English Dubbed Naruto

x_rex30 · Post by **x_rex30** » Mon Jan 16, 2006 4:04 am

I don't care what it's aimed at. All I know is that when I first started watching it, I had no idea about its popularity and the target audience.. but with 13 year old kids sounding 25(Gaara, Sasuke), and with characters using many analogies and plot curves that sometimes tend to get violent, this show didn't seem to me that it's going to feel like some immature sounding kids show that only kids are going to like/watch.. but the dub sounds too much like a kid show with similar acting from voice actors that a lot like teen titans..

I get embarrassed to show people Naruto in English form. I've seen plenty of children animes in japanese to realize that the Naruto is more mature sounding in terms of actors compared to other kids show, that's why I say the enlish dub ruined the overall feel of it. Even when Naruto is being serious in the english it's hard to believe in characters taking him serious in the show.. he sounds too much like a whiny kid with no point in the enlish version and notice how even when he sounds cool when being serious at times in the earlier episodes of Naruto in Japanese, notice later on in the series he sounds even more cool at the more serious moments and more mature. That better happen with the english version.. as for now in the enlish version, he always seems to sound worse when he get's serious and about the same as the japanese version when he's being an immature fool. Damn so much embarrassment has come from watching it by other people. And odd comments have come insulting it. That has never happened with the japanese version and it has been easy to get people into the series. When I try to get people into the series through the english version it seems to never work. Go figure.

SummonerMai · Post by **SummonerMai** » Mon Jan 16, 2006 12:57 pm

The dub is o.k -_- Just some of the voices *Naruto's cough* Is just unbarable.

Dylan's forcelance · Post by **Dylan's forcelance** » Mon Jan 16, 2006 3:13 pm

Naruto is aimed at young audiences? That is news to me... I thought it was more a 13+ sprt of anime. 11 years and under anime is more like sialor moon, and pokemon, and digimon.... and all those other "mon" shows. Naruto seem a little more..... deep then that. Plus the voilence.... and the ninja center fold jutsu, (aka, the "sexy" jutsu) It seems hardly childish... But I must say, although I am used to Naruto's voice now, I did think that at first, it was "young" sounding, and sort of annoying. I think that realistically though, It sounds like the right voice for someone his age, but lets face it, most anime dosn't go for "realistic" voices in youthful characters. It tends to sound older. Maybe it is meant to attract an older audience. *shrugs*

Overall, I am ok with the dub.

But I must ask, In the dub, did anyone else notice that Haku, when he was little, sounded totally boy like, but when he was older, he sounded like a girl? Shouldn't it be the other way around? I think his voice should have been more "girly" when he was younger. It fits the character better.

HyperTails · Post by **HyperTails** » Mon Jan 16, 2006 3:24 pm

Personally, I'm satisfied with the dub. Compared to hundreds of other animes, Naruto got a decent dub. Sure, it's editted, big whoop! Nobody is forcing anyone to watch it, and they could always just buy the uncut bilangual DVD box sets when they come out. Sure, the dub could definately have been much better, but out of all honesty, how many animes get a dub just as good, if not better, than the original?

I definately like the original version much better, but I don't get too nitpicky about the dub. The only real complaints I have with the dub are major cuts (Naruto and Sasuke kissing, Naruto stabbing his hand, etc.), them translating dattebayo to "Believe it!" (that word should never have been translatted to anything), and when the speeches don't sound as dramatic as they should be (hence Naruto and Zabuza on Saturday).

BasharOfTheAges · Post by **BasharOfTheAges** » Mon Jan 16, 2006 5:12 pm

Dylan's forcelance wrote:Naruto is aimed at young audiences? That is news to me... I thought it was more a 13+ sprt of anime. 11 years and under anime is more like sialor moon, and pokemon, and digimon.... and all those other "mon" shows. Naruto seem a little more..... deep then that. Plus the voilence.... and the ninja center fold jutsu, (aka, the "sexy" jutsu) It seems hardly childish... But I must say, although I am used to Naruto's voice now, I did think that at first, it was "young" sounding, and sort of annoying. I think that realistically though, It sounds like the right voice for someone his age, but lets face it, most anime dosn't go for "realistic" voices in youthful characters. It tends to sound older. Maybe it is meant to attract an older audience. *shrugs*

Societal differences are what brought you to that conclusion. What you consider "more mature" is fine for an 11 year old in Japan. The average 11 year old there is simply "more mature" than than the average 11 year old in the U.S.

You mention Pokemon, Digimo, etc... those shows were targeted to an even younger auidence to begin with in both countries. The primary pokemon group in the U.S. was the elementary school age group (although the appeal did branch off into middleschoolers - who are prone to obsessive collecting).

I'm not saying people of a certian age can't like anything nor should they feel asahmed for doing so (hell, a cousin of mine was an MP in South Korea and routienly watched Spongebob into his mid 20s), And i'm not saying Dubs don't often kill the feel of a series (I will not go out of my way to watch any anime on american TV because of this), but it's silly to delude yourself into thinking that the companies that control Naruto in this country have changed the target audience -- they've just did a bit of "standards correcting" -- blame the FCC.

Dylan's forcelance · Post by **Dylan's forcelance** » Mon Jan 16, 2006 5:45 pm

The dub is not meant for kids in japan, (granted though, they are a bit more mature then children here) It was (and is) meant for children HERE. Therefore, The targeted audience IS different. Hence the reason for the censored, cut scenes. I think to say that it wasn't edited to fit the audience here would be deluding yourself. If Naruto IS directed towards a younger audience, then the dub is better then good! What more can you expect? I doubt that the kids really care about Naruto's voice, and I really don't think that they will want to read subtitles. For older audiences, that want more from Naruto then what the dub offers, then stick to the Original sub. But it is not really fair to bash the dub for being everything that OUR young audiences want from an anime.

dokool · Post by **dokool** » Tue Jan 17, 2006 12:48 am

Dylan's forcelance wrote:The dub is not meant for kids in japan, (granted though, they are a bit more mature then children here) It was (and is) meant for children HERE. Therefore, The targeted audience IS different.

Having attended the first Naruto movie in a a packed Shibuya theater where the average age (excluding the parents who were with children) was 10, I can conclude that you are completely and utterly full of shit.

Naruto *is* geared towards kids in Japan, and I've seen it with my own eyes, especially in how they merchandise it (hello backpacks!). The manga is serialized in <u>Shounen</u> Jump (Shonen is usually translated as 'Young Boy' but can apply to teenager). This means that the age range for Naruto fandom in Japan is roughly... oh, 10-16 and then you have older otaku.

What you seem to have no concept of is that the difference in the CULTURE, not the age group. In Japan, violence and "ecchi"-ness are much more permissible than in the US, mainly because our country was founded by Puritans and theirs wasn't.

Bashar is correct, it's about the societial differences. Don't paint every culture with the same brush and try to remember that different countries have different cultures and customs.

Genux · Post by **Genux** » Tue Jan 17, 2006 6:26 am

SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Swiftling · Post by **Swiftling** » Tue Jan 17, 2006 8:14 pm

Genux wrote:SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

well, let's file this one under the "closeminded" file.

anyways. It's not like it's the end of the world it's dubbed, as said before to make money they appeal towards the audience that's going to rake in the money for them... from that point... they are doing a fine job.

lenu · Post by **lenu** » Wed Jan 18, 2006 12:51 am

I have no major problems with it. I think the all the characters, yes even Naruto, are well cast and sound like I thought they would. Although there are a few places where the acting could've been a bit better, I think it's solid and one of the better dub jobs out there.