Forum - View topicHey, Answerman! [2006-09-22]
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Royal Devil
Posts: 194 |
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It was always a bad catchphrase. Especially now that I notice it more when watching it subbed. Also one of the few dubs where the voice actors have become part of the community. Gai, Gaara, and Kiba's voice actors especially. It never ceases to amaze me that Gai and Vicious share the same voice actor |
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dormcat
Encyclopedia Editor
Posts: 9902 Location: New Taipei City, Taiwan, ROC |
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*Cough* And I was wondering why no one has mentioned this director. I'll keep it a secret -- for now. |
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Mohawk52
Posts: 8202 Location: England, UK |
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Rant is spot on, but it will make no difference, because to be a Bleachtard, one must first be a tard, and we all know one can not reason with one of those.
So Zac, just when will "Hee Haw" be released on DVD then? Just thought I'd make your day |
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splat_ed
Posts: 1 Location: York, Uk |
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Here's my tuppence worth
I tend to listen to subs more than dubs because that's the first I heard (usually through first couple of episodes off t'internet). This pretty much fixes the sound of the characters in my mind so that others don't quite sound "right". A good example of this is in music. I first heard the Pet Shop Boys version of "Where the streets have no name...". Now all the other versions just don't *quite* seem to sound right. There's nothing wrong with them per se, but I prefer the one I heard first. For those anime I've heard the dub first I'll often prefer that (eg Outlaw Star, Big O), but I do try to listen to both versions now if I buy the DVD first. Another example would be when they change the voice actor/actress in any animation after a period of time. Lots of people will complain as they preferred the first. (And hello to everyone for my first post ) |
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DKL
Posts: 1950 Location: California, USA |
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Er... isn't that Miyazaki? Well, I think it's him anyway. I was actually pointing this out a long while back (but no one really said anything)... but I might be mis-membering things, I don't know. As for jsevakis post (can't spell his name)... hey, that was really good. I'm actually a really big fan of New Generation Pictures, but they don't seem to get most of the cool stuff (but thank god Jonathan Klein is back in the game with Ergo Proxy *well, back in the game in a sense that it's a show that I'll watch, hahaha... er... yeah... I need to see more stuff*... I really enjoyed Paranoia Agent and Texhnolyze in English, so I'm looking forward to this... it's just too bad that JB Blanc won't be in Ergo Proxy *since he got cast into some TV series*) Anyway, that was a great post. I usually only watch dubs, but either is fine, really... but when I do watch the subbed version, since I don't speak Japanese, I'm usually under the impression that the acting is generally good, though, I do agree that most Bishounen acting kinda sounds the same... Which was kinda the case in Super Gals!... But yeah, I'm no expert, so I have to rely on my ghastly unsophisticated ear. Oh, and as for Studiopolis, I get to brag that I noticed their potential a long while back in Olivia Venegas's excellent excellent dub for Marmalade Boy (at least... I think it was Studiopolis). I have a feeling that when Monster comes over, it's either going to go to Blue Water in Canada (it would make sense given that Teri Snelgrove did Master Keaton) or it will go to Studiopolis (not entirely sure though given that Geneon hasn't used them yet, I think... and yes, I still think that it'll be Geneon to release this stateside)... That said, I'm going to call dibs on Johnny Yong Bosch playing Johan should the voicework go to LA. Last edited by DKL on Fri Sep 22, 2006 1:42 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Zalis116
Moderator
Posts: 6867 Location: Kazune City |
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On all the Power Rangers and Hee Haw business...if I could have a wish granted to get some American TV show released on DVD, it'd be Undressed; ah, so many wonderful memories of the dorm days, watching episode after episode of that addictive low-budget quasi-pornographic late-night soap opera...
