Moriarty the Patriot - Second Season English Dub
I just realized that, even though I shared my thoughts on the first season Dub of “Moriarty the Patriot,” I never shared my thoughts on the second season! Time to correct that mistake.
As far as the returning cast go in Season 2, most of the are, I feel, on about the same level as before. The ones who I thought were better than the originals (like Aaron Dismuke) I see no reason to go back on, and the ones who I thought were good but ultimately not AS good as the originals (like Caleb Yen) did not necessarily do much to make me change my mind. There was, however, one key exception: Theo Devaney as Sherlock Holmes. I’m not sure if it’s because I grew more used to Devaney’s voice, or if it’s because of what happens in Season 2 and how much more of Holmes we see in it, but Devaney is now tied with Makoto Furukawa (the original voice for Sherlock) for supremacy. Both of them bring very different elements to the table, but still play the character just right.
The main thing that sets them apart for me isn’t so much the performances but more the writing itself. Holmes in the English Dub feels slightly more traditional than the Holmes in the Japanese original. In the Japanese version, Holmes’ lingo is littered with anachronisms, and he’s generally more casual and blunt. Devaney’s Holmes talks more like how you’d IMAGINE Sherlock Holmes to talk, so to speak, but he’s still playing basically the same character. In other words: the Japanese version is a more unique interpretation, on the whole, but Devaney’s Holmes is one I can almost imagine if I read the actual Conan Doyle stories. Like, his is a voice I can now say I would imagine when reading the original books, and it would not be unfitting. Being the big Holmes buff I am, it becomes more difficult to choose which I like more.
Now, let’s move on to the newcomers. I’m going to be a right old git and start with two that I think are problematic. First up, Natalie Van Sistine as Irene Adler and James Bonde. The problem with Sistine is very simple: as Irene Adler, she’s absolutely perfect. That is exactly the voice I would imagine Irene having, and I actually prefer her to the Japanese version in that role. BUT, once Adler becomes James Bonde - or when she masquerades as a man a the masked ball - I simply cannot buy for a second that anyone would hear that voice and not at least raise questions about the gender. That voice is clearly the voice of a woman’s, and while I know what Bonde is meant to represent and act as in this universe…let’s face it people, the actual physical situation is basically a Mulan story, and I don’t buy that anyone else would buy the disguise. The voice actress in the Japanese version, in my opinion, did a much better job differentiating the two characters, and you could legitimately forgive and believe Bonde to be the man he is. In this one, she/he sounds exactly the same in both parts, and it’s really hard to swallow, at least in my opinion. Maybe others feel differently.
A character of lesser note with a slightly similar problem is Harry, one of Milverton’s goons, voiced by Ciaran Strange. Harry…sounds like a girl. There is no other way to put it, he sounds like a girl. I have listened to his scenes over and over to try and convince myself otherwise, and it just doesn’t work. If I didn’t know the voice actor was a male, I would never guess it, and the same goes for the character. Evidently, Strange is actually a transgender, and his voice still has a great deal of femininity to it. There’s nothing wrong with that, but Harry in the Japanese dub has a much rougher, vicious sort of voice; he not only sounds male, he sounds like the psychopathic thug he is meant to be. Strange’s vocal work makes him sound, at best, like a twisted child, and I don’t think that works quite as well for this demented mercenary character. It’s not even that he does a bad job with the acting, per say, it’s just that the quality of the voice, in my opinion, does not match the character or the design. The same goes for Van Sistine as Adler/Bonde.
In direct contrast to both of them, the best newcomer, in my opinion, is Kayleigh McKee as Charles Augustus Milverton. McKee is evidently also transgender, but their voice is much more fitting for Milverton’s character. It is masculine-sounding, yet it has a light, slithering quality, befitting this snakish fiend. I hate to say “Milverton is a delight,” because…well…it’s Milverton, and “delight” is hardly a suitable word for him, but that’s also the best word I can come up with. MTP’s take on the character is probably my favorite, partially because it’s the only time I’ve come anywhere close to liking the guy (in a “love to hate” way, mind you) in any rendition, and McKee’s wonderfully evil vocals and performance are definitely on par with the original, if not surpassing them. The only thing I’d say the original has over McKee is the original is funnier, for lack of a better way of putting it: when Milverton meets his defeat, there’s a bit of humor to the scene in the original version, courtesy of the scoundrel’s reactions. Much of that humor feels lost in the Dub. I’m not sure if that’s really the actor’s fault, however, so take that as you will.
