[US] Sailor Stars Viz English dub, DVD & Blu-ray thread

  • This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. Learn more.

Nadia

Aurorae Lunares
Jun 30, 2010
1,831
1,331
1,665
www.smcx.me
Yeah, I disagree big time. Everything she does sounds mechanical and artificial
In fairness, it's the voice direction. When this show makes multiple industry veterans (some of whom are known for standout performances) sound flat, it's not as much on the actors as it is how they were told to deliver the lines. In other roles, most of them are serviceable to excellent.

I do believe Sheh was miscast, though. The problem is they seemed to be casting for an actress with a naturally high register for "accuracy" to Kotono's voice, but forgot that Sailor Moon in classic was supposed to sound cute at times, not just childish and whiny -- and that is exactly how Sheh comes off...as a kid, not as a pretty warrior. Maybe it's the strain of that fake baby voice. I've heard Sheh in other roles; she can act (and there are roles where the baby voice is appropriate), and even her Crystal performance is better because she's not trying to "force" emotion in quite the same way.

Something campy can still be taken seriously.

Callisto from Xena is a serious and tragic villain she’s still campy from the actresses performance to the tone and style of the series she’s in.
Agreed. And most fans will acknowledge that while Xena was always campy, it got better when it stopped trying to be "redemption story with a kick-butt woman and slices of seriousness to make it a darker Hercules counterpart" to "epic warrior maiden who goes up against emperors and gods without batting an eye."

We need Sam Raimi's Sailor Moon. Unlike PGSM, his company would make it cheesy and genuinely funny.

Well, sorry people didn't like it for the reasons I mentioned.
Nobody was bashing the old dub in here, btw. You guys just come in these threads and act like you're better than everyone else for liking the Viz dub.
Welcome to how any long-time dub fan ever felt within the fandom.

Just like how I disagree with your assumption that "silly accents" equals "good acting."
Except voice acting is not the same as screen acting or stage acting. Whereas those mediums reply on the body and face of a performer to sell the role, voice acting is solely about the voice. Therefore all of the emotions that are a apparent when watching a performance have to be distilled into one's voice, and the only way to differentiate roles is use different inflections, accents, etc. With regular acting there is make-up and wardrobe to help one get into the part, but voice acting relies on the one tool the talent has...a mouth. Thus, differentiation is nearly imperative, because there are no other ways to distinguish the tools being used.

Seriously, what is with the old dub fans acting so rude and nasty to everyone else? You still have it, even if it's not in circulation.
Fans of the original? They were out of luck for the longest time.
If it's not in circulation, no one has it.

And you always had the original version. If you didn't, you wouldn't know of what was changed because you'd have nothing to compare it to.

All anime at its core is camp. The over exaggeration of eyes, large expressions, extravagant costumes, the humor. Especially by your definition of camp. You can’t tell me the Sexy Jutsu isn’t camp. Naruto and Sasuke defeated one of the strongest villains by transforming into a group of naked boys. That’s camp, mama.
You do realize that's an argument to dub more anime of this age range in an over the top manner, and not in the Viz-style of "accuracy."

If someone 7takes Titanic, removes all the sex/intimates scenes between Rose and I forgot his name, takes the story in Russia, renaming them Masha and Andrei, present them as let's say cousins, rewrites the dialogue accordingly and hires some actors to read the dialogue in Russian, would you consider it a Russian dub of the film?
I would and I would see no problem with a Russian dub doing it. In fact, I would want a Russian dub to change the story however they want to. It's no different than a fancomic or fanfic but licensed.

However, if you believe that changing it so far makes it a transformative work (and I also agree that it does), then, much like a RiffTrax it should be allowed to stand on its own merits without comparing it to an original version.

I feel like That's the the thing you're not understanding. Sailor moon was Campy with certain characters and had it comedy moments but SM is not a campy show, I think your DIC nostalgia has you blind to how SM really is cause the japanese VA's were hardly campy and over the top some were but overall SM was the setup for the magical girl aspect that focused romance and being a teen girl trying to save the world.

