Anime Hunter X Hunter Anime- Fall 2011

[mrsticky005]

Funimation did not dub Hunter x Hunter 1999, that was Ocean Group being contracted by Viz Media. That dub was quite simply bad.
I do not who can voice who but I do think Laura Bailey could do a good Killua and Brina Palencia could play Gon.

Chris Sabat for Knuckle and Yupi

Funimation would do a great job with Hunter x Hunter. Keep an eye out guys.

I quite disagree with this. I think the 1999 version didn't have the best audio quality but most of the actual dubbing was done well.
It was done at least as well as the 1999 subbed version or really even better. Could a 2011 dub be better though? Of course it could.

Also I'm sorry to say but I think the 1999 version had a terrible script. I'm sure many people thought the dub sounded "cheesy"
but the thing is it sounds cheesy because the writing is cheesy. Although I don't speak Japanese I do think the Japanese sub sounds extremely melodramatic.
Though Japanese subs usually always sound melodramatic to me. The 1999 version of Hunter x Hunter is just especially so.

Take the part where Gon has just found out that Killua has been disqualified and he's running to confront Illumi.
Well in the 1999 version when he does this in both the sub and the dub he's cryring out "Killua...Killua...KILLUUUUUA!!"
Both the sub and the dub sound really cheesy and it's easy to see why. The scene is incredibly cheesy.

And there's plenty more like it.

So my take is this.

The 1999 dub did a good job considering what it was working with: a bad script and probably a low budget

 

[futurefrog]

I quite disagree with this. I think the 1999 version didn't have the best audio quality but most of the actual dubbing was done well.
It was done at least as well as the 1999 subbed version or really even better. Could a 2011 dub be better though? Of course it could.

Also I'm sorry to say but I think the 1999 version had a terrible script. I'm sure many people thought the dub sounded "cheesy"
but the thing is it sounds cheesy because the writing is cheesy. Although I don't speak Japanese I do think the Japanese sub sounds extremely melodramatic.
Though Japanese subs usually always sound melodramatic to me. The 1999 version of Hunter x Hunter is just especially so.

Take the part where Gon has just found out that Killua has been disqualified and he's running to confront Illumi.
Well in the 1999 version when he does this in both the sub and the dub he's cryring out "Killua...Killua...KILLUUUUUA!!"
Both the sub and the dub sound really cheesy and it's easy to see why. The scene is incredibly cheesy.

And there's plenty more like it.

So my take is this.

The 1999 dub did a good job considering what it was working with: a bad script and probably a low budget

I personally found the english and japanese version of the 1999 series to be quite wooden and stiff in terms of voice acting. The quality was indeed quite poor. I am a huge detractor of Hisoka's voice actor in both languages. Both english and japanese had very cheesy and stiff dialogue, I don't blame the voice actors in either version, I blame the writing and casting.

 

[mrsticky005]

I personally found the english and japanese version of the 1999 series to be quite wooden and stiff in terms of voice acting. The quality was indeed quite poor. I am a huge detractor of Hisoka's voice actor in both languages. Both english and japanese had very cheesy and stiff dialogue, I don't blame the voice actors in either version, I blame the writing and casting.

I thought that Brendan Hunter (English dub obviously) was great as Hisoka.

But yes the dub did sounded wooden and stiff. I dunno but sometimes it didn't
really sound like they that is voice actors were all too motivated. I mean they
did their job but it feels in a way a bit routine.

Thoughts on the dub cast and who I would keep and who I would recast

Elinor Holt as Gon and Annika Odegard as Killua---I thought they were a rare example of
women voice actresses actually sounding like 12 year old boys (when they voice act
as them of course) and not sounding like they have smoker's lung. I liked Gon's
inquisitive side, his curious kid side. What I didn't like was his goody two shoesness
(which is a scripting problem. Elinor Holt actually did rather well presenting Gon as
a goody twoshoess. It's just he should have never been one in the first place.)
and how he sounded a bit stale when he got upset. It be like "I.am.very.upset."
That's one thing I like about the 2011 Japanese Gon. He actually SOUNDS angry.
And now as for Killua. He sounded like a cool kid. Annika Odegard did a very good
job of portraying his confidence. Where she fell was his "troubled side" though
that was in a way a creation of the 1999 series, there are still times in the manga
when Killua is troubled but it's for different reason. Basically both actresses did
a good job as long as nothing too exciting was going on.

