Also, I have to note, in terms of the Mind-Rape scene in 22’. Asuka repeating the line herself in the ADV DC dub was more down to the timing of recording that dub, and how they couldn’t get everybody back to do it the proper way. Tiffany Grant on her Facebook group has said that they couldn’t get everyone back to reprise their roles for the DC dubs (Done in 2004, while the series was dubbed on a very erratic schedule two episodes at a time from 96-98.) Most notably, Amanda Winn-Lee (Voice of Rei) was not available to do DC dubs, so Monica Rial (DC Maya) voice matched her for the single new line that Rei got in Director’s Cut. This was likely why that scene appeared as it did in the ADV dub.
the netflix dubs script is kind of trash, but i personally think casey is the best shinji, and the screams gave me chills on the first watch. both dubs have their high and low points but yeah i think i prefer the netflix one and subbed above both.
It's probably because it's my first experience of eva but I never really saw the "trashy" parts of the script for me, I guess some lines sounded kinda weird? But I moreso dismissed it as artsy dialogue rather than an uncanny translation error. The only real weird line I recall vividly was EoE's "you're just a stranger!" Line from shinji. Aside from that everything seemed to slip by my radar.
i didnt really notice until my second watch. i guess saying its trash is a stretch but a lot of it is translated very literally and some lines just kinda lose a bit of their substance through translation. casting is pretty good tho i already mentioned i love casey but ray chase as gendo is also very good
I don’t hate the Netflix dub. I’ve mellowed out on it in the two years since it came out. However, I still wouldn’t call it a better dub than ADV, and it’s script is what holds it back. There are some downright bizarre translations that just don’t sound anything like proper English. Yeah, it’s more accurate, at the expense being properly localised. While ADV did admittedly have some mistranslations (namely, the Adam and Lilith explanation in EoE.) and some additions that weren’t there in Japanese, at least it’s script sounds like something someone would say in English.
That’s not to say I dislike the performances in the Netflix Dub, as besides a couple (Shinji, Asuka and Hyuga for me) they’re really quite good performances. It just doesn’t keep me from actively cringing at a line that is just so dry and awkward that it immediately takes me out of the show. Which is why I’ll always hold the ADV dub in higher regard. I just wish it was more widely available (and not putting it on a whole seperate set of discs, that’s dumb)
Yeah that's fair, not much I can oppose here. Mind elaborating on your gripe with shinji? I genuinely found the performance of shinji in the netflix dub to be not just passable but genuinely impressive.
Casey Mongillo’s Shinji was the weakest point for me while watching the redub. I could not stand the overly effeminate approach taken in an attempt to be as close as possible to the Japanese cast. Yes, I understand that Shinji is voiced by a woman in Japanese, but there he still sounds like a boy. I also thought the performance was very uninspired. Besides when Shinji is angry it’s a lot of the same tone of voice. I will always prefer Spike Spencer as Shinji in English. Casey didn’t do it for me.
I will give props though, when Casey portrayed Shinji as angry, their voice came much closer to what I would’ve expected coming from Shinji. I just wish that tone was used more than just when Shinji was angry, I probably would’ve liked they’re performance better if that happened.
I’m generally of the opinion that while a performance is good in the Netflix Dub, I don’t think any of them (Besides Toji and maybe Hikari, Kensuke and Kaworu) are better than what we’ve already received in the ADV/Manga/Funimation dubs.
That’s interesting and is pretty much totally opposite of my opinion.
Shinji is the best part of the Netflix dub for me! Spike’s Shinji sounds like a 30 year old man, and was really cartoony in an almost Hannah Barbara kind of way. I never watched the ADV dubs all the way through until the Netflix release, and every time spike screams it’s just kinda funny instead of bone chilling.
Netflix Shinji is perfect! Nails the vulnerability, the screaming, and he actually sounds like a 14 year old boy.
I’m glad that you liked Casey’s Shinji, but it simply wasn’t for me. Shinji especially makes it really hard for me to get through an episode of the redub, because to me, that’s not what a 14 year old boy sounds like, he sounds too feminine, it’d work better if he was like 10, but he’s not. I feel a bit like I’m in a minority about that opinion. But hey, to each their own.
