Nadia—The Secret of Blue Water (ADV and Streamline Versions)

In the mid 1970's, prior to obtaining his well-deserved status as Japan's greatest animator ever, a young Hayao Miyazaki was hired by Japanese movie giant Toho to develop ideas for TV series. One of these concepts was "Around the World Under the Sea", based on Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, in which two orphan children pursued by villains team up with Captain Nemo and his mighty submarine, the Nautilus. Although it was never produced, Toho nonetheless kept the rights to the story outline. Miyazaki would reuse elements from his original concept in later projects of his, notably the Sci-Fi series Future Boy Conan and the action-adventure feature Castle in the Sky (this explains why Anime fans often find similarities between the show I'm about to review and the latter film).   Flash forward about ten years later. Animation studio GAINAX was appointed by Toho in 1989 to produce a TV series which would be broadcast on the Japanese educational network NHK (the equivalent of PBS). Miyazaki's outline for "Around the World Under the Sea" captivated GAINAX's interest.  Under the direction of a brilliant but angst-ridden (and some might argue, eccentric) Hideaki Anno, the animation studio took the central story and setup Miyazaki had developed and touched it up with their own creativity. The result was Nadia:  The Secret of Blue Water, which has since become a longtime fan favorite with many followers of Anime. (Incidentally, Anno had previously worked for Miyazaki; his most notable credit for animating the climax from Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind.) The show was a tremendous success in its initial 1990 Japanese broadcast; the title character, Nadia, showed up on the Japanese Animage polls as favorite Anime heroine, dethroning Miyazaki's own Nausicaä, the previous champion.

The show has been dubbed into international languages around the world, but its English premiere in America was another matter.  In the early 1990's, Carl Macek and his company, Streamline Pictures, produced an English version which only got about as far as eight episodes.  Interestingly, Macek has stated that he had planned to make some cuts in the latter half of the show (notably the "island/Africa" sequence, which, aside from episode 31, fell short compared to the show's superb 22 opening episodes and final five) to eliminate what even the original producers felt was a lot of padding.  Due to numerous difficulties, however, Streamline was unable to complete the dub, and in 1996, they went out of business and their license expired.  Since then, the show has been acquired by ADV Films (now known as Section 23), and provided a new dub at their now defunct Monster Island studios in Austin, Texas.  All 39 episodes (plus the lesser-known, often maligned theatrical film -- which I will not cover here, nor will I the filler arc) were dubbed under the production period of a full year.

Although the website containing detailed information about how the present-day dub was produced is no more (one made by diehard Nadia fan Marc Hairston, who conducted interviews with the cast for a memorable article in a 2001 issue of AniMerica -- which this writer still holds onto to this day), it is a shame that Monster Island's version has never gotten the recognition it deserves.  There are naysayers who have given this dub the cold shoulder (including DVDTalk and the initial reviews of the first volumes by AnimeNewsNetwork -- the latter volumes were more positively reviewed by Allen Divers), declaring it as a dub to avoid.  However, I think that doing so would deprive you of a charming, delightful dub that matches the tone of the show. According to the aforementioned source, the dub directors, Charles Campbell and Lowell Bartholomee, cared about the quality of the show and worked hard to ensure that the dub would match its tone.  It's not perfect, but considering that this show is set in Europe, watching this show in Japanese would seem odd. No offense to the original Japanese voice actors, but there are many things about this dub which add in many ways to the show, particularly in the use of the accents for each character. While some, like Jean's, are shaky in places, others, like the crew members of the Nautilus, work in their characters' favor, as they are supposed to be survivors from around the world.

I have only heard samples of the Streamline dub on CrystalAcids Database due to the difficulty of finding it.  As such, I will be focusing mainly on the performances of the principal characters from that version and the current one in this review.

NADIA (Meg Bauman, ADV dub; Wendee Lee, Streamline dub) -- The first thing that struck me about ADV's dub is that the three young protagonists who propel the plot are all voiced by actual children.  While there is an understandable air of inexperience in their performances, it also adds an intangible aura of realism and charm to the dub.  It's also a refreshing change from hearing actors/actresses straining their voices to sound like children (no offense to said people, of course, it's just nice to hear children sound like children for a change).  Of the three, it's Bauman as Nadia who gives the stand-out performance.  This character is a very complicated one; moody, temperamental, stubborn, and suspicious about everything, yet has a kind, caring side that gradually transforms her as a result of her relationships with her new friends (notably her growing love for Jean).  There's a complex array of emotions to be had with this character while maintaining a fragile childlike innocence, and Bauman nails all these emotions perfectly... to the point where it is hard to imagine anyone else voicing her.  It is also interesting to note that, like Nadia, she was fourteen at the time she recorded the part.  She even speaks with a neutral accent--a surprising choice, but it works well.

Lee's take, on the other hand, I'm of two minds about.  I like the voice she uses, but on the flipside, it doesn't come across as convincing to be a fourteen-year-old girl.  This aspect proves to be a major plot point toward the end of the show, as both she and Jean age by about a year.  Disappointing enough, but she also doesn't emote as strongly as she should.  Especially cringeworthy is her confrontation scene with Gargoyle, "You are murderer!" she shouts, in a tone which is both lifeless and enough to make one cringe.  Unlike ADV's Nadia, Lee also uses a French accent for the character.  It's one thing for Jean to have a French accent since the boy is, after all, French, but considering the nature of who Nadia turns out to be (and essentially appears to be at the start), I don't think this is a particularly ideal choice.  Wendee Lee is a talented actress, but if there's anyone who I'd rather hear as Nadia, it's Meg; she does the better job all around.

JEAN (Nathan Parsons, ADV dub; Ardwright Chamberlain, Streamline dub) -- Okay, here's the voice which determines wheteher you like ADV's dub or not.  Like Bauman, Parsons (aged 12) has a very daunting task in his voice acting debut as Jean.  He has to be enthusiastic, genuinely charming, and express growth over the course of the show... all while speaking with a French accent.  As mentioned, this accent is on the thick side.  Viewers have made the mistake of writing off Parsons' performance alone due to the accent, as there are places in the early episodes where he obviously struggles to pull it off without sounding fake (he drops it at several points for select lines, too, at least in the early episodes).   There's also the occasional missed line, although it happens rarely. With each subsequent episode, though, Parsons grows more and more into his character... to the point where his accent sounds completely natural.  In a way, this, and a few moments where his inexperience shows, is complimentary to his overall performance at portraying Jean's innocence and naive view of the world.  This issue aside, Parsons brings an infectious exuberance and determination to the character which is impossible to dislike, coming into his own especially around episode 9.  Like Bauman, it's hard for me to imagine anyone else other than him voicing this character.  One of his best moments, if not his best, is in Episode 15, in which he bears witness to the death of a lovable sailor.  While he admits on the DVD interview that serious scenes are not his specialty, he obviously gives his all to this moment, and his breaking-down at the end is genuinely heartrendering.  Another major important factor of his performance is the chemistry betwen him and Bauman -- it's absolutely terrific and a huge plus.  Interestingly, both knew each other in real life as students at the Austin Musical Theatre; perhaps because of this, their interactions feel so natural and organic in ADV's dub.

He is also better than Chamberlain's take on the character in Streamline's version.  While this guy has more experience as a voice actor, there are several things that work against his performance as Jean.  No, it's not the French accent, which is less shaky than Nathan, but his voice sounds too mature, giving off the affect of a stereotypical French butler character.  I often steer around the argument of needing boys to sound young to represent children, especially if their acting is sound (in dubs such as Vic Mignogna's Edward in Fullmetal Alchemist and, perhaps to a lesser extent, James Van der Beek's Pazu in Castle in the Sky).  With Nadia, however, this flaw is detrimental to Chamberlain as the character is supposed to age by about a year by the end of the show, and as such, it works against the character.  Not only that, but his emoting sounds more artificial instead of genuine, a trend not uncommon with most dubs of the early 1990's.  So for that, even though Nathan rarely gets the credit he deserves for his work as Jean, he gets my vote.   To me, Ardwright and Wendee are both miscast.

MARIE (Margaret Cassidy, ADV dub; Cheryl Chase, Streamline dub) -- The third of the child trio, little Marie, is also voiced by a child actress, 11-year-old Margaret Cassidy.  That's approximately seven years older than her onscreen character, but you wouldn't even know this by hearing her performance.  From the start, she brings an intangible cuteness and charm to the character which makes her presence onscreen a delight.  For the most part, Marie gets to be happy and cheerfully childlike (especially when she's playing with King), although she also does have scenes where she has to be serious and in tears.  One such moment in particular, ironically enough, is the episode where she is introduced.  This scene, in which she describes her parents being shot (and her subsequent heartbreak from learning that they are dead) is utterly believeable, and really makes the audience share her trauma.  It must have been a lot of hard work for Cassidy to pull it off, especially since it was her first episode, but she does it beautifully.  Elsewhere in the show, she obviously relishes her character, and it pays off.  Her interactions with Parsons and Bauman also deserve a shout-out; she went to the same musical theater they did, which is why there's a genuine attachment between all three that really comes across in the ADV dub.  Since the whole show rests on these three children, Monster Island deserves commendment for bringing that extra punch of effort for their version.

In Streamline's version, Marie (Mary) is voiced by Cheryl Chase, better known to viewers as Angelina Pickles but unforgotten by many as Mei in Streamline's own dub of My Neighbor Totoro (arguably Carl Macek's finest moment ever).  The tone of voice she uses isn't that much different from her Mei, and while she doesn't do a bad job, Cassidy ultimately provides the more convincing performance, because she sounds more natural and cuter.

GRANDIS (Sarah Richardson, ADV dub; Melanie MacQueen, Streamline dub)

SANSON (Martin Blacker, ADV dub; Steve Kramer, Streamline dub)

HANSON (Corey Gagne, ADV dub; Tom Wyner, Streamline dub)

Aside from the children, the other main characters in the show are the "Grandis gang", who start off as villains but ultimately turn into allies.  And like the children in ADV's version, the three actors chosen to play their parts couldn't have been better.

From the start, Richardson simply is Grandis.  She recreates the character's fiery temper, amorous fickleness, and secret soft nature to a T and beyond.  It's an over-the-top performance which works very well in her nature, making her all the more hilarious when things goes wrong... which they often do.  It is interesting to note that while her character is Italian (or Spanish, it's debatable), she speaks with a somewhat disciplined English accent.  This was because when she auditioned for Italian and Spanish accents, it sounded too much like she was in a pizza parlor(!), according to Hairston's interview.  It doesn't matter, though; it fits her character marvelously, and her grandiose relish for the role really comes through.

