The Hear The New Voices and Rate Them Thread!

[Tbone2356]

I just saw a commercial on Cartoon Network for the premier of Pokemon Battle Frontier on September 9th and along with it I heard Ash's and Max's Voice...

So this thread will alow you to rate the voices of Ash, Max and the others when their new voices are heard.

Ash's new voice seems a little scratchy and a little twoards the female side..

Max's new voice sounds like a whiney version of jeremy from code lyoko..

Overall Ash's new voice needs a little more practice.. But Max's I think has room for alot of improvment...

 

[Taemin]

I'll manage to deal with them.

Sarah's Ash isn't the same as Veronica's...but it also isn't bad.
She's even improved since the Mastermind clip. I can live it it...its not like I dislike it. I liked Veronica's better, but I won't stop watching it because the voices are different.

I like Sarah's Ash more then I thought I would originally.

As for Max, not as good at the original...but it doesn't bother me.

 

[Lucy Lu]

They are good.

Well to me they improved a lot! Epspecially Brock's and Ash's voices. And the rest, they improved too.

They are not like the old ones, and I will miss them dearly. But got to move on. The new ones will get a lot better and then it will be great. ^^

I think they are doing a excellent job.

 

[Forci Stikane]

Ones thus far:

Ash: ...Meh. I can live with it, I guess...I just hope she gets better with practice like Veronica did.

May: Surprisingly close. Just use a higher-pitched voice and they've got it (they actually got it on her last few lines before the theme song in "Sweet Baby James" so I know it isn't really unlikely).

Max: Don't care, really. It's an annoying voice, so it fits. That's it.

Brock: ......No. It doesn't really work at all for me. Sure, it's better than the special, but it still is worse than the original.

(I'll note here that most of the Pokemon DO still have the same voices (except Meowth, of course), so that's a good thing)

Jessie: Close enough.

Meowth: Ditto.

James: BAD. That suave, rich boy tone DOES NOT WORK for him. It's like he's stuck impersonating Juan from Advanced Battle.

So, overall, pretty good, but needs improvement.

 

[rayorojo]

The voices aren't that bad. May actually sounds like her own person now and Brock's has had a lot of improvement since the special. Ash's voice is better too, but there's room for improvement. I think I heard that Ash's voice actor, Sarah, first time doing this kind of thing.

 

[Gary the Magic Fairy]

Ash: Worse, but I can live with it.

May: SO much better than her old voice, it seems less...annoying...

Max: Hate it, but I hated the old one too, so...w/e

Brock: I don't really care...

Jessie: Its ok...close enough to the old one.

James: Ok..close enough.

Meowth: I don't like it, the old one was much better...I'll get used to it though...

 

[The Master of all Pokemon]

well actually the sound of ash need a lot of improvment to be like the old one
in case u wouldn't notice ash need a rough voice for a 16 yr old male

i think max as well needs a little bit improvment

but the other cast such as brock and may and jessie james and meowth i think they're ok

the comments on ash and max

 

[Kayleigh]

I think that most of them could be better, but I'll be able to live with them... And besides, maybe as time passes, these new voice actors will get better once they gain more experience. I hope so!

Ash's voice is the only one that really bothers me, and I guess it's because he's the main character. I think that they could've found someone who sounded a little more like Veronica Taylor--because now he sounds even younger and more high-pitched to me, when he's supposed to be getting older. James also could use some work, but oh well.

I definitely think that Brock has improved a lot since the first time I heard his new voice (Creeeepy...) and I think that Jessie, May, and Max sound pretty close to the originals.

None of the changes will keep me from watching the show; in fact, I've actually been watching it a lot more than before just because the changes interested me. XD I have to say that overall Pokémon USA has handled the episodes well. Better than I expected.

 

[TigerStar1]

I like the new VAs, a tiny bit more than the old ones.

Ash- It's not bad, I kinda liked the Mirage voice more, but I hope/think I can get used to this one.

Brock- I like it way more than the Mirage voice, it sounds more like Brock now.

Max- I like his voice, it sounds familar too me, though I'm not sure way.

Haruka- It's ok, I like it more than the Mirage Haruka's voice. She sounds more like Misty now.

Jessie- Different, but I like it.

James- It seems a little slower, maybe a little deeper than I'm used too, but I think I can get used to it.

Meowth- This will take a little getting used too, I liked the old Meowth's voice more.

 

[Hikarii]

Oh, really? I thought the opposite. ^^a I felt he sounded a lot more boyish, with a deeper voice and all. I liked Veronica's Ash back in the first few episodes where he actually did sound more like a boy. After that, his voice got higher, but I liked it, nonetheless. But I do think Sarah is improving as Ash. I sense a bit more emotion in the newer lines. Only a bit.

Ash's voice is the only one that really bothers me, and I guess it's because he's the main character. I think that they could've found someone who sounded a little more like Veronica Taylor--because now he sounds even younger and more high-pitched to me, when he's supposed to be getting older.

 

[miyo]

Perhaps these new voice actors were good, it's just that we loyal pokemon fans find it hard to judge since we've been so used to the old voices.. we've been listening to them for years, so it'll be difficult to judge if the new VAs are really good or not.

Aww, but of course, I'd love to have the old VAs back~

 

[snorlax_32]

I feel very bad about the new VA its like my whole childhood is gone because they are not the same characters... i had hope that they would be similar but not all... i think ash's voice is the worst.. i was hoping it would be more grown up but he has seemed to be more childish...

 

[Arcanine]

I am starting to get used to them. I do miss the old ones but that can't be changed now.

