天元突破グレンラガンの英語のカスト

Alright, most folks who know of my anime tastes have not been spared my tremendous excitement over Gurren Lagann. Sorry, but the show is freakin' amazing. Matter of opinion, I realize, but that's mine.

Like any good mindless blogger slave, permit me to register my opinion of this English dub, now that I've seen the first 4 episodes.
We'll do this by character, as that approach does make the most sense.

Simon: Yuri Lowenthal is kind of an obvious choice for Simon, considering he's kind of the "it" guy right now at Bang Zoom and can do different ages half-decently (important considering TTGL has a 7-year time skip.) That said, though not a surprising choice, Lowenthal does a pretty good job with Simon. The mere minute we get of grown-up Simon at the beginning of the first episode is spot-on where it needs to be, manly and strong, but with just that right bit of cocky swagger and space pirate bravado.

For the remainder of what we've seen so far, this is not Simon. Lowenthal almost makes 14 year-old Simon too whiney. I mean, the kid's 14, which means he can have either a high or a deep voice (curse puberty and its unpredictable developments,) but it feels like Lowenthal is straining a bit too much to get into so high a register.

As the character develops a bit over the next few episodes, I expect there's a good chance Yuri will play to Simon's developments just fine, so it's not a major issue by any means. I guess I'm really only talking about a complaint that lasts for the first 8 or so episodes, important though they are.

A note regarding the requirements of this character: Simon starts the series at age 14. Halfway through, we skip ahead to the point where he's 21. In Japan, the actor really didn't change much in the voice of the character, for the most part, but that's really just a performer's choice. Yuri Lowenthal is (seemingly) playing the character with two very distinct voices. All truth be told, if you were to ask me which L.A.-based voice actor has the best chops to pull that off, playing both child and adult, I'd say Johnny Yong Bosch. See Eureka Seven to get a sense of his "14 year-old boy" and I think you'd be impressed. I'm not saying I want Bosch to play Simon, because he's already got a good part in the show, speaking of. . .

Rossiu: No need to worry. Johnny Yong Bosch pulls it off perfectly. He's got the voice, the uncertainty, and the demeanor of Rossiu down perfectly for the one episode in which I've seen him. He's gonna be fine with the turns Rossiu takes later in the series, I am quite confident.

Kamina: This casting choice surprised me. Kyle Hebert never struck me as the right guy to play Kamina, from the perspective of matching style and personality of the Japanese voice actor, but it works. Most interestingly of all, it works in a hell of a bizarre way. Hebert's performance actually changes the character of Kamina, in an important but ever-so-subtle way.

Katsuyuki Konishi made Kamina into a huge ego and personality, so big a person he couldn't be kept inside his subterranean pit, even if he wanted to (spoiler. yeah, they live in a pit. they leave by the end of the first episode. big surprise.) Hebert, on the other hand, plays him as a guy who simply sees himself that way. He's not inherently huge and brave and larger-than-life, but he certainly thinks he is, and he's gonna fake it until he makes it. Considering some of the themes of the show, and particularly his relationship with Simon, this almost fits BETTER.

I'm really eager for episodes 7 and 8 to see how Kyle Hebert does with Kamina's biggest moments. And, as stupid as I know this is, I won't know if I like the dub until I find out how they do "Giga Drill Break" (or "Breaker," depending on subtitler) seeing as it's such a huge part of the show. Imagine if they had done something stupid either in renaming or pronouncing Goku's Kamehameha in DBZ? How different would the audience feel?

Yoko: Michelle Ruff plays her as a generic kind-of-ditzy, somewhat brash, somewhat bossy, ultimately tender and loving girl. Kind of a blend of the other characters of hers I've heard. There's nothing too big to say about this performance, which is a damn shame, because I think Yoko is easily one of the most interesting characters in the show (and that opinion has nothing to do with her lack of clothing.) I kind of suspect a lot of her subtlety and nuance will be missing later in the story, but that's a judgment I can't make yet.

Leeron: This is the response for which most folks will probably disagree with me. Steve Blum, best known for Spike Spiegel, Mugen, and similarly manly, badass smooth operators was cast as the transgender (in a more literal definition of the word than its contemporary usage) science genius Leeron. Leeron was a lot of fun to watch through because his sexuality is so fluid (not in a Captain Jack Harkness way.) He's not really a woman, but he's not really a gay man, either. Leeron is somewhere between male and female on the gender slider, but it isn't as rock solid and confining as "gay male stereotype." I realize this has a lot to do with America and Japan seeing sexuality differently. We don't have the same fluidity of sexuality that the Japanese do, so I guess I can't be surprised that it didn't quite translate right, but here's the final deal:

Steve Blum plays Leeron as a walking encyclopedia of the worst stereotypes and gay jokes in the history of man. Exhibit A

It's not. . . bad. . . per se. . . and it is pretty funny, but I think I'm getting tired of gay jokes at every corner for comic relief. I thought Leeron was much more effective at being kinda creepy and playful when he wanted to be in Japanese.

On the up side, Blum does do a really good job with the voice and hitting the mark for which he was aiming. Blum is a hugely talented actor and I can't say anything majorly critical about him. It's really just the director's interpretation with which I disagree (Damn you, Tony Oliver!)

Kiyoh, Kinon, & Kiyal: They're there. They're fine. Whatever. They'll all do fine later in the series, where these characters actually acquire some depth (not too much, though.)

Kiyal: Much like Kamina, the Japanese actor was so high-energy and over-the-top that I couldn't think of any American actor off the top of my head who could match it. Christopher Smith, whose work I don't know well, does it a bit differently. He's not quite as feral, but definitely has the irritability and the short fuse Kittan needs. It should be a good pick. My only hesitation comes from a lack of familiarity with his work. Natch.

Viral: Sam Regal. . . why? Viral is a freaking beastman, so why is there no bestial vigor in this performance? He's playing it too much just as "condescending member of the ruling class who spits on those beneath him." PLEASE, let Regal find Viral's sadistic and furious side before the time skip, because there is some GREAT shit for Viral coming later. I'm almost worried Sam Regal is going to go for the muted and introspective at times that Viral needs to be blunt and up-front.

Overall response: This dub is gonna be pretty damn good, even if they DON'T work out all the kinks I'd like. I'm really excited to hear what develops, and this show gives more than ample opportunity for the actors to lose themselves and have fun, if they just take the chance. If I had to grade what I've seen so far, I'd give it an A-. Little bit of polishing and it'll be just fine.