EP038
EP038
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First broadcast
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English themes
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Japanese themes
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Credits
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(Japanese: でんのうせんしポリゴン Computer Soldier Porygon, commonly Electric Soldier Porygon; no known English title) is a somewhat notorious episode of the Pokémon anime, due to the fact that on its single airing in Japan on December 16, 1997, nearly 700 Japanese children suffered seizures, vomiting, irritated eyes and other symptoms due to a flashing strobe effect.
The episode was never commercially released or re-broadcast anywhere in the world due to it being banned by the Japanese government.
The scene which caused the seizures was a fifteen-second section in which Pikachu used an Electric attack on some vaccine missiles. The explosion was shown as a bright flashing object which alternated rapidly between red and blue.
The seizures caused by this episode caused OLM to drop the strobe effects from Pikachu's electric attacks. Also, a disclaimer is now broadcast at the beginning of television anime precautioning viewers to not sit too close to the television screen. (テレビアニメを見るときには、部屋[へや]をあかるくして近[ちか]づきすぎないようにしてみてくださいね。)
Synopsis
Ash, Misty and Brock go to a Pokémon Center in order to revive a tired Pikachu when they see a distressed Nurse Joy. There's a problem with the Poké Ball transporter — the Pokémon she sends arrives at another Pokémon Center as a different Pokémon!
Akihabara-hakase, the inventor of the Pokémon Transport System, explains that some thieves have intruded the system and are causing havoc. He sends the reluctant Ash and friends into the computer world, where Team Rocket have set up barricades.
Just as the barricades are destroyed, a flying jet-like machine enters with missiles aimed at our heros! It seems that Joy hired a technician to put an anti-virus program into the computer, and it indiscriminately targets Team Rocket and the heroes.
After a hectic chase and a strong electric blast from Pikachu, the program is destroyed. Ash and friends emerge in the real world, and now the system is restored to normal.
Aftereffects
After the airing of "Electric Soldier Porygon", Pokémon went into a four month hiatus. TV Tokyo discontinued some program specials that were supposed to air around the end of December. After the hiatus, the timeslot changed from Tuesday to Thursday. The Pokémon opening theme was also redone, with black screens showing various Pokémon in spotlights were broken up into four images per screen. Before the seizure incident, the opening was originally one Pokémon image per screen.
Before the beginning of the reairing, "Anime: Pocket Monster Problem Inspection Report" ( アニメ ポケットモンスター問題検証報告 Anime Poketto Monsutā Tondai Kenshō Hōkoku ) was shown. Broadcast in Japan on April 11, 1998 and April 16, 1998, a woman named Yadama Miyuki went over the circumstances of the program format and the on-screen advisories at the beginning of animated programs.
Guidelines
Many Japanese television broadcasters and medical officials got together to find ways to make sure this never happened again. They established the following guidelines for future animated programs:
- Flashing images, especially those with red, should not flicker faster than three times per second. If the image does not have red, it still should not flicker faster than five times per second.
- Flashing images should not be displayed for a total duration of more than two seconds.
- Stripes, whirls and concentric circles should not take up a large part of a TV screen.
Japanese broadcasters also began broadcasting an on-screen advisory at the beginning of animated programs. Some example warnings:
- 「テレビを見る時は部屋を明るくして離れて見て下さい」
- "When watching TV, please brighten the room and sit at a distance from the TV."
- (as seen on TV Asahi broadcasts of Ichigo 100% and Steel Angel Kurumi.)
- 「テレビアニメをみるときは、部屋をあかるくして近づきすぎないようにしてみてくださいね。」
- "When you're watching anime on the TV, please brighten the room and don't sit too close."
- (as seen on TV Tokyo broadcasts of Anime like Naruto,Yu-Gi-Oh!, and Bleach)
- 「犬夜叉からのお願い・・・テレビアニメを見るときは部屋を明るくして画面からはなれてくださいね」
- "A request from Inuyasha... When you're watching anime on the TV, please brighten the room and sit away from the screen."
- (as seen on Nippon Television broadcasts of InuYasha)
This advisory notice was parodied in the first ending of Sonic X where Sonic is reprimanded for watching TV in the dark and standing fairly close to the TV.
There was also a reference to this in an episode of The Simpsons, entitled "Thirty Minutes over Tokyo." Bart Simpson is seen watching TV and asks, "Isn't this that Japanese TV show that causes seizures?" and is seen having a seizure about 3 seconds later.
Porygon in the anime after Electric Soldier Porygon
The episode has never been seen since other than on the Internet. Porygon, along with its evolutionary form Porygon2, have never been seen in an actual episode of the anime since, possibly also as a result of this incident. Porygon, however, has appeared in a "Who's That Pokémon?" segment in the West's dubbed version of the show and appeared not only during a "wipe" between scenes in "Pikachu's Summer Vacation", the short cartoon before Pokémon: The First Movie but also in a recap by Brock, explaining the scenario of the cartoon to new viewers, which appears on some of the Pokémon film DVDs.
Major events
Debuts
Characters
Humans
Pokémon
- Pikachu (Ash's)
- Meowth (Team Rocket)
- Bulbasaur (Ash's)
- Psyduck ( Misty's)
- Arbok (Jessie's)
- Weezing (James')
- Porygon (Japanese debut)
Pokémon seen at the Pokémon Center:
Trivia
- Akihabara, the name of the professor is also the name of a famous electronics district in Tokyo.
- This episode aired (in Japan) between Ditto's Mysterious Mansion and Pikachu's Goodbye.
- The seizures caused from this episode were parodied by The Simpsons in the episode "30 Minutes Over Tokyo" and South Park in the episode "Chinpokomon".
- There was originally going to be a New Year's Eve episode of Pokémon. It was never shown, not even in Japan. Electric Soldier Porygon is to blame for this.
- After the hiatus, the timeslot changed from Tuesday to Thursday. The original schedule was as follows:
| English title | Japanese title | Planned broadcast | Actual broadcast | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Holiday Hi-Jynx | ルージュラのクリスマス | December 23, 1997 | October 5, 1998 | |
| EP040 | The Battling Eevee Brothers | イーブイ４きょうだい | January 6, 1998 | April 16, 1998 |
| EP041 | Wake Up, Snorlax! | おきろ！カビゴン！ | January 13, 1998 | April 23, 1998 |
| EP042 | Showdown at Dark City | たいけつ！ポケモンジム！ | January 20, 1998 | April 30, 1998 |
| EP043 | March of the Exeggutor Squad | ナッシーぐんだんだいこうしん！ | January 27, 1998 | May 7, 1998 |
| EP044 | The Problem with Paras | パラスとパラセクト | February 3, 1998 | May 14, 1998 |
| Snow Way Out | イワークでビバーク | February 10, 1998 | October 5, 1998 |
- Before the series reaired again they aired a special on April 11, 1998 titled 検証番組 アニメ ポケットモンスター問題検証報告 "Verification program anime pocket monster problem verification report
- 4Kids Entertainment has dubbed this episode and reduced the speed and intensity of the flashing explosion to make it safe, but the episode has still never been shown.
Errors
Dub edits
- The dub has never aired.
Links
This page has the seizure images[[1]] (JAPANESE)
(Warning: do not view if photosensitive)Electric Soldier Porygon Episode from Youtube