×
  • 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
Interview: Lauren Landa and Erica Mendez, Sailor Neptune and Sailor Uranus


Goto page 1, 2, 3  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
PurpleWarrior13



Joined: 05 Sep 2009
Posts: 2025
PostPosted: Fri Jul 17, 2015 12:07 pm Reply with quote
Great interview. I can verify that Lauren DID talk about hopefully voicing one of the Outer Senshi in an old interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZZP9TLeL60

Haruka and Michiru are definitely a couple, but the original anime was pretty ambiguous about it, and I don't know why the writers of the old dub felt a need to censor it anyway. If anything, it just drew more attention to it. One of the reasons Uranus and Neptune are so iconic is probably because people were so angry over them being changed to "cousins."

I know both actresses are going to be perfect in their roles, and I can't wait to hear them in action! Also excited to hear the new voice of Esmeraude!
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
ANN_Lynzee
ANN Executive Editor


Joined: 02 May 2011
Posts: 2945
Location: Email for assistance only
PostPosted: Fri Jul 17, 2015 12:37 pm Reply with quote
I think it's really only ambiguous if someone (say, maybe children in the 90s) aren't familiar with homosexuality at all. I could see it going over young children's heads. I'd be surprised if an adult could watch the show and not get it.

There's also dialogue in Stars that directly refers to Haruka and Michiru in "the bedroom", and Haruka teases Usagi much more blatantly in the last season. This site has a good summary of the in-series dialogue. http://chibiland.windy-goddess.net/haruka_michiru.html
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website My Anime My Manga
Raebo101



Joined: 17 Mar 2010
Posts: 794
PostPosted: Fri Jul 17, 2015 12:49 pm Reply with quote
Cloverway: "They're cousins, see? Just cousins. Hm? They don't act like cousins? PLENTY of cousins act this way. The way they speak to each other, the way they're touching, they're just playing around! Cousins do that! What? It's obvious that they're lesbians? WHAT'S A LESBIAN?!"

How they thought people wouldn't notice, I'll never know... Rolling Eyes
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
belvadeer





PostPosted: Fri Jul 17, 2015 12:53 pm Reply with quote
Fantastic interview. I love hearing what voice actors have to say about the roles they do. Laura and Erica are amazing, and I can't wait to hear them in more roles. Hell, Erica should totally be in the next Tales game (Berseria, when the time comes later for its dub announcement). If anything, she'd be great at putting energy behind the artes in battle as well as the skits.

They changed them to cousins in the old dub because they didn't want kids "dirtying" their minds with the thought of homosexuality, which was a forbidden subject in the 90s (despite the dub aired in the early 2000s) in practically everything. However, making them cousins actually made it amusing, because there is also the forbidden subject of cousins sometimes falling in love with each other. The same schtick happened with Zoisite being made into a female to avoid similar implications in the scenes with Kunzite. Of course, Zoisite was pretty awesome "as a woman" and Kirsten Bishop, rest her soul, did a fantastic job emulating the standard ohohoho laugh that's considered typical for overconfident women in anime, something that was probably hard to get across in English normally. So that's one case, for me, in which a drastic change of character actually produced something of particular quality.


Last edited by belvadeer on Wed Dec 02, 2015 12:45 am; edited 2 times in total
Back to top
ParaChomp



Joined: 10 Dec 2010
Posts: 1018
PostPosted: Fri Jul 17, 2015 1:32 pm Reply with quote
Raebo101 wrote:
Cloverway: "They're cousins, see? Just cousins. Hm? They don't act like cousins? PLENTY of cousins act this way. The way they speak to each other, the way they're touching, they're just playing around! Cousins do that! What? It's obvious that they're lesbians? WHAT'S A LESBIAN?!"

