What do you think about audio commentaries?
- Thread starter Just Passing Through
- Start date
HdE
Comic Book Guy
Well, I was all set to take you to task over dissing the Ayres. But seeing as science has proven that ALL Rush fans are 100% awesome, the conversation has taken on a new dimension.
IncendiaryLemon
Captain Karen
While there will obviously be cases where someone is pushed to promote something they're working on, maybe they just genuinely liked the show?
I don't think it's too farfetched to think there are fans of every series, given that every series has managed to get through layer upon layer of bureaucracy before it ever reaches us in the UK - getting a publisher, getting picked up for animation, the anime studio being approved by the publisher and the original creator, getting licensed, getting translated, getting broadcast here... I'm sure the occasional clunker will get through all of that (Handshakers, why), but in most cases the shows are decent enough for their intended audience. Which may or may not include any particular individual in the UK anime fan scene.
Given that I (very legitimately) tend to like shows that it's cool for the anime fandom gatekeepers to bash, concluding that anyone who mentions hidden depths in a mediocre-looking show is wrong seems a bit of a stretch. In ye olde days even the crummiest titles got fan sites and Anipike listings because there was always someone, somewhere who was able to drag some extra value out of Debutante Detective Corps or Detatoko Princess and make it special to them. Their opinions were valid.
When I have been to fan events before and they get voice actors on stage who gush about how much they like this character or that character, they come across as authentic. They might well be plumbing the absolute depths of their imaginations - the story sucks but they like so-and-so's hat enough to ramble about how stylish he is for an hour - but if they want to put their credibility on the line and find something to like in a show other people think sucks then I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt given that I'm sitting there with a bunch of other fans who have paid to be there, rationally conscious that every show has its supporters.
And I say this as someone who doesn't even like the dub commentaries in the first place.
R
Buzz201
Mad Scientist
I occasionally listen to audio commentaries, but I have to like the people involved. At one point, I was ripping them to listen to them like podcast. I'm not sure I would do it with a foreign language commentary, as I don't normally have the time to rewatch most things and pay attention to subtitles. (Maybe I'd read a transcript if I was so inclined?) Though there are some foreign directors who now record their commentaries in English. As for dub commentaries, I'm not sure I really care if one of the AoT VAs can do a German accent or not, but they're perfectly pleasant timewasters.
Having heard some clips from World Trigger's recent dub, I wouldn't mind a dub commentary, purely in the hopes that somebody at Ocean can explain what the logic behind that dub and the many decisions they took that I personally did not agree with. Then again, somebody would actually have to pick the show up first and give it a release for that to happen.
Having heard some clips from World Trigger's recent dub, I wouldn't mind a dub commentary, purely in the hopes that somebody at Ocean can explain what the logic behind that dub and the many decisions they took that I personally did not agree with.
Then again, somebody would actually have to pick the show up first and give it a release for that to happen.
Just Passing Through
The Wildcard
I'll takes your Ayres and raise you a Rial. With the added detriment that Monica Rial has never said anything of any meaning on any commentary. Instant switch off for me is when an ADR director begins a commentary with a Hi, I'm insert name here, I directed this movie. No you didn't. You directed the dub. You did a minuscule fraction of the work that the actual director did. You're not the director. Although I give Amanda Winn Lee a pass for doing it on End of Evangelion, cos that's a good commentary otherwise.
ShipTeaser
Dandy Guy, in Space
I like a good commentary track, i tend to listen to them when hungover.
Sometimes they have good insigts amidst the gibberish. The Overlord commentaries make some good points about the female characters armour for example...
Sometimes they have good insigts amidst the gibberish. The Overlord commentaries make some good points about the female characters armour for example...
HdE
Comic Book Guy
You're playing this game wrong, my flaming citrus friend! What you were supposed to say back to my last post was:
A modern day warrior, mean, mean stride
Today's Tom Sawyer, mean, mean pride
Da-nahh-da-naaah! Da-nahh-da-naaah! Da-nahh-da-naaaah! Da-na-naaan, naah, naah, naan, da-na-naaan!
I like the director's commentary for FLCL. It covers all six episodes and offers a lot of insight into the series' themes. I learnt a lot from it, and felt like it really helped my understanding of the show. There were a lot of subtle, hidden details I just hadn't picked up on yet.
There's cast commentary for every episode of Dusk Maiden of Amnesia as well, although I admit I still haven't gotten around to that one.
I also like the Mike McFarland format of audio commentary, with its sequence of interviews with cast and crew. The dubs he directed of Evangelion (Rebuild), Eden of the East and Blood-C: The Last Dark are among the very few anime I've tried the dub of, so those US commentaries had added relevance to me.
I really rate McFarland as an ADR director. (Except the pronunciation of resident otaku Itazu's name in Eden. "Eat-a-zoo"?!)
There's cast commentary for every episode of Dusk Maiden of Amnesia as well, although I admit I still haven't gotten around to that one.
