The Dubbing of Haruhi Suzumiya

[Potatochobit]

competition?

i assumed the US companies used small firms to out source their dubbing? and they tended to stick to the same companies with the same people....

[rpgman1]

It depends upon the company though. Bandai and Geneon tend to use different recording studios for their dubs. Viz uses the Ocean Group long ago, but now also uses Studiopolis for their California dubs. Right Stuf still uses New York dubs. ADV and Funimation use their own dubbing studios.

[quigonkenny]

Originally Posted by Mirrinus

Kunikida's English voice is done by the same person who played Tsukasa on .hack/SIGN, that's what his voice immediately reminded me of. I believe both are played by a woman.

edit: wrong character >_<

Actually, that is right. According to here, Brianne Siddall did play Tsukasa. But it makes me feel old that the first character that popped into my head when I heard Kunikida was Jim Hawking from Outlaw Star. Good job as Kunikida, though. Very similar feel to her Japanese counterpart.

Kyon: Loved it. I felt he wasn't quite sarcastic enough on his narration, but I thought he nailed the "in character" parts of his performance.

Haruhi: Also good. Wendee Lee's not Aya Hirano, and she's got a bit of a different take on the role, but I actually like her take on it, especially the pouty frustrated parts.

Itsuki: Unfortunately, he's the only member of the main cast that wasn't able to avoid sounding like every previous character he's ever done. That said, he has the smugness down, and later episodes are where we truly get to see the smarminess that really defines the character. Part of me still wishes Ocean had gotten the dub duties for this one so Kirby Morrow could have played him.

Mikuru: Awesome. A little one-note, but that is the character. Also, Stephanie Sheh's voice is a tad less annoying than Yuko Goto's (again, that is the character). Nailed the role, but I'm curious as to whether she can handle Mikuru(big) as well.

Ryoko: Perfectly sweet. Exactly how the character should be at this point in the story. Secret now is to carry that into episode 5 with as little change as possible.

Taniguchi: I don't know who they got to play him (I've looked it up twice but keep forgetting) but he sounds like every generic second fiddle in every generic harem anime. In other words, just about perfect for the role.

Kyon no Imouto: I had no idea this voice actress could do such a good "little girl voice" without sounding like she's trying to do a "little girl voice." And speaking of Kari Wahlgren.

Tsuruya-san: I had picked Kari Wahlgren to play Haruhi in the ASOS Brigade poll. I thought she'd make a great Haruhi, and still do. But boy, am I glad that Bandai thought differently. She is absolutely, without a doubt, the best casting of this series, which I feel probably couldn't have feasibly been cast better. Sure, all she did was laugh, but that's more than enough for me.

[rpgman1]

Originally Posted by quigonkenny

Actually, that is right. According to here, Brianne Siddall did play Tsukasa. But it makes me feel old that the first character that popped into my head when I heard Kunikida was Jim Hawking from Outlaw Star. Good job as Kunikida, though. Very similar feel to her Japanese counterpart.

Kyon: Loved it. I felt he wasn't quite sarcastic enough on his narration, but I thought he nailed the "in character" parts of his performance.

Haruhi: Also good. Wendee Lee's not Aya Hirano, and she's got a bit of a different take on the role, but I actually like her take on it, especially the pouty frustrated parts.

Itsuki: Unfortunately, he's the only member of the main cast that wasn't able to avoid sounding like every previous character he's ever done. That said, he has the smugness down, and later episodes are where we truly get to see the smarminess that really defines the character. Part of me still wishes Ocean had gotten the dub duties for this one so Kirby Morrow could have played him.

Mikuru: Awesome. A little one-note, but that is the character. Also, Stephanie Sheh's voice is a tad less annoying than Yuko Goto's (again, that is the character). Nailed the role, but I'm curious as to whether she can handle Mikuru(big) as well.

Ryoko: Perfectly sweet. Exactly how the character should be at this point in the story. Secret now is to carry that into episode 5 with as little change as possible.

Taniguchi: I don't know who they got to play him (I've looked it up twice but keep forgetting) but he sounds like every generic second fiddle in every generic harem anime. In other words, just about perfect for the role.

Kyon no Imouto: I had no idea this voice actress could do such a good "little girl voice" without sounding like she's trying to do a "little girl voice." And speaking of Kari Wahlgren.

Tsuruya-san: I had picked Kari Wahlgren to play Haruhi in the ASOS Brigade poll. I thought she'd make a great Haruhi, and still do. But boy, am I glad that Bandai thought differently. She is absolutely, without a doubt, the best casting of this series, which I feel probably couldn't have feasibly been cast better. Sure, all she did was laugh, but that's more than enough for me.

That's the same way for me. You haven't reviewed Yuki yet, but judging from past reviews I say they're right about the English VA being robotic instead of emotionless but that is pretty hard enough to pull it off as it is. Michelle Ruff also did Chi in Chobits so they're some similarities.

People are still mixed about Wendee Lee as Haruhi, but at least it doesn't sound bad. She really did get into her role with "Haruhism" but it takes some getting used to as it sounds very much like her role as Tatsuki from Bleach.

