Toon Zone Talkback - "Mobile Suit Gundam 00- Season One Part Three": Down But Not Out

Okay, if I had a top ten list of rabroad review splashes, that'd probably be in it. Excellent image choice.

This is an old debate, but I have a higher opinion of the voice acting. Definitely not flawless, but also a considerable improvement compared to recent Gundam dubs. G and Seed definitely, and one can certainly argue that it compares favorably to Wing and the original Gundam. In particular I think the Seed dub suffers a lot from that "lifeless" feel. The same voice director apparently worked on both, so 00 is at least a considerable step up. There are several actors or actresses with roles that I really disliked in Seed that were much better for 00's dub. My favorite is probably Samuel Vincent's Tieria, who I thought really ended up nailing the part over and over when it really counted ("you deserve ten thousand deaths!", etc)

All the plot stuff I basically agree with. The show really does do a good job of building up the tension in the latter half of the season. On top of all the other good points this serves the action too; every battle becomes a struggle, so the Gundams literally have no choice but to up their game and use every weapon at hand.

A great thing about mid-season shift is that it doesn't really stop, since in season 2 there are powerful foes to challenge the main cast pretty much right away. The ending to this season isn't the same as its beginning, and season 2 gets on something of a different tack after that. Some lament the changes that the series goes through, but I regard 00's dynamic story as a strength. Whatever else one can say about it, it doesn't stand still and get stale.
 
I'd like to echo the affection for the audio commentaries in this set. They're hilarious to listen to. I kept wondering if the Meister VAs were on something, they were so cheerful.
 
I just personally find too many of the voices lifeless or annoying. A major selling point for 00 with me is how it showed many perspectives and how each had their own flavour. The English dub just tenRAB to remove that aspect in my mind, kind of making all the performances just stick togethor. There's also a nuraber of them I feel miss the point. In the original, I feel Patrick comes across as a loveable dolt. His English voice is just so loud and screechy that that angle is lost if I try and watch him in it. Plus as I've said before, there are far too many 'I'm obviously an actor who already plays 1 or 2 other major roles. Watch as I put on a silly voice and butcher the story's common terminology'. If I'm talking about a tank with someone, I don't make a big deal about it and stress it as a 'taaank'. But that happens alot in the dub when discussing 'mooobile weapons'. If you want me to highlight a dub performance I loved, easily Brian Drummond as the Union president. It's effective and subtle, not hammy or struggling. I hear Drummond in the role and I can believe this is the aged president of a future super-America. The vast majority of the cast come nowhere near that and I again blame the director for not getting the correct mood. Heavens knows how I'm going to react to 'TRAAAANS-AM!' in season 2
 
Back
Top