#and unfortunately he's voiced by Keith Silverstein

[mrs-bluemarine]

Actually I love looooveee the character designs in HxH. It's all so good. There's so much personality in each design alone. Unfortunately they gave the biggest fucking freak one of the best ones (pic unrelated)

[redsbrainrot]

My Review on the Miraculous Movie

I’ve divided the review into sections with a final personal statement on it at the end. Spoilers ahead!!! Obviously.

Animation: 10/10

Absolutely gorgeous. Probably the most stunning animated film I’ve ever seen. The glow, the mist, the kwamis, the setting, fucking exceptional. Chloe’s hair especially was gorgeous. The sheer amount of detail that went into every frame is admirable. Everyone who worked on the animation deserves a massive raise.

Character Designs: 9/10

Of course most of the characters remained the same, besides the change in animation style. Like I mentioned above, I adored Chloe’s hair. Her dress at the end of the movie was also so glamorous. Marinette’s ladybug themed dress suited her so well, she looked beautiful.

The Mime and the Magician are also worth mentioning. Mime was so buff? Definitely gonna end up on thirst edits on TikTok. The magician too… very thicc…

Gabriel all disheveled waiting for Adrien to come home was so weird to see. But I liked it. His Hawkmoth suit as well was so refreshing. I couldn’t stand Shadowmoth and Monarch in seasons 4 and 5. Nice to see him again. The wings on the final fight too, mesmerising.

Emilie looked extremely different from her version in the show. I’m not sure which version I prefer. I loved her curly ponytail when she was on the stage.

Characters dialogue/actions: 6/10

Unfortunately I did have some problems with some of the minor behaviour changes in some of the characters. Specifically Adrien and Plagg. Plagg was funny in some parts (didn’t know Kwami’s could get gassy) but in others he was a bit of a dick? I can’t really explain it but there was just an off vibe with him.

Adrien also was slightly different. I actually loved seeing him stand up to Gabriel. Very much needed. I didn’t really like how distant he was with Marinette for most of the film. The Adrien we know and love from the series finds her awkwardness funny and I quote, “charming”. This was less so implied in the film. He was weirded out.

Chat Noir being extra cocky when he first met Ladybug was fucking hilarious though, I loved it. Made me giggle.

Pacing: 7/10

The pacing was mostly good… aside from the Adrienette scenes. They felt rushed. That’s all I really have to comment on this part. The film wasn’t slow though, which is a massive problem in the industry these days. I like how you were just thrown straight into it, no waiting around. As someone who zones out a fair bit, and very easily, I didn’t find the film drawn out.

Voice acting: 10/10

Exceptional. The voice actors never fail to disappoint. Especially Bryce Papenbrook and Keith Silverstein. Bryce singing “Cat Noir” in the Notre Dame scene was so funny.

And I’m sorry, Keith Silverstein’s fucking singing? I’m gonna dedicate a section to the singing but come on, worth mentioning here too.

The ending where he finds out his son is Chat Noir, made me sob. It was so well animated and acted, that I was uncontrollably sobbing.

Christina Vee also never fails to amaze me.

Chloe did sound different in this film, but it was somewhat refreshing. Her tone was less whiney like it became in season 4 and 5 of the show (I blame the writing for that though).

Songs/Singing: 7/10

I feel slightly conflicted on this subject.

Yes, the singing is good. The songs didn’t make me cringe like most musicals do. Will definitely be listening to Hawkmoth’s song again.

However… the drastic change between Marinette’s dialogue and her singing was hard to take seriously. I wish they voice matched her a little better. Adrien’s sounded different too, but it was more believable than Marinette’s. I had Monster High flashbacks from …that… film.

ANYWAY Keith FUCKING Silverstein? My jaw DROPPED. Fucking amazing.

Same with Tikki! Her singing parts were so enjoyable.

Story: 8/10

Overall, the story is good. There are some tweaks I would personally make. But I definitely prefer Jeremy ZAG’s version over Astruc’s. While there are some beautiful plots and stories lurking about in Astruc’s version, if I had to choose, I would pick ZAG’s take on it.

I will make a likes and dislikes list on some of the changes.

Likes:

- Adrien actually says “my mum died”. In the show he always just says “disappeared” or “went away”. I’m not sure if that’s just some odd Disney censorship though. But in this version, he actually says she’s dead.

- Chloe. Just Chloe. She was kind of iconic. Wasn’t over the top like she is in the show.

- Subtle hints of Nino’s feelings for Alya. They weren’t completely subtle obviously, but I like the simplicity.

- Gabriel having a fucking bob, HAHAHSHAH.

- Emilie Agrest being a stage actor

- “Watermelon”.

- Plagg being gassy

- Adrien having balls and yelling at his dad

- The way the butterfly miraculous was portrayed

- Careless whisper

- Gabriel finding out his son his Chat Noir. Like, that is the best. His reaction was beautiful, in a way? I don’t like how in the show he got off basically scot-free, and never found out his son was the hero he was fighting against, and vice versa.

Dislikes:

- Marinette having 0 friends… not even Rose, Juleka and Mylene. Sick of the loser hero trope.

- Plagg being a little condescending towards Adrien

- Adrien rejecting Marinette after Ladybug rejected him - like bestie go for the opportunity to discover new things with someone else

Overall rating: 7.5/10

Felt like 7 was too low, but 8 was too high. Don’t get me wrong, I love this film. I’ve already watched it multiple times by the time I’ve written this. Now I look at films with two different perspectives: average viewer and critic. So my final ratings always have a fair balance. If the film has a good premise, I usually enjoy it. It’s the execution of it that really matters however.

I’ve always thought miraculous has a good premise. The execution in the show… is another review I can make. In the film, it’s certainly improved. Not perfect, but improved. What made the film so great came down to the animation, songs, and character interactions. The changes made impacted the film massively, and I love most of them.

The ending where Adrien and Marinette go to kiss and then it cuts to “the end” was very rage inducing. Personally I can’t stand those types of teasing. However the next scene with Nathalie, made up for that. Having the film end on sort of a cliffhanger was unexpected I must say. I knew they’d tease at Emilie being under the Agrest mansion, but not in the way they did. Plus, she was wearing the peacock miraculous. I loved that. Even with the reveal of identities they’ve still left room for a sequel. For this franchise, I don’t think a sequel to the movie will hurt. It can’t be nowhere near as messy as the series, as the film has already proved it is not.

To anyone, in or out of the fandom, I recommend you watch the film. Definitely worth it.

[bluemoondust]

✧Pokemon Professors as Yanderes✧ (Part Two)

Decided to be more bold— aksjkwkwj Here's the second part I said I would write. Still can't believe they got Keith Silverstein to voice Oak in Evolutions, that's not fair 😔

I know some of these people aren't professors but they are researchers so I wanted to include them (also they showed up on Bulbapedia under Pokemon Professor).

Also also, my heart was destroyed while reading up on Professor Cozmo.

Warning(s): Obsessive Behavior/Thinking, Implied Stalking, Delusional Thinking, Clingy Behavior

Characters: Professor Oak, Professor Cozmo, Captain Stern, Professor Rowan, Doctor Fennel, Cedric Juniper, Professor Laventon

✧Professor Oak✧

Oak here is an extremely mellow yandere. You wouldn't be able to tell if he was no matter how hard you tried. He isn't too overbearing, but he would still like to keep tabs on you how ever he can. Talking to you, spending time with you has become a highlight in his days. He'd love to not have this ever end. Too much of a good thing shouldn't be considered bad, right? Oak is also a great listener as he is extremely reliable, so it's easy for him to gather information on you through such. He becomes a yandere you put your complete trust in. Sometimes you can't help but here his words when you're about to make a decision... Especially when he might deem it as unnecessary.

✧Professor Takao Cozmo✧

An odd fellow indeed, but he is a kind man despite that. As a yandere, Professor Cozmo is a bit obsessive given how he likes to take note of information about you. He's also a little clingy and a yandere who would want to fulfill your needs in order to keep you around. It's mostly because he has this fear that you'll eventually leave him either because you grew bored of him or he didn't give you enough love/attention. He promises to be an amazing partner! He will take you to see the stars, your favorite places, you can vent to him too! Just, please promise you'll stay. He'll be absolutely crushed if you walk out on him.

✧Captain Stern✧ (basing his looks on the manga)

Mr. Stern can be described as a typical yandere. He likes to make excuses to keep you around in order to get to know you better by asking for favors. You're a reliable person, so he knows that he can count on you. One thing to mention that separates him from a average yandere is that he sometimes... Leaves you clues to his true nature. In some sense he is aware but there are times he just isn't for unknown reasons. He's not too impatient, but occasionally Stern would like the pace to be picked up. It's either you catch onto to his feelings for you or come to the realization that those affections aren't as innocent as you believed to be.