I really like Crispin Freeman as Kyon and he nailed it almost perfectly. I prefer his roles to be the stoic, silent type (Hagi from Blood+, Itachi Uchiha from Naruto, Shannon from Scrapped Princess). He just sounds fake when he voices goofy-type characters (except for Albedo in Xenosaga and I wish he had more roles like that).

Stephanie Sheh nailed Mikuru perfectly and I love those screams and squeals she makes when Haruhi forces her to do something against her will. Makes me wonder if she'll fare as well with the older Mikuru later on.

Bridget Hoffman did excellent work as Ryoko and I wish she did return to do more anime voice-overs (I know she was KOS-MOS and T-elos in Xenosaga with a deep emotionless tone. She was Atoli in .hack//GU video game series).

Gotta love Kari Wahlgren as Tsuruya (LOL-tan), especially the laugh. She also did well as Kyon's sister. This is why voice-acting little children seem to be scarce.

Bosch as Itsuki definitely needs some work, as it just sounds the same as his previous roles with the exception of one (Renton Thurston in Eureka 7 which sounds like a whiny teenaged boy).

[CrowKenobi]

I finally got my box and watched the first volume...

In short: dub passes, sub fails.

I liked the dub, and I also agree with a lot what's been said about it... though I think that Wendee is playing Haruhi a little too chipper (guess I'm used to Aya's vocal range), but she does get better as we get to the later episodes.

I watched the sub for Melancholy I and I was extremely disappointed by the excessive use of inappropriate jargon for a lot of the lines... and why the hell couldn't they use "time travelers" instead of "future men?" It looked like they translated some parts more literally than others and it turned out to be a huge mess... (guess I'm spoiled by what has gone before, though "moe" was used for both the sub and dub)

I hope that there is an improvement in the next volume (fat chance I know).



Isn't it real sad when an "amateur" work looks more professional than a "professional" work?

[khryoleoz]

Bridget Hoffman is my favorite actor. I was hoping she'd do the Mikuru role, but in an interesting casting move, I'm glad she voices the character she's voicing here.

It took quite some getting used to Wendy Lee, but by the 4th ep I started enjoying her take on Haruhi. The rest of the cast I'm comfortable with except for Yuki. The performance sounds just a tad awkward for me.

[Potatochobit]

no more spot the looney for u this week, eh, krowkenobi?

they used the term future men because in the future women are not allowed to time travel. oh wait?!

[maymay]

haha michelle ruff as yuki... i knew it.

[Vexx]

Originally Posted by CrowKenobi

I finally got my box and watched the first volume...

In short: dub passes, sub fails.

I liked the dub, and I also agree with a lot what's been said about it... though I think that Wendee is playing Haruhi a little too chipper (guess I'm used to Aya's vocal range), but she does get better as we get to the later episodes.

I watched the sub for Melancholy I and I was extremely disappointed by the excessive use of inappropriate jargon for a lot of the lines... and why the hell couldn't they use "time travelers" instead of "future men?" It looked like they translated some parts more literally than others and it turned out to be a huge mess... (guess I'm spoiled by what has gone before, though "moe" was used for both the sub and dub)

I hope that there is an improvement in the next volume (fat chance I know).



Isn't it real sad when an "amateur" work looks more professional than a "professional" work?

Aye, I really have been unamused by the subtitles in a couple of recent series. Given the talent roaming the landscape, there's really no reason more professionalism couldn't be tapped for the subs.

Aye... this may actually be a series I watch more dubbed than subbed (or pull out the fansubs). The pain is that the DVDs have those extra little scenes or clean up or bits.
Thus sayeth the usually-hates-dubs guy ...

[quigonkenny]

Originally Posted by rpgman1

That's the same way for me. You haven't reviewed Yuki yet...

Um... *blinks*

OTL

Ahem...

Yuki: The voice is adequately crisp and necessarily quiet. Too quiet, actually, as, considering most of her scenes are with Haruhi or Kyon, neither of whom are exactly soft talkers, I had to end up turning the volume up and down during her scenes to hear what she was saying without losing my hearing any time anyone else would talk. On her longer monologues (like the beginning of MoHS III), she did run into the same problem most English-speaking voice actors run into when they try to speak in a monotonous, emotionless fashion, in that she got too robotic. Her short, terse responses, however, which luckily take up the majority of her role, time-wise, were about as good as it gets.

English just isn't built for Yuki-speak. With Japanese, since it's largely a syllabic language made up of "consonant-vowel" syllables, there aren't a lot of consonant groups to get stuck on, like with English. It seems like it'd be like trying to play Tetris with blocks made up of trapezoids and rhombuses instead of squares. Possible, but really fricking difficult unless you're picking out all the pieces.

Originally Posted by rpgman1

I really like Crispin Freeman as Kyon and he nailed it almost perfectly. I prefer his roles to be the stoic, silent type (Hagi from Blood+, Itachi Uchiha from Naruto, Shannon from Scrapped Princess). He just sounds fake when he voices goofy-type characters (except for Albedo in Xenosaga and I wish he had more roles like that).

