"Where's the apple-flavored Mountain Dew?" "In the fridge, duh!"

[amanuensis1]

I've watched the first episode of Death Note with the English dub, to see if the dub was enjoyable, 'cos I love this series so much I'd like to experience it every way available. I think it's well done, but I'm not so happy with Ryuk's voice. Not that the actor isn't good, it just makes Ryuk a different guy. Japanese-voice Ryuk sounds like the kind of lazy good-for-nothing friend of yours that lies on your sofa eating your Cheetos and watching your cable, but you let him hang around because he's fun to play Gran Turismo with and he never asks you when you're gonna clean the place up. English-voice Ryuk, on the other hand, is not a friend but he's this guy a friend of a friend of yours knows, and you never ever hang out with him because they say he has mob ties and drives around with three shotguns and a drum of kerosene in his car trunk, and you only call him if you have to get rid of a body, and he says, "I'll meet you at ninth and Gateridge; bring fifty feet of garden hose and $8000," and while you're still saying, "Where the f**k am I gonna get $8000 and garden hose at this time of night?" he's already hung up on you and is heading over.

So, um, yeah. Different.

Comments

[reddwarfer.livejournal.com]

I think I have officially fallen in love with you. The way your brain works. It's delicious.

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

It's amazing the analogies that come to you in the shower. But they're SO DIFFERENT!

[fyrie.livejournal.com]

I think this is the case for most anime voiceovers. The one that makes me wince a lot is the Hellsing one, wherein the guy who plays Alucard in Japan is this growling-voiced demon of a man, but the English 'actor' is basically the complete opposite and brings very little to the character at all. Subtitles are shiny things.

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

If I have the choice of a subtitle, I will always take it. Most dubs seriously grate on me, though there have been a few that I thought were quite decent. As examples, I keep citing Pet Shop of Horrors, which came to me dubbed, and I really liked D's English voice, and once I decided to watch Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon with the English track and found it very well done.

Every so often, I have had a foreign DVD sitting about that I knew I was never going to get to sit down and watch with my full attention, and so I sighed and popped it in and put on the English track so that I could get it watched and didn't have to give it every bit of my attention. I remember doing this with Spirited Away and Brotherhood of the Wolf--though once I'd seen those that way and discovered I loved them, I then went back and watched them with the subtitles and now I watch them subtitled by preference. ^_^

[fyrie.livejournal.com]

I think my worst experience with dubbing was when I was in Sweden. I was trying to watch Brotherhood of the Wolf, but it only had Swedish subtitles and gah. I can understand some Swedish and French, but two languages at once? Broke my brain.

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

Yeah, French is the language at which I have the best chance of understanding a foreign language, so I like my French films subtitled.

[silverhielm.livejournal.com]

XD I lovelovelove your Death Note posts! Unfortunately, as I said, I'm struggling with an impending deadline and can't say all I'd like to say, but I'm enjoying each of your words! I'm happy because I do not know any of the series you have commented in the last months... I missed knowing what your posts were about ♥ Your brilliant posts *_*

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

If you have time later, please chime in, no matter how old the posts are--I'm so eager for people to squee with! I love this series so much, I'm consuming it at phoenix-burning rate! :D

[silverhielm.livejournal.com]

I'm chiming in now to tell you that I've downloaded the anime and watched it till episode 6! I can't wait to get to Light and L meeting!
some random comments from someone who read and loved the manga: this anime is amazing! The quality of both drawing and animation is surprisingly high, and the protagonists' voices are so sexy. God, I love L and his sugar obsession. Thank God the episodes are rather short (I'm used to Japanese tv series whose episodes usually last 45 minutes), so I think I'm getting to the "hot stuff" soon.
:)

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

SQUEE! Did you look at all the spoilers before this, or are you still unspoiled? God, I would love to hear all your reactions as you go!

D'you love Light or hate him? :D And don't you just want to pick L up and cuddle him and make him eat some protein once in while?

[vikingcarrot.livejournal.com]

... I haven't heard Ryuk in Japanese, as I've only seen the dub on TV at the moment.

But fuck, Ryuk is my favourite, favourite character, no competition. *goes a-searching*

[vikingcarrot.livejournal.com]

Okay I just listened to him in Japanese.

I actually kind of like him better in English, because his Japanese voice makes him sound kind of like an old guy. I don't know why.

But you're so right with your analogies. XD

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

Ryuk's Japanese voice sounds older, more "Eh? What's going on?" while the English voice sounds hissier, nastier, like he's plotting everything. If I had seen the English dub first I bet I would have fallen in love with hissier nastier Ryuk. It depends a lot on the first version one sees/hears, it always does!

[vikingcarrot.livejournal.com]

*nod* Agreed - if I'd heard him in Japanese first, the hissy English one would probably just annoy me.

Of course, I read the manga before having seen anything of the anime or live action (and I only read the manga in the last month), so I have my own imaginings regardless.

btw Ryuk fanart? So happening.

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

Ryuk fanart??! YES PLEASE.

