So I've been thinking about different dialects and accents that are portrayed throughout anime whether it be native Japanese or an English dub. It seems many anime characters in Japanese have a regional dialect or accent while dub characters are generally voiced with a pretty flat "General American" accent with no clear regional distinction.
Take Son Goku for instance. In Japan, Masako Nozawa voices him with a very distinct Tohoku accent from the north of Japan. It's meant to sound hick-ish or like a country bumpkin. What's hick-ish to them doesn't translate exactly to English though because the Tohoku dialect drops a lot of raising and neutralizes vowel sounds making words seem cut off or homophonic in nature. Sean Schemmel is from California and speaks with a non-discernable "General American" English accent. So all that hick-ish charm about Goku is pretty lost and he seems more like a dimwit.
I know I've brought up how I think my own characters would sound before. This has been mostly Japanese voice actors because I really can't think of too many main stream English VAs that I personally or professionally admire. So that brings me to my point. What would Korian and company sound like speaking English? Well, aside from Sorrel since Holly Franklin did a pretty bang up job of lending her a voice. What types of accents do you think Korian, Shihori, Kuroba, and Kitsune would have? I have a general idea, bear with me.
So Kitsune is of an older generation than Korian and she was raised in a group home type settings. She's the product of hard training and relentless repetition in studying and physicality. To me she'd be a bit more refined speaker because of her more standardized education and from being around a group of people. That being said to throw in a little flavor she definitely does have an accent and that would be a high southern accent like you would hear on those educated in the deep south with a little bit of a drawl, but barely noticeable.
Korian on the other hand while educated, home schooled more like it, would be less used to fitting in proper in society and be more lax in his manner of speak, more familiar more like it. So he'd be a bit more south of Kitsune and more casual. A co-worker of mine from Memphis comes to mind, it's crisp, precise, and clearly from the Volunteer state.
Shihori and Kuroba would be interesting because I place Sorrel more being from the city so she would be closer to something you would hear in Philly or NJ. So these two would be and interesting case in being able to hide one's accent until they slip into it by being at home or in a moment of excitement. Shihori especially would speak rather proper until she got frustrated and angry then she's going to tell someone to "Bless your heart" and then it's all over.
I would love to hear your thoughts on who you think would sound like what.
As an aside, here's a low quality but highly accurate video on how we talk where I grew up.
Take Son Goku for instance. In Japan, Masako Nozawa voices him with a very distinct Tohoku accent from the north of Japan. It's meant to sound hick-ish or like a country bumpkin. What's hick-ish to them doesn't translate exactly to English though because the Tohoku dialect drops a lot of raising and neutralizes vowel sounds making words seem cut off or homophonic in nature. Sean Schemmel is from California and speaks with a non-discernable "General American" English accent. So all that hick-ish charm about Goku is pretty lost and he seems more like a dimwit.
I know I've brought up how I think my own characters would sound before. This has been mostly Japanese voice actors because I really can't think of too many main stream English VAs that I personally or professionally admire. So that brings me to my point. What would Korian and company sound like speaking English? Well, aside from Sorrel since Holly Franklin did a pretty bang up job of lending her a voice. What types of accents do you think Korian, Shihori, Kuroba, and Kitsune would have? I have a general idea, bear with me.
So Kitsune is of an older generation than Korian and she was raised in a group home type settings. She's the product of hard training and relentless repetition in studying and physicality. To me she'd be a bit more refined speaker because of her more standardized education and from being around a group of people. That being said to throw in a little flavor she definitely does have an accent and that would be a high southern accent like you would hear on those educated in the deep south with a little bit of a drawl, but barely noticeable.
Korian on the other hand while educated, home schooled more like it, would be less used to fitting in proper in society and be more lax in his manner of speak, more familiar more like it. So he'd be a bit more south of Kitsune and more casual. A co-worker of mine from Memphis comes to mind, it's crisp, precise, and clearly from the Volunteer state.
Shihori and Kuroba would be interesting because I place Sorrel more being from the city so she would be closer to something you would hear in Philly or NJ. So these two would be and interesting case in being able to hide one's accent until they slip into it by being at home or in a moment of excitement. Shihori especially would speak rather proper until she got frustrated and angry then she's going to tell someone to "Bless your heart" and then it's all over.
I would love to hear your thoughts on who you think would sound like what.
As an aside, here's a low quality but highly accurate video on how we talk where I grew up.
