Hunter x Hunter (2011)

@ShigyC OHH SNAP https://twitter.com/JoeZieja/status/1013440789895045120
Now it might be Star Fox. No complaints there if so, much as I've become quite a fan of Cam Clarke

@Shaun Ince I'd imagine he'd be using his Birthright!Leo voice for Merum. Which is basically this if you wish to hear what he'll most likely sound like: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vi-6ZnD4zS0.
I'm confident he'll nail it based on that alone. Either I can't wait to hear him in action. (Also: If they cast Erica Lindbeck as Komugi I'll be both pissed and laughing).

@Soul-dragon "If they cast Erica Lindbeck as Komugi I'll be both pissed and laughing"

It would be an unexpected casting choice and one that would be a "Your Lie in April" reunion, however I'm not sure if Erica Lindbeck will be brought back in to voice another character.

She previously voiced Pakunoda in the "Phantom Troupe" arc and ther haven't used her after her character's demise, nor have I seen the likes of Patrick Seitz, Todd Haberkorn, Kira Buckland, Carrie Keranen, Sean Chiplock, Marieve Herington Spike Spencer and Richard Epcar in the show after they previously portrayed the following characters and not used again, especially the former two. it seems that some of these actors are only cast for just ONE role (be it a "one-off" character, or a secondary) in the show and once their characters aren't seen for a while they don't bring them back.

Although it does surprise me that the show continuously re-use the likes of certain actoras that we continuously keep on hearing like Kyle Hebert, Ray Chase, Tony Oliver, Tom Bauer, Jon Allen, etc.., mostly the former three.

But going back on track sorry about that, I really don't think they might use Erica Lindbeck, since either the voice director or the casting director want to have someone different in the role. But I do envision either Christine Marie Cabanos or Xanthe Huynh as Komugi, especially the former since it does surprise me that Christine Cabanos hasn't been cast in the show and it would be a shame if she didn't end up getting a role in the show, given some of the characters who I had as my head-cannon choice for Christine ended up being cast for someone else instead (e.g. Janice Roman Roku, Faye Mata, Reba Buhr).

@DisneyAnimefan1995 I was joking. Anyways I'm predicting Christine to be Komugi as well. But if not her than I wouldn't be surprised to see Stephanie Sheh, Cherami Leigh or Eden Rigel take the part.

@Soul-dragon I very badly want it to be Xanthe Huynh.

@larkchronicles I'm on the fence if Xanthe Huynh will be cast as Komugi right now as she already voiced three characters already: Potclean, the Ortho Sister and one of Zazan's servants in episode 96.

From what I'm noticing within the show run's, it seems that the casting director and Viz Media might be using a different voice actress for Komugi, as she is an important character during the third half of the arc.

It has happened before with the other voice actors being cast as this specific major character and no one else in the earlier episodes of HxH and why these actors were saved as this particular character such as:

1. Erica Lindbeck - Pakunoda

2. Patrick Seitz - Uvogin

3. Todd Haberkorn - Genthru

4. Kira Buckland - Zushi

5. Tara Sands - Bisky

6. D.C. Douglas - Shoot

7. Ben Diskin - Knuckle

8. Karen Strassman - Palm Siberia

9. Grant George - Knov

10. Christopher Smith - Kite

11. Cindy Robinson - Chimera Ant Queen

12. Zach Aguilar - Colt

13. Max Mittelman - Meruem

14. Sarah Anne Williams - Neferpitou

15. Chris Niosi - Pouf


It seems the likely candidates for Komugi are:

1. Christine Marie Cabanos
2. Ryan Bartley
3. Cherami Leigh
4. Cassandra Lee Morris
5. Xanthe Huynh*

@Soul-dragon YES!!! I totally called! :D

@Damalis I'm so excited tha Max has been cast as Meruem (The King), he was my first head-canon choice for this character

@Damalis I honestly am leaning towards Cherami Leigh, Cassandra Morris or Sarah Anne Williams for Neferpitou, mostly the former since Cherami previously voiced another character from Ayumi Fujimura: Kneesocks from "Panty & Stocking". Although I wouldn't be surprised if some other actress will take the role such as Ryan Bartley, Stephanie Sheh or Casey Mongillo.

@DisneyAnimefan1995

Congrats, you were right. Neferpitou is voiced by Sarah Anne Williams.

Jonathan Fahn also joined the cast as a minor character named Pig. I think he was also voicing Baro last week albeit uncredited. That character sounded a lot like Hoppered the Gauntlet from Trigun.

@Grenzer Just like Sarah Anne Williams said she likes to play the "crazy characters" as shown by the characters she previously played: Nonon (Kill la Kill), Shion Ozu (Coppelion).

"I think he was also voicing Baro last week albeit uncredited."

You sure it was Jonathan Fahn as Baro, I have a hunch it's his brother Tom Fahn instead, since the voice he used sound very reminiscent to the Kiriko's, but still on the fence on that one.

@DisneyAnimefan1995 Don't forget this scene from Madoka Magica. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTyoq_-eSII
She does great with the crazy archetype so this casting is pretty much perfect no complaints here.

@DisneyAnimefan1995

It could have been Tom, but he was last in the show more than 15 episodes ago. And Jonathan at times sounds like his brother, especially at the higher vocal registers.

I took another listen to it and I'm even more certain it is Jonathan. As I said, Baro sounds exactly like Hoppered the Gauntlet from Trigun, a prime example of Jonathan Fahn using a higher pitch in his voice.

@Grenzer To be fair, Tom Fahn has been uncredited before. But yeah, it was hard for me to really place him as Tom Fahn myself

@Damalis I'm even more excited to see who they will cast for Morel, Knov and their students (Knuckle, Shoot, Palm) and the remaining 3 Royal Guards.

@Damalis

*Remaining 2 royal guards and the King (Meruem).

@DisneyAnimefan1995 Knov seems to be Grant George but I'm not sure.

@Damalis Yep it's indeed Grant George for Knov as shown by the end credits. A little bummed since I was expecting Steve Cannon, Joe Zieja, or Chris Niosi for the role, but on the other hand it's nice to see Grant George again in a new role, given that he hasn't been utilized as much in the Bang Zoom! these last 3-4 years after he finished working on "Kill la Kill".

On the other hand I'm a little disappointed with Kyle Hebert being cast as Morel. Don't get me wrong their's nothing wrong with his casting and he's far from the 3 miscast actors from the show (Paul St. Peter as Todo, Chris Tergliafera as Silva and Especially Kirk Thornton as Dalzollene). But honestly, I was expecting D.C. Douglas or Richard Epcar to voice Morel given that Kyle has already voiced a multitude of characters in the show already (e.g. Sub, Pekuba, Umori, etc..) along with Ray Chase, Jon Allen and want someone else to be this character.

Other than that looking forward to their apprentices (Knuckle, Shoot, and Palm) in the next episode.

@Ichigo341578926 Yeah, pretty sure Peggy was Cam too. He was uncredited this episode but so were Kyle H. and Kaiji T. so maybe we can be certain in future episodes.

@Marakutanay

I third the motion on Clarke voicing Peggy. He just started working for Bang Zoom! a few months ago and he might have done the recording for this episode around the same time.

@Marakutanay Pretty sure it's Michael McConnohie it's sounds a lot like the narrator

@Ichigo341578926 I still think it's Michael McConnohie (Hank Ketchum) he sounds VERY close to the Narrator from the show which is no surprise given in the Japanese version the voice actor who did the Narrator in Hunter x Hunter also voiced Peggy.

@DeathGod46 And Trillam in "Aldnoah.Zero", at least in recent years Bang Zoom! is not overusing the guy in a lot of their productions lately, and just using him in roles that you would expect to see him in.

@DisneyAnimefan1995 Todd's never rly been one of Bangzooms go to person. Usually it's Bryce, Johnny,Matthew Mercer. Now it seems like Robbie Daymond, Erica Mendez,Max Mittleman are taking over,etc..

@DeathGod46 To be fair, even after Todd move to LA, BZ! did tend to extensively typecasted him in certain shows around 4-5 years ago as either a villain or a secondary character (ally to the hero/villain) which tends to feel repetitive after a while, as another actor would also work well in the role.

Now of course you would argue and say "Bryce Papenbrook, Kira Buckland, Erica Mendez, Max Mittelman, Robbie Daymond, Ray Chase, Erica Lindbeck, Cristina Vee, etc... are also been extensively cast in so many Bang Zoom! productions, why you don't complain about them as much as Todd?" The truth is I don't find them to be extensively overused. Yes, Bang Zoom! have repeatedly re-used them in the same typecast, leading and secondary roles non-stop especially with the former three actors (Bryce, Kira and Erica to some extent), which I tend to get annoyed at, but despite this I enjoy their voice work nonetheless, as long as they show variety in their vocal range and Bang Zoom! does not have them be extensively re-used in too much in some of the shows dubbed here and allow another actor to be cast in the leading role (e.g. Griffin Burns in Anohana, Erik Kimerer in The Asterisk War, Ben Diskin in Erased, Ray Chase in Charlotte etc...).

@DisneyAnimefan1995 Where am I complaining about Todd? Also, I'm glad they stopped using Bryce so much. He's just not good at screaming roles. I'm sure they saw the mixed reception he gets and are less likely to give him lead roles.

@DeathGod46 "Where am I complaining about Todd?"

No where, I just made an example comment if you were to reply back on my previous comment and made a listing of some actors as examples that have also been repeatedly used in the lead roles and typecast at Bang Zoom! and why I do not make rants/complaints about them in the same level as Todd Haberkorn being repeatedly typecasted in the same role over and over again.

@DisneyAnimefan1995 So, you basically wasted your time writing that lol

@DeathGod46 "So, you basically wasted your time writing that lol"

No need to act way out of line here.

@DisneyAnimefan1995 Did I offend you lol

@DeathGod46 I think now would be a good idea to drop this issue before it starts to get accusatory. Also that response kind of comes off as if you're instigating this argument.

@Shaun Ince Alright my bad. When I wrote "So, you basically wasted your time writing that lol" I wasn't trying to start something. I just thought it was funny DisneyAnimeFan1995 gave me some long ass respond to something I wasn't talking about.

@Unknownsage13 Well here's two of them, http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2017-07-20/viz-media-licenses-hunter-hunter-phantom-rouge-anime-film/.119061

@Ichigo341578926 And two more

http://twitter.com/Bardic_DW/status/888191712769695744

https://twitter.com/JalenKCassell/status/888230588653510656

@Unknownsage13 and @Ichigo341578926

And let's not forget these actors involved in the Greed Island arc, including Abengane's voice actor.

http://twitter.com/Bardic_DW/status/888191712769695744

https://twitter.com/JalenKCassell/status/888230588653510656

@M.Mahmoud Dirie I don't see how having Todd and Johnny would be bad. They're not in everything like they once were. I can understand Bryce, since some of his roles are on and off for me.

@DeathGod46 I agree, personally I wouldn't mind seeing Johnny Yong Bosch in Hunter x Hunter since aside from his reprisals in "Blue Exorcist", "Iron-Blooded Orphans" and "Durarara", he hasn't been cast as much in recent years, and honestly it has to do with his schedule and also competition with the actors that Bang Zoom! have been starting to hire in the last 3-4 years making it very difficult for him to get new roles from Bang Zoom! right now.

In regards to Todd Haberkorn, I feel imo that he's been overused him in a lot of the productions at Bang Zoom!. Don't get me wrong I enjoy him but I do feel that they constantly cast him in the same typecast and role non-stop. Luckily ever since "The Seven Deadly Sins" and several other anime productions onwards, BZ! have started to utilize more of their underused talent (e.g. Tom Bauer, Griffin Burns, Sean Chiplock, Xanthe Huynh, Faye Mata, etc...) and Todd Haberkorn has been cast far less often which is a breath of fresh air if you ask me.


And let's not forget the likes of Stephanie Sheh, Grant George, Steve Staley, Sam Riegel, Liam O'Brien, Karen Strassman and to a lesser extent Patrick Seitz have not been in as much productions at Bang Zoom! in the last 2 years due to scheduling conflicts and competition with the other actors from the Bang Zoom!'s workshops and AX Idol competitions.

