RWBY Jap fandub: this exists

[Izanagi009_v1legacy]

I don't think this needs any real explanation so I will just post the video

Note that the last 10 minutes are previews for the dubbing of the rest of the show at this point

Well, I can say that this kind of proves how bad the voice acting is in RWBY when a Japanese fandub can do some of the characters better than actual voice actors.

Don't get me wrong, some of the voices are cringeworthy (why does Professor Port sound like Nyanta from Log Horizon) but some do hit the ball park (Weiss sounds much more like a rich ice queen).

Still, I have the odd feeling that I heard some of these voices before. I know they aren't actually seiyuus but for some reason, I hear Isomura Tomomi, Saito Chiwa, and Fujiwara Keiji as Nora, Yang and Sun and that makes no sense.

Well, time to indulge in some crazy and see what you guys thing

 

[Jesse Billingsley]

Still doesn't help that Volume 1 was garbage.

 

[The Rogue Wolf]

Well, I won't say I'm surprised. As for the similarity to famous Japanese voice actors, perhaps the dub crew is attempting to evoke their styles?

 

[Erttheking]

I just want to point out that it's a lot easier to say that something sounds better when you don't speak the language that the actors are speaking. I mean, this bit from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is from a pretty well done dub, but it sounds a Hell of a lot more stupid once you actually understand the words the actor is saying.

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I enjoy this dub, I'm just saying.

 

[Zhukov]

Do you speak/understand Japanese?

Because I sure don't and I'm not at all sure how one judges the quality of voice acting in a language one does not understand.

Voice acting is all about nuance. Any idiot can read lines in a vaguely appropriate tone of voice, but there's a world of difference between an amateur and someone who knows what they're doing. I can't judge the nuance of a language where I have no idea how the words should be said in the first place.

EDIT: By the way, I watched a couple of episodes of RWBY (in English) and yeah, the voice acting was mostly pretty bad. Very flat.

 

[Izanagi009_v1legacy]

Do you speak/understand Japanese?

Because I sure don't and I'm not at all sure how one judges the quality of voice acting in a language one does not understand.

Voice acting is all about nuance. Any idiot can read lines in a vaguely appropriate tone of voice, but there's a world of difference between an amateur and someone who knows what they're doing. I can't judge the nuance of a language where I have no idea how the words should be said in the first place.

EDIT: By the way, I watched a couple of episodes of RWBY (in English) and yeah, the voice acting was mostly pretty bad. Very flat.

I will admit my understanding of Japanese is very base at best but comparing this to some of the professional works I watch, there are some high points and then there are some really bad points.

I can still tell if something doesn't fit and I do know general Japanese voice stereotypes so I can tell that Ruby is way too old sounding and sounds like something out of a J-drama but Yang's voice fits a bit better as a playful older sister. I can also tell that Jaune is trying way too hard to sound smooth when English Jaune is more goofy. In addition, it just feels off compared to an actual anime so it's merely a matter of connecting the dots.

edit: I realize that my defense is shaky at best but there are still ways for even those with no real professional experience to tell.

 

[Queen Michael]

Like others have said, you can't really judge a dub unless you understand the language. How people emphasize words, and the connotations of a dialect, combined with all the other nuances you'll miss...

 

[Kaimax]

Guess this is probably done by aspiring Seiyuu students. I'm positive that all of these voices are new talent.

Compared to the Original Rooster Teeth Cast, this clearly overshadows the original.

 

[Izanagi009_v1legacy]

Like others have said, you can't really judge a dub unless you understand the language. How people emphasize words, and the connotations of a dialect, combined with all the other nuances you'll miss...

I suppose so, I should have put a disclaimer noting my inexperience with the Japanese language and the fact that I can only use my experience with subbed anime as a basis

Still, some of the voices still can feel off even without understanding the language and I have heard quite a bit of anime.

Edit: I suppose a follow up question is, how do you think the dub is? While I may not have experience and i'm uncertain about you, opinions about it are nice to hear

 

[laggyteabag]

This is cool. I guess.

The original voice actors are definitely amateur, and some might even say "bad", and whilst this dub captures the tone of some of the characters better than the original version, I cannot comment on whether it is a good dub because I don't understand the language.

 

[Elvis Starburst]

You know, for someone who doesn't seem to enjoy RWBY much from your posts, you sure do write a lot about them. I could be entirely wrong though, I dunno. Whenever I see a RWBY thread, I do often see you in there somewhere (It's usually bout the voice acting though. Where, I can agree, is not stellar. I enjoy it anyways though)

Anyways, this sounds pretty interesting. I'm sure it had to happen eventually, fan dubs being a thing and all. It'll be pretty cool to see if they actually follow through with the rest of the show, rather than die off slowly.

 

[NiPah]

Like others have said, you can't really judge a dub unless you understand the language. How people emphasize words, and the connotations of a dialect, combined with all the other nuances you'll miss...

On the one side, the only real judgement people should be using here is how much they enjoyed the dub.
Honestly I didn't really enjoy the original dub from Rooster Teeth, and I enjoyed the Japanese dub (but I really like the sound of the Japanese language).

I also disagree that if you don't know the language you can't pick up on settle nuances, sure some things fly past me but I can easily pick up on dialects, emphases on words, and it drives me crazy when these things are changes in the English dub (though I've been watching anime for the better half of my life).