Being a Brief Discussion of Anime Dubs: Angelic Layer Volume 5

By: Way Jeng
Date: Thursday, March 25, 2004

Hello, and welcome to our second installment. This time around I'm taking a look at Angelic Layer's fifth volume, released by ADV Films. This is a great show with a dub to match, and is currently one of my favorite dubs. Going into this disc I wasn't sure what I should expect. The fourth volume of this series had a respectable dub, but didn't meet the expectations I had for it. The fact of the matter was that while the work done on the dub was good I didn't feel as though the cast was working together in the way that a dub should. The character interactions lacked their usual zest and energy. However, a lot of that is understandable because the series was going through a kind of transition wherein the majority of character introductions were finished and the series moved on to building some back story for a few characters to set up for the home stretch plot.



I'm happy to say that this disc of Angelic Layer is a return to what we've seen in earlier volumes. The first two episodes of the disc don't contain too much action, and as a result there's a lot of excellent dialog to listen to. In addition, the show brings back a lot of the comedic elements. It's a welcome change from other shows where after the halfway point of the series the comedic elements stop almost entirely. Much as we've seen in previous volumes the show instead tries to keep a balance between the dramatic and the comedic, generally splitting episodes into one or the other. In this case we're treated to two comedic episodes, then two more geared towards the dramatic. As far as the dubbing is concerned that's good news because it allows the audience to hear these characters in a variety of situations. It's worth noting that this cast handles the comedic elements very well, especially characters who are mostly in dramatic roles such as Christine Auten's performance as Shuko.



In the interest of honesty it should be noted that in some parts of the dialog there are awkward pauses in the dialog. All of these I observed could be traced to lip-flap issues. I was somewhat annoyed by them, though I think considering the length of the pause between some of these lip flaps the pauses were unavoidable. I can only assume that the pauses sound natural in the original Japanese. Overall it's a small problem, though one I've had with Angelic Layer in the past.



The first individual performance I'd like to comment on is Jessica Boone's Misaki. There's not much to say here except that this is a wonderful performance. Throughout the entirety of Angelic Layer I've been very impressed with the work Ms. Boone has been doing, and she continues that trend in this disc. The most striking aspect about this performance is the innocence she's able to show in this character. That's a very important element of Misaki's personality because it's so central to the show. Throughout the series Misaki meets celebrities of one kind or another. People of extraordinary skill and ability surround her, yet she reacts to each as individual people the same as anybody else. It's that ability that allows her to ultimately win them over, and without a very real sense of innocence on Misaki's part these scenes would quickly lose credibility. This performance has a very real sense of awe and wonder about it, and it goes a long way to establish Misaki's personality.




Another performance worth noting is Andy McAvin's performance as Icchan. The first aspect of the performance we should note is Mr. McAvin's excellence in the comedic portions of the show. The timing is great, and all of the jokes Icchan is involved in are hilarious. However, I think great examples of comedy are best examined in the prior discs. The real treasure in this disc is seeing how the performance moves between the comedy and tragedy of the series. Icchan is in a very delicate position because he serves as a bridge in the series between what I'll term the "front room" and the "back room." By the front room I mean to refer to Misaki, her friends, and the other Angelic Layer competitors. This includes Tamayo, Kotaro, Hatoko, and the other deuses Misaki fights against during the course of the show. The back room refers to the characters who work behind the scenes to make the Angelic Layer games possible. The back room is therefore composed of Icchan, Shuko, and the other technicians who work with Icchan. For the most part Icchan serves as a comedic character while interacting with Misaki, and a dramatic character while working with the back room. One minute he's hilarious and over the top, and the next he can be an absolute no-nonsense character. Much as in the fourth volume we get to hear Icchan increasingly in a more dramatic role, and observing the change is definitely worth a listen.



Also of special note is Sasha Paysinger as Hatoko. This is one of the first performances I've heard from Ms. Paysinger, and I'm very impressed with the quality of work thus far. I'd like to call attention to the intensity of Hatoko's character. This character is very interesting in general because there's the duality of her personality in her maturity coupled with her youth. On one hand she's driven and talented as an Angelic Layer deus, and on the other hand she's still a little kid who makes pinky promises. Ms. Paysinger is able to walk that fine line very well, though I think what really stands out about this performance is the way she exudes the passion and intensity of Hatoko's personality. At every step Hatoko feels driven, and almost compelled by her ambition. However, this never goes so far as to make her an unfeeling character. Pay special attention to the scenes in the first episode of the disc where Hatoko is disappointed with how she thinks things are going to turn out. Hatoko could have easily turned into a character whose disappointment stemmed from arrogance, but fortunately that's not the case. Instead we get a character much more genuinely human who is afraid of being left out or being overlooked. It's very sad, and the ability to keep Hatoko a sympathetic character is what makes this performance really work.



In conclusion, this is a great dub to be listening to. Like many works it can't go completely without a few negative comments, but any problems this dub has are almost completely overshadowed by the quality of the performances offered by this disc. Looking back at volume five I can't think of a single character I thought was badly played, and with more of the show's comedy being reintroduced to the series it's a lot of fun to listen to.



Copyright 2004 Way Jeng. All rights reserved. Published with permission on AnimeOnDVD.com