Anime Best/Worst dubs

[ChibiHorsewoman]

[color=darkviolet]I guess this can be a broad reaching thread to discuss which anime or even movies you thought were dubbed well or done in such and alwful frightening way you were itching to rip your ears or the voce actress's voice box off or out. You choose. Just please tell me why you think it was so bad or pretty good.


Hands down I think that the SailorMoon English dub was the worst thing I've ever seen in my entire life-and I had to watch this really dumb show in my high school Spanish class and I've had to watch Barney.

Now, mind you when I first saw the show the only thing I thought was bad was the voice actors and actresses-especially Terri Hawkes who did the voice of Serena/Sailor Moon. I knew nothing about the original show, I just thought it was an actual new cartoon. Then I got on the internet and began discussing the show with a friend of mine in Biology class. That's when the proverbial crap hit the fan.

Not only did I find out that Zoysite is actually Zoicite and a boy, but he's in love with Kunzite. Not only that, but later on I find out that entire episodes werecut out completely and edited within an inch of thier lives. Names were changed for Goddess knows what reason which messed with some of the Mytholgy. In short the English dub is pretty much a different show from the original. Oh, and they turned decently frank Rei into R[i]aye[/i] the Be-yotch!

Then there's a few anime dubs that I'm on the fence about namely Fushigi Yugi and InuYasha. Most of the reasons with those are that some of the dub voices scare me (not that Miaka's Japanese voice does my ears much kindness either since she and ChibiUsa share a voice actress). But some of the dialog was changed around a bit. Also for some strange reason InuYasha's english Va seems to be absentmindedly adding the ess on priestess. Why?

I'll add more later, I have to feed Abby.[/color]

[Dan Rugh]

[size=1]Wow I'm surprised you were able to create a semi-intelligent thread. *applauds*[/size]

I really cannot stand the Fushigi Yuugi English dubbing. I bought the box set of it about a year ago and watched the Japanese version with sub-titles, all the while not realizing how bad the dub was. So one day I switched it over in the middle of an episode and was horrified with some of the voices. Miaka's is incredibly annoying....

I used to be obsessed with InuYasha when it first started airing in the US about 2 years ago. At that time I believed that the dubbing was pretty good.... Then when I bought the first volume on DVD, I noticed how much better the Japanese voice actors were. Kagome's English actor is very fake and unbelievable in her acting. InuYasha's voice is also pretty annoying with the way they make him talk in slang sometimes. Yamaguchi Kappei does a VERY good representation of a half human, half dog demon whereas Richard Cox just sucks at it. I have since gotten over InuYasha because I've realized how repetetive and mediocre it is.

Furi Kuri has an excellent English dub. Many reviews I have read on it say that it's dub is better than the original Japanese track. I don't know if I agree with this, but I think I prefer the Japanese track for this as well. I do really like Naota's English voice actor since I don't believe I've heard him in any other series before unlike many of the recycled VAs we know of today. Haruko's voice was also done very well because she sounds damn close to the seiyuu who voiced her originally. That was a good move.

I know that everyone's gonna say this because it's probably the most popular anime among Americans (who aren't 8), but Cowboy Bebop was done well also. I've never actually heard the original Japanese track for Cowboy Bebop so I can't truly gauge how good it is, but it sounds good enough for me.

Evagelion wasn't that great. All of the voice actors sounded like they had never had any kind of training in that line of work. They were very fake sounding, especially Shinji, Asuka, and Kensuke.

Yeah. I'll post more if I think of any others/feel like it.

[QuincyArcher]

I remembered seeing Last Exile air on either techtv or cartoon network a couple months ago, and after having seen the entire series with the original japanese voice acting, the english dub seemed downright horrible. I also just purchased the first few dvds in the Mahoromatic series and the english dub for that series was probably the worst i've ever heard in my life. then again, no one can substitute for Kawasumi Ayako (voice of Mahoro) who is probably one of my favorite voice actresses.

For some of the best dubs, i would have to say that Neon Genesis Evangelion has some of the best english dubbing i've heard. Arc the Lad and Azumanga Daioh have pretty good dubbing as well, though i still prefer the original japanese voice actors in any case.