Likewise, it is very obvious that Blacker had a lot of fun voicing Sanson, who, like Grandis, uses a veddy British accent.  He also has a goofy, yet vain and expressive voice that works wonderfully with the character, and he lets loose every time Sanson goes over the top.  Blacker also excels in the more quieter moments, such as a moving, tender scene where he tearfully worries about Marie potentially dying from a tropical illness.  In short, every second of Blacker's rendition is an unbridled delight.

The third member of the trio, Hanson, is voiced by the rather down-to-earth, sometimes scrappy sounding tones of Gagne.  There's a certain "nerdy" quality to his delivery which is fitting for his character.  When he raises his voice, he is a hoot, but Gagne also handles the quieter moments very well.  I also found his scenes with Electra very sweet and heartbreaking.  One other interesting aspect is that he has a somewhat neutral accent.  I'm not sure why this was done, but strangely, this doesn't detract from his character at all.

What really makes these three come alive is their chemistry; it is so natural you'd swear they were all in the recording studio together.

But what about Streamline's counterparts?  Well, I had no problems with either of them.  McQueen, Kramer, and Wyner all sound pretty good with their roles, and are roughly about on par with ADV's dub, but I think I prefer the current voice actors for these parts a bit more.  Perhaps it's because it's bias, but that isn't to discredit Streamline's actors of these guys; they're decent in their own right.

KING (Shawn Sides, ADV dub; Carl Macek, Streamline dub) -- This character is a grey-colored lion cub who doesn't speak a word at all.  Rather, he does a lot of growling noises, roars, or even purrs.  There have been lots of animated features where traditional voice actors have provided animal noises, such as Frank Welker as Abu the monkey from Aladdin and John Kassir as Meeko the raccoon from Pocahontas.  The voice actress behind this little guy is none other than Sides, who adds a bit of a high-pitched gargle to emphasize how much of a cub he is.  This is a very difficult task, and she manages it superbly.  (It is also interesting to note that she recorded all her lines before Cassidy's Marie, which is what makes their playful relationship all the more natural.)

Interestingly enough, in Streamline's version, King is voiced by none other than Carl Macek, who also serves as the opening narrator for the first episode.  Not having access to any clips of King's performance, I cannot evaluate him altogether.

AYERTON (Jason Phelps, ADV dub; Bob Bergen, Streamline dub) -- When we first meet this character in episode 3, he is a flamboyant and charismatic, but flakey and arrogant man whose main characteristic is bragging about himself.  He doesn't show up again until much later in the island arc (where the writers clearly decided they needed another character); the Ayerton portrayed there is every bit as boastful, but he also becomes a bizarre whacko, ranting about ridiculous happenings on an island and trying to act like he is a Count from England.  Phelps is clearly having fun with this character, and, for all of the stupidities Ayerton is reduced to doing in the filler arc, he really lets loose and shows enthusiasm throughout.  One oddity is that he uses an American accent--which is somewhat strange when he is revealed to be from England.

Bergen is less manic in his approach with Ayerton, but then again he's only featured in one episode in Streamline's version (which stopped at 8 episodes).  The little bit of him I heard there sounded more like a mellow, easy-going but slightly over-the-top guy.  He sounded fine, but I prefer Phelps.

CAPTAIN NEMO (Ev Lunning Jr., ADV dub; Jeff Winkless, Streamline dub) -- A professional accent coach and graduate of Yale, Lunning lends his voice to the mysterious leader of the futuristic submarine, Nautilus.  As required for the character, he brings a sense of intrigue and aloofness for his initial appearances.  It should also be noted that Lunning uses a sophisticated Indian accent, providing an exotic tilt to his performance.  This was a decision on the voice directors' part, as they were trying to link Nemo to the origin of the "Mysterious Island" story (where he's revealed to be a lost Indian prince).  It is not only an ingenious touch, it works excellently in the character's favor.  There are moments where his delivery comes across as stiff, mostly in the opening episodes, where it comes across as though Lunning is still trying to figure out where he wants to go with the character.  As the show progresses, however, Ev really gets into his role, sounding especially good in the final four episodes, whether he's belting orders to his crew, or engaging in tense debates with Gargoyle.  One other thing that deserves mention is that in real life Lunning was Parsons' director in a play the latter participated in, and he coached the boy into pulling off the accent.  Learning about this, the scenes where Nemo is educating Jean gave me the impression that I was listening to a real-life schooling session between Ev and Nathan.  I like this, as it brings a very natural touch to the performance as a whole.

In Streamline's version, Nemo does not use an Indian accent, but he still has a deep voice.  This is provided by Jeff Winkless, who has had a career of being cast for random roles with varying degrees of success.  His Muska in the older dub of Castle in the Sky was a dreadful misfire, and he sounded rather cheesy (and artificial) as the evil Count Lee in Vampire Hunter D.  However, this is one of his better roles, in that he does succeed in bringing an edge of mystery to the character.  He's also less stiff than Lunning, although it's primarily because the latter was dubbing an Anime for the first time.  Having said this, though, Ev still gets my vote; despite a shaky beginning, he nonetheless rises to the challenge. But I have nothing against Jeff's turn.

ELECTRA (Jennifer Stuart, ADV dub; Edie Mirman, Streamline dub) -- The first thing you'll notice upon hearing Stuart's performance as Nemo's pretty but multi-layered first officer in the ADV dub is that she speaks with a British accent.  Again, this was a creative decision on the part of the directors.  Since Electra is a complex character, complete with a "no-nonsense" attitude, and an overcontrolled nature she tries very hard to display, it adds a depth of dimension to the role.  This is an excellent performance throughout, sounding very natural and distinctively memorable.  There are a few places at the beginning where her accent wavers, but I emphasize the word few.  Particularly spectacular are her explosive catfights with Grandis--she and Richardson obviously relish those scenes--and her emotional breakdown in Episodes 21 and 22.  The latter, especially, is utterly engrossing and powerful.  (Interestingly enough, Stuart, who was pregnant while recording the part, was going through labor at the time she delivered this particular moment; no wonder she nails it so beautifully.)  Anyone who says that English voice actors cannot emote should hear these two examples in the ADV dub--it's the stuff of absolute excellence.  (While some may compare it unfavorably to Kikuko Inoue's performance in the original Japanese version, in my opinion, both versions excel in their own right.)

In Streamline's dub, Mirman plays the character pretty much the same way, with the same light tone and also with a British accent.  While the performances in the older dub vary, I will say that she ties with Stuart.

GARGOYLE (David Jones, ADV dub; Steve Bulen, Streamline dub) -- This is probably the only voice that took me a long time to get used to in the ADV dub.  Considering that Gargoyle is the major villain of the show, one would expect something menacing and vile-sounding.  Instead, Jones opts to give him a deadpan, casual sounding tone which I initially found off-putting.  As his performance develops, however, Jones begins to bring a depth of haughtiness and sarcasm, which actually works in favor of Gargoyle's arrogance and his condescending attitude about humanity.  He even gets to do some really evil cackling in the last two episodes, to the point where you'll be surprised that it's the same actor.  Nowadays, I can't imagine Gargoyle in English without Jones' voice.

And that represents the problem with Streamline's Steve Bulen, who takes on the challenge of the character.  While he has the right "sinister" tone, he plays him too much like a straightforward, run-of-the-mill villain instead of an arrogant being obsessed with restoring Neo-Atlantis to its former glory.  I don't think this would work very well for the character, particularly in the final episode where he finally drops his mask.  He also overacts, which puts his character borderline close to cartoonish territory, such as when he suddenly yells how he threatens to shoot Marie.  I found Jones' more controlled, calm approach more effective.  Bulen's Gargoyle would be fine for a supervillain in a comic action movie, but to me, the style doesn't really feel appropriate for this character.

These are all the principal characters that make up Nadia as a show.  The additional characters are similarly well-cast and give genuinely lively performances.  My favorites in particular include:  Edwin Neal as Jean's fun-loving, jovial uncle (a deliciously funny role which only appears in episode 1), Lana Dietrich as the sourpuss aunt (episode 2), Eric Henshaw as the blustering Captain Melville, Maurice Moore as the doomed sailor Ensign Fait (a genially charming one-episode role culminating with a truly heartbreaking death scene), Robert Rudie as the gentle whale Irion (his voice slightly amplified to emphasize his spirituality as a creature), and Russ Roten as the stentorian robotic voice of Red Noah, also amplified by electronic effects (this character is in the only "island" episode that Hideaki Anno would have saved, episode 31; as it ties in better with the central plot than the rest of the island/Africa episodes, I couldn't agree more).

The crew members of the Nautilus are initially stiff in their first appearances, but they gradually get more comfortable in their roles as they go on.  It should be noted, though, that Dan Bisbee as the Primary Helmsman is replaced for the final four episodes by Brian Yanish.  The voice from the latter is slightly higher, although since we don't see him again after episode 22, it doesn't really matter.  Aside from that, other crew members which show distinctive performances are Greg Gondek as the Sonar Officer (who reveals himself to be a survivor of the ship Jean's father captained), Lowell Bartholomee as the German-accented doctor, Amie Elyn as his granddaughter Ikoli, and Douglas Taylor as the cook.  Another performance that deserves mention is Billy Hardin as the Chief Engineer; he has a great character voice for this role and sounds very natural throughout.

I was unable to evaluate the performances of the supporting characters in the older dub, although most of them consist of Streamline regulars such as Cliff Wells, Michael McConnohie, Kerrigan Mahan, and Milton James... a considerably smaller ensemble compared to the dozens of actors assembled for the "walla" moments in the current dub.

One performance I neglected to mention is the disembodied voice whose gentle narration opens each episode (save for 36-39).  This voice belongs to the late Karen Kuykendall, whose elderly intonations give one the impression of a grandmother telling a child a bedtime story.  This is a nice touch and also works better than the opening narration in the first episode on Streamline's version.  No offense to Michael McConnohie, but while he does a credible job, his deadpan delivery gave me the feeling that I was hearing a typical newscaster giving a cold read.

