Forum - View topicThe issue of accents in anime.
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Dark Paladin X
 Posts: 268 |
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This is kinda of a debate going on in Funimation forums about a dub for Axis Powers: Hetalia.
If you watch any anime series that does not take place in Japan or in America, or anime series that features foreigners in Japan (i.e. Patricia Martin from Lucky Star), you may notice that the characters don't speak with any accents in the Japanese soundtrack. Apparently, the best I can explain why Japanese seiyuus don't bother with accents in anime series is mainly because since Japan is very homogeneous country, not a lot of Japanese are fully familiar to foreign accents (although there are regional accents/dialects in Japan like Kansai/Osaka accent). However, in United States, the population is more racially/ethnically diverse. So a lot of people are quite familiar with different accents, both regional and foreign. Now, watching a few dub clips from Monster, Gunslinger Girl, and El Cazador de la Bruja, I've noticed that the characters don't speak in accents relating to the setting (as the said anime series take place in Germany, Italy, and Mexico/South America respectfully). Likewise, some English VA don't really bother with imitating foreign accents like Yuri Lowenthal and Johnny Yong Bosch (although Yuri did gave Prince from Prince of Persia a slight Persian accent, but it was a video game made in United States). However, I've also noticed a few anime series where the seiyuus/VA does attempt to give characters accents. The Negima series, for instance, is one of a few series where characters are given accents (well, only in the English dub). Greg Ayres pulls off a convincing British accent for Negi Springfield (despite the character being Welsh). Likewise, Kate, a Canadian from Sketchbook ~Full color'S~ series speaks with a slight accent when speaking Japanese and speaks in a surprisingly good English (and this is from the Japanese soundtrack). So anyways, do you think giving characters accents give more "realism" to anime series where the setting does not take place in neither Japan nor United States, or would be very offensive to give characters accents? Personally, with the accent debate going on about a Hetalia dub, I prefer that Funimation should give the characters accents. It adds more realism to the country that the character represents (German accent for Germany, Italian accent for Italy, etc.). Not to mention, stereotyping is kinda one of the basis of the humor in Axis Powers Hetalia (there is a reason why the Koreans where not happy about the series). In fact, I think a dub for Hetalia may end up being better than the Japanese soundtrack if the VA manage to pull the accents off accurately. |
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Mushi-Man
 Posts: 1537 Location: KCMO |
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Accents in anime are what I like to call a "sometimes thing". In a few cases accents in anime can be used in the purpose of developing a character, like in episode 8 of GITS:SAC where the CEO of a particular company has a southern accent (at least in the dub). But other times accents, although more realistic, can negatively effect the dub. Take Monster for example, the whole series is set in Germany but who really wants to sit around for the whole 70-some episode series listing to people with really thick German accents and also have the main character (who is Japanese) have a stereotypical Japanese accent. Honestly it would get kind of annoying after a while. It's about marketability, people speaking standard English with a minimal accent is usually easier of the ears and that's why most media work this way. The only time accents are knowingly used is because there is a specific point that the creators are making. The point is usually to convey that the person with an accent is a foreigner. |
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braves
 Posts: 2309 Location: Puerto Rico (but living in Texas) |
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In the case of Monster, the common language in the series is German, so technically they're all speaking fluent German, not English with a German accent. I don't know how many regional differences there are in the German language; but it makes sense to me to keep them all speaking in the same accent in whatever language you're dubbing it in. Whenever I'm speaking Spanish with someone who shares my native accent, I don't think that they're speaking with an accent. That only comes into play when I speak with people from other Spanish speaking countries and it's the same for other languages too when it comes to languages from different regions of a given country. Therefore, I prefer that they keep everybody with a so-called "neutral" accent because that's what the characters would be hearing.
