I hope nobody in this comments section has implied that the quality of Xenogears' dubbing is indicative of the quality of typical JRPG localizations. That would just be silly.
@LukeShetler Sometimes you can watch the "sub". If you haven't heard of them, some fans make "undub" versions of games, merging a translated game with original audio (and in some cases, reencoding FMVs with subtitles).
well obviously the animation is going to match what the japanese dialog is saying.... The dialog came first and the animation was drawn to match. Kind of hard to try and put a correct english translation into an animation that was created for another language.
I sort of prefer the English voice acting. The Japanese sounds overly melodramatic to me. Yeah, the synching is awful here, but it's not so bad in some other scenes.
The Japanese voices are overacted, the English voices are underacted. Neither is particularly exceptional, though between the two I'd take the Japanese any day.
Also, English Elly sounds way too old for the part. I'm pretty sure the Xenogears localization didn't even have the budget to hire professional voice actors, though, so it isn't totally fair to point fingers at Square's localization team at the time for its general amateurishness.
the only voice I don't like in the english dub was Barts voice. Personally I think the dub and sub are both pretty good. The biggest prob with the dub is that the mouths don't match with the sound but that gave it a more "dreamy" or "philosophical" type of a effect to me. I don't expect english dubs to be exactly like the original either. Interesting seeing both versions after one another though
Woah, when was that cutscene played ingame? It's been so long I don't remember any of them (But then again the horrible dubbing killed the moments to me X_X)
This scene is more the writer's fault than the actor's fault. I'm referring to the English version, by the way. It's the writer's job to adjust the accurate translation to the lip flaps--in other words, to write new lines that fit the mouth movements but still have pretty much the exact same meaning. This was just horrifically lazy writing...it looks like they just used the literal translation and didn't adjust it for flaps.
Well, there weren't many of the anime scenes, so I can live with it.
I'm surprise Fei's voice is Hikaru Midorikawa. I like Midorikawa but its just not what I expect from Fei's character. I guess you'd get used to it though.
@Excelled Both Hikaru and Yumi have worked on bunch of animes together..the ones that come to mind are Ail (Hikaru) and Ann (Yumi) from Sailor Moon R, Yui (Yumi) and Tamahome (Hikaru) in Fushigi Yuugi and don't forget Gundam Wing again, with Yumi voicing Sally.
Bart is awful in english (but PERFECT in japanese)... I wonder why they picked that guy coz his voice was too deep and strange for Bart. Emeralda sounds like a boy. Elly and Fei aren't so bad but... the lip-synch sucks so much ! I guess Citan isn't bad either... there isn't a lot of voiced scene in fact... too bad... and good in a way XD.
Never heard Krelian (I never finished the game either).
Nephilim from XS has Elly japanese VA by the way (Citan and Bart jap VA are in XS too). It's cool.
The English dub isn't really that bad. Star Ocean 2 and Grandia are much worse than this. If only the lip-synch was correct and the script had a better translation, I think it would've been so much better already.
A few voice actors were good. Fei and Krelian were alright. Elly and Citan were only average. But Bart was rather poor.
Honestly there are so few so these scenes in the game it makes little difference. Yeah its terrible. Not like this game had a great budget or anything. It's a miracle it was released here at all. The battle voices are fine. It's still a great game. The 4 or so scenes like this don't really matter much at all.
Well, only Elly's battle cries are from the japanese version. Someone (forgot who, sadly) uploaded deathblows videos from the japanese version and the voices were different (Fei and Citan's voices were definitely lower while Bart's was higher).
its so sad to see this... xenogears is one of my fav games, but the english dub was so much of a pain that i ended by buying the japanese version instead.
and not to mention that the japanese cast has a bunch of famous voice actors
The English would've been decent if only they weren't lazy. Yeah, they directly translated the Japanese and didn't care for the mouths still moving, they should've added more words or something.
seriously the english dub is such shit i wouldn't be surprised if they did it in one take
edub664 1 week ago
I hope nobody in this comments section has implied that the quality of Xenogears' dubbing is indicative of the quality of typical JRPG localizations. That would just be silly.
gatotsu2501 1 month ago
Why is this one out of sync to the mouth, I didn't seem like it when I was a kid.
dapithapon 2 months ago
The problem w/ JRPGs is that you can't watched the sub'd version :( I can't even play RPGs these days because the voice acting is soooo cheesy.
LukeShetler 3 months ago
@LukeShetler Sometimes you can watch the "sub". If you haven't heard of them, some fans make "undub" versions of games, merging a translated game with original audio (and in some cases, reencoding FMVs with subtitles).
Excelled 3 months ago
well obviously the animation is going to match what the japanese dialog is saying.... The dialog came first and the animation was drawn to match. Kind of hard to try and put a correct english translation into an animation that was created for another language.
BadnessGaming 7 months ago
Japan is superior to all things white! WEEABOO! WEABOO! WEEABOO! WEEABOO!
WAPANESE WAPANESE!
Anathema1984 8 months ago
What are you even talking about?
Excelled 8 months ago 3
@Anathema1984 LMAO, this is from Tumblr, right? hahahahah WEEABOO!!!
skyesfallin 7 months ago
@Anathema1984 "Japan is superior to all things white! WEEABOO! WEABOO! WEEABOO! WEEABOO!"
White people suck,
iCalintz 5 months ago
well it was a 1998 dub, but if you ask me they still could had cut some things so the flaps looked semi normal when they talked
ddup2 8 months ago
I sort of prefer the English voice acting. The Japanese sounds overly melodramatic to me. Yeah, the synching is awful here, but it's not so bad in some other scenes.
