Higurashi Q & A

[Sir Maddy]

Originally Posted by Yirba

However, Siren recently released a collection of all the episodes in the first series, so I was thinking they might do a similar thing for the second series eventually.

Yeah, they might.
We'll just have to wait and see.

[~Pyro~]

Originally Posted by Sir Maddy

Okay, I'm an Aussie, and I have all the Siren Visual box sets oh Higurashi (except Kai part 2 cause that doesn't come out until next month)
And I'll say this, the Australian translation is just the same, it's more accurate but only a few words differ.

How is the dub when it comes to voice acting. Would you say it is better, worse, or equal to the funimation dub?

[Sir Maddy]

Originally Posted by ~Pyro~

How is the dub when it comes to voice acting. Would you say it is better, worse, or equal to the funimation dub?

There still is no dub for Kai.
Even though Siren Visual has the license, they announced they will not be releasing a dub release.
So it's a sub-only.

[Dante of the Inferno]

Originally Posted by Sir Maddy

There still is no dub for Kai.
Even though Siren Visual has the license, they announced they will not be releasing a dub release.
So it's a sub-only.

They only hold it for Australia, correct? So does DEEN license by country or continent, or can one negotiate a global one?

[Yirba]

The original dub was most likely handled by Funimation, so since there's no American release, it wouldn't really be possible to create a dub for Kai unless Siren Visual were willing to create their own. Probably wouldn't be worth it.

I imagine a global license would be possible, although it would cost considerably more to obtain such a license.

[Sir Maddy]

Originally Posted by Yirba

The original dub was most likely handled by Funimation, so since there's no American release, it wouldn't really be possible to create a dub for Kai unless Siren Visual were willing to create their own. Probably wouldn't be worth it.

I imagine a global license would be possible, although it would cost considerably more to obtain such a license.

Funimation didn't actually dub Higurashi, Genon did, Funimation only had the publishing rights to it.
Plus, if we ever wanted to see a dubbed version of Kai, we could ask Sentai Filmworks to try and obtain the license.

But could you imagine us Aussies dubbing something? 9 times out of 10 we would all sound like a stereo-typical Australian.

[Yirba]

Oh yeah, I actually forgot it was originally from Geneon. I'd kinda prefer it if they used the same voice actors, just for consistency. (I don't think the dub was actually that bad, tbh.)

…Although I wouldn't say no to a dub with British voice actors, of course…

[Sir Maddy]

Originally Posted by Yirba

Oh yeah, I actually forgot it was originally from Geneon. I'd kinda prefer it if they used the same voice actors, just for consistency. (I don't think the dub was actually that bad, tbh.)

…Although I wouldn't say no to a dub with British voice actors, of course…

Well, if any other anime company obtains the license (which I highly doubt will happen), they would probably do a re-dub than track down the original dub-cast.

And I do have to agree with you, the dub wasn't that bad. I wouldn't say it was good, but it wasn't the worst dub ever created (4Kids dubbed version of One Piece takes that title) like what so many people have said. They're like "OMG THIS DUB IS SO HORRIBLE MY EARS ARE BLEEDING" which I think is just them being sheep, they're just following everyone else who think the dub of Higurashi sucks.

Heh, I don't think anyone wouldn't say no. It would be interesting if the British ever dubbed this. We could all see how the British interpret their maniacal laughs.

[Dante of the Inferno]

Originally Posted by Sir Maddy

Well, if any other anime company obtains the license (which I highly doubt will happen), they would probably do a re-dub than track down the original dub-cast.

And I do have to agree with you, the dub wasn't that bad. I wouldn't say it was good, but it wasn't the worst dub ever created like what so many people have said. They're like "OMG THIS DUB IS SO HORRIBLE MY EARS ARE BLEEDING" which I think is just them being sheep, they're just following everyone else who think the dub of Higurashi sucks.

No, it's just that the dub is so terrible that it makes my throat itchy...

Some parts weren't so bad, and the voice actors did improve over the course of the series (Rena's VA improved the most). Some of the voice actors were consistently good, particularly those for Keiichi, Mion, and Miyo (and to a small extent Tomitake and Akasaka). But Arc 1 sounds abysmal, like "throw a high-definition chair across a room" bad. Then there's Rika's VA, Rebecca Forstadt. I had the pleasure of meeting her at her last convention panel about 1.75 years ago, and while she is pretty much just a sweet little old lady, she really can't act outside of her vocal range (aka Dark Rika). Furthermore, Forstadt has never actually gone through the story of Higurashi, so not only does she not realize that purpose of why Rika acts as she does, but she finds the series overall very distressing (she described the series to the audience simply as friends killing one another - nothing else to contribute).