✧Professor Rowan✧

Ah yes, we've talked a bit about this before. Some might believe Rowan is a very stony type of yandere; strict as well. In some aspects, Rowan is strict but he isn't too harsh on you. He has patience despite the semi controlling nature he tends to hold. Many do not realize that this man is truly a softy deep down. There is some leniency when it comes to him, but do keep in mind that you are only given three strikes before he takes matters into his hands. Don't cause trouble for him and behave. That's all he's asking for. Other than that, along with monitoring the people you interact with, he's almost on the same level as Oak.

✧Doctor Fennel✧

As many professors mentioned before, Fennel is also an obsessive yandere but it can rival Sycamore and Bellis' level of obsession. The moment she gains a fixation on you, all her time will be spent on picking up any details about you; especially your dreams. Unfortunately, she's a bit overbearing as well... And delusional. Fennel tries to be patient in giving you calls and messages, but her excitement gets the best of her as she bombards you with whatever is on her mind. It's just that... She loves you oh so much! She just has to share what she discovered! As for the delusional part, sometimes you wonder if she is aware but just ignores reality entirely. It's as if Fennel prefers her own little dream world where everything goes the way she wishes it to be. So... Rejection will not be taken lightly.

✧Cedric Juniper✧

Now, where do you think Professor Juniper gained some of her traits? Yeah. Like the professor, Cedric is the type of yandere to collect information on you due to how interesting you were to him. Soon, it became more than that. He doesn't really sugarcoat things, so Cedric is very aware of his unhealthy behavior but much like Juniper, he chooses not to concern himself. He's a lighthearted man overall, but just as a heads up, he knows when to get serious. Cedric is the type of yandere who will deliberately hint at his yandere traits. It's a little exciting to him, seeing if you'll figure it out or not.

✧Professor Laventon✧

Laventon enjoys being in your presence, which is a little obvious at some given times. He is, just like others, an obsessive yandere but also a tad overprotective. Not so much where he will take control over aspects of your routine, but more along the lines of him showing deep concern over your well-being. It's a dangerous place, the Hisui region, and he'd never forgive himself if something dreadful happened to you. Laventon uses the excuse of safety in numbers whenever either you go outside the village or he goes off to do research. Even so... It does get awfully lonely out there. Company would be nice. In that time, he makes sure to record any possible information about you... And sneak some photos. Laventon just... Adores you so much. He thinks the world of you. Absolutely no one has the right to talk ill of you.

[dededaio]

king dedede voiced by keith silverstein

thoughts?

can't say unfortunately because i think i saw literally NOTHING with the guy voicing anything?

like i don't watch english anime dubs and haven't seen any of western animated shows he participated in either. closest thing is sonic boom, where he voiced vector the crocodile in an episode but. i haven't seen that episode so, shrug

[shiny-jr]

Silly question, but do you know or watch Miraculous? If yes, what is your favorite character? Mine is Marinette

Ah, no, sorry. I've seen bits and parts since my little niece watches it. It has a decent premise, but nothing really beyond that. The storyline is really jumbled and doesn't seem to have a focus point, the main couple Marinette and Adrian are really boring and honestly really dumb. I know it's a kids show and all, but seriously it's so obvious who they are. They're like the residents of Metropolis who can't differentiate Superman between Clark Kent because of a simple pair of glasses.

The protagonist is boring and I saw no character development occurring at all, with her or anyone else. Also the fact that all their friends are getting powers is just... making it worse somehow? Like now Marinette and Adrian are not so special. Then I noticed that female characters aren't really portrayed well until her male friend is dumbed down and only then can she shine which is really unfortunate. Plus I heard all this drama going on with the problematic maker or director of the show or something. So I did not want to get into the show at all. I don't really like the animation style anyways either.

But if I had to pick a favorite character, it'd be Hawk Moth. Not even because of his goals, or look, or personality, or background. No, nothing like that. The sole reason I like him is because he's voiced by Keith Silverstein who also voices Zhongli from Genshin Impact and Hisoka from HunterxHunter.

[daz4i]

OK I FINISHED WATCHING THE ENGLISH DUB HERE ARE MY OPINIONS

i will say ahead i’m probably biased bc i don’t watch much dubbed anime. but also that my opinions are in part reliant on my own experience with voice acting in general and dubbing specifically so i’d like to believe my opinions are at least somewhat informed. anyway (this is long bc i have many opinions and i’m passionate abt voice acting. sorry):

kaiji tang carried. here king you dropped this 👑

i already mentioned it but the guild were spectacular, excellent direction and wonderful casting choices. 0 complaints

for the rest of the cast tho. some casting choices were very Off imo. i do like most of these vas and def think they did a good job with what they were given, but their voices. simply do not fit their characters

i love max mittelman to bits and he’s a great actor when it comes to emotions but i can’t say i like him as atsushi :( i can’t exactly put my finger on why unfortunately. i do think he could’ve been excellent as chuuya instead tho

akutagawa caught me off guard at first bc of how different he is from his jp voice but he def grew on me, he brought an interesting take on the character that definitely fits 

if i may rant abt ranpo. again i think that’s a bad casting choice. it might be my own take but imo ranpo is supposed to sound childish which he just,, doesn’t. it loses a lot of the effect of his character, esp his introduction, and makes him stand out less which is a shame. i barely noticed the va switch in s3 tho so good job to him 

ok now here’s my real rant. chuuya. *godfather voice* look how they massacred my boy. idk his actor and i don’t wanna trash talk his work when it might be a directing thing but my god. why does he sound like he’s constantly grinding his teeth. why does he basically whisper all the time. he’s supposed to scream or at least raise his voice in a lot of places - i’m not saying it from a “he did that in the jp version” but like. visually. you can see he’s being aggressive - but he doesn’t. you basically lose half of his character and practically all of his energy. like ranpo it makes him stand out WAY less and it’s such a shame bc he’s supposed to stand out, especially in the 15 arc oh my god this was a pain to get through. if you ask me, it sounds like a case of an actor finding a voice they like for the character but then finding out that voice simply doesn’t work when they need to do emotional or more intense scenes bc it relies too much on coming from a specific place in your throat that doesn’t work with screams, or you need to hold your mouth a certain way to make it work (i think both were the case here tbh, hence the teeth gritting and whispering sound). we’ve all been there i’m just frustrated it had to be the case with chuuya of all people

ango also. this time i’m just gonna be mean, it’s simply bad acting (there was like, one time where i went “oh he actually sounds like a person” and that’s it. i get he’s supposed to be tired and more robotic but like with chuuya, if he visually shows emotions you can’t speak in a monotone voice it just sounds Bad) AND a bad casting choice bc he sounds 50 when he’s supposed to be in his 20s and not in a good way that gives away that he’s meant to be mature and tired, just in a way that is confusing abt his actual age and simply Doesn’t Fit

ok three rants in a row is enough lemme be positive again uuuuuuh yosano was excellent, if i didn’t know she shares the va with naomi i never would’ve guessed, erica maam your range is insane ily

obviously keith silverstein did an excellent job, he’s a very natural and obvious choice for mori imo. i had some issues with timing in his case but i think that’s just the downfall of dubbing in general and not anyone’s fault - translating can lead to some sentences sounding unnatural when you gotta fit certain sentence lengths, again we’ve all been there, it probably just stands out more bc they came in monologues in his case

i like tanizaki’s voice :) it was pleasant to listen to

ok back to negativity. oda was like. 25% good, the more emotional scenes were nice, everything else sounds like they didn’t tell him he’s recording and he’s just doing a first take read with no actual acting yet. i get that odasaku’s supposed to sound monotone but like, my guy didn’t even sound like a person, that’s more than just being monotone. hard to stay captivated, hard to understand what’s going on, just generally unpleasant too? c’mon man i know you can do better

kunikida was also good! like akutagawa i was taken off guard at first but got used to it p quickly, he’s a great actor and he held the more emotional scenes super well too which def helped

this next section comes from a ray chase enjoyer. mr chase sir if you’re reading this (and god i hope you’re not.) know this is not personal at all. but. bad bad bad casting for fyodor. again losing a lot of his effect, imo he’s supposed to sound somewhat innocent and even child-like so he comes off as more mysterious and you end up more surprised when you see the kind of shit he can pull and to offer more contrast to his ability, but there was none of that! he just sounds sleazy! which he is! but that’s the point! you’re losing an element of mystery! that’s why his design is relatively soft and round too, to make the parts where he’s being creepy stand out more! if he just looked evil all the time he wouldn’t be nearly as scary, and the same effect is achieved with his japanese voice, but not the english one! idk, maybe that’s just the way i personally view the character and ppl would read this and go “wtf are you talking about” but i stand by this.

