Anime/Manga uguu?

[pkmin3033]

I don't remember them doing a bad job with either of those shows (Light's VA did a bang-up job, among others, and GurLag was good as well- heck, I think English Nia was better than Japanese Nia), and I don't see anything wrong with Yuri, he's one of the best male VAs in the dub biz (I don't think he'd fit Raku, nor do I see why they'd cast him, but I'd say he nailed it as Simon).

Light's voice was horrendous! Perhaps because his lines are equally diabolical, but he hardly projected the same aura of suspense or authority that he did in the original Japanese version...especially towards the end. L was pretty well cast, but considering Light was the central protagonist I thought his voice performance was pretty weak...plus I just kept hearing Amuro Ray whenever he spoke and it really diminished his character, aha.

I seem to be alone in not being able to tolerate his voice. Although it might be more due to the fact that the characters he's voiced in the past in anime and video games have been the ones that I've hated, rather than this actual voice...the two are so tied together it's hard to tell, aha. Having him voice Simon for Gurren Lagann's dub ruined the entire thing for me, though.

...it's so weird for me to be on the opposite side of the dub vs. sub argument, but certain individuals who are considered fantastic - Vic is another one - I just cannot stand...

 

[machomuu]

Light's voice was horrendous! Perhaps because his lines are equally diabolical, but he hardly projected the same aura of suspense or authority that he did in the original Japanese version...especially towards the end. L was pretty well cast, but considering Light was the central protagonist I thought his voice performance was pretty weak...plus I just kept hearing Amuro Ray whenever he spoke and it really diminished his character, aha.

Hm...well, my experience came from a manga -> English anime experience. I read the manga first and then watched the anime, and I've heard some of Light's Japanese dialog, but I'd say that this (uber spoilers) is pretty much what sold me on him in terms of performance and effort (in general, he was good at portraying emotion). And I think that the English voice had something of an innocent juvenile factor, which worked for him fantastically during the portion of the show right before the halfway point (and when he needed to be a conniving mastermind, I felt he nailed the tone rather well). Different strokes, of course, but it really is that type of portrayal diversity that I love about subs and dubs. They played different Lights. but I felt that they both worked, and in my case I have absolutely no problem with his English VA.

I seem to be alone in not being able to tolerate his voice. Although it might be more due to the fact that the characters he's voiced in the past in anime and video games have been the ones that I've hated, rather than this actual voice...the two are so tied together it's hard to tell, aha.

...it's so weird for me to be on the opposite side of the dub vs. sub argument, but certain individuals who are considered fantastic - Vic is another one - I just cannot stand...

Well, in my case, hating things is the extreme of the extreme, and it takes a lot for me to get to that point. Yukiteru Amano, kittytoe, asoona- those characters I hate, but it required quite a bit of effort on their parts to get there and I congratulate them for it. But Shinra, Haru, Haseo, Simon, Yosuke- heck, even Persona 3's Yosuke is starting to grow on me- it'd be much more difficult for me to name you characters Lowenthal's taken on that I don't like than that I do, and this may be in part with the fact that VA performance does play a part in how I look at a character. Not a huge part, but it is them, and it is how their personality, intentions, etc come across. Case and point, Yuma Tsukumo from Yugioh Zexal. Most people probably saw the dub of that show, where 4Kids censorship is alive and well and where Yuma, the main character, has a loud, nasally voice. In Japanese, he sounds more manly and...it took effort to get where the dub got them. Can't stand the former's character, but the latter is my favorite protag in the series.

That said, on that note...Bryce Papenbrook and Wendee Lee. They're huge, Papenbrook is becoming the standard for protagonists (in the past 5 years: Kirito, Eren Jaeger, Makoto Naegi, Staz Charlie Blood, Rin Okumura, etc.), and Wendee Lee is Wendee Lee. In the case of Bryce, he has a dudebro accent that teems through Every. Single. Role. Every one. It's scary. I don't know why he keeps getting cast as mains. Wendee Lee generally does these really high pitched voices that's generally annoying (see Haruhi of Yuutsu fame or, in gaming, Athena Cykes is a great example), but when she does deeper voiced characters (notably Rozalin from Disgaea 2), she does a fantastic job. Don't know if people actually like these two, but they're probably the most notable famous ones that I don't like, for the most part (that said, Wendee Lee is a good voice actor, she just chooses to use a not-so-pleasing voice, and Bryce Papenbrook does a fantastic job a Nagito Komaeda of Danganronpa 2)

*Sigh* I miss Laura Bailey...

