For a very long time I have a disdain for people being passionate about voice actors that the idea of having one is a bad thing. I remembered that I got a warning on Bulbagarden forums because I commented that I liked the voice of a particular Pokemon in the Best Wishes anime. I should probably provide context on this because it would seem like a strange idea to most of you: back then the Pokemon anime had a mass replacement of voice actors that it became a sensitive topic. Apparently commenting on a voice of a character is a hot topic meaning that even though I only received a warning, it soured me on the idea of voice acting in shows because I am rather touchy on the idea of receiving infractions. (NOTE: Commenting on voice acting as a prohibition at Bulbagarden was already lifted by now)
There is also a case when a particular cartoonist had rejected the notion of his characters being voiced, claiming that the reason was basically that the reader's imagination of the character's voice would be "robbed". That plus the above gave me the impression that voice acting is a scourge to the enjoyment of a show. It's one reason that until now I never heard the any Friendship is Magic characters speak even though I have seen the animation. At times I wondered if a show could succeed without a need for voice acting because it seems that voice actors bring in the most money, and they even have a higher salary on average!
That's not to say that I held this belief for a long time, because I suppose it's based on irrational reaction. For one, I never knew for a long time that Hagar the Horrible has an animated series, and I always imagined that he has a very deep booming voice. When I checked out the animated series, I was surprised that he has a very rough voice that's not as deep as I thought, and I liked this. Another example is that it took me some time to overcome a mental block to check out Steven Universe and I think I appreciate the voice acting of that show. Even the cartoonist's particular work has a parody sketch on Robot Chicken, but because there were no official voices, I found the voices given to his characters to be quite perfect!
Sometimes I still think that it's ridiculous for fans to latch on to their favourite voice actors while I thought of myself as free from this, but some reflection on my part revealed that I might not be so different, because I would have a character I would prefer to stick with a particular voice. And that character is none other than Mario (I bet you saw that coming, don't you?)! Although Mario has a number of voice actors over the years, when Martinet's gave a high-pitched Italian accent to Mario, it really felt like a perfect match.
So yes, it doesn't sound like much but it's mystifying to me that the success of an animated show hinges on voice acting. Especially because to me an animated series is best enjoyed for its stylish animation over the voice acting.
Thank you for reading.
There is also a case when a particular cartoonist had rejected the notion of his characters being voiced, claiming that the reason was basically that the reader's imagination of the character's voice would be "robbed". That plus the above gave me the impression that voice acting is a scourge to the enjoyment of a show. It's one reason that until now I never heard the any Friendship is Magic characters speak even though I have seen the animation. At times I wondered if a show could succeed without a need for voice acting because it seems that voice actors bring in the most money, and they even have a higher salary on average!
That's not to say that I held this belief for a long time, because I suppose it's based on irrational reaction. For one, I never knew for a long time that Hagar the Horrible has an animated series, and I always imagined that he has a very deep booming voice. When I checked out the animated series, I was surprised that he has a very rough voice that's not as deep as I thought, and I liked this. Another example is that it took me some time to overcome a mental block to check out Steven Universe and I think I appreciate the voice acting of that show. Even the cartoonist's particular work has a parody sketch on Robot Chicken, but because there were no official voices, I found the voices given to his characters to be quite perfect!
Sometimes I still think that it's ridiculous for fans to latch on to their favourite voice actors while I thought of myself as free from this, but some reflection on my part revealed that I might not be so different, because I would have a character I would prefer to stick with a particular voice. And that character is none other than Mario (I bet you saw that coming, don't you?)! Although Mario has a number of voice actors over the years, when Martinet's gave a high-pitched Italian accent to Mario, it really felt like a perfect match.
So yes, it doesn't sound like much but it's mystifying to me that the success of an animated show hinges on voice acting. Especially because to me an animated series is best enjoyed for its stylish animation over the voice acting.
Thank you for reading.
mario is bland and therefore in more of the advertising, while luigi gets to have a personality and is thus liked more