Message-ID: <3BB804E6.ED4DB1CE@ix.netcom.com> Date: Sun, 30 Sep 2001 22:53:42 -0700 From: Alan Zabaro To: tenchi@ml.usagi.org Subject: Re: Thoughts On Tenchi Universe....... References: <20010930.154410.-98503.1.echo484@juno.com> Reply-To: tenchi@ML.usagi.org X-ML-archive: http://www.win.ne.jp/~doi/ML/ Precedence: bulk Ed Cho wrote: > > Alan Zabaro wrote: > >> Hmmm... the OAV's the best, and neither series can compare. Let's > leave it at that. Actually, let me get more specific. The OAV sub's the > best, and nothing else can compare. There's a lot a problems w/ the OAV > dubs. There's a lot of awkward pauses right in the middle of the > sentences( to synchronize the voices with the mouth flaps, I think ) and > there's 2 REALLY obvious voice changes right in the beginning of the dub > for the 1st OAV - baby Tenchi's( which isn't that important ) and > Noboyuki's (which kinda is ). I know the actor for Noboyuki didn't > change( its Jay Hopper, IIRC ) but the difference in his voice in the > first/second episode and in the fourth leaves an almost unprofessional > finish in an otherwise great series. I'm one of the weirdos who usually > prefer the dubs to subs, but in the case of the OAV even I have to choose > the sub. That is a bit unusual; most folks who like dubs seem to find the Tenchi cast to be satisfactory, if not excellent. There are some who'll say that Petrea Burchard doesn't have the same range as Orikasa Ai, but that's the only complaint I've really heard... certainly, compared to the other dubs that dated from the same time period, the Tenchi OAVs really stand out in terms of quality. And I honestly find your opinion that the OAV dubs are so bad that they are no better than the other Tenchi series incomprehensible. I mean, a preference for the Japanese VAs over the American cast, sure; opinions will vary. But to say that the sort of issues you see in the Tenchi dub harm the quality of the series as a whole, while claiming you like dubs...I can only guess that when I say that I like dubs, I'm referring to a different set of anime than you are, a set that would include many dubs you wouldn't care for. Because the Tenchi OAV dub is, IMO, one of the ones where the American cast defines the characters for me. I mean, since I have the DVDs I've switched to the Japanese audio track to listen to the original cast, and while they're all very good, to me it feels as though they're actors playing the characters whose original voices are those of the dub cast, even though I know that's backwards...I just don't question that Matt Miller *is* Tenchi, Petrea Burchard *is* Ryoko, etc. Maybe I just got used to the dubs since I watched them first, before Tenchi was available on DVD, and I can't hear the flaws now (unless they add new ones, like they did when lines were redubbed for CN). But I doubt it; I can't imagine preferring Kagato's Japanese VA to the dub VA. The original VA is good, but to this gringo's ears the dub guy sounds like the sort of villain Kagato's supposed to be, while the other guy...doesn't. Alan Zabaro