I doubt this was done at the behest of Sony Japan. This was probably done by Sony's American companies. Back in the early 90s Anime dubbing was still done on a pretty small basis.

There was a later dub of the series but another studio which fixed all the main problems with the first dub, even getting the guy who did the English voice for Kenshin first time round but the rest of the cast felt lifeless and even Steve Blum as Shishio felt forced as hell.

Its a preference thing but I still like this dub better than the later one. If I had to choose between sub or dub, I'd actually take this dub.

Kenshin is another one of the anime 'classics' I've never seen and nowadays about the only torrents out there for it are dead.

Youtube it. I dunno if you're the type who can take older animes.

That said, I think you'd appreciate the 1st OVA more. It plays out like a Samurai Tragedy. Its called Trust and Betrayal and it has some of the greatest music ever composed:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRtfkiaAma0

I always forget to look on YouTube! But yeah, I can dig older anime.

About older animes has anyone seen the new Harlock/Arcadia movie? The one supposed to be in CGI and dubbed in English as the original language.

Harlock Yes, Galaxy Express 999 Hell Yes.

So I found episode one of Kenshin on YouTube and I dug it, I did.

Been a while since I've watched a proper shounen anime, the fights were really fun - as were the characters, and ironically these older series seem to be better animated than a lot of modern shows.

About the only thing I have to ask, is why did she just accept Kenshin despite knowing he is a legendary killer with morals and ethics completely opposite to hers?

His new views on life mirrored those of her father's before he left. In the 2nd OVA...which I kind of hesitate to recommend for some reasons, she explains how her father believed in the concept of the "Sword of Life" which was the basic principal of Kamiya Kasshin. Kenshin's new way of living probably reminded her of what her father was striving for.

As for Kenshin's morals, as the series progresses you really see how much he regrets his actions during the war despite its outcome. While fictional, he is partly based on a historical "Hitokiri" who felt that the new direction of the Meiji Restoration betrayed the sacrifices of life on both sides. If you like any type of War history, this series really makes lots of references to the Bakumatsu era which is interesting to read.

Gundam fight set, ready, GO!


Please tell me you are downloading the dub? The dub is so much funnier.

And... HEAT END!

I am in love with Watamote at the moment. I feel like it's "My Life" the anime.

Has anyone ever heard of Wind of Windaria? I remember renting it, back when you actually rented VHS tapes so I'm dating myself here, from Hollywood Video and loving it. Just can't remember why.

You mean the dub that changed the names of the Gundams and kept them changed even in the uncut version? So Devil Gundam becomes Dark Gundam. Tequilla Gundam becomes whatever it was. God Gundam loses his name too. No, just no. The dub is insulting because the names are what makes the Gundams stand out and what makes the show. Take away the names, and you have just another DBZ ripoff with mech suits.

In fact, the only Gundam dubs you should even bother watching are to SEED and Unicorn. Unicorn is the only one that feels like the actors gave a shit about it, while SEED's Jp version has some really annoying voices (there is a character that sounds like he is a 40 year old heavy smoker).

Wing's dub could have been good if they did not go changing their voice actors halfway through the series (Dr J and Howard have new voices) and if they could actually explain the plot properly (to be fair, the whole White Fang portion is still confusing, but the subs make it sound a little bit more understandable). Anyway, the dubs to the original, Zeta, and all of the OVAs and movies are terrible, especially the Zeta dub.

Now to be fair, even though I own all of the DVDs and the BD movie, I have not watched OO yet, so I cannot comment on how the dub, or even the series itself, is.

If Tequilla Gundam's name is so sacred you can't watch a dub without it being kept the same, you need to reevaluate yourself.

Simply put, God and Devil Gundams' names are nothing special. It's not their names that make the show, it's their actions. The concept of "God" and "Devil" are nothing in the anime. It's just pointless religious symbolism that 90's anime loved to mindlessly insert with no rhyme or reason. There is nothing beyond that. Nothing.
Take away the names, and you still have Mobile Fighter G-Gundam.

You're just being needlessly petty over a minute change that makes no difference in the story, the characters, or the action.

It doesn't matter. Those are the names of the Gundams, and those are the names they should be. What is the point if you aren't going to keep the character's names? It's just like all of the garbage 4Kids of Shit dubs. There was no reason to change the characters' names. What if Hasbro changed the name of the the Pony with the dumb eyes to Drunkie? Stupily?

Yes, it does matter.
This isn't editing a scene out because it's too violent. This isn't editing a scene to completely alter the direction of the story. It's changing the name of a Religious character to something that won't cause a major shitstorm.