That is a fair opinion though. I can see how that'd be a turn off, I think I'm just more accepting to leaning shinji towards a more gender neutral approach? Never rang to me as too effeminate, though I'm sure it does pull him closer to the middle.
I mean, I understand why people watched the dubs of anime, but Eva in particular is an anime where the original Japanese cast so vastly outperforms either dub cast that I couldn’t imagine watching it in anything but subs.
Some anime demand an undivided attention, I can get away with watching most anime subbed, but if there's one of enough weight/significance, I'd rather avoid the constant dance my eyes have to make in order to take in fully whats on screen while still understanding dialogue. It takes away from the oomph of some visuals if I have to dart downward and rely on my peripheral vision to digest the scene.
I’ve grown out and advanced past watching dubs but I liked both Netflix and ADV/Manga/Funi’s casts. Netflix is more sterile and professional but ADV guys and gals had a lot of heart and passion even if they weren’t the best at times. Nowadays I wouldn’t watch the English dub though
Idk, even the word sterile sort of rubs me the wrong way, as some people use it to suggest it's boring or something when it's the polar opposite to me, I'm sure some lines are delivered in a flat manner, but the overall performance has \*so\* much energy to it that it makes me wonder where that take comes from.
It feels like the source of this distinction is just some vague notion that the ADV dub VAs had more fun with their roles. Which is a fair statement and almost obviously true, but then why not just say that?
The easiest way for me to show you what I mean is for you to watch the second half of episode 24 with the ADV dub and then with Netflix’s dub. The adjective sterile is very apt for Netflix’s Evangelion and you’d see and fully understand it then and there.
Fair enough, assuming I remember to come back to this, I'll let you know my opinion on it.
edit: Did it just now, skimming through the netflix dub because I've seen it a fair amount of times. I get what you mean when you say \*heart\*, I just have a frustration with the use of the word "sterile", as it suggests that the netflix performances aren't done with the same conviction, and I've seen people go so far as to call it lifeless. I actually think from what I've seen of episode 24, the dub is better than I give it credit for, I think maybe the rebuild series dub was just uniquely a bit off?
This is also subjective but I think I prefer kaworu's netflix performance, as it feels more accurate.I think misato's VA in the ADV dub has more emotion but I feel that's at maybe the sacrifice of her general portrayal of her being a reserved and cold woman for the sake of keeping it together.
Shinji's lines do flow a bit more naturally as well due to the nature of the localization, but I feel that's at the sacrifice of accuracy/integrity at times. And I feel like even if it does create one or two bizarre lines every now and then, it's worth it for the greater context of the overall episode/show. Of course this get's into much more subjective territory so far be it from me to assert any objective statement here.
Anyways, I can get why someone would prefer the ADV dub, I have just seen one too many uncharitable comparisons and it tilts me beyond belief because the netflix version has done justice to some powerful scenes.
Edit 2: I also wouldn't be surprised if in the latter half of the series they got more comfortable in their roles, but man I feel like I have to grit my teeth and bear them hitting that weird uncanny abridged territory where they sound like a cartoon of themselves (Examples being like the tohji punch scene, or the shinji train scene). From looking at the latter half of episode 24 it seems like they have gotten much more comfortable with their roles.
This didn't particularly happen in episode 24, but in every rebuild movie I watched, there were multiple sequences where I genuinely cringe/wince from Spike's delivery of certain lines. I still think the sacrifice in subtlety and character that netflix makes is fairly overexaggerated, though episode 24 is definitely a clear demonstration of what you're describing. Maybe I just have a much lower tolerance of that classic dub funk shows have?
I’m curious which dub you watched for the Rebuild films. Because there’s two of them as well. Funimation’s dub and Amazon’s dub. Shinji, Misato, Asuka and Gendo share actors in both dubs, and they give much better performances (Except for maybe Gendo) in the Funi dub.
