Sources: Kotaku and JAKKS Pacific
picThe long awaited Arceus and the Jewel of Life DVD will finally be released in North America on February 1st, 2011, a few days before the 13th movie airs on Cartoon Network. Also released that day will be the manga adaption of the movie. Below is the press release.

Press Release

San Francisco, CA, January 12, 2011 – Viz Media, LLC (Viz Media), one of the entertainment industry's most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, is proud to announce the release of POKÉMON™: ARCEUS AND THE JEWEL OF LIFE on DVD and in a manga adaption on February 1st (both under the VIZ Kids imprint). The feature film DVD is rated ‘A’ for All Ages with a MSRP of $19.97 U.S. / $28.99 CAN; the manga adaptation is rated ‘A’ for All Ages, with a MSRP of $7.99 U.S. / $9.99 CAN.

Long ago, Arceus created the Jewel of Life from fragments of its awesome power. Humans used the Jewel of Life to turn Michina Town from a barren wasteland to a lush and thriving city. But when it was time for the Jewel of Life to be returned, Arceus was betrayed, and vowed to one day get revenge.

Now Arceus has returned– enraged, vengeful, and seemingly unstoppable! Not even the combined might of Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina can stop Arceus from devastating the land.

But there's hope. Ash, Pikachu and their new friend Sheena may have discovered the only way to make things right. Their journey will be both dangerous and uncertain: will there be time to return the Jewel of Life before Arceus enacts vengeance on the world

“POKÉMON is a timeless favorite that continues to capture the imagination of fans of all ages,” says Brian Ige, Senior Director, Animation. “This latest adventure concludes the struggle between Dialga, Palkia and Giratina for the balance between time, space, and beyond. With a dynamic blend of action, emotional themes, new characters and familiar faces, POKÉMON: ARCEUS AND THE JEWEL OF LIFE movie and manga are sure to become hits!”

For more information on POKÉMON: ARCEUS AND THE JEWEL OF LIFE, please visit www.PokemonArceus.com. For more information on Viz Media's POKÉMON manga and anime titles, please visit www.VIZ.com/Pokemon/.
This article intends to evaluate the visual properties of Pocket Monsters movie 13 DVD. Content such as story, extras and other non-technical elements will not be discussed in this document. For episode specific information, the episode guide entry for this movie provides more detail on the non-technical aspects of the movie. Below are the basic stats of the reviewed retail DVD from the DVD databases entry for this movie.

DVD Information
Main DVD Image
Title 劇場版ポケットモンスター ダイヤモンド・パール 幻影の覇者ゾロアーク
English: Theatrical Edition Pocket Monsters Diamond and Pearl The Ruler of Illusions Zoroark
Audio Track(s) Japanese
Publisher Media Factory / ShoPro
Catalog # ZMBS-6060
Release Date 2010-12-17
Release Lang Japanese
Aspect Ratio 16:9
Region Code Region 2
Video Format NTSC
DVD Size DVD9
Closed Caption? Yes
Rental Only? No
DVD DB Entry: Click here


Interlacing

No interlace artifacts were observed throughout the movie.

Frame fill

Unfortunately not the entire usable video area is covered by the film transfer. There are black borders around at least two edges and an edge enhancement artifact is visible on the right. While this is not visible on most CRT TVs, it may frustrate PC viewers or those who prefer the to disable overscan on their flat screen televisions or projectors.

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DVD vs HD TV trailer. While the HD trailer has a narrow black bar on the right, it also shows that a slight cropping on the DVD would have avoided the top/bottom black bars.

Encoder Performance / Transfer Quality

Video bitrate is very high throughout the entire feature. Scene changes and high-motion scenes do not exhibit visible block artifacts. Most dark scenes have visible banding which become especially visible whenever a fade in involved. Brightness levels are balanced, none of the scenes show signs of over/underexposure.

Bitrate Distribution

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Edge Enhancement

The film transfer is plagued by the ever popular edge enhancement. While this video filter is intended to enhance viewing experience, it merely tricks the viewer’s eyes into seeing an image that appears sharper while actually certain image details are lost in the process. This technology also introduces ringing artifacts around contour lines. The movie being animation makes this effect a lot more pronounced. The effect is literally present on every single scene, resulting in a rather unpleasant viewing experience, especially on a large display/screen.
A comprehensive explanation here.

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The left picture is taken from the DVD and magnified so the ringing artifacts become more visible on a PC monitor. The picture on the right is taken from a HD TV trailer, downscaled to DVD resolution, then magnified again for easier viewing. This is how the DVD would look like if edge enhancement was not applied.

