Pokémon tops Japanese anime box office 2009

What do we have, what do we have… here? During the past years we could read about new and interesting anime movies getting their opening at Japanese cinemas during 2009. Movies such as Detective Conan: The Raven Chaser and Major: Yujo no Winning shot, let alone the fourth Naruto Shippuuden and Evangelion: 2.0 but to mention a few, was highly anticipated to top the box office in Japan for 2009. And, they did. But who could ever have thought that Pokémon once again would have something to do with the fight? In fact, Pokémon: Arceus and the Jewel of Life actually made itself King of the Hill, while even earning over 700 000USD more than Hideaki Anno’s Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance.

1. Pokémon: Arceus and the Jewel of Life
2. Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance
3. Detective Conan: The Raven Chaser
4. Doraemon: Shin Nobita no Uchu Kaitakushi
5. Summer Wars
6. Major: Yujo no Winning shot
7. Naruto Shippūden: Hi no Ishi o Tsugumono
8. Precure All Stars DX: Minna Tomodachi— Kiseki no Zenin Daishūgō
9. Crayon Shin-chan: Otakebe! Kasukabe Yasei Ōkoku
10. The Rebirth of Buddha

Source and full details at ANN

I haven't been following the Pokémon anime for a while - no actually for several years - but it seems like the concept's still healthy and still running. I myself thought it was dead since long, and it really should be since the series nothing more than a chain of repeated events unworthy the attention it deserved when it was new. On the contrary, I still enjoy it as a game. ^^

Anyways, I really thought that Evangelion would be the movie to top the list, and that Naruto wouldn’t even make it because of the earlier movies follies (Sasuke’s obvious task to draw fangirls’ attention in the second movie, plotholes and uninteresting enemies and script, are just two out of many horrible examples).

Those of you who want to see the table of rankings and stats to get yourself an opinion of your own, head over to ANN.