Birth of Mewtwo [Import, Soundtrack]

Pokemon (Related Recordings) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 13, 1999)
• Original Release Date: 1999
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Import, Soundtrack
• Label: Media Factory
• ASIN: B00002ZZLN
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #292,815 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. [Japanese Title]

2. [Japanese Title]

3. [Japanese Title]

4. [Japanese Title]

5. [Japanese Title]

6. [Japanese Title]

7. [Japanese Title]

8. [Japanese Title]

9. [Japanese Title]

10. [Japanese Title]

11. [Japanese Title]

12. Flying

13. [Japanese Title]

14. [Japanese Title]

15. [Japanese Title]

16. [Japanese Title]

17. [Japanese Title]

18. [Japanese Title]

19. [Japanese Title]

20. [Japanese Title]

See all 30 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A deeper look into some of the best Pokemon characters!, March 24, 2001

By 

Dragon Lady Ryuzaki - See all my reviews

This review is from: Birth of Mewtwo (Audio CD)

One of the things I love about the original Japanese version of Pokemon is how much more substantial it is than the English version and how so much more information on the characters and their pasts is available. And this CD drama is a veritable treasure-trove of information, intrigue, and character development for some of my favorite characters on Pokemon! Narrated by Sakaki (Giovanni), this drama provides a deeper look into his motivations for creating Mewtwo than what we saw in "Mewtwo Strikes Back," and it also provides a deeper look into the character and motivations of Mewtwo, who has to be one of the most misunderstood pokemon in existence. The scenes of M2's kittenhood and his friendship with Aitwo are very touching, and they show that he's not an evil pokemon at all. My favorite character in this drama, however, is Miyamoto, the mother of Musashi (Jessie). The story of her failed mission to find Mew is one of the sadder parts of the drama, showing that she was a good mother who only wanted to do what was best for her daughter. On the whole, "The Birth of Mewtwo" has a rather dark and poignant tone, but it's a riveting tale, and it provides a much more substantial look at not only the Pokemon characters (Team Rocket in particular), but the Pokemon story arc in general, answering a lot of questions that the watered-down English version leaves for us older fans. The book that comes with the CD is filled with gorgeous illustrations -- the adorable young Mewtwo, his friend Aitwo, "what we didn't see" of "Mewtwo Strikes Back," and the only existing pictures (as far as I know) of Miyamoto.

As an added bonus, this CD drama and book come with a bonus CD, which is the original Japanese soundtrack of the "Mewtwo Strikes Back" movie. The Japanese music is much better than the music that came with the English version -- it's more beautiful, more haunting, more moving, and it has actual meaning! (I can't stand how 4Kids ruins the English soundtracks with cruddy pop music that doesn't have anything to do with the movies or the show! X_x) For a true understanding of Pokemon's depth and beauty (and just for the pure listening enjoyment), hearing the original Japanese score is imperative!

A great story, a great book, and a great soundtrack! "The Birth of Mewtwo" is a definite must-have for all older fans of Pokemon and anybody who likes Team Rocket.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What the American executives don't want you to know..., December 26, 2000

By 

QuickMan - See all my reviews

This review is from: Birth of Mewtwo (Audio CD)

I have been searching high and low for this, and finally found it here, at a better price, too. But enough about my quest, now to tackle to topic at hand.

Pocket Monsters Radio Drama "The Birth of Mewtwo" is a very great and involved story. It serves as a prelude to the movie itself, further developing one of the few Pokémon characters to go beyond a meer calling of its name. The narrarator, Sakaki (known to English-speaking audiences as "Giovanni", current head of the Rocket Gang (Team Rocket).), explains not only how and why Mewtwo was created, but explains the existence of Mew and other legendary creatures as well.

The dialogue is spoken rather quickly and the acting is so much better than some of the voice-overs done in the U.S. Exciting background music and sound effects also help the listener imagine the scenarios being told to them. Ai(two) is just adorable.(More about her later.) But, to be able to fully enjoy this deep story, one must understand, or be willing to learn a great deal of Japanese. Or have a translation available. (Which I have.) But for one just learning Japanese, thankfully, the infant Mewtwo speaks slowly enough that I can actually pick up on, understand, and learn a few words.

The book included with this dual CD is filled with beautiful, origonal illustrations, and dialogue from the drama itself. (Beware: the infant Mewtwo is very, very, VERY cute. Not like that's a bad thing... ^_^;)

One of the characters, Dr. Fuji (Dr. Smith, or the Proffessor to English-speaking audiences) came off to me as a sick, twisted man. Clone his dead daughter?! For one, Human cloning is illegal, and two, cloning a child who accidently died is just creepy. *shiver* Though, that didn't stop me from enjoying this radio drama.

The second CD has the one thing I searched for: The soundtrack to the Japanese version of "Mewtwo Strikes Back"! I couldn't get enough of that creepish-sounding Gothic pipe organ music (I dub it: "Mewtwo's Theme") from the moment I heard it. The orchestrated music is wonderful and it's a shame it was taken out for a more idillic, sugar-coated soundtrack sung by popular pop stars, mainly for the sole purpose of America exectutives to cash in on the success of Pokémon even more.

This CD set is a wonderful addition for anyone's Pokémon collection, and a must for Mew and Mewtwo fans. The story is unforgettable and even if you don't understand a word of Japanese, is still interesting to listen to. The soundtrack is beautiful, and the book is just the icing on the cake.

A well-earned, perfect five stars.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Soundtrack CD gets a 5, but the drama CD is boring, October 28, 1999

By 

Claire ([e-mail]) (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Birth of Mewtwo (Audio CD)

This CD set contains two CDs: the original soundtrack to the film Mewtwo Strikes Back, plus Mewtwo no Tanjo (Birth of Mewtwo), a radio drama in five parts. I didn't really care about the radio drama, and listening to it didn't change my mind much. The pre-Mewtwo Strikes Back character development for Mewtwo somewhat weakened its character in the movie, and felt unnecessary. The drama is very talky, so if you're bored easily or don't know Japanese, you probably won't like it. The soundtrack, on the other hand, is great! It consists of strongly emotional tracks in the style of the TV series, but played with what sounds like a full orchestra and composed with a definite polish. Each track stands alone thematically, developing its own theme, but is orchestrated to match the on-screen excitement wonderfully. Some of the tracks are remixes of TV soundtrack tracks, but they're given enough new snazz to make a big difference. If you like Pokemon music or just movie scores, this is a good purchase. Oh yeah, and it also includes Mezase Pokemon Master '98, a jazzy new remix of the opening theme. U.S. audiences will never hear this soundtrack in the movie, as the American version is being entirely re-scored. You may have heard some tracks from this CD used as soundtracks in the American second season of the TV show, though. The good ones are from here.