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REVIEW: Attack on Titan Part II BD+DVD


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Stark700



Joined: 30 Jan 2012
Posts: 11762
Location: Earth
PostPosted: Fri Oct 17, 2014 3:21 pm Reply with quote
Pretty solid review. I've been wanting to get Part II sometimes in the future although I have yet to see the DUB version. Pacing fell a bit imo and I believe there was one episode with a lot of fillers and the finale was changed a bit. I didn't really mind it too much since the show still captured many of the important elements and foreshadowing.

I might check out the DUBs in the future to see how it compares as well. Can't wait for season 2 soon :3
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Oneeyedjacks



Joined: 21 Dec 2009
Posts: 307
PostPosted: Fri Oct 17, 2014 3:39 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
dub script can be so overwritten that it changes intended meaning and diminishes intended tone


That's always annoyed me about Funimation dubs. It's one thing when they do it with some generic fluff fanservice show, but it's irritating when they do it with a substance heavy show like Attack on Titan, where the script and dialogue are carefully crafted for an intended effect.
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Barbobot



Joined: 06 Feb 2007
Posts: 460
PostPosted: Fri Oct 17, 2014 3:45 pm Reply with quote
I enjoyed the dub for the most part and didn't have too much problem with the script. EXCEPT for the lines of Armin as you described. When he said that it sounded kinda awkward to me, especially when the original line felt so key to the Survey Corp and Armin's understanding of the harshness of the world. I didn't notice the change with Annie's lines, but I more attribute that to the fact that the last time I watched the Japanese dub was when it was first airing and my re-watch of the show wasn't until this release when I watched it in English. The original dialogue wasn't as fresh in my mind to compare it.

Last edited by Barbobot on Fri Oct 17, 2014 3:59 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Key
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Joined: 03 Nov 2003
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Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley)
PostPosted: Fri Oct 17, 2014 3:53 pm Reply with quote
While I agree with most of what Hope says here, I must at least partly disagree about the "pacing problems," as I feel that there is much more to those complaints than just being anxious to get on to juicier story elements.

I have watched the series nearly completely through twice now, and both times I have come away with the very distinct impression that the writing was, in places, dragging things out to fill up time. Perhaps my perspective is limited here by not having read the manga, but the phrase "beating a dead horse" (or perhaps in this case "beating a dead Survey Corps member"?) came to mind repeatedly with regard to the character and thematic developments. Yes, the content certainly always stayed on subject, but extremely belaboring points is something that I would classify as worthy of being correctly labeled a pacing problem.
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Greed1914



Joined: 28 Oct 2007
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PostPosted: Fri Oct 17, 2014 4:06 pm Reply with quote
Key wrote:
While I agree with most of what Hope says here, I must at least partly disagree about the "pacing problems," as I feel that there is much more to those complaints than just being anxious to get on to juicier story elements.

I have watched the series nearly completely through twice now, and both times I have come away with the very distinct impression that the writing was, in places, dragging things out to fill up time. Perhaps my perspective is limited here by not having read the manga, but the phrase "beating a dead horse" (or perhaps in this case "beating a dead Survey Corps member"?) came to mind repeatedly with regard to the character and thematic developments. Yes, the content certainly always stayed on subject, but extremely belaboring points is something that I would classify as worthy of being correctly labeled a pacing problem.


It did feel like it was dragging a bit after the Female Titan appeared. There are only so many scenes of her tearing through the Survey Corp that they can show before even that gets a bit tedious. This is especially true when we see her run roughshod over a bunch of humans that were only there as fodder.

I suppose this is part of why I'm willing to wait as long as it takes for season two. Since the manga is supposed to take around three more years to finish, I'd like them to have plenty of material to work with for the anime so they won't feel the need to drag things out too much.
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Hellwarden



Joined: 10 Aug 2013
Posts: 321
PostPosted: Fri Oct 17, 2014 4:32 pm Reply with quote
I agree with the dub changes. It suffers from a few really weirdly changed lines.

That said, the performances are fantastic I think. Josh Grelle in particular was great as Armin.
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MaxSouth



Joined: 11 Oct 2008
Posts: 1363
PostPosted: Fri Oct 17, 2014 5:05 pm Reply with quote
The story is flawed, so it can not be "A" in this regard. But overall it is "Very good" thanks to other virtues of the project.
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sainta



Joined: 21 Feb 2011
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PostPosted: Fri Oct 17, 2014 6:05 pm Reply with quote
Man, the changes in the dub sound scary.
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Fronzel



Joined: 11 Sep 2003
Posts: 1906
PostPosted: Fri Oct 17, 2014 6:20 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
Titan's dub dialogue reads more like the meticulous wordy agony of an anime review like this one...