[Readordie]

[quote name='Dan Rugh][size=1']Furi Kuri has an excellent English dub. Many reviews I have read on it say that it's dub is better than the original Japanese track. I don't know if I agree with this, but I think I prefer the Japanese track for this as well. I do really like Naota's English voice actor since I don't believe I've heard him in any other series before unlike many of the recycled VAs we know of today. Haruko's voice was also done very well because she sounds damn close to the seiyuu who voiced her originally. That was a good move.[/quote]

Yes, you HAVE heard the voice actor who did Naota's voice before. Barbara Goodson has been in just about every dub since 1990. She was the pet store owner in the second episode of Cowboy Bebop, and was Kitsune in Love Hina(WHICH IS THE WORST DUB EVER). I can gaurintee that she has at least attributed her voice to about 60% of anime dubs ever, even if it's just background voices.

Also, Kari Wahlgren did the voice of Haruko and did an outstanding job. She was also Robin Senna from Witch Hunter Robin, Raine Sage from Tales of Symphonia, Cher Degrey is Wolf's Rain, and I beleive(though I could be wrong) was Sakura in CCS.

Now, if you don't want to hear my incessant ramblings about my faovirte dub actors and what roles they've played, stop. Right. Now.

Kari Wahlgren was amazing in her roles, as mentioned above.

Melissa Charles is someone I have to give major cradit to. She was Gaz from Invader Zim, which is the more dreary and depressing character ever, and then she was Radical Edward from Bebop, who is like a a shot of speed to counteract Gaz's dopamine. She was Kanako in Love Hina Again(worst...letdown...ever!) and also Ninamori in FLCL which is her most straight-laced role, which I though was odd as she played a sexual predator(Kanako), a manic psycho(Edward), and violent video game addict(Gaz)

Wendee Lee/Amand Win Lee/Wendee Swan/Wendy Lee/ Wendy Swan is odd...she goes by five names, and I've loved half of her roles and HATED the other half. I loved her as Faye Valentine(Bebop) and Miss Deep(RoD), and any other femme fatale roles she's played, but I could have strangled her for her preformance in Love Hina as Kaolla Su and any of her SWEET SIXTEEN AND SUPER SQUEAKY roles.

David Lucas, because there must be a guy on my list, just makes it. He's pretty versatile in his own right, played Spike from Cowboy Bebop, Roger on Big O, and Masashi in FLCL.

Well...there's my two...okay, four cents.

[Dan Rugh]

Yeah... I bet all that just came off the top of your head.... Why didn't you just copy and paste the Anime News Network voice actor list? Anyway, the topic of this thread is best/worst dubs, not your favorite voice actors.

[vash-san]

well first of all i have to agree that the dubbing fushigi yuugi is horrible, mainly miaka, but then again her voice is just about as annoying in japanese so i don't think it really matters, the rest of the characters are ok, i would chose one over another though its all the same to me i could care less. as for inuyasha i think that the english dub is a hundred times better, i wanted the first inuyasha movie this past weekend and i wanted to cry when i heard the japanese inuyasha voice, he sounds like he has a throat disease or something its so groggy and rough sounding, richard cox did inuyashas voice exacly how i imagined it,a cocky kinda voice. it was great.

as for my own choise on the worst dub, fma would have to win the award.. i was very disappointed after watching the first few episodes. I 'm not saying that all the voices are bad just ed's and al's, al's especially. He sounds like hes talkin from inside a pail, yes i know he's inside the metal suit and all but in the japanese one at least i could hear him. as for ed i don't know maybe i just accustom to hearing the japanese voices but i just dont like it... i can't wait till they introduce roy mustang i want to see how his voice turns out..

[EVA Unit 100]

What's with all the FMA dub hate? I think Ed's dub voice is better than the original, and the overall cast is definately passable.

The only dub as a whole I prefered over the sub was Cowboy Bebop. It certainly helped the dub that the show had more influence from American movies than Japanese pop-culture.

Fruits' Basket's dub is equally brilliant to the sub in terms of energy. It is pretty hard to compare to the great original Japanese actors, but the American cast pulls off their interpretations well.

The Miyazaki movies (both FOX's Totoro and the Disney releases) have all had stable dubs as well once you get used to the Disney tendancy of using the A-star treatment.

ADV was once in the middle with great scripts but bad actors but fortunately (in Getbackers, Kino, FMP, even the last volume or two of EVA, etc.) they improved.

As for the worst dub, any "butcher" dubs (4Kids stuff, Nelvana stuff, Initial D, Rave Master, DBZ/GT, etc.) I hate. And the Gravitation dub is annoying too.

