SP002: Urusei Yatsura English Dub Preview

Hey everyone!

Welcome to another edition of Lauren Synger’s Voice Box!  We have a real treat for you this issue! AnimEigo contacted DVD Vision Japan directly and requested that yours truly review the new never-before-seen dub for "Urusei Yatsura- Remember My Love" due out June 28^th 2004. So, what did I say? OF COURSE! I am pleased and flattered to be asked for such a special request. 

I would like to take a moment to thank the folks at AnimEigo for this wonderful opportunity, and for sending us some cover art.  They wanted me to let you know that the image they provided does not necessarily mean this is how the final product is going to look.

Now, on to the review!

Synopsis

Once upon a time, a spiteful witch did not receive her invite to the celebration of Lum’s birth. Thinking she has been forgotten, and angry at being snubbed, she places a curse upon the child; Lum will never be happy with the one she loves!

Fast forward to present day. A new amusement park has been built in the Tomobiki area and everyone decides to take part in the festivities. While they are enjoying themselves, Lum and Ataru decide to watch a magic show. When the magician asks for a volunteer, Ataru is more than happy to oblige.  Alas, he finds himself transformed into a pink hippopotamus! Now, Lum must save her darling Ataru from the magician’s spell.

Is this all part of the witch's curse? Will Lum ever find true happiness with her darling?  Can she love a pink hippo?

Voice Box

Ataru

Steve Rassin was a very good choice for Ataru. He has a slightly older-sounding voice, but his Ataru had enough attitude to be believable as a teenager. I felt that he stayed very true to the character as he goes through a wide range of emotions. The transition between his sarcastic “player” personality to the subdued, sobbing Ataru was so well done, I actually felt sorry for him. His sorrow sounded genuine, so I was able to get involved with Ataru’s feelings. Great job Steve!

Lum

Shannon Settlemyre was a decent choice for Lum. She has a very cute voice, which helps to illustrate Lum’s childlike innocence, but at times it got on my nerves. She was good at portraying Lum’s anger, but I felt that she didn’t emote enough.  I would have liked to see her go farther with it and really allow herself to feel Lum’s pain and get more into the character.

Shinobu

Danielle Sullivan one of the weaker voice acting choices. Her voice possessed an older, darker quality that I felt did not suit the character. As for her acting, I felt she was passable. There were times when she got into her character and did well, but those moments were few and far between. Ms. Sullivan really didn’t give Shinobu any kind of personality, which detracted from the kind of person she is.

Obaba, Lum’s Mom, and Oshima

Kristen Foster is a great actress. I really liked the individuality she gave to all three characters (important when you do three different people). Although her voice was a little too young and bright sounding for an old witch, I loved the grit she gave Obaba and her laugh was perfect!

As Lum’s mom, her vocal quality was perfect. The gibberish she spoke was down right funny. It reminded me a lot of the Huttese language spoken by Jabba the Hut. 

She even did a great job as the little raccoon Oshima. Ms. Foster’s reading gave a lot of depth to our bratty, but loyal little raccoon boy. I really liked the play between Oshima and Lum, as well as Oshima’s relationship with Young Ruu. Both Ms. Foster and Ms. Settlemyre fed very well off of each other.

Megane

Colin Hackman was a very good choice for Megane. His vocal quality was perfect for the character, reminding me of Jinnai from El Hazard (only not as psychoti).  He is another one that is very good at transitioning between seriousness and silliness and he does so at a lightning pace.  I could tell that Mr. Hackman was having a lot of fun with the character. The only thing I would change is that he should have added more zaniness to Megane earlier on.

Ran, Ryuunsuke

Morgan Jarrett was good as Ran. While her high-pitched, cute voice really suited the character, it was unpleasent at times.

Her voice for Ryuunsuke was completely different and first-rate! She had a slightly gruff tone to her voice that made her the perfect tomboy. She was probably my favorite of the female voice actors. I just wished Ryuunsuke had more lines.

Ruu

Justin Geer has a wonderful, commanding voice that is necessary for the voice of a magician. He got into the role and did an excellent job of being a showman. I can tell he also had fun in the role; even if his character was pretty two-dimensional.

Young Ruu

Mark Jones was an exemplary choice. His voice was perfect for his character, his acting was very natural, and he demonstrated a great emotional range.  I found myself liking and understanding his character and getting into his part in the story.

Lahla

Margaret Woodfield was not a great choice for Lahla. Lahla spends A LOT of time talking, especially in certain scenes involving lengthy, scientific explanations. I could tell from the flat tone of her voice that Ms. Woodfield was rather bored with the technobabble.  I found myself tuning her out when she was explaining something rather important to the plot.  Also, I felt her vocal quality was too young and immature-sounding for a character which is obviously older, wiser, and in control.

Benton

Satu Rautaharju was mediocre as Benton. Her vocal quality was not what I would have pictured for a warrior woman. She also possessed a relatively flat and emotionless tone except for when Benton would get angry. I would have liked to see her add some gruffness to this character. Overall, she gave a rather emotionless portrayal of the fiery Benton.

Sakura

Karen McIntyre sounded much older than the voice I had pictured for the character of Sakura. I did like the fact she had such a low voice, but I think it would have been more effective if it had been younger.  Having said this, Ms. McIntyre’s acting was dead-on during the characters angry moments, but not as foreboding as I would have liked during her premonitions.

Cherry

Eric Paisley did a great job as Sakura’s Uncle Cherry. Mr. Paisley’s was an outstanding choice for the character.  His portrayal of our doddering and troublesome little old man was impeccable. I really liked the play between him and Karen McIntyre.

Oyuki

Jaime Phelps sounded fatigued and indifferent as Oyuki. I know the character looks like a cold and emotionless robot, but to keep your audience interested, it is even more important to deliver your lines with some subtle feeling.   I think that Ms. Phelps could have done a lot more with her character, had she worked on it.

Lum’s Dad

Anthony Lawson was awesome as Lum’s dad.  His voice was commanding and in control, but at the same time had a playful quality to it.

Mendou

Robert Rogan was a commendable choice for our dashing and serious suitor Mendou. His voice was soft, and low, but still possessed a strength that really suited the character. Although Mendou is the straight man in this movie, I never found myself bored with his performance.

All right, well I think that just about does it for me. Hopefully the constructive criticism in this review will be taken into consideration for future productions. 

Once again major thanks to AnimEigo for the opportunity to review a screener copy of Urusei Yatsura Movie 3 Remember My Love. Also, a great big thank you to you guys, the readers, whose support of DVD Vision Japan enables us to bring you quality reviews and even some special edition reviews and interviews. As always thank you for your unending support! Please keep checking the site for new reviews and special editions!

Catch you on the B-Side.