CORRECTIONS AT 7:58, 10:08 & 17:07 – At 7:58 we mentioned that a studio might “fly a voice actor in” however Clifford Chapin pointed out on Twitter that this doesn’t happen, and if an actor is going to fly interstate to record they will pay for their own ticket. Original response:

Natalie Hoover further clarified that paid travel may sometimes occur in union dubs however in general it depends on the project. Original response:

At 10:08, when mentioning that actors can move to the Dallas Fortworth area in the hopes of working with FUNimation the reality is that there may not *actually* be enough work for them to actually make a living, even by covering expenses with other jobs on the side. Thank you to Caitlin Glass (@caitlinsvoice) for correcting us on this one:

Also, at 17:07, we had reason to believe that Chris had recorded this cameo at his personal studio but, according to Terry Dotty, he had apparently recorded this scene specifically in California

Special thanks to voice actors Marissa Lenti (@LentiSoup) and Michelle Rojas (@litteramyun) for fact-checking this video, as well as Chris Niosi (@Kirbopher) for his Kirblog series that highlights much of the insight used to create this video:

A common complaint people often lobbed at dubs is that they’re lazy in how they select their voice actors despite the fact that there are a multitude of ways people can get cast for projects and a lot of circumstance that informs those decisions most of the time. Before, dubbing companies were far more limited with regards to who they could hire as well as how they could record their shows. And even though the biggest obstacles that stood in their way back then (such as time, location and budget) still influence a lot of decisions made today, there are still opportunities for innovation.

Granted there is far more to this issue than what we had time to cover in this video (which ended up being almost the length of an anime episode anyway). Budget, time and technology are issues, and while some fans may cry for these problems to be nipped in the bud, I think discussing that is well beyond the scope of what we could do here. It’s true that many dubbing studios such as NGP and even some in England seem to have almost entirely turned away from anime (most likely due to their unprofitability), however these comparative monetary issues behind English dubs could potentially involve factors such as client involvement, financial distribution and other information which the public are not privy to. So while many will inevitably say “just give dubs more money”, “give them longer to be produced” or “get the Japanese client to have more hands-on involvement”…we also shouldn’t ignore the possibilities that staff have already been taking advantage of that some fans might not know about. So from the beginning, let’s spend some time breaking down the different modes of casting and how the dubbing industry as a whole has changed.

Special Thanks to Chris Niosi and his Vlogs with people working in the industry:

Behind The Scenes Footage:
My New Favourite Hero Show Academia (feat. Cliff Chapin) – Kirblog 4/1/17 (
One Piece – On the Boat with Sonny Strait (
Inside Dragon Ball Z: Interview with Christopher R. Sabat (FUNimation Season 2 BD Release)
Inside Dragon Ball Z: Interview with Sonny Strait (FUNimation Season 5 BD Release)
Only Yesterday: Meet the Voice Cast (Madman Entertainment BD Release)
The Voices of Dragon Ball Z: Unveiled (Dragon Ball Z Battle of Gods Madman Entertainment BD Release)
Fairly Odd Parents: Behind the Scenes Season 10
History of Trunks Breakdown
Dezel’s Final Moments in Tales of Zestiria the X English Dub
Neumann U87 AI Microphone Review

Music Featured:
I Will Become a Hero – Yuuki Hayashi
Moon Base – Kensuke Ushio
Tear Drops to Earth – Edison
Dotabata Chorogon Zu – Masumi Itou
Cavalry Battle – Yuuki Hayashi
A Day of Peco – Kensuke Ushio
High Spirits – Tatsuya Kato
Presage – Taisei Iwasaki
Surf – Yoko Kanno
Tranquil Times – Kenji Yamamoto
Kame House – Kenji Yamamoto
A Circular Reeducation – Tycho
Under the Blue Sky – Norihito Sumitomo
Ichigoichi – Shirou Sagisu
Your Silent Portrait – Kensuke Ushio
You Can Become a Hero – Yuuki Hayashi
Dandy in Love – Shutoku Mukai
Future Boyfriend – Trevor Horn

Narrated & co-written by Eric Dorcean
Edited & co-written by Abhi Kapoor
Fact-checking by Marissa Lenti and Michelle Rojas

Follow us all on Twitter:
Eric: @MrAJCosplay
Abhi: @RBKapoor1
Marissa Lenti: @LentiSoup
Michelle Rojas @littleramyun
Chris Niosi @Kirbopher

source

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37 COMMENTS

  1. Ok so for those who haven't read the description there's a few of corrections necessary to what was said in this video:
    Voice actor/director Clifford Chapin pointed out that, contrary to what we implied at 7:58, voice actors will usually pay for their own flight when going interstate for a recording, rather than the studio covering it. Original response: https://twitter.com/CliffordChapin/status/940095605392654336

    Natalie Hoover further clarified that paid travel may sometimes occur in union dubs however in general it depends on the project. Original response: https://twitter.com/nataliehoovervo/status/941390019264176128

