Brief Summary
In this episode of Dub Talk, Spaceman Hardy and Noah Clue review the English dub of Mamoru Hosoda's film, "The Boy and the Beast." They discuss the ADR direction and scriptwriting, voice acting performances, and overall quality of the dub in relation to the original Japanese version. While praising the performances and direction, they critique the source material for its convoluted plot and reliance on exposition.
- Mike McFarland's direction brings out the humanity of the characters.
- Bonnie Clinkenbeard's script is faithful to the original Japanese, but the story is confusing.
- The voice acting is generally well-done, with John Swasey's portrayal of Kumatetsu being a highlight.
Intro
Judah is being yelled at by COO motet for being late to training, but Judah says he is ready to kick his butt this time. COO motet introduces new rules for the training, including a disclaimer about language not suitable for younger listeners, potential spoilers for "The Boy and the Beast," and a warning to run from giant CGI whales.
Introduction to Dub Talk and "The Boy and the Beast"
Spaceman Hardy and Noah Clue introduce the "Summer at the Movies" series, where they review the dubs of anime films. This episode focuses on "The Boy and the Beast," a film by Japanese director Mamoru Hosoda. They provide a brief description of the film's premise, which involves a lonely boy named Ren who becomes the disciple of a beast named Kumatetsu in the beast realm. Kumatetsu needs an apprentice to improve his chances of becoming the next lord of the beasts, as the current lord is about to retire and reincarnate.
ADR Direction and Scriptwriting
The ADR director and scriptwriter for "The Boy and the Beast" are Mike McFarland and Bonnie Clinkenbeard, respectively. Mike McFarland has directed previous Hosoda films like "Summer Wars" and "Wolf Children," as well as other high-profile anime such as "Fullmetal Alchemist" and "Attack on Titan." Bonnie Clinkenbeard has worked on shows like "Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood," "Yuri on Ice," and "Black Butler." The dub direction is praised for bringing out the characters' emotions and flaws, making them feel more human. However, the film has a lot of talking, forcing actors to use run-on sentences to match lip flaps, which sometimes detracts from the realism. Bonnie Clinkenbeard's script is very accurate to the Japanese, which is usually a good thing, but in this case, it hurts the script because the story is confusing. The movie juggles too many big ideas, such as parenthood, raising yourself, the nature of humanity, and whether to be feral or part of society.
Voice Acting: Iozen and the Grandmaster
Iozen, one of the candidates to succeed the Grandmaster, is voiced by Sean Hannigan, known for his role as Gold Roger in "One Piece." The Grandmaster is voiced by Steve Powell. Sean Hannigan's voice for Iozen sounds a little too old, but it provides a good counterbalance to Kumatetsu. Steve Powell brings liveliness and eccentricity to the role of the Grandmaster, making him fun to listen to.
Voice Acting: Ichirohiko and Jiromaru
Ichirohiko and Jiromaru, Iozen's sons, are voiced by Morgan Berry and Brittany Karbowski as children, and Austin Tindle and Josh Grelle as adults. Brittany Karbowski is known for playing annoying, bratty characters, which works well for Jiromaru. Morgan Berry's Ichirohiko is more complex, appearing to be the "good one" but actually being condescending. Austin Tindle's portrayal of Ichirohiko as an adult is crazy and unhinged, turning him into the main antagonist. Josh Grelle's Jiromaru is gruff and distinct from his other roles.
Voice Acting: Hyakushubo and Tatara
Hyakushubo, a monk who is a pig, is voiced by Alex Organ, while Tatara, a giant monkey, is voiced by Ian Sinclair. These characters serve as surrogate father figures to Kuta, offering different perspectives and advice. Alex Organ brings a calm, reserved paternal voice to Hyakushubo, and Ian Sinclair is fitting as the giant monkey Tatara. However, these characters are more functional than fun, primarily serving for exposition.
Voice Acting: Kaede
Kaede, a college student who helps Kuta in the human world, is voiced by Bryn Apprill. This role is much deeper and more natural for Bryn Apprill, allowing her to showcase a different side of her voice acting abilities. Her influence on Kuta is necessary, but she appears only in half of the movie.
Voice Acting: Kumatetsu
Kumatetsu, the titular beast, is voiced by John Swasey. John Swasey's performance is better than the Japanese actor's, as he brings out the character's vulnerability and flaws. He has a natural temper to his voice, making him sound like a tough guy masking his insecurities.
Voice Acting: Ren/Kyuta
Ren/Kyuta, the main character, is voiced by Lucy Christian as a nine-year-old and Eric Vale as an eighteen-year-old. Lucy Christian's performance is excellent, capturing the rambunctious energy of the character. Eric Vale's performance is good, but it doesn't have the same emotional impact as Lucy's.
Final Thoughts and Recommendations
"The Boy and the Beast" is a good film, but disappointing compared to Mamoru Hosoda's other works. It relies too much on telling instead of showing, leading to long run-on sentences full of exposition. The movie has too many subplots, and none of them are truly original. The film is given a B-minus or C+ rating due to its unrealized potential. It is recommended to watch the movie in Japanese first to overlook some of the story flaws, then watch the English dub to realize how flawed the characters are.
