What do you think of the Netflix version of Evangelion?

[carz0987]

It seems that many people dislike the Netflix version of Evangelion, mostly due to bland voice acting and apparently the lack of "Fly Me to the Moon" in the credits. Do you guys agree? What did you like/not like about this?

[AdamMalkovitch]

It has high and low points, but I personally feel that it is inferior to the Platinum Collection, which I still believe is the definitive way to watch the series outside of Japan.

The video has been excellently brought over. I found no visual errors in the series or either film.

The audio has it's own problems. When watching the new Netflix dub (which I personally like to call the NDub), I noticed that the opening video and audio would be slightly de-synchronized at times, but it's fixed when the actual episode starts. I don't mind the dub, but aside from the new voices of Gendo and Misato, I do feel that it's one of the points that is inferior to the ADV releases. At the risk of being called a transphobe for daring to criticize the voice acting performance which has nothing to do with the VA's gender, I think NDub Shinji is the weakest. His new VA can certainly scream, and their performance is much closer to Megumi Ogata's soul-rending screeches of absolute terror than Spike Spencer could ever belt out, but everything else about their performance is just weak, and not in a way that fits the character. They just sound like they don't really care, and are only there for the check. I'm not implying that or insulting the person, but that's simply what their performance sounded like to me.

The new translation is fine. It's passable, and has fewer cringe-inducing weeaboo-style moments than the ADV translation (eg. "Don't be insulting. It's not 0, it's O, as in Oni, the Japanese demon" -ADV Ritsuko, ep1). It does absolutely butcher the Shinji and Kaworu dynamic though. Even if "suki" can mean like or love depending on context- just look at the fucker! He's nude in a shower room right next to another nude guy who's hand he was just holding seconds ago. Not to mention that he was even gayer in the first two drafts for the episode, so, IMO, case closed, boy gay.

Overall, I think it's okay. It's not good, it's not awful, it's okay. Which is a damn shame, because no one's first experience with this fantastic story should be just okay.

[Alaska Slim]

Tiffany Grant (ADV Asuka VA) has alluded that this new version of the script was highly controlled by corporate, and that the director (a Berserk VA and voice of Misato in this dub) was given virtually no creative control. Not even over who they cast.

Deliveries are wooden, in part, because they were pushed to deliver lines in ways that are awkward to English speakers, but are more literal to the script.

Ergo, little to no real localisation was allowed.

What I can't get over is that the new Asuka VA, doesn't speak German. She delivers lines in German, but it sounds mechanical. All the nuance and delivery of Babble Fish.

[Reichu]

Check out the threads in Everything Else:

General Discussion
English Dub