New Bleach dub+rant: “Give English VAs a break”

Well, Bleach has finally been officially released in America. And even though it didn’t seem to create quite a reaction as when Naruto was officially released, it’s still a pretty big deal for Bleach fans. As of my writing this, I’ve watched Bleach fansubs up to episode 98 and I’ve watched the 5 dubbed episodes that have aired on Adult Swim so far…and I’m happy to report that I’m pleased with the dub.

Johnny Yong Bosch, who also does the voice for Vash from Trigun and Kiba from Wolf’s Rain, is an excellent voice actor. But I wasn’t sure if he would be good at a “bad-ass” guy like Ichigo(most of the voices he’s done are of quieter, gentle guys.) Although he doesn’t make Ichigo sound quite as “tough” as Masakazu Morita makes his sound, he still makes Ichigo sound appealing. The rest of the main characters, like Rukia, Chad, and Orihime, are well cast too. Supporting characters like Ichigo’s family and classmates, and the Hollows, all sound good as well. I really couldn’t point out any character that I felt was poorly miscast. We got to hear a bit of Kon and Urahara’s voices in the previews, but not enough to really tell what they’ll be like once they make their appearances in the episodes.

Translation-wise, I think Viz does a pretty good job with making the dialogue sound natural(way better than what they did with the first season of Inuyasha.) Of course there were some lines I thought could’ve been translated better, but for the most part I can’t complain. The only thing that struck me as kind of odd was that they translated “shinigami” as “soul reaper,” but left the Japanese word “zanpakuto” untranslated. But I suppose whether they chose to translate both words, neither one, or one and not the other, people would still complain.

Which brings me to another point I want to touch on while we’re on the subject of dubs, especially those of popular fansubs. I’m sure there are people who will read this and think “How can she say such good things about the Bleach dub?! It sucks! The voices are so horrible! etc,.” But most people who think things like this have the same negative opinions about all anime dubs. I’m not saying it’s wrong to prefer the Japanese version over the English dub. For most of the anime I watch, I prefer the Japanese version, and I have my share of dubs that I think are bad and refuse to watch. But what I’m referring to are fans, usually those who only watch anime via fansubs, that bad-mouth pretty much every dub no matter its quality, sometimes even if they haven’t seen it themselves. It’s like they feel that only Japanese voice actors have talent, and that all English voice actors are completely incapable of portraying anime characters in a satisfying way. This is a pretty shallow way of thinking in my opinion. What if you have someone who’s passionately aspiring to be a voice actor for a popular anime that’s soon to be dubbed? Would you tell them that they should just give it up now because anime dubs suck and they could never match the quality of the Japanese version? Yes, there are many horrible dubs out there, but most dubs that have been released straight to DVD or on Adult Swim, have been fairly decent, especially within the past few years.

Rather than complaining about every little flaw in English dubs, I think fans should be happy about the increased respect and overall better dubbing quality that anime has been getting recently. If you think dubs are so horrible now, take a look at a dub from the 90s or even before, back when anime was just a sliver of an entertainment genre and most of the few American anime companies out there couldn’t afford to hire real voice actors. Viz’s dub of Naruto is a good example of the point I’m trying to make. A few years ago, airing a show like that, even with the (relatively few) edits that Viz makes, would be totally unheard of. I’m sure Viz had to pull a few strings to get Naruto its PG rating rather than Y7. Fans complain about edits and voice casting, but nearly everything about the story, characters’ names, dialogue, etc., is translated accurately. People also gripe about the censoring of violence and some blood(I say “some” because Viz does leave a lot of the blood intact), when in fact, I believe Naruto’s the only children-aimed cartoon to even show blood so frequently. If Naruto actually did air a few years ago, it would be so heavily edited and chock full of mistranslations and American gags that it would be pretty much unrecognizable. Same goes for Viz’s other dub, Zatch Bell. Now Zatch Bell has a Y7 rating, so its probably aimed at an even younger audience than Naruto. And sure, its has its censoring, edits, etc., but in general, like Naruto, nearly everything about the story, characters, and dialogue is translated fairly well. Zatch Bell can get a bit wacky sometimes, but even then I never hear Americanized jokes or totally rewritten dialogue. Again, if Zatch Bell aired a few years ago, it would surely be butchered into almost a different show(i.e. Cardcaptors.)

And if the quality of “made for childrens’ TV” dubs like Naruto and Zatch Bell have improved so much over the years, then the quality of some direct to DVD and Adult Swim dubs can surely be considered good. Nowadays, fans should be rejoicing in the fact that anime is finally being marketed as its own genre, independent of “cartoons” and American shows, and that US anime companies know its essential to have well translated, quality dubbing. In fact, I think the only anime still suffering are the few aired on local channels(they usually fall prey to 4Kids.) But generally, in my opinion anyway, most dubs coming out nowadays are at least decent. Sure, there are still and always will be bad dubs, and even with good dubs, even I usually think the Japanese version is better. But what I’m saying is that fans shouldn’t label every new dub of their favorite fansub that comes out as “bad,” especially ones like Bleach, in which there’s no editing nor any significant miscasting or mistranslation. Rather, they should be happy that dubbing quality and respect of anime has been on the rise for many years now. And maybe they should take the time to see that there are some good English voice actors out there. I know of many English VAs that voice a variety of anime characters that I believe are very talented people, just as my favorite Japanese VAs are. I know there are many English VAs, Crispan Freeman for example, who are just as passionate about their work as Japanese VAs, so someone needs to give them some praise. If fans of the show won’t do it, then who will? =P But really, to sum this rant of mine up, all I’m saying is that I think fans shouldn’t be so narrow-minded in their opinions about anime dubs. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with preferring the Japanese version, but at least be a little appreciative of the improvement anime dubs have seen over the years and that the more accurate dubbing nowadays means that more Americans will be able to see the true storytelling quality that makes anime so special.

New Bleach dub+rant: “Give English VAs a break”

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