@DeathGod46 Not everyone is fond of having JYB & Todd being cast in every anime. I'm one of those people. Some people get burnt out. It can also be annoying too. Also I think if they broke typecasting more often, there would be much less complaining. They both have some vocal range, but not a whole lot of opportunities to show it.

@Shaun Ince While I do get where're coming from and respect you're opinion, I do agree with @DisneyAnimefan1995 on some parts. I believe that as of recently Bang Zoom! has cast many of the same actors in their dubs. After awhile it can sound tiresome to hear "almost" the same voices in each dub and I personally wouldn't mind hearing JYB in another Bang Zoom dub as a new character rather than a reprisal.

@DisneyAnimefan1995 What do you mean by his schedule? Also, I've noticed that he hasn't been in that many video game's since 2015. He's in NONE of the fire emblem stuff. He has been in most of the Netflix original anime's like Knights of Sidonia, Ajin, Cyborg 009, Blame, Kuromakuro. But those aren't really that popular.

@Shaun Ince I'm not saying I want him in EVERYTHING. Even if I come across that way. It's just that he hasn't been in any of bangzoom's recent stuff. Anohana, opm,7 deadly sins,erased, Charlotte, etc.... I mean, come on not anything besides some reprisals like durarara and blue exorcist.

@DisneyAnimefan1995 I don't see how todd is overused by Bangzoom besides Magi and Fate stay night unlimited budget works. What else was he in? He did some minor roles in opm.

@DeathGod46 I am fully aware that Johnny is still doing anime work on the Netflix Original Anime (e.g. Kuromukuro, Ajin, Knights of Sidonia). I'm ONLY referring to the ones done at Bang Zoom!

@DisneyAnimefan1995 What did you mean by his schedule? Like balancing out his Voiceover and band stuff? He did get quite a bit of roles from bangzoom at 2015. But Nothing new since gundam iron blooded orphans.

@LiaLuluBella I think it's just a period where they're casting all the regulars of Bang Zoom in these dubs nowadays. It's comparable to the Animaze/Bandai Entertainment era where they were casting JYB in almost all the anime It kinda goes both ways if you think about it.

@DeathGod46 The comment about Todd Haberkorn has nothing to do with Bang Zoom. Has more to do with him being overused in anime in general.

To answer your response to me, you make it sound like he's not getting any work right now, He's just fine.

You stress the fact that you don't want him in any anime, but then you bring up about 5-6 anime that he hasn't been in, like he needed to be in those anime. Sorry if I come across as rude, but your second point contradicts the first.

@Shaun Ince it's fine. When did I say that I didn't want him to be in any anime? I don't see that anywhere on my comments.

@Shaun Ince I listed all those bangzoom licensed anime's to make a point. I NEVER said he had to be in all those. I thought he would be in at least 1 of those shows. I'm fine with him not being in everything like he used to. But if bangzoom brings out a bunch of these new titles and he doesn't get 1 of them, than that irritates me.

@DeathGod46 That is something that you will have to get used to. There are new people on the anime scene right now & they have priority now.

@Shaun Ince I guess so

@Shaun Ince "I think it's just a period where they're casting all the regulars of Bang Zoom in these dubs nowadays. It's comparable to the Animaze/Bandai Entertainment era where they were casting JYB in almost all the anime It kinda goes both ways if you think about it."

Good analysis you brought up and that would explain WHY Bang Zoom! has not used the likes of Neil Kaplan, Peter Lurie, Wally Wingert, Kate Higgins, Cindy Robinson, Tara Platt, Erin Fitzgerald, Michael Sinterniklaas, pretty much some of the veteran voice actors in ANY of their productions these days, as usually it has to do with the voice actor's voice over work schedule, the production team at BZ! being familiar and interested with the actors they would like to use in their projects, and also competition with the other voice actors at Bang Zoom! during auditions. Which is why Bang Zoom! is ONLY using voice actors from the AX Idol competitions (e.g. Cristina Vee, Sarah Williams, Zach Aguilar, etc..), the Voice Over Workshops (e.g. Max Mittelman, Erica Lindbeck, Ray Chase), those that have had a good relationship with the company for years (e.g. Patrick Seitz, Mela Lee, Karen Strassman, Keith Silverstein, Richard Epcar, Dorothy Fahn, Tony Oliver), and those you wouldn't expect to do anime (e.g. Jake Eberle, Imari Williams, Marieve Herington, David W. Collins). So most of the current casting decisions are by Mami Okada who has been Bang Zoom!'s primary casting director since 2011/2012 after the previous voice director Kaeko Sakamoto switched to being a producer and production supervision these days.

At least some studios like Studiopolis, NYAV Post and SDI Media/Spliced Bread (the recording studio that does the Netflix licensed anime), have a good usage of the actors they use in their projects, even if the former studio tends to have problems in re-using the same actors in multiple roles just like Bang Zoom!.

@DisneyAnimefan1995 Exactly. Plus with Studiopolis & Aniplex we get a few union dubs with 3 main actors that are synonymous with them.

@Shaun Ince How exactly do they decide which show becomes union? It probably has nothing to do with popularity, because shows like SAO and Blue Exorcist would be Union.

@DeathGod46 I think it a decision made by SAG-AFTRA to add it to their database. Though I would ask either CatsTuxedo or NCZ about this since they have a better grasp on this whole subject regarding acting unions & unionized dubs.

@DeathGod46 Funny you say that since Blue Exorcist Season 2 (a.k.a. Kyoto Saga) is actually union. Can't say why it turned out that way though (since S1 and the movie didn't seem to be union) but it's quite welcome.

@JRPictures I have a hunch, that the 2nd season was made union so that Mona Marshall and Sam Riegel who voiced Konekomaru and Mephisto Philes respectively were allowed to continue voicing their characters as they have been making far less appearances doing anime in recent years, especially the latter as Sam right now is focusing on being a voice director for some of the cartoons at Disney.

I think Sam Riegel's anime and JRPG voice work from now on are now limited to reprisals or characters that play small/episodic roles in a certain series (e.g. One-Punch Man).

@JRPictures That's definitely interesting. Apparently Kari Wahlgren voices Karuru.

@DisneyAnimefan1995 I don't think that has nothing to do with it. If that were the case then Travis Willingham wouldn't have continued being Ace. From what I understand, union actor's can work on non union stuff.

@DeathGod46 "I don't think that has nothing to do with it. If that were the case then Travis Willingham wouldn't have continued being Ace. From what I understand, union actor's can work on non union stuff."

Your right on the case with Travis Willingham for One Piece as he continued to record his lines as Ace through Todd Haberkorn's recording studio until the character's last appearance.

I have to disagree with your statement regarding the Union actors working in non-union productions. While going "uncredited" or going under a different name is one way for a few union actors to work on a non-union productions, they need to get clearance or "waivers" in order to work in non-union productions. Those productions must be "SAG Signatories", otherwise they would be fined from the SAG-AFTRA Union for working outside their union agreement. That's why the likes of Crispin Freeman, Kari Wahlgren, Steve Blum, and Bridget Hoffman have stopped doing non-union productions around 2005

@DisneyAnimefan1995 How do you know that Travis Willingham recorded at Todd's studio? Is that why Matthew Mercer could work on non union anime's without having a different name?

@DeathGod46 Matthew Mercer can work on non-union anime under his real name because he's FiCore, which gives you the ability to work on both.

@Shaun Ince I'm assuming that's the case for other LA based voice actors? Like Todd,Johnny,etc....

@DeathGod46 Yes.

@Shaun Ince That makes a lot of sense.

@DeathGod46 I wish more voice actors were FiCore, but it's understandable since anime doesn't pay that well.

@DisneyAnimefan1995 I wonder who they'll choose for greed island and the chimera ant arc. Hopefully Johnny yong bosch, max mittleman,etc....

@Autovolt Agreed, I actually was more surprised on Erica Lindbeck's casting as Pakunoda, since I'm more used to her other roles when she is not voicing a serious character. A little bummed it's not Laura Post, as she was an obvious shoe-in for Pakunoda as she voiced Ragyo in "Kill la Kill", but I can live with Erica Lindbeck in the role.

The funny thing is that initially I thought that was Tara Platt voicing Pakunoda until I saw Erica Lindbeck's name in the credits, so it was indeed a surprising casting choice that I didn't saw coming.

Also it's nice they chose someone else to voice Neon Nostrade, since usually it's Mela Lee that tends to share roles with Kana Ueda

@hulkedoutdude It's Jake Eberle: http://behindthevoiceactors.com/Jake-Eberle

@Unknownsage13 It looks like the bryce papenbrook era is over lol. Now it's the Robbie Daymond era.

@DeathGod46 Let's not forget JYB and Todd Haberkorn!!

@DeathGod46 Johnny is my favorite VA. I'm surprised he's not in many stuff like he used to be. Not saying he should be in everything. I thought he'd be in Akiba's beat, or fire emblem heroes. Considering the large cast. Or opm, 7 deadly sins. Hopefully he's Meruem, or someone significant.

@DisneyAnimefan1995 Johnny is my favorite VA. I'm surprised he's not in many stuff like he used to be. Not saying he should be in everything. I thought he'd be in Akiba's beat, or fire emblem heroes. Considering the large cast. Or opm, 7 deadly sins. Hopefully he's Meruem, or someone significant

@DeathGod46 IMO, I think I would imagine Max Mittelman or Zach Aguilar in the role!

@Dee15gon The credits said "Jane Alan"

@ShigyC Oh! It was Mari. Oh goody!!

@FUNiman And Marc Diraison is Ging! This arc is gonna be great indeed.

@FUNiman I just came here to comment that. When his name popped up in the credits I squealed!

Hopefully we get some more surprise castings. Like in particular I'm excited to hear who will be playing the Phantom Troupe members.

@Unknownsage13 Definitely curious to hear who plays who with the Phantom Troupe, we already learned that Abby Trott is Machi earlier and Joe J. Thomas let slip on Twitter that he's Nobunaga.

So the rest are definitely gonna be very interesting.

@JRPictures Indeed, it would be interesting to see which voice actors they might use once we get to hear their voices in episode 41.

I really hope that they cast Robbie Daymond or Johnny Yong Bosch for Chrollo; Laura Post or Tara Platt for Pakunoda; Christine Marie Cabanos for Shizuku and Jamieson Price for Uvogin!!

@JRPictures Raven is playing Nobunaga!? Awesome!!!! I feel like I hardly hear the guy in anything. PS: Excited to hear more of Abby's Machi.

@DisneyAnimefan1995 I also would like JYB as Chrollo. Knowing him he's gonna turn up somewhere, so why not as a big character? I also like your other casting ideas.

@Unknownsage13 I would love if Jyb voiced chrollo! Hopefully they give him a significant role. He could also pull off Meruem.

@DeathGod46 Looks like it's Robbie Daymond as Chrollo! Hopefully though Johnny shows up eventually and in a significant role. Meruem would be cool! Though we won't find that out for like another year (maybe more, not sure when exactly he shows up).

@Unknownsage13 Yup totally saw the casting coming, not upset about Robbie being cast as Chrollo since he was one of my second choice if Johnny Yong Bosch wasn't cast as him. So looking forward to hearing more of his voice as Chrollo.

As for Meruem, I think I could see either Zach Aguilar or Max Mittelman in the role, while Johnny would voice either Colt (Chris Niosi as a secondary choice) or as Genthru!!

@Unknownsage13 tbh seeing Robbie as Chrollo, I'd dig Adam Croasdell in the role too. I think you know why XD. Anyway I do think Robbie's a great choice!

@DisneyAnimefan1995 I said it before and people shot me down, but for Meruem I would love if they got Micah Solusod to fly out to LA for the role. Since he shares some big roles with Meruem's VA (note, totally aware they aren't VA matching so far in dub).

@Unknownsage13 You never know! David Vincent voiced Senketsu (Kill la Kill), then incidentally ALSO voices Duval in One Piece

@FUNiman

I'll tell you which part of your comment I agree with the most.

"casting women not that experienced voicing boys"

This. I'm sorry, but Erika and Cristina both lack the experience and training needed to handle male roles that are out of their atm. And because of this, I'm not watching the English dub, but the Chinese dub instead. The latter is supposedly worse objectively, but not in this case. The HxH 2011 dub is one of the most disappointing LA dubs I've come across, due to two out of the three guys sounding off. I don't care how good the rest of the cast is; if the main guys sound wrong to me, you bet your butt that I'm not watching it.

