Stand out performances in otherwise mediocre dubs

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Stand out performances in otherwise mediocre dubs

Post by Big Boss » Thu Sep 20, 2018 2:21 pm

As the title says, what are some stand out performances that caught your attention despite being trapped inside of lesser quality dubs? I've watched a couple of clips of the various international adaptions of Dragon Ball, and while a lot of them are mostly irredeemable garbage compared to say, the Mexican dub (which if memory serves me correctly, is considered one of the more faithful adaptions) I found my self enjoying, or at least semi-enjoying, a handful of the performances I saw:

Rick Robertson as Dabra in the Funimation dub - I've not really paid much attention to the OG Funimation dub in well over 10 years, but sometimes I do switch the audio track over out of curiosity to see how it holds up (and to get a few chuckles). To my surprise, Dabra was actually really well done. It's an ominous voice without being completely over the top like a lot of other Satan-ish characters on American TV of the 90s and early 00s. The small voice filter augments it nicely, too.

Duncan Brannan as Babidi in the Funimation dub - This is sort of the opposite of above, in that it's a COMPLETELY over the top and balls-to-the-wall performance. He seemed like he was having a lot of fun with the role, and I was super glad Funi manged to bring him back for Kai.

Filipino dub Vegeta: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWww3wVGyXo - The audio quality is awful, but I honestly enjoy this take on Vegeta. It isn't a gruff, snickering performance like perhaps a lot of the English speaking fandom are used to, but a somewhat more grounded interpretation without going into full cartoon villain/anti-hero tropes. My ideal English Vegeta would be a slightly modified version of this.

Filipino dub Gohan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqkokjzBsTU - Again with the audio quality, but I love this. They got an actual child to voice Gohan and he does a good job. Not deafeningly screechy like Clinkenbeard, or ridiculously raspy like Nadolny.
Last edited by Big Boss on Thu Sep 20, 2018 6:07 pm, edited 4 times in total.

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Re: Stand out performances in otherwise mediocre dubs

Post by 8000 Saiyan » Thu Sep 20, 2018 2:31 pm

Rick Robertson's Dabura
Dameon Clarke's Cell
Kent Williams' Dr. Gero
Chuck Huber and Meredith McCoy's Androids 17 and 18
Duncan Brannan's Babidi
Chris Rager's Mr. Satan
Kyle Hebert's Gohan
Kara Edwards' Videl
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Re: Stand out performances in otherwise mediocre dubs

Post by ABED » Thu Sep 20, 2018 2:43 pm

Laurie Steele as young Kuririn
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Re: Stand out performances in otherwise mediocre dubs

Post by 8000 Saiyan » Thu Sep 20, 2018 2:48 pm

I'd say that Rick Robertson is just as good as Ryuzaburo Otomo is as Dabura.
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Re: Stand out performances in otherwise mediocre dubs

Post by Big Boss » Thu Sep 20, 2018 2:56 pm

8000 Saiyan wrote:I'd say that Rick Robertson is just as good as Ryuzaburo Otomo is as Dabura.
I'll agree with this. It also helps that Funimation didn't give him any dumb as fuck lines, at least to my knowledge.

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Re: Stand out performances in otherwise mediocre dubs

Post by Ajay » Thu Sep 20, 2018 3:03 pm

James Marsters as Zamasu in Dragon Ball Super.
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Re: Stand out performances in otherwise mediocre dubs

Post by Big Boss » Thu Sep 20, 2018 3:08 pm

Ajay wrote:James Marsters as Zamasu in Dragon Ball Super.
I was actually gonna bring this up but was worried about the fallout. :) But yeah, Marsters was just so far ahead compared to the other major characters around him, bar Jason Douglas and Ian Sinclair, it was just ridiculous. Chris Ayres and Dameon Clarke are in the same boat to be honest for their respective arcs, if we are talking strictly major characters.
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Re: Stand out performances in otherwise mediocre dubs

Post by KBABZ » Thu Sep 20, 2018 4:09 pm

The performances for the older cast in Dragon Ball's final arc are pretty awkward, especially Sean Schemmel's. But Sonny Strait just NAILS Krillin and it's so cool having his edition of the character introduced and already on a roll after the experience dubbing the character in Z through to Buu.

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Re: Stand out performances in otherwise mediocre dubs

Post by Bansho64 » Thu Sep 20, 2018 4:37 pm

When the in house actors down at FUNimation started voicing the characters, Dale Kelly as Captain Ginyu was probably the first real standout performance amongst the cast.

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Re: Stand out performances in otherwise mediocre dubs

Post by 8000 Saiyan » Thu Sep 20, 2018 5:25 pm

I wouldn't say Dale Kelly was a standout, but whatever, to each their own.
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Re: Stand out performances in otherwise mediocre dubs

Post by Big Boss » Thu Sep 20, 2018 6:17 pm

I'm found of Kelly's laughs and power up noises, but that's where my affection ends for his Ginyu. And that's only because of pure nostalgia.

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Re: Stand out performances in otherwise mediocre dubs

Post by OhHiRenan » Thu Sep 20, 2018 7:58 pm

Chris Ayers is a great Freeza. Though I guess the mediocre dub would be Super since Kai is pretty good.

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Re: Stand out performances in otherwise mediocre dubs

Post by Logania » Thu Sep 20, 2018 8:01 pm

James Marsters Zamasu.

