Customer Reviews

Birth of Mewtwo

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

This CD drama adds so much poignancy to this already solemn movie, its really impressive. The background info on Musashi(Jessie)'s mother and Team Rocket is also interesting, and basically unknown to english-speaking audiences.

The english version of Myutsu Strikes Back was a pathetically done rewrite, no doubt to simplify the story for US kids and their nonexistent attention spans. As it went, this surprisingly serious, poignant story about a creature tormented by the fact that he is a clone was never allowed to reach our shores. However, if you are a student of Japanese, or an older Pokemon fan, you will no doubt love this CD Drama, as well as the great original soundtrack music that unfortunately was replaced in the english version. Mew and Mewtwo fans will also love it, as it brings new depth to one of the more three-dimensional characters of the show.

If you are a fan of Mewtwo this is a must have! It is the biography of Mewtwo as kitten, before he struck rage against his life being an experiment.

The CD is filled with beautiful background music, voices, vistas, and talks about three 'lost' characters: Madame Boss: The original leader of Team Rocket, as well as Sakaki's (Giovanni) mother. I find her very cruel, evil and dark. However, she was quite interesting to learn about. Miyamoto: Known as the legendary Team Rocket member, and also the mother of Musashi (Jessie)! She was assigned to capture Mew in the Andes Mountains, and something very sad happens. Ai-two: A 4 year old girl, who seeks friendship with Mewtwo and teaches him his ABC's and number facts! She was, in my opinion, the most facinating of the three 'lost' characters. Why? Because she is a human clone!

"Myutsu no Tanjo" is an absoluting perfect CD. It is quite long, though, and you may not understand much if you don't know Japanese.

Part two of the CD collection is a division of sound tracks. I found it rather boring, though the orchestra did have powerful music. I only recommend track 5 (I Will Be a Pokemon Master) and 25 (Walking With the Wind), due to these being the only songs with voice.

And to top this CD off, it also comes with a book! 61 pages of beautiful artwork, text, and character profiles.

Out of all the Pokemon CDs-I own most of them-I believe "The Birth of Mewtwo" is the grandest of them.

The whole thing consists of two CDs. One of which is the enchanting five part drama and another is music from the Pocket Monsters television series as well as the original music from the Myuutsu Strikes Back movie. The movie, when released in the US, was re-vamped for a more "upbeat" soundtrack -_-*....In the soundtrack CD, you can hear the original and beautifully composed music.

But the best thing, in my opinion, is the enchanting and enjoyable drama that relates the history of the Rocket Gang(Team Rocket)and the birth of the most powerful Pocket Monster alive, Myuutsu. Characters inlude: Madame Bosu-(Madame Boss, known by no other name)She is the infamous founder of the Rocket Gang and the heartless mother of Sakaki (Known as Giovanni in the English version) Miyamoto-She is one of the Rocket Gang's best and most respected members, as well as Musashi's (Jessie's) mother. She was sent to the Andés moutains on a Kamikaze mission to search for the mysterious Pocket Monster, Myuu. Sakaki-He is the son of Madame Boss and the current leader of the Rocket Gang. Also known as Giovanni the English version. Myuutsu-The loveable, little clueless kitten that later grew up to be the most powerful Pocket Monster ever. Dr. Fuji-The scientist in charge of cloning Myuu. His daughter, Ai, was killed years ago, but in experimenting with the cloning process, he was able to re-create her. Ai-The daughter of Dr. Fuji. The small, four year old child was fascinated by Myuutsu and glad she had a new playmate. Ai taught the young, confused Myuutsu about the world. (Ai also means 'love' in Japanese...See why?)

I find the entire thing loveable and enchanting. As one reviewer has already said, the drama is rather serious throughout, yet it has its adoring moments where you can't help but smile. The full color book that comes with it is beautifully illustrated, and helps this endearing drama come alive. To fully enjoy this CD drama, one DOES need to know, or be willing tolearn, a good bit of Japanese. Some parts are spoken rather quickly as well, and it would also be adviseable to have background in reading the various kanas associated with the language, to catch up on those parts. The 'script' is printed in the book that is accompanied with the CD. But even for those of you who don't know the language, it's a wonderful additive to have in anyones Pocket Monster collection ^_^

It took me about 2 years or so before i actually could get the real thing but once I did close to a year ago now I was so happy! The Japanese version of the world of Pocket Monsters is very different than what you would expect to see in america and this cd shows it. The Birth of mewtwo (Myustuu No Tanjo) contains one book and 2 cds in one case. The first cd contains 5 chapters to it. It starts from before Mewtwo was even discovered and a bit of a preview of how he came to be. It starts off with Sakaki (Giovanni) narrarating about the discovery of pokemon and eventually it gets to telling the story about the team rocket founder Madam Boss ( Sakaki/Giovanni's mother) talking to her top Team Rocket agent Miyamoto (Jessie/Musashi's mother)who tells madam boss aobut her new discovery, the legendary phantom pokemon mew! Madam boss learns what Miya tells her about mew and Miyamoto is sent to the Andes mountians in South America to chase after mew. Once Miya finds mew she tells it about how she left her daughter to capture it and asks if she can but mew flies away and leaves Miyamoto to be crushed by an avalanche.
In the next chapter people get this confused and think that Miyamoto died from the avalanche but in the second chapter right after where she had gotten hit she comes back and starts talking about trying to find mew. Right after she does the scene switches to a bunch of workers the giovanni had hired to search for artifacts of mew. They eventaully find what they think is a fossil of it and give it to Dr.Fugi to research. Dr. Fugi eventually makes baby mewtwo in the end of the second chapter but also talks about his own daughter who he had cloned. His origional daughter's name was Ai but she had died in a car accedent and Dr. Fugi could not bare to understand the death of his daughter so he decides to make a clone of her named Aitwo. Mewtwo is cloned from mew so this is where his name is born. After the creation of mewtwo in the next two chapters its about him growing up and learning more. Mewtwo begins to understand life and that he is not the same. Ai teaches him about himself, pokemon and the way of life. Mewtwo and Ai become best friends but eventually Ai dies and Mewtwo finds himself alone in life just as an experiment and nothing more. He ends up distroying Dr. Fugi's laboratory and comes to Giovanni/Sakaki's side. After working for a while (chapter 5) with Giovanni and becoming more stronger with his powers he defeats several different pokemon and trainers but also finds that Giovanni wants him for no reason but the fact that he is the most rare and valuable pokemon in the world. Mewtwo distroy's Giovanni's gym and sets out to find his own meaning in life, and if he belongs. This is where Pokemon the first movie comes in. The cd drama may cost a lot of money and may take a while to get to your home but believe me its well worth it even if you can't understand Japanese. Its a lot of fun to listen to. I definately recomend this to any diehard pokemon or anime fan!