Red Shift / Color Accuracy

The disc also exhibits a red shift which is intended to compensate white balance for certain Japanese TV sets which have a very high white point of 9300 Kelvin (the industry standard white point for DVDs and television broadcasts is 6500 K). While this red shift will make the movie appear warmer or more cinema-like on these legacy sets, the red tone is apparent on all other modern displays, further discomforting the viewer. This also impacts how colors are reproduced upon playback: reds are overblown and white surfaces appear reddish.

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The picture on the left is straight from the DVD, while the picture on the right was taken from a HD TV trailer. Note the red shift is not present on the HD trailer.

Conclusion

A good transfer, ruined. This is how this DVD release could be characterized. While it seems the involved company possesses the technology to produce a decent film transfer, the disc is simply ruined by the application of edge enhancement and red shift.

Future Outlook

The recent boom of flat screen displays demands movies to be released on high definition media, such as Blu-Ray. The publisher (Shogakugan) has currently no intentions to release anything in this format, so the chance to get Pocket Monsters movies in high definition is bleak.

Equipment Used

Dune HDI Smart B1 multimedia terminal with internal Blu-Ray drive set to 24fps@1080p, with deinterlacing disabled.
Panasonic TX-P50V20E plasma display on ‘Professional 1’ setting, sharpening turned all the way down, overscan disabled.
ThumbnailThe newest Pocket Monsters anime series Best Wishes has been announced in Taiwan and it will begin airing in 2011. The official Pokémon Taiwanese site announced the series on December 24th and it will keep the 'Best Wishes' title that the Japanese original includes but also localizes it to Chāojí Yuànwàng (超級願望).

Also announced earlier in the month was the latest Diamond and Pearl DVD set, Pocket Monsters Diamond and Pearl III Suite (神奇寶貝鑽石與珍珠套裝BOX-III) and it picks up where the last set left off at DP106 and includes the episodes up to DP132. Like the previous sets, the DVD's are dual audio containing the original Japanese audio and a Mandarin Chinese track.

Source: http://www.my-cartoon.com.tw/pokemon/bw/
The Ruler of Illusions Zoroark (幻影の覇者 ゾロアーク) had the 10th highest box office sales in Japan for 2010. It grossed 4.16 billion yen (approx $51 million USD) in theaters across Japan. It debuted in second place in Japanese theaters during its first weekend of release as it was up against Toy Story 3 which also came out the same week. The DVD for the 13th Pocket Monsters movie, which was released last week in Japan, was 12th in overall animated DVD sales for its first week of sales with less than 10000 units sold.

Avatar had the highest grossing box office totals amassing 15.5 billion yen, followed by Alice in Wonderland and Toy Story 3. Movie 13 though was the 5th highest Japanese domestic film as The Borrowers (借りぐらしのアリエッティ) directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi was the highest domestic grossing film.

Sources: http://movie.goo.ne.jp/special/ranking/boxoffice.html & http://www.oricon.co.jp/
ThumbnailThe final Pocket Monsters Diamond and Pearl Movie, which was released in theaters in Japan on July 10th, 2010, has been announced for release on DVD. The Theatrical Edition Pocket Monsters Diamond and Pearl The Ruler of Illusions Zoroark (劇場版ポケットモンスター ダイヤモンド・パール 幻影の覇者ゾロアーク) DVD will be released in Japan on December 17th, 2010 for the manufactures suggested retail price of 4,179yen. The DVD will also include the following special features:

  • Creditless Opening and Ending (ノンテロップ版オープニング&エンディング映像)
  • Illustration Pictures (イラスト設定資料集)
  • Sketchbook Pictures (アイディアスケッチ集)
  • Visual Image Gallery (イメージ ビジュアル ギャラリー)
  • Pikachu the Movie 2010 Trailers/Notices (ピカチュウ・ザ・ムービー2010 予告編集)

The DVD has been added to the Database. There you can find information about Pokémon DVD's from around the world.

Best Wishes / Fanfare of the Heart CD

Also announced was a CD with the opening and ending themes from the upcoming anime series Best Wishes. [cd=206]TV Anime Pocket Monsters Best Wishes New Opening Theme 'Best Wishes!' / New Ending Theme 'Fanfare of the Heart' (TVアニメポケットモンスター ベストウィッシュ 「ベストウィッシュ!」/「心のファンファーレ」)[/cd] will be released on November 24th, 2010 for the manufactures suggested retail price of 1365yen. The CD will also include background tracks from the series.

The CD has been added to the Database. It will be updated as more information becomes available.

