My Email Interview with Mr. Hideki Sonoda
Hideki Sonoda was a screenwriter for the Pokemon anime most well known for writing the bulk of Pokemon's movies. Early this year, I reached out to Mr. Sonoda asking for an interview through email, and he obliged.
The following is a reproduction of our emails, translated and edited to make them more clear and readable. Specifically, I edited some of my questions to make them more legible (changing Japanese names to English, removing katakana that I originally included, etc.) No part of Mr. Sonoda's translated Japanese has been edited.
Questions related to screenplays:
Q: My understanding is that you were trained as a theater writer by Tadaaki Mori, and then were introduced to Takao Koyama. Obviously, you have been very successful writing stage plays as well as novels. How did you get involved in anime screenwriting, and why did anime appeal to you?
1: Mori Tadaaki is a writer of children's stories. I am a big fan of his work. What I supported him for was his attitude toward his work. I did not receive any training.
I decided to be a writer when I was 10 years old. From that moment on, everything in my life was geared toward becoming a writer. I read many books and started writing poems and pieces. When I was 19, Mori advised me to do theater, so I joined a theater company and studied acting and directing. At the age of 21, I wrote my first stage script and had it performed. From there, I wrote and performed several stage plays. Koyama saw my work on those plays and introduced me to a TV scriptwriting job. That was an animation script.
From there, I developed relationships with directors and producers, and I continued to work on animation scripts. At the same time, I continued writing stage plays and started writing young adult novels.
My scriptwriting skills were not taught to me by anyone, but rather I learned them on my own on the stage and in animated television productions. I don't have a teacher when it comes to screenwriting.
I have been attracted to anime and tokusatsu programs since I was a child.
I loved manga, starting with Tezuka Osamu. I also loved TV shows such as puppet shows and anime. I especially loved the science fiction setting of Ultra Seven.
I have wanted to write such a work someday since I was in grade school.
When I received an offer to write a script for an anime, I knew that the future I had envisioned had arrived.
It was because of this hobby that I joined the science fiction research society as well as theatrical activities when I entered college.
Q: As an anime screenwriter, you have worked on many different types of shows — Victory Gundam and Doraemon are very different indeed. You seem to lean more towards writing children's anime though. What drew you to that?
2: As I mentioned in one of my previous answers, I have always been oriented toward writing shows for children. I was attracted to the works of Mori Tadaaki, a writer of children's stories, because his works deeply captured the soul of a child.
I believe that the heart of childhood is very important in human development.
When I am writing a children's program, I am always conscious of the fact that shaping the soul of a child is very important work.
In fact, I feel that children's works are more important than adult works.
That is the reason why I write a lot of works for children.
However, as the target audience changes, the content of my writing also changes.
For example, I write many stage productions for adults. In fact, many of them are indeed for adults.
Q: One of your Pokemon colleagues, Akemi Omode, once said that writing dialog for children's shows is more difficult, because you have to simply language. Do you agree?
3: For me, it is not so difficult to write children's conversations.
Because I can always go back to my childhood.
I agree with you that simple language must be used.
I think clarity is necessary in all genres.
Q: Is there a difference between writing an adaptation of a manga or video game versus writing an original anime? Does one appeal to you more than the other?
4: There is no difference when it comes to writing an interesting story.
However, I do change the way I write for different media and platforms.
I don't think there is one that is more appealing than the other.
For me, all storytelling is enjoyable and interesting.
Questions related to writing for Pokémon:
Q: This photo of a scenario meeting was included in a Shogakukan databook for the Orange Islands. I think I've figured out everyone in it, aside from the person in the foreground. Is that you? Do you happen to remember anything about when this photo was taken and where?
1: This person isn't me.
I do not smoke. This person has a cigarette in his hand, so I think he is probably the producer.
I am not in the picture.
Maybe I was near the photographer.
I remember well that this kind of meeting was being held.
This meeting room was at the old OLM.
I believe it was in the early days.
Q: On your twitter, you mentioned that Squirtle was your first Pokemon when you played the games. The second episode you wrote was the one where Ash captured his Squirtle. Did you ask to write that episode?
2: When I was first asked to write the script, I had not yet played the game.
I think I read one of Shudou's stories that had already been completed and began plotting my own script.
I believe I expressed my own wishes as to which Pokémon would be the main one in the script.
Q: In general, how are episodes assigned? Do the screenwriters ask for specific episodes, or does the director/series composer assign them
3: At first, I think the director, producer, and Shudou and the rest gave me an order.
I requested the Pokémon that I would be in charge of, and then I developed my impressions and came up with a storyline.