Vocal performances aside, the script adaptation, penned by Lowell Bartholomee, warrants a shout-out.  Rather than providing a literal word-for-word transliteration, he somehow skillfully manages to transform the literal, dull subtitle script into convincing, believeable English with little touches that give the characters more personality.  Even some occasional awkwardnesses in the original script, such as Gargoyle's speech about the destruction of Sodom and Gamorrah, is corrected to fit better with the original Bible story.  There are also several moments where the characters in the original Japanese version speak English phrases.  Wisely knowing that using these phrases directly would feel out of place in the dub, Bartholomee rewords them into jokes that are still very much in line with the original intention yet pleasing to the English ear.  In other words, his script succeeds as both being smooth and natural while remaining faithful in tone to the original.

That said, I did have two minor quibbles in the final two episodes.  In previous combat scenes involving the Nautilus, a European-accented sailor sends his voice through the radio reporting the status of the submarine.  For the climactic battle between the newly supercharged spaceship and the crimson-colored flying saucer, there are lines from the Status Sailor in the Japanese version, but mysteriously they are not spoken at all in the dub.  Not that it affects the episodes too badly, but one moment in which Nemo reacts verbally to an announcement about the barrier weakening comes across as odd without the voice.  Furthermore, a space satellite, Slave Star Michael, is nuked in one blast from the aforementioned spaceship in a previous episode, but when Gargoyle and his minions decide to raise the saucer into outer space to use the more deadly Slave Star Lucifer, one technician says "transferring power to Slave Star Michael"!  This is an obvious error that will make even casual viewers scratch their heads.

Otherwise, Bartholomee's script job is a very commendable effort.  Even the songs in the (thankfully) last of the filler episodes (34, which is mostly a sequence of recapped footage accompanying character songs, although one of them serves as the focal point of this episode's "plot") are very well translated into English without diverting from the original intent.  As a nice bonus, too, the dub cast rises to the challenge of singing them!  Perhaps unsurprisingly, it's Bauman's Nadia's songs that fare the best; as with her overall performance, her reindition of the original Japanese written songs are both beautiful and very haunting.  Not that the rest of the songs aren't any well handled.  the Grandis Gang's song is a hoot (particularly Blacker's opening line), and Cassidy obviously has fun with her musical rant about grown-ups (there are a few places where she strains her notes, but I emphasize the word few).  Parsons' vocals have trouble hitting high notes, but he acquits himself very well in the final two songs, particularly in the former where he's supposed to sing off-key.  While this entire episode is not considered one of the best in the show by many (myself included), I do have to give Monster Island a shout-out for their efforts at translating the songs.

As mentioned, Carl Macek has stated that if he had been able to complete his dub of Nadia, he would have pared down the dozen filler episodes into something shorter and less time-consuming (a sentiment that even director Hideaki Anno shares).  As much as hardcore fans have detested his editing practices on previous shows (in fact, some have even termed such moves as "Macek-re"s, rather unfairly), this editing choice probably would have been one of the few decisions that even detractors of these episodes would agree with.  Since he no longer has the rights, we probably may never know how that would have turned out.  Not that it compares favorably to the ADV version overall, however.  While far from the total writeoff fans made it out to be, it falls short of greatness.  Even though it has its share of good voices, the overall weaknesses of the Streamline dub (including the miscast voices of the leads) outweigh any assets this version may have had.  It's not surprising that it isn't very well remembered.  At best, it is an average quality dub.  (Marc Hairston also recalls on his site, which you can see right here, that "many fans were highly critical of the accents in the original Streamline dub.  Carl Macek defended the dub's accents in a 1995 interview by saying 'It's a French boy and a gypsy girl who has been all over Europe.  Of course they're not going to sound like they're from Kansas!'  Still, many fans felt that the accents in the first dub were too cheesy and the ADV folks knew they had to walk a fine line with accents in their dub.")

As for ADV's dub of Nadia, reception has been mixed.  Aside from Allen Divers and Marc Hairston, there have been a share of reviewers who have provided praise (Bob's Anime Corner Store, as well as Roman Martel , Brett Barkley, and Bryce Coulter of Mania.com, Bryan Hansen of AnimeJump, and Jeremy Conrad at IGNDVD).  Unfortunately, others, such as the guys at the aforementioned DVDTalk, AnimeInferno, Digitally Obsessed, Sequential Tart, AnimeBluRayUK, UK-Anime, and DVDVerdict have been unkind.  There are few, if any, online Anime fans who elect ADV's dub as one of their favorites.  In fact, there are fans who labeled it as a dub to avoid during its first release in 2001 (despite a successful premiere at 2001's A-Kon in Texas) and even some newer Anime fans spoiled by today's efforts have been similarly negative.  This is unfortunate, because Monster Island's Nadia deserves better recognition.

Despite the divided reaction, Nadia has nonetheless proven to be something of a turning point in terms of quality for Monster Island.  Most of their previous productions have been poorly received by critics and fans alike, ranging from a bottom-barrel train wreck in Sonic The Hedgehog:  The Movie, a disappointingly wooden and often monotone undercutting of the otherwise powerfully dramatic Ruroni Kenshin:  Trust and Betrayal, and overbaked, overacted and awkwardly scripted misfires like Lost Universe.  Perhaps because of the dramatic range of its cast and the passion Campbell and Bartholomee poured into this project, being huge fans of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Nadia, in spite of the sometimes inconsistent accents and somewhat sketchy initial episodes, is otherwise thankfully free of any such major defects, emerging as one of the studio's first truly good efforts.  This would eventually be followed by other efforts such as Steam Detectives, Cosplay Complex, Jing:  Bandit of Kings, and their swan song Petite Princess Yucie, all of which are great to excellent dubs.  While debates on the effectiveness of the accents may rage on, and opinions divided, Nadia remains a grossly underrated achievement in Monster Island's repertoire.  Bartholomee and Campbell have every reason to be proud of their work on the show, as it has aged fairly well over the years.  It's also refreshing to hear from fans who have given it a second chance.

Akira (Streamline and AniMaze Versions)

Akira is often considered the holy grail (if not one of the greatest holy grails) of Japanese animation.  While some may dispute that statement (myself included), there is no denying that Katsuhiro Otomo's considerably complex post-apocalyptic sci-fi tale about power, corruption, street punk gangs, corrupt government officials, and a whole lot more besides got many introduced to the world of Anime.  In its initial 1989 United States premiere, a hastily produced dub (commissioned by the Japanese distributors) was shopped around to many American studios; all except one independent company called Streamline Pictures turned it down.  The theatrical release was limited, but the film played to sell-out crowds and soon became a best-seller on video.  Indeed, many oldschool fans proudly display the Streamline-distributed English release of Akira as a much-sought after prize in their collection, which not only includes the characters speaking with bizarre New York accents, but pronouncing everyone's names in a way that can be, at best, described as pretty laughable.

That said, I do not like this older dub.  At all.  Part of the problem may have been my own trauma from being so horrified by the violence in Akira when I foolishly rented it at the age of thirteen.  Even after giving Anime a second chance, and seeing other considerably better dubs, I didn't find the violence so bothersome, but even so, there was something about this older dub that grinded on me.  Perhaps it was because I felt that nobody involved knew what they were doing.  Or maybe that the script was totally, completely incomprehensible (not at all helped by rather dated "slang" talk obviously shoehorned into the muddled dialogue).  Whatever the case, the Streamline dub of Akira only succeeded in alienating me from the movie; it's hard for me to listen to it without cringing.

For the record, I am not the sole naysayer when it comes to this dub.  At the time there were fans who found the 80s dub difficult to stomach as well ([1])  Even Jerry Beck, who once worked at Streamline, wasn't particularly fond of this older dub, calling it ("flat and perfunctory[.]").  (In fact, he clearly was a champion of the 2001 reissue—which I'll get into right now.)  

When Streamline Pictures collapsed in 1996, Pioneer/Geneon rescued Akira.  Five years later, it was announced that a fresh new dub would be produced to go along with restored picture.  At a cost of $1 million, Otomo's script was painstakingly retranslated and carefully revised, providing a more coherent, less confusing flow to an already super-complex story.  Later, the folks at AniMaze used this revamped screenplay as a guide for the new cast to record their vocals, with precise attention provided to the pronounciations and details that were previously hard to comprehend.  The resulting redub, which I'll refer to as the AniMaze version, is something else.  It's a skillfully executed English track which not only enhanced the film for me, but gradually led me to change my mind about Akira as a whole.  The quality of the writing and the performances are much smoother than the previous version, and best of all, the story is much easier to follow.

TETSUO (Joshua Seth, AniMaze dub; Jan Rabson, Streamline dub) -- Not your typical protagonist for any kind of film, Tetsuo Shima is a deeply insecure, needy teenager who unfortunately comes into contact with a withered boy with psychic powers, gradually degenerates (literally) into a super-powerful, vengeful, psychotic megalomaniac, and, gradually, into an indistinguishable mass of mutating flesh (arguably one of the most horrifying pieces of animation in any film).  If anything, he is a richly tragic character.  A role like this is very demanding, requiring a lot of tangible emotions while providing a touch of vulnerability and insanity.  And that's ultimately what makes Joshua Seth's take on the character so fascinating.  From the start, he brings a very needy tone to his lines, effectively conveying Tetsuo's inner issues.  His resentment/admiration for Kaneda also comes across very clearly with the conflicted delivery of his interactions with him.  Particularly noteworthy are the scenes where he yells at Kaneda for saving him from the Clowns, and later on, when he, at the point of insanity, condescendingly tells him that he no longer needs him--these moments are handled excellently.  As his character turns into a dangerous psychopath, cackling hysterically, Seth lets loose and never holds back, but at the same time he does not make Tetsuo sound "evil".  There is something about the crazed tone of his laugh that gives one the impression that he sounds like a kid ready to use his powers to achieve exactly what he wants.  In essence, his Tetsuo is frightening and sympathetic.  He gives his all to the climactic moments when Tetsuo's pain worsens and ultimately corrupts him.  It's a wonder that Seth is no longer working as a voiceover artist, but if Tetsuo was a dream come true for him, then it could very well indeed be his finest role ever.

