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006: Key
the Metal Idol
Hello again, and welcome to another
thrilling Voice Box! This time I am taking an in- depth look at Key
the Metal Idol. This intriguing tale of technology, corporate secrecy,
and the turbulent world of Japanese Pop Idols revolve around some
pretty interesting characters. You may be wondering, how did the voice
talent for the series stack up to their characters? Well, keep reading
to find out!
Key
Junko
Iwao was a wonderful choice for our title character. Iwao san takes a
role that could easily be monotone and robotic, and imbues it with
emotion when appropriate. Key is a very difficult role, because
although she is a robot, she is constantly struggling with emotions
lying just beneath the surface of her robo-exterior. Also, she tends
to be naive and Iwao san’s young, sweet voice and inflection
reflects Key’s childlike innocence. Excellent job for a very
difficult character!
Nicole Oliver does a very nice job as
Key. There is a little bit of reverb on her voice to give it that
slightly robotic sound. She has a youthful quality to her voice that
suits Key's child-like innocence very well. Also, her pronunciation of
Japanese names was great! Overall,
I would have liked to see her struggle a little more with trying to
fight back Key's uncontrollable child-like emotions when she is
transitioning from robot form to human form. At times she just seemed
a little too monotone. Still, she was a good, solid choice for Key.
Sakura
Miki Nagasawa also had a youthful
sounding voice, but she portrayed Sakura as fiery and emotional. A
complete 360 from her performance as the voice of Vampire Princess
Miyu in the TV series, Nagasawa san is great as Sakura. Sakura is a
shining example of a true friend. She has a strong personality, and
does what it takes to survive, including working 3 minimum wage jobs
in Tokyo! But when she is needed she is there for Key. The two have
been friends since junior high school, and from the day they met
Sakura immediately took Key in under her wing, and became her best
friend. Unfortunately
after Sakura finished school she moved to Tokyo. When Key finds
herself in Tokyo and bumps into Sakura, she asks Key to come live with
her in her cramped studio apartment. I believe the relationship and
close bond between Sakura and Key is mainly credited to the chemistry
demonstrated between both VAs. The two compliment each other very
well. Nagaswa san does a tremendous job at showing the many facets to
Sakura’s personality. Her vulnerability at times when she is taken
out of her element, her mothering nature and desire to protect Key,
her enthusiasm, and her emotional side, are all presented in a very
believable manner.
Megan Leitch was one of the weaker
choices of the English VA cast. She was not fiery enough for Sakura,
and the character came across as sounding almost air-headed. Sakura is
anything but. Ms. Leitch has a lower register and a bit of rasp that
worked for the character vocally, but the personality she gave her did
not suit Sakura at all. I would have liked to see her bring more
life into the character overall, and more tenderness towards Key.
Ajo
Sho Hayami was a perfect choice for Ajo,
the head of Ajo Industries. It seems that he holds the answers to
which Key seeks. But Ajo is a man who closely guards his darkest
secrets. Hayami san was able to be cold, and business-like, but during
Ajo's mentally unstable moments his performance was downright
terrifying. I found myself repulsed by his cruelty and disturbed by
his insanity. He certainly has one of the most difficult jobs out of
the cast, because this character is mentally disturbed in an almost
unfathomable way. Hayami san certainly had me convinced!
I cannot believe this same VA was Wolfwood in Trigun. His
versatility is truly a credit to his acting ability.
John Novak did a good job with Ajo. He
has a low, business-like vocal quality with just a bit of growl to it
that barely revealed the menacing side to Ajo. During the character's
mentally unstable moments he came across as a super villain instead of
a mentally deranged lunatic, which I didn't feel was quite as
believable. I didn't find my skin crawling with his performance the
way I felt it should have. Still, Mr. Novak was a very appropriate
choice for the character.
Sergei D
Jurota Kusogi was a solid choice for
Ajo’s right hand man, D. D does not have a lot of lines, but he is a
very strong presence in the series. Kusogi san's low resonating voice
and deadly quiet intensity were perfect for D. It is clear to see why
D is a force to be reckoned with.
David Sobolov worked very well as D. Even
without having a lot of lines, Mr. Sobolov took an animalistic
approach to the character that I felt was very effective. There were
times I felt D was a little too emotional, and I wanted to see him
focus more on D's predator characteristics as opposed to his emotions,
which he would never reveal unless it was to intimidate. Still, I felt
Mr. Sobolov's approach to the character was certainly effective.
