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Be it Katana fromSuicide Squador Kimiko fromThe Boys, Karen Fukuhara never fails to impress viewers. Apart from being an up-and-coming promising actress, she is a multifarious artist.
From acting to acapella, the actress has dabbled in various art forms. This also applies to her role as a dub artist. With her role inThe Boy and the Heron, though, she might have had an upper hand over the entire cast.
Particularly, her role brought out her finesse as a multifaceted artist in every aspect. It also sheds light on the concerns related to the process of dubbing masterpieces.
Overall, though, it doesn’t negate the understated masterpiece the 2023 film truly is. Be it dubbing or premise, Ghibli truly lived up to its legacy as a stellar animation studio.
Karen Fukuhara and the win-win situation
Before her breakthrough inSuicide Squad,Karen Fukuharahosted the Disney showMovie Surfers. Unbeknownst to most fans, she is fluent in Japanese and has also worked as a translator for various projects.
Other than that, she holds a brown belt in karate. This does play out well considering she does all the fight scenes and stunts all by herself. And while this seems a bit of a stretch, she is a Ghibli fan girl in most aspects.
On most occasions, she has voiced concerns regarding whitewashing andincessant Asian hate. This also ties well with the filmmaking spaces and the media industry, including dubbing spaces. In recent years, however, the tides are turning for the better.
The English dub industry has witnessed the inclusion of several Asian-American voices. This also includes Fukuhara, who landed a prestigious role in the 2023 Ghibli film. To say the least, her situation was helpful for many reasons.
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In aninterview with IndieWire, Fukuhara revealed the process behind voicing Himi in the movie. She quoted:
For dubbing,I usually try to emanate the essence of the original voice cast because I believe that’s why they were chosen in the first place, and so I was trying to match Lady Himi’s voice because I thought that was what I was being called upon to do. But eventually, Michael said, ‘That sounds too Japanese.’ The way I was saying the words, and also my reactions. He asked if we could make it more Americanized, and in doing so he gave me permission to fly free and really put my own twist on it. He pushed me to be more emotional — more vulnerable — than the original recording.
Eventually, it played out perfectly in terms of the film’s premise. Fukuhara’s casting was a win-win in terms of her heritage as a Japanese. She was able to grasp the essence of the storyline as well as the deeper meaning attached to it.
This also gave her an upper hand over other actors who weren’t probably familiar with the nitty-gritty. Overall, the casting, premise, and dub prove whyThe Boy and the Heronis an understated masterpiece.
The Boy and the Heronis an understated masterpiece
The Boy and the Heronis a signature Ghibli film in every way in its portrayal of trials, tribulations, fantastical elements, and resolution. It mirrors the common trope of the Ghibli movie. Yet it is novel and refreshing in many aspects.
It is anything but banal in terms of its exploration of grief, death,and the afterlife. It blends magic with the poignant experiences of life and clutches onto the liminality between holding on and letting go.
Mahito’s journey becomes familiar and empathetic in every sense. But what tugs on to the viewers’ heartstrings is the portrayal of loss and love. And though it isn’t as glorious as other Ghibli movies, it is remarkable nonetheless.
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All in all, it was the collective yet discreet efforts of GKids along with the entire team which made the movie’s success possible. It would be an understatement to say that it lives up to its status as an Oscar-winning film.
The Boy and the Heronis available for streaming on Netflix.
Himanshi Jeswani
Anime Writer
Articles Published :993
Himanshi Jeswani is an anime writer at Fandomwire, with her work spanning over 900 articles. Her articles cover shojo, shonen, seinen, and all things beyond. Her interests, however, aren’t limited to simply anime. She has a penchant for exploring different genres of manga, be it horror, yanki, music, and food. She brings out her specialization and expertise in the performing arts through her articles. As a writer, she strives to bridge the gap between the viewers and the medium itself. To her, anime is a revolutionary medium that is capable of creating communities and stories after all.
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Karen FukuharaThe Boy And The Heron