Streamline's Jan Rabson, on the other hand, didn't give me the same feel.  In fact, he struck me as the complete opposite.  Aside from sounding like he's in his late forties, his week and needy moments are unconvincing and weak, sounding more like he's reading cue cards instead of actually acting.  He fares even worse when Tetsuo goes crazy, overacting his lines to the point of self-parody.  But what ultimately brings it down is the approach he chooses to take with such moments:  he sounds more like a stereotypical bad guy with zero subtlety or restraint.  He also lacks the nuances of humanity that Joshua provides.  His moments of surprise sound very forced and awkward and even for moments where he's telling Kaneda he no longer needs his help, he simply shouts it with no restraint (Seth, by comparison, delivers it with appropriately dripping bitterness).  Considering that Tetsuo is a much more complex character than Rabson's delivery implies, this was the wrong choice from the get go.  Much of his delivery is laughable, too, notably "They CAN'T DO THIIIS!" and even his cries of pain during the mutation scene sound over exaggerated and forced.  Although the distorted sound effects is a nice touch for that moment, his acting still suffers from confusingly written dialogue "My body won't listen to powers!" and unintentionally funny delivery.  Jan Rabson is a fine voice actor, but his Tetsuo, aside from being miscast, just didn't strike me as one of his finest roles.

KANEDA (Johnny Yong Bosch, AniMaze dub; Cam Clarke, Streamline dub) -- Aside from Tetsuo, the other central character in the film is Kaneda, a cocky, rambunctious biker who serves as the leader of the gang, and probably comes as close to the role of "hero" as possible.  Bosch has a distinctively recognizable "leading teen" voice, and for all the flak he gets for being overexposed, he nonetheless is a very solid choice for this character.  He brings a brash attitude to the character and delivers his lines with zest and enthusiasm.  Most of his dialogue consists of shouting and cursing, and Bosch really sounds like he's having a blast with those moments.  But the scenes where he shows off other aspects of his personality are effective, too; his attempts to sweet-talk the elusive Kei, his internal concern for Tetsuo, and of course, his final scene in the movie.  Johnny has had lots of other roles like this in many other Anime, but Kaneda is definitely up there with one of his finest.

As much as I respect Cam Clarke as a voice actor, his take on the character felt more alienating to me than effective.  His vocal tone is enough to make one think of, say, Michaelangelo or Leonardo from Ninja Turtles, which struck me as very odd from the get-go.  But that's not the reason I found his Kaneda underwhelming.  Half of his "angry" scenes come across as very strained and his attempts at emotion either clash with the onscreen visuals or sound very robotic or over-exaggerated.  (Other such moments, like when he shouts "fight like a MAAAAAAAN!" when he fights Tetsuo only evoke unintentional humor.)  Even his screams of "Tetsuo" toward the end are just overacting with no real force.  In short, this performance gave me the impression that Clarke didn't know where he wanted to go with his role and was just recording his lines in one take.  It's a shame, too, because I really liked him as Kratos in Tales of Symphonia and Liquid Snake in Metal Gear Solid.

KEI (Wendee Lee, AniMaze dub; Lara Cody, Streamline dub) -- In cahoots with an underground resistance to overthrough the corrupt government of Neo Tokyo, Kei is an extremely strong-willed yet also very fragile terrorist who actually comes across as traumatized when she takes out a cop with one (bloody) shot to the head.  She is something of a love/hate interest for Kaneda, but naturally she becomes an important ally in the latter events of the film, particularly when she is possessed by three emancipated children to stop Tetsuo from his madness (although we're never really told how she got mixed up with them).  Wendee raises her voice slightly to sound like a teenage girl.  It's not too deep to sound otherwise, but it's also not too shrill to come across as convincing either.  I like this balance, as it makes her voice much easier on the ears.  But she also does a great job of bringing out Kei's toughness, vulnerability, and stoicness (when she is possessed by the children toward the climax of the film), without overdoing it.  Her chemistry with Bosch is very believeable, and doesn't hold back in the scenes where she is supposed to raise her voice or scream.  Overall, it is a very solid performance and consistently believeable.

As far as Cody is concerned, she has a considerably higher pitch and there are a few moments of effectiveness, but unfortunately there isn't enough of it.  Most of her acting sounds rushed, forced or too shrill, as if she did it in one take.  (Her "Kaneda" scream at the end has a two-sided effect, on one hand it is indeed strong, but on the other it sounds quite off and unfocused.  While changing that line to "Kaneda!  Can you hear me?" in the new dub was a call on the scriptwriters' part, it at least sounds more consistent and better delivered.)  In all honesty, it's not the worst I've heard from Lara, but she has done better in other roles than this.

COLONEL (Jamieson Pryce, AniMaze dub; Anthony Mozdy, Streamline dub) -- The idea behind the murky narrative of Akira is that the street gangs are the protagonists and that the government officials are the antagonists.  While that may be true for the most part, the Colonel teeters very much toward "hero" territory.  He is a very stern figuree, contemptuous of the current conditions of Neo Tokyo, yet at the same time dedicated to doing the right thing.  He takes action to stop Tetsuo when the latter gets out of control, and is one of the others to survive the (literally) apocalyptic finale.  Pryce lends his booming voice to this character, bringing both a strong gravitas and a sense of authority that gives one the impression that he is not someone to be dismissed.  In addition, he does an excellent job at expressing the Colonel's frustration with the politicians, uneasy alliance with the Doctor, and sounds entirely believeable during the dramatic scenes toward the end.  While there are some places where he comes across as though he's trying to keep up with the lipflaps, he doesn't miss a beat in his acting.  Pryce seems to be born to play characters of this nature, and this is yet another fantastic role for his resume.

Mozdy, on the other hand, gives the character a much raspier tone which would probably work in favor of the Colonel being a world weary soldier, but it doesn’t have the same tone of authority that Pryce brings. He also seems uncertain of where he wants to go with the character, growling and grunting his way through each line with no real force. While there may be at least one line that didn’t sound so bad (“Are you satisfied now, Tetsuo?”) which came across a bit missed in the newer version, many others aren’t as strongly delivered as they could be.  In particular, his shouting at the children to get out of the stadium when Tetsuo metamorphs or his earlier scolding of the doctor aren't forceful enough.  It's just the same gruff tone with no range of emotion.  Pryce has the advantage over Mozdy in those moments, as he sounds much stronger in his delivery.

KAORI (Michelle Ruff, AniMaze dub; Barbara Goodson, Streamline dub) – Tetsuo's girlfriend has a small part in the film, and regretably, her role is limited.  She spends most of the time worrying about Tetsuo, and, at one point, is almost raped by the Clown gang leader.  It's hard for the audience to really care, one way or another, when she makes her final exit from the movie.  Which is arguably what makes her role something of a challenge.  For the AniMaze dub, Ruff raises her voice to a high pitch and at times it does come across as strained, but at the same time she does a very good job of conveying the character's emotions.  Her delivery is solid and believeable throughout.

Goodson is less strained in her vocal portrayal of Kaori, but while she tries to make an effort at putting emotion into her role, it didn't sound very natural. It doesn’t help that the character’s dialogue is not all that compelling to begin with, given that she has little to do in the film.  Overall, neither role is particularly outstanding, but Ruff is the better of the two by far.

YAMAGATA (Michael Lindsay, AniMaze dub; Anthony Mozdy, Streamline dub) – Taller and lankier than Kaneda and perhaps even more sarcastic, Yamagata is a bit of a bully and an ally, in that while he treats Tetsuo like the runt of the pack, he also expresses concern for him after the latter crashes his bike.  He is also the only member of the Capsules to be murdered by Tetsuo.  In the Animaze dub, he is voiced by Michael Lindsay, who brings a noticeably scrappy but youthful sounding tone which works in favor of the character.  (After all, he is a teenager.)  But what I really liked about his performance was the enthusiasm he shows; his lines are delivered with a genuine liveliness that really gives one the impression that he was having a great time with this role.

If Mozdy’s take on the Colonel is lacking, his Yamagata makes that role sound like Shakespeare. His voice wavers between sounding goofy and/or artificial, and his dialogue ranges from Shatneresque “That. Peabrain!” or rushed with no real energy. His performance is both exaggerated and off from the start, and it delves into pretty forgettable territory fairly fast.

KAI (Anthony Pulcini, AniMaze dub; Bob Bergen, Streamline dub) – Aside from Yamagata and Tetsuo, the only other member of the Capsules we're allowed to get acquainted with is Kai, who seems to have a close friendship with Yamagata.  Aside from Kaneda, Kei, and the Colonel, he is another survival of the cataclysmic climax.  In the AniMaze dub, Pulcini is quite convincing in this character, sounding both very natural and youthful.  He also puts a lot of emotion into his lines, especially in one of his grieving scenes toward the second half of the film.  The same is true of when he embraces Kaneda at the end of the movie and inquires about Tetsuo.
As for Bergen… while his voicing of the character is less distracting than that of Masaru (see below), it's still a very, very lacking performance compared both to Pulcini and the rest of his resume.  Aside from sounding like he's, again, cold reading for most of the show, his emoting moments are not very convincing or natural, coming off as forced more often than not.  The crying scene at the end sounds exaggerated as well.

RYU (Robert Buchholz, AniMaze dub; Steve Kramer, Streamline dub) – This character doesn't have many scenes, but from the start it becomes clear that he is the leader of an underground resistance movement trying to overthrow Neo-Tokyo's corrupt government.  It's a bit strange to hear Gene Starwind from Outlaw Star voicing this character, but surprisingly, it works very well.  He has a great "leader" voice and delivers his lines in a very firm, controlled manner.  His final scene in the movie is also very effectively done--Buchholz provides the character with the appropriate weariness required for that moment.  I wouldn't say this is one of Bob's finest roles, but his overall performance is very strong and quite fitting.

Kramer’s voice isn’t terrible, but his acting feels more like reading directly from the script with no genuine emotion. This is not a good showcase of what he’s capable of (he turns in a much better performance as the interrogation officer whom Kaneda calls “old man” -- “pops” if you’re watching the Streamline version), and it doesn’t help that his character is mistranslated as “Roy”. At best, it’s a mediocre performance.

DOCTOR (Simon Isaacson, AniMaze dub; Lewis Lemay, Streamline dub) -- Obsessed with solving the mystery behind Akira, this character is compelled to continue experimenting on Tetsuo... to the point where he disobeys the Colonel's order not to do so when the situation gets eccentrically worse.  It's tempting to say that he comes close to being a major villain, except he's not actively evil, but corrupt from his ambitious plans.  Isaacson's quavering tone lends itself very well to the elderly appearance of the doctor, and he does an excellent job of portraying the Doctor as a somewhat mad but surprisingly sympathetic character.  You can feel the obvious concern in his voice for his subjects as well as the gleeful enthusiasm for his work.  One is reminded of Isaacson's work as Dr. Laughton from Metropolis, but the actor succeeds very well in making the character his own.

