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Voiced Narrator


wattstax

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I made a post about it not too long ago, I'd link you to it but my phone is clunky so it wouldn't be worth the effort. Basically when I started VNs I couldn't stand the high-pitched Japanese voices.

 

Interesting you say this actually...

 

I was much like you when I started some of my early VNs. I think halfway through Little Busters was when I actually turned on the voices, though I can't remember anything before that. Now however I read VNs at my own pace, and while I like to keep the voices on, I never let them finish before I click the next part of the text. When I finish reading, I move on basically.

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Interesting you say this actually...

 

I was much like you when I started some of my early VNs. I think halfway through Little Busters was when I actually turned on the voices, though I can't remember anything before that. Now however I read VNs at my own pace, and while I like to keep the voices on, I never let them finish before I click the next part of the text. When I finish reading, I move on basically.

I think I turned voices on part of the way through Rewrite for the first time, so looks like Key saved us both. :D I think it was because I wanted to hear what Lucia's "TEEEEENNOOOOOUJI KOOOOOOTAAAAROOOOOOU!" sounded like. :P

Also I read the same way, unless it's some really interesting line that I want to hear.

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Interesting you say this actually...

 

I was much like you when I started some of my early VNs. I think halfway through Little Busters was when I actually turned on the voices, though I can't remember anything before that. Now however I read VNs at my own pace, and while I like to keep the voices on, I never let them finish before I click the next part of the text. When I finish reading, I move on basically.

 

I think I turned voices on part of the way through Rewrite for the first time, so looks like Key saved us both. :D I think it was because I wanted to hear what Lucia's "TEEEEENNOOOOOUJI KOOOOOOTAAAAROOOOOOU!" sounded like. :P

Also I read the same way, unless it's some really interesting line that I want to hear.

 

Haha, I like how this is pretty much the exact opposite of what I do - I always let characters finish, and I absolutely hate when I accidentally skip over someone's line. :D

 

Though this probably has to do with me learning Japanese? I can understand what the characters are saying most of the time, and even when I didn't before, I was still at least catching words here and there... but if it just sounded like nonsense to me, I'd probably skip it too... I think. I'm not sure, and that's what makes this so interesting. 

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It's strange for me reading about people not being able to stand japanese voice acting. I thought that most of the VN readers went through other japanese entertainment media, being anime the 99% of the cases. In anime you get  the same kind of high pitched voices so why did you disliked then when jumping to VNs?

 

The only theory that comes to my mind is that you only watched dubbed anime before reading VN and that in itself is even stranger because of how niche VNs are outside japan haha.

 

And well, getting on-topic. I'd really love if every VN would get a voiced main character. Even in the generic guy department is a lot better than not having a voice  to listen.

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Voice acting in VN's is paid by line or wordcount usually. I'm also pretty sure that the voice actors aren't the ones choosing their rates, their agencies are.

 

Whatever the case, it means that the more lines there are, the more expensive it becomes. Plus that extra management work. More professional actors probably allow things to go far more smoothly. That's what we think, anyway. Who knows how much they actually mess up. Then there's the option of recording multiple lines and letting the team pick their favourite. If they do that for a huge number of lines, we can imagine how many hours and hours of listening work that implies. Just thinking about it makes me go (TUT)!

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It's strange for me reading about people not being able to stand japanese voice acting. I thought that most of the VN readers went through other japanese entertainment media, being anime the 99% of the cases. In anime you get  the same kind of high pitched voices so why did you disliked then when jumping to VNs?

 

The only theory that comes to my mind is that you only watched dubbed anime before reading VN and that in itself is even stranger because of how niche VNs are outside japan haha.

 

And well, getting on-topic. I'd really love if every VN would get a voiced main character. Even in the generic guy department is a lot better than not having a voice  to listen.

 

Yeah, I find that interesting as well. I grew up in Hong Kong watching Cantonese dubbed anime. Decades later, I started to experience more Japanese voice acting, and I preferred those almost right away. Their acting skills are just usually the best :).

