View source for Welcome to the Space Show

{{Infobox film
| name           = Welcome to the Space Show
| image          = Welcome to the Space Show poster.jpg
| director       = [[Koji Masunari]]
| producer       = {{Plainlist|
* Tomonori Ochikoshi
* Atsuhiro Iwakami
}}
| writer         = [[Hideyuki Kurata]]
| starring       = {{Plainlist|
* [[Tomoyo Kurosawa]]
* Honoka Ikezuki
* Shōtarō Uzawa
* [[Tamaki Matsumoto]]
* Takuto Yoshinaga
* [[Keiji Fujiwara]]
}}
| music          = [[Yoshihiro Ike]]
| cinematography = Takaharu Ozaki
| editing        = Masahiro Goto
| studio         = [[A-1 Pictures]]
| distributor    = [[Aniplex]]
| released       = {{Film date|2010|2|18|[[60th Berlin International Film Festival|Berlinale]]|2010|6|26|Japan}}
| runtime        = 136 minutes
| country        = Japan
| language       = Japanese
| budget         = 
| gross          = 
}}
{{Nihongo|'''''Welcome to the Space Show'''''|宇宙ショーへようこそ|Uchū Shō e Yōkoso|lead=yes}} is a 2010 Japanese [[Animation|animated]] [[science fiction film]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://movie.walkerplus.com/mv46318/|script-title=ja:宇宙ショーへようこそ|publisher=Walkerplus|language=ja|access-date=October 27, 2013}}</ref> produced by [[A-1 Pictures]] and distributed by [[Aniplex]]. It was directed by [[Koji Masunari]] from a script by [[Hideyuki Kurata]], and stars the voices of [[Tomoyo Kurosawa]], Honoka Ikezuki, Shōtarō Uzawa, [[Tamaki Matsumoto]], Takuto Yoshinaga, and [[Keiji Fujiwara]]. In the film, five children rescue an alien dog, and are rewarded a trip to the Moon in response. After events cause the group to become stranded in space, they must find a way to return to Earth before the kids' parents arrive.

==Plot==
''Welcome to the Space Show'', whose story "surpasses ''[[Star Wars]]'' in its scale" according to its producers, tells of the four adventures of five schoolmates and an alien dog in space during summer vacation.<ref name="ANN1">{{cite news | title = ''Read or Die'' Team to Create ''The Uchū Show'' Movie in 2008 | url = http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2008-01-07/read-or-die-team-to-create-the-uchu-show-movie-in-2008 | publisher = [[Anime News Network]] | date = January 7, 2008 | access-date = June 23, 2010}}</ref>

The plot revolves around five elementary school kids on their "school trip". In the process of looking for their missing class pet (a rabbit named Pyon-Kichi), the children rescue a dog they find injured in a corn field. The dog turns out to be an alien called Pochi Rickman, and he invites them to visit the Moon as a reward for helping him. However, through a series of strange events, they become stranded and must make their way across the galaxy to get to Pochi's homeworld, Wan, so that they may return to Earth. Along the way they are pursued by the aliens responsible for Pochi being injured in the first place. The aliens work for the host (called Neppo) of the universe's most popular entertainment, "The Space Show", which appears to be a variety act broadcast from a mysterious moving spaceship.

Neppo is bent on using the power of the ship, called the ''Pet Star'', to become a god. However, the ship requires a particular power source to run; namely a substance called Zughan, which turns out to be a close relative of the wasabi root and also appears to function as a form of recreational drug. As Natsuki is carrying some of the root with them in her bag, Neppo has thus targeted the group. When his thugs fail to retrieve the bag, Neppo goes himself; arriving just as the children and Pochi reach Wan. The ''Pet Star''{{'}}s tractor beams steal the bag, but they also take Amane as well.

This leads to a show down at an interstellar festival, where with the help of friends they've made along the way, the children manage not only to defeat Neppo and rescue Amane but also save the entire universe. The children are then able to return home (along with Pyon-Kichi, who had been kidnapped by Neppo's henchmen as well) and arrive at the school just before their parents show up to retrieve them.