Tataki
Toshiyuki Morikawa does a very nice job
as Sakura’s friend and love interest Tataki san. The relationship
between Tataki and Sakura is played out beautifully between both VAs.
Although the voice actor sounds older than his counterpart, he
definitely captures the attitude of Tataki san. Even down to his fan
boy obsession with Miho. Nice work!
Jerry J Todd was great as Tataki. He has
a clear, higher, younger-sounding voice than any of the other men in
the series, which I think helped to differentiate him from the others.
He did a nice job with his sarcastic sense of humor, and anger at the
helpless and confusing situation.
Although he had the attitude of the character down, I would
have liked to see him show a little more caring towards Sakura. Still
I felt his performance overall was great.
Wakagi
Hiroshi Yanaka plays Wakagi, another
character that does not have very many speaking lines. As Key's
bodyguard he spends the majority of his time watching her from the
shadows, and jumping in to save her right in the nick of time. Another
multi-dimensional character, Wakagi san is kind and gentle in regards
to Key, and as her bodyguard will do whatever it takes to keep her
safe; including fighting D! Yanaka san is good at bringing Wakagi to
life. His voice is strong, although he is soft-spoken. He utilizes the
lower part of his register to convey the character's quiet strength.
From his older brother concern for Key to his intense fight sequences
against D, it is obvious why Wakagi san was chosen to protect her, and
why Yanaka san was chosen to voice him.
David Kane was my favorite voice in the
English dub. He maintained a fairly unemotional approach to Wakagi,
unless it was involving Dr. Mima, or Key. Then the emotions would
crescendo until he was battling to protect Key, or Dr. Mima's honor.
He has a youthful, low voice that was a perfect fit for the
character. He sounded wise beyond his years. The personality he gave
Wakagi was dead on. Great job!
Miho
Chiyako Shibahara has a great singing
voice and does all of famous Pop Idol Miho Utsuse's vocals both spoken
and sung. She has a slightly gritty quality to her voice that
definitely suits the character. Although Miho does not have a lot of
lines the majority of the plot focuses around her. She is a crucial
element to the story, and Shibahara san was a wonderful choice for
this character.
Saffron Henderson also used a raspy
quality to her voice that works well for Miho. It is very difficult to
give an honest critique on her performance though, since she hardly
has any speaking lines. Christine Duncan provided the singing vocals
for Miho. She has a beautiful voice and was a great vocal match up to
Saffron Henderson's speaking voice for Miho.
Ouji the Priest (Prince Snake Eye)
Eken Mine has a gruff, slightly older
quality to his voice that is suitable for religious cult leader Prince
Snake Eye. Ouji stands firm in his beliefs, and convinces others of
them. Although devoted to his people and his religion he is a fairly
powerless leader. He relies on Key to help his people, and he relies
on his people for support, which they happily give. Mine san was a
good choice for the eccentric Prince Snake Eye. Although he is fairly
powerless, he is still able to boost the morale of his cult, and
demonstrate good leadership ability.
In times of a crisis, he instills his people with faith and
with hope. Mine san gave the character a nasal and whiny quality to
his voice that worked very well, while still conveying Ouji's
conviction to his beliefs and people and his inner strength to protect
them.
Don Brown was in my opinion one of the
weaker choices. He seemed to get melodramatic with the character in a
way that I didn't think was appropriate. There were a few moments
where the dialogue between him and Key would seem genuine, but then it
would turn into a big melodrama, and he would come across more like a
superhero in the middle of his soliloquy as opposed to a priest with
conviction in his beliefs.
Outro
Well, that just about does it for me. I
felt the chemistry between the VAs was overall stronger in the
Japanese dub, so I found myself more intrigued by the relationships
between them. My favorite voice overall in the Japanese dub was Sho
Hayami, the voice of Ajo. I felt he had the most difficult character,
and brought him to life in a terribly realistic fashion.
In the English dub my favorite VA was
David Kane. While not the most complex character, I felt that Mr. Kane
did a fantastic job with understanding Wakagi, and remaining true to
the character consistently throughout his performance. Overall I felt
the English VAs did a very good job with a foreign, difficult concept,
and complex characters.
I would say that I like the Japanese dub
better. It's mainly because of the way the characters emotions were
expressed. I felt myself sympathizing with, or fearing for, the
characters because of the masterful way their personalities and
emotions were conveyed by the Japanese cast. The English dub had
some weak parts, but it's still well done.
Catch you on the
B-Side.
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