Original Neon Genesis Mission the series is a genre-defining classic, so fans were thrilled to hear that the series was coming to Netflix in 2019. However, many were much less excited. upon learning that the series would not debut with the original dub, but that a brand new dub would be re-recorded with a completely different cast.
The original Evangelion dub was made by a now-defunct company called ADV Films, which released the dub on VHS tapes containing two episodes each. While word of mouth helped Evangelion spread, the nature of its release made it difficult for fans at the time to get their hands on the entire series. This dub was eventually picked up by Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim for late-night airing in 2005, where it gained a lot of new fans who hadn’t been able to experience the series before. As anime became more popular and video streaming started to take over, the series’ popularity continued to grow, just in time for the new Rebuild of Evangelion series to begin in 2007. The dub was released. lauded for not shying away from potentially controversial content, but some purists have had problems with translations – and it turns out that series creator Hideaki Anno’s studio, Studio Khara, is as well. among them.
No Neon Genesis Evangelion Dub is perfect
When Netflix picked up the movie, they not only re-released it, but also got a new translation of the script. This translation was made by Studio Khara’s in-house translator and all casting decisions for the final English dub were made by Studio Khara themselves. It is said that Anno wanted the script to be as literal as possible, which means that Japanese utterances or unusual word choices resulting from the translation are preserved. This gives the new Netflix Evangelion dub a rather different feel, and many of the most iconic lines from the original ADV dub have been glaringly missing. Many fans also complain that the new translation has downplayed the severity of Shinji and Kaworu’s relationship, which some interpret as odd erasing.
Neon Genesis Evangelion dub is Translation Vs. Localization
When bringing anime to the United States (or any other country), it usually goes through a process called localization, which attempts to make small changes to make the subject more accessible to those of another culture. For example, in End of Evangelion’s infamous hospital scene, Shinji now says, “I’m the shortest of the shortest,” while in the ADV dub, he says, “I’m a fucking bastard.” .” While “lowest of low” might be a perfectly appropriate phrase in Japanese, it really doesn’t express the seriousness of what he did and it was a reaction that no one would ever hear. speak any native English. Studio Khara’s efforts to create a perfect translation have resulted in the series becoming less accessible, not more, and Evangelion just about as tough enough as it is. Since the ADV dub is currently nearly impossible to find, the Netflix dub is the only option for many people. In that sense, it’s perfectly fine; the story is understandable, and the performances are actually quite good.
Which Neon Genesis Evangelion dub is better depends on preference: should the work be changed slightly to make it easier to understand, or to be more precise but less relevant? Purists generally prefer anime with over-dubbed subtitles anyway, so betting on their favor might be a misstep. What’s done is done in the end, and it looks like fans may have to get used to Netflix’s dub of Neon Genesis Mission.