Ash: It is better then Mirage special. And I think I could get used to this (I was kind of surprised that the VA for Ash is only a year older then me, that'd odd XD).

Brock: Sounds way better then the Mirage one. He didn't act right (still doesn't act right) and just sounded wrong. This is better.

May: Shockingly, I liked her voice from the Mastermind of Mirage thing better. I don't know, I just liked her sexy deep voice. XD

Max: I also liked Max's voice better on the Mirage ep. It sounded more like Max then what he sounds now.

Jessie: Good enough I guess.

James: He sounds more better then the the Mirage ep.

Meowth: He tries too much to be the old Meowth. I can live with it.

 

[Aegis]

Well, I'll rate each individually

Ash: I can live with it. Not as good as Veronica, but not bad either

May: Not as good as old May, but okay

Max: I don't really pay attention to Max, but its pretty good

Brock: Its not that bad. It could be a lot worse, but its alright

Jessie: Sounds almost the exact same as the original

James: Sounds exactly like old James

Meowth: Eh...alright

Over all, IK can manage to live with them. But there not NEARLY as good as the old on es, in my opinion.

 

[pigeon-wing]

I've only seen one episode with the new voices, and that was quite some time ago, so I guess I can't rate them individually ^ ^; I do think that May is the best out of the new cast, though. And while they have improved considerably since the Mirage special, I won't be watching the new episodes. Bad voices always ruin a show for me :/

 

[miyo]

I've only seen one episode with the new voices, and that was quite some time ago, so I guess I can't rate them individually ^ ^; I do think that May is the best out of the new cast, though. And while they have improved considerably since the Mirage special, I won't be watching the new episodes. Bad voices always ruin a show for me :/

well, there's always the japanese version of the series to watch =D

 

[Kayleigh]

Oh, really? I thought the opposite. ^^a I felt he sounded a lot more boyish, with a deeper voice and all. I liked Veronica's Ash back in the first few episodes where he actually did sound more like a boy. After that, his voice got higher, but I liked it, nonetheless. But I do think Sarah is improving as Ash. I sense a bit more emotion in the newer lines. Only a bit.

Really? I guess that it must be because I'm still not quite used to it yet... and knowing that his new voice actor is younger doesn't help, either. XD But I agree, I can see some slight improvements from her in the same way. I hope that she'll only get better for all of the fans' sakes.

And Andy, you pedophile. XD Talking about a 10 year-old that way! *rofl*

 

[Dingbat]

Having only recently returned to Pokémon, I think it's a double-edged sword for me. On one side, I'm kind of unhappy that things aren't the same as when I left (some time during Johto) but on the other side, it's probably easier for me to accept it since it seemingly makes the series seem to have progressed.

Ash: I wouldn't say I 'like' it, but I think it's logical. He sounds deeper - like his voice broke or something.

Brock: Sounds way better than the voice from Mirage. Supposedly it's the same guy, so uber-kudos to him for improving so much. He sounds pretty much as close to the old Brock as anyone that's not Eric Stuart could get.

May: I barely know May, but the voice was close enough for me to accept it and I think it works.

Max: I really, really, really don't like Max - as a character and as a voice actor - so this one really doesn't affect me, but it sounds close, I guess.

Jessie: Decent effort. Slightly more well-spoken, but it works.

James: It only took 'Sweet Baby James' to make me fall for New James, and he doesn't sound too different from our old beloved James. I would, however, have found it interesting if they'd used the original non-ES James to do the new voice. He sounded a lot more sinister and evil.

Meowth: Very close to the old Meowth, even if there is something that just about doesn't sound right.

Misty (Mastermind of Mirage): I thought they got Misty spot-on in that special and, since she won't return, I guess that's fine by me.

 

[pigeon-wing]

well, there's always the japanese version of the series to watch =D

True, but I won't be able to afford it until I get a real job x) And eBay never seems to have the Japanese version :<

Also, does anyone know exactly why the old cast was replaced? o.o

 

[Dingbat]

True, but I won't be able to afford it until I get a real job x) And eBay never seems to have the Japanese version :<

Also, does anyone know exactly why the old cast was replaced? o.o

It's a long story, and depending on who you talk to it goes differently, but essentially:
Pokémon USA own the rights to the Pokémon anime, but for the first eight seasons they employed a company called 4Kids Entertainment to do the dubbing from Japanese to English. This is not uncommon - 4Kids do quite a few English-dubbed anime. The voice actors (VAs) who 4Kids used to do the Pokémon series are mostly exclusively contracted to them, so they can't work as dub voices for any other companies.

Pokémon USA's contract with 4Kids ran out at the end of Pokémon: Advanced Battle. However, instead of renewing the contract, P-USA declared themselves dissatisfied with 4Kids and decided they would now dub the episodes themselves, using a sound-alike cast that cost them far less money. Whether this is the reason they decided to do it or not is up for debate and nobody will likely find out for a looong time, but the upshot of it is that P-USA found new VAs. However, they needed to test them against the public audience, so they requested the feature special Pokémon: Mastermind of Mirage Pokémon, under the premise that it was to celebrate the tenth anniversary of Pokémon's introduction in the USA.

Before and especially after the Mirage special aired, P-USA received various complaints about the VA change. With a few exceptions, all the 4Kids dubbers were now unable to work on the new series, but many viewers were also dissatisfied with the voices in the Mirage special. P-USA took this on board and improved the voices, ready for Pokémon: Battle Frontier.

Therefore, since 4Kids and their exclusive VAs now no longer work on Pokémon due to their contract with Pokémon USA being up, the episodes are now dubbed by a new cast which is employed by Pokémon USA for far less money.

Hope that answers your question! Heh.