Re: "Full Metal Panic" dub (disc 1).

In article <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, D B Malmquist
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

> Finally got 'round to watching this disc.  Any thoughts on the dub?
> 
> My $0.02 -

My 2 pennys follow...

> Chidori's name is pronounced like "Chicory", or even "Chittery".  
> This is quite distracting because "Chittery" doesn't sound like a 
> Japanese word - it sounds more like some obscure English term.
> ("The sound of fingernails on a blackboard makes my teeth feel 
> chittery.")

It's bearable to me, but then I'm not anal about that.

> Chris Patton as Sagara sounds wrong - he's a too even-tempered and 
> comfortable.  Sagara should come across as tightly wound and hopelessly 
> stiff, substituting military protocol and discipline for social 
> skill.

Wait until the second disc...

> Luci Christian as Kaname sounds more assertive and snarky than
> fiery.  It's a different interpretation of the character, but maybe
> a valid one.

Again, wait until later...

> Allison Keith as Melissa Mao mainly sounds right: competently adult 
> with an undertone of playful sexuality - except occasionally when 
> she hits too high a pitch, she suddenly sounds a bit girlish.

Imagine that... a teenage girl sounding girlish  :)

> I haven't made up my mind about Hilary Haag as Tessa.  Sometimes she 
> has a slightly spoiled, smug tone not present in the original.  Also, 
> her diction isn't quite as bell-clear as is Yukana's in Japanese.  This 
> doesn't make sense - Tessa is supposed to be a precociously mature, 
> highly educated naval officer.  Of course, the original character 
> doesn't make much sense either, so maybe Haag's characterization will 
> click in the later episodes that feature Tessa more heavily.  And in 
> fact the performance gets better in ep 4, where she has to show a 
> slight bit of backbone.  (In the ED credits, her name is spelled 
> "Teletha Testarossa".  What's with that?)

It fits.  And Tessa is her nickname.

> Monica Rial as Kyoko (Kaname's pigtailed friend) sounds just right.
> American dub studios are getting better at "cute girl" voices.
> 
> Mike McRae as Gauron needs to sound much more barbaric.

To each their own.

> The dub script seems fine.  A few jokes are tweaked slightly, and
> a bit of explanation is added here and there, which is OK.  There 
> are none of the asinine rewrites that plague the "Sakura Wars TV" dub 
> script.
> 
> The occasional Russian accents sound excessively fake.

They get away from the Russians pretty fast, so I didn't pay it much
heed.

> Overall - B so far.  Better than "Sakura Wars TV", not as good as 
> "Rune Soldier Louie".  ADV dubs can be quite the crapshoot, can't
> they?  Though for their top-of-the-line titles they're usually
> not awful.

I agree with the score, however I haven't seen the TV of Sakura Wars,
just the OAV.  And Rune Soldier Louie has the best opening theme, IMO.

-- 
Catgirls are cute, I dare you to prove me wrong.