Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Hetalia's England Revealed: Scott Freeman.

Cavort with a unicorn while listening to the clip here!

Photobucket

Another day, another English dub update from Funimation regarding Hetalia: Axis Powers! Today it is England and I am late, due to worry over family problems and sheer ill feeling.

I'm still not as knowledgeable about this series as some so remember to take any opinions I give with a grain of salt! (Indian sea salt naturally.)

No Hetalia World Buffet today, just a great clip for inducing laughter.

So lets dig into some strange English cuisine and talk about Scott Freeman, the English VA chosen to voice England! First, let me say that although he's done a fair bit of work, I've never really noticed him before. Where have they been hiding this guy? An excellent accent that gives off an English professor sort of feel. (I was worried they might got for something a bit too Cockney.)

Scott Freeman's England comes across as very friendly and fun. This clip is so far my favorite as it is just plain hysterical in my opinion. There's just something about listening to a nation that sounds so normal and professorial suddenly start practically melting into a moe fit as mystical creatures appear. It doesn't look like Scott Freeman's had any major roles before England and my only question is why. He handled this clip wonderfully.

I like how this clip references the considerable depth and scale of English folklore. There are so many fascinating creatures of myth that were first talked about in England, or perhaps when speaking of such things we should use the more fanciful name of Albion for the nation? It's just so much fun to see a series make that cultural trait a major part of the character. For some odd reason, this bit of history is frequently ignored in favor of English characters being depicted as somehow snobbishly above such beliefs.

The clip also manages to make a quick reference to England's historical habit of fighting with people a lot. Colonial expansion was at one point a very major part of England's foreign policy. It would in fact be fair to say that it was the sum of their foreign policy for a time, leading to both unfortunate tragedies and wonderful boons. (The birth of America is a boon in my mind, regardless of what some delusional pundits will say.) Of course, England had plenty of problems at home too with internal disputes and such but they've kept going. England's had a rather colorful history and it's interesting to see the nation depicted here in a light-hearted way. I very much enjoyed it.

The accent choice was very fitting, very acceptable. Very English. My opinion is that once again Funimation has tapped a name we haven't really heard much of before to shine like a newly discovered jewel. Two thumbs up!

Now, tell me what you think of followers of mine! Did you like Scott Freeman's England? Did you like seeing legendary creatures? Did you like the brief moment with another nation? Did you comment yet?

After this week, my family's very unfortunate problems will be resolved one way or the other (pray for our salvation please) so hopefully I'll be in a better emotional state soon. That way, I can blog more and in a more timely fashion. I'm trying to stay calm and sane but really I just want to go lie down and sleep for a month or maybe just cry for a while. I can't though because I'm supposed to be the strong one.

Sorry to mix a personal message in with this Hetalia: Axis Powers English dub commentary but I'm just a bit worn out. I just hope things will turn out well for my family as if things go badly, it's going to be very bad. Like "oh look, we have no steady income and we're having to sell everything to pay our taxes and bills" kind of bad.

Photobucket

England does not approve of cruelty to pixies.

Bye-ni!

4 comments:

  1. England accent is good, it has that slight England accent. I also thought it was funny how they poked at England "uniqueness". If the accent was to heavy, I think it would have been bad.

    Overall, Hetalia is looking like an ok anime, that might peak my to my cup of tea.

    Also wish you and your family the best.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I think this was a great voice. Funimation never disappoints! Hey Richard you should do a review on the newly made English dub for Bludgeoning Angel Dokuro Chan. If you have not seen it yet you are missing out! I think I am going to watch a few episodes tonight... again... :D

    Also I hope your family issues gets resolved in a good way and not the other way around.

    ReplyDelete
  3. "FLYING MINT BUNNY!" that is all.
    Accent isn't as thick as I expected, I think it works. :0

    And I hope everything works out well with your family. Good luck!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks everyone for the best wishes. I'm hopeful things will turn out right but sometimes the world is just horrifically unjust.

    @ ExcelGenerations: I plan to review it. I've got a few others I want to do first. Right now, I'm kinda too on edge to do anything too complex.

    ReplyDelete