Pokemon: The First Movie Remastered Showing on Cartoon Network 1/4/2014

Transcript:

Hi everyone, Steven here. So a few days ago Cartoon Network put out a press release announcing the official start of the Pokemon X Y Anime on January 18th. While I'm certainly looking forward to that, what's more interesting to me is the second paragraph, where it states that a digitally remastered version of Mewtwo Strikes Back will be shown on January 4th. This is significant for a few reasons. First of all, those of you that have seen my "Arceus Gap" video will be aware that The First Movie has essentially been out of print in the US since late 2009, and this marks the first major exhibition of the film since that time. This would seem to imply that whatever issues that caused it to go out of print have been resolved, and this could possibly hint at another retail release of the movie sometime in 2014.

Another interesting point is that the movie has been digitally remastered. Now, a remastered version of the Japanese edition has existed for a while, so it's possible that they'll be using that version intercut with the title sequences from the dub. It's also possible that the full English version from 1999 has been restored as well-we just don't know yet. Either way, this will probably end up being the best-looking version of the English dub of the film, so it should be worth checking out.

"Sky Ball" - The parody you'll never hear

Okay, so after about three weeks of owning Pokémon X, I finally got through the main game and beat the champion, and did some of the post-game content. Overall I’d say the game was pretty good, but I do have one major complaint. So, there are these new things called Sky Battles where flying and levitating Pokémon are used. They’re not super different from regular battles, but the part of it I find truly disappointing is that to catch Pokémon for these battles there’s no Sky Ball in the game, and…I really wanted to write that Adele parody. Those of you that know me know that I like to write song parodies, and I wanted to write one for this new generation, so when I heard about Sky Battles, I started to get some ideas on what I could do for a “Skyfall” parody. Prior to the game’s release, I bought the song and started listening to it to see how I could transform the lyrics. I won’t share everything I came up with, but here’s a brief outline:

So, the original song starts with a 25-30 second instrumental passage. In a parody there needs to be some indication that this is not the original song, so rather than leave it as is, I planned on putting in a conversation between two people that goes something like, “Did you hear about the new Pokémon games?”, “No, what are they called this time?”, “X and Y”, “What, did they run out of colors?”, you know, stuff like that, then towards the end it’s, “They’ve got this new thing called ‘Sky Battles’”, “Lemme guess, is there a new Sky Ball you can use to catch Pokémon?”. That would serve as sort of the opening to the piece.

Then the actual song would start with, “There is no end. Hold your breath here comes 6^th gen.” Throughout the first verse the theme was going to be, “Here comes more Pokémon-there’s nothing you can do about it-I’ve come to dread this moment-I love it and I loathe it”, which leads into the chorus, “here’s a Sky Ball, for your trouble, we will stand tall, and catch ‘em all-together”, and so on.

The second verse was going to focus on the singer adjusting to the new game’s features and such. I didn’t have too many ideas here-“so why is Honedge weak to dark?” was one of them, but leading into the second chorus I was thinking of using something like, “here’s my charge card number, you can take my cash, ‘cuz we’ll never grow apart!” As if the singer was giving in to their love of Pokémon and buying the game.

After the second chorus, the original song goes into this mostly quiet portion for about 20-25 seconds. I was planning on using it for more exposition-most likely another conversation between the characters from the beginning. After that you have the bridge and the final chorus, and my plan there was to wrap up and have the singer express how they liked the game and how it made them feel as a Pokémon fan, but by this time I really was pretty sure there was no Sky Ball in the game and I put this parody on the back burner, and to be honest, unless the TCG bails me out with a Sky Ball card in one of the first few XY sets it’s just not going to happen.

So, that’s “Sky Ball”, a parody you’ll probably never hear. On a happier note, be sure to check out my interview with Jess Domain from last week if you haven’t already. Thanks.

