Nintendo Digital Event: FE Fates Video [Re-Upload, not new news]

[Anacybele]

I agree with Carter. Elise sounds just fine to me in English. Same with Sakura. I hate their Japanese voices. I usually hate female Japanese voices. Because they're too high pitched and squeaky. And my hearing is sensitive. Those voices make me feel like I'm about to go deaf.

[Emperor Zurg]

The important question is whether or not Patrick Warburton is going to be doing the lines for Arthur.

[Eriotto]

I agree with Carter. Elise sounds just fine to me in English. Same with Sakura. I hate their Japanese voices. I usually hate female Japanese voices. Because they're too high pitched and squeaky. And my hearing is sensitive. Those voices make me feel like I'm about to go deaf.

I'm oppisite, even if japanese voicer are high pitched it still sounds for me better, not artificially, however in my country at least now doesn't sounds like elise now, they're even in middle school sounds like 9 y-old kids dunno why, what happend, whatever. I'm talking about most of them, i know about exception from them~

[Dark Paladin X]

Elise doesn't sound her age? I'm curious, how old do you folks think she sounds? There are many people I know around my age (14), mostly in my grade or a year above or below, that have a voice range similar to Elise's English voice. tbh, she sounds just as she would, like a 12-13 year old. but of course, everyone's version of what a 13 year old sounds like is different so I shouldn't bother with this

imo, she sounds like a baby in the Japanese version.

That's because the Japanese tend to have higher voice pitches than most English speakers (hence, it's more or less a reason why Japanese voice actresses can get away voicing lolis in anime and video games moreso than our English counterparts). In the Japanese version, Elise and Sakura are given higher pitched voices to fit into the "little sister" loli archetype (character ages are usually not specific in most Fire Emblem games, but it's implied that they are around 12-14 years old). It would actually make more sense for the characters to sound like an actual teenagers in some degree.

Also, keep in note that this is Nintendo being involved with the localization. Nintendo of America actually has a reputation of being an "E-rated" video game company (even though Nintendo had created games for older audiences in the past), so they are not going to higher voice actresses who have naturally high-pitched voices that are suited for lolis (i.e. Sandy Fox and Christine Marie Cabanos). This is quite evident with the voice actor choices for Fire Emblem Awakening English dub with the voice actor choices for Ricken and Nowi and the dub's direction. Nintendo wanted Ricken and Nowi have the voice acting sound a little older since in the Japanese version, both Ricken and Nowi are actual children (Nowi is technically considered to be a child by dragon age standards). This is mostly to prevent pedophilia implications when trying to marry Ricken and Nowi since it's more accepting for teenagers to get married than say prepubescent children (keep in note that teen marriages are pretty common and more accepted back in medieval Europe settings than modern times, which is what Fire Emblem games are mostly based on).

[Eriotto]

That's because the Japanese tend to have higher voice pitches than most English speakers (hence, it's more or less a reason why Japanese voice actresses can get away voicing lolis in anime and video games moreso than our English counterparts). In the Japanese version, Elise and Sakura are given higher pitched voices to fit into the "little sister" loli archetype (character ages are usually not specific in most Fire Emblem games, but it's implied that they are around 12-14 years old). It would actually make more sense for the characters to sound like an actual teenagers in some degree.

Also, keep in note that this is Nintendo being involved with the localization. Nintendo of America actually has a reputation of being an "E-rated" video game company (even though Nintendo had created games for older audiences in the past), so they are not going to higher voice actresses who have naturally high-pitched voices that are suited for lolis (i.e. Sandy Fox and Christine Marie Cabanos). This is quite evident with the voice actor choices for Fire Emblem Awakening English dub with the voice actor choices for Ricken and Nowi and the dub's direction. Nintendo wanted Ricken and Nowi have the voice acting sound a little older since in the Japanese version, both Ricken and Nowi are actual children (Nowi is technically considered to be a child by dragon age standards). This is mostly to prevent pedophilia implications when trying to marry Ricken and Nowi since it's more accepting for teenagers to get married than say prepubescent children (keep in note that teen marriages are pretty common and more accepted back in medieval Europe settings than modern times, which is what Fire Emblem games are mostly based on).

that's the thing i hate too, i mean changing something cause it's not "right".

In FE:Awakening if i remember right Henry have his support conversation censored cause that wasn't right for kids or something, for me huge bullshit. Inteligent person won't take it as a example for life or anything. I think they just should rate it little higher and give us same product as Japan do. Well we can do nothing about it unfortunally, i understand changing voice tho which still don't fit for me but this VA isn't bad so~

We'll see in the future what exactly they will give us and what they'll censor.

