4/16/06

To Whom It May Concern at Pokemon USA:


I'm one of the many Pokemon fans out there who is very disappointed at the idea of the recast of the Pokemon dub. I have been watching Pokemon for over 8 years, and one of the main reasons I continue to watch it is because of the talented voice actors. In my experiences with watching a lot of different dubbed anime, I know that it takes a long time, sometimes years, for the actors to really get into their roles and grow to love the characters they portray, and Pokemon was one show that has that intimacy captured almost perfectly. Veronica Taylor, Eric Stuart, Rachael Lillis, and the many other veteran voice actors of the Pokemon cast have brought so much life and endearment into the characters after all this time. To suddenly change them now, would make Pokemon seem almost like a totally different show. I just can't imagine anyone else portraying the unique humor of my favorite characters, Team Rocket, or build up such a repertoire for them as the original voice actors have been able to do. And what about the familiar cries of the 386+ pokemon that we have come to recognize and appreciate after all these years? Perhaps Pikachu may be able to keep its original voice, but what of the other popular pokemon like Jigglypuff, Bulbasaur, and Squirtle? Is Pokemon USA really so financially deficient that they have to change the voice actors in order to have enough money to keep the show going? I don't want to make accusations, but if that's not the case then this whole prospect seems to be based entirely on greed, and I don't think there's a single fan that's happy about it.

I have seen commercials for "Mastermind of Mirage Pokemon" and although it looks very exciting, the fact that it will not feature the voices that I have known for nearly half my life, is giving me second thoughts about watching it and any future episodes. I strongly hope that Pokemon USA will reconsider changing the Pokemon dub and realize that it may do more harm than help as far as keeping dedicated fans like me tuned in. Thank you very much for taking the time to read my letter and I hope that my writing it was not wasted.


Sincerely,

Alia Lee
http://www.animeyume.com