Forum - View topicKarin English Dub
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pauseandrewind
Posts: 5 |
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I was just wondering what everyone thought about the English dub for Karin, and what y'alls thoughts were on the Geneon situation. I love that show and was so irritated when I found out that the second half might not be released, and we might never get to hear what Karin's grandmother sounds like in English!
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Key
Moderator
 Posts: 18571 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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It's generally customary (actually here it's required) that you lead with your own opinions on the issue when making threads like this.
That being said, my detailed reflections on the dub for Karin and its progression over the course of the series can be found in the reviews for vol. 1-3, which can be accessed from the series' Encyclopedia entry. The short version: although always saddled by some questionable casting choices and weak performances in some key roles (especially Kenta and his mother), it does gradually improve (especially Karin herself). |
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pauseandrewind
Posts: 5 |
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I'm terribly sorry. I read the rules for this forum but I must have missed that one. :-/
My personal view of the dub was that it was the best from ODEX we've ever seen. I also think that it got better as it went along. The first few episodes were sort of painful to watch...but by the end of the third disc, I felt like the actors got more comfortable with their roles. I think that Carerra, Henry, Boogie, Maki, Anju, Ren and Winner were very strong--and that many strong leads really sold it for me. Usui and his mother were markedly weaker but I think that the strength of the others made up for their stilted performance. I also really liked the changes in translation. I felt like the slight changes to the script really improved the show for an English audience. I am a Japanese-American living in Asia and I speak both Japanese and English. I don't see how Americans can possibly find direct translations of Japanese funny. From an American English standpoint, the English script was a vast improvement over the Japanese subtitles. I guess I'll go into specifics on each character, since that's what I'm most interested in hearing other opinions on. Carerra: I really liked the quasi-European accent. I felt like the parents' English names and accents made clear the Marker history which the show didn't really go into in the beginning. The maturity of the voice was just right, and the acting was very good. The emotion was always spot on. Henry: I think it's crazy the same actor did both Henry and Boogie! The voices were very different and I think both were done very well. Henry's subservience really came across in the voice, and I think his character grew over the series too...which was reflected in the voice. I think both parents provided invaluable comic relief. Boogie: I love this character, and I think the actor did a terrific job. He sounds just like I imagine a creepy, axe-weilding toy would sound like. The characters of Boogie and Anju played off each other very well. Anju: The actress did a great job with this one. She managed to sound creepy and emotionless without losing energy or becoming monotonous. Maki: I think Maki's voice was perfect for the character, with an interesting dual timbre. Did anyone else notice how she had botha high and low pitched voice? I loved it. It sounded young but with depth, which really helped the character to grow. Ren: Wow. I think the voice was a bit old for the character, but...wow. Enough said? Winner: I think Winner was really the test for me. At first I wasn't sure about how I felt about the voice. It was a bit obnoxious in the beginning...but it's supposed to be! The actor really knew what he was doing with this one. And I love how Winner's lines are generally the original Japanese--it gave his character an element of quirkiness above and beyond the crazy voice. Usui: I have to say, I think Usui was the weak point of the show. A lot of his deliveries seem stilted, and his accent gets in the way a bit. I didn't really think his voice went well with Karin's, and that was sort of a letdown. I don't think the voice went particularly well with the drawings either, which was also disappointing. This actor was the same one who played Hiwou in the Bandai show Clockwork Fighters, and I didn't hear much difference or improvement on the part of the actor from one show to the other. Fumio: Another weak character. The voice was way too young and the acting not terrific. I felt like the actress didn't really understand what was happening in her scenes. My overall impression was that the actors were of a higher calibre than we've seen at Odex before. Did they get new talent? I think the consensus before this show was that the director was inexperienced, but after Karin I think that the director knew what he was doing and it was the former actors who had such little experience. What do you guys think? |
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Key
Moderator
Posts: 18571 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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With the possible exception of Anju (who didn't impress me), I more or less agree with your assessment on the other VAs. I notice you didn't say any about Karin herself, however. An oversight?
I will also agree that, by volume 3, it was one of Odex's better efforts, but that isn't saying much. 
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pauseandrewind
Posts: 5 |
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Not an oversight. I had other reasons for not mentioning Karin.
 What did you think of her?
And honestly, I can't say I agree with the common consensus about Odex. I think that for a relatively new company, in the US, Canada, or Asia, they are doing a fine job. Their efforts on Karin were more than admirable. I think that if the same dub had come out of a more prestigious company, perhaps one that wasn't trying to crack down on illegal downloads, the reviews would have been much kinder. The actors and directors at Odex come from the United States. They have done other work, and it has been well received. I think that a lot of the negativity stems from resentment over the fact that the show was not given to a US company. |
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Key
Moderator
Posts: 18571 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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No, a lot of the negativity about them comes from the fact that they have created some really awful dubs. Apparently you have not heard their English dub for Fantastic Children, which I'd rated as one of the worst English dubs I've ever heard. (This criticism is coming from a well-recognized dub fan, BTW.) Their English dub for Zipang was, by far, the weakest aspect of that series; not all of it is bad, but it has many hideous performances and casting decisions, so much so that the cast credits were conspicuously absent on some volumes. Unquestionably they have improved some, but they don't yet have a good enough track record to be on the same level as even the more mediocre American dubbing companies. |
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