Eigo Kudasai (English, please): The One with the Alien Girlfriend

[The Great Bear]

New column up today:

Eigo Kudasai (English, please): The One with the Alien Girlfriend

Final Thoughts:
All in all, Narue is a cute show with a fairly good dub. If you have not already picked up this show, and are looking for some light comedic fun with a decent dub to listen to, consider picking this one up when the ADV release becomes available, or while copies of the complete collection from CPM might still be available in the retail universe.

[Suwako Moriya]

*Is tempted to do a "World of Kanaka" joke* In any case, I'm up to episode 6 of the dub. I can't exactly consider it stand out, but so far it's decent. It goes without saying that Narue and Kanaka are the main voices I pay attention to.

[EmperorBrandon]

Originally Posted by G.B. Smith

For example, in Episode 9 during a scene where Narue is bent over the side of the boat (thus facing her rear towards Kazuto), Mr. McGonigal does good work with all of the little gasps of nosebleeding joy that Kazuto lets out as he takes in the view. There is a palpable sense that this hormonal adolescent is in sheer heaven, conveyed simply through a few gasps. Perverted, certainly, but a pervertedness that is brought to life more fully by a little attention to the right kind of sounds to match the visual image.

I was not really completely sold on McGonnigal's voice overall for the character (at times he really doesn't sound the age enough for me for whatever reason), but this type of thing is something that he really excels at well. This is particularly the case in Magic User's Club where there is a good bit of it with his character there.

During that same episode, while Kazuto and Narue watch what appears to be a rather campy genre disaster/invasion movie as the main event of their date, it is rather amusing that in the "movie" (called Sabara), when one of the movie characters yells "Someone call the governor!" The voice that answers "Yeah, I'm already here" sounds very much like Arnold Schwarzenegger. He even says "Hasta la vista, baby!" and "I'll be back!" These lines are not in the Japanese, and this rewrite must have been inspired by the recent, at the time, election of Ahhhnold as the "Governator" of California.

Many times script inaccuracies can really bother me, but Narue is one example where it's done really well. There's only a few, and they're really quite amusing and fitting. The movie dialogue was much more amusing in the English version, Schwarzenegger jokes and all. I also think they had a joke about subtitle anime fans in there at some point (don't really want to go back and check, but seem to remember it) that also amused me.

On a somewhat related note, has logging into Mania stopped making you log out of AoD now? I logged in to Mania in order to "bang" this article this time, and when I came back to the forums, I found I was actually still logged in this time (and not annoying logged out like anytime before). Happy that it seems that issue may be fixed.

[The Great Bear]

Originally Posted by EmperorBrandon

On a somewhat related note, has logging into Mania stopped making you log out of AoD now? I logged in to Mania in order to "bang" this article this time, and when I came back to the forums, I found I was actually still logged in this time (and not annoying logged out like anytime before). Happy that it seems that issue may be fixed.

So, they have fixed that? That's nice to hear.

[bctaris]

Huh. I forgot I had it, but I had for some reason saved part of the discussion thread for Narue when it came out back in April 2004. We were all a bit more glowing about the dub, in general (being in the land of plenty back then, it seemed everything sounded great--though I think it was partly that this was, even then, a rare, refreshing New York dub) but it's interesting what tastes may have changed in the last five years. The first item of discussion over Narure was the use of "big sister" in the script and other minor means to better literal-ize dubs in that period. Now, it's taken for granted, mostly.

On the part about the--fun--changes in the script, I'll highlight what I highlighted then as being that which is awesome: the line in episode three when Kazuto is showing Narue his favorite magical girl show ("This is a very popular show. Even among the picky fans who only watch subtitled versions"); and Zoe Fries' few second riff on a bit of Rin nonsense in episode six, where the Japanese VA only blandly hums in one scene, while Fries hums...Funky Town.

It was a random remembrance of that last bit a couple months ago that put me in the mind to re-buy this, so I thought it was fitting for ADV to prod me. It's worth it to hang onto this, at least as a fun New York dub, as rare as that's become these days.

[Buckeye]

I caught this while it aired on the short-lived AZN network. It's quite a good dub and hearing Veronica Taylor was so much fun. Definitely watch this if you guys can.

[The Great Bear]

Originally Posted by bctaris

On the part about the--fun--changes in the script, I'll highlight what I highlighted then as being that which is awesome: the line in episode three when Kazuto is showing Narue his favorite magical girl show ("This is a very popular show. Even among the picky fans who only watch subtitled versions"); and Zoe Fries' few second riff on a bit of Rin nonsense in episode six, where the Japanese VA only blandly hums in one scene, while Fries hums...Funky Town.

I remember those scenes, and that was a nice bit of likely ad libbing by Fries.

It is very unfortunate that NY dubs have become so rare of late. There is a group of very good performers up there, and it's a shame that we don't get to hear from them as often as one might like.

[Prede]

I love the show, and the dub personally. I saw this countless times on Anime Selects on Demand, although I never got a chance to watch the last few episodes. This is why I love NY dubs! I am very glad CPM licensed this title, and very happy ADV saved it! It's one of those rare gems in anime that's for sure. Michele Knotz won me over fast in the dub, she was great! For a first timer (when this came out) she was on par with the veterens. Something about her voice...is just nice to listen to, even though Yagi can get mad and stuff, it's still nice to listen to. I think I remember Lisa Ortiz in this too, probally some smaller roles though. I can't wait to finally own this on DVD, been putting it off for years now. It's such a cute little show! It doesn't try and change the world, or make a blunt statement, but it's very good. I rank it 9/10, and that goes for the dub as well.

Oh and for those interested CPM has some of the manga up online still, here. Of course sadly they never finished releasing the manga . They do have up to chapter 9 up there though for free.

[Dustfire]

Originally Posted by Bermanism

I caught this while it aired on the short-lived AZN network. It's quite a good dub and hearing Veronica Taylor was so much fun. Definitely watch this if you guys can.

Yeah, what he said. It's been a really long time since I saw this on TV, but after several years I can clearly remember it was just all kinds of fun to listen to.

[Garasharp K7]

Y'know, thanks to this show I can't watch a Schwartzenegger film without thinking of Narue.
I picked up the CPM set recently and finished it not long after. It's a charming and fun show with a dub to match. Veronica Taylor and Rachel Lillis were great here, but my favourite performance was by Lisa Ortiz as the obnoxious VA in the cosplay ep, brief though it was. "Oh, did I break up another couple?"