^also the russian accent is not the best choice and made it harder to understand what he’s saying. sorry. if the american characters don’t have exaggerated american accents (aside from margaret but she also says like, 3 sentences so it isn’t as noticeable) i don’t think the russian ones should have russian accents (esp bc correct me if i’m wrong, the other russian characters don’t even have one??? it’s just fyodor????). bad directing choice (would be funny if he has one in the jp version too but i just can’t tell. if that’s the case then i’ll gladly take all this section back lol)

honestly other stuff i have to say are very nitpicky and personal, like “i would’ve given x character someone with a higher pitched voice” or “the acting is a bit off for y character” sort of things but eh.

*insert karma and komaeda joke here*

last bit of positivity tho is this is the first time i consumed smth with all of LAVA playing named characters!!!!!! very exciting

ok i’m done. if you actually read even some of this kudos to you. sorry for the length and aggressiveness i don’t mean to sound mean, just passionate hehe. perfectly understandable if you disagree with me on anything or everything, and feel free to reply or send me an ask with your own passionate opinions abt the dub, i’d love to hear them!!

[ultraericthered]

Pokemon English Voice Compare/Rank, Villains

In which I rank the English dub voice actors of Pokemon characters from strongest to weakest, and sometimes throw in my 2 cents of who I think would be solid casting choices. This one is for villains.

GIOVANNI: 1. Ted Lewis - Voice of Giovanni in the main anime. This is what most kids growing up with Pokemon, especially from the very beginning, no doubt hear in their heads for Giovanni. His fancy Italian accent he put on at first was a little inconsistent prior to him dropping it in favor of a transatlantic Yami Bakura type voice, and nowadays he blends the best of both into his deliciously evil voice. And he’s always killed it in giving Giovanni the menacing presence and charm that he needs. 2. Jamieson Price - Voice of Giovanni in Pokemon Origins and by far one of the strongest casting choices and strongest performances in that dub. The tone he takes is very cold but suave and intelligent sounding, and his naturally deep voice just commands authority. 3. Andrew Russell - Voice of Giovanni in Pokemon Masters. Given his minimal amount of previous work, this was an unorthodox casting choice, but Andrew really nails the smooth, shady, devious criminal mastermind voice, often sounding like a Keith Silverstein impression. 4. Richard Epcar - Voice of Giovanni in Pokemon Generations. On paper, this is solid casting, but his material was so lackluster that all he had to do was phone it in, making his Giovanni very forgettable. 5. Craig Blair - Remember that one season where this frankly awful (and thankfully now retired) voice actor filled in for Ted Lewis twice, and sucked big time at imitating him? You’re forgiven if you didn’t. FANCAST OPTION - Keith Silverstein. For whatever reason, I was henging my bet on him being the VA they’d use for Giovanni in Pokemon Masters, so when Andrew Russell ended up channeling him so much I can’t help but wonder if that was the initial idea. He’d be a perfect fit given how he’s performed in villainous roles such as Ougai Mori, Gabriel Agreste, Gild Teroso, and Masayoshi Shido. Other spot on voice talents to cast as Giovanni would be Crispin Freeman and Chris Rager, who’d easily measure up to Price’s take.

JESSIE: 1. Rachael Lillis - Her original dub voice. Much like she did with Misty, Rachael just nailed absolutely everything about the character. 2. Michele Knotz - When her Rachael Lillis impression is on, it is SPOT ON. But when it veers off into this really high pitched, shrill, over-the-top voice in Jessie’s more shrewish moments, it’s grating. FANCAST OPTION(S) - Mari Devon would be a natural fit for Jessie, especially under Jamieson Price’s Giovanni. If not her, I would’ve actually really liked to see Lauren Lapkus take on the role since she did voice a parody of the character appearing on Big City Greens.

JAMES: 1. Eric Stuart - Eric started as just an understudy to Ted Lewis for this role, but in retrospect having Misty and Brock’s VAs also voicing Jessie and James was a stroke of brilliance, especially since Eric just took the role and ran with it with such campy, preening Tim Curry-eseque rich boy flair. Late into the Johto seasons, he unfortunately dialed up the goofiness and made James more annoying to listen to, but he always put in an effort to sell the character’s funny lines.

2. Edward Bosco - Dub VA for James in the To Be A Master limited series that closed out Journeys. Ed, I wish you’d been with us for longer prior to this point. This rendition of James is closer to how Cathcart used to approach the role, nailing his flamboyance perfectly. 3. Ted Lewis - The first VA to be assigned the role of James. He did alright, but was mostly very generic and lacking especially compared to his later Giovanni. Recasting him with Eric Stuart was for the best.

4. James Carter Cathcart - This one kind of hurts since not only is he actually named James, but his James was really good in the Battle Frontier and Black & White seasons, actually better than Ted Lewis’ AND better than Eric Stuart’s later work. But his James everywhere else, especially as of now, is just way overdone and insufferable.  FANCAST OPTION(S) - Kirk Thornton would be a natural fit for James, especially under Jamieson Price’s Giovanni. If not him, I would’ve actually really liked to see Thomas Middleditch take on the role since he did voice a parody of the character appearing on Big City Greens. Yeah, it’s just the exact same deal as Jessie. MEOWTH: 1. Maddie Blaustein - She was irreplaceable, especially as Meowth. 2. Nathan Price - The initial dub VA for Meowth. His voice and line delivery was consistently hilarious, making for many a fondly remembered moment. I don’t know why he got replaced by Maddie, but it might’ve been necessary since I’m not sure he could’ve pulled off some of the character’s later, more serious material. 3. James Carter Cathcart - Eeeeh, it was a nice effort at first, but casting this guy as both James and Meowth did not work out in the long run. His Meowth has gotten just as grating as his James.

4. Mick Wingert - Dub VA for Meowth in the To Be A Master limited series that closed out Journeys. OK so, how did Mick go from remedying one terrible James Carter Cathcart role with Professor Oak to doing a hundred times worse than Cathcart with Meowth? This could’ve been a slam dunk had Mick been allowed to do his own thing with the role, but having to impersonate what Cathcart did impeded his performance, making this easily his worst Poke’ role. FANCAST OPTION(S): Brian Beacock would accompany Mari Devon’s Jessie and Kirk Thornton’s James - listen to this laugh here and tell me it’s not Meowth material! If not him, then Martin Billany, AKA LIttleKuriboh, since his Iruka-sensei voice, as he’s even acknowledged, is the perfect successor to Maddie’s Meowth voice.

ARCHIE:

1. Jamieson Price - Voice of Archie in Pokemon Generations. Despite some truly awful writing for the character, Jamieson’s deep, gruff, booming voice and manic performance was perfectly suited for the part, the closest to perfect you could expect the guy to sound. 2. Adin Rudd - Voice of Archie in Pokemon Masters EX. His voice for Archie is really, really solid, even if a bit Discount Richard Epcar at points. He’d be as near perfect a fit as Jamieson were it not for the voice direction leading him to some lukewarm line readings at times. 3. Sean Schemmel - Voice of Archie in the main anime. I get what he was going for, but he was not able to actually pull it off well, as he sounds like a big, dumb doofus of a villain with little credibility. FANCAST OPTION(S): Clancy Brown is my ideal Archie voice but they’d never be able to land him for any official project so the next best thing would be Richard Epcar, who Adin Rudd sounds like he’s emulating. Also, props to Austin Lee Matthews for his decent take.

SHELLY:

1. Cristina Vee - Voice of Shelly in Pokemon Generations. She pretty much just does her Rei Hino/Sailor Mars voice, but it ironically fits this water-themed villainess perfectly. 2. Dani Chambers - Voice of Shelly in Pokemon Masters EX. Her take on Shelly is good, but just a bit deeper than the design’s sleekness seems to warrant, she could’ve dialed it back a little.

3. Erica Schroeder - Voice of Shelly in the main anime. Her voice really fits this interation of Shelly, but the performance is overall bland and generic because that’s largely what the material for her was.

MATT:

1. Mike Smith - Voice of Matt in Pokemon Masters EX. For a fresh newcomer VA with not many roles to his name, the vocal depiction he provides for Matt is pretty much pitch-perfect; imposing yet affable. 2. Richard Epcar - Voice of Matt in Pokemon Generations. Look, if you’re not going to cast Epcar as Archie, why have him there with Team Aqua at all? And unlike the above, I only hear an imposing, thuggish quality to his Matt. This series just squandered Epcar’s talents all around. He fares much better as Sawyer in Masters EX.