 

[pkmin3033]

Hm...well, my experience came from a manga -> English anime experience. I read the manga first and then watched the anime, and I've heard some of Light's Japanese dialog, but I'd say that this (uber spoilers) is pretty much what sold me on him in terms of performance and effort (in general, he was good at portraying emotion). And I think that the English voice had something of an innocent juvenile factor, which worked for him fantastically during the portion of the show right before the halfway point (and when he needed to be a conniving mastermind, I felt he nailed the tone rather well). Different strokes, of course, but it really is that type of portrayal diversity that I love about subs and dubs. They played different Lights. but I felt that they both worked, and in my case I have absolutely no problem with his English VA.

You saying they played different Lights, I think that's probably why I dislike the dub portrayal of him. I will give the dub props for conveying a much more emotional battle than the Japanese one did - I got a much better sense of Light and L as characters. The problem was it robbed Light of his charisma because his voice actor just couldn't convey the right amount of confidence to go along with the rest of it. Broader emotional spectrum, but much weaker by comparison. In the Japanese version, he was a believable criminal mastermind; he was calm and collected, brilliant in his machinations, and very easy to root for. He made you believe he could do what he set out to do. In the dub I got a sense that he was a very childish, immature and bored brat, and I couldn't really identify with him. His schemes didn't fit his character, and more often than not he came across as ridiculous. His relationship with L was better, but that was the only thing about it I could say I liked. I guess I preferred the versions of the characters that weren't quite so...human. Considering Light was attempting to become a god, and L's disturbingly soulless persona, it seemed to fit them better in my opinion. Different strokes, but it's interesting to compare viewpoints~

Well, in my case, hating things is the extreme of the extreme, and it takes a lot for me to get to that point. Yukiteru Amano, kittytoe, asoona- those characters I hate, but it required quite a bit of effort on their parts to get there and I congratulate them for it. But Shinra, Haru, Haseo, Simon, Yosuke- heck, even Persona 3's Yosuke is starting to grow on me- it'd be much more difficult for me to name you characters Lowenthal's taken on that I don't like than that I do, and this may be in part with the fact that VA performance does play a part in how I look at a character. Not a huge part, but it is them, and it is how their personality, intentions, etc come across. Case and point, Yuma Tsukumo from Yugioh Zexal. Most people probably saw the dub of that show, where 4Kids censorship is alive and well and where Yuma, the main character, has a loud, nasally voice. In Japanese, he sounds more manly and...it took effort to get where the dub got them. Can't stand the former's character, but the latter is my favorite protag in the series.

Well, Yuri Lowenthal IS that extreme for me - too many bad performances. Suzaku in Code Geass, Yosuke in Persona 4, Barnaby in Tiger and Bunny (that one stung), Luke Fon Fabre in Tales of the Abyss, Dito in Drakengard 3, the list goes on and on....hell, the only role I have ever actually not minded him in was as Ben in Ben 10: Alien Force!

That said, on that note...Bryce Papenbrook and Wendee Lee. They're huge, Papenbrook is becoming the standard for protagonists (in the past 5 years: Kirito, Eren Jaeger, Makoto Naegi, Staz Charlie Blood, Rin Okumura, etc.), and Wendee Lee is Wendee Lee. In the case of Bryce, he has a dudebro accent that teems through Every. Single. Role. Every one. It's scary. I don't know why he keeps getting cast as mains. Wendee Lee generally does these really high pitched voices that's generally annoying (see Haruhi of Yuutsu fame or, in gaming, Athena Cykes is a great example), but when she does deeper voiced characters (notably Rozalin from Disgaea 2), she does a fantastic job. Don't know if people actually like these two, but they're probably the most notable famous ones that I don't like, for the most part (that said, Wendee Lee is a good voice actor, she just chooses to use a not-so-pleasing voice, and Bryce Papenbrook does a fantastic job a Nagito Komaeda of Danganronpa 2)

*Sigh* I miss Laura Bailey...

I've honestly never paid much attention to either of those two...I think I've just been lucky in that neither of them has been in much I've seen or played. I think Bryce did a passable job as Kirito - there was too much else that was wrong with SAO for me to pay attention to voices, really - but he wrecked Asbel in Tales of Graces, and he stuck out like a sore thumb in Bravely Default, considering the quality of the rest of the voice cast. Anime-wise I've heard very little of him though. Wendee Lee...eh, she's Blanc's voice for me, and that's about it; I've never paid much attention to her either! It's interesting, as she's been in quite a bit, but most of it isn't stuff I'd watch or play...different tastes, I guess.

I love it when voice actors go outside their comfort zone, though - one of Crispin Freeman's most memorable roles, for me, was Hideki in Chobits, because it's so completely different from anything else I've heard him in. Maybe in voice actors weren't always assigned to the same sort of characters I wouldn't develop such a distaste for some of them!

