Hideki Sonoda was a screenwriter for the Pokemon anime. He is most notable for writing the screenplays from Movie 3 to Movie 17. In this section from his blog, Screen Boss, Sonoda talks about the process for writing Movie 5.
Thoughts on "Dialga VS Palkia VS Darkrai."
I was lucky to be able to see this movie in theaters for the first time since 2007.
It makes me truly happy to see a movie that I wrote the script for being screened in theaters in this way.
Watching this film again, I was impressed by how well I wrote the script.
Just the trait of Pokémon that control time and space is already challenging, but adding Darkrai, a Pokémon with complex traits, made it even more difficult.
I can't help but admire how well I managed to pull it all together.
Even though I wrote the script myself, since time has passed, I was able to watch this film as an objective audience member.
Since it's been 15 years since it was made, there are parts where I think, "I should have done this differently," but it was still fun.
I felt completely satisfied.
It was truly a packed flick.
With three legendary Pokémon appearing and causing chaos, it's no wonder I felt so full. (laughs)
Watching this film brought back memories of the landscapes I saw during the research trip to Spain.
And the beauty of the art design truly delighted my eyes.
Pokémon movies have truly amazing staff work.
Music was also an important element in this film.
The wonderful songs also moved me.
Location scouting trips began with the fifth film, "The City of Water," so this film marks the fifth location scouting trip.
The effects of this location scouting are evident in various parts of the film.
Walking through the actual locations, opening one's senses, and absorbing various things are reflected in the work.
The place that served as the model for the town is called Ronda.
The tower's model is the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona.
The experience of actually visiting these places has been incorporated into the script.
My own experience of climbing the Sagrada Familia tower and gasping for breath is reflected in the scene where Satoshi climbs the tower.
The model for the genius Godey is, of course, the genius Gaudí who designed the Sagrada Familia.
While I refer to them as models, they are what stimulated my sensitivity.
Ideas are born from the reactions to external stimuli.
Therefore, experiencing things firsthand is truly important.
Movies are also a form of experience.
By watching a movie, something new may be born within you.
When I reviewed the data I had left, I found traces of how much I had struggled to create this film.
From coming up with ideas to creating the story, then the plot, revising it, writing the actual script, and revising it again.
There were records of how I had racked my brains through many stages.
The number was enormous.
It was so many revisions that I wondered if there was any other screenwriter in the world who had rewritten their work so many times.
This time, at the Pokémon Festival, I revisited three films, and this one likely had the most revisions.
I really went through a lot back then, fifteen years ago. (laughs)
I felt like giving myself a pat on the back.
That said, I can't help but admire the dedication of the director and producers who went through all those revisions with me.
From the opposite viewpoint, it would have been better if I could have produced something amazing in one go without having to revise it multiple times.
Perhaps my incompetence caused a lot of trouble for many people.
Such stories of hardship or behind-the-scenes tales might be better left unspoken, but they could make for an interesting documentary in the style of the old "PROJECT X" series.
Pokémon enthusiasts might find it entertaining.
It's truly unfortunate, but some of the staff members from that time have already passed away. While it's inevitable, it's still incredibly painful to lose someone you worked with.
Since I won't live forever either, it's probably best to leave a record behind. (This is making me feel a bit lonely)
I can only document the process of the story coming together, but I hope someone will document the entire process of how the movie was made and the memories associated with it.
I'm sure someday, researchers or something like that will emerge.
At the initial brainstorming stage, the only thing decided was that a Pokémon called "Dark (tentative)" would be introduced, and the ideas focused on how to incorporate this Dark Pokémon into Satoshi's story.
In the next idea, it was changed to "Darkrai," so it seems the traits for the Pokémon Darkrai was decided early on.
(The brainstorming phase always started with deciding which legendary Pokémon to introduce)
As mentioned earlier, there are a vast number of revised story drafts.
If I were to introduce them all here, no amount of time would be enough.
(For those interested in story creation, it might be interesting to verify each one in a closed setting, but this is quite niche)
The idea of the "gap in space-time" was present from the beginning.
The process of having the Pokémon living there get involved was too. However, initially, it seems we were aiming to create a story centered around Darkrai.
In the end, the completed film also had Darkrai as the main character, so the original idea survived until the end.
There was also a scene where Darkrai entered Satoshi's mind, and Satoshi and Darkrai had a brief conversation.
If that had been realized, it might have been an interesting scene.
This is just one example, but we really went through a process of coming up with various ideas, discarding them, coming up with more, and discarding them again.
I'm amazed I didn't lose heart.
If I could give advice to aspiring screenwriters or writers, it would be, "If you lose heart, you fail."
No matter how difficult the maze you find yourself in, there is always an exit.
Keep moving forward with an unbreakable spirit.
It feels like my past self is speaking to my present self.
I can't just dwell on past memories, so I'll get back to my current work.
If I get the chance, I'll write more about my Pokémon memories.