MAXIE: 1. Lex Lang - Voice of Maxie in Pokemon Generations. While we sadly don’t get to hear him in pompous nerd mode (which we know from Dr. Neo Cortex that Lex can totally nail), his Harold Ramis-esque “serious man of science” and “commanding leader” tones are down pat. Like Jamieson Price’s Archie, it’s just ideal voice casting. 2. Jarred Kjack - Voice of Maxie in Pokemon Masters EX. Sort of a middle ground between Lex Lang and Marc Thompson, his take on Maxie is also as solid as you could ask for...well, for the most part. Opposite of Archie, the voice direction let him go a little too hard on the pomposity at times, leading to some unnatural line readings. 3. Marc Thompson - Voice of Maxie in the main anime. Like with Sean Schemmel as Archie, I get what he was going for but he just ends up sounding like a cartoonish impression of Richard O’Brien in The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Nothing about Maxie’s character, even in this anime, suggests that he ought to have a creepy voice. FANCAST OPTION(S): Tom Kenny is my ideal Maxie voice but, again, they’d never land him for this, so the next best thing would be David W. Collins, a more smoothed out version of Kjack’s Maxie. Also, props to Sean Chiplock for his almost identical sounding take.)

TABITHA: 1. Doug Erholtz - Voice of Tabitha in Pokemon Generations. I don’t know what it is about Doug’s voice for this character that suits him so well, but it just does. It’s a great match for his look and attitude. 2. Van Barr Jr. - Voice of Tabitha in Pokemon Masters EX. He does a decent enough job, but I have to wonder if they had the original Gen 3 Tabitha in mind when they cast him, as he’d fit that Tabitha better. 3. Greg Abbey - Voice of Tabitha in the main anime. His voice really fits this interation of Tabitha, but the performance is overall bland and generic because that’s largely what the material for him was.

COURTNEY: 1. Anjali Kunapaneni - Voice of Courtney in Pokemon Masters EX. Not much to be said other than they get Courtney right in every way. 2. Sandy Fox - Voice of Courtney in Pokemon Generations. The high, child-like pitch just sounds off, and she totally fails on the crazy.

ZINNIA: 1. Vivian Lu - Voice of Zinnia in Pokemon Masters. I’d not heard this VA in anything before she voiced Zinnia, but her voice and the way she says all of her lines are just amazingly on point for the role. 2. Laura Stahl - Voice of Zinnia in Pokemon Evolutions. She also uses a fitting voice and kills it in the delivery, especially for Zinnia’s emotional moments towards the end, but Vivian Lu still has her beat. FANCAST OPTION(S) - Bang Zoom could’ve also cast Dawn M. Bennett in this role, since she’s done some great Zinnia-esque voice acting elsewhere. Or for a VA from the Sentai Filmworks/Funimation side of things, Juliet Simmons would be perfect casting for the role.

CYRUS: 1. Armen Taylor - Voice of Cyrus in Pokemon Masters. His voice for Cyrus is EVERYTHING I could ever imagine and want the character to sound like - like some sort of android or computer-minded alien being with sinister undertones akin to George Newbern’s Sephiroth. 2. Michael Sorich - Voice of Cyrus in Pokemon Generations. While no doubt the most competently acted dub voice for Cyrus, the voice itself is the only holdback. Sorich’s signature gruffness is still here. Oddly enough he loses the growl when he shouts, which is when he sounds at his best. Certainly sounds younger than he actually is.

3. Sean Schemmel - Voice of Cyrus in the main anime. Schemmel fits this role better than he did Archie, and if he’d played it like his Nail, he’d be great. But he unfortunately plays it ludicrously over-the-top and bombastic, which fits Cyrus’ first appearance but becomes a distracting nuissance in the episodes he appears in afterwards. FANCAST OPTION(S) - While Peter Jessop or Corey Burton would be ideal, the former doesn’t really do much for Bang Zoom anymore and the latter would not ever be sought for the part. So aside from DC Douglas (who was a VA for Lysandre) the only credible rival to Armen Taylor remaining would be David Lodge, if he’d been cast to voice Cyrus like his Fire Emblem: Three Houses (and Three Hopes) narrator voice, except with some actual passion and presence! Bang Zoom has also used JP Karliak, who could rival Sean Schemmel.

SATURN:

1. Mike Haimoto - Voice of Saturn in Pokemon Masters EX. Distinct and fairly different from his usual roles, Mike’s Saturn is very pleasing to listen to and nails down the character’s smugness and zealotry. 2. Ricky Ryba - Voice of Saturn in Pokemon Generations. Despite not being a voice actor, he played his bit part as Saturn really well. 3. Marc Thompson - Voice of Saturn in the main anime. His take didn’t really do it for me, as he sounds too snooty and James-like. FANCAST OPTION(S) - For a dub voice that would accurately translate the main anime’s JP voice, Mona Marshall would be the one to go for. Or if we wanted another male VA, Todd Haberkorn, who Mike Haimoto even sounds a lot like (his Muruta Azrael voice.)

MARS: 1. Christie Cate - Voice of Mars in Pokemon Masters EX. She’s not done much, yet she conveys with total accuracy the way Mars sounds and how she talks in the JP language anime and Masters. 2. Lisa Ortiz - Voice of Mars in the main anime. Uh, what made anyone think that Mars sounding exactly like Amy Rose was a good idea? This take just didn’t work, especially on her final line/scream. Admitedly, she did show some improvement in the dub for The Arceus Chronicles - why couldn’t she do that for her Korrina? 3. Unknown VA - Voice of Mars in Pokemon Generations. Uh, I think someone might’ve got Mars and Jupiter’s casting switched around. FANCAST OPTION - Cassandra Lee Morris! Seriously, you had her right fucking there and made her voice Jupiter instead of Mars???

JUPITER: 1. Brittany Cox - Voice of Jupiter in Pokemon Masters EX. Thank you, Brittany - this is exactly how Jupiter is supposed to sound like! 2. Suzie Yeung - Voice of Jupiter in Pokemon Evolutions. She did what Eileen Stevens was trying to do, and pulled it off correctly! 3. Eileen Stevens and Kira Buckland - Voices of Jupiter in the main anime. Eileen was not suited for this kind of role, as her femme fatale tones come off as laughably forced, as does her burst of madness in her arc’s finale. Kira could be a great Jupiter on her own, but was unfortunately saddled with having to do an impression of Eileen. 4. Cassandra Lee Morris - Voice of Jupiter in Pokemon Generations. A true “what were they thinking” type of miscasting. Cassandra’s distinctly light and youthful voice coming out of Jupiter is just wrong.  FANCAST OPTION: Michelle Rojas would also be a great choice.

CHARON: 1. Mike Pollock - Voice of Charon in the main anime. The one casting for a Team Galactic member that was just absolutely flawless, as Mike doing a lighter, more weaselly sounding Eggman voice was perfect for Charon’s character in every way, including accuracy. 2. Keith Silverstein - Voice of Charon in Pokemon Generations. While he does a decent enough Pollock soundalike voice, Keith’s “evil old man” voices have typically never fully convinced me, so it’s not something I can imagine him holding up for a fuller performance.

FANCAST OPTION: Charon ain’t due for a Pokemon Masters debut, but the one VA Bang Zoom would need for him is Frank Todaro. 

GHETSIS: 1. Mick Wingert - Voice of Ghetsis in Pokemon Masters EX (though on the record, it “wasn’t him” who provided this voice, gotta uphold that NDA and all). A+ absolutely inspired casting. Easily the most talented and versatile of the VAs cast in this role, and he gives Ghetsis exactly the sort of voice I’d always imagined him to have.  2. Patrick Seitz - Voice of Ghetsis in Pokemon Generations. Being the voice of many a dapper, handsome male or big, monstrous brute made Patrick an ideal English equivalent to Sho Hayami, and the performance he gives is chillingly good (pun fully intended) at capturing Ghetsis’ faux regal front and his true demented nature. 3. Armen Taylor - Voice of Ghetsis in Pokemon Evolutions. For the most part his take works, and the silky, meticulous snake-in-the-grass quality he puts into his voice is spine-tingling. He falters only on three points - he sometimes veers right into his Cyrus voice, his delivery sometimes fails to match up so badly that it’s distracting, and when he emotes he does this Discount Patrick Seitz thing that you can imagine would sound better when done by Patrick Seitz himself. 4. Bill Rogers - Voice of Ghetsis in the main anime. I can certainly see where one would concieve of this kind of voice for Ghetsis due to B2W2 and even his anime potrayal, but it really does not work at all - sounds way too snarly and eeeevil to the point of parody. This failure is on Tom Wayland, though, since we’ve heard Bill Rogers do better.