[GTK]

[QUOTE=EVA Unit 100]What's with all the FMA dub hate? I think Ed's dub voice is better than the original, and the overall cast is definately passable.
[/QUOTE]

I think you're mad O_O

The FMA dub made my cry, though I could only tolerate one episode ^^; Ed sounds way too old, Al is just weird, Roy makes me cry, and Winry is really shrill T_T and Pinako sounds really scary

I didnt' like Fruits Basket either... The Japanese voices were much cuter ^^ in English, most of the female cast sounds the same and I kept getting confused O_o

I do really like both Cowboy Bebop and Trigun though (Bebop more.. Legato's japanese voice is just way too cool XD) Berserk I like either way~ they did a good job casting that one ^_^ (and the outakes are really funny)

Galerians: Rion (which isn't really anime, but close enough) also had a horrible English dub (but I really like Akira Ishida ^^; so I'm biased)... and a English soundtrack ~_~ why they redid the soundtrack is beyond me, but it was yucky

I think I can name more english dubs I hated rather than the ones I like ^^; but I'll stop there~

[Dagger]

I'm completely with EVA on this one. Each to his own, I guess, but I don't see how [i]anyone[/i] could prefer Tohru's insanely high-pitched Japanese voice. As for FMA, I liked the first few episodes much more when I saw them on Adult Swim (after watching them multiple times in Japanese), and the excellent dub was a huge factor in that. Ed's original voice actress just didn't click with me.

The second and third seasons of Revolutionary Girl Utena (along with the movie) boast an amazing English track--assuming you can get past the so-so first season, which has great content but a highly variable dub. However, I definitely felt that I was rewarded for sitting through some initially iffy performances; I can't imagine Utena being played by anyone other than Rachael Lillis, and I'm one of the few people who loved Sharon Becker's take on Anthy.

Fruits Basket, Big O and Cowboy Bebop simply don't sound right in Japanese. Wolf's Rain, R.O.D the TV and RahXephon aren't perfect, but their dubs rarely falter and were very well cast. Were it not for some annoying script changes (damn you, Steven Foster!), I could point to Voices of a Distant Star as an example of an anime with an emotionally moving and virtually flawless dub.

One of my personal favorites is the new English version of Miyazaki's Castle in the Sky. Something about that dub just makes me happy. :)

~Dagger~

[vash-san]

[QUOTE=GTK]

The FMA dub made my cry, though I could only tolerate one episode ^^; Ed sounds way too old, Al is just weird, Roy makes me cry, and Winry is really shrill T_T and Pinako sounds really scary
[/QUOTE]


wow this is the first person to actually agree with me most people think that im crazy... i just hate the dubbing so much, htey totaly killed it

its great to see im not the only one out there dissatisfied with tthe dubbing!

[xmystic_silverx]

[QUOTE=GTK]I think you're mad O_O

The FMA dub made my cry, though I could only tolerate one episode ^^; Ed sounds way too old, Al is just weird, Roy makes me cry, and Winry is really shrill T_T and Pinako sounds really scary

I didnt' like Fruits Basket either... The Japanese voices were much cuter ^^ in English, most of the female cast sounds the same and I kept getting confused O_o

[/QUOTE]

[size=1] It made you cry? ;.; That's pretty sad because I thought it was okay.
Al is weird? I though his voice was adorable and I have heard comments of people saying that Ed's voice sounds like a surfer but I don't think it's that bad.

I really like the show and I get disappointed when people say the dubbing is crap.

You don't like Fruits Basket? 0_0 Now I think you're mad. I mean, I love all their voices, except for those annoying fan girls and maybe Tohru's but they're voices really fit the characters really well. ^_^;

I think FUNimation does a great job on dubbing, but not so much on DBZ and that's probably because I don't like the show.

And as for the worst dub, I though it was sailor moon =_= I never knew someone could sound as annoying as Chibi usa. Makes me wanna tear my ears out. It's not just her, it's Serena's and the fact that they have the boys switched to girls or the other way.[/size]

[jedite]

[SIZE=2][FONT=Comic Sans MS]In most cases, I prefer the original Japanese than the English Dub. But, I like Cowboy Bebop english dub more than the Japanese. The VA's just matched the characters very well. Also, I liked Hellsing's dub, it sounded realisitic, because the characters had apporaite accents like Ceras and Anderson, Alucard's voice was so-so. Full Metal Alchemist's dub is acceptable, heard better, heard worse. I have to agree with most people, that english dub to Sailor Moon is crappy. Especially in the later episodes, because they changed the voice cast. Also, I hated Ranma 1/2's english dub, Ranma and Akane just sound so generic. [/FONT] [/SIZE]

[Katana]