    Secondly, Caitlin Glass also corrected us on something we said at 10:08. We mentioned that since FUNi has a lot of anime work that aspiring VAs can feasibly move to the Dallas Fortworth area in hopes of mostly working with them. However this does NOT mean that the anime work there will necessarily be enough to make a full living. We did mention that additional jobs would be necessary to cover expenses but yeah in retrospect that doesn't do the reality of it justice. Original response: https://twitter.com/caitlinsvoice/status/940088135047720961

    Also, at 17:07, we had reason to believe that Chris had recorded this cameo at his personal studio but, according to Terri Doty, he had apparently recorded this scene specifically in California
    https://twitter.com/TeeDotally/status/940365070495834112

    And of course as Erica Mendez pointed out, what this video covers mostly concerns the Texas scene, however there are some aspects that may apply across the board: https://twitter.com/tsunderica/status/939963488738222080

  5. "the same twelve actors" arguement is moot in my opinion, I'm on the "sub" side, but honestly, Japan sort of have the "same 12 actors" too, I mean, the likes of Kugimiya Rie, Ishikawa Yui, and Takehiko Koyasu are typecasted so often you'd instantly recognize them. and yes, Japan also prioritize the actors that "have past experience with studio" that the director like, and they too are highly determiend by prior work associations.

  6. To everyone: Please watch the video before leaving comments. The video is not a dub hate video. The title may come across as hate, but the video itself is a well researched, inoffensive video without the "subs are always better" argument.

  7. I like hearing new talent as well as what I'm used to. There hasn't been any VAs that I'm sick of hearing because I rather enjoy all of their voices in different ways. Todd Haberkorn is one actor I always enjoy hearing, and most times I can recognize if it's him or not. There have been a couple of times where I can't quite recognize his voice though. Examples being one character in Death Parade that he did a rather deep voice for (first time I heard him do that, I believe), and times where he filled in for Chuck Huber to play Kululu in Sgt. Frog (I didn't notice it when I was watching it).

    One VA that needs to get more roles though is Keith Silverstein. I know he's pretty well established already, but goddamn does he have a smooth voice when he voices characters like Hisoka from Hunter X Hunter and even Tom Tanaka from Durarara!! Also he voices Torbjorn (Overwatch) and Vector the Crocodile (Sonic franchise) so he has quite the range as well.

    An actual, relatively new, VA that needs more roles though is Abby Trott. She voices Maya Fey in PW:AA – Spirit of Justice, Machi in Hunter X Hunter, and Veronica Liones in The Seven Deadly Sins, which the latter-most was the first time I heard of her. She has a really cool voice, and from what I've heard of her so far, it can fit the roles of a normal girl or the edgy girl very well.

  8. I dont have a preference. Its no different than seeing a Hollywood actor play multiple roles. The "Subs Pref" crowd needs to shut the hell up and get back to reading what theyre watching. I swear they are the Vegans or PC gamers of Anime. The vast majority of them act like you can't enjoy something if it's not enjoyed the same way they prefer it.

  12. I actually enjoy recognizing a familiar voice in a new anime from a favorite that I have watched several times. People just need to quit complaining and enjoy the fact that anime is becoming accessible to more and more people! Or is that the real reason why they're upset…

  13. I like dubs cause I'm not some weabo who likes "everything japanese" just cause it's Japanese. they try to play it off like it's because the English voice acting sucks but it's not 99% of the time

  15. I never understood why watching dubs was so Taboo in the world of Anime. we need dubs in the West other words the amount of new watchers wold go way down. Most watchers regardless if they watch dub or sub now got in to anime because they watched a dub like Pokemon at a young age. do you really think Pokemon wold be as popular in the US if the anime had not been dubbed. I prefer dubs I like to have it playing and even if it don't have my full attention I can still know what's going on. And it's not like I hate the sound of subs in some cases I like them more. Like In Log horizon my friend showed me this anima as a sub and I liked it but when I found out it was dubbed I started watching it again dubbed but one voice destroyed the dub for me so much that even if I had not watched the sub first I wold have hated it. I can see both sides of the argument I just don't see why there is a argument. if you don't like dubs don't watch them and stop bitching saying they should not exist. Fact is without dubs the community as a whole will most likely die without them. Dubs bring new viewers to the anima scen.

  17. I have favorite voice actors and love that I can recognize them by their voice. I tend to wait on dubs before I watch anime with very few exceptions. For me it’s a trade off, getting a dubbed version by voice actors I already know and love, or getting the subbed version where 99.8% of Japanese voice actresses all sound alike, (over dramatized with a high, grating voice). It’s preferences. I prefer no nails on chalkboard voices.

  22. no joke it is a Super hard industry to get into… especially when you are not with an Agency or Manager to help get u in with people who know nothing about you. having a Demo reel in of its self is hard to do… a lot of research and personal drive to get the basics to even be considered to try out. after i had sent a few emails to different Dub companies saying that all i would like is the opportunity to audition but had no clear direction in which to showcase myself that i am retired and have the means to travel no worries about capital and the fact that over the last year i learned how to Write/Draw, speak, and read Katakana and Romanji as well as Hiragana… all i received was a mass sent reply email with no personal touch even tho i poured my heart into the emails… im not complaining just adding to the mean hard facts… in any kind of Showbiz…. its not about what you can do.. its who you know… haha cliche

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