THE ENGLISH DUB...care to react?

[White Witch]

I wa watching the English dub of RK and...

Well, the voices are OK, I guess. Some of them fit the character. What I find wrong is the translation of some of the words. I mean, no one ever said "I love you" or even "daisuki" in the Japanese version (if I remember correctly), and I've seen that about 3 times now...and we're only up to the Farewell episode in the PI.

I dunno how to react to the way they dubbed my Soujiro's voice...I think it's nice enough, but he sounds older...he should sound like someone with childlike innocence !

Care to put in your comments?

[Oyuki]

personally, i do like kenshin's voice, but the other ones... well, that's another matter. they're all harmless enough but like you said, the translations... *shudders* oh and the pronunciation!

i hadn't realized what they did to the dialogue until i watched the japanese-language dvds.

one thing though, my b/f still wonders why i like to watch the japanese version and not the english dubbed. i have to restrain myself from clobbering him. he just doesn't understand!

[White Witch]

oh and the pronunciation!

I forgot that...
YEP, the pronounciations are REALLY bad.
Kaoru - Cori
Yahiko - Yoshi
Saito - Sato or Sa-I-to.
Kenshin - Kenshee.


Were the translators deaf or something?

[The Narrator]

YEP, the pronounciations are REALLY bad.

Honey, just wait until they have Hiko try to pronounce "Hiten Mitsuryugi Ryu, Amakakeru no Hirameki"! I was watching my DVDs with some kids I babysat (dubbed of course), and I had to clap my hands over my ears or I would have started screaming. I still twitch whenever I think about it. *twitch, twitch!* Why the freak is it that the English voice actors never take pronunciation lessons?! Did they even WATCH the original Japanese version to get an idea of how their characters were supposed to sound?! AND KENSHIN DOESN'T EVEN SAY "ORO" IN THE DUBBED VERSION, GUNDAMMIT!!
There were just so many wrong things about the dubbed, from voices (I think Soujiro's was the worst) to things actually said. For example, in the first OAV, Kenshin says to Tomoe, "Ore wa kimi wo mamoru," which is "I will protect you." Simple, short, sweet, and eloquently summing up the major transition Kenshin has made from hitokiri to a normal person. Of course, in the dubbed version, the translators obviously felt they had to spell it out: "I will never let anyone hurt my wife." In the manga, Kenshin and Tomoe were married, so that would have been appropriate, but in the OAV, they weren't, so it just sounds...urgh, I dunno, forced. I prefer understatement, I guess.
So yes, dub = evil :evil:
Especially the dub of "sobakasu"...

Salute!
The Narrator

[Oyuki]

kenshin said "oro" once in the dubbed version! i remember it very clearly! but, unfortunately, that's the only time he ever said it...

you have the DVDs Narrator? OMG! have you seen the outtakes?! the voice actor for Hiko could not say Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki! he said it like fifteen times and he said it wrgon!!!!! the dubbed version is EVIL!

i'm working up to buying the OAV... takes a lot of money and i don't work so... yeah.

anyway, like i said before, the translations and the pronunciation is bad, but i will say again that kenshin's voice is kinda cute. i like it.

[Battousai]

Me hates all the voices, i've seen all the ova's and can quote nearly half of them in Japanese, and if none of you have met MorningDewStar you should meet her, she is obsessed. (and if u did not know u can look in th offtopic fourm and find out if ur too obseessed)

[Gundam Girl]

I was satisfied well enough with the dub for the series; I like Richard, Lex, and Dorothy, so I think they did okay.

Now, this Samurai X dubs can go to hell and rot! I got fairly used to it after awhile, but REALLY... It was ridiculous.

[White Witch]

Misao's voice...ugh...

I haven't heard Hiko say Amakakeru Ryu no hirameki yet, but my cousins keep making fun of it. Must watch and poke fun at the translators! ^_^

[Battousai]

I agree Misao's voice is dreadful, but the way they did Kenshin! UGHHHHH! I can hardly bear to speak of how horrible it is!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :evil: :evil: :evil:
Kenshin's voice in japanese, PERFECT!!!!!!!!!!! O and Hiko saying Amakakeru Ryu no hirameki, totally evil! :evil: :evil: :evil:

[Carebear]

I have to say that I like both versions. After buying some of the DVDs (Which means as many as I can afford at the moment. I'm in school, so I don't work alot) and watching both versions, the english dub and the original japanese version, I have to they each have qualities that endear them to me.
I love Kenshin's voice in both as well. I find that his english voice has a more dreamy quality to it, but it still manages to maintain the innocence and adorableness of the rurouni. (Okay, I know Kenshin is not an innocent, but I'm talking about his voice not his past.)
Anyways, the only downside I find in regards Kenshin's english voice is the loss of his exclaimations of Oro! The english translation of the word could be referred to as 'Huh?,' but it sometimes sounds more like jibberish than anything else. The english dub left all the original japanese names, sword techniques, fighting styles, etc, but they eliminated 'oro.' Oro is Kenshin's own exclamation of surprise (or pain). It is in essence his word, so why not let it carry over into the english dub. It doesn't make sense to me. :-?
As for the pronounciations, I can't say too much b/c I butcher the language everytime I try to say some of the words. But, then again a few lessons in the proper pronounciation of the words would not have killed them.
All in all, I really do like the dub of RK. Well, that's my two cents worth. :razz:
Bye,
Carebear
P.S. Just an FYI. Did you know that Oro is an actual word? It means 'I pray' or 'I beg' in Latin. I can't believe I can apply my Latin classes to RK. It's actually kinda funny.