Yet another dubbing debate (Re: fan anime & size of anime fandom)
Bill Barnes
>wba...@sura.net (Bill Barnes) writes:
>> Well, I have a few qualms about this. One, in order to do a really good
>> dubbing job, you'd need good voice actors, right? Now, presumably, the
>> better the voice actor, the more money he/she will want, right?
>
>Not necessarily. People who can read well (out loud, with feeling)
>are not as hard to find (therefore not as expensive) as people who can
>act on stage/film. For that matter, good stage/film actors aren't
>hard to find or expensive if you're willing to settle for a good
>actor/actress rather than someone who's been made into a "NAME".
Fair enough...so why can't any of the dubbing companies find decent voice
actors?! 8-] It's kind of disconcerting to see more convincing actors/
actresses in commercials for such fun items as suppositories or douches
then there are in English-dubbed anime. 8-/
I think I also forgot to add my theory that there's a stigma attached to
doing cartoons, that there's not enough pretige involved with voice acting
for them (except for Disney and maybe a few other biggies) because of the
whole "cartoons are just for kids" belief. Ex-Lax gets more respect than
Akira. 8-/
Although maybe I'm way off-base on that one. Does anyone know how voice
actors are usually recruited (maybe that's what's wrong with all these
dubbing companies - they don't know *how* to find good voice actors! 8^)?
>> Start off with one of the children's animes (some of Miyazaki's would
>> be perfect) at first, in order to warm up the public and prepare them for
>> dealing with mature cartoons.
>This would just reinforce the idea that cartoons are just for kids,
>and would make sure that that that stereotype was firmly applied to
>anime as well.
Whoops. What I was trying to say is that the American public has to gradually
get used to the concept that cartoons *aren't* just for kids. So first,
you start out with something that fits a sort of Disney definition of
cartoon, like Totoro or Kiki, basically something parents would feel
comfortable showing their kids which isn't as brainless as the Smurfs or
the Care Bears. From there you work your way up, bringing over movies
(or TV shows, if you could convince a network to carry it) that gradually
are more "intelligent" and deep, like Nausicaa. Anyone who's expecting the
American public to collectively slap their foreheads and exclaim, "My God,
these *aren't* just for kids!" is daydreaming (I know I have 8-). You have
to work your way up the scale, from G to PG to PG-13 to R to (dare I say
it? 8-) NC-17. Anime isn't going to become an overnight sensation, much
as we'd probably like it to be.
This, of course, assumes you want anime to acheive mainstream popularity.
I'm sure anime could continue for quite some time as a fringe market
and I'd be satisfied. Annoyed that the rest of the country doesn't realize
what it's missing and considers me bizarre for liking anime, but content
nonetheless.
--
Bill "Ack! I can't think of anything witty to say!" Barnes wba...@sura.net
Disclaimer: Don't assume anything I say is truthful, accurate, or worthwhile.
Datclaimer: My employers wouldn't WANT to share some of my opinions.