==Characters==
; {{nihongo|Natsuki Koyama|小山 夏紀|Koyama Natsuki}}
: A fifth grade student who recently moved from town, the energetic and [[tomboyish]] Natsuki longs to be a heroine. Natsuki and her mother Shimizu have just recently moved out to the country and are staying with Amane's family. Natsuki also has a great love of wasabi. {{anime voices|[[Tomoyo Kurosawa]]|[[Stephanie Sheh]]}}

; {{nihongo|Amane Suzuki|鈴木 周|Suzuki Amane}}
: The youngest of the five main characters, Amane is Natsuki's cousin and in second grade. She is an amiable and reliable person who has an honest and gentle personality. She starts the film annoyed with Natsuki, in part because her older cousin was responsible for Pyon-Kichi escaping his cage, and in part because Natsuki's personality appears to have changed (becoming more arrogant and lazy) since she has moved in. But in the end, she forgives Natsuki after her cousin rescues her and realizes it wasn't Natsuki's fault, it was Neppo's henchmen who kidnapped Pyon-Kichi. {{anime voices|Honoka Ikezuki|Michaela Dean}}

; {{nihongo|Kiyoshi Satō|佐藤 清|Satō Kiyoshi}}
: The oldest of the group—being in sixth grade—Kiyoshi has leadership qualities: a strong sense of responsibility, honesty, trustworthiness, and kindness. Kiyoshi is a little bit hesitant to pursue what he wants and tends to second guess his own decisions. He takes the younger children's safety and well being very seriously though, and by the end of the movie has figured out what he wants to do with himself. {{anime voices|Shōtarō Uzawa|[[Michael Sinterniklaas]]}}

; {{nihongo|Noriko Nishimura|西村 倫子|Nishimura Noriko}}
: Despite being a very timid fourth grader, Noriko always acts like her dream is to be an idol star. She likes to wear trendier clothing and is embarrassed by her younger brother Hiroto. Noriko is also the voice of reason when Natuski and Amane bicker. {{anime voices|[[Tamaki Matsumoto]]|[[Cassandra Morris|Cassandra Lee]]}}
:
; {{nihongo|Kōji Harada|原田 康二|Harada Kōji}}
: Kōji wears glasses and is an avid bookworm brimming with curiosity about everything. He loves anything to do with [[UFO]]s, aliens, and the occult. While on the moon, he meets and becomes friends with an alien named Ink, who works with her father Rubin as traveling repairmen. Ink's father has a rocket ship he has been building with spare parts for a long time and the children end up using it during the festival to help them reach the Pet Star. {{anime voices|Takuto Yoshinaga|Michael Jacob Wayne}}

; {{nihongo|Pochi Rickman|ポチ・リックマン|Pochi Rikkuman}}
: Looking like an ordinary dog at first glance, Pochi is actually an alien from the planet Wan. After the five schoolmates helped him after they found him injured, he rewarded them by inviting them to the Moon. Pochi is actually a famous professor on his home world, even though his occasional lack of responsibility has the children suspect otherwise. Pochi's father Taro is a doctor who specializes in helping cure strange and difficult diseases. {{anime voices|[[Keiji Fujiwara]]|[[Marc Diraison]]}}
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; ネッポ
: 声 - [[中尾隆聖]]
: 大人気TV番組「宇宙ショー」の最高責任者である宇宙人。同番組の司会や総合演出を務める。
; マリー
: 声 - [[五十嵐麗]]
: ポチと同郷の女性宇宙人。大人気TV番組「宇宙ショー」のヒロイン。
; ボグナー
: 声 - [[小野坂昌也]]
: 密猟団の一人。
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: 声 - [[竹田雅則]]
: 密猟団の一人。
; ロビー
: 声 - [[宮本充]]
: 密猟団の一人。
; インク
: 声 - [[飯野茉優]]
: 宇宙の何でも屋「インクショップ」の看板娘。父と共に新型エンジンを積んだロケットを開発中。
; ルビーン
: 声 - [[江川央生]]
: インクの父親で、「インクショップ」の店長。
; タロー
: 声 - [[伊藤和晃]]
: ポチの父親。
; ハナコ
: 声 - [[日高のり子]]
: ポチの母親。
; ゴーバ
: 声 - [[銀河万丈]]
: 「宇宙ショー」のマニアの宇宙人。
; トニー
: 声 - [[飛田展男]]
: 宇宙管理センターに勤務する職員。ポチとは腐れ縁。
; ペット大王
: 声 - [[三木眞一郎]]
; 鈴木恵
: 声 - [[平田宏美]]
: 周の母親。
; 鈴木藤四郎
: 声 - [[納谷六朗]]
: 周の祖父。
; 原田一
: 声 - [[滝知史]]
: 康二の父親。
; 原田京子
: 声 - [[恒松あゆみ]]
: 康二の母親。
; 西村真彦
: 声 - [[塾一久]]
: 倫子の祖父。
; 西村寛人
: 声 - [[林遼威]]
: 倫子の弟。
; 小山健一
: 声 - [[小田敏充]]
: 夏紀の父親。
; 小山清水
: 声 - [[雪野五月]]
: 夏紀の母親。
; 佐藤ミツル
: 声 - [[伊藤美紀 (声優)|伊藤美紀]]
: 清の母親。看護師をしている。
; ヤブー
: 声 - [[斎藤千和]]
; 入国管理官
: 声 - [[MAKO]]
; ヤブーパパ
: 声 - [[櫛田泰道]]
; ベビーシッター
: 声 - [[菊地祥子]]
; 青年団員
: 声 - [[菊本平]]
; 闇商人
: 声 - [[勝沼紀義]]
; 管制官
: 声 - [[遠藤大智]]
; 合成機
: 声 - [[拓磨]]
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<small>'''Sources:'''<ref name="animage201007">{{cite journal |date=July 2010 |script-title=ja:「宇宙ショーへようこそ」大ぼうけんガイド|trans-title="Welcome to the Space Show" Great Adventure Guide |journal=[[Animage]] |volume=385 |pages=74–75 |publisher=[[Tokuma Shoten]] |location=[[Tokyo]] |language=ja}}</ref></small>