I also like the Mike McFarland format of audio commentary, with its sequence of interviews with cast and crew. The dubs he directed of Evangelion (Rebuild), Eden of the East and Blood-C: The Last Dark are among the very few anime I've tried the dub of, so those US commentaries had added relevance to me.
I really rate McFarland as an ADR director. (Except the pronunciation of resident otaku Itazu's name in Eden. "Eat-a-zoo"?!)
IncendiaryLemon
Captain Karen
Not going to lie, "Eat-a-zoo" is what my mind jumped to first, although I haven't seen the series, so I'm not sure what the correct pronunciation is. Reminds me of when I read Asuka's name from Evangelion before I heard it and thought it was pronounced "a-sook-a" and was quite confused when I heard it finally said aloud.
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It should be "i-TA-zu". (He says gritting his teeth at the dub's pronunciation.)
One that caught me off guard and made me actually burst out laughing was when Kaworu introduces himself in the dub of Evangelion 3.33. He sounds Scottish or something! I could almost see him wearing a tam o' shanter and a kilt, saying "Och aye! Ah'm Coweroo! Nagisa Coweroo!" *
Despite the fact it's by Mike McFarland, the dub of Eva 3.33 is shockingly bad, in my opinion, particularly Asuka.
*IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: I am Scottish myself.
Buzz201
Mad Scientist
Wasn't the rumour that Khara rejected the original dub because it didn't match the Japanese enough, so Funi had to redub it? I suspect it might not be McFarland's fault.
That was indeed the rumour.
You know, I hadn't even noticed that Asuka does quite a lot of yelling in the film until I watched the dub. It's just so bloody grating! (I'm gritting my teeth again here.
)For me, that dub distorts the tone of the entire film. There's a bit near the start of the film where Asuka yells something like "Where are you going? Get back here!" It's just unintentionally hilarious. Shinji's reactions to things are very different, too. They've really missed the mark there.
Possibly the worst bit for me was misinterpreting Misato's concern for Shinji near the end. (She whispers "Shinji-kun..." in Japanese, the only time she calls him by just his first name in the whole film.) The dub has her growling in frustration "Shinjiii!!" How that is supposed to more closely mirror the original Japanese, I'll never know.
Sorry, what was the topic again? Oh, yeah: audio commentaries.
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Rosencrantz
Dragon Knight
Read the OP but not all others but...
Best by far are the original commentaries talking about the show. Code Geass and Eureka Seven had these and they were subbed into English. Tons of fantastic insight on key episodes from the voice cast as well as directors, designers and animators. It's a real shame we don't really ever seem to get these nowadays.
In Character commentaries can be really fun, I've not listed to a lot of them but they tend to be reasonably funny, again we don't get them very often as I guess they keep them Japan only to help stop reverse imports.
Funimation/Old ADV commentaries are hit and miss, and I've been watching fewer and fewer of them. I love it when they talk about the show, preferably about the episode or at least about the whole process of bring the show over. There's been some good total piss take type ones as well, Najica Blitz Tactics comes to mind, they had a total laugh doing those and they were fun commentaries to listen to.
I hate, absolutely hate, hearing about how voice actors got started or how people can get into voice acting. It's the same old boring stuff, I want to hear about the show, not hear them self promote.
Best by far are the original commentaries talking about the show. Code Geass and Eureka Seven had these and they were subbed into English. Tons of fantastic insight on key episodes from the voice cast as well as directors, designers and animators. It's a real shame we don't really ever seem to get these nowadays.
In Character commentaries can be really fun, I've not listed to a lot of them but they tend to be reasonably funny, again we don't get them very often as I guess they keep them Japan only to help stop reverse imports.
Funimation/Old ADV commentaries are hit and miss, and I've been watching fewer and fewer of them. I love it when they talk about the show, preferably about the episode or at least about the whole process of bring the show over. There's been some good total piss take type ones as well, Najica Blitz Tactics comes to mind, they had a total laugh doing those and they were fun commentaries to listen to.
I hate, absolutely hate, hearing about how voice actors got started or how people can get into voice acting. It's the same old boring stuff, I want to hear about the show, not hear them self promote.
HdE
Comic Book Guy
Yeah. I remember one of the first DVD sets I bought when I stared spending my hard-earned on anime again was Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040. I remember being initially disappointed by the butt ugly '90s art style and lifeless colours. But the commentary tracks and extras with Christine Auten, Laura Chapman, Kelly Manison and Hilary Haag actually managed to elevate my enjoyment of the show to a new level.
What made those featurs on the DVD worthwhile wasn't that they were coming out with anything especially mind blowing to do with the show or anime in general. They were just clearly having a laugh riot talking about it. And the fact that these ladies were all actually quite invested in the show and NOT simply yakking about it because they were contractually obligated to record a commentary track shines through.
I guess the best way to sum up how it differs from something like one of those horribly insincere Funimation commentaries (where everyone prattles onabout how a show is 'so, so dense' or 'full of social commentary') is that, by the time I'd finished the BGC 240 one, those gals seemed like folks I'd like to hang out with.