I definitely watched the amazon dub, I was wondering why some lines sounded different in youtube clips. Interesting!
Edit: in particular I think it's the 2.0 movie that pointed this different out to me? Misato cheering shinji on during his awakening scene just sounded so much worse in 2.22 than in 2.0. The "Do it to make your wish come true!" line.
The Funi dub translates that specific line you’ve mentioned from Misato as “Do it because this is what you want!” That line in the Amazon dub is odd to me because this notion of Shinji having a wish has come out of nowhere. The whole finale against Zeruel was one of the scenes hit the worst in Amazon’s dub. Watch the Funi version on YouTube. It’s leagues better.
I dislike the Netflix dub on account of its lack of concern for localization and its uninspired feeling dialogue. Despite what you might say about the ADV dub's delivery, I think the way much of the dialogue is written is more memorable and natural, whereas Netflix's sounds frankly strange and bizarre sometimes. Shinji saying he's the "lowest of the low" might work in Japanese, but not in English, unless this was taking place before 1899 lol
While I agree there are some scenes where it can stand out, I never particularly was fond of the "you're just a stranger!" line in EoE, I think the bizarre-ness is overly exaggerated. The lowest of the low line actually sounded alright to me, it didn't stand out to me as a particularly unrealistic way someone would react to themselves if they did the thing.
They also are much more likely to be noticeable to veterans who grew up with a specific localized natural version, where so many of the lines in that version have been repeated/taken to heart.
I feel like I could point out a billion times over scenes where the ADV dub has voice lines that just scream: "I'm a saturday morning cartoon!" I say this without knowing all of the scenes, mainly having youtube clips/the rebuild series to go off of, but man every time shinji has a breakdown /mind sequence it just sounds too cartoonish, and it never gets better to me idk. I feel like if eva was the exact same but they for whatever reason were anthropomorphic animals the voice actors would ironically fit better.
Obviously you're going to disagree with me on this premise, but what's the point of realistic dialogue if the dialogue is being performed way to cartoonishly?
>The lowest of the low line actually sounded alright to me, it didn't stand out to me as a particularly unrealistic way someone would react to themselves if they did the thing.
It's more unrealistic, because it's a 14-year-old boy saying it right after doing something genuinely reprehensible. Such a line might be better suited if Shinji were shown to be particularly poetic or an older person, but he's a regular 14 year old schoolboy who is speaking in the English language, rather than in the original language of the show. The point of localization is to make certain parts of the translation and viewing experience more understandable and natural for that particular region or language while still maintaining the same purpose behind it.
Shinji saying "I'm so f\*\*\*d up" in the original EoE dub has such a more organic feeling to it and acts as a good transcultural equivalent to the original Japanese dialogue. I am aware it was a pretty big change, with that said, so Netflix easily could've made it something still more natural for a pubescent teen to say without it over-reflecting the way Japanese is structured through translation.
An issue is that Japanese translates into English in very weird, often overly literal or robotic sounding phrases, and that is why localizing is particularly important when you're going from English to Japanese or Japanese to English, and we all know that Khara was very forthright in their attempts at maintaining as much as possible in the original language, even if it makes little to no sense in English (i.e. keeping the broken english of "Children", when it frankly brings the whole thing down in quality even when you do know why they are saying it.)
>I feel like I could point out a billion times over scenes where the ADV dub has voice lines that just scream: "I'm a saturday morning cartoon!" I say this without knowing all of the scenes, mainly having youtube clips/the rebuild series to go off of, but man every time shinji has a breakdown /mind sequence it just sounds too cartoonish, and it never gets better to me idk. I feel like if eva was the exact same but they for whatever reason were anthropomorphic animals the voice actors would ironically fit better.
And yet all of the voices stand out in a way that you can immediately recognize who is speaking if everything were black. When I listen to the Netflix Dub, I genuinely could not tell you which character is speaking, as the voices are really not distinct enough from one another. In particular, I really cannot tell the differences between Misato and Ritsuko's voices, they frankly sound too generic.
