DP001

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Diamond & Pearl series

DP002 : Two Degrees of Separation! →

Following a Maiden's Voyage!

DP001   EP467 旅立ち！フタバタウンからマサゴタウンへ！！ Setting Off! From Futaba Town to Masago Town!!

First broadcast Japan September 28, 2006 United States April 20, 2007

English themes Opening N/A Ending

Japanese themes Opening None Ending 君のそばで 〜ヒカリのテーマ〜

Credits Animation Team Iguchi Screenplay 冨岡淳広 Atsuhiro Tomioka Storyboard 須藤典彦 Norihiko Sudō Assistant director 小山賢 Masaru Koyama Animation director 志村泉 Izumi Shimura Additional credits

Screenshots on Filb.de 須藤典彦 Norihiko Sudō is the new director of the Pokémon anime.

Following a Maiden's Voyage! (Japanese: 旅立ち！フタバタウンからマサゴタウンへ！！ Setting Off! From Futaba Town to Masago Town!!) is the first episode of the Diamond & Pearl series, and the 467th episode of the Pokémon anime. It aired in Japan on September 28, 2006, the same day as the Japanese release of the Nintendo DS games, Pokémon Diamond and Pearl. It aired in the US on April 20, 2007, two days before the American release of Diamond and Pearl.

Spoiler warning: this article may contain major plot or ending details.

Synopsis

The episode begins early in the morning, with the sun shining brightly into the bedroom of a young girl who is just waking up on the dawn of one of the most important days of her life: the start of her adventures with Pokémon. She stays still, then gets up and pushes the window open. Today she will get her first Pokémon.

Sometime later, the girl, named Dawn, is already half-way dressed when her mother appears. Dawn lets her in along with a Glameow. The two greet each other while Glameow rests on the bed. Downstairs, mother and daughter discuss Dawn's plans and Dawn pulls out a postcard that she received from Professor Rowan, inviting her to his laboratory to pick up her first Pokémon. The postcard also contains a map to his lab, and pictures of the three Pokémon that she will be able to choose from. Dawn's mother wonders what Pokémon her daughter will choose and Dawn looks over at the pictures of the three Pokémon: Turtwig the Template:Type2, Chimchar the Template:Type2, and Piplup the Template:Type2. Dawn then comments that regardless, all three Pokémon would make a great partner in her bid to become a top Coordinator just like her mother. Dawn fantasizes about performing in Contests with the three different Pokémon.

Later, Dawn prepares to leave for her journey, lugging a suitcase behind her. Her mother tells her to pack more sensibly and fits everything that she will need in a small backpack. Dawn then sets out towards Sandgem Town from her home in Twinleaf Town along Route 201. She arrives in a town, and runs into a building which she believes to be the Professor's lab, only to find that it is a restaurant. She then proceeds to follow every possible direction, getting herself lost. While reading her map, she bumps into a man who reveals himself to be Professor Rowan, who guides her to his laboratory.

Meanwhile, at the lab, Professor Rowan's assistants are chatting while examining and feeding the the three starter Pokémon. However, a fight quickly brews when Chimchar steals the last of Piplup's food. Piplup begins attacking Chimchar with bubbles while Chimchar runs around the lab. While trying to keep Piplup under control, one of the assistants points it towards a Starly and Staraptor, who begin flying around and wrecking books and papers. The two then fly through an open window, followed by Chimchar (with Piplup in hot pursuit). The scientists plan to clean up, but as they begin, Professor Rowan arrives with Dawn.

With only the Turtwig remaining, Dawn asks and is allowed to go and search for the four missing Pokémon. After receiving some tips from Prof. Rowan, Dawn runs off towards the forest where the Pokémon were headed. Before she reaches the forest, however, she runs into Chimchar and Piplup, Chimchar still swinging away from Piplup's bubbles. Dawn attempts to calm them down, but they ignore her, Piplup changing its target to her briefly before both disappear into the forest. Dawn runs into the forest after them, only to find Piplup as well as several other Pokémon trapped in a web created by an Ariados. Dawn quickly hatches a plan, causing the Ariados to destroy its own web, landing Piplup safely in her arms. However, after sliding down a hill, Piplup seems very indignant, using Peck on Dawn several times. Dawn begins to berate it, but then realizes that it is simply hungry. However, although Dawn offers it Pokémon food, it seems disdainful and won't eat it. This scene was interrupted when Ariados returns, attacking Dawn and Piplup with several of its friends.