Anyway, I think some posters are spot on in saying that many haters of high-profile dubs are using "OMGz teh dub is sooo bad" as a shield to morally justify not buying the DVDs. The "Death God vs. Soul Reaper" controversy is one thing, but it's understandable enough that they used SR as a contextual translation and as adherence to the creator's wishes, much like Shounen Bat <-> L'il Slugger and shitou <-> Angels. I haven't had the chance to check out the Bleach dub on Adult Swim, since I have to work Saturday nights at my "I could get a better job than this with my college degree" fast food job. But, judging from the promo and all the information coming out about it, it seems like a pretty good dub, and I'm impressed that they've put so much work into name pronunciations. Even if they don't get them 100% right, caring enough to put in the effort puts this dub above many others. Besides, if we were back in 2000 and the biggest problem with a dub was a translation choice on a Japanese cultural term, we'd all be ecstatic. That said, I wish Viz would put a bit more effort into dubbing and general production on anything that isn't a 100+ megahit shounen action series like Naruto, Bleach, or Inuyasha. I've outlined my issues with Viz in this post, so I won't repeat them here. Viz really looks like a "lumbering giant" when compared to smaller companies like RightStuf and AnimEigo, who put their heart and soul into virtually every project that they do. On the Karau: Phantom Memory subject: I've never seen it, and only heard of it in all these forums asking "When's it gonna be released?", but if you look at the licensing news, it was licensed in 2004 towards the end of the massive licensing binge. It's pretty obvious that ADV pushed out the most marketable and more popular series from that group first, like Maburaho, Elfen Lied, and Gantz. Note that Nanaka 6/17 was also in that list of fifteen Anime Expo 2004 licenses, and it wasn't released until May of 2006. And like K:PM, it's a pretty niche show that's gotten some fairly high ratings on this site from a small amount of viewers. Upon reading some reviews of K:PM over at AniDB, it seems like a Figure 17-esque series, but with lesser-quality writing and less-endearing characters. Maybe they're thinking of Ghost Storiezing it or something. |
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Dargonxtc
Posts: 4463 Location: Nc5xd7+ スターダストの海洋 |
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That's to bad, it sounds like a pretty interesting series(see I am glad I read on here or I would never of picked up on it). And from the setting it describes, and the company, I bet it is beautiful as well. They need to get there butts in gear. As for the Dub thing I am not even going to jump in that can of feculent worms. I will say I agree with most of the rant, and that I always give dubs a shot. If I don't like it, I hit the audio button. |
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hagakure|returns
Posts: 407 |
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Eh, I was at a bleach forum and a lot of members where complaining about the "bad" dub of Bleach. So bad that they will boycott Viz and not buy the DVD (even though the DVD has the original japanese + subs). It's just another reason not to buy the product (and show your support as fan), because they already own it on fansub. |
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Zac
ANN Executive Editor
Posts: 7912 Location: Anime News Network Technodrome |
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It would be if I thought for a second you knew what you were talking about. I'm not saying this to be insulting; I just think you're assigning yourself some kind of expertise on an issue you haven't proven you know much about. In order to properly judge Japanese performances (or at least to claim ridiculous, unfair, unprovable things like "the Japanese care more and work harder at voice acting"), you'd need to be fluent in the language and immersed in their culture and familiar enough with what native speakers think a "good" performance is. As it is, you're an English-speaking American (I think) who's taken a few courses and watched a LOT of anime. That doesn't qualify you at all to make any sort of informed, educated and honest opinion about a Japanese performance. Sure, you can like it on a surface level, and appreciate the cadence and flow of the language (something that happens to lots of people who encounter exotic things) but to make the kind of statements you're making, you're totally underqualified. Hell, I took 4 years of Japanese and I've watched anime for like 8-9 years here and I don't consider myself to be knowledgable enough about Japanese performance to make serious, in-depth comments about quality. Especially not ridiculous things like "oh they work harder than English VAs, I just know they do!!". That's just blind Japanophilia, and it totally slams the legion of hardworking, sincere American VAs. I mean, in my reviews, if the dub sucks, I'll say "watch the Japanese version, it's better." Is that because the Japanese performances are better? No, not necessarily. It means the dub sucks and you're better off watching it in a language you likely don't speak. Likewise, if the Japanese voices are shrill or annoying or have some quality I can actually judge, I'll tell people to watch the dub, unless it's really bad. But that's all I consider myself qualified enough to say about the Japanese performance. Something tells me you're not any further ahead on the issue than I am, so why in the world would I take the over-the-top statements you've made about Japanese performance seriously at all? Also, something tells me you've never heard American VAs talk about their work or spent any time around them in person because a few minutes in to any conversation it will become abundantly clear to you that those people absolutely love what they do and care deeply about their work. |
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selenta
Subscriber
Posts: 1774 Location: Seattle, WA |
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Well then, that would be the "damned good reason" I was looking for, if it's true. I still like 'death god' better, but if that's what he has specifically said he wants, then that's that.