[size=1][color=royalblue]You guys probably think of me as the person who's a newbie to anime. Why? Because usually, subs drive me crazy.
I'll admit, the only anime I have on DVD is Azumanga Daioh. But I have heard the Japanese voice actors of various anime, and I'm usually frightened out of my mind. Subtitles drive me crazy because you have to focus on reading the words...then you miss the scene...and then you're pissed.
Anyways...
The best dub I've ever seen would probably be Yu Yu Hakusho. Okay, you guys probably think I'm being a little elementry, but when you really look at it, the voice actors that dubbed the series did a great job. Each of the voices fit the characters personality almost perfectly. I haven't quite come across one that I hate (I'm going by the CN airings here), so that's probably at the top of my list.
Worst dub? Duel Masters, 100%. I don't watch it - hell no - but the bits and pieces of it that I've seen drive me insane. All the voices make me grind my teeth, and Joshua Seth's voice has been used too many times as it is.
Another disappointment was Shaman King. I loved the manga, so I thought I'd check out the anime. WRONG! Their voices drive me nuts too, although Yoh's isn't that bad.
I think one element that drives anime fans crazy is when these companies change a character's name. Not spelling (like Shippou to Shippo, etc.), but things like Honda to Tristen, Ran to Rachel, and things like that (nope, I'm not a Yu-Gi-Oh fan - just thank Shonen Jump for that info tidbit). I don't see why they do these things. Yes, a lot of animes in America are aimed at little kids, but they could at least keep the original names. Makes 'em sound cooler. ^_~
Oh yes, going back to Azumanga Daioh: I think the dub is way better than the sub. Whenever I get bored, I flip it to Japanese, and cock an eyebrow at the differences. If you though Chiyo-chan's voice was high in the English version, then you definetly haven't heard the Japanese version. Perhaps the only voice I liked in the original Japanese was Yomi's, and that isn't really saying much. The voice that made the most transition (to me) was Chiyo-chan's "father". He was rather bland-sounding in the sub, but sports an awesome, colorful dub voice.
*wave wave* I'm gone...[/color][/size]

[Godelsensei]

[COLOR=Gray][FONT=Courier New]To begin with, on artistic grounds, I cannot stand the thought of dubbing. Some things were just meant to be Japanese (Rurouni Kenshin, [i]par example[/i], before they abandoned the [i]manga[/i] and rode off into the sunset, after rocket ships and whatever the hell else), through and through.

I have only ever seen two dub-jobs in my life which I actually enjoyed: Princess Mononoke (the lengths they went to for this dub paid off) and The Castle of Cagliostro. The latter's original voice actors didn't sound too hot, to be as vague as possible, but the dub was quite enjoyable.

However, as the French say, [i]l'exception confirme la regle[/i]: all the Mononokes and Cagliostros in the world will never make up for Castle In the Sky, Cowboy Bebop, Rurouni Kenshin, and countless other titles who have been brutally murdered and are currently having their corpses dragged through the mud.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[Dagger]

[QUOTE=Katana][size=1][color=royalblue]You guys probably think of me as the person who's a newbie to anime. Why? Because usually, subs drive me crazy.
I'll admit, the only anime I have on DVD is Azumanga Daioh. But I have heard the Japanese voice actors of various anime, and I'm usually frightened out of my mind. Subtitles drive me crazy because you have to focus on reading the words...then you miss the scene...and then you're pissed.[/color][/size][/QUOTE]

I don't think preferring dubs or subs has anything to do with being a "newbie." The only people I consider to be anime newbies are those who download R1 DVD rips or knowingly buy bootlegs and subsequently offer some half-***ed excuse for not supporting the legitimate release.

[quote name='Godelsensei][COLOR=Gray][FONT=Courier New]To begin with, on artistic grounds, I cannot stand the thought of dubbing. Some things were just meant to be Japanese (Rurouni Kenshin, [i]par example[/i], before they abandoned the [i]manga[/i] and rode off into the sunset, after rocket ships and whatever the hell else), through and through.[/FONT'][/COLOR][/quote]

Your argument doesn't really hold water--there are so many popular, respected anime that don't take place in Japan. Would you find it more artistically satisfying to watch Monster in German, or Noir and Nadia in French? It certainly doesn't make sense for all of the German characters in Monster to magically know Japanese. What about anime which take place in a world with no clearly defined language (such as Revolutionary Girl Utena, Trigun and Kiki's Delivery Service)? One can't really assert that a Japanese script adds to a show's realism or historical accuracy when everything else about it is patently unrealistic--as is the case with Rurouni Kenshin TV.

