Toon Zone Talkback - "Pokémon: Battle Frontier" Coming to Cartoon Network This Fall

[Golden Darkness]

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/060615/nyth024.html?.v=53

[Duke]

This is the talkback thread for "Pokémon: Battle Frontier" Coming to Cartoon Network This Fall (http://news.toonzone.net/article.php?ID=11078).

The good: This seriously increases the chances of the opening theme being "Battle Frontier," which would make me seriously happy.

The bad: I was kinda hoping they'd name it Advanced Generation... :sweat:

[Golden Darkness]

Um, the 22 episodes is a mistake. It's a full 52 episode season. http://www.nypost.com/entertainment/starr_report_entertainment_michael_starr.htm

[CyberCubed]

Hopefully this debuts on Miguzi, let us hope.

Anyway, this 52 episode season should complete the Battle Frontier saga, right? The first Brain and Contest are already done, so this season should finish up the rest before the D/P saga starts.

[Duke]

Originally it WAS reported to be 22 episodes.

Then again, I'm still a bit PO'd that the friggin New York Post got the news before we did. -_-'

So far, only around 40 or so episodes have premiered in Japan that will comprise Season 9, with the Grand Festival happening now. That likely means we'll be getting the first few episodes of Diamond/Pearl world at the end of the season.

[CyberCubed]

Maybe, but they're likely to hold off with an opening change like with Master Quest to the beginning of Advanced.

Even if a few D/P episodes happen to fall into part of the season order, I'm sure the opening will change at the very first episode of that, (with a title change), because PUSA is not going to leave it with an old BF opening when we're in the D/P region.

Especially if Ash, May and the others get another wardrobe change next saga, since it is the start of something "new."

[Duke]

Maybe, but they're likely to hold off with an opening change like with Master Quest to the beginning of Advanced.
I guess it all depends on what they actually use for an opening. Yes, I'm still holding out for Battle Frontier to air in the US. Don't pop my bubble just yet.

[Sketch]

There's no reason Battle Frontier's couldn't air on CN but then again there's no reason Zatch Bell and Naruto needed their openings completely cut either (they could have made short forms of them like Bandai did for Gundam SEED if they needed to time cut). So we'll see. Or is Battle Frontier a shorter opening? 60 sec or maybe even less? Because if it's longer than that then I guess time cutting could be an issue.

No block annouce yet eh? I'm guessing they're waiting to see if Miguzi and Toonami is more successful with Pokemon. As it stands we've yet to see press on Advance Battle for Miguzi ratings but it's been said that all the 7PM show premieres did well the intial week including Pokemon Chronicles on Toonami (most likely the reason why DBZ has been replaced by extra Chronicles).

But if the dub has less edits and westernization than the 4kids one (and it should) and the voices improve then Battle Frontier could at least be a tollerable edition to Toonami. It probably depends on how fast CN will be getting the 52 episodes. If it's in batches less than 26 they'll probably want to premiere it once a week unless they pull a YGO GX with it.

[ChibiGoku]

Actually, I doubt including the Opening and Ending would be much of a problem. The show runs under 23 minutes for the most part, included with the Opening and Ending. The series runs about almost 25 minutes, due to the Pokemon Quiz at the end of each episode, along with the next episode preview. But eh, who knows what PUSA will do at this point.

[KuwabaraTheMan]

Awesome.

Please let it air on Toonami with "Battle Frontier" and "Glory Days". Which then are replaced by "Spurt" and "Watashi Makenai ~ Haruka no Teema". There's always hope.

I declare that this must air on Toonami, though.

[veemonjosh]

I declare that this must air on Toonami, though.

If it airs UNCUT (there's absolutely no reason it can't) and with ALL the Japanese music intact, OH YEAH!

[Duke]

Awesome.

Please let it air on Toonami with "Battle Frontier" and "Glory Days". Which then are replaced by "Spurt" and "Watashi Makenai ~ Haruka no Teema". There's always hope.

I declare that this must air on Toonami, though.
Well, who knows. Even if we get BF & Spurt, we'd get, at most, a 30-second Glory Day and Haruka no Teema. Of course, by then Toonami might be re-typing the credits for the entire block.

If it airs UNCUT (there's absolutely no reason it can't) and with ALL the Japanese music intact, OH YEAH!
Well, I doubt they'll license the music 4Kids created (why bother taking the license back, then?), and all the Japanese music was there in the Mirage special, so all non-vocal music should be there.

And considering the non-Chronicles episodes had very little editting to begin with (mainly paintnig over Ash's Badge Case or 2-second time cuts), it'll probably be uncut.

[djthomp]

Is any info known on whether these will be with the old dub VAs, or the new ones?