==Production==
The production staff of ''Welcome to the Space Show'' was announced in the February 2008 issue of ''[[Newtype]]'' magazine, and the film was originally given the working title ''The Space Show''. The film reunites the production staff of ''[[R.O.D the TV]]'' (2003–2004), including director [[Koji Masunari]], writer [[Hideyuki Kurata]], and character designer Masashi Ishihama. It was animated by Japanese studio [[A-1 Pictures]].<ref name="ANN1" />

Masunari decided to cast child voice actors for the film's main characters through a series of auditions.<ref>{{cite news | script-title = ja:『宇宙ショーへようこそ』キャストの子どもたちが語る"友情"とは? | trans-title = ''Welcome to the Space Show'' cast discuss friendship | url = http://movies.jp.msn.com/news/article.aspx?articleid=309425 | publisher = [[MSN]] | language = ja | date = June 18, 2010 | access-date = June 23, 2010}}{{Dead link|date=November 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}</ref> The film was conceived with the themes of entertainment and friendship among children.<ref>{{cite news | script-title=ja:頭をカラにしてみてほしい! 映画『宇宙ショーへようこそ』の舛成孝二監督が語る | url = http://news.dengeki.com/elem/000/000/273/273935/ | publisher = [[ASCII Media Works]] | date = June 25, 2010 | language = ja | access-date = June 27, 2010}}</ref>

Scottish singer [[Susan Boyle]], who became famous after her television performance in ''[[Britain's Got Talent]]'', contributed the song "[[Who I Was Born to Be]]" as the film's theme song.<ref name="animage201007"/> Prior to the announcement, the film had been screened without a theme song.<ref name="ann-boyle">{{cite news | title = Susan Boyle Sings ''Welcome to the Space Show'' Theme | url = http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2010-05-25/susan-boyle-sings-welcome-to-the-space-show-theme | publisher = [[Anime News Network]] | date = May 25, 2010 | access-date = June 23, 2010}}</ref>

==Release==
''Welcome to the Space Show'' made its world premiere at the 60th [[Berlin International Film Festival]] (Berlinale) in February 2010. It was screened alongside ''[[Summer Wars]]'' (2009) as part of the festival's Generation program.<ref>{{cite news | title = ''Read or Die'' Team's ''Welcome to the Space Show'' at Berlin | url = http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2010-01-14/read-or-die-team-welcome-to-the-space-show-at-berlin | publisher = [[Anime News Network]] | date = January 14, 2010 | access-date = June 23, 2010}}</ref> They were the two anime films out of a total of 28 screened at the festival.<ref>{{cite news | last = Roxborough | first = Steve | title = Berlin's Generation lineup complete | url = http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/berlins-generation-lineup-complete-19444 | work = [[The Hollywood Reporter]] | date = January 13, 2010 | access-date = January 6, 2016}}</ref> The film was also screened at the 57th [[Sydney Film Festival]] in June 2010 as part of the Kids Flicks program.<ref>{{cite news | title = Sydney Fest to Show ''Space Show'', ''Summer Wars'', ''Yona Yona'' | url = http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2010-05-06/sydney-fest-to-show-space-show-summer-wars-yona-yona | publisher = [[Anime News Network]] | date = May 6, 2010 | access-date = June 23, 2010}}</ref> It premiered in the United States at Otakon on July 31, 2010.<ref>{{cite news | last = Hodgkins | first = Crystalyn | title = Aniplex USA Industry Panel | publisher = [[Anime News Network]] | date = July 30, 2010}}</ref>

