Fantasy Voice Casting: Ranma 1/2 Hypothetical Remake · 9:18pm Oct 14th, 2018
So I've been thinking:
If a new Ranma 1/2 anime came out, a fair chunk of the English dub cast would need to be recast, due to the original cast either having left voice work, being too busy, or having died. Also, even though some important characters' voices are (or appear to be) still in the business, it'd be a good idea to refresh some important characters with new voices just to shake things up.
The following are my thoughts on a potential voice cast for a hypothetical remake of Ranma 1/2, assuming Viz Media handles the production and does it in Canada. I'd make a Funimation "dream cast", but it seems rather pointless.
Anyway, below is what I think the cast of a new Ranma 1/2 anime should look like, absent some episodic, minor recurring, and late-manga characters. A few characters would not need to be (and shouldn't be recast (Shampoo and Ukyo, of course), but most of the rest of the cast has been shuffled in my list.
Chip in with your thoughts!
Ranma Saotome (boy)*: Vic Mignogna
(Yeah, Richard Cox is still available, but c'mon, Edward Elric as Ranma!)
Ranma Saotome (girl): Ashleigh Ball
(Face it, the scratchy, braggadocious Rainbow Dash voice is PERFECT for Ranma.)
Akane Tendo: Cristina Vee
(Gotta be honest, this one was tough. Myriam Sirois is a hard act to follow and thinking of a good match for her Akane is next to impossible.)
Nabiki Tendo: Rebecca Shoichet
(Because she just flat out owns everybody and NEVER takes flak for it.)
Kasumi Tendo: Andrea Libman
(Basically chosen because Fluttershy.)
Genma Saotome: Peter New
(I legitimately think he'd fit the role perfectly. And he would. Both man and panda.)
Soun Tendo: Garry Chalk
(Because Garry Chalk is who you get if you CAN'T get David Kaye, just like if you can't get Peter Cullen.)
Shampoo**: Cathy Weseluck
(Why mess with perfection, especially since she still LOVES being known for this one?)
Ryoga Hibiki*: Johnny Yong Bosch
(How do you make an awesome character even more awesome? Give him Vash the Stampede's voice.)
Tatewaki Kuno*: Max Mittelman
(Took me a couple tries to get this one right.)
Kodachi Kuno: Tabitha St. Germain
(Because I know she can handle the level of high class and batshit crazy that make up Kodachi.)
Dr. Tofu**: Ian James Corlett
(Another one there's no reason to mess with.)
Cologne: Kathleen Barr
(She does eccentric AND old lady very well, so there you go.)
Mousse*: Vincent Tong
(This role was MADE for him.)
Happosai**: Paul Dobson
(Again, don't mess with it if it works.)
Ukyo Kuonji**: Kelly Sheridan
(And once more, don't mess with perfection.)
Azusa Shiratori: Andrea Libman
(For maximum squeaky.)
Mikado Sanzenin: Sam Vincent
(Pretty much a hat pick.)
Tsubasa Kurenai: Andrea Libman
(For maximum cuckoo-pants crazy.)
Hikaru Gosunkugi: Sam Vincent
(Hat pick.)
Hinako Ninomiya: Claire M. Corlett
(I think she has the vocal range for it, though I'm not 100% sure she could do Adult Hinako.)
Nodoka Saotome: Nicole Oliver
(Who else?)
Pantyhose Taro: Brian Drummond
(Because it amuses me.)
Principal Kuno: Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson
(Do you really have to ask why?)
* Original VA is still available and active
** Original VA retained for this recasting
Just a note, I changed a couple of the above. I changed Akane from Britt McKillip to Cristina Vee and Kuno from Kyle Rideout to Max Mittelman.
I grew up on ranma, it is one of the few series i prefer in english. I dont think i could stand a different cast in english.
This would work out rather well Moth
Vic Micnogna? Hmmm....I don't know....But yeah, Ashleigh Ball, SPOT. ON.
No Tara Strong?
Aww...
I'm now picturing Principal Kuno singing "You're Welcome" as part of some surreal haircutting musical montage. I don't know whether to thank or curse you for this mental image.
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To be blunt? Tara Strong doesn't need to be in EVERYTHING. None of the Ranma 1/2 characters needs to be a Tara Avatar. If she was cast as ANY Ranma character, it would permanently Tarafy them and that would take something away from the series rather than add to it.
Also, she quite honestly just isn't the right "fit" for any major Ranma character. Now, a minor character, say...Kaori maybe? Or perhaps Herb toward the end? Yeah.
4953253
I mean its fine if Tara Strong was in a minor role.
It just looked like the entire cast of MLP/EG was in
Hmm...I don't know which of my mental reactions are funnier.
My first reaction on seeing so many pony voice actors cast was to visualize a pony retelling of Ranma 1/2. Of course, that had me picturing Rainbow falling into the 'Spring of Drowned Stallion', and I wasn't sure what to picture from there.
My second reaction was picturing The Rock dressed up as Principal Kuno in full Hawaiian Nut attire - complete with a palm tree on his head - ranting about buzz cuts and bowl cuts. ...it was oddly hilarious, in that the hilarity suffered from a surreal disconnect.
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There's a ridiculous amount of crossbleed between the original Ranma cast and the MLP cast; conversely, the MLP cast work out of Canada, which is one of the three main centers of anime dubbing (the other two being Los Angeles and Texas). LA actors with dual-c get a lot of work from Canadian studios (see also why Tara Strong is Twilight Sparkle in the first place) but it's not common and hard to accomodate long-term (again, unless special arrangements exist). My cast list for the above comprises actors who frequently run in the same circles, which essentially means the old Ocean Group actor pool and the current talent pool DHX Media draws from, with a couple of outliers (Mignogna, Vee, Mittelman) who seem to basically go wherever the parts are.
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I'd say you're long overdue for a rewatch.
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Interesting. Never knew
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Mariko Konjou.
i.imgur.com/AzamNOf.jpg?1
Let TS channel her Lollipop Chainsaw performance, a Valley Girl-style cheerleader with a devious and cunning streak? That's Mariko all over.
Prince herb if they get that far female Tara strong of course and use her as the male voice too as a reference towards her voice of Ben 10, Timmy turner
I like most of your choices, though I might put Fred Tatasciore in as Genma. Fred's the voice behind most current iterations of The Hulk, and I'd love to hear his dulcet tones as the freeloader. Will Friedle might be a scream channeling Ron Stoppable as Mousse. Another possible VA all-star could be Grey Griffin as Kodachi Kuno. She could put some Vicki in with Queen Moon for Kodachi.
As far as a remake, I'd want to follow the manga more closely -- read GIVE US A DAMN ENDING ALREADY. It'd be good as a three or four season arc, cutting out most of the filler and keeping the killer. Also, I'd like to see a lot more of Nodoka in this one.
EDIT: As far as modern updates, there'd be a lot more smartphones in here. Really, could you imagine a modern Nabiki without a phone in her hand? Don't worry about how she'd pay for it. I'm sure she could sucker some poor sap -- probably Kuno -- into footing the bill.
EDIT #2: Oh, and keep the fanservice.
Don't judge me.