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Well... I think thirteen episodes is probaly a fair number to go through before judging a dub, ne? True, I did miss a ton (by ton I mean three) in the middle. But that sort of gives me an advantage of missing the whole evolving stage of the VAs, instead going straight from the very start to where they're (or at least should be) pretty settled in. That, and thirteen's a good episode to go on. There's enough variance and such... I think I can give a fair judgement. And I really liked the episode, so I for some reason that's a good justification for being a little harsh. Which I don't really think I will be, but it's possible. Anyway....
Ed: At first, I was not terribly fond of Vic as Ed. It just didn't quite fit. He sounded too old. The kid's what, fourteen? Fifteen? The whole thing jumps all over the place at the start, anyway... and I'm not sure Paku Romi jumped about with the voice on the ages at that point, either... but Ed has always sounded universally tooStinkoman old to me. However, I have gotten used to it. I think I'm just getting used to thinking about the English versions as slightly different characters (this comes up majorly later). The only thing that really bothered me specifically in this episode was when he was imitating Mustang. Okay... so he sounds older in the English version. Fine. But he cannot get his voice that low. No. Just didn't sit right with me.
Al: I was so incredibly meh about Al in the first few episodes. He just came off as a little too dull to be lovable little Alphonse. However, there were so many lines in this episode that just rocked that... I officially accept Aaron as a plausible Al. He seems to have the emotion down a lot better, now. And I think someone on the sound team has improved the hollow echoey-ness, too. It's really odd, though, that between this episode and last week's Al's voice is so different. Last week it was so soft and hollow that I could barely pick it up. And Fletcher sounded almost exactly like him. But anyway... if Al continues to sound like he did in 13, I can definitely deal with it.
Havoc: Havoc's another case where I'm just going to have to go "seperate character" on this. I dunno... I really like Havoc's voice a lot. It just doesn't sound like Havoc to me. Then again, this is only the second time that I've heard Havoc talk, and the first time was epsiode 6 or so, when he's only got a few lines. So I suppose I'll give him more time.
Fuery, Farman, and Breda: All pretty much as spot-on as they could have gotten. Breda's probably a bit more off than the other two, but I don't really remember Breda's voice that well, anyway. (Breda's scream at the beginning trails off to sound too... I dunno... not scared).
Riza: There is a really, really fine line that Riza's voice has to walk between being stiff and offical and being... Riza-ly. Euh. I can't describe it. It's just not exactly where it needs to be. Sometimes it's just a wee bit too bored. And.. I dunno. This is probably the most useless description ever. Sorry. Though there are times when she is exactly Riza. Usually when she's talking to Ed. Actually, I seem to think she was a little more on around episode 5. Also, every once in a while, the lines sound way too enunciated. It's not just Riza, but I notice it most with her. And, dude, why does everyone keep calling her sir?! That's just... buh?
Roy: We all know how much I fangirl Travis, but I'm trying to be impartial here. I also fangirl Vic to some extent, so... anyway. I think I'm going to seperate English!Roy from Japanese!Roy (kind of like Manga!Roy and Anime!Roy)... There are always little things that make me squee, and Travis was pretty well-on from the very start, but overall sometimes he sounds a little more disinterested than mocking when talking to Ed and such. It's just... not quite, I guess. The "I love dogs!" scene, with the little song though, was very beautifully amusing. I'm going to have to go back and watch my sub of the episode to compare more closely, just out of curiousity. And the during and after the fight both Ed and Roy were pretty on top of things. Oh, and Roy's reaction to the superior officers was good as well.