FANCAST OPTION(S): While I’d love hearing Richard Doyle or David Dayan Fisher (or Richard Doyle sounding like David Dayan Fisher) for Ghetsis, they’d not be readily available, so I could settle instead for Edward Bosco or Kellen Goff. The perfect equivalent straight from the Sentai Filmworks/Funimation aisle would be John Swasey, known for voicing Gendo Ikari and All For One.

N: 1. Nicholas DeMichele - Voice of N in the main anime. The only N VA whose name begins with that letter, he’d not voiced much roles and hasn’t since, but he’s a case of striking casting gold if there ever was one. Everything he brought to the table was spot on for N’s character. 2. Daman Mills - Voice of N in Pokemon Masters EX. Lighter and raspier than the above, but just as fitting in the tone and delivery. 3. Grant George - Voice of N in Pokemon Generations. Solid casting decision on its face, and in his very last lines in the short Grant performed well, but beforehand he was notably off, first sounding too deep and then sounding like just another Grant George perfromance. 4. Tom Wayland - Voice of N in the animated trailer for Black 2/White 2. Only has a single line - “Think of you and your Pokemon - what are you striving for?” - but delivers it in a stupidly hammy way in a voice that does not fit with the design of who it’s coming out of at all.  5. Chris Hackney - Voice of N in Pokemon Evolutions. Only has a single line - “Zekrom, come to me!” - but...yeah, same as above. FANCAST OPTION(S): Alessandro Juliani, of course. But since he’s Canadian and might be tough to get ahold of, then I also would’ve been keen on hearing Clifford Chapin voice the role. We have one Kaworu VA as N (Daman Mills), so this would fit nicely too.

COLRESS: 1. Eli James - Voice of Colress in the main anime. This turned out to be just as golden a casting decision as N’s, as Eli nails the cold, calculating scientist voice, the casual, friendly guy voice, and the maniacal power enthusiast voice of the character at most of the right points. His performance is especially good in his last four episodes.

2. Yung-I Chang - Voice of Colress in Pokemon Masters EX. With his chillaxed, smug, intellectual, analytical tone of voice and perfect delivery of his more passionate or threatening lines, he’s almost as good as Eli James in the role in spite of the more limited material. Also somehow sounds EXACTLY like older VA David Vincent here! 3. Chris Niosi - Voice of Colress in Pokemon Generations. While the voice fits, not sounding too unlike the above two, the material effects his delivery and makes him come off a bit bland and throwaway. 4. Sean Schemmel - Voice of Colress in the animated trailer for Black 2/White 2. Three strikes, you’re out, Sean! That forced Crispin Freeman impression and laughably melodramatic “I DISAGREE!” failed you. FANCAST OPTION(S): Bill Timoney would’ve been an equally perfect pick for the anime. Other VAs that would work well elsewhere would be Nolan North, or the actual David Vincent, or the actual Crispin Freeman, or another Siebold VA Sean Chiplock, or fellow nerdy villain VA Jarred Kjack, or fellow Acting Boss VA Christian La Monte, or even fellow Plasma Boss VA Mick Wingert.

LYSANDRE: 1. DC Douglas - Voice of Lysandre in Pokemon Masters EX. As with Cyrus and Ghetsis’ voices in this game, this casting for Lysandre was perfect. Whatever your feelings on Douglas, he’s got the right voice and tones for a bitter, snobby and driven genocidal madman like Lys. 2. Tyler Bunch - Voice of Lysandre in the main anime. Very refined and eloquent yet rough sounding, he set a good standard for how the character needs to sound. His one drawback is that, opposite of Colress, his performance just plummeted in his last four episodes. 3. Adin Rudd - Voice of Lysandre in Pokemon Evolutions. While he delivers on the emotional intensity that Tyler Bunch failed at, most of his performance is too emotional so as to be melodramatic and awkward sounding, and it just fails to leave much of an impression. 4. Dean Wein - Voice of Lysandre in Pokemon Generations. For real, who is this guy? ‘Cause he sounds totally disinterested in his line readings and the voice itself does not suit Lysandre at all. Out of all villain voices in this series, easily the most horrendously miscast. FANCAST OPTION(S): JB Blanc would be a no-brainer, but like Peter Jessop he doesn’t really do non-union work for Bang Zoom anymore. Like with Giovanni, Keith Silverstein would be obvious given past roles. But for a Sentai Filmworks/Funimation crowd counterpart, Chris Rager would be the best suited for this role. Another ideal casting option would be Trevor Devall, who even voiced a similar looking character before. MALVA:

1. Morgan Berry - Voice of Malva in Pokemon Masters EX. Her doing the Yohane voice for Malva should be distracting, yet it’s an exact match for how I’d imagine Malva sounding, with the deep huskiness, haughty tone, cool-headed smugness and fiery passion (and a semi-posh accent) that the character needs to have vocally conveyed.

2. Samara Naevmi - Voice of Malva in the main anime. Gives Malva this smug, aristocratic tone that the remaining VAs for her lack, which is what I feel is needed to help Malva really stand out as a character.

3. Marissa Lenti - Voice of Malva in Pokemon Evolutions. Her part is brief, but the solemn tone harboring an emotional undercurrent is deliverted perfectly for what that bit part requires of her.

4. Kira Buckland - Voice of Malva in Pokemon Generations. She sounds like a female newscaster, alright. That’s literally about it. 

FANCAST OPTION - Sabrina Weisz, given her work in Miraculous.

LUSAMINE:

1. Dawn M. Bennett - Voice of Lusamine in Pokemon Evolutions. Not a VA I’d thought could really deliver THAT to the role, but she really, really did. Her Lusamine totally captures her haughtiness and cruelty.

2. Bobbi Hartley - Voice of Lusamine in the main anime. Despite voicing a very different Lusamine from the games, she has a voice that fits naturally into the character and sells her multiple facets.

3. Michelle Ruff - Voice of Lusamine in Pokemon Masters EX. Adequate casting choice, though not as good as her Plumeria and she sounded a bit flat and inconsistent at first. Thankfully she’s stepped it up and come into her own as Sygna Suit Lusamine.

FANCAST OPTION(S) - Two Bang Zoom contracted VAs, Laura Post and Wendee Lee, would’ve nailed the role even better, though.

FABA:

1. Alexander Gross - Voice of Faba in Pokemon Masters EX. He puts on this very grating, weasely voice that sounds like an unholy hybrid of Jim Rash, Tony Hale, and Tom Kenny, and he makes it really work for the character, especially with appropriately insufferable and smarmy line delivery as well as cartoonishly over-the-top shrieks.

2. Kaiji Tang - Voice of Faba in Pokemon Journeys. Goddammit, why’ve we this voice for Faba in just one episode? Tremendous improvement over the Daniel J. Edwards performance we had for the SuMo dub! Kaiji does it so perfeclty, giving Faba the pompous, hammy, frantically emotive voice acting he was meant to have.

3. Daniel J. Edwards & Unknown VA stand-in - Voice(s) of Faba in the Sun & Moon anime dub. It sounds like the voice direction boiled Faba’s entire character down to “evil creep” and told the VA to run with it. He doesn’t sound good to start with and only gets worse when he sticks with the cartoonish bad guy voice even when Faba’s not a bad guy anymore. It’s not funny, it’s just offputting and grating.

FACAST OPTION(S) - Jim Rash, Tony Hale, Tom Kenny, Keith Ferguson, or William Salyers would all be dream casting picks.

GUZMA: 1. Doug Erholtz - Voice of Guzma in Pokemon Masters EX. Doug has got a voice that just begs for casting in a role like this, and the tone and inflections he uses for Guzma make the fullest use of it. 2. Evan Maltby - Voice of Guzma in the main anime. There’s nothing in the voice or the delivery that reflects Guzma. He’s just some dude! FANCAST OPTION(S) - Definitely no offense to Doug Erholtz, but if they’d managed to cast Andrew Kishino, Sam Riegel, Robbie Daymond or even Austin Lee Matthews in this role, any one of those guys would kill it as well or possibly even better than he does.

PLUMERIA: 1. Michelle Ruff - Voice of Plumeria in Pokemon Masters EX. Like with Doug Erholtz as Guzma, Michelle is just all too well suited for roles like this where she gets to use her tomboyish Rukia tone. 2. Jo Armeniox - Voice of Plumeria in the main anime. Unlike Ruff, Jo was not suited for roles like this and it showed in her performance. FANCAST OPTION(S) - Diana Kaarina is, again, Canada-based so it’d be tough to get her. So on the Sentai Filmworks/Funimation aisle, Christina Kelly would be my ideal casting choice for this role.

