Pokemon is getting a live-action television series, and fans now know who will portray the show’s heroine.
Nanase Nishino, a Japanese pop artist, will play Madoka Agaki, a disillusioned college graduate who travels to the big city to start her career.
Pocket ni Bken wo Tsumekonde, which translates to Fill Your Pocket With Adventure, is based on the two original games Red and Green, which are also known as Red and Blue to Western audiences.
Nanase is best known as a member of the J-pop group Nogizaka46, who have sold over 18 million CDs in Japan and are responsible for songs such as Synchronicity and Influencer.
The 29-year-old departed the female group in 2018 and has since focused on acting and presenting.
Nanase stated in her statement that she was a great admirer of the game series and was’surprised’ to be awarded the main part.
She said: ‘I was surprised to receive this offer just days after I’d told a friend that I’d like to work on something related to Pokémon someday.
‘I’m very happy because I’m part of the generation that grew up with Pokémon, having played most of the series from the first to the latest.’
Nanase then went on to describe how this programme differs from the anime series Pokemon Concierge, which is currently in production.
‘As the title suggests, the theme of the game is adventure, so you will be able to watch Madoka and her friends evolve over the course of their adventures,’ the singer explained.
‘If you’ve played Pokémon before, you’ll enjoy this show because it’s peppered with little tidbits that will make you think “This is nostalgic”. I think you will enjoy these little tidbits that are scattered throughout.’
Instead of being an immersive programme set in the world of Pokemon, as previous media such as Pokemon TV and Detective Pikachu have been, this new live-action takes place in the actual world.
After moving to Tokyo alone, Nanase’s Modoka receives an original GameBoy in a care box, reintroducing her to the famous game.
Initial images show Nanase carrying a retro yellow GameBoy, implying that this will be a highly meta presentation.
There is no information on whether the programme will be available for streaming outside of Japan, but the first episode will run on U-Next on October 19 for Japanese fans.
Source My Celebrity Life.