The film was released on Blu-ray and DVD in Japan by [[Aniplex]] on February 9, 2011 in regular and limited edition pressings.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-02-17/japan-animation-blu-ray-disc-ranking-february-7-13|title=Japan's Animation Blu-ray Disc Ranking, February 7–13|publisher=Anime News Network|date=2011-02-17|access-date=2014-05-21}}</ref> [[Manga Entertainment]] acquired home video rights in the UK and released the film in a Blu-ray/DVD combo pack on July 2, 2012.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-10-19/welcome-to-the-space-show-pushed-back-to-july-2012|title=Welcome to the Space Show Pushed Back to July 2012|publisher= Anime News Network|date=2011-10-19|access-date=2014-05-21}}</ref> Manga UK also produced the English dub, which was recorded at [[NYAV Post]] in the US. [[GKIDS]] has acquired theatrical and home video rights to the film in North America. The film was released in North America on DVD and Blu-ray on November 11, 2014.

==Reception==
{{Expand section|date=June 2010}}
A review by the ''[[Yomiuri Shimbun]]'' encouraged families to watch the children's adventure film. While praising the artwork in village and lunar scenes, the reviewer also called the film an "explosive sense of ''[[Moe (slang)|moe]]''".<ref>{{cite news | last = Fukuda | first = Makoto | title = Through Otaku Eyes: 'Space Show' culmination of Japan's anime history | url = http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/features/arts/20100723TDY11T04.htm | work = [[Yomiuri Shimbun]] | date = July 23, 2010 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121012151859/http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/features/arts/20100723TDY11T04.htm | archive-date = October 12, 2012 | url-status = dead | access-date = July 30, 2010}}</ref> The film was criticized for its lack of originality, primarily because A-1 Pictures appears to draw too much material from the works of [[Hayao Miyazaki]]. Unlike Miyazaki's films, however, ''Welcome to the Space Show'' "has a much edgier attitude" and is more humorous.<ref>{{cite web | last = Maughan | first = Tim | title = Welcome to The Space Show | url = http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/welcome-to-the-space-show | publisher = [[Anime News Network]] | date = July 29, 2010 | access-date = July 30, 2010}}</ref>

''Anime World Order'' reviewed the show at the Otakon 2010 premier and praised it for its imagination, but also echoed the issues such as other reviewers as Tim Maughan have stated, primarily about the length of the movie.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.awopodcast.com/2010/08/anime-world-order-show-87-welcome-to-the-otakon-show.html|title=Anime World Order Show # 87 – Welcome to the Otakon Show|publisher=www.awopodcast.com|date=August 19, 2010|access-date=January 6, 2016}}</ref> Tim Maughan did comment on the similarities to works by [[Hayao Miyazaki]], stating that the film has a "much edgier attitude than any of Miyazaki's works".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/welcome-to-the-space-show|title=Welcome to The Space Show|publisher=[[Anime News Network]]|author=Tim Maughan|date=July 29, 2010|access-date=January 6, 2016}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Anime and manga}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
* {{in lang|ja}} {{Official website|http://www.uchushow.net/}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20101017085222/http://hiff.org/program/index.php/films/detail/welcome_to_the_space_show_2010 ''Welcome to the Space Show''] at the [[Hawaii International Film Festival]]
* [http://www.berlinale.de/en/archiv/jahresarchive/2010/02_programm_2010/02_Filmdatenblatt_2010_20105993.php ''Welcome to the Space Show''] at the [[Berlin International Film Festival]]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110226022024/http://tix.sff.org.au/session2.asp?sn=Welcome+To+The+Space+Show ''Welcome to the Space Show''] at the [[Sydney Film Festival]]
* {{ann|movie|9174}}
* {{IMDb title|1679681}}

{{A-1 Pictures}}

[[Category:2010 anime films]]
[[Category:2010 films]]
[[Category:A-1 Pictures]]
[[Category:Films about extraterrestrial life]]
[[Category:Hideyuki Kurata]]
[[Category:Science fiction anime and manga]]
[[Category:Films scored by Yoshihiro Ike]]
[[Category:Animated films set in outer space]]
[[Category:Animated films set on fictional planets]]
[[Category:Animated films about dogs]]
[[Category:Anime films with original screenplays]]
[[Category:Japanese animated science fiction films]]
[[Category:Animated films set in Japan]]
[[Category:Japanese children's fantasy films]]
[[Category:2010s English-language films]]
[[Category:2010s Japanese-language films]]