ChaoticLemming 9 months ago
@ChaoticLemming
The Japanese voices are overacted, the English voices are underacted. Neither is particularly exceptional, though between the two I'd take the Japanese any day.
gatotsu2501 1 month ago
Also, English Elly sounds way too old for the part. I'm pretty sure the Xenogears localization didn't even have the budget to hire professional voice actors, though, so it isn't totally fair to point fingers at Square's localization team at the time for its general amateurishness.
gatotsu2501 1 month ago
the only voice I don't like in the english dub was Barts voice. Personally I think the dub and sub are both pretty good. The biggest prob with the dub is that the mouths don't match with the sound but that gave it a more "dreamy" or "philosophical" type of a effect to me. I don't expect english dubs to be exactly like the original either. Interesting seeing both versions after one another though
indigopocky 1 year ago
Woah, when was that cutscene played ingame? It's been so long I don't remember any of them (But then again the horrible dubbing killed the moments to me X_X)
Lishy1 1 year ago
@Lishy1 this was in the forest when elly and fei 1st encountered each other that nigh fei was blaming the 'pilot' for landing in lahan
quezer0 1 year ago
This scene is more the writer's fault than the actor's fault. I'm referring to the English version, by the way. It's the writer's job to adjust the accurate translation to the lip flaps--in other words, to write new lines that fit the mouth movements but still have pretty much the exact same meaning. This was just horrifically lazy writing...it looks like they just used the literal translation and didn't adjust it for flaps.
Well, there weren't many of the anime scenes, so I can live with it.
TheShockMaster 2 years ago
I'm surprise Fei's voice is Hikaru Midorikawa. I like Midorikawa but its just not what I expect from Fei's character. I guess you'd get used to it though.
TheGreatCandyman 2 years ago
@TheGreatCandyman you'd figure it out after hearing fei's while doing combos
quezer0 1 year ago
THE USA screwed Xenogears
17hole16 3 years ago
Was that Hikaru Midorikawa as Japanese Fei who also did Hiro from Gundam Wing,
Akasaka Keiichiro from Tokyo Mew Mew, and Marth from Fire Emblem/Super Smash Bros.?
ElricSowrd 3 years ago
That is exactly right. We also hear Yumi Touma (Urd of "Oh My Goddess!") as Elly.
Speaking of "Gundam Wing", the antagonist Treize in that show was done by Ryotaro Okiayu who did Krelian/Karellen in "Xenogears".
Good stuff.
Excelled 3 years ago
Good to know. Thanks.
ElricSowrd 3 years ago
@Excelled Both Hikaru and Yumi have worked on bunch of animes together..the ones that come to mind are Ail (Hikaru) and Ann (Yumi) from Sailor Moon R, Yui (Yumi) and Tamahome (Hikaru) in Fushigi Yuugi and don't forget Gundam Wing again, with Yumi voicing Sally.
MsNinian1 10 months ago
Talk about being screwed by the localization and dubbing.
Xephon0930 3 years ago
Bart is awful in english (but PERFECT in japanese)... I wonder why they picked that guy coz his voice was too deep and strange for Bart. Emeralda sounds like a boy. Elly and Fei aren't so bad but... the lip-synch sucks so much ! I guess Citan isn't bad either... there isn't a lot of voiced scene in fact... too bad... and good in a way XD.
Never heard Krelian (I never finished the game either).
Nephilim from XS has Elly japanese VA by the way (Citan and Bart jap VA are in XS too). It's cool.
CencenHSVD 3 years ago
Well, I don't recall Emerald talking in a cutscene, and as I reccall, the Japanese voices were left in the battle cries.
sephiuson 3 years ago
The English dub isn't really that bad. Star Ocean 2 and Grandia are much worse than this. If only the lip-synch was correct and the script had a better translation, I think it would've been so much better already.
A few voice actors were good. Fei and Krelian were alright. Elly and Citan were only average. But Bart was rather poor.
POLE7645 3 years ago
Honestly there are so few so these scenes in the game it makes little difference. Yeah its terrible. Not like this game had a great budget or anything. It's a miracle it was released here at all. The battle voices are fine. It's still a great game. The 4 or so scenes like this don't really matter much at all.
bob1986 3 years ago
Well the battle voices are fine because... guess what? They're the japanese ones.
CappuccinO80 3 years ago
Well, only Elly's battle cries are from the japanese version. Someone (forgot who, sadly) uploaded deathblows videos from the japanese version and the voices were different (Fei and Citan's voices were definitely lower while Bart's was higher).
POLE7645 3 years ago
its so sad to see this... xenogears is one of my fav games, but the english dub was so much of a pain that i ended by buying the japanese version instead.
and not to mention that the japanese cast has a bunch of famous voice actors
DjPriss 3 years ago
The English would've been decent if only they weren't lazy. Yeah, they directly translated the Japanese and didn't care for the mouths still moving, they should've added more words or something.
Jijjin 4 years ago 2
exactly just like they do today with most Animes today.
GANTZ100pts 4 years ago
Hmm? Today? Actually the dubbing is okay now minus 4kids.
Jijjin 3 years ago
God, I hate Fei's seiyuu.
YanagiTenks 4 years ago
the english version actors seemed lazy to put more emotion into it. it's just not good enough with the characters' expressions.
PingGuerrero 4 years ago
the english versions not even in sync...
pinoyjun 4 years ago