*out of their range and league

Well, I had the same impression when I started watching the Japanese version of (2011)- but the more you watch that version, and this version- the more your opinion changes. I think you should stick with it.

@Diorgenson432

Stick with what? Stick with avoiding the dub like the plague?

@Sk8erPrince Disagreed with it not matching them. Mariya and Miyuki, while both great actresses, also sound very feminine in the roles.

@Unknownsage13 Sk8erPrince's IP address was banned, but also he wasn't a fan of how the JP castings were done with females, either. He said many things that made it difficult to take seriously (kinda like me tbh), mostly some very petty reactionary opinions. "They don't sound like the Japanese versions' was not one of them.

That said, i think Cristina sounds pretty nasal, & (at least in the beginning) Gon sounded rather inexperienced (not just chipper, but also literally like a newbie/amateur VA). I appreciate that the tone/timbre is similar, but the delivery feels maybe unnatural. Perhaps it's because a young boy voice is harder to do than a character like Ryuko, that I find it not as good? (Never seen Klk but i hear folks love the dub).

@GothamRed Killua's was the only voice I wasn't completely sold on, but it's managed to win me over now too.

I'm glad the cast seems to be growing into their roles. They can only continue to get better and better with each episode! It makes me excited to see how good they'll get by the end.

@GothamRed I love the seiyuu, but my problem with this Japanese rendition of Kurapika was how comparatively feminine he sounds to his 1999 counterpart.

Honestly, no matter who voices a character of fiction, it'll never be 'perfect' per se.

@HienFan He's been around. We just didn't notice since he went under the alias Will Barrett.

@ShigyC No, that would be illegal...which is why aliases are used here in the first place.

Most of these guys are middle-class looping veterans from the Saban & Streamline days (like Richard Epcar & Barbara Goodson), along with young go-getters (like Cristina Vee & Lucien Dodge)..

...foreign-dubbing historically has been non-union work, & they have a boatload of a history working with it. Without going into specifics, they're generally presumed financial core (i.e. they give their union voting rights so they can take non-union work - to support themselves)

..with even a few Youtube impressionists like Ray Chase, & a few of Bang Zoom's students & staff members.

The last category of which rarely, if at all, participate in union work - because you join the union *after* building up experience, so you don't lock yourself into high-level competition with no way out.

TLDR these guys aren't union (don't kill me NCZ)

@ShigyC Speaking of pseudonyms.

Theres Ian Alden, George C. Cole, and of course, Hank Ketchum.

I like Hank Ketchum because I think of Pokemon for some reason.

@Plevak No word yet, but I'm assuming we'll get an announcement after the first boxset's worth of episodes has aired on Toonami. Hulu has been dividing the seasons by 26 episodes, so that's probably the amount of episodes we're looking at.

@4xNicholas I actually enjoyed Killua's voice and to be frank, she does fit the role like a glove after watching and listening to her in the first two episodes of the character's introduction along with Erica Mendez, Erika Harlacher and Keith Silverstein's casting as Gon, Kurapika, and Hisoka respectively.

The only one that I had mixed feelings at first when the cast was announced was Matt Mercer as Leorio, but after watching the first four episodes dubbed, I say he's the perfect choice for him.

@DisneyAnimefan1995 Well you have your opinion and I have mine. I did say in her page, that I will give it a chance, after a clip sent to me and the fact that she has only been in 1 episode. Also she might actually sound great when the "meat" of the story is there. Like his assassin outbursts.

@DisneyAnimefan1995 "she does fit the role like a glove" Yeah, but my main issue is she's not Miyuki Sawashiro.

@huzaifa_ahmed What does her not being Miyuki Sawashiro have to do with anything? No English voice actor IS their Japanese counterpart.

@JRPictures Well, firstly, I'll say that my comment was pretty rude & didn't even make its point properly...but I guess this is just further disappointment with they (producers I mean) lack of investment/funding for this dub.

I mean, Tony's doing a great job with these newbies...but I mean, the Naruto dub audition process was VERY heavy, despite not having much money involved.

& I really do think a show this well-known could have afforded similarly.

I just would have liked more proven actors in this - I mean, it isn't even like they're doing it for the money...it's anime dubbing.

So why overload these newbie VA's with such hefty parts?

I'll reiterate that, according to Twitter at least, they are enthusiastic about participating in it,which is nice, & aside from Cristina Vee, actually sound pretty similar to the Japanese actors.

(Speaking of the 3 leads of course. Matthew Mercer, while also not a unique choice, has more experience as well as recognition from directors)

@huzaifa_ahmed Whether a show is popular enough to be union or not, or have more experienced voice actors is not up to you to decide. If Viz and Bang Zoom decide that this is a dub that should have newer or lesser known VAs in major roles then so be it. Besides, the dub's barely started out and there's still over a 100 episodes left to air and plenty of roles to be filled, we really can't be judging a cast that hasn't been fully revealed yet.

And complaining about it (or repeatedly suggesting crowdfunding as if it's an actual viable option) wont achieve anything. Just deal with the dub as it is.

@JRPictures I'd like to reiterate that I do not stand by my original comment. I wrote it to be snappy, & as a result it both victim-blames as well as just comes off rather curt.

Please keep in mind, I'm pro-dubs like you, I always use legal streams/DVD's if at all available from the licensor...I just haven't learned to be as forgiving, which I guess I should try more.

However, it's extremely tempting not to simply "blame the corporate producers" as it seems everyone else does.


That said...why exactly would (or wouldn't) a crowdfund be a viable option? Isn't Hunter x Hunter one of the most popular & relevant anime around?

Wouldn't there be tons of people interested in seeing it in English?

It's got quite the buzz even with more casual fans of anime - which I presume is why certain games get big dubs.

So, what would stop this show from getting a bigger dub?

@huzaifa_ahmed Ok, then give me an example of a popular anime airing on television that's premièring its dub and is getting crowdfunded by fans at the same time, got nothing? Yeah because that's never happened before and all the times dubs have been crowdfunded it was for different and justifiable reasons. Skip Beat needed one because the Japanese owners made it a necessary part of the contract for its release in the West and Escaflowne was a case of Funimation gauging interest in the show from fans and needing to line up the dub with the Blu-ray masters. Hell, Time of EVE's dub might not have happened if the Stretch Goal wasn't reached.

Beside that, tell me what exactly you think is a bigger dub?

@JRPictures What you're telling me is: people don't crowdfund dubs for the sake of dubs, they crowdfund licenses? Thus, using (I believe) inductive reasoning, we can say that there is no interest in crowdfunding dubs?

"Beside that, tell me what exactly you think is a bigger dub?"

Like Crispin Freeman, I, too, want anime to be treated fairly as anything else, hopefully at least coming close to how well other shows with large-ish audiences are treated, & ideally (a long shot) as intensive as the original production.

Fate/Zero & Code Geass are both seemingly attainable examples of this: while the pay wasn't great, the amount of painstaking care spent over these dubs, as well as rather unique casting in F/Z's case..quantifies "bigger" to me. Tony Oliver's pointing out in his VO Buzz interview that Aniplex gave him a fantastic (well, for an anime dub) budget, signifies to me that they really toiled over it.

Most anime dub VA's will tell you that there is SO little budget that there is no room for re-recording (often needed when acting alone) & that they just try getting it done as fast as possible.

Which is sad, because off the work is actually HARDER than prelay & thus in turn I suppose would need both good actors *&* good dubbers.

But ofc the financial interest in it just isn't high enough...most people don't know that, & thus the incessant b!tch!ng about crappy dubs.


Anyhow, back to my original point, I would say that early in its run, the Naruto dub would consitute the best comparison to what I'd want the HxH dub to resemble.

Maybe run the dub on CR or Hulu (which pays big for exclusives), & strike the deal 6+months in advance, to prepare the dub adequately for airtime.

& I know it's a one-shot movie, but apparently Animaze's Akira cost $1 million - I'm not exactly sure HOW MUCH dubs cost (look at Skip Beat's great dub for ~$150k), but couldn't a popular show like HxH recoup some couple millions overall?

@huzaifa_ahmed
>'What you're telling me is: people don't crowdfund dubs for the sake of dubs, they crowdfund licenses? Thus, using (I believe) inductive reasoning, we can say that there is no interest in crowdfunding dubs?'

Well technically, Funimation licenced Escaflowne ages ago, they only just got the materials for release this year and needed to go about making a new dub because of the blu-ray masters. Pied Piper could only release Skip Beat in the US with a dub because it was a requirement from the Japanese owners. Both situations are very different, so we can't really throw around claims like that when there's no real basis for it.

I understand what you're going for and it's somewhat nice but you just keep coming off as if you disrespect HxH's dub and any other dubs that come out that seems to fit your feelings of a dub that's 'mistreated', 'could be better', 'not budgeted well' or 'doesn't have bigger actors'. It's not right at all (and neither is treating Funimation badly for their lack of union dubs or seeing dubs that don't have the direct involvement of Japanese creators as inherently better than those that don't).

Hunter x Hunter's dub seems fine from the state of things right now, all the characters cast so far feel like good matches and the direction of Tony Oliver guarantees a reasonably good dub. Ragging on it for being supposedly 'TV rushed' or not having 'bigger' or more 'experienced' actors isn't right. And like I said earlier, there's a ton of characters and episodes left to air with plenty more actors to have a part in it all. It's seriously early to judge it.

@JRPictures I'm 5 months late, but I gotta say I really dug myself into a hole with that really insulting "but she's not Miyuki" comment. All the positive criticism in the world won't help after that.

@JRPictures What huzaifa wants is basically having people like Tara Strong, Grey DeLisle, Jennifer Hale, Nolan North, Frank Welker, etc. doing anime dubs. That's what he means by bigger dubs.

To me, wanting cartoon voice actors to do anime dubbing is more of a desire than an necessity.

@huzaifa_ahmed She doesn't need to be Miyuki.

@huzaifa_ahmed A number of Texas VAs work both there AND in LA, so it wouldn't surprise me to see a bunch of them there. As for actors like Liam O'Brien, Neil Kaplan, and Paul St. Peter, they're mostly doing the pre-lay stuff, and only seem to work on anime when it's dubs like Durarara, Naruto, or Fate Zero.

But you never know. JohnDemita ended up on this show, and Keith Silverstein works extensively in pre-lay, video games, AND anime, so we could see some bigger names in here.

@ScottMyers "Liam O'Brien" I suppose so, being that he's only in union dubs, which apparently have semi-decent scheduling, & STudiopolis dubs, because they record A-list stuff.

He likes doing dubs, if they make time for him. He loves anime, & loves working with the people. Dubbing is like going to the gym.

*Although, his original animated series is mostly Studiopolis/Jamie Simone stuff.

"Neil Kaplan"
yeah, like one show. It's a damn good one, though, & a nice, juicy part.

He was in Gundam IBO recently, & he liked my Tweet where I said that he should be on the show. So, hope?

"and Paul St. Peter"

His only credits in the last 3 YEARS have been J-games & anime dubs.

Still an awesome VA.

John DeMita I suppose is starving, & nah, Keith Silverstein is a very small-time VA - not exactly hard to get (no offense).


But yeah, this whole "newb casting in big parts" is due to Mami Okada as casting director.

@huzaifa_ahmed Mami Okada? Isn't the casting director Tony Oliver?

@huzaifa_ahmed
Tatum would sound too old/deep for Chrollo imo. I bet Uvogin will be dubbed by Jamieson Price as he's the go to guy for booming voices (not a bad thing for me as his voice never gets old) and he shared an Akio Otsuka role in Fate/Zero which Oliver also directed. Jason Douglas would be awesome as Silva though you wonder if he'd be willing to travel. I highly doubt those other VAs you mentioned will be in this (except maybe Glass) as most of them work full-time for Funimation as actors and directors/writers.

@ScottMyers Technically Tony Oliver is the voice director for the show. Mami Okada is the one responsible for the casting decisions for the show from the Toonami credits under the English cast. It also shows that she seems to be the current casting director in many of the recent Bang Zoom! dubs since around 2010/2011 after the previous casting director in the earlier BZ! dubs, Kaeko Sakamoto had decided on becoming a Production Supervision and producer for the current BZ! dubs instead.

@huzaifa_ahmed '& speaking of limits...oh, yeah, official crowd fund, please, on the .01% chance that you're reading this, Viz Media or Okada-San?