Trapped in a cage created by String Shot, Dawn distracts the Ariados with food while Piplup destroys the cage with BubbleBeam. Unfortunately, before Dawn can escape with Piplup, an Ariados trips her with String Shot. However, Piplup uses Bide to absorb the attacks of the Ariados, then destroys them and the cage with a massive energy wave. Shortly after, the Piplup faints, exhausted from having taken all the attacks.

While walking through the forest, Dawn stumbles upon Lake Verity. While there, she spots Staraptor carrying Chimchar back to the lab, with Starly close behind. Before they can return to the lab, however, the lake ripples, and a mysterious figure appears for a moment before vanishing. When Dawn asks Professor Rowan about it, he notes that it could be the legendary Pokémon of the lake. Shortly after, Dawn is presented with several Poké Balls and a Pokédex. When asked which Pokémon she wants for a starter, Dawn immediately chooses Piplup, noting that she and it are already a team. Dawn then sets out for her Pokémon journey in earnest, riding away from the lab.

At the same time, Ash, Pikachu, and Aipom are on a ship bound for Sinnoh. Ash boasts about becoming the Sinnoh Champion while Jessie, James, and Meowth watch from below decks. Later, Ash discusses Aipom accompanying Ash to Sinnoh with Professor Oak, who notes that he will send Aipom's Poké Ball to Professor Rowan. Before they continue, though, Team Rocket quickly snatches Pikachu from their balloon. However, before they can leave, Meowth begins to argue with Jessie, attacking Wobbuffet with Fury Swipes. Wobbuffet then uses Counter, destroying the balloon and sending Pikachu falling into the forest. The episode ends with Ash and Aipom running after Team Rocket, while Dawn cycles away from the lab.

Major events

• Dawn, a beginning Trainer and aspiring Coordinator, starts her Pokémon journey with a Piplup, a Pokédex, and six Poké Balls from Professor Rowan.
• Dawn sees the projected soul of a Mesprit in Lake Verity.
• Ash reaches Sinnoh, only to have Pikachu taken away and lost by Team Rocket, who followed him to the region.

Debuts

• Dawn
• Johanna
• Professor Rowan
• Yuzo

Pokémon debuts

• Turtwig
• Chimchar
• Piplup (Dawn's)
• Starly
• Staravia
• Staraptor
• Bidoof
• Bibarel
• Budew
• Buneary
• Glameow (Johanna's)
• Mesprit (projected soul)

Characters

Humans

• Ash
• Dawn
• Tracey
• Jessie
• James
• Professor Oak
• Professor Rowan
• Johanna
• Marian (fantasy)
• Nurse Joy (fantasy)
• Contesta (fantasy)
• Sukizo (fantasy)
• Yuzo
• Professor Rowan's assistant (Seiyū: 逢坂力 Chikara Ōsaka)
• Ramen shop operator (Seiyū: 仁科洋平 Yōhei Nishina)

Pokémon

• Pikachu (Ash's)
• Meowth (Team Rocket)
• Piplup (Dawn's, new; debut)
• Wobbuffet (Jessie's)
• Aipom (Ash's)
• Glameow (Johanna's; debut)
• Starly (Professor Rowan's; debut)
• Staraptor (Professor Rowan's; debut)
• Turtwig (Seiyū: うえだゆうじ Yūji Ueda*; debut, Billy Beach in the dub)
• Chimchar (Seiyū: 津村まこと Makoto Tsumura*; debut, Bill Rogers in the dub)
• Ariados (Seiyū: 川上貴史 Takafumi Kawakami)
• Chatot (flock)
• Weedle
• Pidgey
• Rattata
• Magikarp
• Dunsparce
• Mantine
• Remoraid
• Zigzagoon
• Ninjask
• Starly (debut)
• Bidoof (debut)
• Bibarel (debut)
• Budew (debut)
• Buneary (debut)
• Mantyke (debut)
• Mesprit (projected soul; debut)

* No official credit was given for this character.