While it's certainly possible to track everyone down, it's just not worth it for many of the roles, and even then, the story is just too dark/polarizing to keep their interest. There have been multiple discussions in this forum pertaining to who would be best suited to play each character, as well as the implications of an entire re-dub as far as the fan base is concerned (aka "do Higurashi fans accept paying up to $120 for season 1 of a series that is now irrelevant compared to the entire re-dub of seasons 1 and 2?").

The simple fact is that it would cost tens of thousands of dollars to obtain a global license and the necessary VA's, not to mention access to professional sound studios and audio editors. None of this is going to be possible without direct help from the community, so unless everyone wants to shell out $100+ more dollars to see their vision of an english Higurashi realized, then this will remain a pipe dream. Who knows, maybe the release of the final manga chapters by Yen Press will spark another surge and get the ball rolling, but for now, it's all just theory.

[Sir Maddy]

Originally Posted by Dante of the Inferno

The simple fact is that it would cost tens of thousands of dollars to obtain a global license and the necessary VA's, not to mention access to professional sound studios and audio editors. None of this is going to be possible without direct help from the community, so unless everyone wants to shell out $100+ more dollars to see their vision of an english Higurashi realized, then this will remain a pipe dream. Who knows, maybe the release of the final manga chapters by Yen Press will spark another surge and get the ball rolling, but for now, it's all just theory.

Well all people are doing right now is asking big anime companies to obtain the license and hope from there.
But I don't think that'll help, and I don't think anyone is willing to contribute over $100 for it.

[Dante of the Inferno]

Well....as I said, even the current fans could drum up enough support, it would seem like a better deal from the perspective of the companies (since it's their job to profit from business ventures). And if nothing else, a larger fan base drives down the individual price of "fixing" the dub problems (say $50 instead of $100). Although I'm not going to lie, if money were no object, season 1 should be redone entirely - animation, VA's, storyline (it probably should have been more like 36 epsiodes), everything.

[Sir Maddy]

Originally Posted by Dante of the Inferno

Well....as I said, even the current fans could drum up enough support, it would seem like a better deal from the perspective of the companies (since it's their job to profit from business ventures). And if nothing else, a larger fan base drives down the individual price of "fixing" the dub problems (say $50 instead of $100). Although I'm not going to lie, if money were no object, season 1 should be redone entirely - animation, VA's, storyline (it probably should have been more like 36 epsiodes), everything.

Yeah, if it were possible for Higurashi to be re-done.
They should have the:
- Kai animation.
- Keep all important plot points from the game. (There were a few very important things that were completely left from the anime adaption [Which made it for confusing for people who didn't play the game first, and sometimes made it confusing])
- At least keep the music. (IMO, the music was one of the best parts of Higurashi)
- Have VA's that are good at from the start to end.
- Make it more creepy. (Like how they did in Matsuri and sometimes the Manga)
- Have the Miotsukushi-hen as the ending. (This would have been a better ending to Kai, even though it is sad because Hanyuu dies, it would of been alot more interesting)
- Oh, and they should have used Tsukiotoshi-hen in Kai, right after Yakusamashi-hen. Mostly cause Tsukiotoshi-hen is by far the most creepiest arc and could really scare the hell out of some people.

This would make Higurashi probably one of the best anime's ever created.

[Yirba]

Originally Posted by Sir Maddy

I don't think anyone is willing to contribute over $100 for it.

Well, I know I'd certainly contribute that much if I knew it would be used for something like this, and I think other fans would do the same. However, I can imagine that only a handful of fans would go that far.

Originally Posted by Sir Maddy

Yeah, if it were possible for Higurashi to be re-done.

Well, that would require the funding of a whole new anime production, which would be extremely expensive. I don't see it happening, to be quite honest. Besides, the anime isn't really that bad (unlike Umineko).

[Sir Maddy]

I actually never said the anime was bad.
Just the anime left out important bits that were in the game that made you go "What the fuck, where is *insert scene here*.
And admit it, the animation in the first season is terrible at some points.