[Duke]

Is any info known on whether these will be with the old dub VAs, or the new ones?
Due to contractual difficulties, Veronica Taylor (Ash & May), Eric Stuart (Brock & James), Rachel Lillis (Misty & Jessie), Maddie Blaustein (Meowth), Mike Pollock (narrator), and Stan Hart (Professor Oak), cannot work on the new dub at all.

Basically, 4Kids put a clause in the contracts the VAs signed so that when Pokémon USA took back the licensing rights, the current VAs were not allowed to return to their roles.

The new season will be voiced by the same VAs from the Mirage special, but with more than a couple weeks to practice (the Mirage special was completely dubbed from top to bottom in about 3 weeks, which is really rushing things), the voices should be better.

[yoshirider13]

Im positive the voices will be much better. the guy who voices the new brock said he has been practicing a lot since the mirage special cause he admitted he didnt sound to good.

oh and its just a matter of getting used to the new voices too.

[Blue]

Due to contractual difficulties, Veronica Taylor (Ash & May), Eric Stuart (Brock & James), Rachel Lillis (Misty & Jessie), Maddie Blaustein (Meowth), Mike Pollock (narrator), and Stan Hart (Professor Oak), cannot work on the new dub at all.

Basically, 4Kids put a clause in the contracts the VAs signed so that when Pokémon USA took back the licensing rights, the current VAs were not allowed to return to their roles.

The new season will be voiced by the same VAs from the Mirage special, but with more than a couple weeks to practice (the Mirage special was completely dubbed from top to bottom in about 3 weeks, which is really rushing things), the voices should be better.I've heard that Nintendo came to Veronica Taylor about doing Ash and May, but she turned it down. Apparently her and the old cast have an "All of us or none of us" thing going.

[sdp]

here are Akira Chiba's (CEO of PUI) comments

"We are immensely proud to be partnering with Cartoon Network and look forward to an exciting future based on a mutual goal -- providing the best animation for children," says Akira Chiba, President and CEO, Pokemon USA, Inc. "For us, Cartoon Network is a perfect fit because we want to be where the kids are and to give our fans what they want, which is Pokemon throughout the week."

you know this might be wrongbut what if PUI translated all of the BF saga from the beggining? I think i'd like that. It seems like it could happen from the wording i saw from CN comments...

[Duke]

you know this might be wrongbut what if PUI translated all of the BF saga from the beggining? I think i'd like that. It seems like it could happen from the wording i saw from CN comments...

While I wouldn't put it past PUSA, I kinda doubt it. I mean, we're only about 15 episodes into the BF saga when Advanced Battle ends next month, so it's not like we came late into the saga and then switched. Ash still has a whole lot of Frontier Brains to beat up.

[CyberCubed]

PUSA is not going to bother redubbing the first 13 or so BF episodes. That's the stupidest thing they can do. PUSA is even working with Viz to get all of 4kids' Pokemon dub on DVD. When the Advanced Battle DVDS come out, they'll go up to that last BF episode after the Saffron Harley Contest.

Movie 9 will also be the first movie PUSA dubs, that should be interesting too!

[veemonjosh]

PUSA is even working with Viz to get all of 4kids' Pokemon dub on DVD.

I just hope they make box sets for Johto Journey. That season is in serious need of a box set (and the DVD's are missing two episodes).

[Gary L Thompson]

Actually, I doubt including the Opening and Ending would be much of a problem. The show runs under 23 minutes for the most part, included with the Opening and Ending. The series runs about almost 25 minutes, due to the Pokemon Quiz at the end of each episode, along with the next episode preview. But eh, who knows what PUSA will do at this point.

If it airs UNCUT (there's absolutely no reason it can't) and with ALL the Japanese music intact, OH YEAH!

Well, given that opening and ending credits on CN have roughly the same track record of rub-outs as stool pigeons in the mob, I wouldn't get any hopes up. Hope you have either a good anime video rental shop in your neighborhood, or plenty of money to spend on buying DVDs.

There's no reason Battle Frontier's couldn't air on CN but then again there's no reason Zatch Bell and Naruto needed their openings completely cut either (they could have made short forms of them like Bandai did for Gundam SEED if they needed to time cut). So we'll see. Or is Battle Frontier a shorter opening? 60 sec or maybe even less? Because if it's longer than that then I guess time cutting could be an issue.

No block annouce yet eh? I'm guessing they're waiting to see if Miguzi and Toonami is more successful with Pokemon. As it stands we've yet to see press on Advance Battle for Miguzi ratings but it's been said that all the 7PM show premieres did well the intial week including Pokemon Chronicles on Toonami (most likely the reason why DBZ has been replaced by extra Chronicles).