Jack Renfield, as played by Bruce DuBose, is generally on par with the original. I literally have one - AND ONLY ONE - nitpicking complaint about his Jack the Ripper: the laugh. In the scene where Renfield masquerades as the serial killer that has stolen his name, he lets out this maniacal laugh that’s meant to send chills into the hearts of those below. In the original, the laugh is raw, visceral, wild, and truly unhinged; I always got the feeling, with that laugh and his overall demeanor during that sequence, we were getting a hint of what the Ripper was like on the battlefield years ago. It’s a laugh you can believe striking terror into one’s heart. In the dub…I swear he’s doing the old-fashioned “bua ha ha ha” laugh, almost MAKING FUN of the whole situation, which, to me, doesn’t read as well: it’s more humorous than legitimately terrifying. I suppose neither is an invalid way of doing it, but I prefer the original. But hey, if that’s the ONLY issue I have? He’s clearly doing a good job. XD
The rest of the cast are about the same as ever. The child characters still usually don’t sound like children (except one), which at times is a bit odd, and the more minor players do a good job with what they are given, generally, but don’t necessarily go beyond the call of duty.
My overall opinion of the English Dub for “Moriarty the Patriot” is what it was before: this is a good dub, but not a great one. Some voices surpass the original performers, others never come close to their level, and a few are about the same, it’s really just a matter of linguistics then. Generally speaking, I prefer the Subbed version: it’s just more consistent in its quality, where even the actors I don’t like AS much as the English versions are still pretty darn good, and there are no strange inconsistencies from character to character. You can believe everyone is the age and gender they are supposed to be, at all times. The Dub has its moments, but it also has more flaws. Still, if someone wanted to watch the Dub for any specific reason, I wouldn’t tell them no, and if they decided to watch it instead of the Sub, I suppose I wouldn’t be upset about that.
Having finally seen the OVA episodes, I await to see that time - if ever - when those get dubbed. Once that is done (if it is done), I suppose that will mean the true end of the Moriarty anime. Thank goodness the manga is still ongoing…but that’s another story.
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Digimon Questionare
normally I don’t do these kinds of things but im just so... DIGIMON rn i cant NOT. Warrior Cats and Digimon are my Main Obsessions Always and like i can draw warrior cats but i cant draw Digimon cause Humans and Outlandish Monsters lol
anyway i made these all up
Favorite Over-all Character? Koichi Kimura!
Favorite Googlehead? Tagiru! I just like his spirit. I also really like Mikey, and how well they play his flaws, because Mikey’s a really genuinely good guy and great leader in ways that Tai and others aren’t, but it’s also Mikey’s flaw because he tries so hard to be good and to give to others that it’s shown to physically and mentally hurt himself, which is a really interesting route to go! ...I love how I talked more about Mikey than my actual favorite Tagiru lol. Idk, I just think Tagiru is Davis but better, and I like how fiery Tagiru is, plus his partner Gumdramon is awesome
Favorite Blue Bestie? ...Ken? He’s literally the only one that’s NOT blue lol. So if I had to pick an actually blue boy I’d say... Koji? Kiyoshiro is also a strong contender
Favorite Redeemed Evil? KOICHI! KIMURA! Can I just say HIS plot twist was the only one i NEVER EXPECTED??? And I can answer you why: I was so young watching the other Digimon seasons that I couldn’t remember my reaction to the plot twists and just knew them as facts, OR I was too old watching the other seasons that I predicted or just accepted the plot twists easily. BUT KOICHI’S???? I was just the perfect age of “can remember my reaction to this, but not old enough to theorize properly.” I remember when we first say Koichi on the train flashback, I thought it was Koji! I thought Koji got sent back too. So when I learned Duskmon (Koichi) was KOJI’S TWIN, I flipped my shit y’all! ALSO! Koichi is a dark lion how could I not love him lol.