Musician Interview: Jess Domain ("We're Coming Home"-Pokemon Movie 16 Ending)

Here's an interview with Jess Domain, writer and performer of "We're Coming Home", the ending theme for Pokemon movie 16:



Jess's Channel

Pokemon Movie 16 DVD Releases December 3rd

Amazon has recently posted a listing for a DVD of the 16th Pokemon movie. According to the listing, the DVD will be released December 3rd, roughly a month-and-a-half after its debut on Cartoon Network on the 19th of this month. This marks the shortest gap between the premiere of a Pokemon Movie in the US and its DVD release in the post-Arceus Gap era.

Geek.Kon 2013 + More Pokemon TCG for Game Boy

Ever wish school was more like a video game? This might be the teacher for you:

There's also a new chapter in the saga of the Pokemon TCG for Game Boy:

More Worlds 2013 + Plasma Blast

First off, in case you missed it, we had a ton of coverage of Pokemon Worlds. First, here's a tour video:

An interview with one of the VGC winners:

And another interview with one of the TCG winners:

In addition to all this, we have an interview from one of last month's Pokemon TCG Plasma Blast Prereleases:

Pokemon World Championships 2013-Opening Ceremony-Pokemon X/Y Soundtrack

Here's an excerpt from the 2013 Pokemon World Championships opening ceremony:

As you can see, for the first time in many years, we'll be getting a new official Pokemon album on iTunes US. You can see the Pokemon.com news article here.

Pokemon TCG Plasma Blast Prerelease-Rockford, IL

Here's an interview from a recent Pokemon TCG Plasma Blast Prerelease:



Cards Featured:

-Silver Bangle
-Silver Mirror
-Suicune

Lucario and the Mystery of Mew to be re-released on DVD September 24th

Amazon has put up a listing for a re-release of Lucario and the Mystery of Mew, with a release date on September 24th. This may be related to the inclusion of Mewtwo in Pokemon Movie 16. It is not known whether the DVD will include the Mastermind of Mirage Pokemon special that was included in the original release.

Pokemon US Nationals 2013: Help Wanted-"sticky DOT comics"

I'm looking for some help with an interview I'm planning to do at US Nationals:

First volume of Pokemon: Rival Destinies on DVD releases September 10th

The latest Pokemon DVD set has appeared on Amazon.The set is slated to be released on September 10th, representing a nearly four-month gap from the last volume of Black & White. By comparison, the four volumes of Black & White were released at approximately two-month intervals.

The Nintendo Experience-Greenfield, WI

On Saturday, June 15^th, I got a chance to head over to the Best Buy in Greenfield, WI for the “Nintendo Experience” event. Attendees at this event got a chance to try one of the following games: 

-Super Mario 3D World
-Zelda Wind Waker HD
-Mario Kart 8
-Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze

I arrived at the store at around 11:15 am, at which point there were a handful of people already waiting in line. This Best Buy featured Nintendo Zone Wireless, so while waiting I was able to watch an episode of Pokémon: Rival Destinies and browse the 3DS eShop. I also talked about some of the games with people who had been there on Wednesday. The Nintendo representatives (there appeared to be three-two male, one female) set up the console, as well as some 3DS systems with previously released games.

Since I was only able to play one game (Super Mario 3D World), most of my comments will be based on observing other players. To give some context, here is a list of how many sessions (counting my own) were run for each game while I was present:

Super Mario 3D World: 3
Zelda Wind Waker HD: 6
Mario Kart 8: 9
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze: 2

It should be noted that the number of players also varies by demo. 3D World used four players, Mario Kart and Donkey Kong each used two, and Zelda only used one. Adjusting for that:

Zelda Wind Waker HD

Author’s note-I did not play the original game on GameCube, so my familiarity with that version is quite limited.

There were two options for demos of this game. Players could choose to either play a tutorial from early in the game, or fight the boss battle against Helmaroc King. The tutorial shows off excellent lighting effects, with sunlight coming in through windows and a wonderful haze effect over the ocean. The boss fight showed off the ability to have a large number of feathers on screen simultaneously, much like in the original. In both demos, controls appeared to be easily understood by the players.