Lewis Lemay’s vocal tone is a tad raspier than Simon’s, which is vocally sound.  But like everyone else, he sounds very, very dry, as if he's simply reciting lines from a play with no depth of emotion or comprehension of the material.  In particular, his final moments toward the end of the film suffer from some unintentional humor, probably because of the laughably scripted "cosmic rebirth" (which frankly, doesn't make any sense) or the confused manner in which he delivers it.

KIYOKO (Sandy Fox, AniMaze dub; Melora Harte, Streamline dub) -- As one of three withered children, Kiyoko is also the most clairvoyant.  When we first meet her, we learn that she has dreamt about the eventual downfall of Neo-Tokyo on account of Akira's resurrection.  She can also speak directly to Kei through her mind, causing the latter to recite her directions/exposition to an obviously confused Kaneda.  In many ways, she is still a child, but she is also adult, as well.  How do you portray such a character?  Sandy Fox rises to the task, and she does a solid job of conveying the character's nature, although it should be noted that in order to sound youthful, she raises her voice to a nasally-sounding pitch.  This is a risky choice as it could cause for some aural discomfort.  She sounds especially strained when Kiyoko is warning Tetsuo in a worried tone not to continue on his rampage.  Despite that, her actual acting never feels forced, and Sandy fares especially well during normal dialogue.

Melora Harte’s version is less high-pitched than Sandy’s, which probably works in favor of her character’s withered appearance. At the same time, though, her delivery is inconsistent and all over the place, ranging from an ineffectively delivered, lame-sounding “That’s enough” to a forced, stilted, unbalanced staccato speech.  I don't know if that is due to poor vocal direction or a lack of understanding about the character, but either way, it's not a very inspired performance.  Neither choice is ideal, but Sandy fares much better overall.

TAKASHI (Cody MacKenzie, AniMaze dub; Barbara Goodson, Streamline dub) -- Of the three children, Takashi is something of an unintentional catalyst.  It is his psychic powers that causes Tetsuo to crash, even though he's really trying to shield himself out of fear.  When he is horrified by a person's death, his reponse is to scream, which in turn causes a skyscraper to collapse.  In AniMaze's dub, he is voiced by Cody MacKenzie.  This was probably his first dubbing role, and as such, there are some places where he sounds a bit green, particularly when he's relaying Kiyoko's warning to Tetsuo about awakening Akira's power.  As he gets more comfortable with the character, though, I felt that his delivery improved along with it.  One of his best moments is toward the climax of the film, where he tries to stop Kaneda from leaping after the transformed Tetsuo.  Here he sounds very natural and genuinely worried.

As far as Goodson's take is concerned, I didn't find her particularly effective.  Aside from a lack of genuine emotion, she sounds surprisingly nasally and unconvincing.  I'm sure she could have done a much better job if the production didn't feel so rushed.  One thing that both VAs have in common is that their weak point is a scene about nine minutes in when Takashi reacts with a scream to a terrorist being gunned down.  (This scream, incidentally, causes a tower to collapse.)  Goodson makes the scream raspier sounding than Cody's (which does come across as a little too "polished" sounding), but otherwise that moment is underwhelming and unnatural in both dubs.  Despite this, I still maintain that Cody is the better of the two vocal performances overall.

MASARU (Cody MacKenzie, Geneon dub; Bob Bergen, Streamline dub) -- Masaru is the most authoritative of the children; that is to say, he acts as their leader, as evidenced in the scene where he implores Takashi to come back with them at the beginning of the movie, and later on, when he motivates his friends(?) to attack Tetsuo.  As with Takashi, Masaru is also voiced by Cody MacKenzie; as with that role, his voice is very convincing and for the most part, acquits himself extremely well.  That said, there were a couple of places where I felt his delivery seemed a bit stiff, notably his first line in the film and, toward the end, his "Hi... Akira." (Then again, it would be difficult to imagine how to convey the appropriate response to that pivotal moment.)  I do cut him slack, though, because otherwise his delivery sounds very natural and solid, and if there are any moments of awkwardness, it's not grating enough to bring down his performance as a whole.

While I can see what Bob may have been trying to do with his Masaru, he otherwise comes across as a very strange choice for the character and sounds completely off half the time. Yes, there are a few moments where he's effective, but overall it's not one of Bergen's finest moments. I steer around that argument for Pazu in Miyazaki's Castle in the Sky because he is basically a teenager and either approach (higher or lower pitched) is fitting, but Masaru is a much younger kid (despite having a weary appearance to him) and to have him sound like Grumpy from Care Bears on helium is very distracting.  With all apologies to Bergen, this is not one of his finest moments.

NEZU (Mike Reynolds, Geneon dub; Anthony Mozdy, Streamline dub) -- A minor antagonist, nasty Nezu is the "mole" in the executive council who secretly funds Ryu's terrorist movement to take down the government. Because he only has two scenes in the movie, it's a little difficult for his role to really take character.  Of the two takes, though, Reynolds in the Geneon dub is the most effective; he has a wheezy quality to him that I thought was fitting for his onscreen appearance, and he sounds appropriately slimy.
Mozdy, on the other hand, sounds too exaggerated and cartoony, just like many of the other characters in the older dub.  That his performance is also negligible is also unfortunate.

Other roles in the AniMaze dub are provided by many other California regulars:  Robert Axelrod has a brief role as a terrorist who is gunned down before we have a chance to know him (Shimazaki), John Snyder is the bartender, and Matt Miller, Mike McConnohie, and many more round out the cast.  With the exception of a few lines that seem a bit one-offish, the rest of the cast in AniMaze's dub sounds very solid and are directed extremely well.  The older version's minor characters have a very strange, raspy quality, which, while probably appropriate for a satirical comic book, today sound very hard on the ears.

It's the translation, though, where AniMaze's dub really shines.  As mentioned, Akira is an EXTREMELY difficult movie to follow, and, with all apologies to I. Michael Haller, his adaptation didn't do much to clarify the multiple subplots running alongside the central arc.  There were also several instances in his script that I felt really needed work.  For instance, there's one scene in the early quarter of the film where Kaneda and his friends are punched across the face by their school teacher.  In Streamline's dub, the teacher in question simply shouts "Shut up!" to each of them one by one.  The resulting scene, as such, sounds very confused and even laughable.  By contrast, AniMaze's script (which is based on a fresh new translation of the Japanese script) uses the word "Discipline!" for each time the teacher strikes.  Hearing this, the audience is given a much better implication on what Kaneda's friends are being reprimanded for--according to the liner notes on the DVD, it is a form of capital punishment in vocational schools.  This is one of the many subtle examples which brings the story to a much more believeable tone.

Two other examples include a brief moment where Tetsuo starts to have grotesque hallucinations while the voices of the children shout "Akira!" in his mind.  In Streamline's version, he shouts "I'm... not Akira!" which, again, caused for confusion and seemed like a last-minute scripting issue.  The new dub replaces this line with "I don't know who that is!" which is similarly cryptic, but it's less head-scratching and feels more natural.  In another scene much later on in the film, when Tetsuo is confronted by Kei (who is possessed by the children), after the latter warns him not to press on with his powers any further, Streamline's dub has him shout "stupidity!  Utter stupidity!"  I didn't know what he was reacting about and I had even forgotten at that point that Kei was possessed.  The new dub solves this problem by having Tetsuo shout instead, "It's the KIDS talking!  You're those brats, right?!"  Not only does it remind the audience that Kei is not herself, it's also closer to the subtitled line.  Based on these examples, it is obvious that the scriptwriters involved with the new dub really gave their new script a lot of thought, although considering the time and money put into the current version as opposed to the first one, it really isn't surprising.

Also worthy of mention are that the characters' names are pronounced correctly; so for those of you who still believe that Akira should sound like "A-Kir-rah" and Kaneda as "Ka-nay-da" or Takashi as "Ta-kah-shi" as the older dub describes them, they are not enunciated the same way in the Japanese language track.  This time around, though, we hear "A-kee-ra", "Kah-nae-da", and "Taka-shi".  While the change may seem disorienting, it also shows how much research the AniMaze team did in order to get the names just right.

Is AniMaze's dub of Akira flawless?  Well, for all its accolades, there is one noticeable problem that makes it fall just slightly short of perfection--the lip-sync.  Unlike most other Japanese animated features, Akira had its Japanese dialogue recorded first, and its mouths are more synchronized to its actors, a pratice very similar to Disney animated features.  As such, the words don't always match very well in the dub.  On the other hand, considering the difficulties of ADR and the challenges the writers must have been faced with in getting around this problem, it really doesn't harm the new dub at all.  Only the most carefully trained eye will notice any minor imperfections.  For the most part, though, it's professionally accomplished.  (The older dub is even worse in the synching department, with lines coming across as either mistimed or stopping before a mouth is finished flapping, at least according to one scene in the film where the children are confronting Tetsuo in the hospital's baby room.)

Despite that, the overall effect of AniMaze's dub of Akira ultimately succeeds in making the film fresh and arguably much more accessible even to anyone who may have found it complicated the first time around.  It is definitely an excellent entry for the folks responsible for efforts like Cowboy Bebop, Wolf's Rain, and countless other dubs.  It even converted this once skeptical writer into a fan.  As for the Streamline dub, it may have been passable for its time, but many older dubs from the '80s to the mid '90s have not aged so gracefully over the years, and this is no exception.  I understand that there are many who will disagree with me, but if I ever want to experience Otomo's tale, I'd rather hear AniMaze's version.  If the average viewer gives it a chance, I'm sure they'll have little trouble agreeing.

(Incidentally, both dubs are now available on Funimation's DVD/BD release.  It's up to you to decide which one is to your liking.)

Vampire Hunter D (Streamline & Sentai Versions)

Contrary to what extremists say, not all dubs are uniformly bad.  There are dubs that are superbly acted and still remain as fresh and fascinating as they were the first time around.  There are also dubs which, although not perfect, are still entertaining.  And then there are dubs which are flawed in places but still have merit... as well as dubs that may have seemed passable at one time, but ultimately lose their appeal and are hard to even listen to again without cringing.

