Pokémon X and Y News Update: Japan's Postponed Episode Gets US Postponement Despite Title Confirmation
A "Pokémon The Series: XY" episode might have received a ban in the United States despite Turner Broadcasting confirming the show's airdate.
As we reported, episode 24 of the "Pokémon X" and "Pokémon Y" generation series was given an indefinite postponement following the events off the South Korean coast that involved the sinking of the MV Sewol, which carried 476 people on April 16. The ferry, which included students from Danwon High School, began to capsize 16 miles away from the nearest South Korean coast. Rescue operations are still underway while the South Korean government receives criticism to response times.
The Pokémon episode, titled "Undersea Castle! Kuzumo and Dramidoro!!" in Japan, was scheduled to air on April 24. The episode was set to debut the new sixth-generation and dual Poison-and-Water type Pokémon Skrelp and its Poison-and-Dragon type evolution Dragalge.
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Despite previews of the episode airing in Japan, the episode was postponed at the last minute. Instead, Japanese viewers watched episode 25, which featured Ash Ketchum's second gym battle against Cyllage City Gym Leader Grant. A new Japanese airdate has not yet been revealed.
At the time, it was unclear if the episode would air in the U.S. In previous circumstances, an indefinitely postponed, or banned episode in Japan also fails to air in the U.S.
By May 20, the postponed episode's English-dub title was confirmed. As a result, speculation began that the postponed episode would air on Cartoon Network, possibly airing first in the U.S. before Japan. As Bulbapedia noted, episode 24's English-translated name was "An Undersea Place to Call Home!" The U.S. airdate, however, was not revealed.
The next day saw Turner Broadcasting's official press website remove the episode from Cartoon Network's monthly schedule. Similar to TV Tokyo's response, U.S. viewers might instead see episode 25, "Climbing the Walls!"
Episode 24 marks the first indefinitely postponed episode of the sixth-generation-based television series, but it isn't the first for the general franchise.
The last episode to be indefinitely postponed, in Japan and internationally, was a two-part chronicle that was intended to introduce the Unova region's criminal organization Team Plasma in the "Black and White" series. The two-part episode was postponed indefinitely due to the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami and Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in March 2011. Team Plasma eventually made their anime debuts 112 episodes into the Unova-based series with different plotlines than the two-part saga.
Meanwhile, The Pokémon Company International confirmed new video games for the Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo 2DS platforms: "Pokémon Omega Ruby Version" and "Pokémon Alpha Sapphire Version." Confirmed for a worldwide November release date, the upcoming games are remakes to the third generation's "Pokémon Ruby Version" and "Pokémon Sapphire Version," which launched in North America in March 2003. The new games will be the first remakes to be in 3-D. Little information has been disclosed for the new games except for legends Groudon and Kyogre and the covert art.
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For the latest updates, follow Latin Post's Michael Oleaga on Twitter: @EditorMikeO or contact via email: m.oleaga@latinpost.com.
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