Oh, you rascal you.
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Chrno2



Joined: 28 May 2004
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PostPosted: Fri Oct 17, 2014 6:32 pm Reply with quote
So I guess I'll need a BD player so I can truly enjoy the experience.
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SouthPacific



Joined: 24 Oct 2013
Posts: 689
PostPosted: Fri Oct 17, 2014 6:43 pm Reply with quote
Since it was, or rather, IS such a big hit I was expecting a pretty good dub and since it already had a fantasy-esque setting as well as made away with cultural specific tropes it should've been even easier to pull it off.

But yeah... Overall I didn't like the dub, but I thought Mikasa was quite good. The dub actor for Eren was just plain bad, like his acting was just not up to par with a professional production. And it doesn't help that I don't see his voice fitting the character. As for Armin it's a bit of an odd one. I feel that the actor is competent, but it feels a bit awkward listening to him and perhaps this is due to the aformentioned script changes... I didn't pay much attention to it because I had already heard they'd taken liberties with it so I just decided to see it for what it was. Dubbed Levi might have been my biggest let down though...


Having Kamiya, Kaji, Inoue etc in the original version makes it difficult to criticize as they don't leave much room to do so! Before it aired I was a bit hesitant to Armin, but Inoue has good range and is a seasoned VA and did him more than just justice, despite being of the opposite sex. Yui Ishikawa was a very fresh face to me, the only thing I had previously heard her in was a minor role in Darker Than Black and I only found that out after watching the show, but all in all she did a really good job of portraying Mikasa.


Comparing the JP cast to the US cast i'd give them an A-/C.


Overall the show is just amazing. It's easy to see why it's become so big and hopefully S2 will be equally fantastic, but even better would be neat too Laughing!
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Animeking1108



Joined: 26 Apr 2011
Posts: 1244
PostPosted: Fri Oct 17, 2014 8:11 pm Reply with quote
I hate the "dubs change the story" complaint just because a line of dialogue was paraphrased to match the lipflaps.

SUB: Giant monsters break down a wall, so teenagers join the military and kill them.

DUB: Giant monsters break down a wall, so teenagers join the military and kill them.

Sounds the same to me. If the script were exactly like the original, it would look like one of those poorly dubbed kung-fu movies.
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brankoburcksen



Joined: 12 Dec 2010
Posts: 126
PostPosted: Fri Oct 17, 2014 8:28 pm Reply with quote
Very good review! I wish I could tattoo it to the Funimation writers' arms.

Doesn't the synopsis have a manga spoiler?

Since I caught up with the manga, it seems pretty apparent Isayama and the production team are working together pretty closely. At first it seemed like Annie's scene with Marlowe was just about adding some development for her since a lot of that stuff was not in the manga. However, in one of the more recent chapters of the manga, Marlowe gets some development that really feels like a pay off to what happened in the first season of the anime.

I think that also goes back to what you were saying about the supposed pacing problems. I realized that is also a common criticism of Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead. I honestly do not believe the comparisons to those shows are that accurate, but I think the general frustration with all three does stem from the fact the characters are hammered by tragedy again and again, delaying any kind of satisfying resolution.

Interestingly, some volumes of the manga add scenes that were not in the magazine release. That makes me hopeful an eventual season two will contain delicious content that could not fit into the manga.
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ThatGuyWhoLikesThings



Joined: 04 Jul 2013
Posts: 998
PostPosted: Fri Oct 17, 2014 8:35 pm Reply with quote
Animeking1108 wrote:
I hate the "dubs change the story" complaint just because a line of dialogue was paraphrased to match the lipflaps.

SUB: Giant monsters break down a wall, so teenagers join the military and kill them.

DUB: Giant monsters break down a wall, so teenagers join the military and kill them.

Sounds the same to me. If the script were exactly like the original, it would look like one of those poorly dubbed kung-fu movies.


But, it isn't just once or twice. If it was, the reviewer wouldn't be making such a huge deal of it. In this case, it's happening several times per episode. Also, more often than not it's a somewhat minor change but, as stated in the review, there are times when it completely changes the meaning of a scene.

No one's asking for it to be exactly like the original script (well, there are some who do, but those people should be ignored), it just needs to stay faithful. And this dub isn't doing a great job of that.

Which is a shame, since literally no other problems exist with it. If this issue was taken care of, the dub would pretty much be perfect, or as close to perfection as you can get.
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Animerican14



Joined: 19 Aug 2006
Posts: 963
Location: Saint Louis, MO
PostPosted: Fri Oct 17, 2014 8:40 pm Reply with quote
Animeking1108 wrote:

Sounds the same to me. If the script were exactly like the original, it would look like one of those poorly dubbed kung-fu movies.

Nah, it'd look more like the average Sentai Filmworks dub. (Or perhaps one of those "faithful" old Central Park Media dubs, as less recent examples.) I wouldn't doubt that some of those dubs sound close to poorly-dubbed live-action Asian cinema, though. ;P Anyway, nice review. Can't help but feel your knowledge of the manga might've informed your review a bit too much, though. Then again, I guess that's kind of unfair since it's only one of the most popular manga around.... I just haven't cared to get around to reading any of it yet, hah.
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