Shizuru's dubbed voice that bad?

[guest]

Originally Posted by Bloodseeker

Don't underestimate the power of internet message boards... its how shows like Bleach and Naruto got really popular

I doubt it. To these days, there are not many people who watch anime. Most people who watch anime on TV don't buy the dvd. Small percentage of them buy dvd. Then small percentage of them downlaod fansub (or not buying dvd at all or rarely).

Naruto and bleach are like sure thing to be popular if anyone license them. That part is easily figured out.

All the anime that has been shown on TV does beat out those that have never been shown on TV. No wonder all of top ten DVD in sale rank are all shown on TV.

[yuchan]

After hearing about how country her voice is, and then hearing it myslef, i don't think it's as bad as everyone says. It is a southern accent but it's not so thick it takes her 10 min to spit out a sentence. I'm more disappointed in haruka and nagis voice. Haruka is way to calm even when she's having her little spasms and i just don't like nagis at all.

[Ansa]

It's a south-western acsent, IE a Texan accident. An actual southern acsent would fit her rather well.

Okay generally the voice casts sucks, I've watched the first two eps dubbed so far and heres my opinion

Mai - sounds far to bitchy normally and far to whiney when she's worried (such as the end of ep 2)

Natsuki - When she's calling out to Duran or just in battle she sounds nearly perfect, but when talking normally she sounds far to concided and snobbish.

Mikoto - she sounded find until she said actual words, one of the better dubs in this anime (compaired to everyone else, but still horrible)

Takumi - sounds to old and to boring.

Tate - His I can deal with, he can somewhat capture Tate's character best dub I've herd in this anime thus far.

Shiho - Uh... someone shot it please!! So whiney and bitchy at the same time, I don't even want to hear her sound evil.

Chie - totally off her character, doesn't fit her at all!

Aoi - not bad but not good either, if the character can bring out the character better then maybe it'll be decent.

Yukariko - She sounds so old! She literally sounds like she's in her 40's or 50's.

Reito - Need to hear more, doesn't sound like Reito much but isn't a bad voice.

Yukino - I need to hear more but so far she at least SOUNDS like Yukino.

Haruka - Horrible, sounds like a Haruka reject >.<

Shizuru - Stated above, acsent is horrible and doesn't sound real and sounds like she's from texas =_=

Nagi - Doesn't sound like nagi and doesn't sound sinester or crafty.

I think that's it so far...

[rooboy]

Originally Posted by Ansa

It's a south-western acsent, IE a Texan accident. An actual southern acsent would fit her rather well.

Okay, Shizuru's accent is definitely _not_ Texan. Unless it's some weird part of Southern Texas I've never visited.

It still sounds Southern Missouri or Northern Louisiana to me, but I have a feeling it's not actually region-bound. Or maybe Kieli's right and my old girlfriend in Missouri was faking the same accent.

[Ronin Aquila]

At the very least her accent should be that of a "refined" south such as New Orleans, where royalties and "old money" resides.

[Kieli]

Originally Posted by rooboy666

Okay, Shizuru's accent is definitely _not_ Texan. Unless it's some weird part of Southern Texas I've never visited.

Honey, you ain't seen nuthin yet. Try visiting little backwaters like Deaf Smith, Dumas, Floydada, Quanah, Midland, Odessa and Lubbock. O_O My dear, your ears have yet to have been defiled until you try the rest of Texas.

It still sounds Southern Missouri or Northern Louisiana to me, but I have a feeling it's not actually region-bound. Or maybe Kieli's right and my old girlfriend in Missouri was faking the same accent.

LMAO! But don't you just love that Oklahoma mixed accent? I could never figure that one out. It was part Texan, part Kansan, part WTH?

And you've not received the true Texas experience until you ask someone how they're doing and they reply, "Fair ta middlin' "

[riznar]

My parents say "Worsh". It's painful.