Mario Kart 8

This demo consisted of the first two tracks from a GP race. Players were allowed to select from twelve available characters (notable returning characters include Waluigi and Toadette), and each race contained twelve participants and two laps. As shown in the trailer, players could race on the walls or upside down, depending on the layout of the track. Lighting and coloring were both very good (the exhaust from a boost was particularly well done). Most of the standard power-ups were present, but I did not see lightning or the blue shell, though those may still be in the final game. One notable change is that when a player fell off the course, they were placed back on without a fade to black (similar to the original SNES game).

Super Mario 3D World

For this game, participants were allowed to sample two levels from a selection of five. The first level I played featured a number of rotating cylinders, as well as the Cat Mario power-up, which I found intuitive to use. Unlike in the New Super Mario Bros games, where the power-ups pop out all at once, in this game each hit on the block generates a power-up. Additional power-ups can be stored reserve that players can access by pressing a button on the controller.

The second level I played used the clear pipe mechanic where players can guide their character . At one point we entered a "Coin Heaven" area in which I encountered a potted sleeping Piranha Plant. I picked it up (somewhat unintentionally), and as I carried it along it ate additional plants and eventually a green star (similar to the Star Coins in other Mario games) at the end of the area.

Other notes:

-Starmen are now "infectious", in that if an invincible player touches another player, that player will also become invincible.

-One of the isometric bonus areas had a baseball that could be picked up and thrown.

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze

This demo was played using the Wii Remote and Nunchuk. There were four levels to choose from (both sessions I observed played the same level). As shown in the trailer, players are required at times to pull objects out of the ground (the players I observed seemed to be unaware of this mechanic). In the case of the level I saw, it was used to manipulate the field so that some platforms would come down. The level also featured a water segment and a portion traveling through trees via a series of barrels. At the end of the level, there was a barrel that cycled between various items. When it was hit, the level was completed and the player received the bonus shown.

Other notes on the event:

-The staff was well-trained and very knowledgeable (the female seemed to have actually met Reggie from NOA).

-Following the demo, players were allowed to pick either a foam Luigi hat or a Luigi coin as a gift.

-All four games looked considerably better than their video versions on the eShop (probably a result of the constraints put on internet video-it's also likely the TV at the store is better than the one I have at home).

Pokemon TCG Spring Battle Roads 2013: Rockford, IL

At a recent Pokemon TCG Battle Road tournament, I got a chance to interview one of the players:




Cards featured in this video:

-Snorlax (PS)
-Dowsing Machine (PS)

Are we entering the “Rival Destinies Gap”?

This article is a follow-up to the “Arceus Gap” video I posted last year. Like in that video, I am not attempting to blame or vilify anyone for this apparent delay.

Last Tuesday, volume four of Pokémon Black and White was released on DVD. Unlike previous seasons, which had been released over the course of a year, these four volumes were released in a seven-month span. I theorized that they were trying to make up for the “Arceus Gap” and get closer to the pre-Galactic Battles trend of releasing the first set of a season toward the end of that season’s run. Following this pattern, volume one of Rival Destinies should be slated for release in July, however a search of Amazon, Viz.com, and WBShop.com shows nothing on the horizon.

What happened? Well, there are a number of possibilities, but the theory I have goes back to February of this year, when it was announced that Mewtwo would be showing up in movie sixteen. This may have prompted Warner Bros. to attempt to get the first movie back on the market (as you may recall, the first three movies have been out of print in North America for several years), which may be responsible for the delay in getting Rival Destinies out. All of this is supposition, but it seems like a reasonable explanation to me. Of course, it’s also possible that this is just a planned momentary pause between seasons and DVDs will resume later this summer-only time will tell.

Pokemon TCG Plasma Freeze Prerelease: Madison, WI

Here's another interview from a recent Pokemon TCG Prerelease event:




Cards featured in this video:

-Shadow Triad
-Team Plasma Badge
-Float Stone

Poke Press website:
http://pokepress.blogspot.com/

PIRN Station Page:
http://www.live365.com/stations/pirn

PIRN Web Site:
http://pirnradio.blogspot.com/

Not affiliated with an official Pokemon entity.

