Forum - View topicREVIEW: Black Butler DVD
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KrisEllieOphi
 Posts: 111 Location: Texas |
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I was really frustrated by the English dubbing. I haven't found a single performance to like, except for the wonderful rendition of Grell. I agree that Daniel as Grell is fantastic, but he's the only one who stood out to me. The accents are so fake sounding most of the time, and they're a little unstable, and I really ended up hating it, I'm sorry to say.
It doesn't help that Maaya Sakamoto and Daisuke Ono are spectacular as Ciel and Sebastian on the Japanese track. It's hard to listen to someone else. |
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Hypeathon
Posts: 1176 |
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Okay, I am aware what is it about this show that makes fangirls shriek like banshees and when Hope described it as "terribly naughty," it definitely is not far off the mark. I probably would like a show same as I would a dish if not for it having too much of an odd and spicey flavor, and I'm not a fan of spice, nor do I care much for it. With the show in Japanese, it's not that Daisuke Ono or Maaya Sakamoto act badly in the show at all (fun fact: Maaya Sakamoto was also casted as Natsuki from Birdy the Mighty Decode and coincidentally Brina was casted for that same role in the dub). They along with other actors in Japanese well-served their purpose to help douse the show with fujoshi-appealling flavor. But to me as a guy who can't find this thing so appealing, that very flavor was drenched too much for me to care. It felt as if they're designed to sound sexy and push my "squeal" button, which isn't working.
I guess with the dub, it sort of makes the dish milder enough for me to enjoy the show more. Because of the regional accents and more liberal casting of certain voices, it diluted some of what I got out of the Japanese track, well enough to make more sense for me to want to watch it. Though not by that much honestly because I guess the show as a whole just is a bit too awkwardly naughty for my tastes. |
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tuxedocat
 Posts: 2183 |
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I was actually surprised by how well the anime turned out despite the fact that it was launched with so little source material available at the time.
Ensuing gecko-ish changes aside, I was hoping that the anime would have captured more of the passive-aggressive, competition that takes makes the Sebastian/Ciel dynamic so fascinating in the manga. I would have thought that the anime could have taken advantage of this dynamic and played it up a bit more. Unfortunately, I wasn't feeling it so much in the anime version. Too bad, too, since (IMO) it makes the character interactions so much more interesting. I just received my box set the day before yesterday, so I haven't had the chance to check out the dub. |
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DmonHiro
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For some reason, most people don't understand that even guy can and do "squeal" over male characters. The only difference is that while the ladies "squeal" thinking "God, I'd like him to do things to me", guys "squeal" thinking "God, I wish I was that awesome too". And yes, both genders can say "Man, his voice is so freaking awesome".
tl;dr: I'd go gay for Sebastain. |
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Hypeathon
Posts: 1176 |
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It's not that I don't think guys can't also "squeal" over male characters, it's just that I can't express that kind of excitement over a character like Sebastion, or even like Ciel. In fact I find Ciel kinda hard to tolerate here and there. I will admit it's cool he can use common silverware as weapons and it's funny that he has secrets but will never tell. But that's the best my excitement towards that character can extend. It's not at all like my excitement towards any of the Sengoku Basara chaaracters. |
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ZenErik
 Posts: 392 Location: Boston |
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Been watching this series recently deciding whether to buy this release. So far, the series is enjoyable, but it's just... alright. Not sold quite yet.
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DoktorZetsubou
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Huh. It's a fun watch and all, but I'm accustomed to fan service shows getting more negative reviews on here.
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neocloud9
 Posts: 1178 Location: Atlanta, GA |
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Omigosh, I think this is the first time a review has so exactly mirrored my own opinions on a show! It really is a great feeling, isn't it?
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Oneeyedjacks
 Posts: 307 |
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I love how descriptive and innovative Hope's reviews are.
After reading this review I'm considering going back to watch the rest after dropping it at only episode 6. |
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Saturn
 Posts: 513 |
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how can you recommend the Japanese and English versions "equally" after spending a rather long time lamenting the distracting accents?
My only guess is that the English VAs who were good were SO good that they made up for the bad ones. Personally, I can't comment, really; I listened to a few minutes of Ciel in English and knew it wasn't for me, and then later a friend talked me into listening to Undertaker's delightful accent and knew I'd never bother with the language features on this dvd set. |
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tuxedocat
Posts: 2183 |
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It's not any worse than the "Engrish" rendition of "God Save the Queen" that happens in a later episode in the second half.
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CCSYueh
 Posts: 2707 Location: San Diego, CA |
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It was discussed in the 2nd commentary that J. Michael Tatum doesn't exactly sound Texan normally (except in extreme circumstances) due to the fact he had a severe stutter as a child & the voice coach he had for 5 years as a child was a Brittish lady which is where Sebastian came from. Granted, that might be made up, though I really don't see the point to doing so.