Q: You've described the process for writing the movies in your YouTube series and on your blog. Having to deal with 20-30 people in a production meeting sounds terrifying! When you picked up the movies from Shudo, was there ever a time when you wanted to move back into writing the TV series full time instead?
4: I thought I could write scripts for the TV series at the same time as writing scripts for the movies, but the producer asked me to concentrate on the movies, and before I knew it, I was no longer working on the TV series.
I thought that I could always write scripts for the TV series, but I was not forced to do so because of the process of TV production.
Looking back, I wish I had written more of the TV series.
I believe that TV has its own unique and interesting qualities.
Questions related to other staff members:
Q: The Pokemon anime has been without a series composer several times. During the Orange Islands, Shudo was ill. After he returned, he soon quit entirely. Then for all of Advanced Generation, there was no series composer credited. How did scenario meetings work during these times? Who was in charge, and did they ever explain why they did not hire a new one for so long?
1: My memory is a little fuzzy, sorry.
I believe that the director was filling that role while the series constructor was away.
I think the reason why they did not have a series constructor for a long time was because they were waiting for Shudou to come back.
I think the director had a respect for Shudou.
Q: Kunihiko Yuyama and Shudo began the anime as the director and series composer respectively. Later, Atsuhiro Tomioka took over as series composer and Yuyama says he stepped back when Tetsuo Yajima became series director. Did these changes in staff affect your job as a screenwriter?
2: I don't believe the staff changes had much to do with my work.
Q: Overall, is there any difference in style between how Yuyama directs and how Yajima directs?
3: I cannot comment on the style of the direction, as it is a different type of industry.
Q: Shudo had a lot to say about Masakazu Kubo, including that staff members would jokingly refer to him as "gozen-sama." Since you wrote most of the Pokemon movies, did you have any experiences working with Kubo?
4: Of course.
I have worked with Kubo from the beginning.
We have worked together on all jobs.
Urban Legends in the Western Fandom:
Q: Did the staff ever consider retiring Ash before they eventually did? It is a common belief that you all wanted to at several points, but executives said you all could not. Is there any truth to that?
1: I have never actually witnessed such talk.
However, I had sensed that something like that might have been under consideration.
I myself love Satoshi, and I have never thought that I want to retire him.
I still want to write stories about Satoshi.
I think Satoshi's character is largely due to the power of the voice of Matsumoto, who is the voice actor.
I believe that Satoshi was able to emit that light because of her.
I think that some of the executives knew this, too.
Q: Is it true that for Genesect, you originally wanted to use Shudo's version of Mewtwo but were not allowed because they would have to ask permission from his estate?
2: That was not the case.
I started out writing the story with the same Mewtwo.
However, the producer asked me to make it possible to think of it as a different Mewtwo, and I remember that I left that ambiguous.
It might have been a deeper drama if I had written the story as the previous Mewtwo, but I think the producer wanted the story to be conveyed to children who were unfamiliar with the previous Mewtwo.
Q: Since you wrote episode where the rival character Miette (original in JP: ミルフィ) first appeared, was she intended to be a long-term rival for Serena? There is a belief among Western fans that May was meant to appear in the XY series, but could not due to her voice actor becoming ill.*
3: I am not sure which character you are referring to since the name Millefeuille (ルフィーユ) is different from the name in Japan.
Since the character's name is different in Japan and the U.S., it is difficult to comment on that.
I don't think that Haruka can't appear in the show because the voice actor got sick.
Though it may be that we, the scriptwriters, did not receive the information.
*When I first reached out to Mr. Sonoda, he asked me to send him questions in English for him to use an auto-translate to respond with. I asked him to respond in Japanese, and he did so. Every email after was in Japanese.
This arrangement did lead to an issue with this question. In Japanese, the character Miette's name is a pun on the French pastry "millefeuille" (ミルフィーユ). Her actual name in katakana is "Millefeu," rendered as (ミルフィ). I put all character names in katakana when communicating with Mr. Sonoda, but it appears that his auto-translator mistook the character's name for the pastry. I don't feel that the added "yu" changed the character's name so much that it would have been unrecognizable if he remembered. My sense is that he did not remember.
Q: There are a lot of rumors about why there was such a drastic change in tone from XYZ to Sun and Moon. One of the changes was that you, Junki Takegami, Yukiyoshi Ohashi, and Shinzo Futjia all left the writing team. Did they ever give you or the other writers any explanation for why they changed so much?
4: There was no explanation.
I also felt that I had been removed from the show at some point.
I was never notified.
There is a tendency for producers to want to use new staff when there is a change.
It may be that the succession between producers did not go well.
I did not know that the other scriptwriters had been removed.
However, I believe that replacing staff members is a common practice in long-running programs.