Favorite Digimon? If I had to pick a ‘mon to be my partner: Gatomon, duh. But favorite digimon character? Probably Gumdramon for his backstory (wild child!) and personality, but Gammamon might potentially usurp him. Renamon and Impmon are some of my favs for their friendship though!
Favorite Partnership? Hm, Hiro and Gammamon for the big brother-little brother relationship? Or, Kiyoshiro and Jellymon just because they’re like the only male human-female Digimon pair and I like their dynamic. Really, I like any partnerships from Tamers or Ghost Game best; they feel the most natural, realistic and flesh-out in those seasons. Meiko and Meicoomon are an honorable mention
Favorite Series? GHOST GAME! It used to be Frontier, and Frontier will always have a special place in my heart, but Ghost Game is so freakin’ good. So, Ghost Game, then Frontier, then Hunters. I like the ones that are least liked lol. I like GG just cause of how polished and cool it is, but I love Frontier for nostalgic reasons plus the kids turning into Digimon was so unique and I loved its movie. Hunter just because I like the concept of ‘hunting’ the Digimon like theyre Pokemon lmao :)
Ranking the Series:
1. Ghost Game (will rewatch)
2. Frontier (won’t rewatch)
3. Hunters (rewatch some episodes)
4. Tamers (will rewatch)
5. Tri (will rewatch)
6. Adventure 02 (will rewatch)
7. Adventure (may rewatch)
8. Data Squad (won’t rewatch)
9. Fusion (rewatch some episodes)
10. X-Evolution (won’t rewatch)
11. Universe (no. just. no. never watched past 2 eps)
Subs or Dubs? Both. Both are good. I prefer watching dubs, though, and tend to stick to English names and such, but I’ve read enough Japanese names fics and obviously Hunter and Ghost Game only have subs, so I’m more than used to Japanese names and versions, and prefer it in some ways (Yuu > Ewan supremacy).
Favorite Ship? Oh, Daiken (Ken and Davis/Daisuke) hands down. You can’t even convince me they’re not gay with the “I can feel your beating heart” bullshit. Is this even a question? Other than them, I also really like “Ken crushing on TK bcus of when TK hit the Digimon Emperor” and also Tagiru X Yuu/Ewan! But also I’m very flexible in my ships lol. cause I also like Yuu x Airu. ALSO Tai x Sora x Matt supremacy! Digimon Tri really solidified and made me love the hell outta that polyam ship.
Favorite Headcanon? That Kari is asexual aromantic! She has no interest in guys (or gals) but feels pressured to. She really feared that her best friend TK would want to get with her and it would all be ruined, but unknown to her, TK was in a similar situation! He was aspec but thought he was pure straight, and was thus a serial dater and a bit of a “player” cause he couldn’t really keep a girlfriend due to having no real emotional attachment to them/fading interest and him always wanting to hang w/ Kari instead. He’s likely demi and only has feelings of attachment/romance for Kari, but he’s also possibly asexual, just uncertain. He and Kari end up as queerplatonic bf/gf! Kari gets the relief of always having her bestie with her without any pressure to be “romantic” or, to her absolute horror, sexual, and TK can feel secure and loved without worry <3
