Niki-chan (niki-chan@SANCTUM.COM)
Sun, 21 Feb 1999 12:06:27 -0500
X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 4.72.3110.5 Message-ID: <001201be5dbc$8560c8e0$3146a5ce@ia160.sanctum.com> Date: Sun, 21 Feb 1999 12:06:27 -0500 From: Niki-chan <niki-chan@SANCTUM.COM> Subject: Re: Sakura Wars OVAs dubbed in English!
That's just evil to put Sakura Taisen in English...considering how extremely
Japanese it is. Shame shame on American Anime distribution companies and
their marking up of subtitles for us poor Japanese language fans. And also
shame on people who are too lazy to read subtitles and demand inferior dubs
from the distribution companies.
There, I've said my piece. Everyone can go back to their every-day lives
now. ^^
-----Original Message-----
From: Mike Mr. Groovy Toole <chiefdork@ANIMEJUMP.COM>
To: SAKURATAISEN-LIST@LISTSERV.ACSU.BUFFALO.EDU
<SAKURATAISEN-LIST@LISTSERV.ACSU.BUFFALO.EDU>
Date: Saturday, February 20, 1999 1:17 AM
Subject: Sakura Wars OVAs dubbed in English!
>Hi guys-- I just watched the dubbed volume one of ADVs forthcoming release
>of the Sakura Taisen OVAs. Thought I'd share some thoughts.
>
>First of all, the voices, obviously. I was ready to be mortified, but
>they're actually cast AMAZINGLY well. Each member of the Hanagumi has an
>uncannily appropriate-sounding actress. Particularly of note were Kanna
>and Sumire's voices, who were dead on. Sakura's was quite good, as well.
>The only sticking point was the accents.
>
>Accents? Well, yeah. Actually, Maria's faux-slavic accent was pretty OK,
>IMO. It was very noticable, but not really obtrusive. I can't say the
>same for Iris' french accent (it sounded like she was just slurring words,
>though it still isn't as bad as that horrible faux-French Kenji Murasame
>in the Giant Robo dub) or for Kohran's accent. Instead of speaking in
>"Kansai dialect" (some sort of English-language analogue, which nobody
>seems to agree upon anyway), she speaks with what sounds kind of like a
>cute-Chinese-girl accent, but doesn't succeed. It's as though she's
>speaking in the same manner of the dubbed Shampoo from Ranma 1/2, though
>her voice is much lower and she doesn't speak broken English. This is
>really a shame, as the English Kohran's *voice* is right on the money,
>particularly when she shouts "Steam bazooka!" in the first episode.
>
>Males weren't bad, either-- Oogami didn't really say much, so not much to
>say about that. Yoneda came across as a little too straightforward and
>dignified, though that's probably just because he hasn't gotten plastered
>yet. Ayame was also fairly good.
>
>Name pronunciation: PERFECT! Well, almost. There is not a single
>instance of actors misplacing accents in Japanese names (ex. pronouncing
>"Yoneda" as "YoNAYda" or "Kirishima" as "KiriSHIma"), but there is one
>mistake. With the exception of Ayame's actress, all the actors pronounce
>"Sumire" with a short 'i'. Who the hell is Sue Murray?!
>
>Translation: Not bad, but some weird inconsistencies. For some reason,
>the dub actors insist that they're preparing to defend Tokyo. Wasn't it
>Kyoto, the IMPERIAL capital? Sakura's last name is romanized as
>"Shinguchi" in subtitles, but still pronounced with a 'j' instead of a
>'ch' sound. The koubu are referred to as "oubu" (no 'k') in the first
>episode. The name of the unit is translated as "Imperial Floral Assault
>Team", which is quite good IMO. Interesting note: Sakura's special
>attack is referred to as the Cherry Blossom technique, but she uses it,
>she actually yells out the Japanese words-- even in the dub.
>
>Overall: Surprisingly good! Folks who just don't want their anime in
>English (like Terrence and Tom Cheng) won't get too much out of it, but I
>strongly encourage all you Sakura Taisen fans to try renting it or
>something. I was pleased with the quality of the OVA animation (and
>especially the music!) and hope to see it out on DVD at some point.
>
>Thoughts?
>
>--Mike
>"Hey, it's Ben Affleck! And Cuba Gooding Jr.!"
>--my girlfriend, upon seeing Oogami and his senior officer squabbling in
>episode 1