Seriously, there's a very large demand for this dub, & it would be egregious for Viz to ignore a way to take our money.'

Try to be realistic here, Viz has never crowdfunded any of their dubs and I sincerely doubt they'll start here. The best way to support the dub and give Viz money for it is to keep watching it on Toonami and watch the official dub stream/buy the DVD/BDs when Viz releases them down the line.

@DarkWhite "Tatum would sound too old/deep for Chrollo imo" Yeah, but he's dubbed over Miyano before as well (partially due to FUNimation not caring for the Japanese cast)

I was going by the character design, too.

Uvogin, Jamieson doesn't actually sound deep as Otsuka, they just like using him because he's available.

The Japanese simply don't sound like Westerners - conservative diet=smaller bodies=less vocal resonance

...but Jamieson isn't as deep as what I consider to be the English equivalent of Otsuka (the likes of Fred Tatasciore or Clancy Brown)

I mean he isn't even as deep as, say, Patrick Seitz/Travis Willingham.

As for FUNi VA's in general...they travelled out for Tales, which was a one-session thing, & HxH is a long-running show, meaning higher pay - & LA dubs generally pay slightly higher, even non-union.


Speaking of Patrick btw, if they don't get Paul St. Peter (my ideal candidate) as Uvogin, & they pass up the FUNi talent pool/wider casting opportunities...I'd like to hear Patrick Seitz.

@DisneyAnimefan1995 Heyo, actually it's the clients, in this cast Viz Media, who choose the actors. Mami/other casting directors send out the auditions and narrow down the best ones so that the clients don't have to listen to hours and hours of auditions, but they have the final say. So yeah, just wanted to clear that up :)

@DisneyAnimefan1995 *case not cast lol silly phone, though that still kinda works??

@AkireRehcalrah Woah. I am really surprised that it is in fact, the clients that ARE responsible on making the casting decisions. For a second, I thought it was just the casting directors that only pick out and decide which actors are better suited for voicing the character following auditions, but guess it's the opposite then.

@JRPictures "Try to be realistic here, Viz has never crowdfunded any of their dubs and I sincerely doubt they'll start here. "

Petition them. FUNimation did it, & Viz/Shueisha has always tried to be generous with their dubs, anyhow.

If there's enough fan demand/support, I'm sure they'll try something like it.

@huzaifa_ahmed Kaplan said that the dub would have to be union if he was going to appear in it.

@Shaun Ince Did he really just confirm his status? If so, where is the source?

I mean, he was in Bleach (awhile back, but) & Gundam IBO recently, both of those aren't in the SAG-AFTRA database, lack the SteveKariCrispin holy trinity, & Bleach at least has some instances of pseudonyms...

..so what would make a dub like HxH's any different?

@huzaifa_ahmed Wait, Kaplan's not in Gundam IBO. And if he is they haven't announced it yet. Where did you see that he was?

@huzaifa_ahmed He more or less confirmed his union status in replies sent to me on Twitter. I'll post a link to it once I find them.

Bleach's dub is a very interesting thing because despite it not being in the SAG-AFTRA database he is in it along with other actors such as Peter Lurie & Greg Eagles.

@huzaifa_ahmed I went through the tweets when me, Zero & Kaplan were discussing HXH. The tweet about him stating his union status was promptly deleted not long afterwards. I will say this, I mever actually enquired whether he was a union VA or not in my tweets replying to him. Now as to why he could have deleted that tweet could probably be due to the fact that not every VA has the liberty of talking about their union status to the public eye. And maybe that it might not be such a good idea tweeting about it to his followers.

NCZ is right. I don't think it's very wise to be talking about union status's for certain VA's unless they're completely open about it and there is no consequences about revealing it.

@Ichigo341578926 My mistake, I was referring to MSG: The Origin.

@huzaifa_ahmed Ok, that makes more sense.

@Shaun Ince Yeah, but IIRC Eagles & Lurie weren't credited. For some reason, there's a rumor that Marc Worden, the original Studiopolis-era voice of Iron Man (prior to RDJ ofc), was also in it, as Chad.

& lo & behold, Chad is not credited prior to episode 80-something.

@Dee15gon Your correct, that's because he's voiced by John DeMita. Quite surprising to see him in an anime title voice directed by Tony Oliver since he normally appears in titles that are voice directed by Jack Fletcher and the Naruto series.

Still, it's nice to see another veteran voice actor get a brand new anime role seven years later.

@DisneyAnimefan1995 John DeMita. Everytime I think of him. I think of his dubbed voiceovers of Jet Li.

Thats probably why I recognized him right away.

@ScottMyers I keep mentioning it elsewhere, but I really feel like this is a title that is worth a crowdfund for.

@ScottMyers Most dubs take a few episodes to get started. I think it's a little too early to write it off yet, especially with 145 episodes left for the VAs to grow into their characters and improve.

@1dbad That's true. My opinion may well change as time goes on.

@1dbad But...funding? Scheduling? These all play an important part in the dub quality, dude, & this dub seems to be TV-rushed.

@huzaifa_ahmed Based on a Tweet from Kurapika's VA, they're already working on the Zoldyck Family arc. (and might even be past it now) Does being that far ahead really count as TV-rushed?

@1dbad I remember that Erika Harlacher's tweet was made since last month (May), that mentioned they were dubbing the Zoldyck family arc according to a user who mentioned it on Erica Mendez's tweet.

In addition, Erica Mendez mentioned in a interview in Viz Media's Shonen Jump Podcast that they have been working on the show since January of this year. Also from Erica's desciption, I say that the studio (Bang Zoom!) will dub like around 3-5 episodes a month depending on the arrangements voice actors schedule, but I'd say the amount might decrease the amount to 3 episodes a month in the next few months so they won't be rushing the series.

I wouldn't be surprised that since it's now June, they are starting to dub the episodes for the Heaven's Arena arc right now.

@DisneyAnimefan1995 I couldn't quite remember when she said that, so I appreciate the clarification. I agree with you that it's a pretty safe bet they're already up to Heaven's Arena now.

That sounds like a perfectly reasonable schedule to me too. :)

@1dbad It's around the 3:16 mark on the podcast when Erica mentioned they started recording for HxH at the beginning of this year (most likely January).

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMo9cJWjfN0 - at 3:16

Hope that helps. :)

@DisneyAnimefan1995 May I ask how you keep up with all this stuff? I myself think I am fairly well-kept on these issues, but are there any other ways I can find this information?

@DisneyAnimefan1995 Thanks for the link! :) I had been meaning to check out that interview anyway, haha.

@Autovolt can you guess how long it'll take for the dub to be fully complete? I started watching the dub a couple minutes ago and then I came here to see how long it took in Japan and saw that it took almost about 3 years. So I was wondering if it'll take that much time in the US.

@Gaddes Speaking of Rachel, let's pray they get Veronica Taylor, Michael Sinterniklaas, & Marc Diraison on here (IMO he should play Ging, especially seeing as it's Yamato/Kiritsugu in Japanese)

@huzaifa_ahmed You know I actually always imagined Matthew Mercer as Ging, but given that he's voicing Leorio I ABSOLUTLY doubt that's going to happen now. But Marc Diraison as Ging sounds like it would actually be a pretty good casting choice.

@Ichigo341578926 "given that he's voicing Leorio I ABSOLUTLY doubt that's going to happen now"

Yes, exactly. Let's just hope they can find a lyric or verdi baritone for this one.

I am honestly really eager to see who they can manage to find for this dub, seeing as...they have very few stops to pull out right now, apparently.

I was actually wondering, if they don't ramp up budget according to viewer response, a la Big O...maybe have Patrick Seitz call in Texas reinforcements?

While Bandai obviously has bigger budgets for that sort of thing, I can imagine it might work alright.

There's also the possibility of utilizing NYAV Post for dat New York talent pool?

@Ichigo341578926 @PsychicVoiceSpy Who knows for all I know is that they might give it to either Keith Silvertein (who voices Hisoka) since he has shared three roles from Rikiya Koyama (Coyote Starrk, Deep Sea King, and Onihei Mishima).

It's very common and coincidental for anime companies in Los Angeles to cast certain actors/actresses and have them share 1-3 roles from their Japanese seiyuus in the dubs they're in, which I happen to notice quite a lot as shown with the examples listed below:

1. Stephanie Sheh with Yukari Tamura (Armor / Hisako Ichiki, Nui Harime)

2. Erik Kimerer with Yuki Kaji (Haruyuki Arita, Alibaba Saluja, Speed-o'-Sound Sonic)

3. Michelle Ruff with Miyuki Sawashiro (Carl Clover, Fujiko Mine, Sinon) or Kana Hanazawa (Anri, Manaka)

4. Erika Harlacher with Sora Amamiya (Asseylum Vers Allusia and Elizabeth Lioness)

5. Mela Lee with Kana Ueda (Rin Tohsaka, Rachel Alucard)

6. Max Mittleman with Natsuki Hanae (Natsuki, Inaho, Kousei)

and more recently

7. Carrie Keranen with Kikuko Inoue (Mimizu and Carta Issue)

Although to be honest, they had been some times where the casting director or company would choose someone else for this role like Erika Harlacher's casting as Kurapika or Max Mittleman being cast as Ein Dalton for "Gundam: IBO". I wouldn't rule out Marc Diraison for Ging since he did voiced Sweeper in "Zetman" which was a role originated by Koyama, but we'll soon find out who voices Ging on Tonight's episode, so get ready.

@DisneyAnimefan1995 Well it's confirmed. Marc Diraison is voicing Ging.

@Ichigo341578926 Yep, saw the credits for the latest episode and congrats on Marc getting cast as Ging Freecss for his biggest anime role to date, even though after the next episode, we won't see him again until The 13th Chaiman Election arc which would be in 2 years time.

Guess a lot of you were very accurate with your premonitions on Marc being Ging prior to this episode. ;)

@mweloo What about Lex Lang? He could be one of the other likely candidates that might be directing this series besides the four choices you mentioned (Kirk, Tony, Wendeem and Kevin). Since he finished ADR directing the Aldnoah Zero dub back in November, which was most likely around the same time that the HxH dub started production.

In regards to Alex, besides him saying of not knowing the dub's existence on Twitter, he could most likely be busy doing the broadcast dub of the last chapter for Durarara!!x2.

Also, while kristi Reed did direct the Doraemon dub, I don't know if she is still working at Bang Zoom!, since some people have been speculating, that she left the company around 2 years ago to do other things like becoming a casting and voice director for the shows at Cartoon Network and Warner Bros. Animation.

@mweloo Viz just confirmed its Tony Oliver

@DarkWhite Nice. I knew Tony Oliver was the right choice to voice direct the show. I loved his direction for a lot of the shows he did for Bang Zoom! like "Gurren Lagann", "Fate/Zero", "Magi", "K-On", and "Eureka Seven", in addition for putting a lot of emphasis with the voice actors involved in the production. Looking forward to Tony's direction in Hunter x Hunter.

@DisneyAnimefan1995

To be fair, though, all those shows aside from E7 (whose dub was funded very well by Bandai), were very short shows, & 2/4 of them were union.

The more of us tune in every Saturday night...the more likely it is that they'll be able to maintain a good-quality dub.

@Ichigo341578926 same here. I'm pretty certain its her.

@Ichigo341578926 & @TheAdapter Me three, for a second I though it was Cherami Leigh or Lauren Landa for a second. But after watching it again, I have a strong feeling that Menchi is Amanda C. Miller, since I could hear her Sailor Jupiter within Menchi.

Also Mito Freecss was heard in the promo and it sounded like it was either Michelle Ruff or Rachael Lillis is doing the voice for her.

@DisneyAnimefan1995 Sounds closer to Rachael if you ask me, but will find out for sure who it is next week. : )

@DisneyAnimefan1995 Its Rachael alright.

@Dee15gon Yep it was her after watching the episode on Toonami. It's nice to see that Rachael got her second anime role in Los Angeles, and hope to see gain more roles at Bang Zoom! or Studiopolis. In addition, I was also impressed that the English credits not only listed the English dub cast for this episode, but also the Japanese cast as well, including the minor/incidental characters that appear only once.

