Editing Pokémon (section)

==== Anime production launches ====
<!-- Kubo convinces all parties that a Pokemon anime should be made -->
By August 1996, Kubo had become convinced of ''Pokemon''{{'}}s potential, and believed Shogakukan should create [[Pokémon (TV series)|an anime adaptation]].<ref>{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=256}}.</ref> Nintendo was hesitant, noting that if the anime would flop, it would negatively affect the popularity of the game.<ref>{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=258}}.</ref> Ishihara initially opposed the idea, because he thought it would overly hasten the 'consumption' of the property: he feared that if the series would end, people would assume that ''Pokemon'' has ended, and move on to the next thing.<ref>{{Harvp|Pokemon Business Study Group|1998|p=146-148}}.</ref> At the time, Creatures and Game Freak were planning the sequel(s) to ''Red'' and ''Green'', [[Pokemon Gold and Silver|''Pokemon Gold'' and ''Silver'']], and Ishihara did not want the anime to end before they could release their new games.<ref name="Iwata_Asks_2">{{Cite interview | title=The King Of Portable Toys | series=[[Iwata Asks]] | interviewer-first=Satoru | interviewer-last=Iwata | interviewer-link=Satoru Iwata | url=https://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/ds/pokemon/0/1/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230328012415/https://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/ds/pokemon/0/1/ | archive-date=28 March 2023 | url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=259}}.</ref> Kubo was ultimately able to resolve the concerns of all parties involved. An important aspect of Kubo's bargaining power was the then-ongoing [[Mini 4WD]] craze and its accompanying hit series ''[[Bakusō Kyōdai Let's & Go!!]]''. Kubo had an important role in the creation of both, which impressed the stakeholders.<ref>{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=182-183 + 275}}.</ref> To appease Ishihara, Kubo promised him that the anime would last for at least a year and a half. This was unusually long for a debuting anime, and required a big investment.<ref name="Iwata_Asks_2" /><ref>{{Harvp|Pokemon Business Study Group|1998|p=151-153}}.</ref> Kubo's proposal for ''Pocket Monsters'' was officially approved on 26 September 1996.<ref>{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=250 + 283 + 287–288}}.</ref> For Nintendo of Japan, it was the first time they licensed a TV series.<ref>{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=279}}.</ref> Kubo assigned independent producer {{ill|Choji Yoshikawa|ja|吉川兆二}} to lead the project.<ref>{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=310}}.</ref>

<!-- OLM contracted, writing team formed -->
[[Shogakukan Productions]], commonly called ShoPro, was Shogakukan's production company. The animation company they commissioned was [[OLM, Inc.]] (Oriental Light and Magic), on Kubo's suggestion.<ref>{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=318}}.</ref> [[Kunihiko Yuyama]], one of OLM's founding members, became the anime's director. ShoPro assembled a team of five writers, plus two supporting writers.<ref>{{Harvp|Pokemon Business Study Group|1998|p=169}}.</ref> All key people involved with the production of ''Pokemon'' were well-experienced and had proven track records within Japan's anime industry. Yoshikawa felt that the team got lucky. "The probability of so many great people coming together at the same time is very low", he said.<ref name="Hatakeyama_Kubo_(2000)_p340">{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=340}}.</ref> Per Tajiri's explicit condition,<ref>{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=260-261 + 282}}.</ref> every anime team member had to play the game extensively, including the illustrators and voice actors.<ref name="Hatakeyama_Kubo_(2000)_p340" /> The anime staff "unanimously agreed that the game was interesting"<ref>{{Harvp|Pokemon Business Study Group|1998|p=156}}.</ref> and "felt connected with each other through the world of ''Pokemon''",<ref name="Hatakeyama_Kubo_(2000)_p340" /> feeling positively challenged to make an anime that would match the game's quality.<ref>{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=324-326}}.</ref>

<!-- Production council formed, Pikachu is selected as a central icon -->
[[File:Liam meets pikachu (14438634188).jpg|thumb|A boy hugging a Pikachu-[[costumed performer]]. Pikachu became a popular character among both boys and girls.<ref name="Pokemon_Business_Study_Group_p98">{{Harvp|Pokemon Business Study Group|1998|p=98}}.</ref>]]
A production council was formed to produce the anime. Different people appeared at different meetings, but four individuals usually present were Ishihara of Creatures, Sugimori of Game Freak, Yuyama of OLM, and independent producer Yoshikawa. Yoshikawa had the final say. The council decided on the anime's worldview, characters, general storyline, and various important details. The early meetings, which were also attended by Tajiri, usually started with a Q&A session in which Tajiri and Ishihara were asked about the Pokemon universe.<ref>{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=308-309}}.</ref> The council was careful to have the anime be in concordance with the video game. Inevitably, there had to be differences between the two, but all agreed that the overall worldview as envisioned by Tajiri should not be disturbed.<ref>{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=309 + 332}}.</ref> At the start of the video game, the player has to choose one of three starter Pokemon: Fushigidane, Hitokage, or Zenigame ([[Bulbasaur]], [[Charmander]], or [[Squirtle]]). The council didn't want to unfairly popularize any of them, and wanted the protagonist to start out with a different Pokemon.<ref>{{Harvp|Pokemon Business Study Group|1998|p=164-165}}.</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine | first1=Toshifumi | last1=Yoshida | first2=Bill | last2=Flanagan | title=Animerica interview: Takemoto Mori | magazine=[[Animerica]] | date=July 1999 | volume=7 | pages=28 + 30 | url=https://www.animenostalgiabomb.com/1st-pokemon-cover-pikachu-and-ash-ketchum-animerica-july-1999/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231201224853/https://www.animenostalgiabomb.com/1st-pokemon-cover-pikachu-and-ash-ketchum-animerica-july-1999/ | archive-date=1 December 2023 | url-status=live | quote=The main point is not to alienate any of the kids. For example, if we had the main character choose Zenigame (Squirtle), then some of the kids would say, "Hey, I chose Hitokage (Charmander)," and that would lead to the kid saying, "Who needs this show!"}}</ref> Kenji Hatakeyama, who interviewed various people involved with the creation of ''Pokemon'', wrote that, by coincidence, three people independently suggested to the council that a [[Pikachu]] should be a main character in the anime: Kubo, Yuyama, and Keisuke Iwata of TV Tokyo's Film Department.<ref>{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=334}}.</ref> In the end, all council members agreed that Pikachu should be one of ''Pocket Monsters''{{'}} central icons, as they expected Pikachu to appeal to both boys and girls, as well as their mothers. This would expand the franchise's audience, which was considered a core objective of the anime.<ref>{{Harvp|Allison|2006|p=226 + 244}}.</ref><ref>{{Harvp|Pokemon Business Study Group|1998|p=165 + 196}}.</ref>

