22 september 2000 // Esca dub rant (now with pictures!) [i]
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I've been watching Escaflowne... again... both the wonderful original subtitled version and the crappyass dub on Fox. Okay, really, even with the crappyass dub, Esca is still probably the best saturday morning cartoon on tv.
I just wish they'd gotten Dilandau-sama's voice right... or even pronounced his name right! I mean, D'landow?! What's up with that? Sounds like he'd be associated with Scrubbing Bubbles or something. On the other hand, I did make a wav file of the dubbed line "I won't tolerate incompetence in my Dragonslayers!" ... that's still amusing, if only for its cheesiness.
The other thing that irks me is the music. Yoko Kanno's music in the original version is so perfect, but apparently the american editors thought it wasn't techno-y enough. So they did their own. What of Kanno's music they kept, they put in the wrong places. Watching the dub with me must be really annoying - I keep saying "that's not Yoko Kanno music!" and "okay, that's Yoko Kanno music, but not the right song! (such-and-such) should be playing now!" For instance, the americans seem to think that whenever melefs are fighting (or at least when Escaflowne's fighting), they should play "Dance of Curse". THIS IS NOT TRUE! Allen and Van's battle is supposed to have "Ask the Owl". The battle in the arena in Palas with 3 ugly bounty hunters against Van-boy is supposed to have "Charm". Did they keep these? No. They played "Dance of Curse". The way they use that song, it becomes even more clich� than it was in the original! And to add insult to injury, in the closing credits they list the american music people first, then say "Additional Music by Yoko Kanno". ADDITIONAL music?!?! *sputters*
However, I can understand the need to edit for content. After all, the show is a bit bloody at times, and that seems to be a strict no-no for american saturday morning cartoons. Wouldn't do for the kiddies to see Hitomi getting drunk, either... #@.@#;; � (Spoiler alert - highlight the next bit to read...) I wonder, though, how they're going to deal with Van's wounds from blood-bonding with Escaflowne... not to mention his wholesale massacre of the poor Dragonslayers. � (end spoiler)
I'm just glad they left Dilandau's "Burn, BURN!!!" line in, after the whole Beavis and Butthead "Fire!" fiasco. Still, Minami Takayama said it sooo much better. Hmm... Dilandau vs. Beavis with flamethrowers? Beavis is so toast... And don't even get me started on the "chiku"/"cheek" thing. *twitches, then glares and absentmindedly rubs her cheek* I have become convinced that there is a conspiracy among the companies bringing anime to the US: they don't want the kiddies to like the bad guys, so they make them sound really dorky. Like D'landow. And Xellos, and Prince Whatsisname from Voltron, and Team Rocket, and even Zechs and Treize sometimes. It's a fiendish right-wing plot, I tell you! They don't want you to think that villainy can be cool! Foils, dratted again! And I would have done it, too, if it hadn't been for those darn meddling kids!
Dragonslayer Viole gives the muttering Elya-chan a funny look. "Whaaaat?" she says. Viole shakes his head. "No wonder you like Dilandau-sama so much. You're just as crazy as he is!"
recent alterations //
21 November 2002 // I'm not dead yet!
03 October 2002 // Snarling bitch to genki fangirl in 0.8 seconds flat! [i]
27 September 2002 // He's got butterfly wings, not feathery angel wings. Geez, people!
25 September 2002 // The Great Oekaki Contest Begins! [ai]
14 September 2002 // The obsessiveness continues...