@TheAdapter So excited for the show to air on Toonami, and by the looks of it, Viz has just confirmed that the show would be dubbed at Bang Zoom! entertainment.
https://mobile.twitter.com/VIZMedia/status/716050685712670720

Guess I stand corrected, since Studiopolis currently has two long runners in their plate ("Naruto" and "Sailor Moon"), and Viz didn't want to stress their biggest client by adding in another long running show, which would delay the progress on one of the two shows.

Quite a surprise to be honest, since this will be the first long running anime series Bang Zoom! has dub in almost a decade since "Eureka Seven". But the first time that Bang Zoom! dubs a 100+ episode anime series, given that most of the shows they dub throughout their history tend to be 12-13 or 24-26 episode anime series.

@DisneyAnimefan1995 The only question I have now is wether it would the dub is union or not. I think it would be smart if they unionized it since it is a long running show, but if it doesn't happen I wouldn't mind seeing some of the guys at Funimation be in the dub.

@TheAdapter You're not the only one that is thinking of the same thing here. Personally in my view, the easiest way I can recognize if an LA dub is non-union is if one of the voice actors goes under another name without getting in trouble with the union (e.g. Steve Staley as Steve Cannon). I really want Hunter x Hunter becomes a Union dub, because not only we could hear the likes of Steve Blum, Bridget Hoffman, and Crispin Freeman appearing in the show, but also see the grand return of some voice actors who haven't been appearing in any Bang Zoom! dubs for a while (e.g. Megan Hollingshead, Dave Wittenberg, Paul St. Peter, etc...) voicing a character in the show. I could even imagine someone like Dave Wittenberg for Iklago or Steve Blum for Kite once they begin dubbing Chimera Ant arc.

However, the likelihood of seeing them appear is slim, since most anime in the Los Angeles area these days, especially the ones done at Bang Zoom! Entertainment are non-union. Personally, I don't mind non-union LA dubs, since I enjoy the new voice actors that put their talent in the show they are in, and the voice directors that work so hard to deliver a solid product. I just feel that the current non-union dubs in LA still continue to re-use the same talent pool over and over again, which as what NCZ says, leading to many dubs sounding the same. In addition it's a business and a job, which would require having a production budget and project schedule that you have to keep in order to get these actors involved (veterans or newcomers).

Now regardless if Hunter x Hunter becomes Union or non-union (though it looks to be far-fetched this would be unionized), I will accept on whichever dub HxH will become. Just as long as the Director(s) of the dub knows what he/she is doing while delivering an incredible dub for the fans, and the performances of the voice actors are excellent while conveying their emotions during the dramatic and funny scenes.

@TheAdapter As far goes as FUNimation voice actors that could appear in the HxH dub, I would imagine Brina Palencia and Caitlin Glass appearing in the show. Since they have been occasionally visiting Los Angeles "once in a blue moon" while working on some projects for Bang Zoom! entertainment since early of last year.

@DisneyAnimefan1995 Pretty sure this one is union, actually. Matthew Mercer, and Cristina Vee are BOTH union members according to their websites, and they have leading roles which they are credited for. From what I can tell, pretty much EVERY dub produced at Bang Zoom (especially in recent history) is union, but it's just a matter of who decides to work there. Anime does NOT pay as much as pre-lay work, and if actors like Steve Blum, Crispin Freeman, and Dave Wittenberg would get more money auditioning for a high-profile video game or a western animation work.

It's also important to note that just because non-union actors are in it, doesn't mean the work is non-union. According to the SAG-AFTRA website, actors CAN get in union works if they are non-union, and this first job is generally when actors decide to become union actors, because they have an established foothold in a guild-licensed project. You rarely see non-union members in REALLY high profile stuff, like your Cartoon Network shows or Disney, but that's because that's where all the highest profile guild members are. The lack of a ton of union talent interested in anime is where non-union and fi-core members can come in.

@DisneyAnimefan1995 To punctuate the end of my first paragraph, "Then they'll go for those jobs instead of the lower-paying anime gigs".

@TheAdapter As Disney said, I expect Palencia and Glass to show up. Both have been doing much more L.A work as of late. Caitlin Glass is actually going to be voicing the lead character in Skip Beat!, so there's a good chance she'll show up.

@ScottMyers I don't think the show is Union, it looks to be non-union since the end credits for the first three episodes of the show had the name "Hank Ketchum" as the Narrator and Ship Captain which looks to be an alias/pseudonym of someone else. Personally I've been talking about this topic several times on this page, which IMO is not worth going into full detail and beating a dead horse on it.

So long story short, a union dub of an anime in Los Angeles, normally will feature voice actors that normally don't work in non-union productions (e.g. Bridget Hoffman, Steve Blum, Crispin Freeman), AND if none of the voice actors involved in the production go under another name. But of course that will depend on the English licensor of the anime, the recording studio in Los Angeles (Bang Zoom! or Studiopolis), and the English dub crew if they want to decide on having the anime production Union or non-union.

@DisneyAnimefan1995 Admittedly, the use of a pseudonym IS abnormal (though not unheard of) for a union production. Erica Schroeder is a good example of someone who used a pseudonym on union productions. However, Matthew Mercer and Cristina Vee are union actors who go by credits that make them easily identifiable. The SAG-AFTRA takes members working in non-union stuff very seriously, so I just can't see them working in a L.A. dub that isn't union without going uncredited or under a pseudonym. I'm aware there's no straight answer for this question, but the apparent contradiction bugs me.

@ScottMyers I'm extremely late, but there's a pretty common status called "financial core", which is technically intended for people who dont agree with the union's political status, but it has been used kind of shadily by certain people who can't get enough union work & want to do non-union as well. I can't judge individual actors' life choices, but it's something that, from actors, I don't get positive vibes on the subject.

Regardless, most actors from dubs (who are at least experienced & have been around a while) are financial core, which is how they continue to be in even non-union dubs.

It's really personal to discuss union status, but the VA's who've publicly stated their union status are Crispin Freeman, Steve Blum, & Kari Wahlgren. I think Brian Drummond & James Arnold Taylor have as well, but they don't do LA dubs (& JAT doesn't do dubs, period).

VA's who've specifically stated they are financial core are DC Douglas (on his BTVA page actually) & Michael McConnohie. Matthew Mercer has been extremely open about partaking in non-union work, as has Kyle Hebert.

Generally speaking, a lot of BTVA members & VA fans presume a VA will do non-union contracts if they are open about the job, & if they have a history of those roles.

@huzaifa_ahmed

James doesn't do dubs? Then what is FFX, if I may ask? Video game dubs count as dubs too. Just because James doesn't do a lot of them, that doesn't mean he "doesn't do them, period". He could pop up in any kind of union dub, even though I don't expect him to.

I suggest that you don't try to act like a half baked expert if you can't nail all the facts correctly.

@Sk8erPrince "I suggest you don't try to act like a half baked expert if you can't nail the facts correctly.

Oh the irony.

@Sk8erPrince FF is a mainstay even overseas, so it, especially, has got the biggest budget around. Even so, JAT hasnt done a non-reprisal dub since 2010.

@Shaun Ince

I always do my research before I speak. Since you clearly side with someone that is clearly a weeb (I don't think I need to point out who that is), take your passive aggressiveness someplace else. Everything you say is pretty much uncredible and moot at this point. Don't you act like a friggin' cocky smartass to me.

PS: If you're here to pick a fight, go find someone else. If you have nothing contributive to say or add to the topic at hand, get lost.

@Sk8erPrince I wasn't aware that pointing out your irony, was the equivalent of defending a "weeb" as you say. You think way too highly of yourself and think your opinions are undeniable fact.

You need to stop being a condescending jerkass, otherwise you'll get called out alot more.

I dunno what your angle is, but you sound like a terrible person to be around. Your comments give off that vibe to me.

@Sk8erPrince

"PS: If you're here to pick a fight, go find someone else. If you have nothing contributive to say or add to the topic at hand, get lost."

I'm going to put this simply. This is the pot calling the kettle black.

Dude, you seriously, SERIOUSLY need to stop this and take a breather. You constantly pick fights with other people and act in an aggressive manner. Please stop. This behaviour isn't healthy.

@Shaun Ince

You shut your damn trap. If you can't tell which stuff I'm saying are facts, and which are my opinions, then I've nothing more to say to you. Clearly, you lack a fundamental understanding to distinguish the two, and you like to go off on your tangent without looking at the entire picture. If you anyone's disgusting and terrible, it's you. And in case you're wondering who I was referring to, it's Huzaifa. It's the mod I despise to the bone, in case I haven't already made myself clear enough. If you can't respond to my comments/criticism civilly, it's best that you just ignore me. I have every single intention of ignoring YOU from this point forward, so if you can't do the same, you're just a harasser that's looking to pick a fight.

@Sk8erPrince

Dude, *CALM DOWN*. I'm saying this as respectfully and sincerely as I possibly can: Go take a yoga class or some anger management courses or something. I'm being sincere here and not trying to be snarky or sarcastic in any way. You seem to have a lot of anger bottled up within you and it is not healthy to manage it this way. Seriously, for your own sake, you need to get out there, take a break, and engage in some self-reflection.

*it's not Huzaifa.

@NCZ

I can manage that if I don't get harassed for calling out someone that blatantly spreads misinformation. Is there a report button that I could use if I get harassed again? If so, I'll use it.

@Sk8erPrince Huzaifa isn't even a moderator on this site lol. Which has me wondering. Who is this moderator that you hate so much?

Thing is, while Huzaifa had said stuff that has annoyed people to some extent, his heart was generally in the right place. No bad intentions. He has accepted the criticism's that others have given. Can't say the same for you.

I'm a harasser? OK now I just think you're crazy at this point.

@Sk8erPrince

Shaun Ince's first comment was perhaps a bit of an instigation, yes.

That being said. Your initial post it was in response to was indeed a bit condescending and unnecessarily provocative - which has been a recurring issue with you in the past. It makes things personal and had a layer of insulting to it.

As well, one of the most important things that a person can recognize to do is know to be the bigger person. If you feel slighted, fine, but there are better ways to react than to referring to someone as a "friggin' cocky smartass" who makes "moot and uncredible" points, while siding with "a weeb". Then telling them to get lost for starting fights when you're the one who escalated things by making it personal.

While I feel there are better ways that Shaun could have responded to this, this situation is best described as fighting fire with gasoline.

@huzaifa_ahmed
Yes, then get Kari Wahlgren to play Biscuit and Steve Blum for Kite.

@Unknownsage13

Without looking at the preview video, I haven't heard enough from Vee or Erika to say, but...

I'm a little disappointed so far, as it sounds like a non-union (groan) Bang Zoom (less groan) dub.

I figured they could attempt to schedule someone like Katie Leigh for Gon, Colleen O'Shaughnessy for Killua, & possible Michelle Ruff or Laura Bailey for Kurapika.

I mean, Japan gets Sawashiro & Yamadera...This is not a niche series, either.

Tiger & Bunny had few sales, but...one of the best recent dubs (tbf it was short)...

I surely hope for a mainstream broadcast, the way Naruto was done. The budget was fairly high back then, & I'd assumed they'd make up for it with ratings.

I mean, it's a FINE adaptation of a fantastic adventure comic. Why wouldn't they treat it well?

Maybe I'm at a loss for perspective, but IIRC this has a fairly large fanbase as-is, right?

How hard is it to afford a union Studiopolis/NYAV Post dub, especially for an already-finished show?

@huzaifa_ahmed I think they figured that all the main actors have shown their skills and that they're capable actors. So why go the extra mile to be union when they can be perfectly fine with non-union? It's not like the union actors that far above the non-union ones in skill. Like all four of the main actors sound great to me in their other performances.

@huzaifa_ahmed
Isn't Naruto like DBZ level popular in America and thats why it got a unionized dub? I mean not only is there the very long running anime but movies and lots of video games.

@Unknownsage13 The issue people have isn't really anything against the actors themselves, but more frustration that the anime industry being what it is forces dubbers to draw from a limited talent pool, leading to many dubs sounding very samey.

It's as EVRoss says below. While it's an inevitability that's probably not going to change anytime soon, it's a shame that the anime dub industry being what it is has led to most companies settling for "good enough" or "whatever gets the job done while remaining profitable" when there's the potential to be even better.

@NCZ it's a shame that the anime dub industry being what it is has led to most companies settling for "good enough" or "whatever gets the job done while remaining profitable" when there's the potential to be even better.