Moreover, and I'm sure I've said this elsewhere, [i]all anime is dubbed[/i]. That is, much of the animation itself is completed before the Japanese vocal track is recorded, so ultimately both the Japanese and English casts are in the same boat--it's just that one set of VAs is able to take a crack at the material a bit earlier. That's why even when you're watching something in Japanese, lip flaps can be problematic.

Another reason I frequently prefer dubs: no Engrish! Cheesy Engrish can slaughter an otherwise lovely scene. For example, episode 11 of Maria-sama ga Miteru ends with Sei saying "My happy birthday!" in English. It sounded freaking awful and completely shattered the mood. I've never been able to forgive Maria-sama's scriptwriters for inserting that line.

You know what's amusing--I actually can't stand Princess Mononoke's dub. It's the primary reason I've never watched the movie in its entirety.

~Dagger~

[Solo Tremaine]

[quote name='Dagger IX1']One of my personal favorites is the new English version of Miyazaki's Castle in the Sky. Something about that dub just makes me happy.[/quote][COLOR=#503F86]Strangely, that's one dub I really don't like. The re-writing by Disney just seems far too 'twee' to me, adding in what I'd call pointless dialogue jokes where there aren't any in the Japanese version (for example, when Mom's boys are fighting amongst themselves, or just fighting in general). But then, that might just be my grudge against Disney taking vengeance on anything remotely similar in terms of script.

That said, I don't really like James van der Beek's voice in it, either. Something about it just doesn't sit well with me. Billy Crudup as Ashitaka suited well, I thought. Gillian Anderson could have been better-spoken but otherwise they had some lovely rich-sounding voices in it.

[i]Spirited Away[/i] was a lovely film, but Chihiro's very much on a monotone pitch all the way through. There's always this slight whine in it, even when she's being happy. That's my only gripe with that dub.

Otherwise I'll always tend to watch something in English first, because I can personally identify more with the emotions in an English character's voice than a Japanese one. I prefer [i]Trigun[/i]'s English dub to the Japanese one, as well as [i]Outlaw Star[/i], [i]Evangelion[/i], [i]Nadesico[/i] and [i]RahXephon[/i]. I'll happily listen to the Japanese voice, but I don't find myself connecting and becoming involved with the characters if I do. I enjoy them far more when I can.

The worst dub I've heard... would probably have to be some of the older animes I've seen. [i]The Winds of Amnesia[/i], for example, and [i]MADOX-01[/i]. [i]Final Fantasy: Unlimited[/i] had the really irritating children's voices, but apart from that I'm easy to please. I don't bother getting fanatical about how much the script's changed because I can always turn on the subtitles and read it from there instead.

The only thing that irks me is overuse of a particular voice actor. Whenever I hear... oh... the actress who plays Megumi in [i]RahXephon[/i], I think of Nene in [i]Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040[/i]. And I get that whenever I hear her voice- the captain in [i]Full Metal Panic[/i], Shiratori's sister in [i]Nadesico[/i]... it's always Nene to me. But that'll happen with anything you watch which reuses the same actors and actresses, really.[/COLOR]

[GTK]

[QUOTE=xmystic_silverx][size=1] It made you cry? ;.; That's pretty sad because I thought it was okay.
Al is weird? I though his voice was adorable and I have heard comments of people saying that Ed's voice sounds like a surfer but I don't think it's that bad.

I really like the show and I get disappointed when people say the dubbing is crap.

You don't like Fruits Basket? 0_0 Now I think you're mad. I mean, I love all their voices, except for those annoying fan girls and maybe Tohru's but they're voices really fit the characters really well. ^_^;

I think FUNimation does a great job on dubbing, but not so much on DBZ and that's probably because I don't like the show.

[/size][/QUOTE]

Al is ten times more adorable in Japanese, but that's my opinion. I really like the show too, which is why the english dub is so disappointing to me. Then agian, I watched the whole thing in Japanese already, which probably has a lot to do with it. I'm used to the Japanese voices, and I think they fit better.

Fruits Basket was just weird. Yuki had such a sweet, cute voice in Japanese... and then it was weird and deep in English O_o it was a big change, so I refused to watch it after that XD; And hearing "sissy" isn't as cute as oneechan (which I probably spelled wrong)

But I've always hated FUNimation, so there you have it. More so now because they have a larger "life size" statue of Al in their office. I've seen pictures T_T I shall steal it from them.

[quote name='Dagger IX1][size=1'] Another reason I frequently prefer dubs: no Engrish! [/size][/quote]

I actually like Engrish, when it isn't too horribly done. It's cute ^_^ Though I guess it depends on what's going on at the time. Though I prefer Engrish on my clothes rather than in my anime.