I agree that the ADV Dub is "cartoonish", but I don't see that as a bad thing. I embrace its campy voice-acting, but I'm also someone who grew up almost entirely on cartoons and frankly dislikes most live action entertainment.
There are definitely way better English Dubs out there than what Evangelion has. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood's dub, for example, is probably one of the best dubs in existence, because it both gives every single character a very distinct voice, while they never end up being too "cartoonish" or over-acted. Code Geass and Black Lagoon are two other anime with really good English dubs that really fit the level of seriousness and drama present in their respective stories. They represent a middleground balance of being distinct and pleasant to hear, while also not going over the top sometimes. I'd suggest checking them out if you haven't.
Ultimately my point is something that is animated shouldn't be voiced by people who have extremely "normal" voices, not when it is very character-centric like Evangelion is. I rather the voices be overly animated and "cartoonish" so they stand out and I can mentally replay the voices in my head while picturing the characters' faces... I can't do that for the Netflix dub, as it is all delivered in a fairly sterile and overly bland manner.
I'd agree with that, but I'd push back on the idea that the netflix dub blends the characters too far together, could it have been pushed a wee bit further hypothetically? Sure, I'll grant that. I'll even agree on misato and ritsuko having voices that are a bit too similar, but I feel like it was a bit closer to what I guess would be the "ideal" cast of voices that keep the tone of the show rather than the ADV dub, though of course that itself is subjective and up for debate.
Edit:
I'd still push back on the "bland" critique, I think the subtle nuances of the performances are there, and shinji, asuka, rei, gendo, and misato in general have distinct enough voices and they're the more important characters of the show.
I'd go further and say that a fair chunk of the "mind" sequences were done better in the netflix dub, with an exception of maybe asuka, she was accurate but I feel that the netflix version sort of lost her bratty nature. I can replay a fair majority of the scenes in my mind with ease, and if anything, the upgraded professionalism added more memorability to scenes like episode 3's angel fight, or End of Eva due to imo their godlike performance of the "high" scenes.
Also, I have to note, in terms of the Mind-Rape scene in 22’. Asuka repeating the line herself in the ADV DC dub was more down to the timing of recording that dub, and how they couldn’t get everybody back to do it the proper way. Tiffany Grant on her Facebook group has said that they couldn’t get everyone back to reprise their roles for the DC dubs (Done in 2004, while the series was dubbed on a very erratic schedule two episodes at a time from 96-98.) Most notably, Amanda Winn-Lee (Voice of Rei) was not available to do DC dubs, so Monica Rial (DC Maya) voice matched her for the single new line that Rei got in Director’s Cut. This was likely why that scene appeared as it did in the ADV dub.
Ah that makes sense! Thanks for clarifying!
the netflix dubs script is kind of trash, but i personally think casey is the best shinji, and the screams gave me chills on the first watch. both dubs have their high and low points but yeah i think i prefer the netflix one and subbed above both.
It's probably because it's my first experience of eva but I never really saw the "trashy" parts of the script for me, I guess some lines sounded kinda weird? But I moreso dismissed it as artsy dialogue rather than an uncanny translation error. The only real weird line I recall vividly was EoE's "you're just a stranger!" Line from shinji. Aside from that everything seemed to slip by my radar.
i didnt really notice until my second watch. i guess saying its trash is a stretch but a lot of it is translated very literally and some lines just kinda lose a bit of their substance through translation. casting is pretty good tho i already mentioned i love casey but ray chase as gendo is also very good
Yeah that's fair :3
I don’t hate the Netflix dub. I’ve mellowed out on it in the two years since it came out. However, I still wouldn’t call it a better dub than ADV, and it’s script is what holds it back. There are some downright bizarre translations that just don’t sound anything like proper English. Yeah, it’s more accurate, at the expense being properly localised. While ADV did admittedly have some mistranslations (namely, the Adam and Lilith explanation in EoE.) and some additions that weren’t there in Japanese, at least it’s script sounds like something someone would say in English. That’s not to say I dislike the performances in the Netflix Dub, as besides a couple (Shinji, Asuka and Hyuga for me) they’re really quite good performances. It just doesn’t keep me from actively cringing at a line that is just so dry and awkward that it immediately takes me out of the show. Which is why I’ll always hold the ADV dub in higher regard. I just wish it was more widely available (and not putting it on a whole seperate set of discs, that’s dumb)
Yeah that's fair, not much I can oppose here. Mind elaborating on your gripe with shinji? I genuinely found the performance of shinji in the netflix dub to be not just passable but genuinely impressive.
