Did they censor Lupin?

[Vance]

Actually, they pronounce it perfectly correctly. It is Lu-Pon, not Lu-Pin. Lupin the master thief originated as a character in a French comic in the early 20th century written by Maurice Leblanc. And in French, Lupin is pronounced lupon. Kazuhiko Kato picked up this character from France and made Lupin the Third (his grandson.) Lupin the Third is of French nationality as well. So calling him Lu-Pin is is like me pronouncing rendezvous ren-dez-vu, and is completely incorrect, regardless of language.

I personally watch almost every series in both English and Japanese if I get the chance, and they are usually about comparable. I personally like the Japanese much better than the English in Inu Yasha. On the flip side, I think the English actors behind Cowboy Bebop blow away the Japanese actors without even pausing to take a breath. Animes like Escaflowne are a tradeoff, in English, Dilandau is voiced horribly, in Japanese Merle is voiced horribly. In Lupin, I think they're about equal, however, I'll say up front that I prefer the English simply because of its refreshing witty references to modern events and cliche's, whereas the original Japanese of course is dated by 30 years.

I'll also say up front that no matter what I think you should watch it in a language you can understand first. Maybe this is just me, but it seems like subs are the biggest travesty, because they constantly distract your eyes from drinking in the nuances of the artwork, which really is what anime is all about. Yeah, I know where this will lead *sighs and puts up his flame-retardant shield and prepares for the long haul*

[Shinn Asuka]

Inuyasha's dub is better, case closed. weatdrop:

[Vance]

Heh, I must admit, I did jump to a conclusion on that one. I've only seen the dub for the first 5 episodes. I'll have to watch more if you say it's better than the Japanese. I could see it taking a while for them to find their characters.

[mrfreeze]

Actually I am reading the books that Lupin III was based off of right now. Not bad so far!

[kakoi_sugoi_yama]

Ok. I need to clear my head for a moment. How can you say that the english Lupin is on par with the japanese? They added in so much pop-culture garbage and strayed so far from Monkey Punches Lupin. The show is garbage. They turned Zenigata into a bumbling idiot, when in fact, he is the only one to ever catch Lupin. Which is a testament to his intelligence. I don't want to go to much farther than that. How can you say that the voice actor's for Cowboy Bebop blew the japanese actor's away? They ruined the tone of the show every chance they got. 8O 8O 8O

[Steve_the_Talking_Pie]

The Cowboy Bebop dub was excellent. Jet had a much huskier voice that fit his character. Megumi is a good girl type Ranma, and Momiji but not a Faye Valentine. Suzaku, the Inu Yasha dub is so terrible I don't know where to begin. Granted the voice of Inu Yasha is also that of Zenki Demon Prince (Japanese actor). Kagome doesn't even sound cute anymore, and Shippou sounds like a loser. Dubs and subs both have there strong points. However there are things not to do (like talk about Backstreet Boys and the Grammys in Those Who Hunt Elves). Overall American references in dubs can be funny, but only if they are done right (like the names of Ranma 1/2 volumes :Great Eggspectations was a little annoying). :mrgreen:

[Shinn Asuka]

Originally posted by "kakoi_sugoi_yama"

How can you say that the voice actor's for Cowboy Bebop blew the japanese actor's away? They ruined the tone of the show every chance they got.

Because they did. Period.

[Steve_the_Talking_Pie]

They certainly didn't ruin it. :mrgreen:

[Vance]

Well, I can't argue that they stayed true in every fashion. But I accept and respect that new artists need and can have some creative license with a piece of work and that what they bring to the table can add to that piece of work.

Your argument is basically the same old "The Lord of the Rings movies suck because they don't follow the books at all." Which is one I've argued far too many times.

Cultural references are relevant in Lupin because the characters are modern and act on an extremely realistically rendered Earth. In otherwords, they supposedly live on our planet, in roughly modern times, so the fact that they have knowledge of contemporary events like any normal person would simply adds to their believability as characters.

The Japanese actor's for Cowboy Bebop were certainly good, however, when juxtaposed with the American ones they come out as sounding stilted and lifeless. Megumi is the best of the Japanese bunch, but I really have to agree with Steve that she is much better suited to playing the role of comic, good girl roles, such as in Slayers. Wendee truly caught Faye's fleeting, sarcastic tone perfectly. I could go down the rest of the list, but I won't =) I guess it really is opinion.

Oh yes, and regardless of voice, Zenigata is animated more than half the time as a bumbling idiot =) Everyone likes him and knows he's smart, but the series is of course a comedy, and likewise they shower everyone with a good smattering of goofiness.

[Steve_the_Talking_Pie]

Best Buy takes forever to stock their new DVDs.

[kakoi_sugoi_yama]

I don't like dubs, but I can live with other people watching it that way. I think that the japanese voices ARE the character. In most cases they are hand picked by the creator of the show. In Cowboy Bebop's case the actors were picked by Shinichi Watanabe. Those were the voices that are those characters to him. When an anime comes to America they just get whoever they can to be in a show. They just have this "pool" of "talent" that they use on a regular basis. I guess it is all just a matter of opinion. In my eyes dubs ruin the show. They go, in most cases against what the creator had in mind. On a related note that is the reason we don't have any more Ranma games in america. Rumiko Takahashi heard the voices that VIZ used, and said "Never again".

[Shinn Asuka]

Originally posted by "kakoi_sugoi_yama"

When an anime comes to America they just get whoever they can to be in a show

Um, not true. Infact, they do screenings and everything, and there are a specific group of voice actors who appear in a lot of anime dubs because they are the best in the buisness. Please don't make ignorant comments without the proper facts. I don't want to get on your case, Kakoi.

[kakoi_sugoi_yama]

I could have phrased that better. I am quite aware of the screening process they do, but I think alot of the time the part goes to somebody just because that they are there, and that was all they could get. You have seen shows by animeworks right?

[Shinn Asuka]

You're still speaking from nowhere. It's because these studios cannot hire people like Wendee Lee, not because they don't want to.

[kakoi_sugoi_yama]

I think if a company dosen't have the means then they shouldn't be in the business. I'm bitter towards dubs. I used to watch them until I realized what they did to the story in most cases. I'm not saying that the Cowboy Bebop's dub is "bad". As far as dubs go it is about as good as they get. I would be quite happy without them personally there is no need for them. Unless you happen to be illiterate. If there weren't dubs anime would be cheaper. That is just my opinion.