I am tired of seeing all these posts all over the Internet on the dub, saying 50% Off is better and such.
You people do not realize what a HUGE risk Funimation took in licensing Eternal Summer. And yet, over the past year, they've been giving it tons of love and exposure, hoping it will be a success. They gave it an all star cast, they're releasing a premium box set, and they've hinted at the special episode too. And now that everyone has had their turn for a punch, FUNIMATION WILL THINK THIS WAS A FAILURE. THEY WILL NEVER LICENSE ANOTHER SPORTS ANIME AGAIN. THEY WILL NOT TRY TO (somehow) PURSUE SEASON 1. IT WILL BE BIG WINDUP ALL OVER AGAIN.
The dub is not "too straight" or "too bro." What you people, who probably haven't done a lick of research about voice acting on either side of the Pacific, haven't realized is that voice acting is supposed to be a PERFORMANCE. DUBS ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO COPY THE JAPANESE IN EVERY WAY. I have heard dubs at the hands of directors who thought that was a good idea and they are truly TERRIBLE. Director Jerry Jewell most likely realized that the feeling the Japanese voice acting gave is something that can ONLY WORK IN JAPANESE. Over-exaggerated archetypes, shonen-ai subtext, THESE ARE THINGS THAT THE JAPANESE HAVE DECADES OF EXPERIENCE IN, and English dub actors have only really hit their stride in the past 10 or so years, so only the veterans have experience in. WHICH IS WHY HE CAST ACTORS WITH YEARS AND DOZENS OF SHOWS UNDER THEIR BELT. He knew trying to emulate the seiyuu's performances would be a bad idea, so he made the dub feel much more NATURAL. THE BOYS ACTUALLY SPEAK LIKE REGULAR TEENAGERS IN THE DUB.
Say what you will about the supposed mispronunciations, DO YOU HONESTLY EXPECT NATIVE ENGLISH SPEAKERS TO PERFECTLY PRONOUNCE JAPANESE LIKE PROFESSIONAL SEIYUU. And for your information, they are pronouncing "Rin" CORRECTLY. IT IS NOT SUPPOSED TO RHYME WITH "FIN." What you also may not realize is that English dub actors RARELY get the chance to see at least an episode of a show they're cast in in Japanese. THEY ARE TOO BUSY TO DO THAT. The most they usually get to hear are little clips of the Japanese version the ADR director shows them right before they dub the line(s) in the recording booth. SO IF THEY MISPRONOUNCE ANY JAPANESE NAME, IT'S BECAUSE THEY READ THE NAME OFF THE SCRIPT, WITHOUT HAVING HEARD THE JAPANESE. AND ONCE THEY ESTABLISH A PRONUNCIATION, THEY HAVE TO STICK WITH IT, BECAUSE INCONSISTENCIES ACROSS A DUB CAN MAKE IT FEEL A LOT WORSE. (Please see the dub to Say I Love You for reference)
Because the Internet is full of idiots, I need to say this again: VIC IS NOT HOMOPHOBIC, much less "too homophobic to be in Free." YOU ALL TRIED TO RUIN HIS CAREER LAST YEAR, and to what avail? WHAT WERE YOU TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH???
(exhales)
So, in conclusion, if you were one of those oh-so-lovely folks on the comments of the dub trailer released last month saying this dub made you physically ill or such, I bet your knowledge of anime voice acting is so minimal, you don't even know what ADR stands for. This automatic violent reaction to the dub that has now been so perpetuated in the anime community so much that new listeners are EXPECTING to find the dub as repulsive as everyone says it is, WHICH BECOMES A SELF FULFILLING PROPHECY. YOU PEOPLE DO NOT REALIZE HOW MONUMENTAL THIS DUB IS, AND THE NUMBER OF THINGS IT DID TO HELP FUNIMATION, THE CAST, AND THE ANIME INDUSTRY AND COMMUNITY MOVE FORWARD. HECK, THEY EVEN INVITED OCTOPIMP AND SPARKY TO BE IN THE ACTUAL DUB. If that's not respect, you tell me what is.
If you made it here to the end, I have a few things to say to you. First, if you just scrolled to the end without reading what's above this, and you know what I'm talking about based on the title of this post, GO BACK BECAUSE I CAN ALMOST GUARANTEE YOU'LL LEARN SOMETHING. Second, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE SUPPORT THIS LICENSED RELEASE OF FREE. EVEN IF YOU'RE GOING TO JUST WATCH THE SUB ONLINE, PLEASE DO NOT USE TORRENT SITES. THIS SHOW NEEDS A LOT OF LOVE, and if it's successful enough, who knows, we could be seeing a wave of sports anime be available on places besides Crunchyroll. Third, I hope everyone who actually read this will have learned something, and will maybe keep an open mind about this.
(Bows out)
Cheers,
~Selena
Last Updated: 31 July 2015
Originally Published: 31 July 2015
