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“Mewtwo Strikes Back Evolution” Soundtrack

One of my friends texted to me that the “Mewtwo Strikes Back Evolution” trailer has been uploaded to Youtube. I’m at work, so I don’t have the time to listen to it right now. But here you go. Enjoy!

https://mobile.twitter.com/rfarley_dude97/status/1153789660159602690

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MSB versus MSBE

https://youtu.be/fYamn-DcBlg

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I went to see the "Mewtwo Strikes Back: Evolution" premiere at Anime-Expo!

Hey, everyone! I just returned from Anime-Expo where I was lucky enough to’ve seen the world premiere of the 22nd Pokemon film, Mewtwo Strikes Back: Evolution. Wanted to share some of my experiences on it!

I’ll start with some information about the event, before going into details on the movie itself. First of all, this was (as far as I understand) the very first time any Japanese-language with English-subtitled Pokemon animation has been officially (and legally) released in North America (and possibly outside of Japan in general?) so I wanted to make sure I attended this pretty momentous occasion. The event itself was handled very well by the staff and there was a great bilingual host who oversaw the whole thing and really hyped up the audience. After the film screening was finished, the three related guests of honor, Kunihiko Yuyama (co-animation director), Motonori Sakakibara, (co-animation director) and Rica Matsumoto (Japanese voice actress of Satoshi/Ash) were brought to the stage to answer a few prepared questions and audience questions. Afterward, Rica Matsumoto performed “Mezase Pokemon Master” live for the audience, which was an absolute treat. Finally, after the reveal of Armored Mewtwo’s upcoming appearance in Pokemon Go, we took a “family photo” with a mascot Pikachu making an appearance! The whole thing was a total blast.

Some key points involving the Q&A session:

Rica Matsumoto was in particular very excited to visit LA, especially because she had worked on the Japanese dub for Beverly Hills 90210 and got to visit the real location after wanting to for so long! In addition, she was so taken aback by the audience’s enthusiasm for “Satoshi”, knowing how they were far more familiar with “Ash”, but felt a strong connection to them through the character and Pokemon in general. The two animation co-directors Mr. Sakakibara and Mr. Yuyama shared similar comments, being blown away by the audience’s emotional reaction. The screening also gave them major nostalgic flashbacks to first working on the original over 20 years ago. They were also so grateful.

I was fortunate enough to be chosen to ask the first of the three audience questions. First, I thanked them for giving us the opportunity to see this film in its original language with subtitles, as this was a tremendous honor to begin with. After mentioning that the American fandom was very appreciative for the English dubbed version of the TV series and movies, I asked if they would be able to give us any other future opportunities to see ANY other Japanese-language Pokemon animation down the line. Mr. Yuyama said they have plans, with Rica Matsumoto following with “Count on it!!” Nothing further than that, but definitely a good sign!

The next question from the audience asked about a trailer featuring footage involving what appeared to be an older version of Misty, why it was cut and what its involvement was to the movie’s early stages of development. Mr. Yuyama simply responded with (paraphrasing, here) “While that was meant to show the image of an adult, the character in question was not actually an older version of Misty. The haircut is very similar though, I can see why you would make that mistake!”. Rica Matsumoto adds (again, paraphrasing) “It just goes show that there’s so many pretty girls in Pokemon, it’s easy to mistake them for each other sometimes!” (Personal note: obviously this is sort of ‘dodging the actual question’, but it’s likely they either weren’t allowed to go into detail as to what that early trailer was all about, or possibly forgot about the details since it had been so long ago.)

The final audience question asked about what led to the decision to re-do the original film with CG animation. Mr. Sakakibara mentioned that they had wanted to do a CG Animated Pokemon film for a long time, but thanks to the collaboration with the 3D animation studio they worked with (I’ve forgotten the studio’s name unfortunately, sorry!) they were able to finally make it happen. They chose Mewtwo Strikes Back as the experiment piece in order to try pushing the original character animation even further with the expressiveness and emotion.