How they thought people wouldn't notice, I'll never know... Rolling Eyes
Easy, children are ignorant and as previously stated homosexuality was a touchy subject at the time however their new relationship was arguably an even more touchy subject.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
SailorTralfamadore



Joined: 25 Feb 2014
Posts: 499
Location: Keep Austin Weeb
PostPosted: Fri Jul 17, 2015 2:29 pm Reply with quote
Even as a very closeted teenager and even watching the "cousins" stuff in the dub, their relationship felt very gay to me. There's nothing ambiguous about the original Japanese dialogue at all.

I really like both characters' casting, but I'm particularly excited about Landa as Neptune given her history playing really focused, emotionally-reserved characters like Annie. That's how Michiru's personality is, too, but I could see her being miscast as frivolous and silly based on her interests. I really enjoy all of Viz's casting choices for this dub so far.

The old Cloverway dub really messed up in a billion ways with the Outer Senshi, but I remember them coming off as snooty and mean. They do retain some distance from the Guardian Senshi, but not necessarily because they believe they're "above" them or whatever. They project some of that, but not as much, and it's a façade.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website My Anime My Manga
Sacto0562



Joined: 12 Jun 2010
Posts: 288
PostPosted: Fri Jul 17, 2015 2:39 pm Reply with quote
I think people have to remember the relationship between Haruka and Michiru was much more than the Class S relationship between school-age females described in the Japanese literature of the first half of the 20th Century. It was effectively a true yuri relationship, and it really surprised people even in Japan back in 1994-1995 considering the relationship was clearly shown in both the manga and anime aimed for the 12 and under female demographic. (I believe Naoko Takeuchi admitted it really was a yuri relationship at a convention in 1998.)

Indeed, this change made it possible for groundbreaking manga/anime/light novel series like Shoujo Kakumei Utena and Strawberry Panic, in my humble opinion.

As such, it's interesting to hear from the persons voicing the new dub commenting on why (from my opinion) they didn't have to treat the relationship between Haruka and Michiru as something unusual. Maybe it's because here in 2015, we're a lot more enlightened about the lifestyle and issues with LGBT people.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Mr. Oshawott



Joined: 12 Mar 2012
Posts: 6773
PostPosted: Fri Jul 17, 2015 2:40 pm Reply with quote
That was an awesome interview. Smile

I look forward to hearing how Haruka and Michiru in the new English version. I'll finally get to see them as they actually are: a yuri couple.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
katscradle



Joined: 05 Jan 2013
Posts: 469
PostPosted: Fri Jul 17, 2015 4:11 pm Reply with quote
Nice interview.

Are than any dub clips released yet for them?

I am so looking forward to the new English dub of S. I still have the old dub too but, it will be great to be able to listen to the season in English un-cut. There were just all sorts of oddities in the old version where you'd stare at the screen and know what was being said was wrong.

Back in the day I'm pretty sure I would have been banned from watching Sailor Moon like other shows for one reason or another if my mom had caught on to Michelle and Amara. Thank goodness she wasn't paying much attention. I immediately knew it somehow even though I was trying to continually stave off any recognition about my own sexuality back then. No stories like other people about Sailor Moon, or Haruka and Michiru being some big influence on my life though.

So yeah really great the show can come back and in full this time around.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
jr240483



Joined: 24 Dec 2005
Posts: 4378
Location: New York City,New York,USA
PostPosted: Fri Jul 17, 2015 7:48 pm Reply with quote
octopodpie wrote:
I think it's really only ambiguous if someone (say, maybe children in the 90s) aren't familiar with homosexuality at all. I could see it going over young children's heads. I'd be surprised if an adult could watch the show and not get it.

There's also dialogue in Stars that directly refers to Haruka and Michiru in "the bedroom", and Haruka teases Usagi much more blatantly in the last season. This site has a good summary of the in-series dialogue. http://chibiland.windy-goddess.net/haruka_michiru.html


and its cause of this that they make zoicite as a female for the DIC version. cause of the whole anti homosexuality nonsense. also to correct the interviewer , while haruka and michiru are the most well known homosexual couples, their wasnt the first. that was zoicite and malikite from season 1.