Streamline Pictures' dub of Vampire Hunter D, a 1985 B-grade OVA based on a novel by Hideyuki Kikuchi and featuring character designs by Final Fantasy's Yoshitaka Amano, is a dub that falls into this last category.  Released around 1992, at a time when dubs were, at best, of poor quality, it does sort of stand out as being "not so bad".  Of course, this is typically what most newcomers to Anime who stumble upon this dub without hearing a wide variety of them would think.  However, after listening to many modern dubs or even some older ones that happen to hold up well, then Streamline's dub of Vampire Hunter D seems quite outdated.  And by that I don't mean that it is simply bad, but both technically and emotionally, it feels like a chore to listen to after being spoiled by so many other better ones.

The actors who participate in Streamline's dub are good voice actors.  Honestly, they really are.  Yet sometimes circumstances beyond their control, poor vocal direction or rushed takes, can cause them to turn out performances that are nowhere near the caliber of superior work.  And this is exactly what Streamline's Vampire Hunter D is:  a case of fine actors all sounding off their mark and/or not as effective as they should be.

Flash forward thirteen years later.  Sentai Filmworks, remnants of ADV, have since picked up, repackaged, and even redubbed this new classic.  So how did it turn out?  Well, I do have a few minor quibbles, but on the whole I was quite pleased with the results.  Helmed by longtime ADV Films director and scriptwriter Matt Greenfield, this redub aims to bring the movie back to its roots as a genuinely scary film with the occasional moment of humor.  With the exception of one character, the casting of the voices and the acting in the Sentai version are far superior to their Streamline counterparts.

D (Michael McConnohie, Streamline Version; John Gremillion, Sentai Version)  -- The title character of this post-apocalyptic western-themed slasher is a very tall, mysterious, and often stoic man clad in a long cloak and a tall hat.  (SPOILER ALERT:  It turns out that he's actually a half-human/half-vampire, the son of Count Dracula!)  He is devoted to rid the world of all vampires and protect the innocent.  Since D is not a very emotional and often stiff character, it's probably easier to lay off on McConnohie's portrayal.  He does have a fairly deep voice and his often monotonous delivery isn't too detrimental.  On the flip side, however, his performance often veers into "newscaster reading from cue cards" territory, particularly the scene where he's comforting Dan from crying; other times it feels like one of those cheesy old-fashioned record albums of Batman (from Power Records) in which the title character speaks in a similarly robotic tone (hence my phrase "superhero syndrome").  McConnohie also comes across as rather stilted, too, although that is more of a problem of both lackluster direction and the rather choppy animation.  In all fairness, he does manage to put more emotion toward the end for moments such as D's "death" scene and at the beginning of the final confrontation with Magnus Lee (particularly his energized "Back to the abyss... OF OBLIVION!"), but even then it feels TOO over-the-top, even for such a character.  Who knows how well he could have played the character if he was better directed?  We probably may never know, but as it stands, Mike's overall performance as D is only so-so.
Andrew Philpot defined the character a lot more in Yoshiaki Kawajiri's semi-sequel Vampire Hunter D:  Bloodlust.  As someone who demands vocal continuity when it comes to dubbing, it's a bit of a let down that Philpot didn't return to reprise his role for Sentai.  Perhaps because of this, it took me two viewings to get accustomed to John Gremillion's turn in the new dub.  His voice is a bit more "lighter" than either McConnohie or Philpot, often verging on sounding somewhat whispered and husky.  Certainly not what I would expect from a character like D.  Only when he utters lines like "I would prefer not to kill you" did I have the vision of D in my mind, but otherwise his voice is a new take on the character.  What ultimately canceled out my reservations was his acting, which warrants a shout-out.  John does a solid job of making D reserved and conflicted, refraining from overacting in his action scenes.  His delivery is much more understated and focused than McConnohie.  It helps, too, that he has better written dialogue to support him; a lot of the dialogue from D's end verged into cheesy territory in the Streamline version, and luckily, Gremillion succeeds in steering around this pitfall.  Much of the credit should also go to Greenfield for making the weakest moments of McConnohie's dialogue more believable as well.

LEFT HAND (Michael McConnohie, Streamline Version; Andy McAvin, Sentai Version) -- D's only companion is his left hand--that is to say, there is some sort of face engraved on his hand who often chides his master, but also proves to be quite an independent and powerful character in its own right.  It can inhale mist-like creatures, and gobble them up, and, when D is (temporarily) murdered by Ray Ginsay, after being cut off, it crawls back to its host and even whacks D's body to awaken him!  That leads to a major problem:  what kind of voice would you give an unusual character such as this?  I do like the idea of McConnohie voicing the left hand as well; it gives a duality to the nature of D's character.  He does so with a rather nasally, high-pitched, prissy tone.  On one level this approach can be seen as valid, as it does provide for a somewhat "creature"-like character, but his delivery is another matter.  It is literally all over the place, ranging from irritating to condescending ("You're not in LOVE with her, are you?").  He's also saddled with a vocal amplifier that not only sounds artificial, but unfortunately also emphasizes how hokey the effect of this dub is.  There are a couple of places where McConnohie does manage to evoke a few laughs (his urging of D to stir "Wake up!"), but otherwise it's not his best work by any means.
Again, I mostly prefer Michael McShane's turn as the Left Hand from Bloodlust, and so it was initially disappointing that he didn't return for the Sentai redub.  That said, I quickly got accustomed to Andy McAvin in no time.  He sounds appropriately sarcastic and thankfully not whiny.  He even gets one of the best lines in the show "I swear, this guy is SUCH a handful."  Very fitting and amusing.  The only thing I'm not quite a fan of is the electronic voice alteration to make this character sound more "creature-like".  Without it, I think the character would have been more convincing, but on the other hand, that's nitpicking.

DORIS LANG (Barbara Goodson, Streamline Version; Luci Christian, Sentai Version) -- We first meet Doris at the beginning of the movie, when she is stalking lizardly mutants in her garden.  Here, she is brave but also vulnerable.  Soon after, however, she is reduced to screaming and helplessness when Count Magnus Lee confronts her.  When we see her again, there are two puncture marks on her neck, and unfortunately this is where her personality starts to veer all over the place.  Sometimes she is tough and vicious (in moments such as when she lashes with her whip, or even fends off Grecco's advances), other times she's hopelessly smitten (with the title character), at one point defiant (when she's brought to Magnus Lee's room), and then, ultimately, more whiney, whimpy moments.  Given all this, Doris does not come across as a very consistent character, and so that does create problems for any attempt to portray her character.  In all fairness, however, Goodson does make an effort, although her performance, like the character, is a mixed bag.  When she is in her "strong" mode in moments such as telling Grecco off or even speaking normally, Goodson is decent.  However, the scene where she initially strikes D with the whip (to test his skills) does come across as stilted as not as forceful as it should.  She also overacts during most of her "crying" and "screaming" scenes--granted such moments are very demanding to pull off to begin with, but either because of poor direction or the confused nature of her character, they don't feel strong enough.  She also utters "Oh my god!" one too many times, which sometimes recalls Kate Capshaw's character in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.  (It doesn't help either that her dialogue sometimes consists of lines such as "I'll bite off my tongue and bleed to death!")  All of this makes for a very uneven and sometimes stiff result, but even so, Goodson does try, and for that I have to give her points.
Sentai's new dub casts Luci Christian in the role.  At first I wasn't quite so sure if her voice was right for the part, but part of that might have been me being overly familiar with Goodson.  But after seeing the dub in its entirety, I changed my mind.  Doris is technically supposed to be around 17 years old, and Christian's voice sounds much younger and convincing.  She also puts a lot of emotion and passion into her part, and her dialogue thankfully never crosses into the aforementioned Capshaw territory.  Her aggressive scenes are handled with unbridled energy, and the tender, frightful moments Doris displays are also very warm and well handled.  In short, Christian succeeds in making Doris sympathetic, natural and more believable than Goodson ever did; her delivery is far more consistent.

DAN LANG (Lara Cody, Streamline Version; Shannon Emerick, Sentai Version) -- Very seldom are there roles which totally grate on me to the point that it takes me out of a dub, but this is one exception.  One of the more useless characters in the film, Doris' younger brother is approximately five years old.  And that is part of the problem with Cody's performance.  She doesn't even sound like a young boy, but instead falls into the obvious "little boy sounding like a woman" trap.  It's made all the more so by the feminine tone in Dan's voice.  (For a much more convincing example of a woman trying to sound like a boy, try Brianne Siddall's Kenichi in Metropolis.)  His dialogue ranges from surprisingly intelligent for his age talk to sniveling.  One particularly cringeworthy delivery is in the scene where Dan is trapped on a rock:  "Oh pleeeeeeease help meeeeeee!"  What makes it even worse is that Cody doesn't put enough emotion into that moment, rendering it both ineffective and lifeless.  Even when she's not stuck with moments like that, her "normal" scenes sound very off, both in terms of vocal tone and in delivery.  Lara has had other fine roles, but Dan ranks as one of the lowest points in her career.
Sadly, Dan is also the weakest voice in the Sentai redub, although this time it's not due to the acting.  In Shannon Emerick's defense, she does a great job of bringing toughness, spunk and life to Dan without coming across as cheesy.  And luckily the aforementioned cringeworthy bit when Dan is trapped by Rei Ginsei is delivered less so.  Oddly, even though Doris has a neutral accent, Dan, like the rest of the villagers of Ransylva, speaks with a Southern twang.  On one hand, the approach is understandable since this is a "Western" vampire story, but it feels very odd considering the differences in the style of both characters.  I'm not totally sold on her voice for the character either; as mentioned, Lara was distractingly feminine, and while Shannon is less so, I still found her vocal tone somewhat distracting; it's just not quite seamless enough to give off the illusion.  Luckily Dan has a few scenes, and as mentioned, Emerick's turn is less grating than Lara, so for that I give her points.  But this character is still my least favorite voice in both dubs.