But there was an episode in Monster where there were some British characters visiting Germany and speaking to Tenma in English and they had British accents. There are also some Czech people and they kept them speaking in their native tongue which was also in the JP track, IIRC. Last edited by braves on Wed Mar 31, 2010 6:59 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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ailblentyn
 Posts: 1688 Location: body in Ohio, heart in Sydney |
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HaruhiToy
 Posts: 4118 |
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I have noticed that English dubs for characters Osaka frequently are interpreted with a Southern or Texan accent. My ear for Japanese is not really good enough to be able to determine for myself if this is a fair representation -- can anyone else here more knowledgeable say?
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Dark Paladin X
Posts: 268 |
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It's Southern Accent. Apparently, I'm not entirely sure why. When I watched the dub of Azumanga Daioh, the southern accent from Osaka sounds highly unrealistic. Comparing to Kuroi-sensei from Lucky Star (who speaks in the Kansai dialect in the Japanese soundtrack), the Southern accent is more realistic in the dub. |
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abunai
Old Regular
 Posts: 5463 Location: 露命 |
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Careful -- you're subscribing to a common, but false conception of Japan. In your defense, it is a misconception that many Japanese subscribe to, as well. Nevertheless... Japan is far less homogenous than people think. There are multiple ethnic subgroups and literally hundreds of dialects -- some of which are so different from standard Japanese, lexically and grammatically, as to constitute separate languages, not dialects. For historical and national reasons, Japan maintains the fiction that it is ethnically and linguistically homogenous to a degree few other nations can match -- but it simply isn't true.
"Familiar" is not the right word, since it implies "knowledgeable" -- and I would argue that (for non-English accents, not regional U.S. dialects) most Americans can only be called "aware of" the dialects, not "familiar with" them.
The obvious question is: since the implication is that everybody in the series is speaking a language other than Japanese, and that this is "magically translated" for the viewer -- why should there be any accent? An accent would imply that the person was speaking the other language (which is being translated) imperfectly, and that is obviously not the case.
And what does a Persian accent sound like? I know, but do you? Or did you mean to say that he did Prince of Persia with a non-specific "foreign-sounding" accent? The Hollywood-ish way of "speaking funny" to imply a specific foreign accent (without actually bearing any resemblance to the actual real-world cognate of that accent) is as close as most VAs get.
Clue: Not all Welsh people speak with a Welsh accent. You've been watching too much Torchwood.
I don't see where the "offensive" comes in. But accents, to my (trained) ear, are more often wrong than right. So I find them generally jarring -- but not a significant problem.
Except zese vuld probably be zeater akzents, ja? You're-a gonna have-a Italia talk-a like a Mario clone?
First good point you've made, and I completely agree.
...and then you go and drop the A-bomb in there.... *sigh* Look, forget "accuracy". There's hardly an actor in the business today who can do an accurate foreign accent. What they do are theater stereotypes of what people think foreign accents sound like. Not the same thing at all. - abunai |
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Penguin_Factory
 Posts: 732 Location: Ireland |
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My feeling on accents is that unless you're going to do them absolutely perfectly, don't try. And by "perfect" I don't necessarily mean they have to be totally realistic (no one in acting ever speaks like a real person, even if it's in their native accent), it just has to not sound unnatural. I would be totally fine with a really thick blarney Irish accent or one of those Evil Russian voices or whatever if the actor could convince me they really sounded like that.
