FUNimation has now started to crank out fresh English-dubbed versions of currently airing anime series. This is part of FUNimation’s “DubbleTalk” block, which kicked off on February 18th starting off with Assassination Classroom.
The Texas-based entertainment company currently holds the North American license to Assassination Classroom, which is currently on its fifth episode. To kick off FUNimation’s DubbleTalk, which streams on Wednesdays, the first English-dubbed episode of Assassination Classroom is available to watch.
But this is exclusive to paid subscribers.
If you need to more clarification, the fifth episode is available in Japanese audio with English subtitles and the first available is now available in English audio dub.
Assassination Classroom centers on a mysterious superhuman being known as Koro-Sensei. Koro-Sensei has already destroyed 70-percent of Earth’s moon and vows to destroy the planet by the end of the year if the students of Class 3-E fail to assassinate him in time.
This is ironic because Koro-Sensei actively teaches the students in the assassination arts.
I’m writing this review to evaluate the English dubbed version of Assassination Classroom.
My thoughts on the English voices:
I find the English voices for most of the Class 3-E students to be satisfactory.
I am on the fence on Koro-Sensei’s voice, which is done by Sonny Strait, because he sounds way too friendly. This is a guy who is planning to destroy the Earth in if Class 3-E fails to snuff him before the school year’s over.
For some reason I expected Koro-Sensei’s English voice to be “more adult.”
But I was bought when I saw Koro-Sensei get angry near the end of the episode when the students irresponsibly put themselves in danger to assassinate him. I am kind of confident in Sonny Strait voicing Koro-Sensei.
On that same note, I felt that Karasuma sounded too young for is age. I watched the original first episode in Japanese audio with English subtitles and felt Karasuma sounded adult enough. If you have not watched the original Japanese version, then you should know that he is voiced by the same person that voices Gintoki Sakata from Gintama.
For a guy that looks like he’s either in his 30s or 40s, Karasuma sounds like he is in his late 20s.
I thought Karasuma’s English voice was a little over-dramatic when he addressed Class 3-E when he explained the situation with Koro-Sensei and the 10 billion yen bounty that the Japanese government has offered.
The story and the dialogue of episode one remains the same as the original Japanese audio version, which I enjoyed a lot.
Nagisa’s English voice seemed to be a perfect fit. Even though he sounds a bit girlish, it is important to understand that most professional voice actors are female because they can sound like young boys.
That is a skill that most adult male voice actors lack.
If a fully grown adult male can sound like Nagisa, then that person has some serious physical developmental problems.
Ryoma Terasaka sounds a bit feminine and too intellectual in the English dub. He is a straightforward bully in the story, but he does not sound like it in the English dub version. I have a hard time imagining him as an intimidating thug from the way he sounds when talking.
He doesn’t sound forceful or thuggish enough in the English dub version.
I found the English dub of episode one to be satisfactory.