I’m sure fans of her know this already, but Rica Matsumoto is an absolute ROCK STAR on stage. She loved teasing the audience and getting them amped up, commanding us to get louder and louder! “When I say ‘Pokemon’, you say 'Getto da ze!’” was a real highlight. To her, “Mezase Pokemon Master” is THE defining Pokemon song.

Next, I’ll talk about the film itself. To those of you who don’t want to be potentially spoiled on some of the differences between this and the original movie, skip this part!

The subtitle track for the film used all of the official English names of all characters, including the humans, Pokemon creatures, attack names, locations and even the nicknames of the guest characters’ starters (“Bruteroot” and “Shellshocker”). For the most part, the translation was very close to the original Japanese dialogue, but there were definitely a few liberties taken at times. Team Rocket’s motto was changed to reflect the English adaptation (“Prepare for trouble and make it double” etc.) along with referring to Ash/Satoshi as “Twerp” (instead of “JARI-BOY!”). There was also a very obvious 'joke’ on the translator’s part involving a new scene where Brock/Takeshi hits on Neesha/Sweet, proclaiming something about his “jelly donuts” (ending in the ol’ Misty-dragging-him-away-by-the-ear gag). As this scene had completely new dialogue, I wouldn’t be able to cross-check whatever the 100% accurate translation would be off-hand. A couple other liberties taken (in a way), were that certain lines throughout the movie were word-for-word 'translated’ as lines from the original English dub of Pokemon: The First Movie. Thankfully these were rare, but one that definitely sticks out was the “I see now that the circumstances of one’s birth are irrelevant. It is what you DO with the gift of life, that determines who you are.” at the film’s climax. Lastly, Mewtwo’s words asking “Was I created by God?” and the scientists’ response, were adapted in the subtitles as “Was I created by nature?”. (Personal note: Likely this was to avoid flat-out religious references.)

The film begins with Dr. Fuji and his crew retrieving the Mew fossil from the ancient ruins. The “Birth of Mewtwo” sequence involving Amber/Ai is NOT included in this version of the story; the following scene leads directly into Mewtwo’s awakening in the tube, to which the movie plays out as you remember it.

Dr. Fuji’s laboratory is tremendously redesigned, but the same events transpire.

Mewtwo’s armor is, as you’ve noticed, also fully re-designed. We see many re-directed (in terms of cinematography) scenes from the sequence of his servitude to Giovanni/Sakaki, including Gary/Shigeru’s from-behind cameo. The main element of difference in the armor’s usage is, just before blowing up the Team Rocket base upon defying Giovanni, it transforms into a binding 'prison’ sort of state, to keep Mewtwo confined if he ever fought back…of course, he breaks it easily and flies off, just as before.

The first sequence where we see Ash, Misty/Kasumi and Brock starts a little earlier than in the original, showing Ash more excited and offering to help set up the table for lunch. It then cuts to slightly later where he’s tired and slumped over the table. The Pirate Trainer “Raymond” appears again (still with all his glorious Engrish), now with a slight redesign involving bigger hair and the theme song battle sequence plays out. Worth noting, during the 3-on-1 against Pikachu, his Golem is replaced with a Drowzee. (Personal note: Likely to circumvent the “Thunderbolt should be ineffective against a Ground-type” argument.) We also see glimpses of Mewtwo and the mind-controlled Nurse Joy viewing the battle. Just before Dragonite shows up to deliver the invitation, we also see a bit of the gang’s other Pokemon used in the movie: Vulpix, Psyduck, Squirtle, Bulbasaur and Charizard, eating Pokemon food.

LOTS more trainers in the dock scene. The pier master Miranda/Voyager actually speaks of Wingulls showing signs of how bad the storm is, warning everyone again. We see a few more trainers attempt to travel to New Island, including one who tries Surfing on their Kingler and another who is carried by their Scyther…neither of them make it, along with whoever tried flying with their Fearow like in the original. RIP.