I would recast. Mostly because they are too old sounding now.
If not for that, I would recast Gon and keep Killua. I would toss
Gon because he needs to sound more angry and not so flat.
Killua can stay because I think his pros outweight his cons.


Cheryl McMaster as Kurapika---I didn't like her. I hate all Kurapika's voice actresses. Sorry.
The problems are generally the same. Kurapika is a guy and should not be voiced by a girl.
Also again it's like with Illumi, he sounds really boring and dull. The only thing I did like
about Cheryl McMaster's performance was capturing Kurapika's book smarts. When
there was exposition needed to be explain Cheryl McMaster did well with that.

I would recast. I just don't like Kurapika being voiced by a girl.

Jonathan Love as Leorio-- Leorio is the opposite of Kurapika for me. I enjoyed ALL his voice actors and especially Jonathan Love. I hope if he is recast they pick someone
just as good. Love as Leorio is by far the best of the main four. His comedy was gold
and yet he also did rather well with Leorio's more serious moments. Although the
writing was still cheesy, Jonathan Love was one of the most able to act in spite of it.

I would keep Jonathan Love as Leorio.



Brendan Hunter as Hisoka was actually one of the saving graces for the 1999 dub.
To me he stole the show. I suppose some may not like how he sounds a bit
flamboyant but then after all Hisoka is pretty flamboyant. Which made Viktor
Atelvich a nice contrast because he made Illumi sound really dry but yet
he had some personality. A niche of mischief. Japanese Illumi just sounds
a girl who can't act trying to act like a emotionless guy but just sounding monotonous.

I would keep Brendan Hunter as Hisoka and I would keep Viktor Atelvich as Illumi

Glenn Howard as Silva. He was good for the "fatherly" side of Silva but he actually
never sounded too threatening which I think Silva should sound as.

I would recast Silva

Abby Charchun as Mito and Zushi---I think she did well as Mito. She sounded motherly.
But Zushi was a bit smoker's lung acting. His voice was just too scratchy

I would keep Abby Charchun as Mito and would recast Zushi

Adam Hunter as Kite, Basho and Bendot. I think he was best as Bendot. I think Basho sounded too similar. Kite just didn't seem right.

 

[there76]

I have to disagree with Gon's dub voice acting sounding like a 12 year old. It sounded a lot more like a 40 year old women. Killua was fine though.

 

[xScar]

Mizuken... I don't think he was ever named before, and I can't think of any way this could be a name that needs to be translated.

Spoiler

Kurapika's Nen master. He has appeared (sorta as a cameo) during the Election arc though, along with everyone else who came to vote.

He looks pretty much the same as he did the in the '99 series

Edit:
Kyaa, I'm so late. I looked back a few pages, but it was further back than I imagined it would be ><

 

[mrsticky005]

I have to disagree with Gon's dub voice acting sounding like a 12 year old. It sounded a lot more like a 40 year old women. Killua was fine though.

It didn't sound that way to me. It sounded like an older 12 (heck it could of passed for 15).

Well in any case, I think Gon was written too old in the 1999 series. Yes he is still 12
but he acted an older 12 (in both the sub and dub) then he doe in the manga or 2011 series.

With what the 1999 director intended, I think Elinor Holt did well. Though not great.

---------- Post added at 11:49 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:01 AM ----------

fun exercise to do...try listening to an anime without actually watching the video
so it sound more like a radio drama.

 

[TheAmericandream]

I was initially really upset that they didn't recast the entire cast of the 1999 anime for the new series. I felt that was sort of a stab at the fans, when most reboots attempt to get the same actors (see Kenshin or Gundam reboots) But I know they wanted to distance themselves from the previous series, but having the same cast people grew to love could have been a way to appease 1999 series fans without compromising the 2011 series more accurate faithful vision. Either way I've grown to love the new voice cast enough that this is barely a nit pick for me. I especially like the new take on Killua (though I prefer 1999 Gon and Hisoka). Other performances I liked in the Japanese sub of the 1999 series was Chrollo, Uvogin, Machi, Feitan and Goto. I'm really curious how the Spiders and later on the Ants will sound in the new series. Overall I find it easier to adjust to new voice actors in a series that's not in english, but I hope they replace the dub cast when HxH gets dubbed. I found the 1999 series english dub to be, well cheap. Given a better director probably could have improved this, but I wasn't too fond of Gon and Kurapika's casting either.

