Dub Reunion, Dub History

Three weeks ago, something momentous happened for the Pokémon anime, at least in the local scene - that is, in my locale of Indonesia. After a long time, the Pokémon anime returned to Indonesian airwaves, this time bearing the Alola saga, otherwise called the Sun & Moon series. It, of course, has a dub to accommodate younger viewers and in general those who don't generally understand Japanese. It can be described as a fascinating "reunion", especially considering its history.

The presence of the Pokémon anime on Indonesian airwaves is an extended one. Up to today, it has spanned four national TV channels, with some differences each time; it has also pretty much covered all generations. Despite its extended presence, however, it also has a reputation for being spotty, or in other words incomplete; episodes are missing in part or in whole, whether intentionally or unintentionally. Even so, many episodes did manage to receive the dub treatment and were aired at least once, satisfying at least a good number of Pokémon fans, including me.

And this time, there is the Sun & Moon dub. It was actually promised or advertised as far back as August to air in the same month, and even previewed at the local TCG launch event. However, nothing came out of it, at least at that time. Local fans only received confirmation some weeks later of the premiere, which was exactly as I described, being three weeks ago. In a further twist, not one, but two episodes were aired... although in subsequent weeks this became last week's episode plus a new episode. It is also this that became part of the impetus for my "doubleheaders" post. This broadcast schedule seems odd, though it does benefit those who cannot stay up to watch, as the episodes air at around 9 PM, another significant change for those who are used to watching on Sunday mornings.

Content-wise, there is yet another significant change. Instead of being based on the Japanese original, it is instead based on the English dub, including its theme. My reasoning is that this is to fully coordinate with the English names, which are retained or used in the localized TCG. Ash is also referred to as "Ash" and not as "Satoshi", which is quite a novelty for the dub. Another novelty is the use of "annotations" for characters and Pokémon that viewers may not be familiar with, at least upon the very first introduction. The dub itself appears to be good enough, and yet a bit literally translated in some parts. All the same, the cutting of the episodes seem a bit dubious at times, even in the transition to breaks. Things seem to remain the same as much as they change.

With this airing, fans in Indonesia have officially been "reunited" with the dub for the Pokémon anime. Despite the changes, fans should find that the qualities of the current dub should be similar to that of previous dubs, if they have already watched. For newer fans, this is still something to enjoy regardless. The history of the dub therefore continues with the saga of a region with good vibes - which hopefully should carry on to and with this dub.

One year ago: A Strongly Brilliant Thing
Two years ago: Feelings for Female Trainers