That's a pretty good point actually.

@Unknownsage13 Have you heard Cristina Vee as Sailor Mars? I was surprised by how deep she sounded, especially in Crystal. After hearing that I don't think a boy voice will be too much of a stretch for her. (and I've heard she's already done some bit parts as boys)

@DarkWhite Clearing out old unanswered messages...

Naruto is in fact not *that* popular. It had a pretty good budget for a dub when it started, whereas DBZ's dub was done with almost no money & literal off-the-street people. It just happened to (massively) blow up.

Naruto was only moderately popular in comparison, then blew up fairly big on Cartoon Network. Now, it is successful for anime, but understandably a LOT of viewers dropped off when the major filler streak hit.

It was the poster boy of anime back in 2007 (I learned that from Nintendo Power on the subject hehe), but it's not really THAT popular, & in fact it's the butt of many jokes about anime.

I still contend that it's a great series with brilliant lore, & I have tremendous respect for how Viz has treated the dub. Certainly this series is just as popular today, & it's a shame they apparently haven't been able to treat it as well as Naruto.

@Autovolt

While I was hoping for Quinton Flynn (partially because of Initial D & his SquEnix dubs) as Leorio, I wouldn't think badly of Matt as a stand-in of sorts.

Especially as Keiji Fujiwara is also Iron Man, Joker, Booker, & Lao from Xenoblade...

Eh, it's a pretty good fit. I hope it turns out well.

I like Erica Mendez, that's who I assumed it would be.

Silverstein sounds great as an idea as well.


Hope the other two go well as well.


Even if it's non-union, it has the potential for quality if given good scheduling/studio time.

After all, look at Cowboy Bebop.

@Frankz9

It's Erica Harlacher.

To be frank, though, Uvogin is a character I really wouldn't mind a low-budget dub for.


IMO Jamieson Price, Paul St. Peter or Patrick Seitz wouldn't really be any different from, say, Fred Tatasciore or Travis Willingham, in this case.


That being said, the deepest, loudest guy they can get would be preferable.

Although, someone like Ben Diskin, with his convincing lower register, wouldn't be too bad either.

@PsychicVoiceSpy I do find it a shame Brendan couldn't reprise (especially since he wanted to), but I think Keith will work for Hisoka. His new Japanese VA in the 2011 series isn't as fun or charming as his 1999 VA was, so I don't think a new take will hurt.

@PsychicVoiceSpy Also, since it's an LA dub, I hope Marc Diraison will be cast as Ging.

@PsychicVoiceSpy

"Also, kudos to Viz for not getting a guy to voice Kurapika."

If you're suggesting that Erika Harlacher is actually a better choice than male voice actors that specialize in the male protag voice, then I'm honestly left speechless. Kurapika sounds awful. I'm sorry, but Erika should stick with women for the time being and practice doing little boys aged at 5-7 before she tries to do male roles that are out of her range. As of right now, I think Erika is tainting Kurapika, and I'm displeased with it.

@Sk8erPrince Kurapika is a soft-spoken, feminine dude, & while I could see a guy doing it, there's clearly a reason why - even separated by over a decade's audience - they got a woman to voice Kurapika in Japanese. It's not a "young kid" voice, it's a soft-spoken, slightly effeminate guy. It's not really that far off from a typical female voice, nasal resonance aside.

@huzaifa_ahmed

Yeah, and so is Kurama from YYH. And John Burgmeier was tasked for that role. The point is, I don't care who they got to voice as him in Japanese, and I've already frowned upon seeing the JP castlist. This aspect of Kurapika obviously doesn't translate well in English. And with Erika, whom hasn't received proper training to handle roles like these, the performance takes a turn for the worst. Not that I'd believe any female could handle Kurapika, really.

Chinese Kurapika is the BEST. Think of a slightly higher pitched Kurama. Also done by a guy.

@Sk8erPrince For someone who claims to hate arrogang, elitist sub fanatics, the things that you say certainly make you sound like one. Tainting Kurapika? That sounds exactly like something a fanatic would say. That a dub has "tainted" the character.

@BioZero216

Yeah, except I don't watch subs. Like, ever. I do hate elitist weebs, and the first step in expressing that hatred is, without a doubt, boycotting the Japanese voice acting they so blindly love so much. And as much as I love dubs, that doesn't mean I love every single one of them. I try my absolute best to point out at least one good thing in a dub. In which case, Keith Silverstein is the best Hisoka we've had to date. However, the way I see it, Cristina and Erika did terribly in their roles; hence I refuse to watch HxH 2011 in any language other than Chinese.

@Sk8erPrince Boycotting Japanese voice acting? You can't be serious. Do you know what would happen if they actually did that? I admittedly have rather extreme views on dub haters and I can't stand sub elitists, but I'm not going to try and ban Japanese voice acting. Nothing good could possibly come of that.

@Sk8erPrince "If you're suggesting that Erika Harlacher is actually a better choice than male voice actors that specialize in the male protag voice, then I'm honestly left speechless."

I doubt such a sentiment leaves you speechless when you've already "discussed" this kind of thing on here with others already. You already know people have different views than you on this.

Dude, it's a freaking cartoon. Cartoons are not bound by the expectations of reality. It's a creative medium of entertainment where just about anything is possible, so why is it so wrong and offensive to you when a male character is voiced by a woman? Especially when the character is so feminine in both appearance and demeanor?

I don't give a crap if men voice females or women voice males. People can go crazy with cross-gender casting for all I care, as long as the end result is compelling and entertaining. I'm not saying you have to like it and believe it's a good creative choice; everything is open to criticism. However, the fact that you can't seem to even tolerate that it happens seems a little bizarre.

Yes, I'm very happy Erika Harlacher is voicing Kurapika, and I'm glad that unique, creative quality has carried over into English. When I'm already used to a very feminine character like him sounding the way he does, it makes me cringe to hear a man in the role.

@Sk8erPrince You seem to think you're doing the world a favor by boycotting the Japanese versions of anime. Newsflash pal, it doesn't mean squat. One less conceited guy that doesn't have to watch that particular version. You're a pebble in a ocean compared to all the other people that consume anime in various different ways, whether by legal or illegal means.

@PsychicVoiceSpy

"Dude, it's a freaking cartoon. Cartoons are not bound by the expectations of reality."

Yet females are cast to voice as male kids for vocal realism. Your statement couldn't be more false.

"so why is it so wrong and offensive to you when a male character is voiced by a woman?"

Not just any male character, but those that are over the age of 13. I'd understand why females would be cast as traps and crossdressers, but Kurapika? No. Kurama from YYH is pretty similar to Kurapika, but he's cast to a male in the Funimation dub, and that casting choice was met with positive reception. Why they didn't do the same thing with HxH 2011, I'll never know. Not just that, but he's cast to a voice actress that is inexperienced in doing male voices. Erika hasn't even done a male kid before, hence objectively, she is almost guaranteed to be awful at the role. And as it turns out, it's true in my POV.

"Especially when the character is so feminine in both appearance and demeanor?"

Doesn't change the fact that Kurapika male, and is the oldest of the trio (the other two being Gon and Killua). No 17 year old sounds like Kurapika. It's unrealistic, and that's grounds for loathing the performance as a whole.

"I don't give a crap if men voice females or women voice males."

You don't believe in vocal realism? Alrighty then: I have nothing more to say to you after this convo.

"However, the fact that you can't seem to even tolerate that it happens seems a little bizarre."

Many similarly feminine male characters are not cast to females in English. I don't see why Kurapika is an exception to that.

"that unique, creative quality has carried over into English. "

I'm sorry, but that aspect does not translate well to English.

"it makes me cringe to hear a man in the role."

It's even cringier when a woman that has yet to receive enough training in doing even little boys had the audacity to take on a male teen.

@BioZero216

Boycotting them doesn't mean I'm saying that we should ban Japanese voice acting in the United States. I'm just saying that they're overrated, and not nearly as good as many people (weebs, especially) seem to claim. Personally, one should only support a subbed only release on the possibility that it will be rereleased with a dub. If not, there is almost no reason to purchase them. It's not like Japanese voice acting is that great, anyway. I have always believed that having to read subs to understand a show is not, and will never be true enjoyment. If you love the Japanese voice acting so much, I'm sure your love for it will transcend even the blatant language barrier, allowing you to understand the context without subs by ear. Yeah, no. When you don't understand a language, the only way you could tell if the acting is good is by the vocal tones from the performances. That's all I have to say.

@Sk8erPrince

"Erika hasn't even done a male kid before, hence objectively, she is almost guaranteed to be awful at the role. "

I dunno bout this Heath Ledger guy. He's only done prettyboy roles. Why should we give him the role of The Joker?

You could say she's an unlikely choice, sure. But lack of prior precedent does not automatically equal objective terribleness.

"You don't believe in vocal realism? Alrighty then: I have nothing more to say to you after this convo."

There is a respectful way to handle disagreements and shutting out people who do not see eye-to-eye with you on this kind of subject is not the way.

"I'd understand why females would be cast as traps"

Nice.

"I'm just saying that they're overrated, and not nearly as good as many people (weebs, especially) seem to claim. Personally, one should only support a subbed only release on the possibility that it will be rereleased with a dub. If not, there is almost no reason to purchase them. It's not like Japanese voice acting is that great, anyway."

Hold on, didn't you just earlier say:

"I do hate elitist weebs"

Do you really think that maybe, just maybe, you're coming off just a wee bit hypocritical here? You talk so much about despising weeaboos (whoever they are - this seems to be a strawman at best since I'm not seeing any here). Yet you're saying all Japanese voice acting is not that great, overrated, and that there's no reason to support releases containing it unless there's the possibility of them being dubbed. There's also the underlying implication that people who enjoy Japanese voice acting are... wrong? How are you acting any different than the "elitist weeaboo" strawman you so loathe?

Also as a general note, I'm really tired of this whole "weeaboo sub-lover/dub-hater" boogeyman that I keep seeing thrown around. I can tell you this confidently with personal experience, this site is pretty much a haven for dub fans. The number of hardcore sub lovers who've come by and smack-talked about how all dubs suck and all dub haters are garbage could be counted on probably not even half of my hand. Crap, I think it's happened a grand total of once. On the flipside I've seen numerous people go on about how people who hate dubs are the spawn of Satan and the single greatest threat to humanity, with the level of vitriol I see here. This idea of starting wars and treating yourself as an oppressed minority because of your preferred method of watching anime is bizarre and needs to stop.

@NCZ

"treating yourself as an oppressed minority"

I never saw myself as oppressed. I'm just saying it as I see it.

"since I'm not seeing any here"

Are you absolutely sure, that one of your staff members isn't one of them? During a previous argument with Tuxedeo, I have determined them to befitting that category since according to them, "Dubs are the lowest common denominator" and "Dubbing underlings have no say in the adaption process". Both statements, regardless of whether or not they are opinionated, are in fact wholly untrue.

"There's also the underlying implication that people who enjoy Japanese voice acting are... wrong?"

They are not wrong. In fact, if they wanna watch the original JP, I don't mind. But I'm really, really sick of weebs that keep on complaining how certain roles are not played by the same gender in the dub like in the original, and several other factors. I don't take dub bashing lightly. At all.

"How are you acting any different than the "elitist weeaboo" strawman you so loathe?"

I'm advocating the evolution of dubs. There's the difference. Dubbing industries should prosper, and it would be preferable if more people would learn to appreciate dubs than the original JP.

"this site is pretty much a haven for dub fans"

Good. That's nice, but I really do wonder why a particular staff member, whom has clearly acted condescendingly towards dubs is erected to such a position.

@Sk8erPrince

Figure of speech. What do you think about the core ideas behind that paragraph.

"They are not wrong. In fact, if they wanna watch the original JP, I don't mind. But I'm really, really sick of weebs that keep on complaining how certain roles are not played by the same gender in the dub like in the original, and several other factors. I don't take dub bashing lightly. At all."

I'm legitimately not seeing any bashing at all on this page. There's a big difference between constructive criticism/expressing an opinion fairly and whining. The first statement regarding Kurapika is "kudos for not getting a guy". After which you stated that you were "honestly left speechless" as though such an opinion is unthinkable, and that a male voice is "tainting" Kurapika. Then another person explained why they think it's fine for this character to have a female voice.

