Tezuka In English Discussion Forums

HI!:D

I like Astro !:D

But I believe there are some problems with different social understanding, and communication between American audiences. I'm referring to some of the comments made in the Astro Boy 2003 Dub Changes section of the website.

They mainly center around two things: the renaming of characters, and the "tough" Astro.

While I love to see Anime imported with actual Japanese names, when you are importing for kids, you really need easier names to remember. Some of this is recognized, such as Doctor Oshay, but I would also like to point out, that Kenichi and Kenedy are really very similar in sound. Also, if you translate your name from Kenedy to Japanese, you might wind up with Kenichi as a common name translation.

Uran and Zoran -- ok you got me on that one. That could've easily been translated.

But I do have a question, isn't Oshay's (Ocha's <= which if you say sh instead of CH sounds like Oshay) assistant using a Japanese name?

But I also have a slight problem with the condemnation of using a deeper voice for Astro.

See, in America, we do not really like high pitched squeeling sounds from boys. A Boy who has high pitched sound is to us, younger than 6 years old. Astro Boy is supposed to be a bit older than that. It makes no sense for American astro to have a high pitched sound.

One of the major complaints in imported anime, is the shrill squealing sound so many of the younger characters have! Some english words are just never meant to have a high B Flat monoton voice hitting them at 183 decibles! It hurts our ears.

Also, Astro Boy, regardless of his "sweet demeanor" or "heroic stature", is a very destructive little robot boy! It just would not make sense to anyone in the American audience to believe a high pitched voiced Astro can fight injustice, unite the people and bring equality.

His sometimes "smart" attitude isn't a diminishing of his pure spirit. As Americans we see his sometimes "smart attitude" as a representation of his Kokoro!

He's like Luke Skywalker! He's destined for greatness. He has the spirit of a real boy. Sometimes he loses his cool, but that's ok, because he does the right thing. His dad is evil, but that is ok because no matter who his dad is, he has a good soul.

Nobody in America would believe a powerful Robot Boy could understand hatred, racism, if he was pristine perfect. Nobody would follow him.

Look at Martin Luther King Jr. He was very powerfully outspoken. He'd tell people what's what. He'd go to jail for his beliefs. He wasn't perfect, but that didn't diminish him.

Do you think a pristine Martin Luther King Jr. would've united the American people for basic civil rights?! No, he would not! He had to break laws, and speak out to show people he had force behind his convictions.



Astro Boy's attitude for Americans, makes him seem like a Real Little Boy. A Robot with a soul! With self-awareness! Fighting for what's right!

If he hadn't have had that forceful voice, or the "smart attitude" he would've been seen as a foolish robot. We have enough Mr. Datas out there. We needed Astro Boy to be a real Robot Boy! I mean, even Opie from the Andy Griffith show had a smart attitude sometimes, and that was in the 60s!



but I do like the site so please don't get angry with me I am just pointing out how our culture perceives the last Astro incarnation. I just think that his somewhat deeper "mechanical like" voice and sometimes forceful attitude makes him resemble a uniter of a divided people.

Well, the voice and strength thing is a silly stereotype, but Astro does have a really annoying English voice, in the 2003 anime.

By the way, older boys can have sqeaky voices.

No offense, but those are silly stereotypes.

No, I do not think they are silly stereotypes. You see, if you watched the US Presidential Election you even had people commenting on Kuccinich's (sp?) squeaky voice, and how his voice doesn't "inspire confidence." (this is one of many examples that you might find if you look).

American's view confidence in the quality of the voice among other things, you will not find a great american leader with a squeaky high voice.

That is something I believe they were trying to avoid with Astro.

Some boys do have high squeaky voices, but, they are not whom you consider to be popular or a leader.

Maybe they could've gotten an actual boy to voice astro, like they do in Avatar: The Last Airbender. That would've been the best option I believe. However, I am glad he didn't have a squeaky voice because I would not have been able to watch it.

God I can't tell you how much I hate Shippo and Jaken in Inuyasha.

I'm American, and I don't judge people by their voices.

Astro sounded like he was voiced by an actual boy, in the 2003 version.

They completely killed his character, though.

R.I.P. Astro Boy.

By the way, you would scream, if you heard Unico's English voice.

Watch the/a YouTube video(s).

They killed his character, in the 2003 version.

He was WAY too modernized.

I know you're gonna say that they needed to modernize him, for the kids, and blah, blah, blah.

That's not true.

I am a kid, and I know a little girl, who is obsessed with the 1960's and 1970's, and retro stuff.

I am/was also interested in retro stuff.

I liked his English voice, in the 1960's version.