On Wednesday, Wendee Lee dropped by USC to talk a bit about her career as a voice actress. It was a very informal session where Alan Liou (EISA) and Kaita Mpambara (Pacific Anime) would ask some questions and then show a clip from an anime with her dubbing work… lather, rinse, repeat. I know this sounds boring, but it was entertaining to hear Wendee’s input on the various clips and her various opinions on American dubbing. Her ability to be entertaining is probably also a product of her training as an actress, so I’m not too surprised.
After that, Wendee, Alan, and a member from the audience did a cold reading of a scene from Episode 15 of Cowboy Bebop. This was particularly interesting since it sounds more natural when Wendee isn’t constrained by the lip flaps. Also, the audience member that helped with the reading turned out to be a former student of Wendee’s. So beautiful… ;_;
The usual Q&A session followed and then it closed with an autograph session. Fortunately, there were only ~40 people, so everyone who wanted to got something signed. During this time, I was mingling with the crowd, and I met Jeremy Lapus (a.k.a. areaseven), major contributor to the ANN Encyclopedia.
All in all, a fun and informative session with Wendee Lee.
Truthfully, the only time I watch dubs is when I catch something on cable, or if it’s the only choice at the rental store. I have nothing against them, it’s just that I like to know what the original Japanese dialogue because I like learning about the nuances in the language that are typically lost in the dubs.
To each, their own… I try not to judge since I collect weird things, like the newest spatula.