×
  • remind me tomorrow
  • remind me next week
  • never remind me
Subscribe to the ANN Newsletter • Wake up every Sunday to a curated list of ANN's most interesting posts of the week. read more

Forum - View topic
Buried Garbage - Dubbed Songs FROM HELL!!!


Goto page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8  Next

Note: this is the discussion thread for this article

Anime News Network Forum Index -> Site-related -> Talkback
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
LydiaDianne



Joined: 28 Jan 2006
Posts: 5633
Location: Southern California
PostPosted: Thu Dec 27, 2007 12:21 am Reply with quote
Those were...bad. No, BEYOND bad.

And those songs are probably one reason why some people froth at the mouth concerning dubs.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime My Manga
kaleidostars



Joined: 21 Mar 2007
Posts: 6
PostPosted: Thu Dec 27, 2007 12:25 am Reply with quote
ooooooooo mann. Yes, and now I've got the dang Psycho Diver song in my head.
Eeeeehh.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
1stAgent



Joined: 22 Jan 2006
Posts: 36
Location: Wisconsin
PostPosted: Thu Dec 27, 2007 12:34 am Reply with quote
I for one am totally in favor of dubbing insert songs. I write singable English lyrics for anime songs, and I get overwhelmingly good response when I perform them at karaoke. Dubbed anime songs can be done and they can be done well.

But God, those were awful. I can barely tolerate the "pleasant, though clearly a little amateur sounding" ones that were mentioned.

It's probably more trouble than it's worth for dubbers, but it can be done. By not half-assing the production and with just a little attention to the lyrics and using, oh I don't know, meter and rhythm, they can be good. Those failures back in the day just ruin it for the rest of us who maintain that one success increases a dub's value ten-fold.

Best transfer from English to Japanese on an insert song still has to be Slayers Next. After a so-so attempt at English, Lina yells "Now in Japanese!" before the full production.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website Yahoo Messenger MSN Messenger
Splitter



Joined: 19 May 2003
Posts: 1276
Location: Knockin' on Heaven's Door
PostPosted: Thu Dec 27, 2007 12:47 am Reply with quote
Wow, these are pretty bad. I still hold them higher than original English songs for various series... *eyes the diabolically awful Cardcaptor Sakura dub op*

But it's not like all dub songs are bad. Laura Bailey's rendition of the Fruits Basket ED is a triumph over the original IMO, and anything that comes forth from Cristina Vee is absolute gold.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message AIM Address My Anime My Manga
Key
Moderator


Joined: 03 Nov 2003
Posts: 18138
Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley)
PostPosted: Thu Dec 27, 2007 12:49 am Reply with quote
Quote:
Most of the new arrangements were pleasant, though clearly a little amateur sounding (such as on Magic Knights Rayearth, Key the Metal Idol and later Ranma ½ OAVs).


Really? I always found the song in Key The Metal Idol to be a pretty fair mimicking of the styles of the originals.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website My Anime My Manga
GATSU



Joined: 03 Jan 2002
Posts: 15279
PostPosted: Thu Dec 27, 2007 12:55 am Reply with quote
Quote:
The Licensor agreed that the song should be sung by the characters and sent along a karaoke version of the song... but it didn't arrive on time, meaning the mostly-vocally untrained cast would have to sing against the Japanese version during the recording session.


Another "dog ate my homework" type of excuse from Viz as usual. Anyway, so is the Japanese version on the dvd?

I'm also kind of surprised you didn't mention the Pioneer dubs of Tenchi.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message AIM Address
GTO Neko



Joined: 11 Oct 2007
Posts: 94
PostPosted: Thu Dec 27, 2007 1:02 am Reply with quote
GATSU wrote:
Quote:
The Licensor agreed that the song should be sung by the characters and sent along a karaoke version of the song... but it didn't arrive on time, meaning the mostly-vocally untrained cast would have to sing against the Japanese version during the recording session.


Another "dog ate my homework" type of excuse from Viz as usual. Anyway, so is the Japanese version on the dvd?

I'm also kind of surprised you didn't mention the Pioneer dubs of Tenchi.


Alot of the ones from Pioneer were actually done well with the openings and endings, but some of the inserts, I'll have to admit at least in the series weren't so hot, at least not to the point of the ones mentioned on the list.

*shivers*
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message AIM Address Yahoo Messenger
Murasakisuishou



Joined: 22 Jun 2006
Posts: 1469
Location: NE Ohio
PostPosted: Thu Dec 27, 2007 1:07 am Reply with quote
I don't know, the Psycho Diver one isn't that bad (aside from the rapping part). At least the VA can sing relatively well, compared to the clip from Ranma.