[rooboy]

Originally Posted by Kieli

Honey, you ain't seen nuthin yet. Try visiting little backwaters like Deaf Smith, Dumas, Floydada, Quanah, Midland, Odessa and Lubbock. O_O My dear, your ears have yet to have been defiled until you try the rest of Texas.

LMAO! But don't you just love that Oklahoma mixed accent? I could never figure that one out. It was part Texan, part Kansan, part WTH?

And you've not received the true Texas experience until you ask someone how they're doing and they reply, "Fair ta middlin' "

Actually, I've been in West Texas a lot (my wife has family in Odessa and Midland and I have lived here for ten years.). I've been to south Texas once or twice, but couldn't identify an accent there to save my life as I've always just sort of passed through. They use "Fair ta middlun" throughout Oklahoma too.

Missouri was the one I actually had the hardest time understanding (well, unless we're counting full on Lousiana patois).

Originally Posted by Ronin Aquila

At the very least her accent should be that of a "refined" south such as New Orleans, where royalties and "old money" resides.

Louisiana is actually one of the poorer states.

The most elegant southern accent (imo) is actually southeastern - Georgia, etc.

Though the Missouri accent sounded very similar to Foghorn Leghorn too, which always evokes memories of the Confederacy. "I say-ah, sir!"

[Kieli]

Originally Posted by rooboy666

Actually, I've been in West Texas a lot (my wife has family in Odessa and Midland and I have lived here for ten years.). I've been to south Texas once or twice, but couldn't identify an accent there to save my life as I've always just sort of passed through. They use "Fair ta middlun" throughout Oklahoma too.

West Texans are polite enough...a few even have this funky little drawl. The girls are just too adorable (erm...did I say that out loud??! ) I went to Odessa and Midland a few times....the drive there was interminable. South Texas is a bit easier because there are a ton of Northern transplants. So it's a mix of Mid-Atlantic and Southwest. Sooo whack

Missouri was the one I actually had the hardest time understanding (well, unless we're counting full on Lousiana patois).

Louisiana is actually one of the poorer states.

The most elegant southern accent (imo) is actually southeastern - Georgia, etc.

Though the Missouri accent sounded very similar to Foghorn Leghorn too, which always evokes memories of the Confederacy. "I say-ah, sir!"

Cajuns and creoles killed me the most, accent-wise. I couldn't understand a damn thing with that mixed French. Thankfully, I've only been to Ft. Leonard Wood and St. Louis. I REALLY try to stay away from Missouri if I can. Virginia (where I am now) has its share of funky accents from lowland South to accents from "the holler".

[imperialmog]

in saying worsh there above. Are your parents from St. Louis? Thats a common local dialect. Along with words beggining wth s going to z , and words like "four" and "far" sounding the same. It also gets a wierd mishmash of a lot of other things. I can't be a good judge since I live there all my life so Kieli might want to talk about it for an outsiders perspective.

Anyways back on topic. I still think the Shizuru would in my mind sound like a Scarlet O'Hara or something like that. But I also picture maybe in her more cheeky moments talking a bit different.

[riznar]

Originally Posted by imperialmog

in saying worsh there above. Are your parents from St. Louis? Thats a common local dialect. Along with words beggining wth s going to z , and words like "four" and "far" sounding the same. It also gets a wierd mishmash of a lot of other things. I can't be a good judge since I live there all my life so Kieli might want to talk about it for an outsiders perspective.

Anyways back on topic. I still think the Shizuru would in my mind sound like a Scarlet O'Hara or something like that. But I also picture maybe in her more cheeky moments talking a bit different.

They're from Oklahoma, they've got pretty thick accents. I have about zero and speak too quickly for most Oklahomans, but I'm a little hyperactive.

[Avijja]

Thesis On Multi-Variate Elasticity Shifts Affecting Quantitative Sales Potential Resulting From Divergence Of Socio-Economic Segment Acceptance Of Audio Localizations For Imported Animation (Or "Why does Shizuru's dub suck?")