Interview: Melissa Lefton (“Dance, Dance, Dance” from “Meloetta’s Moonlight Serenade”)

Me: Hi, I’m Steven Reich, here at the PokéPress/PIRN studios in Madison, Wisconsin. I’m on the phone with Melissa Lefton, who is the performer of “Dance, Dance, Dance”, the ending theme song from the Pokémon movie short, “Meloetta’s Moonlight Serenade”, and Melissa we just have a few questions. First off, where are you from originally, and how did you get into music?

Melissa: I am for Chicago, Illinois, and I started to do music, because one day during my last year of college I was looking through the Village Voice, and I found this ad that a producer had placed. He wanted to create the next big act, and I answered it, and I feigned enough self-possession and confidence to land the gig, and a year later we [the band was called “Product”] were signed to Arista Records.

Me: However, that didn’t quite work out the way you had hoped-you sort of floated around a bit-how did that go?

Melissa: Well, our record was shelved because the music was too controversial-it was for kids, but it was about all sorts of unsavory subject matter. Then there was a period of kind of trying to figure out what to do next, and then I became a solo act and made a new demo with my boyfriend at the time, who was also a producer. Then I got signed by Jive, based on again a feigned-or perhaps maybe by this point maybe some degree of actual talent. Then there was about three years of not knowing how to market me because again I stuck to my guns, and I was making it very controversial-it had sort of sarcastic, dry, dark subject matter, and they didn’t know how to place it. So, they sent me to LA to be an actress and to sort of create a context around this personality that was a bit incoherent sonically. So I ended up in some ”Dawson’s Creek” type stuff, and that didn’t work, and then record deal number two just died on September 11^th 2001.

Me: Yeah, that was definitely a tough time to be a pop act. Since then, however, you’ve still certainly still been doing music. What have you kept yourself busy with in the years after?

Melissa: Well, my failed attempt to become a rock star kind of phased into a fairly thriving career in the jingle industry, just endorsing some major products like Gillette, McDonald’s and Chevy-whatever was tossed my way, and I was pretty good at that, so it worked well.

Me: What’s the recording process like?

Melissa: It’s absurd, and ridiculous, and fun, because there are no great overarching consequences. So coming from where all this importance is put on your career as an artist, it just didn’t matter when you’re endorsing products-it’s more fun and light.

Me: All right, and moving on to the actual song, “Dance, Dance, Dance”. First of all, how did you find out you we’re going to get to do it?

Melissa: My jingle agent-she sent me the work. I get my three or four things a year, my work from her, which is pretty scarce in today’s turbulent economy, so I take it when I can get it, I hop to it, and that’s what it was.

Me: What are some of your favorite parts of it?

Melissa: I think it’s the part where I go “Dance, Dance, Dance! I wanna dance forever!”

Me: Any particular reason, or was it just fun?

Melissa: Well, it’s to the point, you know? “I wanna dance forever”? You kinda can’t beat it as a sentiment.

Me: You definitely had a good time there, glad to hear that. What else do you work on in your spare time when you’re not busy doing jingle work?

Melissa: Well at this point I’m pretty much an “old hag” who’s given up on all her ambitions, so I’m content to sit with a cup of tea and make small, impactful decorative changes to my apartment. In terms of music I still have this sort of finger-picking guitar stuff that I do and I have no idea what I’m gonna do with it, but it is a hobby-quite a hobby-I like it. I’m also investing a bit in gold-I think the sector is due for a comeback. The gold miners have been hit really hard, but I expect to see a recovery in the not-to-distant future.

Me: All right, thank you very much Melissa. We certainly look forward to hearing you again either on Pokémon or in your other work.

Melissa: Thank you.

Me: This has been Steven Reich from the PokéPress/PIRN studios in Madison, Wisconsin, on the phone with Melissa Lefton, the performer of “Dance, Dance, Dance”, the ending song from the Meloetta short.

Pokemon VG Midwest Regional 2013: Masters Division Winner

Cory Moeller

Me: Hi, I’m Steven Reich, here at the Monona Terrace Convention Center in Madison, WI, at the Pokémon Video Game Midwest Regionals 2013. I’m here with Cory Moeller, who is the winner of the Masters division of the regional video game competition, and Cory, we have a few questions. First off, what was your team?