[Ryo]

Didn't the localization actually make Henry's character more disturbing?

[CaitlynMellark]

This is just E3. Nothing new to see. xP

Though I was glad to hear Azura's song again, I wanted to refresh my memory on more of the lyrics.

I think most of it is:

You are the ocean's great waves

Just and to seek

Life beyond the shore

Just out of reach

Yet the waters ever change

Flowing like time

You are the ocean's great waves

Destined to see, life beyond the shore

Just out of reach

Yet the waters, ever change

Flowing like time

That falters through the tide

[gayserbeam]

That falters through the tide

It's definitely

The path is yours to try.

Listen to the video in HD, it gets pretty clear.

Didn't the localization actually make Henry's character more disturbing?

Yes, as it turned him into a perpetually smiling muderous sociopath.

Yet it didn't seem to have any negative impact on his popularity. I suppose everyone is a sociopath anyway, if they're yelling puns and special move names before they brutally kill the enemy soldiers.

Edited September 17, 2015 by gayserbeam

[Eriotto]

It's definitely

The path is yours to try.

Listen to the video in HD.

Yes, as it turned him into a perpetually smiling muderous sociopath.

Yet it didn't seem to have any negative impact on his popularity. I suppose everyone is a sociopath anyway, if they're yelling puns and special move names before they brutally kill the enemy soldiers.

I'm sure they censored someof support conversation or made them diffrent, they wouldn't change it with out reason right?

[The DanMan]

I'm sure they censored someof support conversation or made them diffrent, they wouldn't change it with out reason right?

They did.

Though some will point he was cliche in the Japanese version, why did they single him out when virtually everybody in the cast is a walking trope?

That's 8-4 for you. Thank goodness they're not working on Fates. (Xenoblade fans have to deal with them now.)

[eclipse]

I agree with Carter. Elise sounds just fine to me in English. Same with Sakura. I hate their Japanese voices. I usually hate female Japanese voices. Because they're too high pitched and squeaky. And my hearing is sensitive. Those voices make me feel like I'm about to go deaf.

As a Japanese woman with sensitive hearing. . .

Yes, as it turned him into a perpetually smiling muderous sociopath.

Yet it didn't seem to have any negative impact on his popularity. I suppose everyone is a sociopath anyway, if they're yelling puns and special move names before they brutally kill the enemy soldiers.

Probably because he's portrayed as a little kid whose conscience hasn't quite caught up to him yet. And little kids are cute (sometimes).

I think mixing a little bit of both aspects of Henry would've been best, but that's not easy at all! As long as the characters aren't too tropey in Fates, I'll be happy. . .but something tells me that this won't be the case.

[Dark Paladin X]

that's the thing i hate too, i mean changing something cause it's not "right".

In FE:Awakening if i remember right Henry have his support conversation censored cause that wasn't right for kids or something, for me huge bullshit. Inteligent person won't take it as a example for life or anything. I think they just should rate it little higher and give us same product as Japan do. Well we can do nothing about it unfortunally, i understand changing voice tho which still don't fit for me but this VA isn't bad so~

We'll see in the future what exactly they will give us and what they'll censor.

Censorship is completely different from localization. Censorship of games involves editing out the game to suit for the younger audience (the only censorship I recall from Awakening is the Summer Scramble DLC is Tharja's swimwear in the North American version). Across from that when it comes to gameplay, you can actually "marry" Owain to Lucina or a Chrom-fathered Cynthia and Kjelle, but the relationship will be labeled as "Companions." A good and infamous example of censorship is the 4Kids version of One Piece.

Localization is adopting the game to fit to the American audience. Note that even though localization may involve censorship, not all localization involves censorship (good example will be the Final Fantasy localization in North America). However, across from the obvious Japanese to English translation changes, localization does involve a few changes in some storytelling or support conversation, sometimes even better. A good example is the change of several of Nowi's and Ricken's support conversation dialogue that makes them appear more mature while still maintaining their childish personality (this is even reflected with the choice of the voice actors as well). Apparently, one of my biggest criticisms to Fire Emblem Fates storytelling is that they set up a premise that involves grey morality, but end up having the moral spectrum being too favorable towards Hoshido (even when you play the Conquest route), the localization team may approach this by having the Avatar expressing his/her regrets for not choosing the other side in BOTH routes then stated that no matter what side they choose, they reminded him/her that s/he is raised to be a good person at heart. And of course, there is this male Avatar/Solilei "cure your lesbians" S support controversy, do you want NoA to keep the conversation the way it is just to alienate the LGBT playerbase?