Yes, there's something to bother everybody, even people like me. (I try not to let these things get the better of me, but there's only so much I can handle!) I'm going to try my best to keep from getting too out of hand, but considering this is my own place to vent my frustrations, I may not be able to fully. (Now that I've confused many people...)
I know, seems kind of silly, but the color of certain Slayers characters' hair in fanfiction has really gotten out of hand! The main offenders are Lina, Amelia, and Zelgadis.
Once upon a time (way back in the 80's when the first Slayers novel was ever written) Lina started out as a brunette. (Or with "brown hair" if you are my mom and say only people with dark brown hair are brunette, but that's another rant entirely). There are many pictures of Lina on many an exploit showing this, but when the novels were adapted to t.v., her hair became more of an orangey color. It's still somewhat brown in the first season, but in Next And Try it is flaming orange! I can understand the makers choosing to lighten her hair because for one, it would help Lina stand out better in the crowd, but many fanfiction writers have decided that Lina is a redhead, and this is where my gripe is.
Lina is NOT a redhead! *catches breath* Sorry, but I'm really tired of reading about Lina's "flaming tresses" or many things like that.
*Just a little side note here: if you watch the Slayers movies or OVA's, Lina still has brown hair. It's always somewhat of a shock to me when I see it after watching the t.v. series.
Next on our list of suspects is one Amelia Wil Tesla Seyruun. Like Lina before her, Amelia also has brown hair, although it's decidedly darker. Again, I can see why they would make Amelia's hair so dark, because for one it makes it that much easier to recognize her. (Lina almost always has no color tone to her hair in the novels and manga, whereas Amelia always has black -since the only options are black, white, or polka dots- hair.) Black hair and blue eyes is something of an oddity, but I'm not going to start a lesson on Biology here.
Zelgadis has got to be the biggest offender, as he seems unable to decide what color his hair is! Originally (at least as far back as him becoming a Chimera) Zelgadis had silver hair, but like his fellow companions, when he jumped from the books onto the television, he got a new look. His hair is constantly changing from blue, to a bluish purple, to violet. It's insane! Thank goodness for the big screen (yes, the movies) because the characters are always depicted right!
I hadn't thought much on this one until recently, but this is also a big one for me. How many times have you read a fanfic where characters were totally out of character, or paired up with the last person you would expect? I've always found it a fun challenge to write the cast in character, because then the story just writes itself. I can just let the characters interact as they normally would, and even get the story to where I want it to. (It isn't always so easy, but I do try my best.)
I am well aware of the fact that many people don't approve of the "traditional" couplings (Lina/Gourry and/or Amelia/Zelgadis), but that's just the way it is, people. You read the novels, Lina is with Gourry. You watch the anime, Lina's with Gourry. You read the manga, Lina's with Gourry. What's so hard to understand about that? Lina and Gourry are together, and intend to stay together for the rest of their lives, no if's and's or but's about it. Lina and Gourry both have met many characters other than Zelgadis and Sylphiel, but they have remained with each other. (Lina even gets extremely upset whenever a girl is obviously attracted to Gourry, but I'll save that topic for another time.)
As for Amelia and Zelgadis, it has not been officially decreed that they are an item (Lina and Gourry having that ending in the novels ties the knot on their relationship right there -no pun intended), but it has been shown that they are drawn to one another. Like Lina and Gourry, whenever they are going anywhere away from the group, they travel together. (Even more surprising for people who have seen or read Slayers Premium was seeing the two traveling together by choice! Lina and Gourry weren't even around to influence them in any way!)
This seems to be a big one for most people, and can tear apart a whole fan base! (Amazing how that happens.) I admit that I was something of a "Sub Snob" back when I first started watching anime, but that was mostly because all of my friends would only watch the subtitled version, and I didn't know any better. After a few years of only watching the subbed version of nearly every anime I've seen (excluding Sailor Moon since I had never seen the Japanese version), I met some online friends that showed me the error of my ways. ;) (Also, getting flamed does help to open one's eyes.)
As far as Slayers goes, I still prefer to watch the subbed version, and probably would have continued to never watch the dubbed version if it weren't for one thing: Pokemon. Sound odd? Well then, let me explain.
Pokemon opened a whole new world for me. Finally I could watch an anime that was dubbed (and dubbed well!), have a clever script, and was just good quality entertainment all around. (And yes, I have seen and own some of Pocket Monsters, but I still love the English version!) After a while, I started to take the time to learn which Voice Actor did which character. Looking online I learned that these same VA's that I had come to love also did the English language version of the Slayers! I really wanted to see the English version after that, and even almost (note I said 'almost') bought the VHS sets, just to have them! (I already have all three seasons subbed.) Luckily the DVD sets came out, so my wish was finally fulfilled!
Anyway, I digress. Here I'm going to put my thoughts on the 4 main VA's for both the Sub and Dub of Slayers, and I'm going to be as fair and unbiased as possible. If you want to flame me afterwards for anything I said, feel free. (It won't change much!)
First off, the Sub:
Megumi Hayashibara - Perhaps one of the most popular VA's in Japan, Megumi's portrayal of Lina Inverse is my favorite! (She does various other characters in different shows, even Mushashi in Pocket Monsters, but Lina's still my favorite!)
Pros: Megumi Hayashibara is very good at making various noises (be it Lina growling in irritation, being squished into a door, dumbfounded, etc.) This is one of the more entertaining (not to mention versatile) aspects of Lina's character. She says so much without saying anything at all!
Cons: Many people seem to think that Megumi Hayashibara's voice is too high for Lina's character. (I don't understand that myself.)
Yasunori Matsumoto - While not as popular as some of his co-stars, he still is quite talented, and a great part for Gourry Gabriev.