CHAIRMAN ROSE: 1. Keith Silverstein - Voice of Chairman Rose in Pokemon Twilight Wings. Probably Keith’s best Pokemon role that he was cast in, he brings such a laid back charm and warm, delicate smoothness to Rose’s voice that you totally buy why he’d win the trust of so many.

2. Maaz Ali - Voice of Chairman Rose in Pokemon Masters EX. Probably the voice that best fits Rose’s characterization and even has a posh British accent. The only thing putting him below Keith’s take is the delivery; sometimes he sounds too fruity a la Maxie and at other times too deep and unintentionally threatening! 3. Barron Bass - Voice of Chairman Rose in the main anime. Blegh. This is like Lysandre in Generations all over again - Barron is not a voice actor and his inability to emote as Rose even in moments where he clearly should be make his a dull performance. FANCAST OPTION(S) - Mick Wingert again, since he’s got the Tony Stark voice down pat and can do a convincing British accent. and if not him, then Matthew Mercer would be the other best option.)

OLEANA: 1. Julia McIlvaine - Voice of Oleanna in Pokemon Twilight Wings. A few words spoken from her mouth in her voice and you know what Oleanna’s all about, she just fits this role that perfectly.

2. Linsay Rousseau - Voice of Oleana in Pokemon Masters EX. Her voice and accent works for Oleanna in feral rage mode, but it leaves something to be desired when applied to Oleanna as she regularly is. 3. Jennifer Losi - Voice of Oleanna in the main anime. Unlike Rose, her acting ain’t bad, but the voice is just too youthful sounding.  FANCAST OPTION - Morgan Berry, who aside from being the best voice for Malva was also in Twilight Wings and who we know from Love Live! Sunshine!! how great she can play a character whose mood and entire persona can shift on a dime in an insane way.

[tentglitch]

I looked into the eng dub cast and while there's a lot of talent I listened to some clips and it's just not for me

[t0bey]

Branching off this discussion of roles Keith Silverstein has done, a concept based on the fact he also voiced Jin Kirigiri: Class 78 senior prank (minus Taka ofc) where they break into the headmaster's office and Mondo uses his weirdly accurate Jin Kirigiri impression to make some absolutely buckwild announcements, sending Hope's Peak (especially Kiyotaka, who is taking whatever is being said over the speakers by the supposed headmaster very seriously) into a frenzy. I'm talking, like, claiming that they're going into lockdown because the zombie apocalypse started or something.

RIGHT HE DID VOICE JIN. anyway i could totally see mondo doing that if leon dared him to so he can prove he's not a wuss. unfortunately its very easy to find out the culprit based on the fact theres only one person in the school that vaguely sounds like Kyoko's dad

[latimeria-fell-from-heaven]

This question seems a little silly, but I am a little curious- have you ever met any of the voice actors/seiyu that voice a character in Genshin Impact? ^^ If not, who would you want to meet?

hi hi anon!

oh no, you're fine! i don't find this question silly at all! i haven't actually met any official va's from genshin unfortunately, but i've always wanted to meet keith silverstein. believe it or not, zhongli was actually the reason why i got into genshin in the first place! i found him to be really cool and his voice was so smooth and nice. i've also wanted to meet zach aguilar bc he just seems so nice and cool and asnusicbsicb,,,

also this one is pretty obvious, but i really wanna meet yuri lowenthal, the man behind my bby dainsleif and i just wanna thank him for doing such an amazing job as his va and giving me a crush on the prettiest and most mysterious bough keeper ever,,,i'd probably squeal like a weirdo tho so,,,

[lunarautumn]

The Osomatsu-san English Dub: thoughts about the new voices

-        The voice I’m having the most difficulty adjusting to so far is Osomatsu.  Don’t get me wrong I love Billy Kametz, but I definitely hear him instead of Oso when he speaks.  Weirdly enough he sounds a little … bro-ish?  In some lines?  That might just be me though.  And it’s not a bad thing, just an observation.  I can’t complain too much, since acting-wise he’s got the dumb-but-charming-slacker down pat.

 -        Karamatsu, as lots of people have pointed out, is pretty consistently baritone.  There’s not as much of a ‘real voice’ leaking through like there was with Nakamura.  But in terms of capturing the character I think Ray Chase nails it, he’s legit hilarious.  Especially once he really gets comfortable with the role and starts playing around with inflection and delivery, he’s a riot.   Kara is still just as much of a painful peacock as ever and I am here for it.  

 -        Choromatsu was another adjustment, but Sean Chiplock does a fantastic job balancing the thirsty weeb with the exasperated straight-man.  And he does push the voice cracks when the opportunity calls for it! Comparing Chiplock’s performance to Kamiya’s is kind of unfair since I don’t think anybody could ever top the original, but make no mistake, Chiplock is no slouch and he comes pretty damn close to being on par by the second cour!

 -        Ichimatsu is pretty damn good from start to finish.  It takes Kyle McCarly a little bit to lean into the softer qualities of the original, but he makes up for it with great comedic delivery where it counts, and by the second cour he’s a dead-ringer for Fukuyama.  You’ve all seen the ‘Give me the good stuff Daddy’ clip by now, need I say more?  

 -        Jyushimatsu is a definite deviation from the original, but once you get used to the higher vocal register, I think Micheal Sinterniklaas nails the spirit of the character.  It takes him a little bit to find his footing in the early episodes, but once he gets comfortable he’s a perfect fit.  He’s still the raging ball of boundless chaotic energy that we all know and love, and you can tell that Sinterniklaas is having a lot of fun with it.  

 -        Todomatsu is a little softer than what I expected from Max Mittelman, but it does work in terms of capturing that faux-cuteness that defined the original. And when the scene calls for ham he can absolutely deliver.  I wasn’t worried about that though; he did play Saitama.  Again, I hate comparing Mittelman to Irino since the original is one of my favorite vocal performances of all time, but all things considered, Mittelman is doing a great job oscillating between casual callousness and faux-trendy-soft-boy.

 -        I was worried about Iyami’s transition to English, but Keith Silverstein is handles him really well!  He sounds a little more posh to make up for the lack of -zanzus, but he’s got the sketchy-conman aspect down pat, which is what’s important.  As for the ‘Sheeh’s … even if it’s not perfect, it’s a damn good attempt and he improves as the series goes on.  It’s a very Japanese gag, so I wouldn’t expect any English actor to nail it perfectly, not even Silverstein.  

 -        Chibita took some getting used to.  When I first heard the voice I could have sworn that it was Bonnie Gordon, but apparently it’s Alejandra Cazares?  Regardless, I think she’s got Chibita’s personality down perfectly, which is what counts.  Girl can swear and shout like a sailor and I would expect nothing less.  

 -        Totoko is pretty good.  Cassandra Lee Morris sounds even cuter than the original, but it does cost her a little bit in the sharpness department.  But the smugness delivers really well, so I’d give her a solid thumbs up.

 -        Hatabou is perfect.  Like legit, Cherami Leigh a dead-ringer for Saito both in pitch and delivery.  10/10

 -        Dekapan and Dayon are perfect too, much to my surprise!  I was nervous about these two much like I was about Iyami, but the two actors who played them nailed it.  I wish I could find their names.  (If you have them, let me know!)

 -        Matsuyo and Matsuzo are perfect too!  Mick Wingert as Matsuyo is a dead-ringer for the original to a scary degree.   Likewise, Matsuzo’s VA is very solid for the little screen time he got (another name I couldn’t find, unfortunately.)  

[dcrewatch]

With Special Episode One and Movie 22 being dub and released this month and Sept, any changes we should know about the cast? (Been away so feel so out of date) Also RanxShin is officially a thing manga wise?

This was the Episode One special English dub cast:

Shin'ichi - Griffin Burns

Conan - Wendee Lee

Ran - Cristina Vee

Agasa - Michael Sorich

Kogoro - Xander Mobus

Sonoko - Minx Le

Gin - D.C. Douglas

Vodka - Edward Bosco

Sherry - Erica Mendez

Vermouth - Laura Post

Chianti - Tamara Ryan

Akemi - Rebecca Davis

Shiro Suzuki - Doug Stone

Yusaku and Akai - Keith Silverstein

Genta - Andrew J. Russel

Ayumi - Janice Roman Roku

Mitsuhiko and Yukiko - Erika Harlacher

Makoto - Christian La Monte

Megure - Jake Eberle

Chiba - Jason Charles Miller

Jodie - Maureen Price

Takagi - Christopher Bevins

Heiji - Lucien Dodge

Eri - Jane Alan

Kaitou Kid does speak in this special, but the English credits don't credit the voice actor. I'm assuming it was Griffin Burns since he sounded similar to Burns' Shin'ichi voice that we heard previously in the special. Tomoko Suzuki speaks as well, but is also not credited. Unfortunately I don't recognize her voice.

