News On Japan

This ‘Pokémon’ Episode Never Aired Outside Japan

Aug 23 (collider.com) - Banned episodes are no rare occurrence in the world of television, including a Pokémon episode did indeed cause numerous desperate parents to run to the hospital with their children, many of which had lost consciousness due to seizures.

It was an event that took place in the late 90s and that briefly caused a generalized panic concerning anime.

Originally released in Japan by TV Tokyo on December 16, 1997, “Dennō Senshi Porygon”, or, as it is most commonly known by Western fans, “Electric Soldier Porygon”, was Episode 38 of the very first season of Pokémon. It follows the basic premise of most of the show's episodes, with Ash (Rica Matsumoto), Brock (Yuji Ueda), Misty (Mayumi Izuka) — or Satoshi, Takeshi, and Kasumi, in the original version — and their Pokémons facing off against Team Rocket for some Pokémon-related crime. However, the episode takes a trippy turn that could only be possible in the late 90s: instead of fighting evil in the real world, our heroes are transported to the insides of a computer, where they must secure the traffic of Pokémons in between Pokémon Centers. They are helped by the world’s first digital Pokémon, Porygon, an invention of Professor Akibahara (Bin Shimada) with the power of copying its enemy’s physical traits. But problems arise when it is revealed that Team Rocket also has a Porygon of their own. ...continue reading

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Rain affected parts of Japan on Tuesday morning as a low-pressure system and front moved through, bringing heavier downpours in some areas. Skies are expected to clear across much of the country this afternoon. However, yellow sand drifting in from the Asian continent is forecast to spread over a wide area, raising concerns over reduced visibility and worsening health conditions.

Japan's weather agency and the Cabinet Office issued a 'Hokkaido-Sanriku Offshore Subsequent Earthquake Advisory' after an earthquake measuring upper 5 on Japan's seismic intensity scale struck off Sanriku.

JR East has launched a preview version of its new online Shinkansen booking platform, JRE GO, promising reservations in as little as one minute and easier handling of sudden schedule changes.

A bear that had remained in a residential area in central Sendai since early Sunday morning was euthanized last night in an emergency cull. No injuries were reported.

Police investigating the death of an 11-year-old boy whose body was found in a forest in Kyoto Prefecture believe his father moved the remains between several locations over a number of days in an apparent attempt to conceal the crime.

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