The Vikings-the-mostly-live-in-Minnesota are replaced with an equally-funny costume theme of the Team Rocket trio as some tourist-trap sailors utilizing a Lapras-shaped ferry service. Brock comments on how conveniently they showed up and they all get on. We then get a very Disneyland 3D Attraction-style sequence of the two trios riding through the storm before it crashes and Misty sends out Staryu to try and save the day. Another extended sequence of Ash, Misty and Brock clinging for dear life to Staryu plays out, including a really gorgeous orchestral arrangement of…the Sun & Moon Wild Pokemon Battle theme, of all things!

Ash and the others meet the other guest trainers. This is where the short added scene of Brock hitting on Neesha is added.

In general, while the grand majority of the things that happen in each scene are the same as they are in the original, a lot of the animation is expanded upon and really pushed in terms of expressiveness. Often this makes them longer than how they were before, but it’s definitely paced out properly to fit with the adjustments they made.

The battle arena sequence plays out and all 3 of the battles between Venusaur, Blastoise and Charizard Vs. their super-clones are extended with new fight choreography and additional attack exchanges, including with later-added techniques like Energy Ball and Leaf Storm. This scene also features a completely new background music track from the one used in the original film (later used quite a bit in the anime).

The sequence of Mewtwo capturing all of the humans’ Pokemon plays out, also with new background music as opposed to the original. A few new shots of the trainers trying to guard their Pokemon from being captured are added.

After the super-clones emerge, Mew appears to save Ash from being splattered against a wall, the Pokemon and their clones brutally beat each other, now with new sweeping camera angles and new music instead of the original.

When Ash rejoins Misty and Brock after climbing down from the castle, a few bits of dialogue are slightly played around with, but leads to the same untimely demise. Some new DBZ-esque glow effects are applied to when Ash is struck by the two psychic blasts and his turned-to-stone state is a bit more like crystal. Pikachu trying to Thundershock Ash back to life lingers a bit more, to show the desperation in Pikachu’s attempt. When the other Pokemon begin shedding their tears, their actual sounds aren’t heard and the scene is silent minus the background music.

The memory erasure happens yet again, sending everyone back to the docks. From just after Ash sees Mew flying in the sky, commenting on it, up through Team Rocket’s sign-off on the now-abandoned New Island, the orchestral arrangement of the Pokemon Red & Blue Credits theme plays. For the movie credits, we’re treated to a new remix of “Kaze to Isshi Ni” (featuring Shokotan) along with some 2D paintings of Ash, Misty and Brock traveling. One shows a flock of Wingull near the dock area! At the end, we see Mewtwo and the clones flying off to what appears to be Mount Quena from the “Mewtwo Returns” TV special.

Finally, as is always the case, a very short teaser of the “Pokemon 2020” film, showing a 2D-animated Pikachu in the style of the Sun & Moon series.

There might have been some things I missed, but that’s everything I could recount! If you have any other questions, I’ll try and answer them as best as I can. To anyone else who was there for the screening, feel free to add anything else you like! Overall, highly recommend folks who enjoyed the original Mewtwo Strikes Back movie to go see this when the English version comes out!

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I was at the Anime Expo premier and sadly Ai is cut from the film. Strangely only the first half of Mewtwo's origin up until Dr. Fuji and his team found Mew's eyelash is adapted which leads me to believe the creators at least acknowledge the Kanzenban version, but why they chose to cut Ai completely is up for speculation.

That’s unfortunate to learn. I appreciate the clarification, though!

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Oooooh! I want the Pikachutwo figurine!!

New Moncollé EX figures releasing in July.

I like how Mewtwo's Charizard and Pikachu are getting their own.

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Okay… Let’s examine the skills/talents Mewtwo displays in his movies. I don’t mean his powers, we’re all aware he’s an OP super-mon. I mean things like: 

Architecture. He made a castle with his brain. He’s the ultimate architect, no building code can conquer him. 

Following from that, basically all the things that go into making a building livable. Plumbing, electricity, some sort of heating system (to make sure your human slaves/prisoners don’t die until you want them to)… He’d have to understand these things to make them. 

Design. His castle+everything in it, the pokeballs he made, all creepily beautiful. He clearly has an eye for functional art. 

Science. When creating his clones he used the data left behind by his creators, BUT he obviously improved vastly on their work, because his clones didn’t die. 

