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Why aren't foreigners "allowed" to be voice actors?
Doesn't anyone find it strange that foreign characters in anime,for example, are always voiced by Japanese people? I'm sure that I'm overthinking it and foreigners just don't want to be voice actors but it does strike me as more than a bit odd. Is it because they want clear Japanese voices and they're worried accents could get in the way?
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Even within Japan, there are often characters using Japanese dialects that are not from those regions (especially Kansai dialect). Native speakers can hear the difference a mile away. |
It's not easy but possible.
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Has a foreigner ever actually voiced a foreign character? I've never seen any.
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There used to be a bulletin posted outside of where I lived that was seeking foreign voice actors for cartoons/games within Japan. Granted, I don't know if they were looking for English or Japanese, but at least the jobs exist.
More to your point, however, topics like these are easy to pick at subjectively but really don't make that much sense if you think about it. First and foremost, a cartoonist would have to create an anime. Then they'd have to sit and wait for not only a foreigner who speaks perfect Japanese, and has a decent enough voice to voice act, but also even wants to do voice acting. That's a pretty tall order considering the relatively small number of foreigners in Japan (let alone those who speak fluent Japanese, have the voice ability, and want that kind of job). It's not weird at all. |
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Voice acting isn`t something you can just apply for and walk in off the street and do. There are dedicated schools for it, and you pretty much have to pass, be verified, and then enter a studio. Most voice actors/actresses attended these schools straight out of high school.
Foreigners in Japan just usually aren`t in the position to do this. You can`t get a visa to attend a voice acting school... Not to mention that the schools aren`t exactly cheap either. And even then, you have to sign with a studio and work your way up through the ranks... Minor voice overs in dubbed films, commercial voice overs, nameless background characters in anime... And then if you`re lucky a regular part. It`s a serious career. |
It is a person who has the permanent resident status or it is a naturalized person.
Person who lives in Tokyo outskirts. Person who can work by low wage. Person who does not say selfishness.:rolleyes: It is difficult to satisfy it. Because attitudes toward work are different, it is hard to treat it very much. |
The thing is,you have foreign characters that are supposed to be from the Anglosphere in anime and,I hate to say it,but they can't speak English.
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Tom Cruise and his whole German crew spoke perfect, non-accented English in Valkyrie In Memoirs of a Geisha they spoke English All those movies like Troy, Kingdom of Heaven, Gladiator all spoke English |
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It's the same everywhere though. In Japanese anime they fail a lot to do foriegn accents . . . "Gravitation" is cringe-worthy in the flashbacks in America. I wonder why casting directors pick people who aren't used to certain accents, or sound awful in imitating them, but it's pretty common. It's very rare I come across someone and go 'really, they aren't actually x-nationality?' or 'wow, that sounds realistic' :P |
Well then someone's gotta be the one to move forward. Kamen Rider Psyga and Mac Windy are the best!
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And why would they need to speak English in a Japanese anime? Are they like trying to speak English in some scenes, and you find it offensive or silly or something? |
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Availability of voice actors that are both anglo and actually speak japanse well enough to be understood is probably very low..like hardly any. For the various reasosn stated. I would also think Most American actors anyway never considered voice acting as much as film work..Anime was and is a big part of japanese entertainment and serious drama is done through that medium. In the USA, cartoons are cartoons.
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I asked a few of my Japanese friends here (in Kansai area) and they all felt that it was far more strange that non-kansai people were voice acting kansai accents, some of them even get irritated when they hear the rubbish accent ><
One of them thought the reason foreigners aren't voice acting the foreign roles is cuz it's a shit job apparently except for the very few who make it to the top |
How about "甲斐田ゆき(Yuki Kaida)"?
She did foreign student from USA in "げんしけん2". I'm native Japanese speaker, so I don't know how her English is good. but she studied abroad many years |
Thank you for pointing me to that example. I might have a look at that.
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meh, it happens in the west too. Look to Heroes, apparently Japanese people found Ando's Japanese quite hilariously bad (Korean-American actor).
Anime is made for Japanese who don't know the difference so they get whats easiest available. |
;) You think Japanese people can't tell a Japanese person?
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If its just their voice a Japanese can well play a foreigner and be convincing to monolingual Japanese. |
The point I am making is,just because it happens in American stuff[and to a lesser extent usually] does not mean it should carry on. I highly doubt they don't know the difference.
And don't make some noob comment like "HEY MAN THEIR JUST CARTOONS"! There are even western cartoons with an ongoing plot,there just aren't as much. |
well. it shouldn't be a problem to get someone who speaks english to do a small part. some probably would do it for free in an OVA or something like that.
if i was offered i would do it - well couple of lines for believability. for those small parts all you need is a decent voice. a full time character is another story. i will be honest and say that some of the english voice work by japanese can take me out of the movie like in rainbow six (the boxer guy). still it is nothing to make a big fuss about. best one so far was in black lagoon where that kind translated from Japanese to Russian and vice versa, but the episode was dubbed by americans. on the other hand my russian isn't so good so it might have simply seemed like it. but it certainly isn't the case of "foreigners can't". most of the americans don't speak any other languages much less japanese. and if they do they are probably among more educated crowd where plenty of other options are available. |
It probably will depend on how popular anime becomes in other countries...If it becomes a huge section of thier market they will probably look for more "local" voice actors to portray anglo types in the series. Though it's problomatice because there is a set of voice actors who do the dubbing allready.
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