That always kind of bugged me. I have no problem with seeing Japanese characters speaking English in a generic American/Canadian sort of voice in a dub, but it's really weird listening to a Japanese schoolgirl talk in a recognizable regional accent. It seems like they'd have to change the character's backstory to justify it. Then again I recall not having any problem with it in Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi, maybe because both of the main characters were using the accent instead of just one. |
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garfield15
 Posts: 1517 |
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I can't tell you how much I hate this. I was turned of the Peacemaker Kurogane dub and Magical Shopping Arcade dub because of this. As for me, I actually agree with the previous poster. If you're going to do an accent, do it well, and have it make sense. A perfect example is Baccano. One of the greatest dubs of all time in my opinion because it is just so perfect to have the characters with old-time New York accents. It should sound weird but it doesn't. It works perfectly in the setting. Then there's Darker than Black with November 11's British accent. It makes sense, he's from Interpol and stuff. Even Yami Yugi's awesome voice has a twitch of an accent but it works because it sounds relatively decent and it fits the character But then you get the accents that you see in a lot of 4Kids and Media Blasters stuff that either don't make sense or completely stink like freaking Sanji. Yeah, I know what they were going for but it sounded awful. And then there's stuff like Ryu/Rio in Shaman King. Why does he have that insufferable Spanish voice? It's not necessary. They could have honestly done what they did with they did with Yami Yugi and given him a deep voice. It's just my opinion anyway. |
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P€|\||§_|\/|ast@
 Posts: 3498 Location: IN your nightmares |
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The OP seems focused on different accents in the Japanese dialog of given anime. As far as English speakers are concerned, not enough are even aware of different Japanese accents (associated with particular regions), so any non-Japanese character speaking in Japanese might have an apparent accent that has nothing to do with their own nationality. As far as Japanese speakers are concerned, it would be impossible to come up with a non-arbitrary representation of what foreigners who speak Japanese would sound like. I don't see why there is necessarily any need to place any logic or purpose behind it.
A seiyuu who gets selected to voice a non-Japanese character would probably be told to just speak naturally or pick a generic accent to signify perhaps they lived in a particular region of Japan while learning Japanese. I just go by the assumption of the world in anime; every human speaks Japanese. Just like Star Trek: The default language that every alien species can speak is English. |
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albert35077
 Posts: 36 Location: Hanceville, Al |
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I can tell you that I hate the stereotypical southern accent(not just in anime but all films). I live right in the middle of the south and less that 10% of all the people I have ever met down here talk like that. Most of us(including me) have a mild southern drawl.
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abunai
Old Regular
Posts: 5463 Location: 露命 |
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Sokath, his eyes uncovered! - abunai |
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Shiroi Hane
Encyclopedia Editor
 Posts: 7580 Location: Wales |
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"I was just pissing by the door and I thought I would drip in"
There is more than one Welsh accent though. FUNimation specifically decided not to use a Welsh accent as they didn't think people would understand it. The manga, at least as far as I have read it, never specified that he was born in Wales however, just that he has lived there since he was around 4.
This was ADV's explanation for Osaka's accent in Azumanga Daioh (from the first DVD booklet): "..in the English dub, this has been equated to a Southern accent from around the Houston area, which shares the business-oriented attitude with Osaka as well as the country image that color both the Southern and Osakan accents" |
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Mushi-Man
Posts: 1537 Location: KCMO |
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Yeah this is what I've grown to understand about the Japanese language. I've heard that often there are cases where the dialects are so different from one another that two people from different parts of Japan (usually country sides) are unable to understand each other. And that students will have to learn a variety of different forms and dialects of Japanese just for basic communication. Also I have heard that this is often the cause of seemingly pointless southern accents in English dubs. From what I understand when different Japanese dialects are being pointed out or are in someway relevant to the story English dub directors will have their VAs speak with a southern accent to convey this separation of dialects. |
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hissatsu01
 Posts: 963 Location: NYC |
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Well, it's not like you get much exposure to Ryuukyuuan languages from anime. Aside from a tiny bit in Azumanga Daioh when they go to Okinawa, though whether it was at all accurate I don't know. Like many non-national languages around the world they appear to be dying out. But no need to even get that exotic to be incomprehensible - I can barely understand Touhoku-ben at all. Kansai-ben seems much easier to grasp, though I get the impression much of the Kansai-ben in anime is about as accurate as stereotypical southern accents on US tv. Edit: Not to mention Ainu, but I've never heard any aside from maybe a snippet from some anthropological film. Now there's a language and culture that's close to as dead as you can get - with plenty of "help" from the Japanese.
LOL at the reference. Last edited by hissatsu01 on Wed Mar 31, 2010 8:55 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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