Back in late October, GameRant took a second look at the premiere ofChainsaw Man,but this time in English. Though the first episode was razor-focused on Ryan Colt Levy’s Denji, it was a productive focus that let audiences come to care for this character immediately, with much the same success as the Japanese version.
At the time of writing, the dub hasprogressed up to Episode 8, “GUNFIRE,“and it goes without saying that a lot more of the cast has been shown thus far. So how does the English version hold up to the original, how does it match the tone, and what choices does it make to set itself apart?
RELATED:CHAINSAW MAN: Episode 9 “FROM KYOTO” Review
Play It Cool
With modern critiques of English dubbing, there seems to be a disconnect among those who aren’t fans of dubs: namely, whether dubs should be entirely faithful or take creative liberties. It’s not a perfect science, and sometimes a more accurate translation can lose audiences because it’s not natural.
On the other hand, a dub can take great liberties to the point that fans of the original text will dislike it on the basis of how the changes alter the text. Once again, these can vary from being minute to the point of semantics to being genuinely questionable changes to meaning.But putting aside the debate of accuracy, the contentiousness of dubbing could easily come down to naturalism vs theatricality.
Chainsaw Manis wild, but its wildest elements are rooted in very flawed and deep humans, which demands somewhat naturalistic performances from the actors. However, it is also an anime, a medium that delights in melding disparate tones into one impressively cohesive broth that fans drink happily.
Mike McFarland has done a great job directing this dub, translating the speaking style of the characters from the Japanese version well. There are a lot of whispered tones and scenes that are patient to let moments lingerthanks to character animation that speaks for itself. So when the characters do open their mouths, it’s exciting to hear such versatility across the board.
Ryan Colt Levy needs no introduction and what was to be said was more or less summarized in the preview dub review. Levy’s performance balances this naturalistic, casual, and relatable dude with a more lively, loud, and sometimes chaotic attitude befitting the best protagonists. And when he’s in chainsaw mode, he’s downright frightening.
The Cast At Large
Ever notice how translations - especially in subbed anime - rarely have a lot of swearing? For instance, there aren’t many F-bombs unless the translators put them into the script to spice things up. It’s more of a creative liberty and one that can come across a bit easier in English dubbing, like,for instance, Black Lagoon’s famous dub.
But swearing isn’t the only thing that lets Chainsaw Man’s dub set itself apart and feel like a more complete script rather than simply an attempt to echo the original work. English localizations can be especially effective when they translate the recurring motifs of a script as these natural-sounding idioms.
For instance, Himeno refers to a lesson Kishibe taught her about how devils are weak against those who are a bit unhinged. The quote reads “You know the kind of hunters a devil fears most? One’s with a few screws loose and no screwdriver.” The original line is “the hunters that devils fear… are the ones with a couple of screws loose.”
The original line is simple and to the point; a straightforward statement, and no less entertaining to listen to thanks to Kenjiro Tsuda’s hypnotizing voice, but the English translation is quite clever. The line reads more like a folksy and easy-to-remember phrase that makes sense for Himeno to have remembered like some lesson drilled into her head.
Suzie Yeung was already impressive as Makima in her appearance at the end of Episode 1, but her scene with Denji in Episode 5 was something special. Her grasp of the character andthe power she has to hold overothers through speech alone is sublime. In that particular episode, none of the warmth felt in her performance is lost for even a second, and neither is the frightening mystique behind her honeyed words.
And she’s not the only female cast member knocking it out of the park. Bryn Apprill really gives it 100% as Kobeni and Katelyn Barr nails both distinct sides of Himeno before and after Aki entered her life, but Power might be the most delightful. Sarah Wiedenheft had big shoes to fill considering the reputation of Power in the fandom expectations like that can be hard to meet.
Power’s way of talking has always beena funny mix of this standoffish tone and an elevated vocabulary meant to distance herself from “lower” beings. It’s a kind of character that could easily be annoying if done wrong, but like Levy with Denji, Wiedenheft immersed herself fully in this character, and it paid off splendidly.
Hopefully, this isn’t jumping the gun in the appraisal of her performance, but hers is the kind of voice one hears and thinks “that is what a voice actor should strive to do.” Because simply put, she’s a fun character. She might just be the best thing to happen to cantankerous loudmouths in avant-garde anime since Tiffany Grant played Asuka in Evangelion.
Last among the main characters is Aki, voiced by Reagan Murdock, and it’s definitely a performance that grows on you. The trailers for the dub might have given a very narrow view of what Murdock was capable of, but it might have been the particular scenes chosen. Across the board, their take on Aki is good and plays up his aspirational nature.
Aki is someone with a veryambitious goal of killing the Gun Devil, and whose been obsessed with it since he lost his family, meaning he hasn’t particularly allowed himself to grow up. He’s playing at being well-adjusted, hence his voice sometimes sounds like he’s playing at being a grownup.
When Himeno laughs after Aki tells her he put gum on the clothes of the girl that slapped her, that feels especially effective in English because that mask sorta slips. Speaking personally, I feel like I was harder on Murdock’s performance in the beginning, but now I’m more excited than ever to see how his take on Aki will evolve as the story continues.
If there is any part of the dub that felt lacking compared to the original,it was some of the voices of the Devilsthemselves. It’s clear that the actors involved are having fun with it, but they aren’t quite as intimidating and inhuman as one might expect. Perhaps modulating the voices differently might have yielded stronger results.
Chainsaw Man has only been getting better, and it’s a delight to say that the English version is absolutely worth a watch for those yet to get into it who might prefer to watch in dub. Expect further dissection of the English dub when the full Season 1 review is posted at the end of December.
MORE:Chainsaw Man Might Be Taking A Cue From Jojo’s Bizzare Adventure
