MovieChat Forums > R.O.D the TV (2003) Discussion > What have they done to my little Yomiko?...

What have they done to my little Yomiko?! spoilers

posted 18 years ago by tony_irwin50
12 replies | jump to latest

Not really any major spoilers actually, other than that Yomiko enters the series.

Here's what's upset me - she's become Mary Poppins! I live in Britain, have lived and worked in London, and I've never met a woman who sounds like that.

I can dig that there's a whole new bunch of creative people involved in bringing ROD the TV to the west, and they wanted to make their own mark on it. I'm cool with that. But come on - I'm only watching the series because I was so stunned by the OVA. Because I fell in love with Yomiko the first time I saw the OVA. Why such a radical change? The OVA voice acting for Yomiko was fantastic. She was determined, fun, intelligent, and more than a little bit nutty. She reminded me of a lot of women I knew in their early twenties. The actress had a fantastic range - melodramatic sure, but that's something I love about anime.

But the TV series? I can understand if they couldn't get the same actress, but oh man - why did they turn her into an English nanny? Sure I realise that in anime the characters are often caricatures and voiced appropriately. Maggie, Michelle, and Drake are fun characters and voiced in a fun way. But Anita and Yomiko have issues in the show (big issues) and deserve a little more (Anita's voice work is astonishing, it's hard to believe that it's a child actress doing it, she's so very good)

Look what I've become - a lunatic fan upset over how an imaginary character in a cartoon has been voiced. I've become a geek :-(

Hey on a happier note - I loved how they voiced Joker and Wendy. The changes (and they are big changes) seemed like natural developments for their characters. Wendy scares me, and Joker... well what's scary there is that I actually believe in Joker, he's just so optimistic! I love what they did with Nenene as well. She sounds serious and adult and very distinct from the rest of the cast, but still brings a lot of fun energy when she's teasing the sisters or smacking them about.

Tony

[–] mischeifminh 18 years ago

I have to agree, she and Nancy, well, I just felt their characters were a little weaker in this, especially comparing them to the central paper sisters.
Holy crap, Joker has gone evil! Ha ha, I loved the scene with Joker and the President of the USA in episode 23.

For the humble doily is indeed the gateway to ULTIMATE COSMIC POWER!!!

[–] spam-810 18 years ago

I can't remember where I heard this (it may have been the DVD commentary) but I have heard that the creators actually asked Geneon to cast someone with an English accent to play the character (Hellena Taylor is British and that is her real accent). They wanted to bring out the fact that Yomiko is half-English (and if you carefully listen to her in the Japanese track, it sounds like she has a bit of an accent, at least to me).

Though honestly, it doesn't bother me, and I couldn't _stand_ Kimberly Yates' Yomiko... she sounded too childish and too whiny. Anything IMHO was an improvement. To me, TV Yomiko sounded like the 30 year old dorky antihero she was supposed to be. To each his or her own, I guess.

[–] mischeifminh 18 years ago

Although come to think of it, and after re-watching the OVA, I don't think Wendy was changed very well. She seems like a completely differrent character from the OVA, she's even lost her power to constantly fall over!

For the humble doily is indeed the gateway to ULTIMATE COSMIC POWER!!!

[–] tony_irwin50 18 years ago

"I have heard that the creators actually asked Geneon to cast someone with an English accent to play the character"

Oh what a shame! Im surprised they really didn't think about how that would mess with the expectations of those who had watched the OVA. They must have been very keen for a change.

I was watching the episode where its nearly all exposition by Wendy, she's writing a report for Joker and fills the audience in on the backstory (is it episode 13? Maybe 12). The episode starts with Nenene's phone ringing and when it goes to answer phone we hear Yomiko say "hello?"

Except of course we *don't* hear Yomiko say it because they've got a new Yomiko. I guess if you listen to the Japanese track you would recognise it as Yomiko and get all excited.

One other thing that bugged me was that in the OVA whenever Japanese Yomiko was given an order she'd shout "Hai!". The English version had her shouting a chirpy "right!". It was cute and funny and helped to establish Yomiko's way of talking and responding to the people around her. I noticed in the ROD the TV they changed that though - English Yomiko will say "er... right, ok then" or something else whenever they dubbed over a cheerful "hai!"

Anyway, rant over. I've been watching the series again and am beginning to enjoy the new Yomiko. Maybe I was just hostile to her because Anita hates her so much! Who knows? Its easier to think of her as being a seperate character from the one in the OVA.

[–] Shawntine 18 years ago

Watch it in japanese with subs. Much better I think. Its just that the dubbing for the ova and series was done by two different companys...

[–] tony_irwin50 18 years ago

Ach, I'm such a stupid geek. The performer for the new Yomiko voice is fantastic. I just had to watch it a few more times to get into it. Also I realised that I do have an English friend who talks and sounds *exactly* like the new Yomiko.

So there you go, please disregard every post I wrote above this one.

Sorry :-(

[–] thecalhouns 18 years ago

I love the new Yomiko voice it fits her better since she is indeed half British

[–] RanAmok 16 years ago

I happen to know Hellena personally, or did for many years, and can state unequivocally that she's 100% English, born and bred, though of Austrian descent.

[–] thecalhouns 16 years ago

I happen to know Hellena personally, or did for many years, and can state unequivocally that she's 100% English, born and bred, though of Austrian descent.

hey, that's cool

R.O.D the tv...nuff said

[–] Midgarmerc 16 years ago

well Yomiko is half-japanese and half-english and seeing as she was an agent for the British Library it would make sense that she sound more English than Japanese. I actually like the change because it shows how much she changed in those 5 years. Taking care of Nancy and all the junk that happened drastically affected her previous bubbly persona and so they felt it appropriate to capture a more mature caricature in the TV series, they were also done by different people which is another issue. oh and there are British people with that accent, theres a guy in my Photo class that sounds like that, more or less.
The series voice acting is one of my favorite dubs of all time, up there with Last Exile, FLCL, and Full Metal Alchemist

In West Clownadelphia born and raised

[–] zombiehax 13 years ago

I was hoping everyone thought the same and the only unbearable part about the TV series is Yomiko's voice actress...She did a good job but she sounded far too "grown up". Yomiko's original voice from the OVA gave her a certain vulnerability and innocence to her. With the new voice she sounded too much like Mary Poppins.

Fact: 31.5% of IMDb users wanted Avatar to win Best Picture.
Fact: 31.5% of IMDb users are idiots.

[–] PreachCaleb 9 years ago

Well, she is older in R.O.D. She was 24-25 in the OVA, which puts her around 30 in the TV. It would make sense she sounds more grown up.

Can't stop the signal.

What have they done to my little Yomiko?! *spoilers*

What have they done to my little Yomiko?! spoilers