Bard is played as a Brit in the dub, not an American. He's called Baldroy also. Episode 1-opens with a piece of the bargain we don't see for several chapters. In fact, I couldn't place the lines specifically. They reminded me of the Devil in Animamundi, actually. The mundane morning routine includes Ciel chucking darts at Sebastian & Finny instead of the chinese martial artist. The Uncle bringing Ciel the game "Mouse 3" is replaced by a thieving employee coming for pretty much the same dinner setting playing a very morbid board game which is echoed in the real world, although the employee survives. The scene at the townhouse/Jack the Ripper plot is moved to ep 2 & Grell is placed at the manor to be trained as a butler by Sebastian (killing some of the tension for my money in the name of dragging a popular character into the story early). Rather than Elizabeth, we get the Italian mob from the end of Vol 1 as the 2nd ep. Since Ciel did not receive "Mouse 3", it couldn't be used as ransom. Episode 3 is Elizabeth. Grelle's prescence causes dialogue shifting & scene addition. Grelle is suicidal over his poor butlering skills. (I really don't see Grelle as suicidal over anything). Part of the carriage scene from the Ripper chapter is moved here sans Ciel so it is now between Lau & Madam Red. We don't get the delightful Sebastian's day with the staff driving him to seek out the cat which also links some of those smiles at Ciel we see from time to time from Sebastian to his seeing the kitty paws as adorable. 4-6 are the Ripper eps. Since we lost the prior cat ep, is is strange to see Sebastian adoring the kitty in this arc. We get some extra scenes of "Ripper" & his last victim (putting makeup on her while she is still alive), but lose the exchange where Ciel figures out Sebastian followed the order literally rather than supplying what Ciel meant. (Specifically I could not find the line about "You know how I am, yet you keep me by your side") I swear it sounds like the English had Ciel suspecting Sebastian, but I only caught it for as second as I was popping back & forth between the dubs. (Tatum is good, but Ono's delivery is easier on my ears. The English dub was tiring to listen to at times-too brash). Grelle offer to tell Ciel who killed his parents when Spears shows up which is not part of the manga. The rest of the first set is filler. Eps 10-12 feel like those filler eps we see so many times where the anime borrows elements from the manga, specifically Drossel is similar in appearance & servitude to Joker from the Circus arc. Instead of children in general being kidnapped, only girls are being taken. "Master" is familiar with details of Ciel's abduction as we saw with the stalker in the Circus arc. Again, this is jumbled as Prince Soma is apparently entering in ep 13 rather than before the circus story. The servants/cat bit is portrayed in a filler ep involving the demon dog the anime decided to saddle cat-loving Sebastian with. In fact they play up that Sebastian loves cats but hates dogs for the Baskerville plot which I don't recall in the manga. They drop Ciel's apparent dislike of cats. The demon dog seems to exist just to run around naked in human form. Grelle returns for ep 11 when he has never returned to the manga. |
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mezzaleonhart
 Posts: 8 |
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I'm relieved to see Hope's review being so positive. I place the sub of the show as one of my favourites, but I have never been sure if it was just my fangirlishness for the series that made this happen until I read Hope's view :L The jury is still out for me on the dub, having only seen the first 4 episodes its pretty hard to judge. From what I've seen though, I'm fairly impressed. Grell obviously is amazing just as a butler so i can't wait to see him in his full glory, but I'm certain I will always prefer Daisuke Ono's Sebastian...
As for the series being mostly filler, well yeh it is. Until you realise it isn't at all when all the pieces come together towards the end and you're forced to realise the interconnectedness of all the events. Compared to the events of the manga though, if people are going to complain that it doesn't stick to the main storylines you kindo have to view the anime as a totally seperate entity. Remember that the anime was made while the manga was in very early stages, and that the producers had to make the most of what they had at the time. Personally I think they did a very good job of producing an alternate plot to that of the manga while not upsetting the fans too much and not detracting from the source material. Personally I feel that the only show that has been able to produce anything better under these circumstances is FMA, with both shows making the most of established characters and playing with their own plots to fill in what had not been written yet. Oh but if you really want to complain about the show, just wait until the mess of a second series... 
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poonk
 Posts: 1490 Location: In the Library with Philip |
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While I've totally given up on being objective about this series (evidence) I was actually pleasantly surprised to read this review. I was expecting the show to be lambasted as a mere "fanservice-for-girls" series. And while that element is there, it's also (imo) a pretty fun watch even if you're not into that. And it wasn't like every episode had an equivalent of "the corset scene"
 so I felt that that particular fanservice element was metered out well throughout the series. Not too much, not too little, just right (for a non-BL series). Just a little "naughty" as Hope aptly put it.
I'm still waiting for my exchanged copy from RightStuf (long story) so I haven't had the chance to pop it in my DVD player yet but I was a bit disappointed to read that the advertised commentaries were actually with the English dub cast & not the Japanese. I'll probably still check out the Becca interview though. Love that ED song. |
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CCSYueh
Posts: 2707 Location: San Diego, CA |
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You have every right to your opinion, but I thought the point was he was a LOUSY butler. He's apparently not all that great a shinigami considering Spears dragged him off & we've not seen him since (hell of a detention he's been given)
I have always heard filler used as anime stories that are not taken from the manga. I've never really considered original anime to be able to have filler since they have no manga they are based on. Even if it doesn't add to the main ongoing plot, it can't really be filler. This is a human with a pet demon story like InuYasha or Zenki. I love when this genre is done well.
I was replying to someone who asked specifically how it compared to the manga so of course I was pointing out differences.
There are 3 volumes each to Magic Knight Rayearth. Full Moon Sagoshite had one volume out when the anime was planned from the stories I heard.
I liked the adversarial relationship of Sebastian & Ciel which was reduced greatly if not eliminated.
I've heard rumors of how this title ends & there is no need for it to head in that direction. It was incredibly dumb of them to not imagine it would be popular enough to warrant a second season & thus not write themselves into the corner they did. You want to see good filler, One Piece does a pretty good job of it. GetBackers managed to complete 2 seasons including filler & still keep much of the spirit. Hellsing TV was pretty good considering where they strayed from the manga.
Who's complaining? I've heard so much dire talk of this show, it's actually much better than I hoped for. I know it's going to go south hard in the next 12 eps. Problem is, it really could have been better. I can enjoy the pretty art & great VA work, yet still mourn how short-sighted the adaptors were. |
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