Like I said earlier, I'm going to have to disagree with you here, I'm getting pretty good at Japanese, but it's by no means mastered. French on the other hand, I had become fluent in, and I actually respected the language more when I knew it. I thought it was a nasally and whiny sounding language, but when I learned how to speak it, it was loads of fun to speak. I'm starting to forget what I learned over my 5 and a half years of French, but hopefully my 2 month long trip to Europe next spring will help Like I said, I hardly think of them as "perfect" or american voice actors as "flawed", but perhaps the other posters are right. The biggest problem I have with dubs may be more a problem of casting, a small field, lacking shounen voices, and lazy or uncaring directors rather than American VA's dedication to their field. |
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Zac
ANN Executive Editor
Posts: 7912 Location: Anime News Network Technodrome |
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Hey, it's another unfounded, unprovable, totally unfair and mean-spirited blanket statement! I've spent plenty of time around English dub directors and let me tell you, the majority of them have sincere and serious passion for what they do. Simply because they make choices you don't personally approve of or like doesn't mean they're "lazy and uncaring". The fact of the matter is, you don't know anything at all about American voice acting or how it works or what the attitudes of the people who do it are; it's just easy for you to sit there and attack them while sitting yourself on a pedestal, convinced your own opinion on the matter is fact, and that you somehow "know instinctively" that american dub directors are lazy and uncaring. The worst kind of arrogance is when you're also completely ignorant of what you're being arrogant about. |
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Kilgamayan
Posts: 275 Location: Location, Location. |
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Of course I can't judge on a syntax level, since I know next-to-nothing about the language. As such, I judge on the only level I'm capable of doing so on, which is the cadence and flow. I don't see how that's an "uninformed, uneducated and dishonest" opinion in comparison to syntax. Preference between what's being read and how it's being read is entirely subjective, and I lean toward the how side. I would rather listen to Robin Williams read an eighth-grade English essay than listen to Ben Stein read Hamlet. If this is "wrong" on some level, then to hell with that level as far as I'm concerned.
You're right in that you probably have more experience than I (my college doesn't offer any Japanese courses beyond the almost-obligatory half-cultures, half-history class), but you don't give either of us enough credit. You seem to treat judging voice acting on cadence and flow with disdain. I don't see why, because as far as I know there's nothing fundamentally wrong with that.
I live in New England. We don't get anything worthwhile up here aside from Anime Boston, which I didn't even know existed until two years ago. (Cons don't appeal to me regardless.) So yes, you are correct. I have no problem refraining from discussing the work ethics of voice actors as well as everyone else involved in the production of dubs, but on the whole I still like what I hear from Japan better, regardless of who has better syntax, who works harder and who loves their job more. |
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herbkir
Posts: 251 Location: Michigan |
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Just to correct a bit of a misinterpretation of what I said in my rant: I don't think people who prefer subs are idiots. There are some series where I prefer the subbed version to the dub.
What I was aiming at are the morons who automatically badmouth a dub simply because it IS a dub. And who reflexively rip into anyone who defends the dub, dismissing them as obviously unworthy persons whose only taste is in their mouth, out of an almost religious belief that there's no such thing as a good anime dub. Ever. Period. And who proclaim it loud and long in whatever forums they can find. Fact is that some dubs are good, some dubs suck. I prefer the dubbed version when it's good. I refuse to watch bad dubs. I listen to enough of a series to have an informed personal preference of which track I want to watch. I don't know enough Japanese to be annoyed by poor acting, unless the Japanese voicing is grossly and obviously at variance with the characters or has some other annoying attributes. And that does happen sometimes; both tracks suck. Then it becomes a choice of which track is least annoying to me, or to just drop the series altogether. (^_*) |
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Cowboy Cadenza
Posts: 243 Location: Poughkeepsie, NY |
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Understanding what makes a good perfomance isn't just about knowing the syntax of the language. Bad syntax may not be part of the performance, but actually part of the character and/or script.
Cadence and flow? Japanese people tend to have a hard time understanding the cadence and flow of English. So excuse me if I don't believe for a second that you can understand the cadence and flow of Japanese without speaking a lick of it yourself. |
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Kilgamayan
Posts: 275 Location: Location, Location. |
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I'm sorry that you're incapable of hearing changes in tone and detecting speed-ups and slowdowns in word production. It must suck being an anime fan when you hear everything as if a computer were speaking it. |
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