<!-- Pokemon communication style in the anime is decided -->
During the council's first meeting, Yoshikawa brought up the issue on whether the Pokemon in the anime could talk, and if not, how they could communicate. In the video games, each has a specific cry. In [[Pokémon Pocket Monsters|Anakubo's ''CoroCoro'' manga]], most could speak. At first, the council believed there should be a mixture of Pokemon that could talk and some that could not. However, this idea was eventually discarded: the Pokemon had to make a specific cry. The council agreed that Pokemon were like animals, and while they and humans should be able to understand each other in the series, they should not speak each other's language.<ref>{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=323-324}}.</ref> It was decided that Pikachu would repeatedly say its own name in various intonations. The role of Pikachu was given to [[Ikue Otani]]. During try-outs, Yuyama had Otani voice Pikachu in normal Japanese, as well as in 'Pikachu talk', in which it only said the syllables of its name. Yuyama realized that, even in the latter style of limited communication, Otani was experienced enough to still convey the messages and emotions needed.<ref>{{Harvp|Pokemon Business Study Group|1998|p=166-167}}.</ref>

<!-- Anime debuts and becomes a hit, Pocket Monsters Pikachu (= Pokémon Yellow) released -->
ShoPro paid half of the production cost of ''Pokemon''. [[TV Tokyo]] paid the other half and was granted co-ownership of the anime.<ref>{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=327-328}}.</ref> The ads during the show{{'}}s commercial breaks were managed by advertisement agency {{ill|JR Kikaku|ja|ジェイアール東日本企画}}, which was in turn paid by sponsors buying advertisement space.<ref>{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=290 + 299–300 + 329–331}}.</ref> In negotiating with TV Tokyo, Kubo managed to secure the 19:00 – 19:30 timeslot on Tuesdays.<ref>{{Harvp|Pokemon Business Study Group|1998|p=153-154}}.</ref> ''Pocket Monsters'' premiered on 1 April 1997. By November, it had become the highest-rated program on TV Tokyo.<ref>{{Cite web | first=George | last=Phillips | title=10th Anniversary of Pokemon in Japan | website=[[Anime News Network]] | date=27 March 2007 | url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2007-03-27/10th-anniversary-of-pokemon-in-japan | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080512055515/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2007-03-27/10th-anniversary-of-pokemon-in-japan | archive-date=12 May 2008 | url-status=live}}</ref> The anime succeeded in its goal of widening ''Pokemon''{{'}}s audience. Although the video games and the cards remained mostly of interest to boys, the anime also got more girls interested in the franchise, and girls' purchases of ''Pokemon'' products increased.<ref name="Pokemon_Business_Study_Group_p98" /> This has been partly credited to Pikachu, who gained widespread popularity among both boys and girls.<ref>{{Harvp|Pokemon Business Study Group|1998|p=167 + 172 + 198–199}}.</ref> The success of this character would later lead to the game ''Pocket Monsters Pikachu'' (''[[Pokémon Yellow|Pokémon Yellow: Special Pikachu Edition]]''), released in Japan on 12 September 1998.<ref>{{Cite web | title=ポケットモンスター ピカチュウ | website=nintendo.co.jp | url=https://www.nintendo.co.jp/n02/dmg/apsj/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130503230011/http://www.nintendo.co.jp/n02/dmg/apsj/ | archive-date=3 May 2013 | url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | title=ポケットモンスター ピカチュウ{{pipe}}ポケットモンスターオフィシャルサイト | website=pokemon.co.jp | url=https://www.pokemon.co.jp/game/other/gb-pikachu/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130206082341/http://www.pokemon.co.jp/game/other/gb-pikachu/ | archive-date=6 February 2013 | url-status=live}}</ref> An adaptation of ''Pokemon Blue'', this version was made to resemble the TV series more.<ref>{{Harvp|Pokemon Business Study Group|1998|p=251}}.</ref>