Often, anime movies from existing TV series are seen as nothing more than an "extra" for the fans. Thus, they will not be integral parts of the story or plot, but will be meant as an opportunity for the fans to experience what they loved about the TV series so much. The classic "love letter to the fans" by the producers. Sometimes, they will be used to flesh out a period of time or an event that was not given enough attention in the TV run. On occasion, however, the creative team decides, when given the opportunity to do a feature version (which is not very common), that they would like to do something radically different. That is when we get alternate retellings of the same story or a new perspective on the elements that make the world of the original show what it is. We get much more of the latter than the former here, as the story is for the most part completely severed from the TV series. But how was the dub?
Eureka Seven: Good Night, Sleep Tight, Young Lovers
Released by Bandai Entertainment Incorporated
Dubbed by BangZoom! Entertainment, Burbank, CA.
ADR Director and ADR Script Writer: Tony Oliver
Eureka Seven the movie (I am not going to type out the subtitle every single time, and the feature even has two subtitles: the English one mentioned above and a Japanese one that translates as "Pocketful of Rainbows;" this is not a case of the English distributor, Bandai Entertainment, getting the translation wrong or making a title change—both subtitles appear on the Japanese release of the movie), makes use of the visual designs of the characters and their names from the ES television series, but the universe itself that the characters inhabit is radically different. In this universe, an alien group known as the EIZO, who appear somewhat aquatic in character, have been attacking the Earth, killing people and waging a war that has lasted for decades. The remaining humans have only been able to fight the EIZO because of living mechas (robotic fighting frames) they have developed, KLFs, which are piloted by people.
We first meet Renton Thurston and Eureka, two cute little kids, as they are climbing a hill in the snow with their teacher, a Professor Dominic. (For those familiar with the TV series, this should already tell you that this is not the Eureka Seven you remember. I will not, from this point further, make any further comparisons to the television series unless it is vital). He is taking them to a special place, to try to locate a special flower that only blooms when there is snow. This is all brought to us through a flashback, as the older Renton (Johnny Yong Bosch) provides voiceover narration. Young Renton (Julie Ann Taylor) and Young Eureka (Stephanie Sheh) are both very cute, as they are supposed to be. They are accompanied by a blood sugar coma-inducing creature called Nirvash, who is apparently a larval-stage KLF. Nirvash makes appropriately cute cooing noises thanks to Melissa Fahn. As for Dominic (Peter Doyle), he does not sound very much like a teacher. He does, however, sound like a man who has a vision of something that he hopes will come true in the future.
We move forward several years. Renton is now 14, and a corporal in the armed forces of the humans, fighting against the EIZO. He serves as a mecha pilot aboard the Gekko, a combat ship commanded by Capt. Talho (Kate Higgins). Talho seems rather authoritative, but Ms. Higgins also puts in an undercurrent of insecurity, a lack of confidence that makes her character seem less in command than she hopes she seems to her crew. It is a very subtle thing, done without any broad strokes or radical vocal cues, but it is there. It comes through in her tone and delivery, while not making use of the obvious audio cue of a waver. Also serving on this ship is the top pilot Commander Holland, who flies the Devilfish. Renton, just a rookie at this point, pilots the Nirvash, the now adult form of the cute little critter seen in the opening scene.
Just to make things a little confusing, there seems to be another story being told at the same time. This revolves around a high government official named Coda (Barbara Goodson), who has been asked by one of the government leaders, a man named Jurgens, to undertake an investigation into the death of a former military hero, who apparently was not so heroic in his personal life. In many ways, this side story plays out as a detective drama, with Coda as the detective. This side story does eventually mesh into the larger narrative. In some ways, I think I was more interested in this side story than in the main plot, just as I was more impressed by Ms. Goodson's work than the performances of many others. While it is not a stretch for her, she always seems to be cast as older females–whether it be mothers or other sorts of older women–she always meets the task at hand with a professionalism that comes through in her acting. There is a natural ease in her delivery which makes it very easy to identify her voice with the character on the screen, even if she is using a pitch and tone that differs very little from the many older female roles she has handled in the past. That natural ability to blend into the character, match her voice to the character's personality and bearing, is a great gift.
I do not plan to give away the whole movie, but suffice it to say, there will be more appearances by more characters, and a few really big plot twists. You will also be rather surprised by some performances. Kari Wahlgren, as Anemone, provides an interesting double performance. For at first, she is an old woman when she appears, and she uses a voice so convincing, that I was not sure it was her upon initial hearing. Later on, she will appear in much younger form, and here she has a voice that is more age-appropriate and closer to what we are used to hearing from here. She is very much in a cheerful and positive vein here (yes, a serious departure from the television version, where her demeanor was very different), providing guidance and hope.
One thing I would like to comment upon before summing up, is one oddity between the sub script and dub script, which in terms of meaning are on the same page. It is that the dub and sub script diverge rather oddly on word choices, with little apparent reason. It is present right from the start, and pops up every now and then. I will give one of the stranger occurrences as an example. During a scene where Eureka and Renton are talking, Eureka suddenly gets up and leaves. Renton asks her why and she responds that she has to go to the bathroom. Even non-humans, it appears, have to use the facilities sometimes. But there is an odd difference between the subtitles and the dub. In the subtitles, it reads "bathroom," but in the dub, Eureka says "lavatory." Now, I do not quite understand why there is a difference here. It is not a matter of lip flaps (fortunately, Lip Flap Syndrome does not appear to be in constant appearance in this dub). Eureka's flaps are kind of uneven in this scene to begin with, and it would not have been a problem for her to speak either word. So, the divergence is a strange one, especially as "bathroom" is the more common usage in modern American colloquial English, while lavatory is generally more in line with British common usage—but this is an American dub.
Eureka Seven: Good Night, Sleep Tight, Young Lovers may make use of the characters from the television series, but lives in its own universe, as director and screenwriter Tomoki Kyoda intended. Therefore, it does not matter as much if the dub performances are a perfect match to the television roles. What is necessary is that they match the material presented here, which I think they do. There is a slight problem with that material here, which seems to be aimed at being thoughtful and provocative, when the movie seems to devote a lot of its visual attention to complex visual displays of missiles and laser beams chasing after fast moving objects. In other words, the movie looks much more like a popcorn movie, with the dub often providing the same level of performance. In that respect, director Tony Oliver has the right instinct, since despite the intellectual posturing, this really is a popcorn movie.
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