Sources: http://www.amazon.co.jp/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00436H7VM/ and http://www.mediafactory.co.jp/pokemovie_2010/
Media Factory has announced a new Pocket Monsters DVD which follows the story of Galaxy Gang throughout the Sinnoh Region. Pocket Monsters DP Decisive Battle! Galaxy Gang!! ~Sinnoh Space-Time Legend Concluding Volume~ will be released in Japan on August 25th, 2010 for 2500yen. It is unknown how many DVD's this will be but considering the number of episodes, its most likely to be multiple disks. The set will include 9 Diamond and Pearl episodes as well as 8 Non-Subtitled opening and endings.

The DVD has been added to the database. There you can find information about Pokémon DVD's from around the world. Below is the list of episodes that will be in the set.

Episode Information
# Ep Name
1. DP 36 A Secret Sphere of Influence / The Shin'ō Space-Time Legend!
2. DP 60 Journey to the Unown! / Unknown of the Zui Ruins!
3. DP 69 Enter Galactic! / Lovely Fashion! The Name is the Galaxy Gang!!
5. DP 97 Double Team Turnover / The Galaxy Gang's Charge!! (Part Two)
6. DP 136 Gateway to Ruin / The Ruins at Mt. Tengan! The Galaxy Gang Conspiracy!!
7. DP 150 Unlocking the Red Chain of Events! / The Red Chain! Activated by Galaxy Gang!!
8. DP 151 The Needs of Three / Agnome-Yuxie-Emrit!
9. DP 152 The Battle Finale of Legend! / Dialga and Palkia! The Final Battle!!
1. OP 1 Together
2. OP 2 High Touch! (ハイタッチ!)
3. OP 3 The Greatest Everyday! (サイコー・エブリディ!)
4. ED 1 By Your Side ~Hikari's Theme~ (君のそばで~ヒカリのテーマ~)
5. ED 2 Message of the Wind (風のメッセージ)
6. ED 3 Surely Tomorrow (あしたはきっと)
7. ED 4 Get Fired up Jagged-eared Pichu! (もえよ ギザみみピチュー!)
8. ED 5 Which One ~ Is It? (ドッチ~ニョ?)

Source: http://kids.mediafactory.co.jp/goods_detail.php?id=25579
Magna Pacific has announced a bunch of new DVD's for Australia including Pokémon Arceus & The Jewel Of Life which aired earlier in the year. The North American DVD was announced earlier this year for a Spring of 2010 release but a date has yet to be finalized. The French and Japanese DVD's were released in December 2009. The Arceus & The Jewel Of Life DVD will be released in Australia on June 2nd, 2010.

Magna Pacific also announced box sets for Pokémon Season 3: Johto Journeys and Pokémon Season 4: Johto Leauge Champions which will also be released on June 2nd. Pokémon All-Stars DVD's featuring Togepi, Pikachu and Wobbuffet were also announced.

The DVD's have been added to the database. There you can find Pokémon DVD information for releases around the world.

Source: http://www.magnapacific.com.au/
Another 8 DVD set has been announced for release in Japan that features: Getting Contest Ribbons, Getting Gym Badges and Getting Pokémon. The Pokémon TV Anime Collection DVD Get! Get! Get! (ポケモンTVアニメコレクションDVD ~ゲット!ゲット!ゲット!) volumes feature one episode per mini DVD like the previous sets with episodes based on the 'getting' theme. The DVD's will be sold for 399 yen each on July 27th, 2010, but many stores offer a small discount if you buy the entire set as a whole. Below is a list of the DVD's and the episodes that are on them.


The episodes on the DVD's are:

Volume 1 DVD: [ep=687]Decisive Match! Hikari VS Haruka!! (決戦!ヒカリVSハルカ!!)[/ep]
Volume 2 DVD: [ep=799]Nomose Gym! VS Maximum Mask!! (ノモセジム!VSマキシマム仮面!!)[/ep]
Volume 3 DVD: [ep=928]Yosuga Gym Battle! VS Melissa!! (ヨスガジム戦!VSメリッサ!!)[/ep]
Volume 4 DVD: [ep=942]Mio Gym Match! Steel Battle!! (ミオジム戦!はがねのバトル!!)[/ep]
Volume 5 DVD: [ep=956]Pokémon Contest! Akebi Tournament!! (ポケモンコンテスト! アケビ大会!!)[/ep]
Volume 6 DVD: [ep=982]Kissaki Gym! Ice Battle!! (キッサキジム! 氷のバトル!!)[/ep]
Volume 7 DVD: [ep=1016]Jouto Festa! Chicorita and Waninoko Appear!! (ジョウトフェスタ! チコリータとワニノコ登場!!)[/ep]
Volume 8 DVD: [ep=1049]Fukamaru! Get it!! (フカマル! ゲットだぜ!!)[/ep]

The DVD's have been added to our DVD Database. There you can find information about Pokémon DVD's from around the world.

Source: http://item.rakuten.co.jp/bigbe/30394/