Trivia

File:DP001 senryuu.jpg

Sinnoh senryū

• This originally aired as a two-hour special on September 28, 2006, together with Two Degrees of Separation! and When Pokémon Worlds Collide!
• The part where Dawn thinks about having each of the Sinnoh starters echoes Ash's dream in the first episode. Incidentally, Ash's first choice for a starter was also the Template:Type2 of his region, Squirtle.
• An instrumental version of By Your Side ~Hikari's Theme~ is played as background music.
• Piplup's behavior when Dawn offered it food is exactly as described in the Pokédex: Piplup have high pride and hate to receive food from people.

File:Projected soul Mesprit.jpg

Mesprit in projected soul form.

• Dawn seeing Mesprit is mentioned in Dawn of a New Era! where Ash links it to his seeing Ho-Oh as a starting Trainer, though the scene is more similar to his seeing Suicune on the way to New Bark Town.
  • Ash later encounters Azelf at Lake Valor in Pruning a Passel of Pals! and Brock encounters Uxie at Lake Acuity in Uncrushing Defeat!.
• The eyecatches are of Dawn alone.
• Professor Oak's Pokémon lecture returns to the series after an absence of almost two years.
• Professor Oak's lecture: Sinnoh starter Pokémon.
  • Pokémon senryū: シンオウで　たびがはじまる　ポケモンと Shin'ō de tabi ga hajimaru Pokémon to. "In Sinnoh, a journey begins with Pokémon."
• This episode is the last in the English dub to feature Kayzie Rogers as a voice actress until her return in Pokémon Diamond & Pearl: Battle Dimension. For the next 51 episodes Michele Knotz would provide the voice of Mime Jr. while Wobbuffet's voice would be provided through recycled clips of Rogers.
• Dawn's Starly clock appears to be Template:Shiny2.
  • Similarly, there was a green Pidgey cuckoo clock in Pokémon Emergency! of the original series. However this Pokémon was not shiny.
• The music played with the title card is different in this episode.

Errors

• After Dawn finishes the imaginary contest with Turtwig, she twirls around with her boots on, but in the next scene, she is wearing slippers.
• The Staraptor that appears in this episode is far smaller than normal (around the size of a Staravia).

Dub edits

• When the first three episodes aired together on April 20, 2007, they were made into a TV movie, cutting several parts out. All of these were restored when the episodes aired separately in reruns.
• After the narrator finishes the introduction in the beginning of the episode, the English opening theme is aired instead, skipping the eight-second part that shows the English logo for the 10th season. In future airings, the English theme isn't shown for the first episode for reasons unknown.
• After the narrator finishes introducing Dawn, the episode title was cut out.
• After Team Rocket is seen blasting off near the ending, the remaining part is cut out. After the commercial break, it moves on to the next episode.

In other languages

• Brazilian Portuguese: Seguindo a Viagem de Estréia
• Chinese (Taiwan): 出發！？雙葉鎮到真砂鎮！ Setting Off!? From Shuangye Village to Zhensha Village!
• Czech: Dívčí dobrodružství začíná
• Dutch: Voor het Eerst op Reis!
• European Portuguese : A Viagem de Estreia
• Finnish: Neitsytmatkalla
• French: Une aurore nouvelle
• German: Lucia startet durch!
• Russian: Путешествие одной девочки!
• Iberian Spanish: ¡Una doncella inicia viaje!
• Italian: Un inizio burrascoso & La scelta di Lucinda
• Korean: 새로운 여행! 신참 트레이너 나빛나! Saeroun Yeohaeng! Sincham Trainer Na Bitna!
• Latin American Spanish: ¡Siguiendo el Viaje de una Novata!
• Polish: Pierwsza Podróż!

← AG192 : Home is Where the Start Is

Diamond & Pearl series

DP002 : Two Degrees of Separation! →

This episode article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of Pokémon animation.