| One of the most common criticisms of anime dubs by English-speaking
fans is that the actors in the dubs sound "flat" and lifeless when compared
to the energetic performances of the Japanese voice actors. That question
was put to the dubbing producers on hand at a Nan Desu Kan panel discussion
on Saturday. The response from the industry people is that there are differences
in culture and perception that can make the Japanese performances sound
more intense than the English language versions. |
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| Matt Greenfield of ADV Films said that the Japanese anime acting voice
is much louder than the typical Japanese speaking voice, so it's bound
to sound more intense and less restrained to English speakers. "Their normal
speaking patterns are so low that the acting sounds `over the top.' It's
that melodramatic," Greenfield said. By comparison, English speakers can
be more animated in normal conversation than in acting, he hinted. |
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| Then there's the question of the bright, high-pitched Japanese female
voices which are so enticing to English-speaking fans. Taliesin Jaffe (left)
of New Generation Films said voices of that timbre don't work in English.
"You think `good ship lollipop' when you hear these female voices (in English)
that are sounding like they're eight years old," Jaffe said. Shin Kurokawa
(right) of AnimEigo added, "You can't get those voices in the States -
it's not possible." |
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| And Scott Houle of Coastal Carolina Recording told a story of how some
actors, big name performers, aren't necessarily good dubbers - which helps
show how specialized and difficult is the art of dialogue replacement.
Houle's studio in Wilmington, N.C. also handles dubbing for feature films,
and some major actors have seen the collection of anime art on the walls
and asked to try to dub a few lines in those shows. More often than not,
those performances, according to Houle, are "...as flat as a board...they're
just reading." |
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