I guess they are hoping for a rejuvenation.
It is always a pleasure for producers to find new talent.
However, I think they should have contacted us.
We have been devoted to Pokémon for many years with love and enthusiasm.
We wanted to be respected for that.
I think the reason why this could not happen was because of the death of Kanda, who was the main producer of the production company.
Kanda was a wonderful producer who understood the intentions of the scriptwriters very well.
In that sense, I believe that the scriptwriters worked comfortably on productions when he was involved.
Follow up Email #1:
Q: You may know that several episodes of Pokémon have been banned overseas. You may also find it interesting that you are credited as the screenwriter for the most banned episodes. Examples of your involvement include:
One episode was shelved due to gun violence, and another due to depiction of James in a bikini. Two more episodes were canceled due to controversy over Jynx's design, and another was canceled because its English title was deemed insensitive due to the 9/11 terrorist attacks (though this was unrelated to you, the coincidence is funny).
First, how do you feel about being called (a bit of an exaggeration) "the most controversial Pokémon screenwriter"? Have you or other staff members ever had to avoid certain content due to concerns about overseas sensitivities?
1: I had no idea that some of them were banned from broadcasting overseas.
Perhaps it was not in Japan that such reports were made to scriptwriters.
This is the first time I learned about it.
I am a little surprised.
Broadcasting standards change depending on the time period and region, so I guess it is inevitable that such things happen.
I am also a little amused to hear that many of the scripts were written by me.
The production side probably made corrections and shipped the scripts in accordance with local regulations, but the fact that they were still banned suggests that the content could not be corrected.
I even feel somewhat flattered.
I think I have received such an honor, albeit by accident.
In my long life as a screenwriter, I have experienced in real time the changes in regulations governing expression in animation.
Especially, there have been dramatic changes in restrictions on expression in children's animation.
In line with regulations in Europe and the U.S., regulations in Japan have also become stricter.
As a result, many works were restricted at the script stage.
However, we have accepted such things as inevitable and have dealt with them.
In the case of Pokemon, I believe the fact that some of the early works were not allowed to be broadcast may have been the result of a gap between the regulations in other countries and those in Japan.
For my part, I think it is very unfortunate that such works have become unbroadcastable, but I also sometimes wonder if there is a problem with excessive broadcasting regulations.
As a scriptwriter, I will never stop writing about the themes I want to write about, no matter what regulations are in place.
Q: I noticed that you were in charge of the script for "Gotta Catch Ya Later," a controversial episode in which Misty leaves the main cast. This episode garnered a lot of controversy among overseas fans and led to a lot of inappropriate behavior by some Western fans. I hope that this controversy did not spread to Japan, because the episode itself stands up as incredibly strong.
Could you tell us about your thoughts when you wrote that episode and the atmosphere on the production team?
2: It was so long ago that I have very little memory of when I wrote it, so I apologize for that.
I also had no idea what kind of reaction the episode had brought about among overseas fans.
So, I don't think it has spread to Japan.
I don't believe the production team did anything special.
I think the producers had already decided to start a new series and to change the formation of the main character team.
They probably decided to create an episode in which they would say a proper goodbye to Kasumi, and I was in charge of that.
I think that's how much the writing staff cared about Kasumi.
Q: In your blog, you wrote that when you took over the movies, you felt a great deal of pressure to live up to the creative legacy of Takeshi Shudo and the financial expectations of Mewtwo Strikes Back.
Masakazu Kubo also recalled that when "Jirachi: Wish Maker" was released, Toho announced a policy of "withdrawing from film production if the box office results did not improve."
Nevertheless, the film was a great success, and you continued to write scripts for over 10 years.
How did you approach screenwriting while facing external expectations and pressure? I'm sure many people involved in creative work, regardless of genre, face similar challenges. As someone who has overcome these challenges and continued to thrive, I would be grateful if you could share your artistic mindset and advice with us.
3: The first Pokemon movie was a big hit in Japan.
I was in charge of the shorts, and to be honest, I wasn't really interested in whether the movie would be a hit or not at first.
Of course, I had no idea that I would go on to write several Pokémon movies and that they would be considered my notable works.
If I had a time machine, I would go back in time and tell myself that. Then I might have made different choices. (laughs)
I enjoyed writing as one of my regular jobs.
The first film was a big hit, and the project itself grew into a big project as it gained more attention.
What I sensed was the increase in the number of producers attending meetings to discuss the scripts. The conference room also became larger.
However, the second and third films continued to decline at the box office.
Although they were not quite as low as other films, it is natural that Toho, expecting more success from the first film, would want to prevent the box office from falling any further.