Cory: Garchomp, Cresselia, Tyranitar, Scizor, Ludicolo, and Gyrados.

Me: And it turns out you threw all of that together kind of hastily, but you had some help, some tools that you used to decide which Pokémon to put in, how did that all come together?

Cory: [I built my team] very early this morning-I went to bed around 6:00 pm after the TCG event yesterday-I used the team builder on Marriland’s website.

Me: And, as it turns out, the player you had to face in the finals actually was one of your losses in the swiss rounds, how did that play out in your first meeting?

Cory: He absolutely beat me in the swiss rounds-I couldn’t do anything.

Me: What was his team like?

Cory: He had a Thundurus-T [Therian Forme], which I’ve never faced before; he also had a Heracross, Cresselia, Excadrill, and Tyranitar on his team.

Me: What did you learn from the first time that helped you pull it out in the finals?

Cory: I realized that Thundurus Therian Forme doesn’t come with Prankster, so I could use my Tyranitar a little bit more. I also used Gyrados a little bit differently-I used him for his intimidate support and switching ability, rather than using him as a solid attacker.

Me: All right, well, thank you very much Cory, this has been Steven Reich, from the Monona Terrace Convention Center in Madison, WI, at the Pokémon Video Game Midwest Regionals 2013.

Cresselia
Item: Expert Belt
Nature: Calm
Ability: Levitate
Hidden Power (Fire)
Psyshock
Ice Beam
Thunder Wave

Scizor
Item: Steel Gem
Nature: Adamant
Ability: Technician
Bullet Punch
Bug Bite
Swords Dance
Protect

Garchomp
Item: Haban Berry
Nature: Jolly
Ability: Sand Veil
Dragon Claw
Earthquake
Substitute
Protect

Tyranitar
Item: Choice Scarf
Nature: Jolly
Ability: Sand Stream
Rock Slide
Crunch
Fire punch
Low Kick

Gyarados
Item: Sitrus Berry
Nature: Adamant
Ability: Intimitate
Waterfall
Thunder Wave
Taunt
Protect

Ludicolo
Item: Leftovers
Nature: Calm
Ability: Rain Dish
Leech Seed
Scald
Giga Drain
Protect

Pokemon TCG Midwest Regionals 2013-Top 16 Masters

Here's an interview with a participant of the recent Pokemon TCG Midwest Regionals. In it, we go over the player's  "Big Basics" deck:




Cards featured in this video:



-Scramble Switch (PS)
-Energy Switch (BW)
-Revive (BW)
-Hypnotoxic Laser (PS)
-Max Potion (EP)
-Super Rod (NV)

Interview: Neal Coomer (It's Always you and Me-Pokemon Adventures in Unova Theme)

I recently got a chance in to interview Neal Coomer, co-performer of "It's Always You and Me", the Pokemon "Adventures in Unova" theme:

Anime Milwaukee 2013-Pokemon Video Game Tournament

John Williams

Me: Hi, I’m Steven Reich, here at the Milwaukee Hyatt Regency in downtown Milwaukee at Anime Milwaukee 2013. I’m here with John Williams-no, not that John Williams-one of the participants-he actually placed second-in the “Elite Four” Pokémon video game challenge here. First off John, this is sort of a specialty tournament-it doesn’t strictly follow the VGC rules. What were the basic rules for this tournament?

John: Well, they banned [some] legendaries, like Palkia, Dialga, Manaphy-you know, the casual legendaries that you’ll meet in game. They did allow Keldeo however, which I thought was pretty cool-I didn’t really use it, but going on, some of the rules were you couldn’t have a Drizzle team-you couldn’t have Drizzle and Swift Swim on the same team. Also, they didn’t have an item clause, which I thought was pretty interesting, and I did take that into consideration. Another thing is that you could use as many of each Pokémon as you like-you could use a full team of Tauros if you wanted to.