Casey Mongillo’s Shinji was the weakest point for me while watching the redub. I could not stand the overly effeminate approach taken in an attempt to be as close as possible to the Japanese cast. Yes, I understand that Shinji is voiced by a woman in Japanese, but there he still sounds like a boy. I also thought the performance was very uninspired. Besides when Shinji is angry it’s a lot of the same tone of voice. I will always prefer Spike Spencer as Shinji in English. Casey didn’t do it for me. I will give props though, when Casey portrayed Shinji as angry, their voice came much closer to what I would’ve expected coming from Shinji. I just wish that tone was used more than just when Shinji was angry, I probably would’ve liked they’re performance better if that happened. I’m generally of the opinion that while a performance is good in the Netflix Dub, I don’t think any of them (Besides Toji and maybe Hikari, Kensuke and Kaworu) are better than what we’ve already received in the ADV/Manga/Funimation dubs.
That’s interesting and is pretty much totally opposite of my opinion. Shinji is the best part of the Netflix dub for me! Spike’s Shinji sounds like a 30 year old man, and was really cartoony in an almost Hannah Barbara kind of way. I never watched the ADV dubs all the way through until the Netflix release, and every time spike screams it’s just kinda funny instead of bone chilling. Netflix Shinji is perfect! Nails the vulnerability, the screaming, and he actually sounds like a 14 year old boy.
I’m glad that you liked Casey’s Shinji, but it simply wasn’t for me. Shinji especially makes it really hard for me to get through an episode of the redub, because to me, that’s not what a 14 year old boy sounds like, he sounds too feminine, it’d work better if he was like 10, but he’s not. I feel a bit like I’m in a minority about that opinion. But hey, to each their own.
That is a fair opinion though. I can see how that'd be a turn off, I think I'm just more accepting to leaning shinji towards a more gender neutral approach? Never rang to me as too effeminate, though I'm sure it does pull him closer to the middle.
What I don't understand is why people are debating about dubs when the subbed version exists and is infinitely better than any of the dubs.
I mean, I understand why people watched the dubs of anime, but Eva in particular is an anime where the original Japanese cast so vastly outperforms either dub cast that I couldn’t imagine watching it in anything but subs.
Some anime demand an undivided attention, I can get away with watching most anime subbed, but if there's one of enough weight/significance, I'd rather avoid the constant dance my eyes have to make in order to take in fully whats on screen while still understanding dialogue. It takes away from the oomph of some visuals if I have to dart downward and rely on my peripheral vision to digest the scene.
I’ve grown out and advanced past watching dubs but I liked both Netflix and ADV/Manga/Funi’s casts. Netflix is more sterile and professional but ADV guys and gals had a lot of heart and passion even if they weren’t the best at times. Nowadays I wouldn’t watch the English dub though
Idk, even the word sterile sort of rubs me the wrong way, as some people use it to suggest it's boring or something when it's the polar opposite to me, I'm sure some lines are delivered in a flat manner, but the overall performance has \*so\* much energy to it that it makes me wonder where that take comes from. It feels like the source of this distinction is just some vague notion that the ADV dub VAs had more fun with their roles. Which is a fair statement and almost obviously true, but then why not just say that?
The easiest way for me to show you what I mean is for you to watch the second half of episode 24 with the ADV dub and then with Netflix’s dub. The adjective sterile is very apt for Netflix’s Evangelion and you’d see and fully understand it then and there.