 

It does bring about a sad situation, though. Often, people will immediately hate a voice because it's in English. Many English actors do a great job but some will never give them a chance.

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Haha, I like how this is pretty much the exact opposite of what I do - I always let characters finish, and I absolutely hate when I accidentally skip over someone's line. :D

Though this probably has to do with me learning Japanese? I can understand what the characters are saying most of the time, and even when I didn't before, I was still at least catching words here and there... but if it just sounded like nonsense to me, I'd probably skip it too... I think. I'm not sure, and that's what makes this so interesting.

Actually I'm learning Japanese too, so it's probably not much of a factor. :P

I always turn on the option to have voices continue until next voiced line. Saves reading time but also lets you hear as much voice as possible.

I try to do this, but a lot of VNs don't seem to have that option or have it done in a way that voices overlap, which is even worse.

It's strange for me reading about people not being able to stand japanese voice acting. I thought that most of the VN readers went through other japanese entertainment media, being anime the 99% of the cases. In anime you get the same kind of high pitched voices so why did you disliked then when jumping to VNs?

The only theory that comes to my mind is that you only watched dubbed anime before reading VN and that in itself is even stranger because of how niche VNs are outside japan haha.

And well, getting on-topic. I'd really love if every VN would get a voiced main character. Even in the generic guy department is a lot better than not having a voice to listen.

I only got into VNs because I saw an article about KS on a gaming website. I hadn't watched pretty much any anime at that point, although I was never a hater. Even now, most of the anime I've watched were VN adaptations. Maybe watching Clannad after playing helped me turn voices on later, because I tried the dub and it was terrible, so I just watched it subbed.
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Yeah, I find that interesting as well. I grew up in Hong Kong watching Cantonese dubbed anime. Decades later, I started to experience more Japanese voice acting, and I preferred those almost right away. Their acting skills are just usually the best :).

 

It does bring about a sad situation, though. Often, people will immediately hate a voice because it's in English. Many English actors do a great job but some will never give them a chance.

 

 

Sadly, or maybe not, for me there won't ever be a dub that will satisfy me. I'm too fond of Seiyus acting and If I ever listen a dub of a voice originally done by Hanazawa Kana, Kamiya Hiroshi or Kugimiya Rie I'd start cutting the closest necks I find. I still shiver when I remember Lucky Star English dub that I listened to out of curiosity

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When you play the game, you are not really the protagonist as he is independent and you are only guiding his line of though.

So voice acting can be possible since you are not him.

And sometimes it's annoying cause the main character is just ... idunno (Hisao on the Hanako route ...).

 

But !

That could only work if the main character spoke often enough.

Because should he say his thoughs out loud ?

I don't think so.

It would be quite awkward.

 

Many VN's cope with psycollogy and the main characters devellopement. So he will be thinking a lot and most of the text is just them relfecting on the situation or wondering what to do next.

 

That mean only his speaches would be said, like the other characters.

 

I just think giving him a voice narrows the possibilty of the player to make the main character his own, or to associate with him.

You are supposed to guide him, and you make the choices.

 

AAAaaaaaah this is a difficult issue, one part of me thinks it's good because it gives a good dynamic, another says no for the reasons above.

You could note that the devs are often reluctant to showing the main characters face and tend to either delay the moment you see it or show it only partialy. And that's not a mistake.

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I only got into VNs because I saw an article about KS on a gaming website. I hadn't watched pretty much any anime at that point, although I was never a hater. Even now, most of the anime I've watched were VN adaptations. Maybe watching Clannad after playing helped me turn voices on later, because I tried the dub and it was terrible, so I just watched it subbed.