Viz's redub was not perfect but like Purplewarrior said they captured the tone of the original Jap version and like said all the Va's improved as they went along
You do realize that Sabrblade just posted one among MANY instances in while Viz dub was off the mark. From an accuracy perspective, Viz stuck closer to the original script, but from an execution perspective, it failed in the delivery...which it is consistently doing.

Again, it comes down to accuracy vs precision.

Pretend on the left is the DiC/Optimum dub and the right is the Viz dub. Many people will say the one on the right is more accurate...but it isn't. It's just more consistent. The DiC dub, as off the mark as individual aspects were, is more accurate. Why? Because while the plots are scattershot...they're closer to the target on when each point is taken as an average.

The Viz dub, on the other hand, is focused on getting everything "just right" and is miles more consistent...and "on point." It's just the wrong point. It loses sight of its own goal. It's trying to be perfect and progressive while forgetting that localization and cultural translations are a part of the process, too, and that this show about preternaturally pretty girls in high heels and magic powers isn't the same as a Studio Ghibli film.

Now, in this case, it's clearer the first attempt graphic is more accurate (once you understand accuracy vs. precision)...but what if you can't see the target as in the case of subjective cases like these? Then you assume the DiC dub is worse because it's not as precise...which is dangerous.

I'm old enough to remember when a big knock against the DiC dub was that it actually toned down down the vocal performances, and that the Japanese version had more emotional voice acting...and I'll give an often overlooked instance I will agree the old dub failed to match the original version in terms of emotion.

In "Secret Garden" (dub), when Serena comes over to the aliens' apartment, Alan greets Serena in a rather standard, if pleasant manner with maybe a little excitement. In the original episode when Seijuro hears Usagi's voice, he lets an out "USAGI-SAN!" that lets you know that in spite of his stolid stance, he's very glad to see her. Guess which delivery Viz chooses for its dub. Yep, back to the "mildly surprised and happy" delivery.

This does ruin an important nuance of the original version that both dubs miss out on -- and this is coming from someone who loves Dub!Alan-- The animation shows Seijuro/Alan to be a standoffish and reserved, but the vocal performance reinforces that he's not "above it all" but posing as cooler than what he actually is. This also ties into his immaturity which is a significant plot point near the conclusion. By contrast, both English dubs really downplay his childish traits in performances.

However, leaving DiC out of it, there's an easy way to compare the power of the original version with the power of Viz dub...Moon Animate Make-up 2.

Unlike the first Moon Animate Make-Up, which was based on the DiC dub dub, Moon Animate Make-Up 2 was based off the Japanese version. I watched it and while I don't think it was as good as the first one, it still worked. It's forgotten than in such a serious episode that the animators re-animated, Episode 68, there is still a LOT of campy humor and performances and the animators poked fun at in spades.

I then listened to the new dub synced up to the same visuals and it just came across as lacking in emotion, where the animation did not fit the new dub at all. For instance, Luna's trolling of Usagi's potential bedwetting, completely over the top in the original version, was just bland and unnatural here. If you were to sync up the Viz audio, overall there are other points where the English-language performances falls flat, and this is just in one episode.
 
Last edited:

ChibiBoi

Aurorae Lunares
Jan 2, 2010
1,266
287
165
Sigh.

Again not all anime is Sailor Moon and Naruto and Hamtaro.

You seem to have a very limited view of anime that basically just includes shonen and shoujo
Even take Ghost In the Shell for example. You can’t tell me that opening sequence wasn’t super over the top LOL acting as if it was the second coming of Jesus haha but I digress. But I feel like you’re giving the same argument saying anime isn’t inherently that others in this forum have said regarding sailor moon not being camp. Give me one example of an anime that isn’t over the top with their costumes or over the top-ness.

