A Behind the Scenes Look at Pokemon
Hey, everyone! I'm S. Giovanni with a sneak peek behind the scenes of the famous cartoon series, Pokemon! It all started in 1995 with Japanese game designers working for Nintendo. As if you didn't know that. They were looking for a new character set-up for a game they were producing. Their solution? In 1996 they saw a small-time rock band, "Dead Man Killing," playing in Tokyo. The members were given a contract deal, and in no time, "Dead Man Killing" was on the road to big time stardom in the 1998 video games "Pokemon Red" and "Pokemon Blue." Due to the sensation the game caused, many fans demanded a television series, and in no time, "Dead Man Killing," consisting of Pikachu, Togepi, Geodude, Squirtle, Charizard, Jigglypuff, and Meowth and their driver, Victoria, were on air. But a TV series about 7 creatures and a bus-driver? Do you know how boring an idea that is? The animators needed evil, ambition, and more than 8 characters. They found Ash, Misty, and Brock.
Ash was a total loser before the show, explaining his total stupidity on air. His life was simple. Bake, eat, drink, smoke, poke, snort, sleep. He was a drug-addicted bum who lived in an empty dumpster. The team found him while leaving a McDonalds. What happened? They threw a bag away, he came out, and shouted two words to them in his signature voice, only a little more stoned.
"Watch it!"
The animators were thrilled. They had a main character, one with no ambition or hygiene, but a main character nonetheless. He even looked sort of like the kid from the game. They signed him up, and Ash Ketchum, future Pokemon Master, was born.
Misty, of course, they already knew and had. She was Togepi's friend, and Togepi wouldn't join in if Misty didn't get a chance. At first, of course, Misty was someone else, but the shows couldn't air because of Ash randomly trying to rape the super-model who played Misty. She quit, and Togepi's buddy was hired, not only because she looked the part, and not only because they needed Togepi, but also because she was tough. They gave her a ring, and Misty came in. Unfortunately, they forgot about Togepi until deep in, and had to throw her in with a gradual connection. The solution? In a fossil record, they discovered dents from an Oviraptor's beak on a fossilized egg. They thought, "That's a good idea, throw Togepi in as a fossilized egg." And soon, we heard the famous squeal, "Toki-prrrrri!"
Brock was hired with the original Misty. The model lived in a brothel, and so did Brock. The animators hired Brock, and the gang was done until Misty quit and they had to hire a new character. Misty. Who joined instantly. Now, they needed villains.
Meowth, we've established, had been there from day one. He was hired, but he, like the others, demanded respect. Meowth didn't want to work with Ash, though, so the solution was he'd be the New York accented villain who was also the only Pokemon allowed to talk. Jessie and James were met at Pizza House, along with Robin from the Teen Titans, but he didn't want a part in the series. Or at least not a big part. He was caught in the episode where Ash gets Charmander as one of the admirers of the apathetic original owner of Charmander. The show didn't work for him, so Richard quit. Jessie and James, however, stayed with it. They played Team Rocket, and played the part well. But they needed a boss. They found a guy named Slade Wilson to play the part. They only needed a cop. Ash, with his criminal record, knew one personally. Her name was Jenny. Officer Jenny. That covered it, the whole team was ready.
Join us next time for a behind the scenes look at Teen Titans.
This is S. Giovanni, signing out.