These people are PRAISING the dub's casting choices. There's no bashing going on here. You speak of people bashing dubs for casting a character with the opposite-gendered VA as the original. But that's not happening in this case. The one who is bashing the casting choice here... is you. So what are you going on about?
Then there's the issue of you stating that you don't think a single female VA could do the role justice and acting in a downright disdainful way toward the notion of such a thing happening. The specificity and harshness of this flavour of vitriol just comes off as disturbing to me.

"I'm advocating the evolution of dubs. There's the difference. Dubbing industries should prosper, and it would be preferable if more people would learn to appreciate dubs than the original JP."

Don't you think a bit of constructive criticism is warranted though. The only way something can evolve is by collecting feedback. If I went to an ice cream shop and they made the ice cream in a way that was pretty good, but not quite perfect, I have two courses of action. I can say, "I like it, keep it up!" And so the ice cream will continue to be made and eaten by me in the same fashion. Or I can say, "It's not bad, but what if you did this instead?" The ice cream maker can either take this feedback or leave it. THAT is evolution. Feedback isn't always binary. The best course of action is not blind hatred nor is it blind love. It's a matter of recognizing what works and what doesn't, and being able to articulate that in a good way. If someone dislikes something, but is able to express it in a way that is respectful and fair, then what is the issue?

"I really do wonder why a particular staff member, whom has clearly acted condescendingly towards dubs is erected to such a position."

If you're bringing up the Dilandau issue then that moderator has been spoken to regarding appropriate conduct.

@NCZ

"I'm legitimately not seeing any bashing at all on this page."

Not at all. You asked me what differentiates me between weebs, and you have your answer. Now I have to address your other points.

"as though such an opinion is unthinkable, and that a male voice is "tainting" Kurapika."

It is unthinkable to me, yes. Several similar male characters that are created prior to Kurapika that are originally cast to females are cast to males in Enhlidh. I've listed Kurama from YYH as an example. The real peculiar thing is, both YYH and HxH are created by the same author, so if Kurama was cast to a male actor, I don't see why the same can't be applied to Kurapika. Then again, even if both works weren't created by the same author, my point still stands.

I think Erika's voice is tainting the character because despite myself not liking the seiyu's performance either, I have every single reason to believe that the seiyu is actually more believable, at least in the perspective of Japanese people. I believe both Erika and the seiyu are forcing out an unnatural male voice, but of course, I'd recommend the version that is comparatively less unnatural. Cultural differences between the US and Japan are so diverse that one cannot possibly carry every single element over to the US for dubbing. And believe it or not, cultural differences affect casting choices, too. Which is why adult Goku is voiced by Sean Schemmel as opposed to Stephanie Nadolny, whom provided the voice of kid Goku. What sounds right to the Japanese might not have the same effect for Western people. That's what adaption is all about. Ironically, the Chinese dub gave me what I wanted despite Chinese and Japanese cultures both being Eastern. Most of the time, Chinese casting choices tend to mirror that of Japanese in their dubs. Surprisingly, Kurapika was a clear exception.

"The one who is bashing the casting choice here... is you. So what are you going on about?"

What am I on about? I'm trying to prove that I'm not a blind dub lover. As much as I love dubs, I don't like every single one of them. But I'd still rather understand the context by ear instead of having to rely on subs. Though I try my best to convince people to watch more dubs, if I have deemed a dub to be ill suited for enjoyment, then I'll have no choice but to recommend the subbed version, instead. Such is the case with HxH. I think Erika was awful as Kurapika, and with this role of hers, I have no faith that she'll pull off a good male voice until she manages to surprise me (like I said, I'm not sure why she didn't start with younger boys for practice, first). But the casting choice I think is most problematic in this dub isn't that of Erika's, it's Cristina's role of Killua. Killua, as far as I'm concerned, is supposed to be older (and more mature) than Gon. There is no plausible explanation as to why an overly high pitched and feminine + unconvincing male voice is deemed to be suitable for Killua. I've made a joke with some of my pals that the casting director for HxH 2011 must have taken crack during the casting process. And according to a couple of anime forums I've been on, it would seem that the general consensus is that a lot of the viewers have already quit or thinking of quitting the dub with Eng Killua's voice; and that more people had a problem with Killua sounding bad than Eng Kurapika (though I've noticed a number of people stating that Kurapika does not sound masculine enough).

@NCZ

-cont'd-

"Then there's the issue of you stating that you don't think a single female VA could do the role justice"

It's not an issue. I simply have no faith in that regard, that's all. No big deal. My disbelief that any female could do Kurapika justice is similar to my disbelief regarding the very same thing about Kurama. Dubs take liberties all the time to appeal to a western audience. Which is why I don't understand why they can't do the same with Kurapika.

"acting in a downright disdainful way toward the notion of such a thing happening."

Because such a casting choice is the start of an advocacy that as long as a male character is deemed to be feminine, then they could be cast to females that don't even have to try to sound remotely male. If this continues, roles that rightfully belong to the male gender will eventually end up sounding subpar at the hands of females that can't do a more convincing job in terms of vocal realism. And I quote Huzaifa: "[Kurapika's voice is] not really that far off from a typical female voice, nasal resonance aside." Assuming that statement is true, then my point about vocal realism stands.

So if I'm understanding this correctly, as long as we label a male character as effeminate, they should sound female and not convincingly male? And that we should also throw the concept of puberty out of the window? I'm sorry, but that logic does not, in any possible way, sound reasonable to me at all.

"just comes off as disturbing to me."

It's also disturbing to think of a dreadful future in which males are getting less and less roles when females cross a territory they are not allowed in. Trained females can voice as male kids (which is already opposite their gender) in addition to their own gender. There is absolutely no need for them to tread past that territory. Because if they do (by that, I mean male teens and adults), they're just nabbing roles that rightfully belong to the male gender. I am well aware that the above scenario is a thing in Japan. And this is the main reason why I could never bring myself to like Japanese voice acting, besides the fact that I dislike the language itself to begin with. Vocal realism is not commonly considered; instead, it's all about giving women male roles that obviously don't fit them (Hajime Hinata from Dangan Ronpa 2 is a prime example of that point). Maybe it's just a part of Japanese culture. Who knows? I'd fear fot the same thing to happen in the US. Guess I have to thank the other miscast in this dub, then? Cuz lots of people are quitting the dub (not because of Erika), iirc. Hence they get less exposure to Kurapika's Eng voice, which again, I believe to be a miscast.

"The best course of action is not blind hatred nor is it blind love."

Again, I don't blindly love dubs. I always try to state what I think would have been more fitting for a dub that I deem as subpar, or bad. You know, what they could have done better, ya follow? I can be very analytical about it. I will not deny that I am often very harsh in dishing out my POV, though.

"If you're bringing up the Dilandau issue then that moderator has been spoken to regarding appropriate conduct."

Sweet. Glad to hear that.

@Sk8erPrince

This is all fine and dandy but none of it addresses the fundamental issue with your behaviour. If you want to be perceived as a fair person rather than a "blind dub lover" there are better avenues to doing so than directly insulting and mistreating other people and expressing an outright hatred towards an entire language. This has been a repeated issue and is not a productive or meaningful way of communicating with other people.

"It's also disturbing to think of a dreadful future in which males are getting less and less roles when females cross a territory they are not allowed in. Trained females can voice as male kids (which is already opposite their gender) in addition to their own gender. There is absolutely no need for them to tread past that territory. Because if they do (by that, I mean male teens and adults), they're just nabbing roles that rightfully belong to the male gender."

I don't know where to begin here. All I'm going to say is that this block to me suggests some very disturbing ideals regarding women.

"I will not deny that I am often very harsh in dishing out my POV, though."

You recognize that it is an issue then. Once again, there is a difference between being bluntly critical and being outright scathing and hateful. More often than not, your comments come off as the latter.

I've said all that I think needs to be said at this point in time so I will wrap things up here, but this is your final warning. You need to work on your behaviour, stop picking fights with and insulting other people, and recognize that extremism is not a solution. You seem to have a lot of fire within your heart and a lot of that seems to be misdirected and in need of dousing. It's really not healthy to carry such hatred within you and I strongly suggest you seek some help.

@NCZ

"suggests some very disturbing ideals regarding women"

Not necessarily. It's nothing more than, "If a woman can't do this male character better than a real grown male, then they shouldn't do it in favor of vocal realism." Also, a lot of my views regarding casting tend to reflect official dubs. The only reasons that I could think of in regards to taking liberties in casting is either vocal realism or what English casting directors think would fit best in a western perspective.

@Sk8erPrince

I just say that in conjunction with your bit on the Goku VC about treating the term "feminist" as derogatory. Just try to be mindful because that ties into the overarching issue of rudeness and disrespect.

Now if you really want to turn over a new leaf, I think a good first step would be to apologize to those you have insulted, and take responsibility for and make a concerted effort to improve your actions and behaviour. Please recognize this because I'd like the addressing of this specific issue to not simply be ignored or deflected, but be the main takeaway from my posts.

@PsychicVoiceSpy Who knows for all I know is that they might give it to either Keith Silvertein (the voice for Hisoka) or Matthew Mercer (the voice for Leorio), given thatthey have shared three roles from his Seiyuu, Rikiya Koyama (Coyote Starrk, Deep Sea King, and Onihei Mishima for Keith; Kiritsugu Emiya, Yamato, and Richard Max for Matthew).

But I think Keith's more likely since he usually get's to voice like 2-3 more characters in a show and Matthew's already been cast as Leorio, which makes his casting as Ging very unlikely as he doesn't normally voice different characters for shows done at Bang Zoom! Entertainment!!

But to be fair I would'nt rule out Marc Diraison since he did voiced Sweeper in "Zetman" which was a role originated by Koyama, but we'll soon find out who voices Ging on Tonight's episode, so be prepared!!!

@Music Meister Why's that, exactly?

@ShigyC
Mostly due to the fact that it's Brandon's favorite role, so such so that he reprised it in an abridged series of Hunter X Hunter.
Plus he's pretty fantastic from what I've seen.

@1dbad
1999 dub had its flaws but Annika Odegard as Killua was definitely the best thing about it; TBH I doubt Cristina Vee will be even half as good... If fans enjoy the new dub that's cool. I just personally hate having to roll my eyes and facepalm when human sheep say a dub is the best ever and have no clue what they're actually talking about and it's only slightly above average. Assuming the new dub will be better overall it's kind of sad if "good enough" is the new standard when it had the potential to have GOAT status.

@Omar_Lopez I LOVED Annika Odegard as Killua. I did think the 1999 dub had a few vocal highlights, and she was definitely one of them. It's a shame she couldn't reprise, but I am willing to give the new VAs a chance. It's possible they might not be as good, but if that happens, I'll just stick to the sub. I am hoping for at least a good dub though. I loved the Japanese dub of the 1999 series, so it would be cool if I could enjoy the English dub of the 2011 series that much.

@BlueHeracross

Fingers crossed for a unionized dub, though.

I was REALLY hoping we could get a crowdfund of some sort.

Might help?

@Plevak Not sure yet. The only way I could see this being non-union is if one of the cast members in the show used an alias like Steve Staley as Steve Cannon or Dorothy Fahn as Johanna Luis.

@DisneyAnimefan1995 Easiest way to tell if the dub is union, is whether or not Steve Blum, Crispin Freeman, or Kari Walhgren are in the dub.

@Shaun Ince Let's not forget about Bridget Hoffman, since she also currently appears Union-only anime dubs, especially those at Bang Zoom!.

I would say it looks to be far–fetched for HxH becoming union, but a lot of us thought that the English dub of Doraemon was non-union, up until when Kari Wahlgren and Crispin Freeman appeared in the dub's second season confirming it was a Union dub.

Regardless if Hunter x Hunter becomes Union or non-union, I will accept on whichever dub HxH will become. Just as long as the performances in the dub are excellent and I enjoy watching it as an English dub fan.

@EVRoss Won't hold my breath if it's non-union, even though I'm certain that's where the show looks to be heading. We will have to keep an eye out for the show on more infor in the meantime.

Honestly the only way I can tell an LA dubbed anime title is non-union is through several factors:

1. The anime title is utilizing both newer voice actors (from the BZ auditions at AX) and Fi-core actors, so no actors like Steve Blum and Crispin Freeman involved since they only work in union productions.

