djsockpuppet: Here is the complete Animedia interview with series producer Shuichi Taguchi. Translat

djsockpuppet:

Here is the complete Animedia interview with series producer Shuichi Taguchi. Translation by Dephender:

“Pokémon” celebrates 20 years on the air this year. It appears the show is heading in a new direction with the episodes airing this September. We’ve had producer Shuichi Taguchi tell us a bit about what the classic characters that will appear one after another in this story will be doing.

Q: Kasumi and Takeshi will be appearing for the first time in many years in the episodes airing September 14th and September 21st.
A: This is the 20th anniversary of the show, a year to remember, so we wanted to do something nice for all the fans that have been supporting us since day 1. Kasumi and Takeshi are also characters we’d like the children that learned about Pokémon more recently to be familiar with, so we had them appear in the show.

Q: “Sun & Moon” has a lot more comical depictions than the earlier TV series had.
A: Each of the series have a different art style to them, but it might be true that Sun & Moon’s style is overly different from all the others. Kasumi and Takeshi have appeared throughout the show all the way from the very first series, so we took great care in working out how to draw them without making them look out of place in this particular show. This purely relates to character design, though, personality-wise they’re the same as always: Takeshi loves beautiful ladies and Kasumi is a cute and lively tomboy.

Q: Since these episodes are set in the Kanto region, lots of nostalgic Pokémon are going to appear, but it seems it’ll be fun to compare them with the Pokémon from the Alola region as well.
A: We definitely want you to compare and contrast the Pokémon living in all the different regions. We think scenes like the one where Nassy gets shocked at the sight of the Alolan Nassy will let even children realize once again how these regions differ from each other. Of course, lots of other Pokémon will appear as well, so have fun comparing. This is the Sun & Moon episode with the most characters in it, so I’d like you to try counting how many Pokémon there are in it.

Q: What about Pokémon battles?
A: The Pokémon School students are getting a hands-on experience with gym matches at the Hanada Gym, and the super intense battles between Takeshi and Kasumi’s mega evolutions and Satoshi and the others’ Z-Moves are an absolute must see. During the battle, Takeshi might just turn into something you remember from the games…… Also, while it’s not exactly a battle, the expression of affection during the scene where Satoshi and Kentauros reunite with the Kentauros at the Okido Laboratories is just as intense as that gym match. These episodes have lots and lots of scenes that feel both nostalgic and fresh at the same time, and we’d be really happy if we manage to make you enjoy the elements of both Kanto and Alola at the same time.

Q: Now I’d like to expect other episodes crossing over with other regions or something along those lines in the future.
A: Well, they might go to all kinds of regions as part of extracurricular classes, and they might encounter and reunite with all kinds of characters… Who knows? Please continue to support the show.

I will actually cry oh my god please please please please let ash finally battle max in a pokemon battle let it happen please holy shit