Me: Definitely some interesting rules there. So basically there was a preliminary stage where you had to battle against some of the [convention] staff members. What was that like and how did that go?

John: It went pretty well. I did have a close encounter with the psychic Elite Four person. It actually came down to me having [Impostor] Ditto. I ended up copying his Reuniclus, and my Ditto is Scarfed, so I ended up going first [and taking his Reuniclus out]. After that, we were both down to our last Pokémon, his last Pokémon Gallade had Shadow Sneak, but it didn’t do enough to KO Ditto, so I ended up Shadow Balling him and winning that match. I think Ditto was probably my VIP for this tournament.

Me: And after you finished off the convention’s Elite Four, you then had to face off against other people who had beaten them, how did that work?

John: Yes, what had happened was there was actually only one other person who had done it, so we had to face off for the champion’s spot. It could have gone better if I had led [with a better Pokémon]. He led with a Salamence with Intimidate, and I led with my Therian forme Landorus which also had intimidate, and it just got kind of messy.

Me: If you had a chance to do it over again, would you change anything on your team or something like that?

John: I probably should have led with my Zapdos, because it has Hidden Power ice, and I almost guaranteed would have been able to take out both of his Salamence with it.

Me: Well, all right, thank you very much John. This has been Steven Reich, at Anime Milwaukee 2013, with John, one of the top finishers of the Trainers Rendezvous  Pokémon Video Game Tournament.

John’s Team:

Landorus ~Therian Forme~
-Intimidate-
Outrage
Earthquake
Protect
Stone Edge
Item: Lum Berry

Zoroark
-Illusion-
Protect
Sucker Punch
Counter
Flamethrower
Item: Focus Sash

Gastrodon
-Storm Drain-
Stockpile
Recover
Earth Power
Scald
Item: Brightpowder

Zapdos
-Pressure-
Hidden Power -Ice-
Thunderbolt
Thunder
Heat Wave
Item: Choice Scarf

Infernape
-Blaze-
Fake Out
Close Combat
Mach Punch
Flare Blitz
Item: Focus Sash

Ditto
-Impostor-
Transform
Item: Choice Scarf

Ode to Arino (Parody of “Angry Video Game Nerd Theme” by Kyle Justin)

Notes:
-Song is referring to this.
-For the unaware, “Nihon” (pronounced “knee-hone”) is the Japanese word for Japan (much like how “Deutschland” is the German word for Germany).

Ode to Arino
Parody of “Angry Video Game Nerd Theme” by Kyle Justin

With new lyrics by Steven “PokePress” Reich

He’s gonna take you back to the past,

To play the classic games he #*! at.

He’d rather fight a buffalo

Than watch Dhalsim getting punched in his ear

He’s gonna fall for every trap hole

If you think he's sunk, I guess you're new here

It’s the gamiest center you’ve ever heard,

He’s the Nihon Nintendo nerd

He’s the Nihon Konami Sega nerd

He’s the Nihon video game nerd

Don’t you turn off your TV

He’s gonna make it-wait and see!

Arino’s thumbs may hurt, he may break a sweat

Although he’s cornered our guy will never back down

He’ll grab a cooling pad, no he ain’t done yet

Armed with his helpers he will take these games down

It’s the gamiest center you’ve ever heard,

He’s the Nihon Nintendo nerd

He’s the Nihon SNK Capcom nerd

He’s the Nihon video game nerd

He brings the worst game of all time

Pitiful annihilations blow my mind

But when he starts each marathon, he says:

Arino: GameCenter CX! Kacho-On!

From eight on up to sixty-four bit

This show is huge you know it’s a hit

Where did he learn to swim?

Why can’t he land a plane?

What were they thinking when they gave him this game?

His strategy’s always wrong

Let’s help him get along

Come on now ADs go do your thing!

It’s the gamiest center you’ve ever heard,

His game #*! so bad-hey watch out for that bird!