 

[Chikara]

It's all a matter of opinion, especially when it comes to the more popular and well known voice actors. I completely disagree with you about Yuri Lowenthal; I would be more hard on the performances by the original Chie and Yukiko in Persona 4, those were absolutely terrible- but I'm also going by what you said, I can't stand their voices. Not going to say they're untalented :P

 

[machomuu]

\ I would be more hard on the performances by the original Chie

Oh? What did you have against original Chie? I, even after all this time, still prefer her performance as it was a lot more subdued and realistic, in contrast to Erin Fitzgerald's more hyperactive, anime-tropical one (which works for her character as well). I felt it gave her a very three-dimensional feel and it wasn't really until Arena came out that I truly came to appreciate it for what it was (though, even when I did play P4 way back when I was a fan), they took a more unique route with it, not taking a high-pitched actor to create a more relatable character, rather than choosing one and having painting her character more with dialog than performance. Though, if there was one thing I did think was better (rather than simply different and preferable in my case), it was that she portrayed emotion really well. Casual emotion, especially (which is seen a lot early on), but more extreme emotions were handled pretty well, too.

On that note, I'd like to know why you think otherwise, and certainly to the extent that she was "horrendous".

 

[Chikara]

Oh? What did you have against original Chie? I, even after all this time, still prefer her performance as it was a lot more subdued and realistic, in contrast to Erin Fitzgerald's more hyperactive, anime-tropical one (which works for her character as well). I felt it gave her a very three-dimensional feel and it wasn't really until Arena came out that I truly came to appreciate it for what it was (though, even when I did play P4 way back when I was a fan), they took a more unique route with it, not taking a high-pitched actor to create a more relatable character, rather than choosing one and having painting her character more with dialog than performance. Though, if there was one thing I did think was better (rather than simply different and preferable in my case), it was that she portrayed emotion really well. Casual emotion, especially (which is seen a lot early on), but more extreme emotions were handled pretty well, too.

On that note, I'd like to know why you think otherwise, and certainly to the extent that she was "horrendous".

I didn't say horrendous haha. I'm just going by the logic that was used above, I disliked the way she put certain inflictions on certain syllables. I didn't like how she said things. I thought she sounded too old. As I said before, it's all a matter of opinion, there's no such thing as a factual opinion when it comes to voice actors :P

 

[machomuu]

I didn't say horrendous haha. I'm just going by the logic that was used above, I disliked the way she put certain inflictions on certain syllables. I didn't like how she said things. I thought she sounded too old. As I said before, it's all a matter of opinion, here :P

Oh, you didn't. Huh. Where did I see that, the- oooooh. Whoops. Not even sure how I had memories of several hours ago from Meloetta's post just resurface and end up there. Sorry about that :P.

Well, I don't know about Chie (I'd have to give it some thought), but Yukiko definitely sounded too old. And as if she was holding her nose while she spoke. That said, at least in my case, there were no real cringers in P4, and even if there had been, it had a lot of good VAs (in the main cast, too) like Yuri, mah luv Laura Bailey, Johnny Yong Bosch, and Troy Baker, so it definitely made up for it.

 

[Candy]

I can't really comment on VAs and dubs since I don't watch them? :D

I mean it makes sense that I don't watch dubs since I don't buy Blu-Rays or DVDs or catch them on TV lol. What I can say is that Indonesian dubs are terrible instead lol. Oh god, those 0 emotion, monotonous dubs with really terrible lip syncing.

 

[Nathan]

/me enters timidly

Um hi there. Looking to get back into anime since I have a way better internet and no life. So I'm just making my presence known and if anyone has recommendations, feel free to send them my way. Well then I'll retreat and watch from afar now, sorry for disrupting ^^'

/me sinks back to the shadows

 

[machomuu]

if anyone has recommendations

Well, that depends. Outside of anime (or, since you have watched anime before, anime included), what genres do you like and what are you looking for in an anime?

 

[Nathan]

Well, that depends. Outside of anime (or, since you have watched anime before, anime included), what genres do you like and what are you looking for in an anime?

Hm I like futuristic-themed and action-geared anime the most. Those I've watched and liked the most were Naruto, DBZ, AoT, Akame ga Kill, Aoi no Exorcist and Infinite Stratos. I also like anything fantasy and bonus points for whatever can make me laugh(Love Hina).

 

[ShyRayq]

Hm I like futuristic-themed and action-geared anime the most. Those I've watched and liked the most were Naruto, DBZ, AoT, Akame ga Kill, Aoi no Exorcist and Infinite Stratos. I also like anything fantasy and bonus points for whatever can make me laugh(Love Hina).