His performance makes all the other actors feel just passable in the arc. He's so good that I feel he outshines his Japanese VA by a mile.
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Re: Stand out performances in otherwise mediocre dubs

Post by RandomGuy96 » Fri Sep 21, 2018 1:43 am

Seconding Dabra and Babidi in the Funimation dubs. I always did think their voices perfectly fit them. I kinda liked Clarke as Cell and Cook as Super Buu too; less so than Dabra and Babidi, but I still think they were a big cut above the rest. Throw in Jason Douglas and Ian Sinclair (as well as those already mentioned) for Super too, as well as Douglas's King Cold in Funimation's Kai (not terrible like the original Funimation dub, but I'd still classify it as mediocre overall).
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Herms wrote:The fact that the ridiculous power inflation is presented so earnestly makes me just roll my eyes and snicker. Like with Freeza, where he starts off over 10 times stronger than all his henchmen except Ginyu (because...well, just because), then we find out he can transform and get even more powerful, and then he reveals he can transform two more times, before finally coming out with the fact that he hasn't even been using anywhere near 50% of his power. Oh, and he can survive in the vacuum of space. All this stuff is just presented as the way Freeza is, without even an attempt at rationalizing it, yet the tone dictates we're supposed to take all this silly grasping at straws as thrilling danger. So I guess I don't really take the power inflation in the Boo arc seriously, but I don't take the power inflation in earlier arcs seriously either, so there's no net loss of seriousness. I think a silly story presented as serious is harder to accept than a silly story presented as silly.

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Re: Stand out performances in otherwise mediocre dubs

Post by Attitudefan » Fri Sep 21, 2018 3:48 am

Bansho64 wrote:When the in house actors down at FUNimation started voicing the characters, Dale Kelly as Captain Ginyu was probably the first real standout performance amongst the cast.
I agree. He's really great. He really nails Ginyu and his performance is believable. I doubly love his screams.

Shout out to the Ocean Cast for nailing performances despite the awful script. Takes talent to say "Next Dimension" and having it sound more menacing than "dying"!
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Re: Stand out performances in otherwise mediocre dubs

Post by 90sDBZ » Fri Sep 21, 2018 6:39 am

Brian Drummond in the Westwood dub. I didn't enjoy his performance as much as in the Saban era because he couldn't go all out with the psychotic stuff due to Vegeta calming down as a character. Having said that he still manages to deliver a decent performance which is a more grounded version of his earlier Vegeta. I still prefer Sabat as the more calm and collected Vegeta, but Drummond does a decent job of it too.

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Re: Stand out performances in otherwise mediocre dubs

Post by ABED » Fri Sep 21, 2018 7:56 am

90sDBZ wrote:Brian Drummond in the Westwood dub. I didn't enjoy his performance as much as in the Saban era because he couldn't go all out with the psychotic stuff due to Vegeta calming down as a character. Having said that he still manages to deliver a decent performance which is a more grounded version of his earlier Vegeta. I still prefer Sabat as the more calm and collected Vegeta, but Drummond does a decent job of it too.
Vegeta was at his most psychotic in those earlier episodes. I don't understand your point.
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Re: Stand out performances in otherwise mediocre dubs

Post by Kataphrut » Fri Sep 21, 2018 8:40 am

Ajay wrote:James Marsters as Zamasu in Dragon Ball Super.
Oh hush, you.

I'll also give a nod to Brian Drummond. People mainly remember the hammy Cobra Commander performance he was giving in the Saiyan saga, but he also had a really good, slightly more reserved run in the Cell and Buu sagas.

The original Funimation dub of Buu had some good ones. Chris Rager's "Hercule" was solid right out the gate, ditto Josh Martin's Buu, Kara Edwards' Videl and especially Kyle Hebert's Gohan.

Has anyone mentioned the Bang Zoom dub of Super actually having a decent alternative King Kai performance? I don't mind the cartoony voice Schemmel uses, but if you want an English version that isn't as goofy, it's there for you.

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Re: Stand out performances in otherwise mediocre dubs

Post by ekrolo2 » Fri Sep 21, 2018 8:42 am

ABED wrote:
90sDBZ wrote:Brian Drummond in the Westwood dub. I didn't enjoy his performance as much as in the Saban era because he couldn't go all out with the psychotic stuff due to Vegeta calming down as a character. Having said that he still manages to deliver a decent performance which is a more grounded version of his earlier Vegeta. I still prefer Sabat as the more calm and collected Vegeta, but Drummond does a decent job of it too.
Vegeta was at his most psychotic in those earlier episodes. I don't understand your point.
Not really? Vegeta's far more cooled off and less prone to growling and snapping at everything like a petulant child for the Saiyan and Namek arcs.
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Re: Stand out performances in otherwise mediocre dubs

Post by ABED » Fri Sep 21, 2018 9:14 am

ekrolo2 wrote:
ABED wrote:
90sDBZ wrote:Brian Drummond in the Westwood dub. I didn't enjoy his performance as much as in the Saban era because he couldn't go all out with the psychotic stuff due to Vegeta calming down as a character. Having said that he still manages to deliver a decent performance which is a more grounded version of his earlier Vegeta. I still prefer Sabat as the more calm and collected Vegeta, but Drummond does a decent job of it too.
Vegeta was at his most psychotic in those earlier episodes. I don't understand your point.
Not really? Vegeta's far more cooled off and less prone to growling and snapping at everything like a petulant child for the Saiyan and Namek arcs.
But more prone to trying to murder them.
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