A -ton- of people say they don't like subtitles because they have to read rather than focus on what's going on. At first, it's weird. But you pick it up pretty fast and I have no trouble keeping up with subtitles and what's going on. It's not nearly as complicated as some people make it sound.

I generally like subtitled anime better, but if I buy the DVD and I can watch it in English, I usually give the English a try -fjrst-. When it starts and I decide it doesn't fit the characters, I switch it back to Japanese. I do really try to watch both if I can, though I've been watching things fansubbed lately so I don't get that option XD;

[Dagger]

[quote name='GTK']Fruits Basket was just weird. Yuki had such a sweet, cute voice in Japanese... [/quote]

Sure, if by that you mean he sounded just like a little girl... :p

There are plenty of female seiyuu (such as Junko Minagawa and the ever-lovely Mitsuki Saiga) who can convincingly fit into male roles, but in my opinion Aya Hisakawa just isn't one of them. The only one of her male characters I've ever been able to tolerate is Miki from Revolutionary Girl Utena, and I don't even really think of him as a boy. She's fantastic at girls and women, and in female roles she displays a surprising amount of range, but all of her boys sound excessively feminine. That's just my personal taste speaking, though.

I forgot to mention His and Her Circumstances earlier, and I could just kick myself for that. Its dub is brilliant to the point that I have no desire to watch the series subtitled (and with all that flying text, I've got more than enough to read as it is). In my mind, Veronica Taylor [i]is[/i] Yukino--she nails every single crazy mood swing, outburst and over-the-top emotion, then segues perfectly into the occasional angsty introspective monologue. For me personally, His and Her's English dub is as close to perfect as a dub can get.

~Dagger~

[Readordie]

[quote name='Dan Rugh']Yeah... I bet all that just came off the top of your head.... Why didn't you just copy and paste the Anime News Network voice actor list? Anyway, the topic of this thread is best/worst dubs, not your favorite voice actors.[/quote]

There's...an anime news network? I just know this because I just study this stuff almost religiously. I hit the pause button when watching the credits roll on an anime I have on tape/DVD. Also, all of Kari Wahlgren's roles sound alike(Robin sounds EXACTLY like Haruko...minus the insanity, not to mention how much Raine and Cher sound alike...). I'm obsessed with...Anime...Dubology. The only thing I learned with help was Wendee Lee's many...many names.

Oh, and Veronica Taylor also IS Ash from pokemon.

[Dagger]

[QUOTE=Readordie]There's...an anime news network? I just know this because I just study this stuff almost religiously. I hit the pause button when watching the credits roll on an anime I have on tape/DVD. Also, all of Kari Wahlgren's roles sound alike(Robin sounds EXACTLY like Haruko...minus the insanity, not to mention how much Raine and Cher sound alike...). I'm obsessed with...Anime...Dubology. The only thing I learned with help was Wendee Lee's many...many names.

Oh, and Veronica Taylor also IS Ash from pokemon.[/QUOTE]

If you like to keep track of English (or Japanese) VAs, [url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/][u]ANN[/u][/url] is a priceless resource. It contains a vast database of information about nearly every anime ever made, including which voice actors and actresses played which roles in various movies, series and OVAs. As someone who's often just too lazy to read the credits, I love being able to verify stuff online.

I actually was quite surprised when I found out that Kari Wahlgren played Robin. To me, Lavie (from Last Exile) sounded very much like Haruko, but her "Robin" voice seemed drastically different. Maybe it was the softness of tone and the character's demure, subdued attitude that fooled me. Either way, I remember being rather impressed by her range.

I've never watched more than a few minutes of Pokemon, but I'm sure Ms. Taylor is great in that too. :)

In my opinion, the best dubs currently airing on American television or being released on R1 DVD are Last Exile, R.O.D the TV, Fullmetal Alchemist, Paranoia Agent, Wolf's Rain and Yu Yu Hakusho. I've mentioned most of those anime before, but I thought I'd throw that out there in list form just to see who agrees or disagrees.