Again, this goes back towards my original argument that sailor moon is not overtly more campy than what’s common in the anime genre, which is why arguing how suuuper campy the show is is pretty moot
 
Last edited:
Sep 13, 2009
10,892
554
665
33
Tampa, FL
At the end of the day, many of us are very critical of the Viz dub because we simply want/wanted it to be the best it can/could be, and we know from the preexisting talent of the people involved in it that it can be better--so much better--than it has been, and the fact that it isn't and has instead been off the mark for all this time (regardless of any legitimate improvement) is just so frustratingly disappointing.
 
Sep 9, 2011
3,407
278
165
29
Richmond, VA, United States
I actually think Sheh is the highlight of the Viz dub. Does she always sound like a natural teenager? Nope, but her voice is still very distinctive, and captures the childlike energy and innocence of the character very well IMO. Her scenes as Sailor Moon aren't as strong, but she still adds a lot of character to them. She's about on par with Tracey Moore's excellent performance of the early Optimum dub. Terri Hawkes was sort of miscast, and her delivery was never great, but she mostly made it work. Linda Ballantyne was a better actress, but a total miscast, and never really fit the character.

The biggest disappointment of the Viz dub is Cristina Vee as Rei. She could definitely pull off the character, but the deeper voice she uses is so forced, hollow, stiff, and lacking personality. I far prefer Katie Griffin. Kate Higgins is also pretty bland as Ami, though I've grown on her some.
 

NJ_

Gurges Ater
Oct 31, 2009
9,578
3,913
1,665
37
Wallington, NJ
Likes: Starlight

sapphire91

Stella Nova
Jul 6, 2018
6,668
9,485
1,665
Recently, with the launch of the dvd box of the 5 season of Sailor Moon in America, I've read a lot of accusations of fans towards VIZ Media (the dvd production house). These accusations concern the relationship between Michiru Kaioh (Sailor Neptune) and Haruka Tennoh (Sailor Uranus), stated as "Frienship" and not "Love"
I find the claims against Viz Media unfair, because they concern the twelfth page of the Sailor Moon Stars style guide (approved by both Toei Animation and by Mrs. Takeuchi).
In it, only the relationship between Usagi and Mamoru is reported as "Love", even Ikuko Tsukino and Kenji Tsukino (the main heroinet's parents) apparently do not love each other (it was probably just a marriage of interest ...) and also the relationship between Luna and Artemis is stated only as "Frienship"!
Exception is made for Saphire and Petz, Ail and An, as well as Kunzite and Zoisite where their relationship is desribed as "Love"!
Unfortunately I've seen this chart only once the style guide was approved and distributed (artistic supervision was not my task), otherwise I would have gladly reported these inaccuracies.
 
Sep 13, 2009
10,892
554
665
33
Tampa, FL
Does she always sound like a natural teenager? Nope, but her voice is still very distinctive, and captures the childlike energy and innocence of the character very well IMO.
I would have to agree with this to a certain extent, especially in regards to the distinctiveness of her voice.

In particular, do you guys recall a few pages back when I said that Sailor Iron Mouse's new dub actress, Katie Leigh, has been the longest-active main actor on the radio drama series Adventures in Odyssey for the past 32 years? Well, this past weekend, I took a trip out of state for a convention I attend annually and, during the plane flight, I listened to some episodes of Odyssey. In one of the special two-part episodes I listened to, there were some scenes in which one of the series' main characters, Wooten (voiced by the hilarious Jess Harnell), and his brother Wellington (a recurring guest character, I don't remember who voiced him ^_^' ), pay visit to a local retirement home. They talk to a receptionist named Bridget about one of the home's residents, and upon hearing Bridget's voice, I'm like "Wait a sec! That sounds like... Usagi?! Is that...? That's Stephanie Sheh!" Sure enough, it was definitely her voicing that receptionist, with the cast credits at the end of the episode confirming it.

Sadly, she and Katie Leigh didn't share any scenes together, and that two-parter is so far the only episode of the series in which Sheh has guest-starred, but just hearing her voice and recognizing her was so cool, especially now that we know that this makes the Sailor Stars dub be at least the second project that Sheh and Leigh have both been a part of (I'm sure the two may have done more other things together as well, but this particular example really stood out to me).
 