 

How does it feel being the 0,01%? :P

 

It's like you suddenly found the ultra rare easter egg of a VN. Think of finding Uboa without any guide :D

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How does it feel being the 0,01%? :P

 

It's like you suddenly found the ultra rare easter egg of a VN. Think of finding Uboa without any guide :D

Eh, not really, if you ask around a ton of people got into VNs thanks to KS. I might be a bit more lucky because I wasn't into Japanese media, but not that lucky. :P

Now if my first VN was something that doesn't even have an anime, say Ever17, now THAT would be amazing. :D

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Eh, not really, if you ask around a ton of people got into VNs thanks to KS. I might be a bit more lucky because I wasn't into Japanese media, but not that lucky. :P

Now if my first VN was something that doesn't even have an anime, say Ever17, now THAT would be amazing. :D

 

That combination is really unusual.

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What combination do you mean?

I find it suprising that most of you don't use the Auto Read Option. Thats the first thing I look into when starting a new game. And it really frustrates me when it's not working (like with Grisaia).

On the topics of dubs. I don't mind them if they are good. Remember watching Noir in Dub and felt no necessity for the original. Was also pleasant, to actually attend my full concentration on peoples faces instead of looking at a text on the bottom. But still, original voices with subs are the best. The seiyuu-work ist outstanding.

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Getting into VNs right off the bat, without any anime or manga experience beforehand.

I like to think I'm just open-minded.

Although even my open-mindedness was put to the test with VNs. I found VNDB fairly early on, went to the VN list and sorted it by rating or popularity, and went looking for something interesting. It went something like this:

"A bunch of teenagers make a time machine out of a microwave? Sounds stupid. Some weird mecha crap? No thanks. Some sort of holy grail war? Dafuq? Next. Takes place in 1983? (Higurashi) Must be some sort of historical thing, not into that." etc.

Thankfully I went back later and decided that it can't be that bad if so many people like it, and I'm glad I did. :P

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I like to think I'm just open-minded.

Although even my open-mindedness was put to the test with VNs. I found VNDB fairly early on, went to the VN list and sorted it by rating or popularity, and went looking for something interesting. It went something like this:

"A bunch of teenagers make a time machine out of a microwave? Sounds stupid. Some weird mecha crap? No thanks. Some sort of holy grail war? Dafuq? Next. Takes place in 1983? (Higurashi) Must be some sort of historical thing, not into that." etc.

Thankfully I went back later and decided that it can't be that bad if so many people like it, and I'm glad I did. :P

 

It happened the same to me... Then you learn to no to judge a VN for it's VNDB description. xD

--

<ontopic>

I'm not gonna deny that voiced narrators are cool in some ways...

But, without his voice, it lets you to read with your own voice, and the experience is really different. It's more like "I'm into this story" and like.

</ontopic>

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As another random thought, when the narrator has a voice, it means I can just listen to it and go brain dead (i.e. avoid having to read). That can be a plus since I often read at night when I'm in the mood to wind down :).

It is also incredibly helpful when reading Japanese. :D

 

On the topic of "putting yourself into the VN", does anyone actually do that? Even if the character is effectively just a blank slate and they even let you pick a name - or, to make an extreme example, even if there is a game that lets you even create your character - don't you just treat it as "your" character at best? When I make a character, I don't put myself in the story, it is just another member of the cast. Whether it's a silent protagonist in a game, or an unvoiced MC in a VN, it is always a character to me, not 'myself'.

 

That doesn't mean I'm completely detached from the story, though. VNs usually do a wonderful job at making me feel exactly the way the main character feels, maybe even too well at times (Yuuji in Grisaia effectively ruined my fondness of tsunderes and twisted them into annoying and laughable beings for quite a long period of time :D), though I wouldn't say that's because they aren't voiced - that's because they have their inner monologues written out. And there is absolutely no need to actually voice these, so I wouldn't say the main character necessarily has a higher amount of lines than anyone else by a large margin.

 

But yeah, in short, I do feel with the main characters, but I've never even thought I'm him. I'm really curious if anyone actually does? 

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