There is no significance in God Gundam's name. There is no significance in Devil Gundam's name. Changing their names so they can air unabated and without worry of causing complaints of religious symbolism is not what 4Kids did. Comparing that non-existent edit to 4Kids just proves how completely petty you're being.
There was reason, and you're being oblivious by acting like this is a 4Kids or Saban cut dub just by changing names so people don't get pissed off that a character is named God and Devil (Back in 2002, mind you).

I found one of the most meaningful filler episodes of Samurai X looking through this guy's channel. This is what a filler should be:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aooUZX_lPZI

I never even thought to look for the dub...

This sounds really fascinating! At least I know what I'm gonna be watching once I'm all caught up to Majestic Prince.

I completely agree, though there were bigger reasons for any changes to G Gundam in the dub.

1) As you mentioned, it was 2002. The year after 9/11 attacks. At the time Gundam had not aired in the US since that day. Censorship on kids shows had gotten much heavier as well. G Gundam was used because it was the only Gundam with a chance of meeting the new censorship rules without changing anything important.

2) The mean reason the names of Gundams were changed were to please Walmart. Walmart previous refused to stock Gundam Wing toys because one was called Deathscythe Hell. The old phrase "to sells toys" has never been more true.

The dub is pure fun just like the show is meant to be. Only the most anal of otaku can't enjoy it.

PS I recently learned that 90's Gundam series starting with G Gundam aired back to back with Super Sentai. The G Gundam and Kakuranger hour is now the most awesome SuperHero Time that never was.

Bleach 309. The Final Tensuga Tenshou. Damn, is all I have to say. Damn. One thing I'll say is that Ichigo looks so much better with waist length Black Hair, it was a real honest shame when he lost it.

Eh?!

I wrote a post about G Gundam and then all the text in the post vanished when I posted it :S

Still I liked it basically, a lot.

You have chosen wisely!

I'm just gonna stick with this series first because it's the only one that downloads at any sense of speed at all. Still, if it is this enjoyable all the way through I'm gonna be hella glad with this decision.

Majestic Prince 12 - Only confirms Kei is my ultimate waifu.

I feel like I am losing my love for this show, I loved the early episodes, the characters were new and shiny and the show fed information about them very steadily and every new piece of information was interesting, plus the show has a great sense of humour and the cast played off of one another very strongly.

Then, then the plot started, a plot which was inconsistent, contradictory, nonsensical, full of leaps in logic and just overall not all that great, however on the plus side it meant that we got loads of action and the action really is great in this show so I almost didn't mind.

But since that first encounter with Jiart the show seems to be moving with no sense of urgency at all and although all the things I enjoy are still there, I feel like there should be more to them considering, according to MAL, this is the half way point, so this is where the show should start to speed up, not slow down.

I mean how weak must the story really be if there are still multiple filler episodes in a show that is only 24 episodes long?

Watched the HunterXHunter Phantom Rouge movie.It was ok. Nice way to tie any otherwise forgotten plot thread from one of the series' most important arcs (The Yorknew City/Phatom Troupe arc).

Kurapika should have done a lot more in this one but for whatever reason they keep nerfing him even though he is clearly the strongest of the 4 main Hunters.

Majestic Prince 13 - "It's big, black and sparkly."
"What kind of review is that?"

So is the whole super sentai aspect to this show on purpose? As far as Sixth Rangers go, Ange and Black 6 are just plain fucking awesome. I loved this episode and it reminded me why I loved this show so much.

Fourteen - Ange is a pretty fun parody of the sixth Ranger, as he appeared and outclassed the entire team in everything, while going on about how things should be more specialised. He played off the team well and was well woven in.

Still, the pacing was odd, as the majority of the episode centred around how awesome Ange was and how much stronger he was than the rest of the team, only to then completely kick him to the side and focus on Izuru in the wrap up action sequence, who proceeded to get his mid-season upgrade. It felt like I was getting the ending to an entirely separate episode, still the battle was epic, it helped that Team Doberman got to help out again!

After the largely pointless episodes 11 and 12, it's nice that 13 and 14 have the show back on track.

Fifteen - Mechanics Pride! It's alive, it's alive I tell you! This show sure can be dumb at times but it's always fun.

Basically all that. The names of the Gundams being changed is not a huge problem since the voice cast is just better for that show and Gundam names are a minor part of what the show is doing. I know some people are anal about their anime and prefer to read it instead of hear it regardless of which cast gives the better performance. There is usually the option on DVDs to watch in English with the subtitles for the Japanese version so you can see any changes if you want. I know that some shows really get changed going to the English translation but that isn't always true and there are some great English voice actors that deserve respect. I think comedies especially are harder to get when you don't speak the language.