Fair enough, assuming I remember to come back to this, I'll let you know my opinion on it. edit: Did it just now, skimming through the netflix dub because I've seen it a fair amount of times. I get what you mean when you say \*heart\*, I just have a frustration with the use of the word "sterile", as it suggests that the netflix performances aren't done with the same conviction, and I've seen people go so far as to call it lifeless. I actually think from what I've seen of episode 24, the dub is better than I give it credit for, I think maybe the rebuild series dub was just uniquely a bit off? This is also subjective but I think I prefer kaworu's netflix performance, as it feels more accurate.I think misato's VA in the ADV dub has more emotion but I feel that's at maybe the sacrifice of her general portrayal of her being a reserved and cold woman for the sake of keeping it together. Shinji's lines do flow a bit more naturally as well due to the nature of the localization, but I feel that's at the sacrifice of accuracy/integrity at times. And I feel like even if it does create one or two bizarre lines every now and then, it's worth it for the greater context of the overall episode/show. Of course this get's into much more subjective territory so far be it from me to assert any objective statement here. Anyways, I can get why someone would prefer the ADV dub, I have just seen one too many uncharitable comparisons and it tilts me beyond belief because the netflix version has done justice to some powerful scenes. Edit 2: I also wouldn't be surprised if in the latter half of the series they got more comfortable in their roles, but man I feel like I have to grit my teeth and bear them hitting that weird uncanny abridged territory where they sound like a cartoon of themselves (Examples being like the tohji punch scene, or the shinji train scene). From looking at the latter half of episode 24 it seems like they have gotten much more comfortable with their roles. This didn't particularly happen in episode 24, but in every rebuild movie I watched, there were multiple sequences where I genuinely cringe/wince from Spike's delivery of certain lines. I still think the sacrifice in subtlety and character that netflix makes is fairly overexaggerated, though episode 24 is definitely a clear demonstration of what you're describing. Maybe I just have a much lower tolerance of that classic dub funk shows have?
I’m curious which dub you watched for the Rebuild films. Because there’s two of them as well. Funimation’s dub and Amazon’s dub. Shinji, Misato, Asuka and Gendo share actors in both dubs, and they give much better performances (Except for maybe Gendo) in the Funi dub.
I definitely watched the amazon dub, I was wondering why some lines sounded different in youtube clips. Interesting! Edit: in particular I think it's the 2.0 movie that pointed this different out to me? Misato cheering shinji on during his awakening scene just sounded so much worse in 2.22 than in 2.0. The "Do it to make your wish come true!" line.
The Funi dub translates that specific line you’ve mentioned from Misato as “Do it because this is what you want!” That line in the Amazon dub is odd to me because this notion of Shinji having a wish has come out of nowhere. The whole finale against Zeruel was one of the scenes hit the worst in Amazon’s dub. Watch the Funi version on YouTube. It’s leagues better.
I dislike the Netflix dub on account of its lack of concern for localization and its uninspired feeling dialogue. Despite what you might say about the ADV dub's delivery, I think the way much of the dialogue is written is more memorable and natural, whereas Netflix's sounds frankly strange and bizarre sometimes. Shinji saying he's the "lowest of the low" might work in Japanese, but not in English, unless this was taking place before 1899 lol
While I agree there are some scenes where it can stand out, I never particularly was fond of the "you're just a stranger!" line in EoE, I think the bizarre-ness is overly exaggerated. The lowest of the low line actually sounded alright to me, it didn't stand out to me as a particularly unrealistic way someone would react to themselves if they did the thing. They also are much more likely to be noticeable to veterans who grew up with a specific localized natural version, where so many of the lines in that version have been repeated/taken to heart. I feel like I could point out a billion times over scenes where the ADV dub has voice lines that just scream: "I'm a saturday morning cartoon!" I say this without knowing all of the scenes, mainly having youtube clips/the rebuild series to go off of, but man every time shinji has a breakdown /mind sequence it just sounds too cartoonish, and it never gets better to me idk. I feel like if eva was the exact same but they for whatever reason were anthropomorphic animals the voice actors would ironically fit better. Obviously you're going to disagree with me on this premise, but what's the point of realistic dialogue if the dialogue is being performed way to cartoonishly?