Abstract: Anime fans are often puzzled by the low quality of dubbing in their favorite shows. A model is presented in which the localized distributors that make these dubs are driven by profit and spend money on a dub based on how much money they think they can make. An economic and marketing methodology is used to examine various shows and the factors that lead to a certain quality of dubbing.

Consider a niche series like "Mai-Hime". Anime fans will be buy the DVDs regardless of the dub's quality, they will tolerate the dub or use subtitles. In contrast, mainstream audiences wouldn't accept Mai regardless of the dub quality. Jane Average would take one look at the cover art featuring little girls in naughty maid outfits and fanservice, and reject the show immediately as "demeaning pedophilia", meanwhile Joe Average would reject the show as being "girly" and "unmanly". These niche shows are subjected to an economic elasticity condition described as quality-inflexible demand, wherein dub quality doesn't affect the number of DVDs sold and the distributor has no incentive to produce a good dub.

Now consider a show with broad appeal to an undiscerning market, such as "Dragonball". Again a small number fans will buy DVDs regardless of the dub quality. However, this show also happens to appeal to a huge, mainstream market of American kids that want to be amused and don't care about voice acting. This encourages the localizer to cut costs on the dub, and instead focus on reducing the price per DVD to make it easier for moms to allow junior to grab a disc at the Wal-Mart checkout line as an impulse buy. This condition is described as price-flexible, quality-inflexible demand, where quality doesn't affect the number of DVDs sold but the price tag does.

Finally consider a show with broad appeal to a discerning market, such as "Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi (Spirited Away)". Unlike the previous shows, a well-dubbed film can win the hearts (and dollars) of the mainstream public, while a badly-dubbed movie will result in a massive financial loss, thus giving the distributor significant incentive to produce a top-notch dub. This economic state is called as quality-flexible demand, where sales are strongly dependent on the quality of the dub.

Future research may help determine if a good sales pitch could convince (fool?) distributors into paying for a proper dub and thus allow it to become a mainstream hit. For example, consider if "Mai-Hime" had been pitched to American distributors as, "Survivor: Fuuka Academy Apprentice. Who will be disintegrated this week? An Internet viral hit and sure-fire success with the discerning (and rich) iPod Generation because this show is raw, edgy, fashionably hip, heavily-armed, sexy yet sophisticated, breaks all the rules, and has loads of bling."

[Kieli]

Originally Posted by Avijja

Thesis On Multi-Variate Elasticity Shifts Affecting Quantitative Sales Potential Resulting From Divergence Of Socio-Economic Segment Acceptance Of Audio Localizations For Imported Animation (Or "Why does Shizuru's dub suck?")

Abstract: Anime fans are often puzzled by the low quality of dubbing in their favorite shows. A model is presented in which the localized distributors that make these dubs are driven by profit and spend money on a dub based on how much money they think they can make. An economic and marketing methodology is used to examine various shows and the factors that lead to a certain quality of dubbing.

Consider a niche series like "Mai-Hime". Anime fans will be buy the DVDs regardless of the dub's quality, they will tolerate the dub or use subtitles. In contrast, mainstream audiences wouldn't accept Mai regardless of the dub quality. Jane Average would take one look at the cover art featuring little girls in naughty maid outfits and fanservice, and reject the show immediately as "demeaning pedophilia", meanwhile Joe Average would reject the show as being "girly" and "unmanly". These niche shows are subjected to an economic elasticity condition described as quality-inflexible demand, wherein dub quality doesn't affect the number of DVDs sold and the distributor has no incentive to produce a good dub.

Now consider a show with broad appeal to an undiscerning market, such as "Dragonball". Again a small number fans will buy DVDs regardless of the dub quality. However, this show also happens to appeal to a huge, mainstream market of American kids that want to be amused and don't care about voice acting. This encourages the localizer to cut costs on the dub, and instead focus on reducing the price per DVD to make it easier for moms to allow junior to grab a disc at the Wal-Mart checkout line as an impulse buy. This condition is described as price-flexible, quality-inflexible demand, where quality doesn't affect the number of DVDs sold but the price tag does.