Basically I don't think it makes sense to be either sub only or dub only. Sometimes I feel the the sub only crowd watches five minutes of a dub, at most, just to confirm their assumption that it completely sucks. Don't get me wrong, I can name some pretty bad butcher jobs but even when things get changed from the source material it isn't always bad. We've seen books adapted into movies or TV shows that have made positive changes even as they cut some stuff out. Certainly not always the case. Many shows make big changes from the manga they are based on.

I haven't memorized the names of the characters in SAO but i'm enjoying it so far.

Eh, only a few of all the names you're hearing right now will matter - like Kirito, Asuna, Klein, Agil...

Speaking of, one problem I had with last night's episode, was that it seemed like they slurred a lot of the names so you couldn't understand them, like Agil's. It was kind of annoying.

Kirito still sounds too old to me, and now Asuna too young, but that aside I'm still enjoying watching it again. It is just making me wish again that I got the figmas though haha.

Well let me ask you this, are the Gundam names the only thing that is indeed changed? Are the character names the same? The plot is 100% the same? What about the dub itself? Do they add dialog where there was none like dubs at that time were doing to add unnecessary exposition?

I mean, if that is the case, maybe I'll give the G Gundam dub another chance since I have never watched it on DVD, as I always watched the show subbed on my DVDs.

I have a friend who is a purist, he prefers his anime in Japanese. In fact, her prefers fansubs over official releases because he prefers the fonts fansubbers use, so he never buys any DVDs/BDs. He shows his support for the shows he truly loves by buying 1/8 statues and wallscrolls of that show.

Anyway, I agree, I don't get the hate for dubs. I like both. Tiger & Bunny, Ghost in the Shell SAC, Big O, Cowboy Bebop, Dragonball Kai, Fullmetal Alchemist, One Piece, and Speed Grapher are all examples of shows I prefer in English. On the other hand, Sailor Moon, Dragonball/DBZ, most Gundam series, Macross, Golion, Mospeada, Petite Cossette, and Utena are examples of shows I prefer in Japanese. Well, One Piece is a special case, actually, as I can go with either language, as both are amazing, but since I am friends with some of the voice actors for OP, I feel more compelled to watch it dubbed.

Oh man I forgot how good the FMA dub was, I miss watching that on my TV when we had one and that weird Aniplex channel that vanished

Speaking of dubs, one of my favourites is Darker than Black, I loved how they actually gave the characters voices from the nationality they were based in.

The one that just showed Guyver, FMA, Bleach and Ghost in the Shell in repetition all night? I remember that :lol

But yeah, the FMA dub is really good. What's even better is I watch the original in dub and then Brotherhood subbed to differentiate the shows a bit more for myself.

Yeah that channel! I remember it only being around for a few months and then I never saw it again.

Guess I wasn't the only one who magically lost track of that channel :lol

I assumed it was just a UK thing, I didn't know it fell off the face of the world :lol

Dub vs Sub is an argument as old as the anime genre itself. My two cents are if the dub is bareable and gets 80% of the story across with good character representation through the voice-work, I'm ok with it.

Take the Metal Gear Solid series as an example. Many of the characters in the series are not Japanese, very little Japanese words and terms are used in it and there are more references to Western influences than there are Japanese. Long story short...MGS sounds terrible in Japanese, at least to my ears. Whenever I hear someone go SUUHNAKE-UH! in the cutscences I wince ever so slightly.

Certain dubs are better depending on the series. Hellsing and Darker than Black are another 2 good examples.

There are definitely some great ones like those or Cowboy Bebop. It's all about who made it, the voice cast, and how much care was put into getting it right. Like if they ad dialogue only doing for the sake of better telling the story instead of filling silence for American audiences with low attention spans. I think that cheap and lazy dubs where the norm for so long that it created the culture of sub only purists. I. The 90's it would been hard to argue for a good dub as so few existed.

You want a good dub? Look at Panty and Stocking and Eureka Seven.

Man I wish more super sentai or Power Rangers would have plots like episode 16 of Majestic Prince. I'm glad Asagi worries too much because it added some great drama as Red got his mid season upgrade and the sixth came and stole the show pushing blue down the ladder of importance.

This show sure is slow though, only just introducing the political aspect of the war now and still not really doing anything with Kei and Izuru's relationship. But oh fuck they are past the final defence line!

All caught up on Majestic Prince now, I'm not really happy with how they made Asagi's Harmonic Level rise...by accepting he is second best, what kind of message is that?!

Oh well, epic Klein battle time!

"I destroyed the world, and created a new."

... Best... ending... ever!