He’s the genkiiest most retro gaming nerd

He’s the Nihon Irem Namco Tecmo Sunsoft Hudson Soft

Sony Neo Geo Falcom Quintet Data East Vic Tokai Game Freak Nintendo Nerd

He’s the Nihon video game nerd

Preview: Anime Milwaukee 2013

We recently got a chance to ask Crystal Hampton a few questions about this weekend's Anime Milwaukee 2013:

PokePress: How did Anime Milwaukee get started?

Crystal: In 2007, the Anime Milwaukee convention was formed by the Japanese Animation Association, which is an anime club at UW-Milwaukee. It started off as a one day convention on the day of a blizzard. Only about 50 people attended. Since then, the convention has blossomed! The UW-Milwaukee club members, with the help of local anime clubs in Milwaukee and staff from nearby anime conventions helped the con grow to 3,500 attendees by 2012. Too large for campus, Anime Milwaukee moved to the Hyatt Regency hotel and Delta Convention Center in 2011. Anime Milwaukee is now the 6th largest of all conventions in Milwaukee and the largest anime convention in Wisconsin.

PokePress: What activities might be of interest to Pokemon fans?

Crystal: You will find tons of fun Pokemon related events in the Pokemon Trainers Rendezvous room, all weekend long! Wear your Pokemon cosplays because there is a cosplay contest! There will be a Pokemon Elite Four and Snap tournament, fun panels, and lots of gaming. Even challenge the Anime Milwaukee convention chair to the Pokemon Trading Card Game! Outside of the Trainers Rendezvous room, find more Pokemon fans at the cosplay meet-up at 1pm on Sunday.

PokePress: What are some of the other things going on at the convention? Which guests are back, and who are the new ones for this year?

Crystal: Anime Milwaukee partnered with the Distant Worlds Concert to welcome Nobuo Uematsu (Final Fantasy composer) as a special guest. Special guest voice actors are Chris Cason, Todd Haberkorn, Alexis Tipton, and Ian Sinclair. Special guest comic artists are Trevor A. Mueller, Alan Evans, and Russell Lissau.

The Anime Milwaukee Rave has been extended and has more DJs for you to party with, Saturday night! Another dance option is the charity Masquerade Ball on Friday night! Continue to groove to the beat with the Pillowcases (The Pillows cover band) and Arc Impulse (video game rock synth). If you like chess, you're going to love Cosplay Combat Chess! Check out the Anime Milwaukee website to find out how to participate.

PokePress: Where can people find more information about the convention?

Crystal: Find out more information, check out the schedule and map, and more on the Anime Milwaukee website. To find out more about Pokemon Trainers Rendezvous, check out their website!

Pokemon TCG Plasma Storm Prerelease-Madison, WI

Here's an interview from a recent Pokemon TCG Plasma Storm Prerelease:


We go over a few cards from the set, plus her experience playing the TCG online.

Cards featured in this video:

-Hypnotoxic Laser
-Team Plasma Grunt

Additionally, here's one from Rockford, IL:

"Kyurem vs. The Sword of Justice" DVD to be released in US April 2nd

The DVD of the 15th Pokemon movie, "Kyurem vs. The Sword of Justice", is scheduled for release on April 2nd:

Amazon

Special Pokemon episode of the Super Marcato Bros. podcast-guest starring me!

For those of you who aren't aware, Super Marcato Bros. is a  podcast that goes over some of the technical and stylistic details of video game music. As it turns out, they just put out a Pokemon episode, and I'm actually on part of it as a guest! Be sure to listen in for some great tunes and some cool insights into the music of the games.

Pokemon TCG City Championships 2012-2013: Rockford, IL-Garbodor

At a recent Pokemon TCG City Championship, I got a chance to interview a player about the Garbodor deck that got him into the top 8 of the tournament:




Cards featured in this video:

-Heavy Ball (NEX 88)
-Garbodor (DRE 54)

Pokemon TCG City Championships 2012-2013: Janesville, WI-Cuts Like a Roserade

At a recent Pokemon TCG City Championship, I got a chance to interview one of the top finishers:



In the interview, we discuss the player's Roserade-based deck, focusing on these cards:


-Roserade (DRE 14)
-Roserade (DRE 15)