 

[ContractHunterMEMO]

yeah chrollo, uvo, machi and especially feitan were portrayed so well in the jap subbed version, I'm sure the new VA's will do a good job too, but I'll miss the old cast

the english dub was ok at best, hopefully we'll get a funimation dub for madhouse's adaptation. I was surprised when they licensed level E, probably a winkwink to togashi fans that HXH is next =]

 

[Crude]

If they've licensed Level E then that means they've licensed two of Togashi's series already. Hopefully it means that they really will dub the new series. Also, for some weird reason I keep imagining a Yorknew arc featuring dubbing à la Baccano! xD

 

[TheAmericandream]

^ This. Baccano had an excellent dub from Funimation that made the witty banter of gangsters and the like sound right at home with any crime drama television show. If Funimation got Hunter X Hunter I could definitely see this sort of approach to the dubbing, but one can only wonder at the moment. I am mostly concerned with how difficult it can be to voice children in dubbed anime. And as we know the voices of Gon and Killua will make or break a good dub of the series.

 

[Foreva]

I prefer the English dubbed version of the 1999 anime. It's such a hassle having to watch an anime and read the sub at the same time. It would be awesome if they somehow could get Morgan Freeman to voice the narrator of the 2011 series; he has like the best voice since Sir Laurence Olivier's. Even boring documentaries or cheesy lines would become interesting when narrated by him. Samples: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGAfIx5VQ_M; or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRBl0GPBm4o. This's just my wishful thinking though coz it would cost a hefty amount, not to mention he is too famous for an anime series.

 

[futurefrog]

I prefer the English dubbed version of the 1999 anime. It's such a hassle having to watch an anime and read the sub at the same time. It would be awesome if they somehow could get Morgan Freeman to voice the narrator of the 2011 series; he has like the best voice since Sir Laurence Olivier's. Even boring documentaries or cheesy lines would become interesting when narrated by him. Samples: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGAfIx5VQ_M; or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRBl0GPBm4o. This's just my wishful thinking though coz it would cost a hefty amount, not to mention he is too famous for an anime series.

If Funimation gets it, I bet they will use the same narrator that they use on One Piece.

 

[mrsticky005]

If Funimation gets it, I bet they will use the same narrator that they use on One Piece.

Imagine if 4kids Sanji was the Narrator.

 

[TheAmericandream]

^ That's twisted and evil. :P For some reason I almost forgot the OnePiece Narrator, the first one that comes to mind for me is the Dragonball Kai narrator.

 

[MegamanX195]

So, when do you guys bet the next episode will end?

I think it will end exactly at the end of Chapter 51.

 

[futurefrog]

It will end right before we learn about Kastro.

Here is my prediction for the episode:
- Gon vs Gido
- Gon scolded by Wing/makes promise to Wing
- Kurapika goes to recruiter and gets turned away
- Killua and Wing's Discussion
- Gon is reminded of Kite briefly (a quick flash that hints at Gon's past that we will fully see explored back at Whale Island)
- Wing wonders whether he has created a monster in Gon
- Few months pass and Killua reveals to Gon that Hisoka is having a match which sets us up for next week.

I think it will happen in that order.
I'm still not sure we will see Mizuken this episode like others have predicted due to his sudden inclusion on NTV's website as a character from Heaven's Arena.

 

[MegamanX195]

^Actually, only a month passes after Gon VS Gido and Hisoka VS Kastro.

I think that the chapter will end with Wing wondering if he has created monsters, and Gon and Killua meditating. It seems to be fitting, but it could also reveal Hisoka's fight.

 

[futurefrog]

^Actually, only a month passes after Gon VS Gido and Hisoka VS Kastro.

I think that the chapter will end with Wing wondering if he has created monsters, and Gon and Killua meditating. It seems to be fitting, but it could also reveal Hisoka's fight.

My mistake. Yes either or. Depends how they go for time. We know for certain though that Kastro will be Ep 31. I look forward to seeing him in the next episode preview.

 

[Salce]

Some pics of ep 30:

Spoiler

 

[futurefrog]

Ahhh so Mizuken does appear. This will be interesting indeed.