Favorite Digimon Fan-media? Obviously The Ultimate Gathering of the Digidestined is awesome, but its literally a crime if you’ve never read the comic Digimon Frontier Re-Birth. Literally @digimon-fr is the fucking best. as far as im concerned its canon and I love Geopardmon and Nachtmon, darkness babies
also just for fun I organized the groups some time ago:
Grouped by Series
Adventure: Tai, Matt, Sora, Mimi, Joe, Izzy, TK, Kari, Davis, Yolei, Cody, Ken, Wallace, Meiko, Micheal
Tamers: Takato, Rika, Henry, Jeri, Kazu, Kenta, Ryo, Ai, Mako, Suzie, Alice, Minami, Calumon
Frontier: Takuya, Koji, Koichi, Zoe, JP, Tommy, Bokomon, Neemon, Teppei, Katsuharu, Chiaki, Terue, Angemon
Data Squad: Marcus, Thomas, Yoshi, Kristy, Keenan, Relena, Sampson, Homer, Miki, Megumi
Hunters: Mikey, Angie, Jeremy, Christopher, Nene, Ewan, Tagiru, Ryouma, Ren, Airu, Kiichi, Hideaki, Mizuki, Noboru, Haruki, Ken II
Ghost Game: Hiro, Ruli, Kiyoshiro, BlackGatomon Uver, Tapirmon, Clockmon
Grouped by Ages (generalized)
Old men: Sampson, Homer
The gals (real adults): Yoshi, Megumi, Miki
Baby adults: Joe, Marcus, Thomas
Basically adults: Tai, Matt, Sora, Meiko
Almost there: Mimi, Izzy, Micheal
Stuck in the middle: Yolei, Ryo, JP, Kristy, Keenan, Relena, Mikey, Jeremy, Christopher, Nene
Solid teens: TK, Kari, Davis, Ken, Wallace, Takato, Rika, Henry, Jeri, Kazu, Kenta, Alice, Takuya, Koji, Koichi, Zoe, Angie, Hideaki, Mizuki, Kiyoshiro
Awkwardly teens: Minami, Ewan, Tagiru, Ryouma, Ren, Airu, Kiichi, Hiro, Ruli
Pre-tweens: Cody, Tommy
Literal babies: Ai, Mako, Suzie
Grouped by Animals
Dinosaur/dragons: Tai, Davis, Takato, Ryo, Takuya, Marcus, Mikey, Christopher, Tagiru, Hiro
Canines: Matt, Rika, Alice, Minami, Koji, Thomas, Angie, Ryouma, Hideaki
Rabbits: Wallace, Henry, Suzie, Ruli
Felines: Kari, Meiko, Jeri, Koichi
Birds/plane: Sora, Yolei, Zoe, Kristy, Keenan, Nene
Water creatures: Joe, Micheal, Kenta, Homer, Mizuki, Kiyoshiro
Insects: Izzy, Ken, JP, Jeremy
Plants: Mimi, Yoshi
Miscellaneous animal: TK, Cody, Tommy, Sampson, Airu
Miscellaneous other: Kazu, Ai, Mako, Miki, Megumi, Ewan, Ren, Kiichi
Grouped by Element
Fire: Tai, Takato, Takuya, Marcus, Mikey, Tagiru
Thunder: Izzy, Davis, JP, Kazu, Jeremy, Christopher
Wind: Sora, Yolei, Zoe, Kristy, Keenan, Nene, Kiichi
Water/Ice: Joe, Michael, Kenta, Tommy, Homer, Mizuki, Kiyoshiro
Nature/Earth: Mimi, Cody, Yoshi
Light: Matt, TK, Kari, Henry, Rika, Jeri, Minami, Koji, Thomas, Megumi, Sampson, Angie, Ewan, Ruli
Darkness: Ken, Wallace, Meiko, Ryo, Suzie, Ai, Mako, Alice, Koichi, Miki, Ryouma, Ren, Airu, Hideaki
All (eevee mode): Hiro
Grouped by Traits
Goggle-head leaders: Tai, Davis, Takato, Takuya, Marcus, Mikey, Tagiru, Hiro
Blue besties: Matt, Henry, Koji, Thomas, Christopher, Kiyoshiro
Token girls: Sora, Mimi, Yolei, Rika, Zoe, Yoshi, Angie, Airu, Ruli
Baby of the group: TK, Cody, Suzie, Ai, Mako, Tommy, Kristy
OP self-inserts: Kari, Ryo, Alice, Meiko
Evil turned good: Ken, Koichi, Keenan, Nene, Ewan, Ryouma
The extras: Joe, Izzy, Jeri, Kazu, Kenta, Sampson, Megumi, Miki, Jeremy, Ren
Background characters: Wallace, Michael, Minami, Homer, Relena, Kiichi, Hideaki, Mizuki
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