Although a lot more serious, I guess Fate/Stay Night would be good. Its action-packed and its got fantasy elements. The new Unlimited Budget Blade Works anime looks and is amazing so you can check that out. You could also check out Mahouka as well I guess. Maybe SAO if your willing. JoJo is also good for some manly action. Gintama is king of comedy along with classics like Nichijou and Nichibros, so I guess you can check those out too.

 

[Kenchiin]

ok so this turned into a serious discussion actually
where are the lolis now

 

[Drekavac]

Hm I like futuristic-themed and action-geared anime the most. Those I've watched and liked the most were Naruto, DBZ, AoT, Akame ga Kill, Aoi no Exorcist and Infinite Stratos. I also like anything fantasy and bonus points for whatever can make me laugh(Love Hina).

Futuristic and action geared = Psycho Pass
Action in general and those that fit the kind of shows you've liked: FMAB, Magi, Hunter X Hunter.
You can look at shows like High School DxD if you're into Infinite Stratos. Frankly, the ecchi is much more prevalent, better and the story is much more watchable.

ok so this turned into a serious discussion actually
where are the lolis now

a wild oppai loli attacked

 

[Satoshi Ookami]

I can't really comment on VAs and dubs since I don't watch them? :D

I was actually wondering who will break the discussion and if the discussion actually covers the whole page.
(Not that I read it, that is =D)

 

[pkmin3033]

Psycho-Pass (the first season only) and maybe Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex are both good choices, although the latter can slow down at points. Still, futuristic cop shows are awesome! Mobile Suit Gundam 00 would also be an excellent choice; it's set in a fairly interesting future version of Earth and has plenty of action to it...after all, put people in mecha and violence is inevitable. The earlier series (89, Stardust Memory and Zeta) have a better plot in my opinion, but 00 would nonetheless fit your criterion and would probably be an easier show to start with; it picks up significantly faster and doesn't let up.

If you want pure action, you can't go wrong with Sengoku Basara (the first two series moreso than the third) or Star Driver. TTGL and Kill la Kill also have superb fight scenes. If you're not averse to extreme violence and terrible racial stereotypes, Hellsing Ultimate is good as well. I'd recommend both seasons of Gundam Build Fighters for the fight scenes, but part of the enjoyment of that series comes from the shameless cameos and references to past series, so if you're not passingly familiar with the franchise you'll miss quite a bit...although it might be a great way to get into the franchise <3

 

[Palamon]

Johhny Yong Bosch > all other dub voices.

@Arx,

Psycho Pass is a good futuristic anime, and if you want alternate history anime, try Muv Luv Alternative Total Eclipse, and if you want a funny parody, Needless was nice.

Avoid Pupa.

 

[Netto Azure]

Total Eclipse is so...lightweight compared to the main story in Muv Luv Alternative. Still gives me shivers to this day.

 

[machomuu]

Johhny Yong Bosch > all other dub voices

He's pretty great and reliable, you can't go wrong with him.

Though I dunno about him being above all others, I think I'd put Liam o' Brien and Troy Baker are pretty top tier. In terms of male voice actors I'd say they're among the best, if not the best. And as for female, Laura Bailey'd be my top pick, though I'd have to do some digging for others.

If you want pure action, you can't go wrong with Sengoku Basara (the first two series moreso than the third)

Is Judge End not considered good? This is a completely earnest question, as I've only played Sengoku Basara 3: Samurai Heroes (the game the season is based off of), but I've only seen the beginning of the season.

Or are you saying that it just has less action?

 

[pkmin3033]

Crispin Freeman > everyone else. Although Liam O'Brien is pretty awesome too, and so are Christopher R. Sabat and Patrick Seitz. I still think of JYB as the second Black Ranger more than I do as a VA. xD

Is Judge End not considered good? This is a completely earnest question, as I've only played Sengoku Basara 3: Samurai Heroes (the game the season is based off of), but I've only seen the beginning of the season.

Or are you saying that it just has less action?

That it has less action. It's a pretty good anime, although it feels more like a straight-out adaptation of the events in the game than The Last Party, and it plods a bit at times in my opinion. Not only that, but it takes standard route for the game for the ending, whereas The Last Party took the secret route for the game's ending that results in

Spoiler:

Nobunaga's revival and all hell breaking loose, rather than a showdown between Mitsunari and Ieyasu

which, in my opinion, made for much better viewing. Between the two adaptations of the third game, I prefer the movie, and in terms of action/fight scenes between the two, there is absolutely no contest.

However, Judge End DOES give some focus to characters that were completely ignored in The Last Party, which makes it worth the watch if you're a fan who was a bit disappointed by the movie's lack of them, as I was in some small part. It has a much more thought-out plot...which I guess is what you would expect, since it's a full series. I don't think it's a bad show - far from it - but of all the anime adaptations of the franchise it's my least favourite, and not one I'd recommend to start with.