You don't want to hear this
About the English dub of Hikaru no Go
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What follows is just my opinion and your reaction may be different. Note however that I wouldn't bet real money that you'd react differently.
I heard the warnings but I thought, "Gee! They can't mess up the English dub that badly, can they?"
First the good news. All of Yukari sensei's lessons were included. (Yay!) The Japanese soundtrack with subtitles are available. (Yay!)
And now, those of you who have tears, prepare to shed them now.
Hikaru and Akira sound much older than their ages would suggest. At the tender age of ten, both of them sound like they've already turned at least sixteen. Hikaru is almost acceptable but Akira has lost much of his qualities.
And now about Sai, the second most important character in this series (and the most important to some).
In the original Japanese version, Sai, although occasionally comic, projected a voice befitting his role as a member of the Emperor's household; courtly, elegant and just a shade effeminate (after all, he is supposed to be a gentleman in the strict sense of the word). Sure he weeps over playing Go, but he can also project fierce resoluteness and determination befitting the confidence from his mastery and love of the game.
Talk about losing your dignity. Sai, in the English dub, sounded rather buffoonish. It almost reminded me like a bad combination of Robin Williams and Carson Kressley with occasional old forms of English (without a British accent) thrown in. You'd have to hear it to get the same reaction I got.
ChiyoChan got a bit of an amused laugh from the English dub.
It was terribly disappointing but, as with some of the other anime that has been viewed in our household, we can at least still enjoy it with its original soundtrack and subtitles.
Applying the Bent Three
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like it could be used to form a Bent Three.
I've had groups killed by the Bent Three in the past. Today, I applied that same lesson in a game on IGS. I played my formations light while my opponent chose to play heavy; perhaps trying to break-up my stones.
White responded to an insignificant atari at N9; giving me sente. A lone stone that I had given-up for dead looked like it could be used for form a Bent Three. My surrounding formations looked like they could mutually support each other. So, as yoyoma always counsels me, I started to execute a plan ("Any plan. Even a bad one. As long as you have a plan!").
In the end, 32 stones were captured and White resigned.
5 Comments:
Here's a question for you =) What if, after you played N15, white responded with M14 instead of N16? Can black still kill now? ;)
I thought it was a big error when White missed M14. That move would have formed two eyes.
I don't see a kill possible with M14 unless White is grossly negligent.
The dub was just released on the 27th but I really don't like Sai's voice.
Think of it, a lot of the viewers get inspired to play Go and want to be Hikaru or Sai. After watching the dub, there could be a lot of viewers who wouldn't want to be Sai.
My first bet would be that Cartoon Network might pick it up in a year or so.
Some thoughts, in the second game diagram given, did you think about what would happen with W_j11?
W_j11, B_k10, W_h10...
B_g9... (B_g10, B_h11, and B_j10 would be caught with W_g9)
W_g10, B_f9... (B_f8 is another possibility, but will turn out the same with white's next move)
W_f11, B_h11 or B_j10, it's the same... (B_f12 will be caught with W_e12 and B_g11 will be caught with W_f12)
W_f12, B_j10, W_g11, B_j11... (notice that if black played B_f8 from before, he will not be able to connect at B_j11 due to shortage of liberties)
W_f8, now this black group only has 2 liberties and has no way to gain more, while the white group in question has at the very least 3 liberties (if white ignores a black self-atari...)
I'm sorry if this was a bit long, I only hope I didn't make a mistake.
For those of you who might want a better comparison of what Sai sounds like in this English dub, here's a closer equivalent based on a movie that may immediately be available at your video rental shop.
There was a 1981 movie entitled Zorro, The Gay Blade starring George Hamilton as Don Diego De La Vega (Zorro) and his long-lost twin brother Bunny Wigglesworth.
Sai sounds like Bunny Wigglesworth.
(My apologies to the capable voice-actor Brad Swaile but that's how it comes across.)
Do yourself a favor and just listen to the original Japanese track and read the subtitles.
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