Pros: Yasunori has one of those voices that is very good at conveying a simple (not stupid!) person, but he can easily express anger, happiness, sadness, etc. (He's also very good at being a heartless killer! Watch Lost Universe, and you'll see what I mean!)
Cons: Some think that his Gourry sounds too old. (What do they want him to sound like?)
Hikaru Midorikawa - For once he plays a more subdued role as Zelgadis Greywords. (He also voices much more upbeat characters such as Tamahome from Fushigi Yuugi, and Marth from Fire Emblem (Or Super Smash Bros. Melee!)) He seems to have one of those voices that makes his fans melt... o_O
Pros: While Zelgadis is usually calm and collected, Hikaru's Zelgadis can easily go from dull to dramatic in two seconds flat! (Making for much entertainment.) He is also "king of the squishy noises", as my sister and I say. (Just listen to him, and you'll figure out what I mean real fast!)
Cons: All I can think of is all the rabid fangirls that want to kill people for liking Zelgadis' English VA(s) better than Hikaru Midorikawa. (All I can say is, deal people!)
Masami Suzuki - From what I could find, Masami Suzuki is a somewhat new VA, so she doesn't have many roles under her belt like so many others. (She's still one of my favorites!)
Pros: Masami's Amelia has a special place in my heart and it's because...she can scream! (Sound odd? She's one of the more convincing screamers I've heard.) She also is perfect for portraying a happy, upbeat girl (but again, she's got depth, and you can hear it in the voice!)
Cons: Somebody's always got a gripe, but Amelia's voice sounding too old? (I find this funny, since Masami Suzuki is quite younger than many famous VA's. You can't really judge a person's age by their voice, excluding before puberty and when ailing in old age.)
Now onto the Dub:
Lisa Ortiz - Lina Inverse was actually one of her first roles, and while you can tell it in the first season, she does improve greatly!
Pros: She's got a lot of spunk, and that's exactly what Lina's got as well, so the voice is fitting. (And I prefer her to ADV's choice in Lina's VA any day!)
Cons: She's not Megumi Hayshibara. (Again, people need to be a bit more understanding, me included! She can't be another person, but Lisa's version of Lina is really close to the original!)
Eric Stuart - A songwriter/singer turned Voice Actor? Actually, he's one of my favorites, and his version of Gourry makes me laugh out loud!
Pros: Eric Stuart isn't afraid to overact, and it makes for hilarious results! He can easily turn to low and menacing though, which is also good! (Gourry isn't all sweet, after all.)
Cons: Gourry is a bit more flaky in English, but blame that on the scriptwriters. Eric still does one heck of a good job with his role!
Crispin Freeman - To think he was just once a name to me.. He's gone on to do many other roles, but his portrayal of Zelgadis is still one of my favorites. (Only rivaled by Tylor in The Irresponsible Captain Tylor. If you haven't seen it, please do!)
Pros: Crispin Freeman is excellent at diction, making Zelgadis sound a bit more refined than some of his co-stars (as he should.) He's also got a decent singing voice! ^_-
Cons: He doesn't have quite the range of Hikaru Midorikawa, but he's still enjoyable to listen to.
Veronica Taylor - This woman continues to amaze me with all of her different roles! (From little boy, to excitable princess, to evil minion, etc.!) Her portrayal of Amelia is on the mark as well.
Pros: Versatility! While Amelia is almost always super happy and eager to please, she does have her moments, and Veronica does these all very well. (I was really impressed with the scene when Amelia's crying about her father's death.)
Cons: Many find her to be irritating, but that's not saying much. (Many people hate Amelia, no matter which voice she has!)
Confused yet? I sure am when I read all of the fanfiction (or even have people e-mail me!) depicting Xellos as a love-sick...human. (Or human-turned-Monster.) First off, Xellos NEVER WAS human. He was made the normal way by his master (mistress!) Greater Beast Zelas Metallium. I'm thinking what was shown in TRY (Gaav making Val into a Monster) gave people the impression that Monsters are made by taking a human (or dragon as in TRY) and imbuing them with a Monster's essence.
First of all, only very powerful Monsters (a.k.a. the Dark Lords: Hellmaster Phibrizzo, Gaav, Greater Beast Zelas Metallium, Deep Sea Dolphin, and Dynast Grausherra) have the excess energy needed to make another Monster. (According to QP Diana's site -go check it out if you haven't already- they literally tear a part of thier self away and make it into a minion.) Xellos, (the minion!) is only as powerful as he is because Zelas made her General and Priest (the other Dark Lords usually had one of each) into one, but even he's not powerful enough to make another Monster from himself.
Back to him falling in love, that's also impossible because (as stated above), he is not/never was human, and Monsters abhor such things. (They are basically negative energy, not having 'positive' emotions like love, kindness, etc.) Sure he could pretend he was interested in someone to get what he needed (woo a lady to get information out of her, etc.), but actually being in love would most likely cause his death! (Amelia sings her songs of love and happiness for a reason, people!) ^_-
This is a topic that my sister (Dragonteenager) and I were talking about the other day, as it's come up a lot in fandom. Since he is part 'demon', some people are under the impression that a demon is a Monster, and thus Zelgadis is a Monster. (When I capitalize 'Monster', I mean the family of Monsters, also known as Mazoku in Japanese = all of the really big baddies!) Again, this is not the case.
According to QP Diana's site (just go there!), a Brau Demon (Blow, blue, however else you want to translate it) is basically a magical creature ("Magical Goblin", in her words). All that part of Zelgadis' makeup does is add to his quickness, and most likely his magical abilities.
So sorry people, Zelgadis is just a plain old tormented human with a very different exterior.