Hughes: I'm not sure if this is going to be my longest or shortest bit. Hughes' voice actor is great. But... not Hughes. Very much in the same way that Havoc isn't Havoc. It's like Hughes stuck in hyper-mode. I do very much like the voice acting, but my biggest fear that Hughes' hightened state of giddiness is going to fuel the perception that some of the new fans seem to have that Hughes is sort of airheaded. If there is one thing Hughes isn't, it's airheaded. Now, I know my interpretations of Hughes and Roy are rather thoroughly fannoned to my own ends (especially Roy, which is why I try to stay out of serious debates of his characterization) but Hughes is a smart guy. He knows what he's doing when he fangirls his daughter constantly. It's part of his act. I'm not saying that he isn't crazy about his family... clearly he is and that's what makes him endearing... but I dunno... something in the English version doesn't quite get that across as well. There's not quite enough of a shift between serious and hyper Hughes. We'll have to wait and see how I deal with next week's episode (I think it was fourteen...), which is the one where I first knew that something horrible was in store for the poor guy. Then we'll see how I deal with 25.
Fuhrer and Gran: Hehehe. Gran's voice is almost too warm and fuzzy, but angry. It's weird, but I like it. And the Fuhrer's voice is like one of those old guys that narrates those Christmas cartoons. I do sort of agree with the Sean Connery plus Bugs Bunny thing. But I like it. Once again, it's not exactly the Fuhrer, but I can't wait to see how he handles the later episodes.
The Sins: None of whom appeared at all in this episode, but will be showing up in full force shortly... I'm still sort of worried about Gluttony. I haven't heard much of him, but judging by the newer fics, he's coming off as too intelligent. Lust, I guess, is good because she sounds like someone you'd get on a phone sex line. I'm quite interested to hear Envy and Greed... after them, I think that's about the end of the characters I'm super-concerned about.
Outside of the voices.. hmm. The script is still a little iffy for me in places. At times, it seems to almost be poking fun at itself and the original where it shouldn't be. I'm not quite sure if that's just me, though. Could be. Too self-aware? I dunno. And there are some really rather weird line changes (most of these being in the earlier episodes, like the random "church social" line in one or two). And the fact that people can come up with so many ridiculous quotes week after week says something strange about the translation. I'm not complaining, though... too much. It's just oddly applied humour. Hagaren was funny in spots when it needed to be, without odd random jokes. And I still can't figure out what Hughes says before he coughs when he's talking to Ed in episode 13. Something is there... and I cannot for the life of me figure out what on earth it is.
Umm... enough rambling for me, though. Just felt the need to write all of this down, since episode 13 has been the only episode I've had the time to watch twice and actually pay attention to (the TV room is scary. Have I mentioned the guy that comes in and sits next to me?).
Ed: At first, I was not terribly fond of Vic as Ed. It just didn't quite fit. He sounded too old. The kid's what, fourteen? Fifteen? The whole thing jumps all over the place at the start, anyway... and I'm not sure Paku Romi jumped about with the voice on the ages at that point, either... but Ed has always sounded universally too
Al: I was so incredibly meh about Al in the first few episodes. He just came off as a little too dull to be lovable little Alphonse. However, there were so many lines in this episode that just rocked that... I officially accept Aaron as a plausible Al. He seems to have the emotion down a lot better, now. And I think someone on the sound team has improved the hollow echoey-ness, too. It's really odd, though, that between this episode and last week's Al's voice is so different. Last week it was so soft and hollow that I could barely pick it up. And Fletcher sounded almost exactly like him. But anyway... if Al continues to sound like he did in 13, I can definitely deal with it.
Havoc: Havoc's another case where I'm just going to have to go "seperate character" on this. I dunno... I really like Havoc's voice a lot. It just doesn't sound like Havoc to me. Then again, this is only the second time that I've heard Havoc talk, and the first time was epsiode 6 or so, when he's only got a few lines. So I suppose I'll give him more time.
Fuery, Farman, and Breda: All pretty much as spot-on as they could have gotten. Breda's probably a bit more off than the other two, but I don't really remember Breda's voice that well, anyway. (Breda's scream at the beginning trails off to sound too... I dunno... not scared).
