Gundam Unicorn 5 preview

[Ire]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=keIEsVvX ... r_embedded

[VF5SS]

We got the code for embedded videos, mang. It's ok.

Poor Banagher gets captured so much I'm starting to agree with the notion he may have a bondage fetish. And hey look it's Kai, still dressed like a South American drug lord.

[Ford Prefect]

And hey look it's Kai, still dressed like a South American drug lord.

Hey, he never knows when he might get called to the Vatican.

I'm looking forward to it. I was really impressed with Unicorn 4 narratively and thematically (though less so robot action wise), and it'll be interesting to see how they run with the changes, like Riddhe having given in to the spectre of his father.

[Stark]

More nuclear planes equals more awesome.

[Moby Halcyon]

Having not read the books, I'm actually curious to see how they wrap everything up in two episodes. But I agree with Ford re: episode four - if they keep up the score and the themes the like I'll enjoy it regardless.

[Darksider]

Having not read the books, I'm actually curious to see how they wrap everything up in two episodes.

This is a major concern for me. I think at this point they're still only like half-way through the book's plot, maybe not even that. I just can't see how they're going to wrap up everything in two OVA episodes. I'm told the ending is going to be different from the books, I just hope it doesn't seem rushed because they didn't have enough time left.

[Ford Prefect]

There are four novels left to cover - Black Unicorn, The Sky and the Stars and parts 1 and 2 of Over the Rainbow. I don't think it will be a problem - they've covered two novels in a single episode before. The first episode covers both parts of Day of the Unicorn and the third episode covers both Palau Capture Battle and Ghost of Laplace. From that PV I can see stuff from The Sky and the Stars.

[Ire]

[Moby Halcyon]

I mentioned to Ford how not even thirty seconds into her appearance Martha gets a gratuitous ass shot. But yeah, I was looking at the amazon blu-ray page and this ep looks to be around eighty minutes, which makes me feel a bit better about the plot threads. Then I saw the hundred dollar price tag and laughed my way out of the tab.

[Ford Prefect]

I'm not sure Martha Vist bending over really constitutes fanservice per se.

[Darksider]

So are any of these getting dubbed anymore, or is that done with since Bandai visual went bust?

[Ford Prefect]

Are you thinking of Bandai Entertainment, the American subsidiary? They pulled out of distributing DVDs and BDs earlier this year. Bandai Visual is still going strong, and the BDs are still multi language. The English dub version of the big PV was on YouTube.

[Darksider]

oh cool.

[Stark]

Not really - the Unicorn dub is extremely poor.

[VF5SS]

It took me half a tic to figure that wasn't dubbed. I'm so used to them having a Japanese speaker fudge all the English bits during an air traffic controller conversation.

Roger, Frontier KANTORU...

So did Banana totally get subdued off screen :v

[Moby Halcyon]

Out of curiosity, Stark, could you go into why the dub was poor? I admit my standards are pretty crap, but what in particular was bad about Unicorn's dub. I honestly am and well versed enough on the sub/dub thing to understand beyond 'I getmore out of dramatic scenes because I understand straight out what's being said," which admittedly is about as subjective as I can get.

[Ire]

The dub is quite adequate, although it only something cringe inducing can make me hate a dub

[Stark]

I accidentally defaulted to English on one episode, so I had already heard the Japanese audio. Not only was the acting itself poor (which isn't unusual) the choice of actors was extremely poor, and I think the performances detracted from the core drama through typical bad dub 'high pitched whining' acting. It was a pretty serious shock after hearing the serious and deliberate Japanese acting. Banagher and Riddhe in particular were extremely bad, and when enjoyment of the work is based on the central themes (even crap episodes like 4) bad voice acting just raises more roadblocks than it removes.

Just watch the first episode in both English and Japanese and note the difference. It's not uncommonly bad, but I wouldn't recommend anyone watch the dub unless they're illiterate.

People with admittedly no standards should stop making statements about standards. :v

[Ford Prefect]

It's known that the English voice director was really driven to produce the best possible English dub he could, and by the standards of dubs I guess it's not awful (you should hear the dubbing on Gunslinger Girl some time). But something I think it doesn't escape is the fact that it's a dub. It's not as awkward in animation compared to live action, but it's always going to be one step removed from production - one step removed from the director and other upper tier staff that really define how a piece of animation comes out. I think it also goes without saying that there are going to be differences in the industry, in regards to how voice acting is perceived, how voice actors work etc.

[VF5SS]

Not that I ever recommend 0083, but it was somewhat of a shock to me to hear Chuck Keith's (the man with two first names) original Japanese voice as he's much more underplayed and sardonic than the whiny American version. Really changed my reaction to the character.

[Stark]

I've never heard the 0083 dub; did the actor change him from Kou's less-intense, more human partner to Shinji? :v

[VF5SS]

Yeah a bit. He seemed like he was always complaining instead of snarking like a certain clique. And Kou just isn't the same without Vegeta's voice actor on the cusp of screaming FINAL FLAAAAAAAASH during each battle :3