~Dagger~

[GTK]

[quote name='Dagger IX1']In my opinion, the best dubs currently airing on American television or being released on R1 DVD are Last Exile, R.O.D the TV, Fullmetal Alchemist, Paranoia Agent, Wolf's Rain and Yu Yu Hakusho. I've mentioned most of those anime before, but I thought I'd throw that out there in list form just to see who agrees or disagrees.[/quote]

I'll give you Last Exile, R.O.D., Wolf's Rain, and Yu Yu Hakusho... but FullMetal Alchemist is just really bad T_T I refuse to watch the show in English now, as I'm scared to see how badly they'll butcher other characters. (I found the dub so bad that I almost decided -not- to cosplay as Edward, as I'd planned to at an upcoming con. ^^; which would have been bad, since I've already spent so much on the costume even though it's incomplete)

I do like Wolf's Rain, though hearing Johnny Yong Bosch as Kiba took me about 4 episodes to get used to O_O


Thinking about other english dubs, Noir isn't too bad (though Chloe sounds super weird T_T) Gungrave is okay... except for Brandon/Grave's voice T_T which is really sad, because the dub would've been great if his voice wasn't so bad. The Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex dub is really good as well~ The King of Bandit Jing dub is sort of nice too (though I really like Kir's Japanese voice). Then there's Loddoss War, the Slayers, Ninja Scroll, Texhnolyze (though I prefer it in Japanese... the english bloopers are funny though), Yukikaze, and GTO
There are more that have already been named too, but I won't mention them.


and for more bad dubs XD;
Descendants of Darkness/Yami no Matsuei had a yucky english dub (yesh, the ducks are irritating in Japanese, but it's really, really, really weird when in Japanese they had high pitched, child-like voices and in English one of them had a really deep voice and the other one sounded just weird) I like my girly boys to sound girly, as it's weird when they look girly and sound macho (which is why I hated Yuki's english voice in Fruits Basket). Hisoka had a really weird deep voice in English T_T he was no longer cute... and Muraki was totally butchered *cries* and sounded like he belonged in a bad sci-fi movie.
Haibane Renmei was sort of okay, but some of the characters sounded really weird T_T Rakka being the most irritating.
Knight Hunters/Weiss Kreuz was so bad I actually stopped watching the show completely. Which is sad, because I'm a rabid fangirl, but the dub was so horrible that I could no longer watch it. Though I don't know if the Gluhen series is any better (forgive me, but I don't know what the 2nd series is called in English)
Other bad dubs include~
Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi, Nightwalker, Saber Marionette, Tekken (though the anime was pretty horrible as well), the X movie, Ceres: Celestial Legend, Earthian, Fake, Excel Saga, Gundam Wing, and The Heroic Legend of Arslan (Arislan?)

And I could probably name more ^^; but won't

[Twilight_Kioku]

i dont nessecarily know if they are the best dubs, but i like the ones for Wolfs Rain, R.O.D. the TV, and Full Metal Alchemist. it seemed like the characters came to life on the screen. that, and the production quality is top notch. like someone said before me, i liked the dubs on inuyasha until i saw some japanese subs. kagome's actor isnt very good, but i still like the english inuyasha actor. as for the first three i said, i cant compare yet because i havent seen the japanese versions. i dont know if i dont like the voiceovers or just the show as a whole when it comes to DBZ\GT. it just seems way to exaggerated to me. that, and they scream to much, lol. either way, i dont like it.

[Onikage]

[QUOTE=GTK]I think you're mad O_O

The FMA dub made my cry, though I could only tolerate one episode ^^; Ed sounds way too old, Al is just weird, Roy makes me cry, and Winry is really shrill T_T and Pinako sounds really scary

I didnt' like Fruits Basket either... The Japanese voices were much cuter ^^ in English, most of the female cast sounds the same and I kept getting confused O_o

I do really like both Cowboy Bebop and Trigun though (Bebop more.. Legato's japanese voice is just way too cool XD) Berserk I like either way~ they did a good job casting that one ^_^ (and the outakes are really funny)

Galerians: Rion (which isn't really anime, but close enough) also had a horrible English dub (but I really like Akira Ishida ^^; so I'm biased)... and a English soundtrack ~_~ why they redid the soundtrack is beyond me, but it was yucky

I think I can name more english dubs I hated rather than the ones I like ^^; but I'll stop there~[/QUOTE]

you guys have got to be kidding me, you guys already hate Funimation's version of FMA just because of a voice that doesn't sound right?? you people are such an idiot, either that or you people watch to many FMA of the japanese version. I think Funiamtion did a great job at dubbing the show. Hating the show because of a stupid voice that you don't like is just plain idiotic...