But if the dub has less edits and westernization than the 4kids one (and it should) and the voices improve then Battle Frontier could at least be a tollerable edition to Toonami. It probably depends on how fast CN will be getting the 52 episodes. If it's in batches less than 26 they'll probably want to premiere it once a week unless they pull a YGO GX with it.

I'm rather curious myself what kind of ratings "Pokemon Chronicles" or "Pokemon Advanced" is pulling, because it probably would help determine what block BF will go.

Now generally, if you've got nine seasons worth of episodes of a popular show (particularly if those seasons tend to be around 50 episodes rather than 22 or 26, practically unheard of in American television), that generally amounts to an evergreen property for rerunning across five or more days-a-week. And it has proven in the past that if your show is still making new episodes, continual weekday rerunning of all past episodes can attract new viewers to your weekly first-run episodes. So to me, rerunning all of "Pokemon" and the new season on SatAM or Toonami would be a no-brainer.

But then, that's just me....

Due to contractual difficulties, Veronica Taylor (Ash & May), Eric Stuart (Brock & James), Rachel Lillis (Misty & Jessie), Maddie Blaustein (Meowth), Mike Pollock (narrator), and Stan Hart (Professor Oak), cannot work on the new dub at all.

Basically, 4Kids put a clause in the contracts the VAs signed so that when Pokémon USA took back the licensing rights, the current VAs were not allowed to return to their roles.

The new season will be voiced by the same VAs from the Mirage special, but with more than a couple weeks to practice (the Mirage special was completely dubbed from top to bottom in about 3 weeks, which is really rushing things), the voices should be better.

From listening to the Mirage special, it was obvious that Pokemon USA tried to keep the same voices. On some characters, they were pretty successful, that you couldn't really distinguish them from the old ones. But on others (especially Brock)....:shrug:

While I wouldn't put it past PUSA, I kinda doubt it. I mean, we're only about 15 episodes into the BF saga when Advanced Battle ends next month, so it's not like we came late into the saga and then switched. Ash still has a whole lot of Frontier Brains to beat up.

I still don't get why KWB is running BF when they're just going to cancel the show. I mean, the old WB people might want to keep on good terms with a Time-Warner stablemate, but what would their new CBS partners in CW get out of building up audience for a competitor?

[FireStarterLE]

i just cant see myself watching this after the 10th Ann. Special .... IMO those voices were horrid ... and i wouldnt be able to watch them week and and week out trying to act like they're the same people :shrug:

PUSA would have to do things unlike anything ever seen on US Pokemon for me to watch it

[Duke]

I'm rather curious myself what kind of ratings "Pokemon Chronicles" or "Pokemon Advanced" is pulling, because it probably would help determine what block BF will go.
I would imagine Chronicles would be gaining better ratings, since it's new-to-the-US, whereas Advanced Challenge was already on the WB.

I still don't get why KWB is running BF when they're just going to cancel the show. I mean, the old WB people might want to keep on good terms with a Time-Warner stablemate, but what would their new CBS partners in CW get out of building up audience for a competitor?
They're running it because they've already paid for the episodes. Their contract runs out in September, but until then they're still in their old management on-air. It's like CN running the final episodes of Gundam SEED when the series already failed.

Remember, these episodes running on KWB right now are NOT part of Season 9. They're still a part of Season 8, which has 3 episodes left to premiere.

i just cant see myself watching this after the 10th Ann. Special .... IMO those voices were horrid ... and i wouldnt be able to watch them week and and week out trying to act like they're the same people :shrug:
Considering they were chosen just to be sound-alikes (I doubt there was an audition, or a very large one anyway) and were likely given the script just after it got finished being translated, they did a pretty good job.

And considering the VAs now actually have time to practice, do re-takes, and tune their voices for Season 9, the voices will be much better.

I mean, it's not like these people have never acted before. Jimmy Zoppi and Kayzie Rogers have actually been a part of the Pokémon show for a long time (Zoppi as Gary & random old men and Rogers as Wobuffet/Mr. Mime). They're just doing something new. And I doubt Zoppi wanted to give Professor Oak his usual old man voice.

[Xibom]

I remember hearing about this on another board. I'm also exited, and a lil' conscerned. POkemon didn''t have very tough competition on the WB, but now it'll be on CN. Not saying KidsWB was the best home for Pokemon, but it's gonna be a whole new season of competition on a new network.

Buuut, it's just a lil' conscern. It's gonna be fun to see what block pokemon is on.

[veemonjosh]

...You repeated part of your post twice Gary. :sweat:

[Conan-san]

As long as it stays ether a) on Mizugi or b) In the "Super happy fun hour of toy selling" hour of toonami, I could care less.