I can partially agree with you on that, in that he is very good at that kind of role (very good at most roles, actually), but my two favorite roles of his have got to be Alucard in Hellsing and Straight Cougar in s-CRY-ed. Alucard for a number of reasons, mostly due to the fact that he is able to largely hold his own with the Japanese seiyuu, Jouji Nakata, who is a top-tier talent and just amazing in the role. And Straight Cougar because he easily steals every scene he's in and makes an otherwise mediocre series watchable.

[Tokkan]

Originally Posted by quigonkenny

Actually, that is right. According to here, Brianne Siddall did play Tsukasa. But it makes me feel old that the first character that popped into my head when I heard Kunikida was Jim Hawking from Outlaw Star. Good job as Kunikida, though. Very similar feel to her Japanese counterpart.

Um, the "Edit: wrong character" part of Mirrinus' post was in reference to the fact the original unedited post said "Izzy from Digimon" instead of "Tsukasa from .Hack//Sign". Trust me, I saw the post before it was edited.

[AC23]

The Melancholy is one of the better dubbed animes I've seen. The person who was most in character is Crispin Freeman no doubt. Haruhi's actor is no Hirano Ayo, but she can pull it off.

Mikuru had the right actor, because that person can pull off the "soft voice". Yuki's is very hard. It's hard to sound emotionless, but the robotic sound was perfect.

Ryoko, it was good. It maintained the sweetness, but the actor's going to have quite a challenge when it comes to the fight scene.(can't way to see how she pulls it off) Itsuki, it was alright. It has the right tone and it's not too serious, but it lacks character essence.

I can see they put effort into finding the right people. This'll no doubt, improve with each passing volume.

I think the best episode in the dub so far is, Episode 00. You can sense things in english, that you can't in the original. Example:The sarcasm, anger, and confusion of Kyon's narrating and the woodeness of the actors.

I'd say this version is even better than the original.

[Animexcel]

Ya know, during the SOS Brigade concert in AX. I actually think Patty did a better job as the english dub of Haruhi than Wendee Lee.

[The Real Nemo]

I've got to say I liked Asakura's dub voice in the second DVD, even though I was expecting it the way her little speech drifted so casually to "I'm going to kill you" in that sweet voice of her's actually caught me by surprise.

[Flare_Dragon]

Anyone notice anytime Tomokazu Sugita-sama needs a dubber, its nearly everytime its Crispin Freeman?
(SHnY, Chobits, X TV+OVA for example?)
I don't mind it though, cept some of the "...Whys?" seem a bit more kiddish...

Koizumi's dubber, Boch was actually perfect for me. I dunno, he just seemed to fit with th e "cool" type of dubbed anime voice. (For some reason, after seeing boch's name this time, and considering how i kept seeing him for renton, and ichigo, I looked up power rangers and reviewed some history.... man it was enjoyable. O.O)

Tsuruya's va, Kari Wahlgren, was... kinda... er... meh for me... o.O It just got me off guard... I mean, did you really expect someone that sounded like the main character from legally blond? o.o;;;

I thought Wendee Lee was ok. It was more, eh... Hirano-sama special, so I can understand if they can't get the right person with the right potential up to her :P Michelle Ruff fro yuki was ok as well. The way Chihara-sama was monotone seemed more realistic to me. Ditto with how Asakura's Va was.

Stephanie Sheh as Mikuru was... like her friend Tsuruya... Wtf? O.o I was thinking in my head "At least it isn't like Skuld dubber... (._.)" She hit the squeeks and all... But I feel only the Japanese Va's can pull it off, especially one with experiance. (Goto-sama's rolls in NNS )

As someone stated, I hope they all get comfortable with their rolls in the next few volumes. (As well as the "worst" episode, 00, was the best dubbed XD)

Oh yeah, anyone notice Freeman saying "Naze?!" in the "Homicidal Perfect Girl Asakura" classroom scene? XD

[FatPianoBoy]

Originally Posted by Flare_Dragon

Oh yeah, anyone notice Freeman saying "Naze?!" in the "Homicidal Perfect Asakura" classroom scene? XD

Tomokazu says "Why?!" in English, so it's fitting that Freeman say "Naze?!" in Japanese.

[AVPlaya]

Originally Posted by FatPianoBoy

Tomokazu says "Why?!" in English, so it's fitting that Freeman say "Naze?!" in Japanese.

Oh my gosh did he? Now I will watch the dub for that episode. Yeah I usually don't watch dubs, sorry.

[darkchibi07]

Originally Posted by AVPlaya

Oh my gosh did he? Now I will watch the dub for that episode. Yeah I usually don't watch dubs, sorry.

I watched that twice, and he did say "Naze". I was wondering why he said that.

[zoozoc]

Originally Posted by darkchibi07

I watched that twice, and he did say "Naze". I was wondering why he said that.

thats why i love this dub

[QueenNori]

[...]It has also said that Wendee Lee, the English voice actress of the title character Haruhi in The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, will sing "God Knows" and "Lost My Music" in volume 4 of the series.[...]

Source: http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news...dai-goes-geass