If it were possible for a redo, I'd be a little hesitant to see it.

[Yirba]

Yeah, they missed out a lot of important scenes, but those scenes might not work too well in anime format. After all, anime is a visual medium, so the scenes where people are mostly talking might make for a dull experience. Besides, they had A LOT to cram into 26 or so episodes.

[Sir Maddy]

Well they could easily have made it longer. And most of it isn't talking, most of it is points that were vital in the game and have been left out in the anime.
If they kept them, I'm sure they could of made it 30-40 episodes each 20-30 minutes long.

[Dante of the Inferno]

Originally Posted by Yirba

Besides, the anime isn't really that bad (unlike Umineko).

Oh, let's not say things we can't take back. Minus the storyline (which is obviously the most important part of a series such as Umineko), Umineko was an amazing anime. The music was engaging and thrilling (and DAT ED), the animation was superb, and the voice acting is some of THE BEST in the last 5-10 years.

If Higurashi season 1 looked and sounded even a fraction as good as Another or Umineko, it would instantly win best show of the year (you know, assuming it doesn't go up against shows like Haruhi, FMA, and Death Note, like it did the first time).

Originally Posted by Sir Maddy

Well they could easily have made it longer. And most of it isn't talking, most of it is points that were vital in the game and have been left out in the anime.
If they kept them, I'm sure they could of made it 30-40 episodes each 20-30 minutes long.

This is where it gets tricky. Remember, Higurashi (like almost all anime) is "just" a television show, and in Japan, such shows are usually 11 - 13 episodes per season. I feel that the longer arcs (or at least those with significant missing content) could be expanded to show the full story. However, as Yirba notes, a good amount of scenes in the VN are just monologues or small dialogues, neither of which translate that well to a TV audience. As such, some of those discussions can probably be condensed/abridged, but remember that you'll still have to fill at least 33 episodes and pace it well enough to keep newcomers interested and fanatics satisfied. That's quite a task to script for, and Studio DEEN doesn't have all that great a track record of it.

[Sir Maddy]

Originally Posted by Dante of the Inferno

If Higurashi season 1 looked and sounded even a fraction as good as Another or Umineko, it would instantly win best show of the year (you know, assuming it doesn't go up against shows like Haruhi, FMA, and Death Note, like it did the first time).

Another was a really good anime, the only thing that killed it for me was how the majority of them died (the deaths were kind of like what you would find in a Final Destination Movie).

I do agree with you, if the first season had at least the Kai animation and kept the soundtrack, it could easily take out best show of the year. (Plus, the fangirls killed Death Note for me and I found it's plot, somewhat uninteresting).

Originally Posted by Dante of the Inferno

This is where it gets tricky. Remember, Higurashi (like almost all anime) is "just" a television show, and in Japan, such shows are usually 11 - 13 episodes per season. I feel that the longer arcs (or at least those with significant missing content) could be expanded to show the full story. However, as Yirba notes, a good amount of scenes in the VN are just monologues or small dialogues, neither of which translate that well to a TV audience. As such, some of those discussions can probably be condensed/abridged, but remember that you'll still have to fill at least 33 episodes and pace it well enough to keep newcomers interested and fanatics satisfied. That's quite a task to script for, and Studio DEEN doesn't have all that great a track record of it.

Yeah, I do agree with you, Kai should at least been expanded to explain more of the story. When I watched it, it was good, but it was missing alot of answers to a few things.
And yeah I guess it would be hard for DEEN to keep it interesting while explaining the whole plot.

[Yirba]

I was kinda exaggerating about Umineko, tbh. Thing is that although I did actually enjoy it, the experience was nowhere near as good as it could be. It's clear that DEEN did try, but unfortunately it didn't turn out so well.

Okay, admittedly some of the scenes not included in the Higurashi anime which were quite important did have a fair amount of action. But when push comes to shove, these scenes would have dragged things out a bit too much. Sure, you could increase the number of episodes, but there are probably good reasons for wanting to keep the length of the series to a minimum.

I thought it was good that they included Meakashi-hen and Tsumihoroboshi-hen in the first season so they could spend more time on Minagoroshi-hen and Matsuribayashi-hen in the second.

[Sir Maddy]

Yeah, and there were some bits that weren't action, but they were just little important bits about the characters that were left in the anime.