Finally consider a show with broad appeal to a discerning market, such as "Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi (Spirited Away)". Unlike the previous shows, a well-dubbed film can win the hearts (and dollars) of the mainstream public, while a badly-dubbed movie will result in a massive financial loss, thus giving the distributor significant incentive to produce a top-notch dub. This economic state is called as quality-flexible demand, where sales are strongly dependent on the quality of the dub.

Future research may help determine if a good sales pitch could convince (fool?) distributors into paying for a proper dub and thus allow it to become a mainstream hit. For example, consider if "Mai-Hime" had been pitched to American distributors as, "Survivor: Fuuka Academy Apprentice. Who will be disintegrated this week? An Internet viral hit and sure-fire success with the discerning (and rich) iPod Generation because this show is raw, edgy, fashionably hip, heavily-armed, sexy yet sophisticated, breaks all the rules, and has loads of bling."

ROTFLMAO! Most excellent!

[rooboy]

Originally Posted by imperialmog

Anyways back on topic. I still think the Shizuru would in my mind sound like a Scarlet O'Hara or something like that. But I also picture maybe in her more cheeky moments talking a bit different.

That was the Georgia accent I was thinking of, and actually that's somewhat what Shizuru's accent does remind me of, but not actually as good as that one.

Originally Posted by riznar

They're from Oklahoma, they've got pretty thick accents. I have about zero and speak too quickly for most Oklahomans, but I'm a little hyperactive.

LOL! That's a common complaint I get about my accent here! Though I'm finally starting to slow down and speak at the southern speed, when I get really excited I revert back to my much faster paced west coast speech patterns!

[Bloodseeker]

Originally Posted by guest

I doubt it. To these days, there are not many people who watch anime. Most people who watch anime on TV don't buy the dvd. Small percentage of them buy dvd. Then small percentage of them downlaod fansub (or not buying dvd at all or rarely).

Naruto and bleach are like sure thing to be popular if anyone license them. That part is easily figured out.

All the anime that has been shown on TV does beat out those that have never been shown on TV. No wonder all of top ten DVD in sale rank are all shown on TV.

And why do you think that so many people were anticipating Naruto? Why was it so hyped? Because word of mouth (text?) spread through the boards and more and more people started noticing that people were talking about the show 24/7 and got curious. You couldn't spend a day hanging out on a fairly active random anime message board without seeing at least a few posts on it. You even heard about it on boards that had absolutely nothing to do with anime! And then some of those people that got curious enough to download it showed their friends, which resulted in word of mouth spreading even further. All of this resulted in it being one of the most downloaded anime ever, and it told everybody that remotely follows the anime industry that it was a big fish. (the licensers, networks like CN that air anime, the semi-close fans, etc.)

You're an idiot if you don't think that anime message boards played a big part in the hype that surrounded its arrival on CN.

Anyways, I'd say that's pretty off topic... Like I said earlier, I like the Mai-Hime dub. The only voice that bugged me Shizuru's. Everyone else's voices seem to match their appearances and they don't seem to contradict their characters, and the voice acting isn't as cardboard as some people seem to be claiming.

[Shigan]

Will someone shoot me if I wish to hear how Shizuru sounds with the Queen's brittish english? XD

[riznar]

We should collect a bunch of clips of girls with thick accents saying maybe a paragraph of Shizuru's lines. It would be fun!

[Aidan]

I think it's awesome I know I'm crazy!

I'm from Europe and her accent sounds exotic to me.
I know, I know, I must be nuts.

[bigdaddy843]

Hmm, I won't say it is abosolutely unbearable but i can't really imagine Shizuru saying anything in this accent ( accent, the voice is quite ok )

[rooboy]

Originally Posted by riznar

We should collect a bunch of clips of girls with thick accents saying maybe a paragraph of Shizuru's lines. It would be fun!

Heh, that reminds me of that scene in the Usual Suspects.