Shinran is officially a thing both in manga and anime. 

[burnouts3s3]

Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: The Complete First Season, a review

https://amzn.to/2UK8uye

(Disclaimer: The following is a non-profit unprofessional blog post written by an unprofessional blog poster. All purported facts and statement are little more than the subjective, biased opinion of said blog poster. In other words, don’t take anything I say too seriously.)

Just the facts 'Cause you're in a Hurry!

Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP): 12 USD.

Digital Copy (MSRP): 20 USD

How much I paid: 33 USD for both the digital and physical copy (This was when the physical copy cost more).

Animation Studio: David Productions

Licensed and Localized by: Viz Media  

Audio: Japanese Audio with Subtitles and English Dub available.  

English Cast: Johnny Yong Bosch as Jonathan Joestar, Michelle Ruff as Erina, Patrick Seitz as Dio Brando, Ben Diskin as Joseph Joestar, Wendee Lee as Lisa Lisa, Stephanie Sheh as Suzie Q.

Number of Episodes: 26 Episodes

Length per Episode: 25 Minutes on average. 21 Without Intro and Ending song.

Number of Discs: 3 DVD Discs in Total.  

Episodes per Disc: Episodes 1 through 9 on Disc one. Episodes 10 through 19 on Disc two. Episodes 20 through 26 on Disc Three.

Also on: Amazon Video and Crunchyroll, a free streaming service with ads.

Bonus Features: Textless Openings, Textless Ending and Trailers for other Licensed Shows.

Notable Localization Changes: Because Parts 1 and 2 are set in early parts of Britain and America, the characters all adopt thick British accents, particularly Jonathan, Erina and Joseph.

My Personal Biases: I didn’t have any experience with the Jojo Franchise until I came across JStars Victory Vs.

My Verdict: Call it Bizarre. Call it out of this world. Call it slightly homoerotic. Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, even before the introduction of Stands was an entertaining ride that included vampires, mad German scientists, Pillar Men and Breathing techniques in a steal of a 12 dollar package. If you haven’t picked this up yet, do yourself a favor and check it out!

Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure The Complete First Season, a review

In 2012, David Productions took Hirihiko Araki’s manga, Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, and adapted it into what would be a worldwide phenomenon. The manga had been adapted previously into a series of OVAs (Original Video Animation) that only covered the most popular part, Stardust Crusaders. The anime starts right from the beginning and begins from the manga’s origins as well as the original character. Unlike other Shounen Manga, the Jojo series is infamous for (among other things) having multiple protagonists each being the different lead in a ‘Part’. For the first part, the protagonist or ‘Jojo’ is Johnathan Joestar while the second part has its protagonist in the form of Joseph Joestar.

I’m going to split this review between the first part, Phantom Blood and the second part, Battle Tendency.

Part 1: Phantom Blood

In 19th Century England, two very different boys are born into two very different families. Jonathan Joestar is the son of a rich nobleman and known for his kind nature and politeness, but isn’t so much useful in a fight. Dio Brando is born to an alcoholic father and despite his prodigy, he is most likely destined to a life of poverty, had Dio’s Father, Dario have a debt owed to him by Jonathan’s father, George. (This is because George Joestar mistakenly thought Dario saved his life when in actually Dario was in the vicinity trying to rob George’s corpse). In an attempt to pay off the debt, George adopts Dio into his family.

I know a lot of people gloss over the first part because it’s not what made the main core of the series, but there’s still a lot of fun to be had if you let it.

Dio torments and bullies Jonathan by killing his dog, stealing his father’s affection and even kissing the girl Jonathan fancies, Erina. But as the step-brothers grow older and older, they’re prepared to do battle for one another while Jonathan still maintains his gentle nature. However, when George takes ill because of Dio’s poisoning, Dio dons a very interesting Aztec mask that turns him into a Vampire. George, unfortunately, dies in the middle of the battle.

Using his wits, Jonathan sets his childhood home on fire and sets Dio ablaze. Jonathan comes out burned but alive. As Erina helps Jonathan recover from his injuries, a strange man confronts the two of them.

Zeppeli tells Jonathan that Dio not only survived the incident but has come back and is building an army of vampires. Zeppeli offers to teach Jonathan Hamon, the ability to use one’s breath to stir up the energy inside in order to imbue attacks with sunlight energy in the hopes of vanquishing Dio once and for all.

(Yes, the fact that the same voice performers who played Ichigo Kurosaki and Rukia Kuchiki with thick British accents amuses me greatly.)

Though short, the series does have fun action scenes (including one fight with a chain).

Through his chivalrous spirit and quick wits, Jonathan defeats Dio.

Jonathan and Erina finally get married, but all is not well on their cruise to America. The disembodied head of Dio still remains and is causing havoc with its tentacles and laser eyes. Realizing Dio is too great a threat to go unchecked, Jonathan ensures the safety of the other passengers, including his newlywed Erina, and destroys the ship and him along with it.

And so, Jonathan sacrifices himself to save the world from Dio. Erina survives and lives in America.

Viz Media and BangZoom did the localization of the show and for the most part, it sticks closely to the Japanese Script. However, because the show is set in 19th century, BangZoom told everyone to adopt thick, British accents.

And it’s bloody hysterical. At times, I thought I was watching a BBC documentary intercut with a battle shounen.

I don’t know if Patrick Seitz can ever measure up to Takehito Koyasu’s legendary take on the character, but he makes a game effort of it. While Seitz’s voice doesn’t differ too much from his other role, the energy and performance are worthy enough (at least to me) to compare with his Japanese counterpart.

Johnny Yong Bosch is as Johnny Yong Bosch as he’ll ever be. He’s not bad as Johnathan but you can tell he’s struggling both under the accent and giant with a heart of gold persona. It’d be one thing if he were playing an edgy teenager like Ichigo Kurosaki or a kid like Renton Thurston but he’s caught in the role that might’ve been suited to someone else.

Keith Silverstein (who also voiced Hisoka from Hunter x Hunter) is having a grand old time as Robert Speedwagon. Marc Diraison (who voiced Guts in Beserk and ‘Zolo’ in the 4kids dub of One Piece) shows genuine emotion as George Joestar. Also, can we just give a hand to Michelle Ruff? I know she’s done a lot of roles, including ones from Ayako Kawasumi (such as Saber from Fate/Stay Night and Chikane Himemiya from Kannazuki no Miko) but she plays a great Erina both young and old.

With the end of Part 1 and the closing of Jonathan’s story, we move onto Part 2.

Part 2: Battle Tendency

So, it’s 1928, New York. We follow a black boy named Smokey Robinson as he’s being hassled by the police for being a pickpocket. Before this turns into a docudrama on the History Channel, a six foot stranger with a British accent appears.

Here we meet the Jojo of this story arc, Joseph Joestar, grandson of Jonathan and Erina.

(Yes, I find the fact that Joseph is played by the same voice performer as Kids Next Door’s Nigel Uno extremely hysterical. He’s even using the same voice!)

But all’s not well in New York. Joseph encounters a vampire that’s somehow resistant to Hamon.

With the rise of Vampires that are somewhat resistant to Hamon as well as the strange disappearance of Mr. Speedwagon, Joeseph sets off on a trip that will take him all over the world from the scorching hot deserts of South America to the beautiful city of Venice and even over a Volcano. The conspiracy leads to the awakening of the Pillar Men, ancient Aztec warriors who are bent on destroying humanity unless Joeseph can team up with the grandson of Zeppilli and stop them once and for all. Kars, however, might be the most difficult opponent of all and when he transforms into an ultimate superbeing capable of not being harmed by Hamon or Sunlight, Joespeh’s wits are put to the limit.

Here we get a distinct difference between the two protagonists. While Jonathan was honorable, kind and courteous, Joseph is devious, scheming and a bit of a trickster.

I really love Joseph. In fact, through parts 1 through 6, he’s probably my favorite of the protagonists. See, Joseph is constantly pitted against more experienced enemies that have a physical advantage over him. Joseph overcomes this by tricking and deceiving his opponents. Sometimes, his bluffs work because of his cleverness. Other times, he’s just damn lucky. Joseph likes to predict his opponent’s next line, say it and basically outsmart them.

At times, Joseph is willing to make a complete idiot out of himself, just for a moment’s opportunity to trick his foe. Such as dressing up in women’s clothing and bribing some enemy soldiers.