COUNT MAGNUS LEE (Jeff Winkless, Streamline Version; David Wald, Sentai Version) -- The late Winkless' voicing of the centuries old villain fares no better than his Streamline co-stars.  Oh sure, he has an evil chuckle and a deep voice, but his performance is handicapped by many other elements.  To make him sound like a vampire, the sound engineers try to amplify his voice through some kind of "vocal effects".  Unfortunately, it only comes across as artificial instead of frightening.  The other major problem is that his dialogue is either corny or just laughable, particularly an added-in monologue at the beginning of the film that begins with the stereotypical "Permit me to introduce myself!"  This only succeeds in providing unintentional humor.  Furthermore, the delivery of his lines is obviously stilted, like he's concentrating on the mouth movements, and whatever traces of emotion he tries to put out sound either forced or nowhere nearly strong enough.  It's just too cartoonish.  That he's saddled with a phony-sounding Transylvanian accent also drives the final nail in the coffin.  (This could have been an effective if the accent were executed more fluently, but as it is here, it only provides more laughs, and that is a real detriment.)  Chalk this one up as yet another misfire on Jeff's career.
David Wald fares miles better as this villain; he has a smooth, natural baritone with a touch of regal-ness that is perfectly suited to the count's aristocratic nature.  There's much more emotion and nuance to his acting as well.  It never crosses into stereotypical evil or cheesy territory either, which is a huge plus.  In fact, at times he sounds like Keith David!  Also worthy of note is that he provides the Count with a somewhat "upper-class", light British accent, which, again, conveys the character's "noble" status and upbringing.  Every single second of his performance is a winner, his lines oozing with dripping menace and charisma.  Wald is definitely my favorite voice in the whole redub; he really steals the show here.  Kudos!

REI GINSEI (Kerrigan Mahan, Streamline Version; Andy McAvin, Sentai Version) -- If the Count comes across as a rather minor villain, Rei Ginsei is a much more effective one.  He is driven by a desire to become a nobleman, willing to go to any extreme to acquire his wishes, even if it means kidnapping.  Of course, his efforts are hampered by both D's intervention and his master's own disdain.  As such, he may not really be considered a total baddie, especially since toward the end he saves Dan from falling to his death (a surprise move considering he had kidnapped the latter earlier on) and even tries (unsuccessfully) to kill the Count.  Kerrigan Mahan provides the character with a considerably nasally yet slimy sounding tone which does convey the character's treacherous nature and "mutant" origins.  But his overall performance, while otherwise fairly decent, suffers from a lot of very stilted delivery--much of this problem is attributed to the similarly stilted lipflaps, but the sometimes choppily written script also contributes to the problem.  In his defense, he does cackle wickedly and handles his killing of D (and subsequent amputation) effectively (he also gets the best line:  "An eye for an eye, and a hand for a hand").  However, other moments such as a rather laughably delivered and hokey-sounding "Now you die" (during his first fight with D) and the abruptly harsh tone in which he says "Stop!  Release them immediately!" when his face is still cool and casual while closing his eyes work against such effective moments, especially when said reaction doesn't mesh with the visuals.  It's a mediocre performance, at best.
McAvin does double-duty not only as D's left hand, but as this villain as well.  Honestly, it's hard to tell the difference between the two other than the fact that one character has "electronic voice distortion" while the other does not.  His version of Rei sounds surprisingly more scratchy and raspy and not as "slimy".  Simultaneously, however, his acting is far more consistent and believable, and thankfully devoid of any hokey moments.  (He does utter a cliched "Now you die!" line before he attacks D, but McAvin somehow manages to nullify whatever cheesy maybe attached to it.)  When Rei Ginsei is in action mode, exuding bitterness, or making threats, McAvin sounds like he's having a blast.  Another improvement:  Rei does not tell his demon comrades to release Dan and Ferringo while speaking with Doris.  Note that his character is a bit more blunt and "rude" than Mahan, though; he's fond of shouting "Quiet!" to Doris and Dan.  The one thing I found a bit odd at first was how he handles the scene where D cuts off his hand.  Mahan went all out to the point where he screams "Damn you!  I hope you burn in HELLLLL!"  (On the other hand, it's also more unintentional humor.)  Here McAvin delivers it less aggressively, shouting in a less laughable manner "Damn it!  Do you have to be condescending as well?!"  This is a bit more closer to the translation, but it did strike me as a bit strange.  Oh well, that aside, everything else about his Rei Ginsei otherwise excels.  One final thing that I should mention is that unlike the Streamline version when Rei confronts the Count for the last time, Sentai's translation has him expressing rage over having lost his arm and friends.  This more "noble" approach is closer in spirit to the original Japanese version as opposed to Streamline's more greedy Rei, who declares that he will have his reward regardless in the Streamline dub.

LAMIKA / L'ARMICA (Edie Mirman, Streamline Version; Brittany Karbowski, Sentai Version) -- If there is any performance in Streamline's dub that emerges anywhere near close to "effective" (aside from Goodson), it's Mirman--of course, that's mainly because that her character, Lamika, is the most interesting character in the whole movie.  As Count Lee's only daughter, she is jealous of her father's infatuation with Doris and even attempts murder on the latter at one point... but Lamika is not a purely "evil" character.  Her main concern is the purity of her bloodline:  she detests the idea of having a "country girl" mating with her noble father, fearing (correctly) that it will disgrace her household.  At first she is merely acting to save her own father from his own desires, but when she is both spared by D and later learns that her own mother is not of noble birth, Lamika feels betrayed and quickly declares that the House of Lee must fall.  Mirman gives the character an appropriately sultry sounding tone and for the most part, she handles Lamika's nature fairly well, from her initially smug first appearance to her jealousy and finally her resolved resign of defeat.  This could make her the best voice in the whole dub; alas, there are four problems that cause Mirman to fall short of that mark.  The first and most obvious problem is the Transylvanian accent.  Sometimes it seems effective, but at other times it does verge into cheesy territory.  Secondly, there are places where her dialogue sounds stilted and/or not as strongly delivered as it should (for instance, her chiding of Ray Ginsay is surprisingly weak and a scream of "Kill me!  Kill me now!" sounds both forced and stilted--of course that latter problem is attributed to the animation.)  The third problem is that she sounds a bit too mature, although it isn't really clear in the movie how old her character is supposed to be.  Finally, a lot of her delivery comes across as rather monotone and lacking in passion.  Which is unfortunate, because Mirman's Lamika, otherwise, is probably the only thing that comes anywhere near close to being a saving grace.
Sentai's version retranslates the character's name to "L'armica" and her name is pronounced differently. Whether it's more truer to the Japanese pronunciation I can't say, but either way it did strike me as a bit jarring at first.  It took me a few viewings to get accustomed to.  That aside, Karbowski's take on the character is interesting.  Like her father, she speaks with an upper-class accent instead of a goofy Transylvanian one, and her voice sounds considerably younger.  She comes across like an angry teenager roughly around 16-17ish.  As mentioned, it's not clear what age the character is supposed to be, but her voice works fine.  She also brings a snide quality to her part, particularly when she approaches the sleeping Doris. "THIS is the slattern you chose to take my mother's place?!"  Finally, Brittany puts more emotion into her part, and somehow manages to make L'armica a more conflicted character with a conscious instead of an outright contemptuous villain.  Although there are places where she comes across as more aggressive than Mirman (in scenes where she's arguing with Count Lee about his misguided wedding), I didn't mind at all.  Very well done all around.

DR. FEHRING / FERRINGO (Steve Kramer, Streamline Version; John Swasey, Sentai Version) -- This character, who serves as the medical man of Doris's village, is a kindly man who sympathizes with Doris's plight and tries to offer support, only to become corrupted into a demonic monster by Count Lee.  The quavering tone that Kramer uses for the character is fine.  However, a lot of his dialogue comes across as very choppy and stilted, and as such, he doesn't get to emote as much as he would like.  Even in the scene where he's cautioning Doris about her affections for D, there is something about his delivery that feels very pedantic.  The worst moment of his performance is when he becomes a vampire; like Count Lee, his voice is given an electronic amplifying device which, again, comes across as very artificial, and his dialogue is acted laughably, particularly the guffawing and his opening line "Yes, that's who I used to be until yesterday".  Thankfully, this only lasts for a few minutes, because once he is stabbed, he returns to his "normal" tone where he begs for Doris' forgiveness before finally falling to his death.  In short, Kramer is OK during Fehring's normal moments but not great, but his "evil" transformation scene could have been much better executed.
In Sentai's dub, John Swasey speaks for the doctor with a voice that doesn't sound too different from his work in the Rebuild of Evangelion movies as Gendo Ikari.  Nonetheless, while it is a bit of a jarring change to this viewer, I soon got accustomed to it.  He sounds surprisingly more aggressive during the scene where describes the tragedy of Ransylva's interment camp which lead to a brutal slaughter on behalf of Count Lee, while Kramer was more restrained.  Otherwise I didn't have any major problems with his turn as the doctor; he sounds more down-to-earth and warm otherwise.  But the real triumph here is how Swasey handles his transformation into a vampire.  It's much more believable and less cheesy.  There are no electronic vocal effects to alter his voice, just a raspy change of vocal tone on Swasey's part.  Instead of guffawing, he gives a creepy chuckle, and his dialogue sounds like this: "Oh, I WAS the doctor, dear.  But I've changed!"  Swasey's rendition of this moment is all the more convincing because of it.  One thing that struck me as odd is his death scene; I liked that Kramer reverted to his natural voice for the doctor when he utters his last line "Doris, please forgive me!".  Here, Swasey shouts "Doris, please!" which doesn't sound all that different from his vampire one.  It's not a major detriment, just an interesting change of pace.  Otherwise, I had no major issues.

GRECO (Steve Bulen, Streamline Version; Jay Hickman, Sentai Version) -- The final major character to the story is the spoiled, arrogant elder's son from Doris's village of Ransylva.  He is sort of like Gaston from Disney's Beauty and the Beast:  he wants Doris for himself and uses bullying to get his way (first, from informing everyone in the village about Doris's contamination, and later on, threatens to kill Lamika while blinding Doris with a blaring candle).  At one point, he is also flanked by two girls.  Ultimately, however, his role is rather small, and he gets bumped off even before the story is over.  Bulen's vocal tone for the character is a bit too wispy sounding, although he handles his "villainous" moments fairly well (particularly when he screams about Doris' condition).  Simultaneously, however, he is also handicapped with lots of stilted dialogue (including one very rushed "You want to play rough, huh?") and also speaks with a rather phony and laughable accent.  Again, it's an average performance, at best.
When I first heard Hickman's take on the character, I was surprised.  He provides Greco with a Southern drawl which I found odd initially, at least until I realized that the setting of Ransylva is in some ways, similar to an old Western town.  I soon got over that discomfort because aside from this new choice of style, Hickman gives Greco a lot more character than Bulen ever did.  His voice fits Greco's appearance just right, and he does a fine job of bringing out Greco's smugness.  He even delivers a couple of funny lines such as "I'll leave you with Fangey here" and "That kid jus' called me a stinkin' liar!"  There's a slight comical edge to his Greco that Bulen lacks, which makes the character arguably more interesting than just another run-of-the-mill suitor.

