From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
The main characters of the Advanced Generation: Brock, Ash, May, Max, along with Mudkip, Treecko, Pikachu, and Torchic.The Pok?mon anime series, based on the video game series, was created in Japan and then translated for the North American television market. The series appeared outside Japan before the video games did, and has since spawned several movies. It is aimed at younger viewers but many teens and adults enjoy it as well. Originally a single series, Pocket Monsters, it has since been spun off to two: Pocket Monsters Advanced Generation continues the story of Pocket Monsters, while Pok?mon Sunday (formerly Shuukan Pok?mon Housoukyoku) is a series of stories revolving around some of the recurring characters.
The series' music was composed by Hirokazu Tanaka, better known for his work on Nintendo games such as Metroid. Nintendo disapproved of Tanaka working on the project, so he quit the company to turn his attentions completely to Pok?mon.
The show is currently in its third season of Advanced Generation in Japan, while the English version is on the second season of Advanced Generation, titled Pok?mon: Advanced Challenge. In the fall of 2005, an English version of Housoukyoku, titled Pok?mon Chronicles, will air on Kids WB. Each season also brings forth a Pok?mon feature-length film, and each film up until the seventh is preceded by a Pok?mon animated short.
In Japan, both series are shown on TV Tokyo, with Advanced Generation airing on Thursday nights and Pok?mon Sunday on Sunday nights. In the United States, new episodes of Advanced Generation can be seen on the air on the Kids WB cartoon block six days a week (except Sundays), including the earlier pre-Johto episodes, which are still considered the best episodes of the series by many.
The English version is produced by 4Kids Entertainment in association with Kids WB, Miramax Films and Buena Vista Home Entertainment, the latter two units of The Walt Disney Company.
