Admitting that you’re wrong is always a hard thing to do, especially on a public
platform like YouTube.
Opinions can change, or new perspectives and views can be brought to light which can
ultimately lead to a change in opinion.
So it's only appropriate that I do the following that’s been long overdue:
Alright, let’s do this properly, are you ready?
Get your cameras ready.
This is for everyone who are still salty about my Nozaki-kun review:
I
Was.
Wrong.
Now, don’t get me wrong, that doesn’t mean the anime’s better than having the
sensation of Fujiko Mine kissing you.
I still think the show isn’t as supremely amazing or memorable as some claim it to be,
just not to the extreme degree I thought before.
After all, I did give it the “Skip It” recommendation, and that’s only one step
off from the rating I gave School Days.
And let’s face it, there are only a few things in this world that can live up to that man-made
disaster.
[Gets hit in the head with School Days DVD case]
Nozaki-kun continues my belief that comedy anime is usually best watched in the language
that you are most fluent in.
Assuming of course that A) The adaptation staff actually gave two shits B)
The material in question was good to begin with
and C) it’s not Nichijou, which is perfect and needs no adaptation.
I tend to find that subtitles get in the way of comedic timing, after all humor works best
when it hits you directly at the correct time rather than your eyes scrolling downwards
and then having the punchline delayed.
Right! He's a professional.
He's going to take this pretty seriously.
[Cut to Nozaki not taking this seriously]
Hi, I'm Mumeko. um. I'm so hoppy to meet you.
Are you my special some-bunny?
What in the world is this supposed to be?
This is a recurring issue that I have with foreign comedy as a whole, which is more of
a cultural problem.
Their sense of humor functions differently from mine for instance, so I would have to
get into their shoes in order to understand the entire picture, and oftentimes the subtitles
don’t help especially when it’s translated too literally.
Remember the good old days of yellow translator notes that littered the screen with background
information in order to explain the joke?
Yeah, those were the days.
In this specific case, I’d have to say that the dub for Nozaki-kun is amazing and single-handedly
made me change my entire opinion of the series.
[Angry mob sounds from outside]
SCREW YOU!
[Josheph Jostar: OH SHIT!]
I’m of course not trying to say that all comedy anime requires an English dub to get
the entire context.
My love for Nichijou is indicative of that.
But others in the same genre which I enjoy: Cromartie High School, Sgt.Frog, and
even Ghost Stories (though that wasn’t originally a comedy) all have amazing dubs that I enjoyed
far more than the original version.
A dub can fix the problems that I have narratively with the sub.
Assuming the ADR staff cares enough to respect the boundaries and integrity of the original,
but not afraid to insert some localization they feel could enhance the performance overall.
So why do you hang out with Chiyo so much?
Oh! I get it.
So naughty
Moeblob characters are difficult to voice within the English-speaking vocal range, it
usually comes off as strained or cringe worthy instead of sounding cutesy.
If it’s adorable in the Japanese, then chances are the dub will make it sound like a middle-aged
woman trying to voice a 5-year old.
We’re all too familiar with these scenarios: grow attached to these high-pitched voices
we’ve become accustomed to, only for the dub cast to be announced, listen to the clips
that were released, only to get the looming feeling of disappointment crashing down on
you like the… uh… what was that one anime again?
I can’t help but think it’s awful…
Almost as if it’s been wiped from existence...
YEP!
Wiped out of existance!
Good thing it doesn't exist anymore!
RIGHT?
I don’t think it’s a problem due to the acting per se, but rather the difference in
language structure and how it’s spoken.
When it reaches the point where the actor sounds and speaks noticeably older than the
character they’re voicing, that’s where the immersion breaks.
Anime characters have a tendency to dramatize their voices to the nth degree, so it can
translate as awkward when the dub actors are trying to emulate this because they weren’t
trained to act like that in the first place.
The dub for Nozaki didn’t have a problem with that whatsoever.
It made the comedic timing that much better when you weren’t behind or ahead of the
joke depending on how fast you read the subtitles.