:nope:

[QUOTE]i dont nessecarily know if they are the best dubs, but i like the ones for Wolfs Rain, R.O.D. the TV, and Full Metal Alchemist. it seemed like the characters came to life on the screen. that, and the production quality is top notch. like someone said before me, i liked the dubs on inuyasha until i saw some japanese subs. kagome's actor isnt very good, but i still like the english inuyasha actor. as for the first three i said, i cant compare yet because i havent seen the japanese versions. i dont know if i dont like the voiceovers or just the show as a whole when it comes to DBZ\GT. it just seems way to exaggerated to me. that, and they scream to much, lol. either way, i dont like it.[/QUOTE]

exactly how I feel...

:beer:

[GTK]

[QUOTE=Onikage]you guys have got to be kidding me, you guys already hate Funimation's version of FMA just because of a voice that doesn't sound right?? you people are such an idiot, either that or you people watch to many FMA of the japanese version. I think Funiamtion did a great job at dubbing the show. Hating the show because of a stupid voice that you don't like is just plain idiotic...
[/QUOTE]


I never said I hated it because of Funimations dub (I've watched the whole series already and I love it XD). I just found it horribly depressing. I mean, I am seriously thinking about pre-ordering movie tickets to see the movie IN JAPAN. I still love FMA (enough to go all the way to japan in the summer to watch the movie ^^; how's that for being a fangirl?)
I was just really hoping Funimation would do the series justice with their English dub and they let me down. T_T I am, however, buying the DVD as soon as it comes out~ (if there's the option to watch it in Japanese anyway...)


and, in my opinion, the Dragon Ball series is where they dump all the voice actors who are just starting out ^^; I mean, Crispin Freeman once did the voice of Goku, if I remember correctly.

[Pumpkin]

[QUOTE=Dan Rugh][size=1]Wow I'm surprised you were able to create a semi-intelligent thread. *applauds*[/size]

I really cannot stand the Fushigi Yuugi English dubbing. I bought the box set of it about a year ago and watched the Japanese version with sub-titles, all the while not realizing how bad the dub was. So one day I switched it over in the middle of an episode and was horrified with some of the voices. Miaka's is incredibly annoying....

I used to be obsessed with InuYasha when it first started airing in the US about 2 years ago. At that time I believed that the dubbing was pretty good.... Then when I bought the first volume on DVD, I noticed how much better the Japanese voice actors were. Kagome's English actor is very fake and unbelievable in her acting. InuYasha's voice is also pretty annoying with the way they make him talk in slang sometimes. Yamaguchi Kappei does a VERY good representation of a half human, half dog demon whereas Richard Cox just sucks at it. I have since gotten over InuYasha because I've realized how repetetive and mediocre it is.

Furi Kuri has an excellent English dub. Many reviews I have read on it say that it's dub is better than the original Japanese track. I don't know if I agree with this, but I think I prefer the Japanese track for this as well. I do really like Naota's English voice actor since I don't believe I've heard him in any other series before unlike many of the recycled VAs we know of today. Haruko's voice was also done very well because she sounds damn close to the seiyuu who voiced her originally. That was a good move.

I know that everyone's gonna say this because it's probably the most popular anime among Americans (who aren't 8), but Cowboy Bebop was done well also. I've never actually heard the original Japanese track for Cowboy Bebop so I can't truly gauge how good it is, but it sounds good enough for me.

Evagelion wasn't that great. All of the voice actors sounded like they had never had any kind of training in that line of work. They were very fake sounding, especially Shinji, Asuka, and Kensuke.

Yeah. I'll post more if I think of any others/feel like it.[/QUOTE]

[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1][COLOR=SeaGreen] Owch that was a bit harsh -.-;; heh. Anyways..I have to admit I did the same thing lol I changed from Japanese Fushigi Yuugi to the dubbed version to see what it sounded like. I thought my ears we're going to explode, Miaka's voice is horrible. As far as the Inu Yasha dub goes, I dont think its as bad as Sailor Moon's voice was. I liked the old person who dubbed the first "Serena" but I remember they switched, remember when SuperS season started and they got someone extremely horrible at it. It got better later but still *shivers* The only dubs that I really enjoy are Cowboy Bebop and Trigun. I love Faye's voice in Cowboy Bebop...and I really love Vash's laugh in Trigun. He did a really good job. I think Trigun was done really well also. The thing with Fushigi Yuugi is they changed the words around so much that it didnt really quite make sense to me why they did that. Its almost like changing the whole conversation. Ugh so frustrating >.<;; sailor moon was bad also because they were not allowed to show gay relationships which if you notice there are alot of gay characters *cough* Michiru, Haruka, Zoicite, Fisheye*cough* or else are changed from man to woman. It's like a seperate version. This is why I hate dub. Except Trigun's. Cause Vash is so cute XD tee hee [/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]