Who's your favorite voice actors and why?

[bobbarker31]

Voice acting can make or break a series... There are some series that if the voice actors are bad, you can't bear to get through a single episode. The reverse is true too. Some voice actors are so good that I actually look at their other series and films to check out next. Who are your favorities, what would you call their best characters, and why do you think so?

My favorite female English is Kari Wahlgren. She has range. From Haruhara Haruko in FLCL to Cher in Wolf's Rain to many other titles. She is currently Fuu in Samurai Champloo and you all need to seriously check it out if you have not yet. Kari is great at accents and defining characters without putting them over the top.

My favorite female Japanese is Tomoko Kawakami. She was the first voice actress that really gripped me in a show's original language. I may not have understood the language, but she made the character of Utena Tenjou come alive for me in Revolutionary Girl Utena.

My favorite male English is Steven Jay Blum/David Lucas. You have heard him as the laconic and unforgetable Spike Speigel of Cowboy Bebop and the playboy searching for his memories Roger Smith of The Big O. He's another reason to check out the new Samurai Champloo series.

My favorite male Japanese is Takehito Koyasu. A very prolific actor that has turned up in many good series. Hail him as Lord Ilpalazzo in Excel Saga or loath him as Touga Kiryuu in Revolutionary Girl Utena. He was able to walk the fine line of respect and absurdity with occasional trips into either side.

[Farlo]

beau billingslea

why? because he's badass.

[Spikebomb00]

Richard Cox: I only know of three things he plays in but I think they are all good. He plays the voice of Inuyasha, Bit Cloud from Zoids, and he played qicksilver from cartoon network's old X-Men Evolution cartoon.

and I also like Steven Jay Blum: there's soooo many things he plays voiced for, (I'm serious it's over 100 different things) but my favorite is Spike Spiegel

Oh, and Vic Mignogna, From Ed Elric on Full-Metal Alchemist

I have a lot I guess, but oh well

[angelx03]

My favorite female English is Kari Wahlgren. She has range. From Haruhara Haruko in FLCL to Cher in Wolf's Rain to many other titles. She is currently Fuu in Samurai Champloo and you all need to seriously check it out if you have not yet. Kari is great at accents and defining characters without putting them over the top.

Kari is indeed amazing, and she does a pretty good job for cute girl roles like Tsubasa from Figure 17 and Sakura from Cardcaptor Sakura the Movie 2. I still can't believe she's able to pull off Haruko; it sounds almost like the original.

And everyone loves Crispin Freeman. This guy actually made some really good NY dubs for Central Park Media and RightStuf like Zelgadis in Slayers and Tylor in Irresponsible Captain Tylor. Then he started to some really good ones in LA like Fuma in X TV, Hideaki in Chobits, and Alex Rowe in Last Exile.

[Yukina_Raven]

Kari Wahlgren was also Robin from Witch Hunter Robin. She, Crispin Freeman, Steven Jay Blum/David Lucas and Mary Elizabeth McGlynn/Melissa Williamson (Major in GitS: SAC; Julia from Cowboy Bebop) are by fair my favorite English VA.

I'm also found of the VA of Hige from Wolf's Rain, Joshua Seth. But only as Hige, no one else. ^^;

[Spike_ Spiegel]

Steven Jay Blum is the best! Come on, you know he is!

[Spikebomb00]

Steven Jay Blum is the best! Come on, you know he is!

Well yeah actually he is one of the best VA of today. Like I said earlier he's done over 100 different jobs. Some are small parts, some are big. And he has really good range too. Did you know he did the voice of.... That red dinosaur from the third season of digimon. I forgot it's name. Usually becoming a VA only a part-time job but he pulled it off and that proves he's one of the best. I don't know if digimon still comes on but I know he's one of the producers. Or used to be, whatever

[spike bomb 11]

Yes, Steven Jay Blum is the best . Thats crazy, over a 100 voices? man, like to see sombody bet that

[Zephyrias]

Hilary Haag as Rosette in Chrono Crusade hits the mark right on the spot! Every line and foley she does are right on time and are just excellent, and I believe it's the voice itself rather than the lines that make Rosette's character.

Amanda Winn Lee as Mimiru in .hack//SIGN is also perfect for her part. Mimiru is somewhat young, but at the same time, she's very wise in her own way, and Amanda voices it very nicely.

Valerie Arem as Morganna is also someone I really admire for this particular part. Her voice sounds calm and gentle, but behind that, there's something distrustful about her. I think it's a rather difficult role to play, so I appreciate her for that.

Brianne Siddal as Tsukasa is pretty good too. Her voice sounds rather 'artificial' and 'planned out' at parts, but I realize that Tsukasa is a difficult character to play (and his constant habit of saying random things in a conversation doesn't really help either). If anything else, I was totally convinced that Tsukasa's English dub was a guy at first until I read the cast, so Brianne deserves some credit right there.

Justin Cook as Yusuke Urameshi in Yu Yu Hakusho is pretty good in my opinion. It gives Yusuke the right 'punk, delinquent' feel, and Justin's acting characterizes him very well (although the drastic translations in the dubbing may also contribute to his characterization, but I won't go into that... ).

I hadn't really heard too many Japanese voice actors (I only just started collecting DVD's about a month ago), so I don't really have a favorite. It's hard for me to say, since I can't understand Japanese, so even if I did list one, I wouldn't know if he/she is actually good or not.

[Holmes]

Kotono Mitsuishi who did the voices for Excel in Excel Saga, Misato for Evangelion and Usagi for Sailor Moon and many others I don't know about. Her range from Misato to Excel is just mind-boggling.