Masquerade

Solaris Luna
Nov 22, 2016
2,585
4,477
1,665
A lot of voice directors don't tell their actors how they are supposed to read their lines. They just let the actors watch the scene two or three times and expect them to understand what's going on with their character before recording. Voice actors are trained for this. At least that's how it works in Brazil, where I ocasionally work as a VA. Some voice directors are more commited than others, but dubbing is a fast process and deadlines are thick.
 
I actually think Sheh is the highlight of the Viz dub. Does she always sound like a natural teenager? Nope, but her voice is still very distinctive, and captures the childlike energy and innocence of the character very well IMO. Her scenes as Sailor Moon aren't as strong, but she still adds a lot of character to them. She's about on par with Tracey Moore's excellent performance of the early Optimum dub. Terri Hawkes was sort of miscast, and her delivery was never great, but she mostly made it work. Linda Ballantyne was a better actress, but a total miscast, and never really fit the character.

The biggest disappointment of the Viz dub is Cristina Vee as Rei. She could definitely pull off the character, but the deeper voice she uses is so forced, hollow, stiff, and lacking personality. I far prefer Katie Griffin. Kate Higgins is also pretty bland as Ami, though I've grown on her some.

Exxsqqueezzee Me!! Cristina Vee does NOT suck as Rei. Katie Griffin was queen but she sold her soul to the Canadian version of Inspector Gadget 2015.

All of the Viz people i highly respect. Don't talk about something you know NOTHING about.

Rachael
 
Sep 6, 2014
3,326
3,548
1,665
Exxsqqueezzee Me!! Cristina Vee does NOT suck as Rei.
She doesn’t suck but she doesn’t have any fire in her performance (pun intended) again Viz’s crappy voice direction rears its ugly head.

Katie Griffin was queen but she sold her soul to the Canadian version of Inspector Gadget 2015.
Both the Toronto and LA cast have been in crap. This is hardly unique to Griffin.

A majority of the Optimum cast have also been Care Bears. Umino’s Viz VA and Kate Higgins were in that garbage Stitch! anime nobody asked for. Barbara Goodson’s most famous role is in Power Rangers. Etc etc
 

ChibiBoi

Aurorae Lunares
Jan 2, 2010
1,266
287
165
Everyone is up in arms about Haruka and Michiru being classified as friends, what about Artemis and Luna?! They should have a love connection by now!
Honestly, Artemis and Luna being linked under "friendship" makes me not worry too much about Haruka and Michiru's label. Poor Setsuna and Hotaru being in their lonesome LOL

Has anyone heard any details about Viz's issue with the romaji in the booklet?
VIZ | SAILOR MOON Season 5 Set 1 Statement

I gave my booklet a quick glance and didn't find any jarring issues, but I didn't really compare the lyrics side by side with google or anything.
 
Jul 5, 2009
11,977
4,322
1,665
Philippines
when it comes to Viz dub most of the voices don't bother me but Shingo and Galaxia's voices really don't fit in my view but it is what it is I can enjoy it in spite of it
Once you've heard Portuguese Sailor Star Healer almost anything seems to sound better even Linda's :usagi:. :googly:

 
Likes: cellytron

sapphire91

Stella Nova
Jul 6, 2018
6,668
9,485
1,665
Why did Portugal hire Judge Doom from Who Framed Roger Rabbit to voice Star Healer during his dying moments?
My favourite though was Indonesian Beryl frim a multilanguage final battle. She sounded like a pig around x-mass. Usagi's voice is good though.

 
Last edited:

Memento

Stella Nova
Mar 8, 2012
6,076
7,950
1,665
underwatersphinx.blogspot.com
Blocked by Viz so I had to download it to watch, but 1) Why does Beryl sound like a dying cat? 2) Why is there no background music? It makes the entire scene so awkward and dull. 3) Luna sounds like a ninety year old woman who smokes ten packs a day.