Coding His OP pokeballs and automatic cloning machine probably required some advanced coding. Sure, he built off of things that other people had already made, but his were 100x better. 

Engineering. *gestures at pokeballs and cloning machine* 

Theatre/Performance. He’s dramatic AF. He put a lot of energy into looking impressive+badass. He could have made everything bare bones and functional but he went the extra mile to put on one hell of a show. 

And it did not take him long to do all of it. He’s smart even for a super-genius. 

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When I have the time, I will write one final character analysis with the same level of attention I gave to other characters back when I gave much more attention to this blog. And that analysis will be on Mewtwo. In specific, that he meets criteria for complex post-traumatic stress disorder. This is a controversial diagnosis which never got into the DSM-5, but multiple trauma researchers agree it is a valid, real condition.

I realize such a post may be seen as offensive to people who have C-PTSD. Please know I will be writing it with utmost compassion, empathy, and clinical knowledge. To those who do not know, I have been working in mental health for five years. I have a Bachelor of Social Work, and in February will have my Master of Social Work. I currently run a day program for adults with severe, persistent mental illness for my paid position. For my final field placement, I am a therapist-in-training and I specialize in trauma.

And on a personal level, I have complex trauma. It is this reason above all that I have such a deep connection and appreciation for Mewtwo. Sometimes fictional characters leave imprints on our hearts that help us to grow or have inspired us in other ways. For many children, this was with Disney, which is a good reason why Disney has been remaking some of its classics (and also for money, not going to deny that). But for me, it was always Mewtwo’s story.

A few months ago in my Clinical Assignment and Diagnosis class, I had to do an assessment on any fictional character. I chose Jenny from “Forrest Gump”. I have to admit, the assignment was fun. And while my professor did not initially agree with the diagnosis I gave to Jenny, after reading my final revision, she did agree. She said I made my points clear, and admitted, “you gave a view on Jenny with so much compassion and insight in a way I never even considered... well done.” So after all of that, I thought, “hey, just for the hell of it... maybe I should do one on Mewtwo?”

And so, my final contribution to this blog and to the Mewtwo community will be an in-depth exploration of how complex trauma shaped Mewtwo into who he is, and how his resilience saved him. So expect that, written by someone who is essentially a clinician now. Enjoy it! Now I just need the time... Graduate school keeps me busy!

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A missed opportunity in MSBE

This is my last “Mewtwo Strikes Back Evolution” post for a while, unless I get more information. Erm... more of an opinion piece.

Not really much of a spoiler. The ending credits were redone to show Satoshi/Ash and friends traveling through more diverse areas, from what I’ve heard on Twitter. Again, I wasn’t at Anime Expo so I cannot confirm or deny anything. While I am fine with such a simple credits screen, and I do happen to love the new version of “Kaze to Issho ni”, I think this was also an opportunity to wrap up some things. As we all know, Pokémon movies sometimes use the credits as an epilogue. So, in my opinion, they could’ve done the following:

It would’ve been interesting if it showed Mewtwo and the copies traveling to find their new home (Mt. Quena), or a younger Domino being a new recruit and training in Team Rocket, or Giovanni contemplating how to get Mewtwo again. The manga adaptation of “Mewtwo Lives” (“Mewtwo Returns”) was released again earlier this week, so would’ve been an interesting shout-out.

Alternatively, they could’ve featured Miyamoto still in the Andes. She could quickly see Mew flying by or something like that. As you may recall in the radio drama, during the time of Mewtwo training under Sakaki/Giovanni, Miyamoto is still alive. So this would’ve fit in.

Or... and this is diving deep into fandom wishes, even for me... something that shows what became of Ai/Amber, Dr. Fuji, and the copies/clones that befriended Mewtwo when he was young. We know they’re all dead. But are they truly gone or are their spirits somewhere?

Just some thoughts. But all in all, from what I’ve read from the leaks, I am hugely satisfied with MSBE. Very well-done!

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“Mewtwo Strikes Back Evolution” Spoilers

NOTE: I was not at Anime Expo. I cannot confirm these changes. These are all according to Twitter.