I don't suppose you could be talked into anything featuring Light and/or L? :D

[vikingcarrot.livejournal.com]

I really love L, so that is a possibility.

I love all his fidgeting. The curling toes and hunching and stacking cups and sugarcubes and what have you at random. XD

[silverhielm.livejournal.com]

Amanuensis writing DN fics + Vikingcarrot drawing DN fanart = OTP

XD Yay!

[reddwarfer.livejournal.com]

YAY! I love Ryuk and thought I was all alone. I am also the only one to ship Ryuk/Light...but that's neither here nor there. *twirls you round for your good taste*

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

Ryuk is awesome. That's why I care so much. And I will be seeking out the Ryuk/Light after I'm done with the series, 'cos I've got to KNOW!

[starcrossedgirl.livejournal.com]

Dubs are strange, strange things. They frequently filled me with rage at complete and utter mistranslations in Star Trek or Buffy.

And then I downloaded a specific Highlander episode the other day, and the voice for Duncan was fine - but Methos' was just utterly, utterly wrong. It also made it obvious just how much an actor can actually do with their voice, intonation, sound other than scripted words... It's pretty impressive, actually.

Anyway, I'm sure you don't care. ;) Really just meant to say I'm all for subs all the way.

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

I always choose subs if I have the option! As I mentioned above, sometimes the dub was the only way to see something, and sometimes I've gone back and watched a dub and discovered it was pretty good after all, but if someone offers me the subtitled version I almost always pick it, unless it's one of those weird times where I just can't give something my full attention.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_hannelore/]

I could care less about Death Note, but this analogy has hilarious images. :D

Fifty feet of garden hose would be a good ficlet prompt!

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

You can totally see that guy with the mob ties, can't you? You can see the cigarette that he stubs out as he hangs up the phone and everything. ^_^

[miyukiryuu.livejournal.com]

Ahahahahahahhahahhaa.
Ahhh.
That is GENIUS.
I love those descriptions of Ryuk.
Agreed.
:D :D :D

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

And I get fond of whatever the first version of something I watch/hear/etc. is, so, when they feel different I'm likely going to prefer the first version. Though not always! :D

[miyukiryuu.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I tend to get that too, although sometimes remakes/whatever of films and other stuff is actually good. NOT SO with the American version of The Ring of course. God, that sucked hard.
Annnyywaay, before I ramble off onto too many tangents..
x

[mosrael.livejournal.com]

I had a similar experience recently, watching Howl's Moving Castle. The English dub was OK for every voice but Howl's, which ended up sounding too old for his actions IMO. Everybody else seemed fine. (And for some reason, I got through most of The Brotherhood of the Wolf before realizing it was dubbed at all...)

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

Oh! The first time I popped in the DVD of HMC, it didn't occur to me that the default would be set to the English dub, and I think the first words spoken were the shop proprietor's "I'm BA-AAACK!" and I YELLED and leapt for the remote to go to the language menu. Eurgh!

(Love your icon by the way!)

[mosrael.livejournal.com]

Hearing the language you didn't expect can be like getting a bucket of water over the head and down the back of your pants... ok, maybe that was a bit too specific. :P

Thankyou! I like your icon with the crumbs and the hair; it makes me want to watch DN. (I was spoiled so thoroughly for the whole genre, after reading only vol 1. - due to the internet mostly. I lost my curiosity, I guess.) And I have to say, I looked at your icons and the A/G strikethrough made me explode with laughter. Good times. :D

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

I have found some AWESOME icons. Some I have made, but the A/G strikethrough one was by marauderthesn, and it kills me every time!

I have DN icon ideas now, too!

[lycoris.livejournal.com]

*cracks up and DIES*

You have ... somehow just made me love English!Ryuk even more. I just ... want to see him saying that to Raito and Raito just going "..." and writing down more names. IT'S THE BEST THING EVER! :D

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

*giggles like mad*

I think the line that best illustrates the difference between the two interps is Ryuk's "I was bored." Japanese!Ryuk says it like he's just swallowed a mouthful of beer. English!Ryuk says it like he's just revealed his master plan. :D

[persephone-blue.livejournal.com]

This is a good analogy and you should feel good. :D

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

I do! Good analogies cheer me immensely! :D

[masakochan.livejournal.com]

he's fun to play Gran Turismo with

Or Mario Kart. x]

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

*completely and utterly dies* Where did you get that? Is that fanart??

[masakochan.livejournal.com]

I can't remember- I think it must've been some pic-spam over in capslock_dn. Yes, it's fanart. ^^

[tekalynn.livejournal.com]

You know, English-Ryuk DOES sound like that. I think that actually makes him a good foil for Light, because Light's all plotting and muahaha, and Ryuk's all, "Kid, you do not begin to know what plotting and muahahaing are REALLY about. Muahaha. Now where are my apples?"

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

*laughs and laughs and laughs* And you're right, it adds a dimension to Ryuk that's kinda nifty, if you like that sort of thing.

Hee. Muahahaing. I'm going to be saying that all day.