by A change in voice actor for a masterpiece that was met with mixed reviews at the time
When the voice of a character that viewers have been familiar with for many years is changed, it is bound to cause controversy, more or less. Even if the new voice actor has overwhelming talent and performs naturally, complicated fan psychology is involved.
For example, the voice actor change in “Detective Conan” is an exceptionally famous commotion. Akira Kamiya, who had played the role of ” Kogoro Mouri ” since 1996, suddenly stepped down in 2009, and Rikiya Koyama was chosen as his successor.
There are complicated circumstances behind this change. Some media reported that negotiations over compensation did not agree, but at the same time, there has been trouble related to the trust relationship with the production side. Kamiya suggested that the malicious actions of a “certain person” had taken away his “place to return to.”
Kamiya’s reveal of his complicated feelings caused many to express concern, but no details have been revealed. Some fans are still feeling confused. Speaking of recent events, I would like to mention the movie “THE FIRST SLAM DUNK.” “SLAM DUNK” was initially made into a TV anime in 1993, and the cast at that time was Takeshi Kusao as “Sakuragi Hanamichi,” Hikaru Midorikawa as “Rukawa Kaede,” and Ryutaro Okiayu as “Mitsui Hisashi.”
As you can see from the names, they are all voice actors still active at the forefront. Moreover, even after the broadcast ended, each cast member had the opportunity to voice their characters at events, so they were already familiar faces to fans. Meanwhile, “THE FIRST SLAM DUNK” caused controversy when it was announced that the voice actors would be replaced one month before the release.
However, when the movie was released, the pre-release reviews were utterly overturned, and the film was met with a storm of praise as if the booing had been a lie. It became a mega-hit with box office revenues of approximately 15.87 billion yen.
Although it is a bit different, let’s also mention the change in voice actor for “Doraemon” in 2005. Regarding the voice of “Doraemon,” the image of Nobuyo Oyama, who had been in the role for 26 years, is vital. Still, in 2005, the cast and staff were replaced entirely, and the animation was significantly renewed.
Although this renewal created an image of a new generation of “Doraemon,” many people could not accept the new voice. What mainly caused backlash was the drastic revision of “Doraemon’s” personality setting. This is because the “Oyama version of Doraemon” was in a position like a guardian, gently admonishing Nobita and sometimes sternly scolding him.
On the other hand, Doraemon, played by her successor, Wasabi Mizuta, is more like a friend, as she engages in slapstick comedy with Nobita. There is a theory that the character setting of the original Doraemon is closer to the “Mizuta version of Doraemon,” and it is even said that “it has become closer to the original.”
Even if we understand that there are unavoidable circumstances, the change in the voice actor is likely to be difficult for fans to accept. It was controversial for many reasons, but now many people take all the work.
