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by Ryan Mathews
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Keep 'em coming!
 Believe it or not, there are a few people who have problems with subtitled anime. Notably, my father. When I watch anime, I get it subtitled, but if my Dad's going to be watching, I've started renting dubbed videos. The reason is because he has a bad case of Dyslexia, and has problems reading. Also, when he was a kid, they didn't bother to teach phonics, but taught a system of reading well known to anyone who'se read To Kill A Mockingbird: flashcards.
He didn't really start having problems until we got to Utena. The subtitles went by too fast for him to catch, forcing someone to have to read them aloud for him. This continued into Slayers, so I had to finally start getting the dubbed ones. My only concern is that Lisa Ortiz screeches worse than an out-of-tune bagpipe!
Graham Cull
Actually, Lisa Ortiz was the only voice I liked in the early Slayers dubs...
Ryan-If you get a chance, could you do a review of the Patalabor the TV Series, I don't know if it is me (and I like dubs), but this dub is not very good. None of the voices fit.
Mark Presley
That's definitely one of the dubs on my list to review. Any review will probably have to it until the boxset comes out, however. Small-time reviewers like me don't get their anime for free.
Hi there! I was just reading your Dub Track Column (again ... I've become quite a regular reader.) Today, my brother brought home a random video rental; Heroic Legend of Arslan. It was dubbed of course. But we said "Eh, what the hell! Can't hurt!"
And it sure didn't.
I feel that this show definitely deserves to be pointed out: not because it's a *spectacular* dub, or even *really really good*, but because of the enthusiasm and sense of direction that the characters brought to the show.
First of all, the dub was done entirely with English accents, adding a sense of authenticity to the medieval fantasy show. This is where they probably have an advantage over their Japanese characters, because they can make their characters sound as European as the setting seems. This is a strength many fantasy dubs aren't taking advantage of. Thank god, the accents were solid; no "Kevin Costner" atrocities here.
Secondly, the seiyuu really make their characters come alive. It's been a long time since a dub cast has been able to make me sympathize with characters the way a Japanese cast can; but the Arslan crew just has that special chemistry, and gave me that warm fuzzy feeling.
The dub has flaws, as you will notice. One of which is the subtle, laidback attitude of all the actors ... that never leaves. The actresses have a seeming inability to scream properly... hmmm. Perhaps they were trying to be graceful in the midst of their terror? Despite this, and the Beowulf-esque dialogue (not their fault! It's an epic! It's *supposed* to sound like that!), I think the dub manages quite nicely. It's the sort of dub a fan might not otherwise take the time to see.
I'm not guaranteeing that you will feel the same way I do about this dub ... they're so subjective. But all the same, "Eh, what the hell! Can't hurt!"
Sincerely, Kate
Thanks for the review, Kate!
Some polite dissension from another reader:
Just read your most recent column and you DID ask if readers agree or disagree, so... From my own point of view, the Trigun and Nadesico dubs are very good, but I've never heard the Japanese track. Still, even without doing this, it's easy to tell good voice acting from bad, and whether or not the dub fits the character.
I'd have to disagree, though, about the Escaflowne dub. Granted, my experience with the English version was limited to FOX's eye-twitchingly wicked edit job, but some of the voices were awful. Allen's struck me as the most abrasive. I think they used that voice actor because Zechs has long hair, just like Allen, but the voice came across as too aggressive, too 'rough,' if you will, compared to the Japanese track. It just grated on me; he sounded angry all the time, not like the simmering-but-composed knight of the Japanese track.
Folken, my favorite character, was actually a fairly good match, IMHO, as was Van. Hitomi, though, I don't know why, but the English VA bothered me. It's almost like she was trying to force her voice to be high-pitched like Maaya Sakamoto's, but failed and came across whiney.
Of course, all this is subjective, but I just thought you'd be vaguely interested to hear a non-flaming disagreement. :)
V. Equinox
Clark Cheng, who worked on the Media Blasters dub of Magic Knight Rayearth, offers this explanation of the choice of the phrase "Rune-God" to refer to the Magic Knights' magical robots, "mashin" in the Japanese:
While I am no longer working directly for Media Blasters, and this is by no means an official response, I still felt that your comment deserved an answer since I was involved with the whole Magic Knight Rayearth project.
We decided upon the term "Rune-God" because, for those who don't know, the term "Mashin" means "Magic God" in Japanese, more or less. The translator and I both felt that the meaning was more important than the pun on the word "machine", and we were somewhat constrained by lip-flap. "Rune-God" was the end result of a lot of brainstorming, and it was the best compromise between meaning, lip-flap, and consistency/continuity. I hope that our decision makes more sense to you in light of these facts.
Clark Cheng
Thanks again to everyone for their letters!
Send all comments and criticism regarding The Dub Track to mathews1@ix.netcom.com.
If you don't want your letter printed, or wish your name and/or email address withheld, just let me know. I reserve the right to
edit your letter for length and/or content.
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