Hey guys! I know it's been...oh...the better part of two or three YEARS since I posted last, but hopefully my evaluation of the new Evangelion 2.22 movie English Dub will make up for it...somewhat...
First the Originals:
Spike Spencer (Shinji) - Awesome as per usual. Age has definitely improved the quality of his acting with regards to this character. There's a depth to his acting that honestly wasn't there throughout the series, and only started emerging with the first pair of movies.
Tiffany Grant (Asuka) - The name may have changed but the voice remains the same. Granted there was no German dialogue or fangirl swooning over Kaji, but Tiffany Grant managed to keep the core aspects of the fire-engine redhead intact and brings a performance that makes even the most skeptical have to applaud. Out of all the original V/A's, she's the one who HONESTLY gets her character and understands what she's all about.
Allison Keith-Shipp (Misato) - I have to admit, when 1.01 came out, it seems as though she was still trying to get back to the role and there were moments when she didn't quite seem like herself and the acting was a little rusty. Evangelion 2.22 removes all traces of that as Allison Keith-Shipp brings her purple-haired character to life with a vengeance.
Now, the new guys:
Trina Nishimura (Mari) - ENTER A NEW CHALLENGER! Because Mari is not a character that was in the original series, I have nothing to compare her to, but I must say, I really enjoyed her portrayal of our newest pilot. She is so believable as Mari, and I am thankful that the rumors that Mari was going to have a British accent were just rumors!
Brina Palencia (Rei) - Amanda Winn-Who? Just kidding. But seriously, out of all the replacements in the movies, this one, to me, was one of the most important. Because Rei is such an integral part of the Evangelion franchise, and Amanda Winn-Lee had already established Rei
's tone and demeanor for the English dubs, I was a little concerned that the new V/A would not be able to match her awesome performance. And I was right. Brina didn't match it; she blew it out of the water. It was as though she had been playing the role for years instead of just for two movies. It blows my mind how perfectly she fits into the role and captures Rei.
John Swasey (Gendo) - Of course, we're already familiar with his portrayal of Gendo in the Directors Cut edition of the original series when Tristan McAvery proved unavailable. In my view, John does a good job of playing Gendo, but he doesn't quite have that cruel SNAP that Tristan had. It's less "Good lord above, he's a low down dirty dog!!" and more "Wow...he's a really bad father."
J. Michael Tatum (Kaji) - I have no complaints about this one; he sounds a lot like the original Japanese V/A, except he speaks English WAY better. Yeah, I went there.
Jerry Jewell (Kaworu) - Funimation Entertainment, you rock my socks. Plain and simple. You Rock My Socks. You cast the perfect, PERFECT person as Kaworu; Jerry has the same kind of voice like Kyle Studivant, Kaworu's original V/A, but he adds his own little quirks and tweaks to the voice that makes takes it beyond awesome. No squeaky-raspy here...and speaking of...
Greg Ayres (Kensuke) - FINALLY...He finds his place in the Eva franchise. Now, don't get me wrong, Greg is one of my all time favorite anime V/A's of all time. But his portrayal of Kaworu in the Directors Cut of Evangelion was...shall we say...wrong. However, I have since forgiven this, and am very happy to hear him play Eva's resident techno-geek. Typecasting, maybe. But awesome, absolutely.
Justin Cook (Toji) - All I can say is that he played this role very well...just like all the other Toji's that came before him. Seriously, Toji has had like 4 voice actors so far, and while they're all consistent, I think it's hillarious that one of the most non-essential persons in the movie has had the most V/A's in the entire franchise.
Mike McFarland (Hyuga) - I have to give Director McFarland his props for following the unofficial Evangelion tradition of casting himself as the glasses-wearing Nerv Technician just like Matt Greenfield before him. Thankfully, or perhaps sadly, there is no trace of Black Hyuga (Keith Burgess).
"I think I was born just to meet you, Shinji Ikari."
- Tabris (Kaworu) Neon Genesis Evangelion
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