2. The actor/actress using an Alias (e.g. Steve Staley as Steve Canno or David Earnest as David Vincent)

3. Anime title not listed in the SAG-AFTRA database.

@DisneyAnimefan1995 I'm REALLY shocked they announced Hisoka's VA before Kurapika's. But Viz has another convention scheduled for a few days from now, so I'm guessing we'll find out more cast/studio/director information then.

@1dbad I know right. I was expecting Kurapika's English voice actor to be announced alongside Gon, Killua, and Leorio's English voice actors, since Kurapika is one of the 4 main characters in the show. I'm still optimistic they might announce more casting info for HxH at Anime Boston next week.

@DisneyAnimefan1995 Not only that, but the dub clip they showed at the panel had Kurapika's voice in it. Really strange to show us a voice and not even say who it is... All we have is fan speculation at the moment. (people are thinking it's Michelle Ruff) But at least with Anime Boston on the horizon, we'll likely know for sure soon.

@DisneyAnimefan1995 Well we have an answer now: He's played by Erika Harlacher! Turns out it was confirmed yesterday, but the Twitter user who took pics missed it by accident.

@Gaddes Was aware of the news ever since I saw the tweet early afternoon. ;)

@Gaddes I was aware of the announcement.

@huzaifa_ahmed Agreed, while I'm not against non-union dubs in LA since most of them are good, it would be a nice step to see HxH become a Union dub, given the huge amount of diversive characters the series has, and the amount of actors being involved in the dub, not to mention we could see the return of some familiar voices who haven't been in the anime dubbing game for a while (e.g. Megan Hollingshead, Paul St. Peter).

However, I won't hold my breath on that one, since outside of Naruto, Durarara, the Fate/Stay Knight series and among many other select Unionized anime titles, most of the current Anime titles that are dubbed in Los Angeles area these days are non-union.

@PsychicVoiceSpy Yeah I know. Ever since Viz announced that they had I license I've been checking around for information on the dub EVERY day!

@Ichigo341578926 @PsychicVoiceSpy, Same here, I'm hoping they would announce the dub cast at either this years Katsucon, Anime Boston or Anime Expo, though I won't hold my breath, since, since Viz Media usually decides to make dub cast announcements on a licensed show at a big Anime convention event (example: "Boston" and "AX"), though I don't doubt they might choose AX. But who knows?

@Ichigo341578926 Them making the announcement and then not hearing another peep out of them on the matter for four months is just frustrating. Hopefully we'll get something new before long.

@PsychicVoiceSpy It looks like we will be having a Viz Media Industry panel, along with a HxH screening at C2E2 (Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo) on March 19. So I'm expecting they might announce the English dub cast here.

@DisneyAnimefan1995 Nice... I'm both excited and nervous.

@DisneyAnimefan1995 Finally some actual news on this dub.

Here's hoping the casting will be great.

*fingers crossed for Ocean/Blue Water as unlikely as it may seem*.

@Autovolt
Your finger crossing is what's making me nervous.

Please be Studiopolis, Bang Zoom, NGP, NYAV, Ocean, Salami, SDI, Deluxe Digital, or any place but Blue Water.

@BlueHeracross Ditto, I am expecting it would be either Bang Zoom or Studiopolis that will dub the show, hoping it's the latter since they dub a lot of the long-running and popular shows for Viz Media since 2005. Although to be fair, I don't think Bang Zoom's out of the question given that Justin Sevakis, who does a lot of the Viz titles for Bang Zoom!, hinted at a unannounced title that was going to be announced during the Viz Media panel at New York Comic-Con last year, so HxH could be it. But for the long run, Bang Zoom! has not dub any long-running anime series with 100+ episodes and most of the shows (outside of Eureka Seven, which had 52 episodes) are either 12-13 or 24 episode anime series, though I would like to see BZ take a stab on a long running Shōnen series in the vein of Naruto, Bleach and Sailor Moon (okay not Shōnen, but it's still a long running show; original series that is) being dubbed at Studiopolis.

The only thing I'm nervous on is if the show would be a non-union or union dub production. I am hoping Hunter x Hunter becomes a Union dub, given the large cast of characters the series has and the number of voice actors (both veterans and newcomers) that could be involved in the production. However, I'm not holding my breath on that one, since most anime that are dubbed in the Los Angeles area these days are non-union. :/

@DisneyAnimefan1995

"most anime that are dubbed *in the Los Angeles* area these days are non-union. :/"


Pray tell, where exactly ARE anime dubbed union, if not in Los Angeles?

@huzaifa_ahmed Los Angeles, California is technically the ONLY city and state where several different anime series are both dubbed Union and non-union, compared to Texas and New York where most anime titles are non-union since those states particularly the former have no association with the labor union. However the number of union dubs in LA have been gradually reduced in recent years due to the anime recession in 2008 and 2012 which caused the closures of Bandai Entertainment and Geneon. Because of this issue, Bang Zoom! which did a lot of Union dubs besides Studiopolis, decided not to continue relying on voice actors that appear in Union-only productions (e.g. Steve Blum, Crispin Freeman, Kari Wahlgren, etc...) and instead rely on new voice actors like Cristina Vee, Erica Mendez, Zach Aguilar, Erika Harlacher, among others for their current dubs.

@BioZero216 On one side, I'm just happy that we can finally have, I assume, replacement-subtitles of more accuracy - as with the dub's dialogue itself. CrunchyRoll barely had an hour to translate each episode, so quite a few things here and there will make more sense/have a bit more of an impact.

@BioZero216 The waiting game sucks. Lets play hungry hungry hippos!

@ShigyC @ShigyC I'd recommend checking out Hunter x Hunter on Hulu if you want a taste of what to expect. Viz is re-subbing the series from scratch, and they're also using Blu-Ray raws, with improved animation and art!

@1dbad Exactly! That's what I've been even more stoked for~

@ShigyC Same here. :D I felt bad about putting off watching the 2011 version so long, but I'm kind of glad I did so in hindsight. Now I have Blu-Ray masters to enjoy, as well as the dub coming out. :D

@Metabad Honestly, I'm just tired of the "only LA can produce good English dubs" mentality.

I mean don't get me wrong, some of my favorite games of all time have LA dubs and they're great, but fantastic english dubs like Black Lagoon and Death Note were done by Ocean, and I just know that they would nail this show if given the chance.

@1dbad
Honestly, that's kind of a relief. Maybe is not fair of me to say since I only watched a little bit of it, but the old dub....wasn't too good.

@BlueHeracross As someone who has heard most of the series' major voices from the old dub, I would say that yes, the dub was pretty weak overall (with a few decent performances here and there). However, the talent from Calgary who worked on the dub have proven themselves to be very solid performers in their video game work, and some of their recent anime work sounds much better than their dub for Hunter x Hunter 1999.

A lot of what really brought down that dub was most likely due to bad casting decisions and poor direction.

Brendan Hunter as Hisoka, however, was not one of those weaknesses.

I've seen most of his work from that dub, and despite the poor direction, he managed to give a decent performance most of the time, and in some scenes I would even go as far to say (in complete seriousness) that he gave some line deliveries that were about on par with Daisuke Namikawa. Plus, his voice for the character is a great fit. If he got to reprise with better direction, I guarantee you he'd impress.

He's also really enthusiastic about the character, and he's done the voice several times in YouTube videos where he sounds better than he did in the anime. Out of all the actors from the 1999 dub, he's the one I'm desperately hoping gets to reprise. I honestly can't think of anyone else I'd rather have voice Hisoka over Brendan Hunter.

@PsychicVoiceSpy In all honesty Hunter should voice Pariston Hill. That way he can be voiced the Hisoka in the 99 anime in both the English and Japanese version. Plus I kinda feel like he'd fit better for Pariston Hill than Hisoka anyway.

@Ichigo341578926 While that would probably work well, there's no obligation to cast Hisoka's 1999 English VA as Pariston just because it's that way in Japanese.

As for your second point, I disagree. Brendan has a deeper voice than the 1999 seiyuu that's a little closer to Namikawa anyway, and I've heard him lower his voice and sound more menacing at points throughout the 1999 dub and on YouTube when doing the voice and he's a darn good fit for the character. For Pariston, his voice might be a little too low.

I personally imagine someone like Brad Swaile voicing Pariston.

@PsychicVoiceSpy Well having listened to his voice more recently (as of a few minutes ago) I can kinda see what you mean about it being to deep. But lets face it if he doesn't voice Hisoka it's still very likely that he could be in the dub as a different character. Mainly due to the fact that there's a good chance that they had already casted Hisoka before Viz announced that they had the license.

@Ichigo341578926 You know I could see that happening, though I agree with PsychicVoiceSpy that Brendan Hunter IS Hisoka.

I haven't seen the series yet but even I know that. With that said Brendan is versatile enough, he could voice both roles.

@BlueHeracross True, but Brendan's a separate case. He was like one of the few highlights that even poor voice direction couldn't pull the curtains on. And I really do love it when a voice actor has a special attachment to one of their characters like he does.

@BioZero216 Thank U Thank U Thank U Thank U Thaaaaank UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!

@Ichigo341578926 I'm so excited! I do hope they dub it here in the states though, unless they get a better Canadian voice director this time.

@1dbad I highly doubt the new HunterxHunter series will be dubbed in Canada, they could pull a "Sailor Moon" on this one and dubbed the series in Los Angeles instead.

@DisneyAnimefan1995 I'm not expecting it either, but stranger things have happened. I'm guessing it'll be an LA dub too. Maybe a Bang Zoom one?

@1dbad Depends on which LA recording studio Viz Media is going to send it to. It could be Studiopolis, which has been Viz's most recurring recording since about 2005 and dubbed some of their Popular titles they licensed (e.g. Naruto, Bleach Sailor Moon, etc..) or more recently Bang Zoom! Entertainment which they used since about late 2011 early-to-mid 2012 after the closure on Bandai Entertainment.

But hey whichever Recording Studio Viz is going the send for the HunterxHunter dub I'll be looking forward to it.

@1dbad What about MB VoiceWorks or NYAV Post Viz should at least tried those two studio.

@DisneyAnimefan1995 Only things making me think it might be Bang Zoom is 1. Justin Sevakis hinted a little while ago at working on a project for Viz that would be announced "soon," and he only deals with the shows Bang Zoom has done post production for. If said project is Hunter x Hunter, then it'll be a Bang Zoom dub. 2. With Studiopolis already doing two long running shows for them (Naruto, Sailor Moon) Viz may give to Bang Zoom to lighten the load a bit.

But these speculations could be wrong and it could be Studiopolis after all. I don't really care which studio gets it since I'm sure it'll be good either way. :)

@dcmarvelanime From my understanding Viz mainly uses Ocean Studios in Canada (not so much anymore), or Studiopolis or Bang Zoom in LA. I'm guessing it's more likely they'll send it to one of those, but you never know I suppose.

@BioZero216 I'm cautiously optimistic about it. It hasn't even been a year since the show ended in Japan and it still has an active fanbase. It's taken longer than this for some anime to get brought over, so while it's not getting here super quickly, there's not a whole lot of reason to worry just yet, IMO.

@PsychicVoiceSpy I hope you're right.

@BioZero216 Could be for a few reasons

1) It's unfinished and it's unknown if Togashi will ever get back into it due to his frequent hiatuses (Japanese bookstores are already fed up with it and want to take it off their shelves) so maybe thats a turn off

2) Funimation or Aniplex want to focus on their "flavor of the year" anime (Attack on Titan, SAO)

Anyways, I could live without a dub as long as it's completed because it's simply too wonderful to be left incomplete. If it does get dubbed I hope Funimation pick it up cause they're the best at it imo.

@PurpleWarrior13 Oh man, I totally agree. I just got finished watching the Greed Island arc, and I love it! I might have to start collecting the manga for now.

@Kenshin_san

Already knew since I read stuff on the internet too but thanks. :)

I'll add them when the characters actually appear in the episodes.

@Jackson_H lol alright then, the info is for everyone excluding Jackson and the people who already know. :D

@Kenshin_san
All added now!

Kortopi and Bonolenov will be added when they actually talk and their VAs are known. :)

@Jackson_H yay lol, for Kortopi, her voice should be coming up sometime in this arc(at least i think so), for Bonolenov i don't think he said a word up until the Chimera arc :P

@Jackson_H *his voice, i forgot Kortopi is a dude :P