Good gravy! I'm on a roll now!
I found another really good anime series to watch!
Okay, are you ready? Go to Funimation.com. You can find subbed and dubbed episodes of Sgt. Frog.
Yeah, that's right; my newest obsession (barring a certain Tera Guardian anyways) is a kid's show. From Japan. And is actually popular with "normal" people in Japan. Oh god, I must be losing nerd cred if I'm watching something little old ladies in Nippon might recognize! [/sarcasm]
Anyways, the English version is actually a gag dub, much like Shin-chan. However, unlike Shin-chan, Sgt. Frog (in both versions) is actually funny! Like, genuinely funny! This is the second anime series I've ever seen that has continuously made me laugh my ass off. (The first being Haruhi.) This show never takes itself seriously; the jokes are fast and plenty, and the characters are well-defined.
Also, the English dubbing is very good. Surprisingly, I've read the dubbing was actually done by ADV, and that Funi is just distributing it. I don't know if that's true or not. If ADV did dub it, then congratulations; you've produced something that can make me respect you as much as ADV Manga*. If Funi did, then, uh, keep 'em coming. The only voice I recognized was Chris Sabat, who is perfect as Giroro. I don't think I've ever heard him do comedy before. He's really good at making me laugh.
The dub, being a gag dub, does rewrite some jokes, including (Bum bum buuuuuuuum!) inserting American pop-culture references. Which . . . actually are funny. There's a difference between making a pop-culture reference, and making a pop-culture reference and being funny at the same time, and I take it the show writers understood that. That's good. Of course, for anyone who wants to see the original Japanese version (or is just an anal otaku) the Japanese dub is available too. It's not as funny, but that's probably because I'm not Japanese. It's still good, either way.
Wow. Sgt. Frog took me by surprise. I've heard of this franchise before, but I never got into it until just recently. I might even buy this on DVD when it comes out. And, oh yes, this show gives me more quotes to use now.
Kero Kero Kero Kero.
*Okay, I know that ADV also dubbed Azumanga Dai-oh, and that I do prefer AZ in English. However, 1: I hate the anime version of AZ. And 2: Although I do like the English voices of Chiyo-chan, Osaka, Yukari, and the perverse teacher, I can't stand the English voices of Sakaki, Tomo, and Yomi. I guess hit-and-miss is better than no standout performances at all. (I now await a redub of Angelic Layer. And I have you to blame.)