Honestly, I think that Juliet Simmons (JubyPhonic) gave us one of the best adaptations of a character
like Chiyo, because she is not a one size fits all character.
She can be straight-to-the-point, she can laugh realistically, have a good time, but
she can also…well the best way to describe it is that she can be a bubbly fangirl when
Nozaki is involved.
In other words, kinda like a normal person.
Hey there Nozaki!
You wanna ride? I got a seat here just for you!
Come on! Let's put the pedal to the metal!
So she DID like it
I honestly didn’t think that her character
could have been adapted as well as it was but hey, I’ve been proven wrong before.
Like with Tia Ballard voicing Chiho from Devil is A Part-Timer.
Their performances added so much more nuance and layered emotions which flew over my head
initially that fortunately came through in the dub.
The debatable romance between Chiyo and Nozaki I thought initially was just them pussyfooting
around with no actual reason behind it for the sake of creating the usual hijinks of
misunderstandings.
The dub made me see that was the whole enjoyment.
Nozaki is a loveable idiot, but in the sub he always came off as aloof.
It’s kinda difficult to explain, but the English version provided some much-needed
warmth to his character, as if he was more empathetic than his Japanese counterpart.
I didn't mean to trouble you with this.
I'm sorry.
Uh no! No trouble at all!
So, did you ever find out where she ended up running off to?
Of course with an adaptation, there will never be a completely accurate translation as the
vision of the dub staff vs. the original cast won’t always align.
The subject of localization is understandably a touchy subject with fans and to an extent
myself as well, because the ADR staff is sacrificing the accuracy of the original translation for
the sake of accessibility.
It’s safe to say that a lot of these endeavours don’t work out and the result yields in
completely misrepresenting the work as a whole.
With Nozaki-kun, I didn’t get any of that.
While it’s true most of the changes revolved around slangs to suit a more Western mindset,
it was altered to an extent where it only highlighted the quirks that were unique to
the character in mind.
Watching Nozaki-kun made me realize that while it falls under the romantic comedy genre and
its storyline generally revolving around Chiyo’s unrequited love and mishaps, it’s not really
the shipping that matters, but rather watching the friendship the two managed to forge with
each other and their schoolmates borne from a misconstrued confession.
And to be honest, I’m alright with that.
Do I think it would have been better if it had a romantic plot that went somewhere?
Yes, but that was not the anime’s original intent to begin with.
Sure, it sucks not having the two pair up at the end, but the laughs and
silliness they were able to bring with equal amounts of density was worth more than enough
for me to admit my mistakes.
Nozaki!
You are my density!
I mean...
My destiny!
Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun proves that despite it not originally made with an English-speaking
audience in mind, the medium isn’t linguistically restricted when matching the level of the
Japanese, or in this case, can make it better.
Whether or not you think dubs deserve to be part of the anime industry lexicon, I would
argue they can be just as important as the original as it’s another form of artistic
expression from actors bringing their own opinions and interpretations of the characters
to life.
Each prospective actor brings a myriad of experiences that could be contextualized to
add depth and emotion to their characters.
And quite honestly, that’s the way I prefer it, because laying out a concrete guideline
on how dubs should sound stifles creativity, and we wouldn’t have gotten such a wide
array of quality interpretations.
Sure, there will always be the odd trainwreck and mostly mediocre releases, but every once
in awhile, you get a gem like Nozaki-kun and that makes the entire ordeal worth it.
And now, for the bad news.
Unfortunately, the dub isn’t available anywhere for legal streaming.
You can watch the show over on Crunchyroll sure, but the dub...well you have to buy the
DVD’s for that and I’m sure that’s a big barrier for some people.
But if you can, I highly recommend it.
The dub alone allows me to present Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun with an updated recommendation
to “Buy It”.
Not just because you have to, but because it’s worth it.
Thank you all so much for watching, a special thank you to my patrons, specifically patrons
Siri Yamako, Calhounboy, Joshua Garcia and Victor Ekmark you guys are supremely awesome.
Until next time ladies, gentlemen, and others… stay frosty.