Joseph continues to hone is Hamon skills in order to defeat the Pillar Men. But not before meeting two beauties by the names of Lisa Lisa, a Hamon teacher who might have a secret of two and Suzie Q, a cute Italian girl.

Part 2’s filled with wall to wall exploits, including mad German scientists, Chariot Races and an incredible finish with Joseph facing off against Kars on top of a Volcano.

Joseph defeats Kars and returns in surprise to his own funeral, but not before getting a new metal hand and marrying Suzy Q.

And thus ends Battle Tendency. A lot of people consider this their favorite part and I’m among them. Aside from Joeseph’s antics, there’s a lot of fire and energy you just don’t see nowadays. From battling vampires on top the Brooklyn Bridge to flying a plane over a volcanic island to defeat an Ubermensch, Battle Tenacity had a lot of creativity and seeing Joeseph get out of each situation with his wits and sheer dumb luck is a joy to behold.

Ben Diskin (who also performed Sai from Naruto and Knuckle from Hunter x Hunter) is hysterical as Joseph and the fact that he has this thick British accent the whole time makes it worthwhile. Diskin’s always had a great range but him playing this buffoon makes the whole enterprise a laugh riot.

Wendee Lee as Lisa Lisa is fine (that’s not to say that Wendee Lee gives a bad performance, far from it. It’s just that after voicing so many roles, you can tell which ones she’s pouring her soul into and which ones she’s just putting on a funny accent. This is the latter). It’s also nice to hear Stephanie Sheh as Suzy Q being more of a lighthearted ditz rather than a shy introvert.

Aside from the wackiness and over the top reactions, what really sets this series apart is the animation. Using striking color pallets and digging into the manga aesthetic really sets the tone whether it’s Joseph goofing off or Jonathan fighting a desperate battle. David Productions made their name with this series and it’s no surprise they’ve been listed to do other works such as Fire Force. Even when the anime resorts to using a panning shot or speed lines, there’s a kinetic pace that pulls you in.

But, you didn’t come here for Jonathan, did you? You didn’t come here for Joseph, either. You came for a certain high schooler with a hat and a mission.

Stand proud, true crusaders.

Next time, we’re covering Part 3.

Verdict: Buy it! If you’re unsure, you can watch it for free on Crunchyroll.

https://amzn.to/2UK8uye

[thatdragonsdrabbles]

Throw your voice headcanons at me. You know what I want ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) (ily you're a saint)

[*trips down stairs with laptop, somehow lands on feet at the bottom and scurries over* OKAY I THINK I’VE GOT THIS. Or rather, I’m bad at this and I’m done trying to figure out The Perfect Voices. xD So uh, hope these are somewhat interesting and not too terrible?]

Grillby Voice HCs

-Undertale!Grillby- 

Matthew Mercer (as Jia Chong from Dynasty Warriors 8)

Troy Baker (as he voiced Espio the Chameleon from Sonic Generations) 

And if you want a British accent, look no further than J. Michael Tatum’s Sebastian from Black Butler (also just, listen to these outtakes, voice actors get to have some fun at least)

-Underfell!Grillby- 

Travis Willingham (in style of Isaac Frost from Fight Night Champion) 

Keith Silverstein (in public as he voices Gabriele Agreste and Hawkmoth from Miraculous Ladybug, but normal voice when more casual) 

Ray Chase (somewhere between his normal voice and Gaius from Fire Emblem Awakening) 

-Underswap!Grillby-

Liam O'Brien (I imagine it a little deeper than this but, Izana from Fire Emblem Fates, oh my god just listen to this nut it’s great) 

For another British-esque twist, one particular role of Ben Diskin’s (again, make it a tad deeper but, Jakob from Fire Emblem Fates; I find it hilarious that it’s another Fates character, and Swap!Grillby as a butler is just a great mental image) 

-Swapfell!Grillby-

Liam O'Brien (in the style of Isaac from Castlevania: Curse of Darkness) 

Christopher Corey Smith (as he voiced Reinhardt {and kinda Seth too} in Fire Emblem Heroes, which I can’t find online clips for unfortunately but uh yeah)

Robin Atkin Downes (as Luxord from Kingdom Hearts II) 

[yupuffin]

Here’s the first of two drawings I got signed by Keith Silverstein, my favorite voice actor since I was 12, at Anime PDX! \o/ Of course, the nostalgia was strong with this one.

When I was 12, I was waaay into Naruto, as were many of my friends. Kimimaro was my favorite character; however, as you may be aware, 12 is not the most mature age. Unfortunately for me, I could tell very few people who my favorite was without getting hit by a barrage of comments about how much they hated him. So I got pretty closed off and never wanted to talk to anyone about him after that (save for my one very nice friend who agreed that he was great and never said anything negative when I brought him up). It’s been over 8 years and I was still nervous to even start this drawing because that fear of bringing up my favorite only to have him get bashed hasn’t gone away -- even though I’m sure there’s a good and supportive (part of the?) fandom out there.

This is a big reason nowadays I never say I “hate” any character. I might not be a big fan, but I would definitely not want to put anyone through what I went through. Occasionally I’ll slip and bring up something I dislike or don’t “get” about a character, but I do my best to switch to positive comments (I can usually find points I like even if I dislike the character as a whole) because I’m sure there’s someone out there who would feel bad at me saying that.

Keith Silverstein was super nice and he loved my art and told me to keep drawing, so I’m definitely going to do that now. x’D

[sarazanmai]

Thoughts on the “One Punch Man” English dub. Episode eight.

that creature’s mouth looks wrong

ganbare Mumen Rider!

octo dude has a spine apparently

this Stinger guy looks like Hiei if he could emote

I like that Mumen Rider wears his goggles over his glasses, I guess contact lenses aren’t cheap

“its actually a lot easier. without an audience!” I know sentence pacing and mouth flaps are always going to be issues with dubbing anime, but in scenes like that its really obvious because of the pause he makes mid sentence

because this issue plagues just about every anime I’m not going to judge them that much and I wish anime fans were more understanding of why this happens and that sometimes to prevent it the lines need to be reworked

and if you think that’s hypocritical given my gripes with the BNHA dub changing dialogue, my beef there is they often change lines that are spoken by someone off camera or via inner monologue where there is no mouth flap to work around so in that example the change feels unnecessary

Deep Sea King is voiced by our friend Keith Silverstein who has probably shown up the most in my recap posts. he was Koyama in MP100, Speedwagon in Jojo, Papa Kenji in SMC, and now he’s here

he’s also the English voice of Hisoka so if I ever do decide to recap episodes of HXH we’ll see him there too

I like that Deep Sea King’s design is somewhere in between stupid and creepy

there’s something about those teeth that weird me out

“if its one on one maybe I can- AAAAHHHHH! [unintelligible yelling]”

“that stings a little. why would you do this?” I hope this is how he voices Hisoka

“I am...the hero...called Lightning Max fight me!” so this sentence contains some awkward pausing too, but given the context it works because one could interpret him as being shaken

“dammit arrogant guppy”

because I feel like it, Lightning Max is voiced by Ben Pronsky who is Mu Alexius in the Magi franchise (I wanted to read that at one point but got lazy)

its a bird! its a plane! its...a problematic stereotype

yeah sorry but Puri Puri Prisoner is just tasteless and its unfortunate

its even stranger since ONE is the same guy who told people to not feel ashamed of making BL content of his characters so....ehhhh its a lapse in taste

if you enjoy the character, great because he is entertaining, its just that I have seen people say he turns them off of the series even though he’s a pretty minor character

Puri Puri Prisoner is voiced by Ray Chase and for a brief moment I forgot what Sonic sounds like

I like how Puri Puri Prisoner is making this speech about how Deep Sea King hurt these men he fancies and the whole time Sonic just has this look of pure Done on his face

Deep Sea King licks his lips and I’m just getting flashbacks to every WTF Hisoka moment I had when I watched through that anime

“neither one of them could defeat me” Sonic this is why you’re a meme to us

I do have to admit them being so barefaced with their parody of the Sailor Moon transformations is amazing

“he’s naked. and he’s definitely no angel. nor is he human. nor do I wanna watch. I’m out.”

“too slow” hE SAID THAT! HE SAID IT!

“crack crack. snap snap” this episode has great dialogue

so the manga gave us a better look at naked Sonic and its a pity the anime doesn’t

“who exactly was that pervert?”

I really do appreciate the whole message about doing what you can even if its so much and then Saitama putting on that performance to make sure their efforts aren’t ignored

“did you just see a butt naked guy run past us?”

tune in next time for the most inspiring moment in anime history