I got this cd set as a gift for Christmas last year, almost nine months ago.
Anyway, when I found it on here, I was estatic. I saw it before on a Japanese website, but unfortuantely it's no longer available now.

Being a very big Mewtwo fan, and fascinated with the Japanese version of Pokemon, I had to have it.

The set comes with two cds. One of them is the radio drama, which I absolutely love. Granted, it is in Japanese. So if you don't know the language, or at least have a translation handy, you'll most likely be in the dark.

The drama goes much deeper into the most misunderstood Pokemon ever, Myuutsu, or Mewtwo. This story reveals a lot that most Pokemon fans in the U.S. doesn't know about him.
He is not the heartless killing machine the Americanized version of Mewtwo Strikes Back portrays him to be.
He is, in fact, very philosohpical on a variety of different subjects. He is also very lost, and very hurt.
How would you like to wake up to a world only to find out that you were created, not born of nature, and that did not want you for other than to be an experiment, some kind of child's plaything?

As a baby, though, he's clueless to all this.
Prepare to be cutified, because he is so adorable, and his voice sounds much like a two-year-olds.
It is within this time frame, he meets his one, and only friend. The daughter of the scientist Dr. Fuji, Ai.
Ai taught him a great many things about the world she knew. The moon, the stars, the sun, and what they were for. She also taught him numbers. Which is extremely cute listening to Mewtwo count.
Ai, or Amber as she is called in the U.S., told him that she was a clone, and he was too.

Sadly, a little later, Ai dies, and this scene makes me cry everytime I hear it. It's just so heartbreaking.

The drama has wonderful background music. If you know the anime very well, you might recognize some of it from there. It also throws a bit of, if not much, light on two characters unknown outside of Japan. Madame Boss, who is the founder of Rocketto Dan, or Team Rocket, and Sakaki's, or Giovanni, mother. And Miyamoto, Musashi's, or Jessie, mother. She was sent on basically a suicide mission to the Andes Mountains to find Mew.

The second cd has the soundtrack of the original Japanese Mewtwo Strikes Back. Let me tell you, it is some of the best music I've ever heard. It's all so haunting, so enchanting. I can't belive the sugary mess they replaced it with. It literally makes my teeth hurt.
My favorite tracks are #s 5, 12, 13, 21, 22, and 25.

A small, but wonderfully illustrated, 64 page book completes the set. Inside there are very beautiful pictures, and the story of the drama.

If you are a Mewtwo fan, a Team Rocket fan, or just a Pokemon fan in general, I wholeheartedly recommend buying this wonderful cd set, The Birth of Mewtwo.

This CD is so worth anything you go through to get it (cash, waiting time, etc) What should be known is there are a few surprises in store for the buyer. Not bad surprises though, they're really good.
1. Music: It's actually rather similar to the dubbed music. When I say this, I mean that you can tell where it's meant to go in the movie. The techniques employed when orchestrating link very closely to the American composers. (such as the eternal xylophone sounds used practiacally EVERYWHERE...)Also in many ways it doesn't sound like 'wacko japanese music' I must say I kinda expected...
2. Add-on's: They give you little spoken excerpts from the original movie. I don't know who's saying them, apart from when Pikachu sobs: "Pikapi... pikapi...", yet the voices do help to set the scene for the music. Plus it's really nice to hear Mewtwo's Japanese voice for a change.
3. Instrumentation: I had heard that Mewtwo's theme was played by a pipe organ but didn't really believe it, however, this is very true and very awesome. The Japanese theme for Mewtwo sounds excellent blasted out on the organ and it does really suit those diminished chords like anything.
4. Tracks: My favourites are 20-25. Seriously, the quality of composition is really high in the higher numbers. If you're strongly affected by music, you may shed a tear or two, especially if you know what's happening. Pikachu gets in here, as well as a kawaii little Japanese singer with a gorgeous voice. Probably the most weirdest is number 17. (I think it's where they're all fleeing the Mewtwo Pokeballs, but that's just me...) And one really funny bit in the first couple of tracks where suddenly the music launches into a really well-known Pokemon Theme. (i'd sing it, but it's hard to descibe.) And then, of course, it moves into the waffling tenor sax track for Team Rocket. (deedum, deedum, deedummmm...)

I advise it GREATLY!!! The quality of everything is maybe even more better than what the dub people released. (is this possible?!)

As is typical *sigh* the Japanese stuff is way better than it's American replacements. The music on the cd is great, and seems to work better to me. The booklet thing is really cool, as it has lots of neat art in it, and the drama is excellent (being a huge Mew/Mewtwo fan, I'm a little biased), and it was awesome how it expanded even more on Mewtwo's backstory.

Overall, a must-have for any Mewtwo, Pokemon, or general anime fan.