I was going to do something else for this episode, but I wanted to get this one in so my 150th video is something that suits the number. Besides which, it’s nice to once in a while take time to appreciate the voice talent actually playing the anime characters we watch develop. I do have something special planned for next episode, but this one is special in its own way. I should really do more of these later on.
(Also, I got my Twitter account back, hooray!)
You watch this, you ignorant little shitfucks. I’m not going to say this shit again (today). I’ll show you how to watch this 20 something year old overly long action cartoon for eight year olds the right fucking way (my way). Now, I’ve had these videos up on my YT account for a while, but I wanted to put them here anyway, in case you don’t magically know my account name, because you can’t read my mind (how much more worthless can you be?). Now, to some of you, this is preaching to the choir. If you’re here and you don’t already agree with me on everything (all four of you), you should pay attention. If you do agree with me, sit back down. You’re not getting that third slice of Sarah Lee’s banana cream pie just yet, and keep that Pabst Blue Ribbon away from your laptop, it’ll spill and you won’t be able to angrily fap to incest hentai if it ruins your computer, you festering piles of mule snot.
Dream Casting: Recasting The Bubblegum Crisis English Dub
Another anime in bad need of a new English dub is the original Bubblegum Crisis, an eight-part ultra violent cyberpunk OVA from the 80s. Licensed by AnimEigo, a dub was produced for this title way back in 1994 by Southwynde Studio, who dubbed very few programs. In fact, other than Crisis and Crash, they only dubbed Riding Bean and Battle Royal High School. From what I can gather, none of these dubs were any good. I’ve had personal experience with the Crisis dub, however, and it truly is a relic in need of updating. It’s not as though the script was that poor. The writing was fairly decent for the dub. The problem lied in the uninspired casting and wooden acting. It caused everything in the dub to come across as very dry and unnatural. The title itself is unlikely to recieve any such dub updates, given its age and relative obscurity in today’s anime fandom. Ideally, though, some other company, not AnimEigo, would take this title and release it with a brand new dub. This is a dream of mine. But it’s not going to happen. And so, I shall recast the show myself! I will use Canada’s Ocean Studios as a template for this new dub. Ocean has produced a number of decent dubs, and even two amazing ones (Death Note and Black Lagoon), and after careful consideration I’ve decided to recast the dub with their talent pool. Enjoy! Marÿke Hendrikse (Revy in Black Lagoon) as Priss Asagiri (formerly Sinda Nichols) Reasoning: Hedrikse gives a brash, hostile, cynical attitude to Revy in the amazing Black Lagoon dub, which can be focused into the similar Priss. She may have to soften a little, though, since Priss isn’t quite as destroyed inside as Revy. I’m sure she can add a bit more texture to the role than Nichols did. Better directing would help. Lisa Ann Beley (Relena Peacecraft in Gundam Wing, Murrue Ramius in Gundam Seed)) as Sylia Stingray (formerly Jemila Ericson) Reasoning: Beley has this very collected sound to her, but a little breathy, too. It makes sense the older and wiser Sylia to sound like her, with a bit of that nuturing quality to her, but a sense of sexuality, too. Tabitha St. Germain (Naomi Misora in Death Note, Soma Peries in Gundam 00) as Linna Yamazaki (formerly Elizabeth Becka) Reasoning: St. Germain has a very leveled voice, but with almost a hint of breathiness to it. It’s just right for the mostly conventional Linna. Shannon Chan-Kent (Misa Amane in Death Note) as Nene Romanova (formerly Susan Grillo) Reasoning: Judging by her performances in Death Note and Gundam 00, Chan-Kent is clearly capable of sounding bubbly and flakey, as Nene can be at times. But I think she could also sound determined, as well. Actually, the English voice actress for AnimEigo would have been fine if she learned to act a little better. Shannon-Kent sounds similar, but she’s clearly got more acting chops. Brad Swaile (Light Yagami in Death Note) as Mackie Stingray (formerly Frank Trimble) Reasoning: Swaile can do a teen boy’s voice rather well (just listen to his Light or Gohan). I just need a clean-sounding young man’s voice for this role and why not the fantastic Swaile? Alex Zahara (Lockon Stratos in Gundam 00) as Leon McNichol (formerly Brad Moranz) Reasoning: I needed a steady voice that could be likewise charming and playful. I felt like Zahara did a good job as Lockon and I’d like to hear him as Leon. Trevor Devall (Mu La Flaga in