Riza: There is a really, really fine line that Riza's voice has to walk between being stiff and offical and being... Riza-ly. Euh. I can't describe it. It's just not exactly where it needs to be. Sometimes it's just a wee bit too bored. And.. I dunno. This is probably the most useless description ever. Sorry. Though there are times when she is exactly Riza. Usually when she's talking to Ed. Actually, I seem to think she was a little more on around episode 5. Also, every once in a while, the lines sound way too enunciated. It's not just Riza, but I notice it most with her. And, dude, why does everyone keep calling her sir?! That's just... buh?
Roy: We all know how much I fangirl Travis, but I'm trying to be impartial here. I also fangirl Vic to some extent, so... anyway. I think I'm going to seperate English!Roy from Japanese!Roy (kind of like Manga!Roy and Anime!Roy)... There are always little things that make me squee, and Travis was pretty well-on from the very start, but overall sometimes he sounds a little more disinterested than mocking when talking to Ed and such. It's just... not quite, I guess. The "I love dogs!" scene, with the little song though, was very beautifully amusing. I'm going to have to go back and watch my sub of the episode to compare more closely, just out of curiousity. And the during and after the fight both Ed and Roy were pretty on top of things. Oh, and Roy's reaction to the superior officers was good as well.
Hughes: I'm not sure if this is going to be my longest or shortest bit. Hughes' voice actor is great. But... not Hughes. Very much in the same way that Havoc isn't Havoc. It's like Hughes stuck in hyper-mode. I do very much like the voice acting, but my biggest fear that Hughes' hightened state of giddiness is going to fuel the perception that some of the new fans seem to have that Hughes is sort of airheaded. If there is one thing Hughes isn't, it's airheaded. Now, I know my interpretations of Hughes and Roy are rather thoroughly fannoned to my own ends (especially Roy, which is why I try to stay out of serious debates of his characterization) but Hughes is a smart guy. He knows what he's doing when he fangirls his daughter constantly. It's part of his act. I'm not saying that he isn't crazy about his family... clearly he is and that's what makes him endearing... but I dunno... something in the English version doesn't quite get that across as well. There's not quite enough of a shift between serious and hyper Hughes. We'll have to wait and see how I deal with next week's episode (I think it was fourteen...), which is the one where I first knew that something horrible was in store for the poor guy. Then we'll see how I deal with 25.
Fuhrer and Gran: Hehehe. Gran's voice is almost too warm and fuzzy, but angry. It's weird, but I like it. And the Fuhrer's voice is like one of those old guys that narrates those Christmas cartoons. I do sort of agree with the Sean Connery plus Bugs Bunny thing. But I like it. Once again, it's not exactly the Fuhrer, but I can't wait to see how he handles the later episodes.
The Sins: None of whom appeared at all in this episode, but will be showing up in full force shortly... I'm still sort of worried about Gluttony. I haven't heard much of him, but judging by the newer fics, he's coming off as too intelligent. Lust, I guess, is good because she sounds like someone you'd get on a phone sex line. I'm quite interested to hear Envy and Greed... after them, I think that's about the end of the characters I'm super-concerned about.
Outside of the voices.. hmm. The script is still a little iffy for me in places. At times, it seems to almost be poking fun at itself and the original where it shouldn't be. I'm not quite sure if that's just me, though. Could be. Too self-aware? I dunno. And there are some really rather weird line changes (most of these being in the earlier episodes, like the random "church social" line in one or two). And the fact that people can come up with so many ridiculous quotes week after week says something strange about the translation. I'm not complaining, though... too much. It's just oddly applied humour. Hagaren was funny in spots when it needed to be, without odd random jokes. And I still can't figure out what Hughes says before he coughs when he's talking to Ed in episode 13. Something is there... and I cannot for the life of me figure out what on earth it is.
Umm... enough rambling for me, though. Just felt the need to write all of this down, since episode 13 has been the only episode I've had the time to watch twice and actually pay attention to (the TV room is scary. Have I mentioned the guy that comes in and sits next to me?).