Quote:
Landa: All right, well now that you said that now I can say it. If they rebooted Fushigi Yuugi I would love to be a part of that.


that would be interesting if it had actually happened. though the odds of that series let alone fruits basket getting a reboot series where its more faithful towards the manga is slim to none at best. and even if there was i highly doubt landa would get the role as miaka. i could probably see melia lee getting that role.

and as for fruit basket, its highly unlikely miss mendez would get any of the main roles cause i'm pretty sure if funi licensed it they would definitely use the old cast. especially when it comes to honda.

there is no way i cant see a new dub version of fruits basket without miss bailey as honda.the dub elites especially fans of that dub would have a field day. if funi doesnt get the license then i can see mendez being chosen to voice honda. but yea,there is no way i can see fushigi yugi and fruits basket getting a reboot.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Yahoo Messenger MSN Messenger
PurpleWarrior13



Joined: 05 Sep 2009
Posts: 2025
PostPosted: Fri Jul 17, 2015 8:05 pm Reply with quote
I guess the word I was looking for is "subtle." The series is very subtle about Haruka and Michiru's relationship. They never hit us over the head with it, and they never outright say they're lesbians or have them kiss or anything. However, they do flirt and hold hands, so it's still there, but I don't think many 90s parents would've had a problem with it.

Last edited by PurpleWarrior13 on Fri Jul 17, 2015 8:06 pm; edited 1 time in total
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
tygerchickchibi



Joined: 29 Sep 2006
Posts: 1448
PostPosted: Fri Jul 17, 2015 8:06 pm Reply with quote
I know people who didn't know about the lesbian thing.

I guess they thought family seems more appropriate than best friends.

But I dunno, I didn't think it was that blantant. I thought the cousin things work and the only way it doesn't is if you've already had these kind of things in your head.

Basically, I found it ambiguous. I only knew about the relationship prior to watching S when Netscape internet ruled and a lot of people used geocities to make websites. lol.

I personally wasn't mad, I guess. But I'm happy that it doesn't need to be shrouded in mystery anymore.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Mr. Oshawott



Joined: 12 Mar 2012
Posts: 6773
PostPosted: Fri Jul 17, 2015 8:16 pm Reply with quote
jr0904 wrote:
...while haruka and michiru are the most well known homosexual couples, their wasnt the first. that was zoicite and malikite from season 1.

Kunzite, actually.
...and who is "Malikite," anyhow? Confused
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
Redbeard 101
Oscar the Grouch
Forums Superstar


Joined: 14 Aug 2006
Posts: 16935
PostPosted: Fri Jul 17, 2015 8:37 pm Reply with quote
PurpleWarrior13 wrote:
I guess the word I was looking for is "subtle." The series is very subtle about Haruka and Michiru's relationship. They never hit us over the head with it, and they never outright say they're lesbians or have them kiss or anything. However, they do flirt and hold hands, so it's still there, but I don't think many 90s parents would've had a problem with it.

Really? You don't think many 90's parents would have had a problem with it? Look t all the hate and ignorance that came out just with the supreme courts recent decision. And this is 20 years later when people ARE more tolerant. Back in the 90's I would be all the tea in China that a great many parents would have had a problem with it. Which is very sad and I wish it were not true. Heck, there was a stir with the ending to Legend of Korra. And that was pretty subtle IMO. Again, I certainly wish this was not true and perhaps I am just being pessimistic.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime My Manga
PurpleWarrior13



Joined: 05 Sep 2009
Posts: 2025
PostPosted: Fri Jul 17, 2015 10:09 pm Reply with quote
I think they maybe could've just toned it down some, take away some of the flirting, and cut the hand-holding, and it would've been fine. The existing dub didn't do any of that, and then we were left with "cousins" flirting and holding hands.

But yeah it is stupid that we would have to censor something like this. My parents probably wouldn't have cared, and if I had kids I wouldn't...
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
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  Next
Page 1 of 3

 


Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group