Gundam Seed) as Brian J. Mason (formerly Eric Paisley) The rest: David Kaye as Largo (formerly Pierre Brulator) Michael Adamthwaite (Ribbons Almark in Gundam 00) as Daley Wong (formerly Marshall Caroll) Michael Dobson (Dryden in Vision of Escaflowne) as Quincy (formerly David Arnold) Cathy Weseluck (Mirai Yashima in Mobile Suit Gundam, Dorothy Catalonia in Gundam Wing) as Sylvie (formerly Martha Ellen Senseney, Lum in Urusei Yatsura) Chantal Strand (Lacus Clyne in Gundam Seed) as Anri (formerly Katherine Kopec Burton) Ellen Kennedy (Lebia in Silent Mobius, Suzunagi in Ronin Warriors: Message) as Vision (formerly Mindi L. Lyons, Ten in Urusei Yatsura) I felt like David Kaye, known for playing aristrocratic antagonists (Trieze, Sesshomaru) would fit the arrogant super boomer. Michael Dobson’s a natural choice for the gravelly president of Genom. Cathy Weseluck can do gentle with a bit of edge, so I think she can handle Sylvie and Chantal Strand is known for a very soft, warm voice, and Anri is such an innocent. Michael Adamthwaite and Ellen Kennedy were more of me just wanting kinds of voices to fit character types, so it might not work if they’re not delivering well, but I’d like to give it a chance, anyway. Southwynde Studio’s Bubblegum Crisis is pretty awful. The script is decent but the voice cast sounds like they’d never worked in voice acting in their lives and probably wouldn’t work again. It’s like some kind of audition reel. It’s not just bad, it’s waterboardinig bad. It’s weird when an otherwise well-scripted dub is stuck with a bad voice cast. Especially one that went through the trouble of dubbing all the songs, and some of them decently. I really like Bubblegum Crisis. I like the Japanese cast quite a bit. It features Toshio Furukawa, Yoshiko Sakakibara, Shuichi Ikeda, and Michie Tomizawa, none of them names to sneeze at. An OVA as good as this deserves an English version that’s at least presentable, doesn’t it? Hell, they can use the same dub script if they wanted to. Say yes to a hurricane tonight, mad machine, cause you can say ‘bye bye my crisis’ and it’s still never the end when you chase the dream. ALTERNATE CASTS Funimation: Meredith McCoy as Priss Asagiri Colleen Clickenbeard as Sylia Stingray Laura Bailey as Linna Yamazaki Monica Rial as Nene Romanova Joel McDonald as Mackey Stingray J. Michael Tatum as Leon McNichol Jason Liebrecht as Brian J. Mason Justin Cook as Largo Sonny Strait as Daley Wong R. Bruce Elliott as Quincy Leah Clarke as Sylvie Colleen Clinkenbeard as Anri Kelly Manison as Vision Animaze or Bang Zoom: Karen Strassman as Priss Asagiri Mary Elizabeth McGlynn as Sylia Stingray Michelle Ruff as Linna Yamazaki Julie Ann Taylor as Nene Romanova Brianne Siddall as Mackey Stingray Crispin Freeman as Leon McNichol Steven Blum as Brian J. Mason Crispin Freeman as Largo Robert Buchholz as Daley Wong Michael Forest as Quincy Jessica Straus as Sylvie Stephanie Sheh as Anri Karen Strassman as Vision#7 Kei Tomiyama
One of the classic anime voices of the 70s and 80s, Kei Tomiyama’s tragically short life was nevertheless fruitful in his industry. Already well-known by the seventies for his role as the wrestler eponymous Tiger Mask, an character who has endured as an anime icon for decades, he went on to play a few other very notable roles. His tender, sincere voice at times belied his often firey delivery.
He played three classic science fiction characters. One of them is the hotheaded, but honest Susumu Kodai from Space Battleship Yamato. He brought a sense of romantic conviction to the character, and as the character grew from an angry young man looking to avenge his brother to a man willing to sacrifice himself for his convictions, his voice reflected it. In a different work associated with Leiji Matsumoto, he played Captain Harlock’s trusted friend and designer of the ship Arcadia, Tochirou Oyama in Galaxy Expres 999. These roles alone would have been enough to qualify him for this higlight. But he played one more unforgettable character in anime.
NOTE: My samefag sense is tingling. I’m closing the comments. It’s pretty sad that somebody has to post as different people to pretend to be a majority. Especially when they don’t change their rhetoric or writing style. I was born at night, but not last night.
Dragon Ball Z. I’d like to think that most of us anime fans have seen at least some of it. It certainly is fantastically popular, all over the world. Even in my budding anime fandom, DBZ may not have been my favorite per se, but it was probably the mark by which all other animated programs at the time were measured. "Is this better or worse than DBZ?" I would ask myself. And even today I consider its influence on my fandom and life in general as being somewhat significant, for better or worse.
