(no subject)
I don't feel like making academic advising appointments, doing my prelab, or researching my local candidates tonight, so clearly this is the perfect time to give my belated thoughts on the Ouran dub.
...Well, it officially comes out tomorrow, but I got it on the 19th which makes this belated.
ANYWAY, by character:
Haruhi: Really impressive. She was the one I was most iffy about, because the only roles I've heard from Caitlin Glass are high-pitched and girly things.My fears are assuaged; she does a perfectly good job of making Haruhi sound boyish.
Tamaki: Absolutely and completely amazing. Really, when I heard the cast announcement, I figured the voice would be off, but Vic's attitude would mostly make up for it. Somehow, his voice works perfectly. It brings out other sides of Tamaki more, and after a few episodes I could not even summon the wonderful Japanese VA's sound to mind. I completely buy him as Tamaki.
Kyouya: I may or may not be ever-so-slightly infatuated with this voice. Seriously, I found myself repeating really small lines, because I loved how his voice sounds. It could be percieved as a little too old, but I don't think it's jarring at all. Tatum has the character down in his delivery. I cannot wait until episodes 17 and 24 to hear how he handles Kyouya when he's being pissy.
The Twins: I think they sound marvelous when they speak in unison. Individually, I keep flip-flopping. Sometimes they sound really good, and sometimes they make me cring a bit. I'll give the edge to Todd Haberkorn as Hikaru; it seems like it took a few lines to get the voice, but afterward he was pretty consistent. Greg Ayres as Kaoru occasionally rubs me the wrong way. The majority of the time, they're both good, though, and the few lapses aren't too distracting.
Hani: Very good. Sounds pretty similar to the Japanese; I'd even say a bit more little-boyish and less girly than the original. Very believable and works really well on his calmer lines. Also good at cute little noises and such.
Mori: Let's be honest, it's Travis Willingham. The man could dub the phonebook and I'd listen. Mori doesn't speak much, so even a bad VA wouldn't damage the dub too badly, but this is a splendid VA.
Overall, I am ridiculously pleased with this dub. I have been excited for this since Funimation announced they had it, because this is the first show I've really loved before the dub came out. I was openly setting myself up for disappointment by being so ecstatic over the very idea, but I was not disappointed in the least. Good job, Funimation. Good job. And hurry it up on part 2, okay?
...I hope I didn't mutilate any of the VA's names too badly.
(On an unrelated note, Spring Awakening was also fantastic. Highly recommended. Would see it again in a heartbeat. Want to have stage seats sometime. Totally Fucked is the best part of the show.)
...Well, it officially comes out tomorrow, but I got it on the 19th which makes this belated.
ANYWAY, by character:
Haruhi: Really impressive. She was the one I was most iffy about, because the only roles I've heard from Caitlin Glass are high-pitched and girly things.My fears are assuaged; she does a perfectly good job of making Haruhi sound boyish.
Tamaki: Absolutely and completely amazing. Really, when I heard the cast announcement, I figured the voice would be off, but Vic's attitude would mostly make up for it. Somehow, his voice works perfectly. It brings out other sides of Tamaki more, and after a few episodes I could not even summon the wonderful Japanese VA's sound to mind. I completely buy him as Tamaki.
Kyouya: I may or may not be ever-so-slightly infatuated with this voice. Seriously, I found myself repeating really small lines, because I loved how his voice sounds. It could be percieved as a little too old, but I don't think it's jarring at all. Tatum has the character down in his delivery. I cannot wait until episodes 17 and 24 to hear how he handles Kyouya when he's being pissy.
The Twins: I think they sound marvelous when they speak in unison. Individually, I keep flip-flopping. Sometimes they sound really good, and sometimes they make me cring a bit. I'll give the edge to Todd Haberkorn as Hikaru; it seems like it took a few lines to get the voice, but afterward he was pretty consistent. Greg Ayres as Kaoru occasionally rubs me the wrong way. The majority of the time, they're both good, though, and the few lapses aren't too distracting.
Hani: Very good. Sounds pretty similar to the Japanese; I'd even say a bit more little-boyish and less girly than the original. Very believable and works really well on his calmer lines. Also good at cute little noises and such.
Mori: Let's be honest, it's Travis Willingham. The man could dub the phonebook and I'd listen. Mori doesn't speak much, so even a bad VA wouldn't damage the dub too badly, but this is a splendid VA.
Overall, I am ridiculously pleased with this dub. I have been excited for this since Funimation announced they had it, because this is the first show I've really loved before the dub came out. I was openly setting myself up for disappointment by being so ecstatic over the very idea, but I was not disappointed in the least. Good job, Funimation. Good job. And hurry it up on part 2, okay?
...I hope I didn't mutilate any of the VA's names too badly.
(On an unrelated note, Spring Awakening was also fantastic. Highly recommended. Would see it again in a heartbeat. Want to have stage seats sometime. Totally Fucked is the best part of the show.)