Pokemon is not a very dark series, but it seems the anime took its original writer to a dark place. Takeshi Shudo is the person responsible for some of the best seasons in the show’s long history. But as Shudo wrote in his personal blog before his death, the Pokemon anime also prompted him to drink booze and take pills more often than not.
Videos by ComicBook.com
The information came to light recently when a new translation of Shudo’s blog went live. The writer posted often online before his death, and he was not afraid to share his thoughts on Pokemon. Thanks to Dr. Lava, this latest translation reveals bits of information about Shudo which were unclear, and that includes his habitual use of alcohol and tranquilizers.
According to Shudo, the man recalled a time he went to a seaside bar while working on the first Pokemon movie script to learn more about sailors and their lifestyles. It was there he drank despite his doctor warning him against it, but Shudo’s reason for doing so wasn’t to have a good time.
“Alcohol helps me make sense of all the lines of dialogue spinning around in my head, and for clearing my mind when it’s feeling fuzzy and scattered. For some reason, when I’m drinking, I can ask total strangers the peskiest questions and it doesn’t end up in a brawl. We don’t really get into arguments either. It must be this kind of mentality that says, “people are people,” “I am me,” so no matter what someone says, it doesn’t bother you,” Shudo explained.
“If I can’t drink, I take tranquilizers (of course the ones you can normally buy in a pharmacy, not illegal substances). When I get a little bit high, it helps me sort out all my confused thoughts.”
It turns out that Shudo found a way to gauge his consumption of alcohol and the like. After learning how far his tolerance went, the writer would pen stories for Pokemon after he was under the influence. That is what helped the writer make sense of the dialogue and plots he was writing. And even after all this time since Shudo left the Pokemon anime, many of the episodes he wrote while intoxicated remain favorites.
Could you have ever imagined the Pokemon anime doing something like this to its staff? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics and anime!
