[US DVD] Blue Drop Complete Collection English Language Version Review

[Betenoire]

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Mania Grade: B-



In Summary:
Blue Drop is an emotional story of the paths two girls walk and how their pasts butt up against the present where they meet. The feelings will fly as Mari is a character to quickly show her emotions and who is constantly being forced to adapt as her world view gets changed while Hagino has to come to terms with these new feelings she has that grow both toward the human race in general and Mari in particular that is set against a backdrop of an alien race looking to invade the Earth. The series shines when it comes to developing its characters but falls short in the execution department of really making the invasion of Earth seem like something deeper. Perhaps if the series had been longer it would have finished stronger but what is here is a strong character piece set against a much weaker backdrop.

[Shsway]

I agree with you that a greater episode count might have been better for making all the bad stuff real(er), but for some reason, I also think that the tone used by the Japanese writer and director would have produced a duller show somehow. In the end, it seems to work best as it is. For me personally, the ending felt so, so very common and clichéd, at least in terms of the girl-girl romance, but it wasn't too difficult to just accept it and treasure what the two leads had certainly experienced together. Then again, one could argue that there are a number of plot element retreads, but the science fiction backdrop certainly makes things seem less so.

The play might have been a bit much...

This is, so far, the only program that I've double-dipped on to get a dub. And quite willingly too, I must say. I was a bit hesitant about what Hilary Haag would bring to the role of Mari, only to feel stupid for even entertaining doubt, as this actress surprises me every time with what she can do with an emotional part. I mostly associate her with comedy roles but she was as good here as she has been in anything else. Nicely done.

Monica Rial I expected to work through it with ease. :)

I have to disagree with your feeling on the use of accents for the Arume. It really took me out of the viewing experience, even at times when the drama ran high. At the same time, I understand what it was meant to do, and kind of does, but it was obviously nowhere near a perfect solution for me.

Everyone was pretty well-cast though. I especially liked Hannah Alcorn as Michi, Shannon Emerick as Funatsumaru (that shirt!), and (distracted as I was by the accent), Brittney Karbowski, who is great as Tsubael.

I can't recall any glaring issues with the English adaptation itself. The show alone is a solid B for me, and maybe just a bit higher on my more generous days. :P

[Betenoire]

The play might have been a bit much...

Oh, it was. They play was not subtle at all in terms of foreshadowing though the end didn't upset me as much as I thought when I figured it was coming- Look, you compare a character to (or actually have her play) Joan of Ark things are not going to end well for them I know that going in. I actually think the change in behavior where Hagino decides to give her life for a greater cause-her love- worked for me. It sure isn't the ending that would have been my first choice but the sacrifice felt real to me and not just contrived which is more than a lot of stories seem to be able to manage.

It is the other hanging threads-like what was Mari's power?-that brought the grade down more.

[Orihimes_Boyfriend]

The show itself personally I thought was C at best. The overall plot just didn't hook me as I had hoped. As for the English acting I thought it was superb. Reminded me a lot of the old ADV days. It was nice to get to hear both Monica Rial's high and low pitch voices in the same character. Tiffany Grant is terrific at playing tomboy characters and she did not disappoint in this series. Shame goes for Shannon Emerick (although that damn straw was distracting at times)
It was nice to see Hillary Haag back to work and she has not skipped a beat. I liked the shows opening and closing themes as they really fit the tone of the show.

[Buckeye]

This review pretty much sums up my thoughts about this show. A fairly bland storyline and for the most part, things are a been there, done that for a typical yuri anime. The ending does a terrible job of patching up loose ends. But the reason why I got it was because I get to hear from a lot of long-time ADV VA's that I haven't heard from in any recent anime. It was quite the treat to listen to them. The British accents were fun to listen to. The only thing (and this has become a disturbing trend for Sentai dubs) are the inconsistent pronunciations of names.

[cress2000]

The only thing (and this has become a disturbing trend for Sentai dubs) are the inconsistent pronunciations of names.

This is probably what bothers me the most about Clannad's dub (the only Sentai-era dub ADV dub I have much experience with). Then you have the clips where the VA sounds like they have no idea how to pronounce it anything close to properly. It makes me wonder what the directors are doing.

[Shsway]

The only thing (and this has become a disturbing trend for Sentai dubs) are the inconsistent pronunciations of names.

This is probably what bothers me the most about Clannad's dub (the only Sentai-era dub ADV dub I have much experience with). Then you have the clips where the VA sounds like they have no idea how to pronounce it anything close to properly. It makes me wonder what the directors are doing.

I have heard that "speed-subbing" is a plague on more than one type of legitimate release of a show, so I see this sort of thing as a result of "speed-dubbing". It's been well-covered elsewhere that English dubbing staff have a lot less time these days to get a show done, and all the kinks worked out before it goes on sale. I believe this is also why we see a lot more pressing errors for discs too, but that's just my personal opinion.

[dragonrider_cody]

Yeah, I have to agree. I've heard from quite a few VA's and other sources that they have much less time to dub shows. Part of this is due to the movement to box sets, as opposed to singles. Instead of having a set amount of time to dub 4 or 5 episodes, they now have to do 12 plus in the same amount of time. It's pretty much to be expected that this would have some affect on the quality of the dub.

I remember hearing stories of directors at ADV and Funimation spending an entire day trying to get one scene just right with a certain VA. Now they really don't have that luxury, especially when you factor in the budgetary constraints of a much smaller anime home video market. I think this is why I find myself so persistently disappointed with a number of dubs that have come out over the past two or three years.

I can only think of two spots where I questioned the pronunciation of certain characters, so it didn't really distract me in Blue Drop. My biggest concern with a dub is always the casting of the characters and their overall acting performances. In both these areas, I think the Blue Drop dub did quite well.