I, too, became more and more concerned about the box-office revenue.
Perhaps that was the pressure.
However, it is impossible to predict whether a film will be a hit or not, no matter how well the scriptwriter has written it.
I was able to defy the pressure with the feeling that all I had to do was put all my energy into the screenplay.
In fact, looking back, it took a lot of energy to continue writing Pokémon movies.
I wrote and rewrote the script dozens, or even close to a hundred times, from the time I came up with the idea to the time it was actually completed.
I am a little embarrassed to say it myself, but I am glad that I have the mental and physical strength to handle the pressure.
Even so, when I felt I was about to lose heart, I thought of my predecessors whom I look up to and cheered myself up.
When I watched documentary films depicting the working manner of Tezuka Osamu, the maestro of manga, I was inspired by the way he fought so hard to create his works, even though he was called a genius.
When I read Neil Simon's autobiography, "Rewrites: A Memoir," I was impressed and inspired by the way he kept revising his own work over and over again to create a masterpiece.
I was inspired and encouraged by the thought that there are children out there who are looking forward to seeing the stories one creates.
For any creator, creating a work of art means connecting with readers and viewers who may be out there somewhere.
We create our work in order to connect with other companies.
And when we are able to connect with them, we can receive power from them again. I think it is important to believe that.
You can make someone smile.
Believe that, and face the hard work of creating artwork.
Q: In your last email, you mentioned producer Shukichi Kanda. Producers tend to be overlooked in creative works, but whenever Kanda's name is mentioned, everyone unanimously praises his achievements.
You also said that Kanda was a great support to the scriptwriting team, and you frequently express gratitude for his efforts in the film's production.
So, what made Kanda such a respected staff member by so many people?
4: I believe that Kanda was a producer who gave his opinions from the standpoint of creators.
I think it was because he himself had a creator's temperament.
The scriptwriters respected him because he had a strong ability to understand scripts.
I think his ability to see the essence of a script was one of the best among the many producers.
Producers in production companies come from all walks of life.
He was an excellent producer with a superior understanding of scripts and knew everything there was to know about the production space.
Follow Up Email #2:
Q: In Celebi, the overseas production company commissioned OLM to add two scenes to the end of the movie -- one about Team Rocket and one about Professor Oak. Were you responsible for writing the scenario for these scenes, or was this done without your assistance?
1) I didn't know that there were additional scenes in the overseas version of "Celebi."
However, since I haven't seen them, I don't know if they were created based on the scenario I wrote.
Q: For “Entei,” Shudo wrote that his intention for this movie was to express his relationship to his own daughter. I feel like his paternal love comes through very clearly in the final product. Was this theme communicated to you ahead of time?
2) Regarding "ENTEI," when I took over the work from Shudou, he had already written a rough story.
I used that story as a basis for writing the screenplay.
I didn't discuss the theme of the film directly with Shudou, but when I read the rough story, I could sense the feelings that Shudou had intended for his daughter, so I decided to incorporate that into the script.
So rather than sharing ideas, I interpreted his intentions.
Your last movie was "Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction," though you were still a screenwriter for the TV anime for another two years. The job of writing the movies was passed to Atsuhiro Tomioka, who was series composer at the time. I initially interpreted this to be because of Producer Kanda’s passing, given your previous email. But I realize now that I was assuming too much.
Did they communicate to you why they made this switch in writers? And, given what you’ve said about the pressures of writing the movies, how did you feel about stepping down at this time?
3) No one told me that I was being removed from the Pokémon movie scripts.
It just happened before I knew it.
I think everyone assumed that one of the many producers had informed me of the decision.
It's unfortunate, but it's the reality of what happened.
I was disappointed, thinking that there was a lack of respect for screenwriters. However, I understand that this was an accident that occurred precisely because so many people were involved in the project.
If Producer Kanda were still alive, I don't think such a thing would have happened. He was a producer who had respect for screenwriters.
I haven't heard from anyone about the circumstances leading up to the screenwriter change, and it was decided without my knowledge.
It's very disappointing.
I had a fondness for Pokémon, so it was very sad for me.
I was always willing to return to the TV series, but as I became involved in other works, I gradually drifted away from it.
My love for Pokémon has not changed to this day.
If an offer were to come, I would not hesitate to return.
I hope that my affection for Pokémon can be conveyed to Pokémon fans around the world.
After leaving Pokémon, I was involved in several other projects.
I was involved in Beyblade Burst for seven years, and I was in charge of the series construction and wrote all of the stories.
However, Pokémon, which I was involved with for over 20 years, holds the top spot in my mind.
I would like to express my gratitude to everyone around the world who loves Pokémon.
Sonoda Hideki