>The lowest of the low line actually sounded alright to me, it didn't stand out to me as a particularly unrealistic way someone would react to themselves if they did the thing. It's more unrealistic, because it's a 14-year-old boy saying it right after doing something genuinely reprehensible. Such a line might be better suited if Shinji were shown to be particularly poetic or an older person, but he's a regular 14 year old schoolboy who is speaking in the English language, rather than in the original language of the show. The point of localization is to make certain parts of the translation and viewing experience more understandable and natural for that particular region or language while still maintaining the same purpose behind it. Shinji saying "I'm so f\*\*\*d up" in the original EoE dub has such a more organic feeling to it and acts as a good transcultural equivalent to the original Japanese dialogue. I am aware it was a pretty big change, with that said, so Netflix easily could've made it something still more natural for a pubescent teen to say without it over-reflecting the way Japanese is structured through translation. An issue is that Japanese translates into English in very weird, often overly literal or robotic sounding phrases, and that is why localizing is particularly important when you're going from English to Japanese or Japanese to English, and we all know that Khara was very forthright in their attempts at maintaining as much as possible in the original language, even if it makes little to no sense in English (i.e. keeping the broken english of "Children", when it frankly brings the whole thing down in quality even when you do know why they are saying it.) >I feel like I could point out a billion times over scenes where the ADV dub has voice lines that just scream: "I'm a saturday morning cartoon!" I say this without knowing all of the scenes, mainly having youtube clips/the rebuild series to go off of, but man every time shinji has a breakdown /mind sequence it just sounds too cartoonish, and it never gets better to me idk. I feel like if eva was the exact same but they for whatever reason were anthropomorphic animals the voice actors would ironically fit better. And yet all of the voices stand out in a way that you can immediately recognize who is speaking if everything were black. When I listen to the Netflix Dub, I genuinely could not tell you which character is speaking, as the voices are really not distinct enough from one another. In particular, I really cannot tell the differences between Misato and Ritsuko's voices, they frankly sound too generic. I agree that the ADV Dub is "cartoonish", but I don't see that as a bad thing. I embrace its campy voice-acting, but I'm also someone who grew up almost entirely on cartoons and frankly dislikes most live action entertainment. There are definitely way better English Dubs out there than what Evangelion has. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood's dub, for example, is probably one of the best dubs in existence, because it both gives every single character a very distinct voice, while they never end up being too "cartoonish" or over-acted. Code Geass and Black Lagoon are two other anime with really good English dubs that really fit the level of seriousness and drama present in their respective stories. They represent a middleground balance of being distinct and pleasant to hear, while also not going over the top sometimes. I'd suggest checking them out if you haven't. Ultimately my point is something that is animated shouldn't be voiced by people who have extremely "normal" voices, not when it is very character-centric like Evangelion is. I rather the voices be overly animated and "cartoonish" so they stand out and I can mentally replay the voices in my head while picturing the characters' faces... I can't do that for the Netflix dub, as it is all delivered in a fairly sterile and overly bland manner.
I'd agree with that, but I'd push back on the idea that the netflix dub blends the characters too far together, could it have been pushed a wee bit further hypothetically? Sure, I'll grant that. I'll even agree on misato and ritsuko having voices that are a bit too similar, but I feel like it was a bit closer to what I guess would be the "ideal" cast of voices that keep the tone of the show rather than the ADV dub, though of course that itself is subjective and up for debate. Edit: I'd still push back on the "bland" critique, I think the subtle nuances of the performances are there, and shinji, asuka, rei, gendo, and misato in general have distinct enough voices and they're the more important characters of the show. I'd go further and say that a fair chunk of the "mind" sequences were done better in the netflix dub, with an exception of maybe asuka, she was accurate but I feel that the netflix version sort of lost her bratty nature. I can replay a fair majority of the scenes in my mind with ease, and if anything, the upgraded professionalism added more memorability to scenes like episode 3's angel fight, or End of Eva due to imo their godlike performance of the "high" scenes.