SPOILERS...

- The names of the Pokémon, humans, locations, and so forth are all the English versions (i.e., Ash).

- According to one Twitter, the short featuring Ai/Amber is played before the movie. I do not know if this means the original, 2D short, or if it was made CG. CONTROVERSY: Another Twitter account claims the short was skipped.

- Mew’s Japanese M1 dialogue was changed. Instead, the dub M1 line about the “strength of a Pokémon’s heart...” is used. MY OPINION: As far as for what I know so far, this is the most significant change. It completely changes Mew’s perspective and feelings toward Mewtwo and the copies/clones.

- During his conversation with the scientists, Mewtwo asks if he was “created by nature” whereas in M1 he asked if he was “created by God”.

- There is a reference about jelly donuts from Brock. This, of course, is a fan favorite reference among the Western audience.

- The “circumstances of one’s birth...” quote is used. This was never in Japanese M1, but it did become Mewtwo’s most famous quote, and thus deserves the recognition.

- The Vulpix and the Vaporeon are cute af.

- In summary, it is almost the same movie. A copy... bwhaha, there’s a pun. And I’m very, very happy about that.

- There are a few other changes. Scroll down through my blog for links. Hard to add things on the phone, gah.

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Imagine if the trainers that made it to Mewtwo’s party were just a little bit older and more jaded with humanity and when Mewtwo goes off with the whole “humans suck” deal they’d just be like

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New version of “Kaze to Issho ni”

This is the movie 22 version of “Kaze to Issho ni”: https://youtu.be/B07pQCBF2GU

Sachiko Kobayashi returned to sing and her voice is still phenomenal.

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Changes made to MSBE

https://mobile.twitter.com/DogasusBackpack?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

Oddly enough, it seems like the significant change was made to Mew. Mewtwo is overall pretty much the same.

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“Mewtwo Strikes Back Evolution” Spoilers

https://mobile.twitter.com/ThePokemonJesus/status/1146911520497946624

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https://comicbook.com/anime/amp/2019/07/05/pokemon-mewtwo-strikes-back-evolution-first-reactions-anime/

Initial reactions to MSBE. It is a true 100% remake!

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There’s some neat new dialogue in the Mewtwo Strikes Back Evolution manga.

In the original Mewtwo Strikes Back (1998) film, Mewtwo and Mew battle one another high above the arena on New Island. Down below, Mewtwo’s clones and the trainer’s Pokemon engage in a fight to the death. We don’t know what all goes on between Mewtwo and Mew during their barrier battle. The 2nd part of the Mewtwo Strikes Back Evolution manga adds an interesting bit of dialogue to the scene: 

In this added exchange, Mewtwo reveals the circular logic that serves as the crux of his existential dilemma: To live, one must be strong. To be strong, one must be alive. In his mind, he was created to be the strongest being in existence, and should therefore have more a reason, more a purpose, to be alive than anyone else.

But he doesn’t know what his true purpose is, and he doesn’t know if he’s really the strongest. And to admit that would be conceding that he doesn’t think he should be alive, that he doesn’t deserve to live. 

This sort of self-destructive thinking is not only tragic and harmful to Mewtwo, but it’s absolutely detrimental to his clones. Upon his creation, Mewtwo is told by the scientists who created him and the man who trained him that he must be strong because that’s why he was made. Otherwise he has no reason to exist. Mewtwo clings to this raison d'être so desperately that he does anything he can to make sure it’s true. Then he perpetuates this way of thinking on his own clones, as evidenced in these pages, and it almost kills them. Mewtwo is unwittingly participating in a cycle of violence he has been the victim of since birth.

Note: The above English manga translation is not official.

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https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2019-07-04/pokemon-mewtwo-strikes-back-evolution-film-special-promo-video-features-song-by-rita-ora/.148621

One of the new movie songs. Or, to be more accurate, it is on the soundtrack.

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A new trailer for “Mewtwo Strikes Back - Evolution” will air on the Japanese show Oha Suta on 5/23/2019. I will link to the trailer as it comes available.