MAYOR ROHMAN (Tom Wyner, Streamline Version; David Wald, Sentai Version) -- The mayor of Ransylva only appears in one scene, and his primary role is to initially sentence the contaminated Doris to the internment camp until Ferringo and D intervene on her behalf.  Streamline's version casts Wyner in the part, and while his voice is OK, his few lines are hampered by stacatto-sounding dialogue and a vague accent, which, again, comes across as unconvincing.  It's not a BAD performance, but it's not as good as it could have been.
Wald, by contrast, gives the character a much more authoritative tone and sounds very more natural in his delivery.  Luckily, he also disguises his voice enough to the point that the viewer doesn't even realize that he's also voicing Count Lee.  One thing I initially wasn't sure of was the Southern accent, again from my over familiarness with the first version.  At least until I remembered what the setting was supposed to be.

SHERIFF DALTON (Kirk Thornton, Streamline Version; Mark X. Laskowski, Sentai Version) -- This character only has one or two lines, so I'm not sure if this really counts.  But both Thornton and Laskowski seemed fine to me; neither outstanding nor dreadful, but functional.

SNAKE WOMEN / MEDUSA (Joyce Kurtz, Streamline Version; Tiffany Grant, Sentai Version) -- When D storms Count Lee's castle for the first time, he is cast into the catacombs where he comes across this trio of beautiful, sultry women strumming lyres who turn out to be ravenously dangerous lamia.  Compared to most of her other co-stars in the Streamline dub, Kurtz doesn't come across too badly as these characters.  The low-pitched tone as the sisters works fine and she cackles with demonic relish during the transformation.  Only quibble is that sometimes she overacts and the death scream is weaker than the rest of her take.  Otherwise, she's more or less OK.

Sentai, meanwhile, makes the unusual decision to cast the woman best known as Asuka Langley Sohryu from Evangelion.  As it turns out, it couldn't have been a more fitting choice.  Like Kurtz, she gives the sisters a very sultry tone dripping with delicious evil.  Not a single moment during her brief screen time does Grant show any vocal cuing to her more better known role, which makes her unrecognizable turn all the more complimentary.  One thing she does differently is that she doesn't cackle as madly as Kurtz and whatever she does is very… understated, but she does do her death scream more convincingly, if a tad annoyingly.  Tiffany should play more roles of this type, this performance really shows that I've underestimated her as a voice actress.

The rest of the cast are mostly just minor roles in both dubs.  One thing that I will say is that Count Lee's monsters, the bat like Gimlet, the hunchbacked "spider" monster Chullah and the titanic Golem all sound less cheesy than their Streamline counterparts.  (The latter monster utters a very cheesy "GOING SOMEWHERE?!" in the former version, whereas here he simply roars his name.)  There isn't any major dialogue here, just vocal sound effects, and their respective actors in the Sentai version play them more convincingly.  

Performances aside, there are other issues with Streamline's dub.  One of them is the script adaptation, as applied by Wyner and Macek.  It is a very liberal translation with quite a lot of alterations from the subtitled script and a fair share of added-in dialogue.  I often don't have a problem with this approach for dubs like Disney's Kiki's Delivery Service and Castle in the Sky or Funimation's Fullmetal Alchemist -- mainly because all three somehow manage to still maintain the essence of the original and are executed with skill and professionalism.  With D, however, the liberal/added-in approach suffers not just in the fact the extra dialogue is either cliche or corny, but that the dialogue doesn't flow very smoothly.  As mentioned earlier, much of the script is choppy and stilted, with lines that are either forced or laughably delivered.  Of course, considering the nature of the source material, it would be difficult to imagine how it could be improved, but one listen to modern dubs and this, well, it only shows how far dubbing has come since the early '90s.

By comparison, Matt Greenfield's script is much better written and sounds nowhere nearly as stilted.  It's more faithful as well, dialing back most of the added in dialogue that Wyner's script suffered from.  Count Lee no longer talks in the opening scene, for instance, and Doris thankfully doesn't scream so much.  Fans who found fault with Streamline's treatment of that scene should rejoice.  What's also notable is that Greenfield's version restores much of the nuance and subtlety that Streamline's version misses out on.  Example #1:  the scene where Count Lee learns about the existence of D.  In the Streamline version, he acts as though he knew about D from the start and as such, comes across as monologuing to himself.  This time, Lee communicates with the shifting mist in his throne room as if he is having a conversation, and is surprised to find out about his newest foe and anticipating something to relive his 10,000 years of boredom.  Better still is the writing of that scene; it's not as "on the nose" as the Streamline version, which struck many as "dumbing down"; it sounds more fluent and less choppy. Example #2:  the scene where Doris implores D to bite her.  The Streamline version ends that scene with an exchange that is ripped off from The Empire Strikes Back.  (Doris:  I love you.  D:  I know.)  Sentai handles this bit much more closer to the translation with less corny dialogue.  (Doris:  D, please.  D:  I can't.)  The scene feels less "on the nose" and all the more genuine because of Sentai's choices.  The new dub script also bears the distinction of getting D's species right.  For the first time, the character is referred to as a "dhampir."  Both the Streamline dub and the otherwise superior Bloodlust mistranslated this term as "dampiel" and "dunpeal".  There are a few moments when Greenfield does add in lines, but luckily, they are brief and not out of character with the material.  For instance, Count Lee uttering "Behold, your hero!" to Doris when he's showing the latter an image of D being tortured by the Snake Women being one such example.  Cliche though that line may be, both Wald's natural delivery of it and the timing dilutes any potential negatives.    Likewise, Lee's additional uttering of "How invigorating!" after he murders Rei in a most repulsive manner, although not part of the subtitles, is again, brief and handled well.  The only minor quibble about Sentai's otherwise superior script is one line being undubbed, which is D telling L'armica to go back to the castle during the scene where he, Dan, and Doris all return after a frightful confrontation with Greco and the converted Dr. Ferringo.  Streamline's version, in its defense retains that line, but Sentai's doesn't.  I'm not sure if this was a case of Greenfield overlooking that line or an intentional omission to make the movie less "dumbed down", but either way, it's an insignificant, but nonetheless curious change.

Another word of note:  the opening prologue in this new version is accompanied by a sonorous voiceover, probably David Wald or Andy McAvin.  This was something that the Streamline dub didn't do, but keep in mind the Japanese version of Vampire Hunter D also had voiceover.  So this isn't a case of adding in dialogue for the heck of it, but staying true to the original.

Streamline's version of Vampire Hunter D also made a couple of minor alterations to Tetsuya Komuro's moody score.  Most of it is just stretching the music tracks from the original OST, making them longer to the point where they drift into scenes involving dialogue.  I am not necessarily vehemently against this practice, as there are times when it can be tastefully done.  However, there are two instances where the extension of the music comes across as out of place with the visuals:  1) When D falls into the catacombs and passes by skeletal corpses (referred to by his left hand as the remnants of a war ten-thousand years ago).  2) After D gores Golem to death and escapes into the forest, with Rei Ginsei on his trail, leading to the latter to do a surprise attack while he witnesses his comrade Gimlet impaled to a tree.  Here the extended tracks sound triumphant and distinctively calmer, as if the hero has escaped to safety.  The resulting changes make the scenes jarring.  Whether this was due to the music and effects track having them or a case of practices to make the movie less quiet and more "accessible", it's a curious choice.  If you're going to add more music do it properly to the point where it matches the action on screen, not just for the sake of it.  Sentai's version does away with all that, and the silent scenes are now scoreless.  This makes the two aforementioned scenes play much more effectively.

(In fact, Greenfield himself has confirmed that it was because of those music issues that Sentai was not able to acquire the Streamline dub.  Per the contract, they were not allowed to make similar alterations—the licensor didn't catch onto the music rights until decades after the fact.)

The final major nail in the coffin for the Streamline dub of Vampire Hunter D is on a technical level.  The dialogue itself has a very hollow, flat quality which almost gives the impression that the dub was recorded in a sound studio with poor acoustics.  Or perhaps with outdated audio equipment.  Either way, it results for a sound mix that is lacking in dynamic range and clarity--remixing it to Dolby Digital 5.1 as the DVD release does only succeeds in highlighting these technical faults.  Considering that the dub was made in 1992, part of this is understandable, but that is also is very unevenly synched to the mouth movements further excacerbates its overall dated quality.  The dub was originally a mono recording, and the remix itself feels very unnatural; the center channel conveys the quality of the dub in its form while the artificial attempts to remix the dialogue/music into stereo in the left and right front channels and muddy sound effects in the rear channels only succeed in making the Streamline dub sound muddy.  The Sentai dub sounds much more crisply recorded and clean by comparison; of course it helps that technology has come a long way since the 90's.  But more importantly, the music and sound effects sound fantastic and are no longer artificial.  There are even subtle reverb effects in certain scenes that Streamline's version doesn't provide, giving it a much more dramatic and "complete" presentation.

All in all, Streamline's Vampire Hunter D has not aged very well; perhaps it may have been marginally better than many other dubs made during its era, but due to the laughable accents, stiff performances and dialogue and poor sound quality, it comes across very amateurish, especially when a good majority of today's dubs have set much higher standards.  I can just imagine this dub being highlighted on Mystery Science Theatre 3000.  2001's Vampire Hunter D--Bloodlust, helmed by Jack Fletcher, is a much better effort and more easy to listen to.

Sentai's redub of this title has a couple of imperfections, too (the use of Southern accents for certain characters, for instance, one weak performance and a curiously undubbed line), but on the whole it's a very welcome improvement over the original.  It does a better job of bringing Vampire Hunter D closer to its intended roots as a serious film with only occasional humor.  Critics and the anime community in general were not kind to the Streamline version, staking it with scathing reviews.  (Cases in point:  The Anime Review, AnimeJump's Mike Toole, who declared it to be "cheesy", and many Amazon customer reviews from way back in the early 2000's for the Streamline VHS releases.)  Time will tell how Sentai's newer version will be received (either way, old-school fans of the Streamline version will find it jarring and make complaints about how the former dub is "superior" to the newer one).  Personally, however, I am quite pleased with the end results of Sentai's version and for me, it enhanced a mediocre movie into a flawed minor classic.  I still maintain Bloodlust is superior, but Sentai nonetheless deserves kudos for dusting off the original Vampire Hunter D and providing a fresh new coat of paint… er, blood.  Newcomers should be fine with it.