And now I've got the song stuck in my head.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website My Anime My Manga
Zalis116
Moderator


Joined: 31 Mar 2005
Posts: 6864
Location: Kazune City
PostPosted: Thu Dec 27, 2007 1:08 am Reply with quote
Ha ha, I love the "You Fail"-style thumbs down sequence at the end of that montage. I'm glad I wasn't exposed to most of those bad song dubs "back in the day", although I could never forget (no matter how I try) some classics like "Fighting evil by moonlight, winning love by daylight / Never running from a real fight, she is the one called Sailor Moon!" But with increased cooperation between Japanese and US companies, better storage and preservation of those music/effects tracks and karaoke versions, and improvements of dubbing in general, dubbed anime songs have come a long way. I've liked most of Funimation's dubbed OP/ED songs in recent years, in some cases more than the originals, as with Desert Punk. And it's true that licensors cracked down on the practice -- rumor has it that Media-Blasters was forced to stop using their dubbed songs in Ruroni Kenshin when someone on the Japanese side complained. And Funi said that they wanted to dub the Tsubasa Chronicles songs, but couldn't get permission.

I'm in agreement with 1stAgent on dubbing insert songs, as long as the dubs can be done well; it's simply more natural and better for enjoyment of the dub if songs sung by characters are in English. (No need to dub random insert songs that just happen to play during an episode). But I can tolerate switching over to Japanese for character-sung insert songs, like in episode 18 of Love Hina -- that dub was already ridiculously bad, and I'm sure trying to dub that song would've made things even worse. As long as those insert songs are subtitled in the secondary subtitle track, viewers can survive. You'd think that would be common sense, but I'm looking at you Viz, and your Full Moon releases Evil or Very Mad

For the best examples of dubbed insert songs in recent releases, I can't think of anything that surpasses Nerima Daikon Brothers and Beck. It's staggering to hear the Ayres brothers talk at conventions about all the recording, rewriting, and remixing processes that went into making those songs as high-quality as possible, under all the time, content, flap, and legal limitations they were under.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime My Manga
icepick314



Joined: 23 Aug 2004
Posts: 486
Location: Back in the Good Ol' US of A
PostPosted: Thu Dec 27, 2007 1:09 am Reply with quote
except for Beck and Fruits Basket, most of Funimation's attempts are pretty damm bad...

one of the most horrid dubbing including the song is from Suzuka...makes my hair stand up from pure fright...the whole cast just didn't seem to fit the character not to mention the opening song, which isn't that great to begin with, just comes in too pathetically...

Kiddy Grade songs are pretty bad too....too bad that it's great series...also dubbing, while it's not bad, it's just that i just couldn't watch it in English for more than 3 episodes...

thank god they didn't dub songs from Full Metal Alchemist...that series had some of the best openings and closings around....
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website AIM Address Yahoo Messenger MSN Messenger ICQ Number
TsukasaElkKite



Joined: 22 Nov 2005
Posts: 3945
PostPosted: Thu Dec 27, 2007 1:10 am Reply with quote
These are absolutely horrid.

I prefer when they leave the songs in the original language and just sub them.

The only exceptions are Beck and Fruits Basket (and to some extent D.N.Angel)
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime My Manga
areaseven
Encyclopedia Editor


Joined: 11 Dec 2002
Posts: 1486
Location: Makati, Philippines
PostPosted: Thu Dec 27, 2007 1:15 am Reply with quote
FYI, on the "Tendo Family Christmas Scramble" episode of Ranma 1/2 OAV, female Ranma was still voiced by Brigitta Dau before she got canned. She was the main reason why I hated Viz's dubbing the first time around.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website AIM Address Yahoo Messenger MSN Messenger ICQ Number My Anime
Son Biggie



Joined: 21 Oct 2006
Posts: 59
PostPosted: Thu Dec 27, 2007 1:36 am Reply with quote
wow two of those song took me way back to my High schools days and yes both of them were bad..... oh so bad..
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Seif



Joined: 16 Nov 2004
Posts: 456
PostPosted: Thu Dec 27, 2007 1:53 am Reply with quote
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

{MODERATION NOTE: I feel with you, man. I really do. But could you break off the screaming for a second and actually contribute something to the discussion? -- abunai}
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime
Cicatriz



Joined: 30 Sep 2004
Posts: 66
Location: Reno, Nevada
PostPosted: Thu Dec 27, 2007 2:01 am Reply with quote
Oh god, insulting the Galaxy Fraulein Yuna songs is kinda like a stab in my heart. Sure, they're not amazing, but come on, they fit into the ridiculousness of the series. [And I actually really like the song they sing at the end of the OAV. Except for "The universe has spirling arms", what kind of line is that? Anime hyper Most of the lines, in fact, sound like they were picked out of a hat and thrown together] I think the concert song is cute, at least.

In fact, every thing in Galaxy Fraulein Yuna is cute. I'll always love that series [I need to play the games.]


The theme songs for MKR . . . while they'll always have a place in my heart, the singing is SO high pitched, I don't think I can stand it like I used to be able to when I got into the series when I was like . . . 11. [But when you're 11, everything is gold.] It's so weird to watch the series now on DVD and be like "Shoot, I liked this song? Why?"

And I love the Key The Metal Idol dub songs are gorgeous, in my opinion. I wish the boxset I bought had a CD with the dub songs on it instead of the Japanese CD it came with.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message AIM Address Yahoo Messenger
Display posts from previous:   
Reply to topic    Anime News Network Forum Index -> Site-related -> Talkback All times are GMT - 5 Hours
Goto page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8  Next
Page 1 of 8

 


Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group