User blog:Lemursrule/BLEACH 206 English Dubbed Review

Hello Everyone! I have been waiting for this for SO LONG! The english adaptation of the Turn Back the Pendulum mini-arc has finally arrived! So, enough chat let's "swing" into action!

I thought Kirk Thorton did an excellent job with the introduction of the arc. It was very creepy, and made me more interested than I was before. He was able to engage my interest, and if you can engage me, or anyone else for that manner, then you have succeeded as an actor.

I thought the entire cast did a wonderful job with the episode. Every moment felt convincing and not forced, and they really felt like real people. I am not sure who voices Genrei, but so far he sounds pretty good. I will wait to hear more before I make a final verdict. I am wondering what is the exact situation with Hiyori's voice. At one point, it seems like she is still voiced my Mela Lee, but she decided to make Hiyori sound younger (for whatever reason, perhaps since the other Visored VAs make their characters sound slightly younger). However at other points, it seems like Hiyori is now being voiced by Laura Bailey, because Hiyori kinda sounds like Kid Trunks in this episode. Either way I like the voice, and I will again wait for my full evaluation when everything is said and done.

The standout performance for me in this episode was Karen Strassman as Suì-Fēng. I thought her overall acting was great in this episode. I have always loved Karen's portrayal of Suì-Fēng. Suì-Fēng is a characters who could easily become too monotone. While Suì-Fēng has a "no-nonsense" personality, Karen gives her some diversity and life in her, and succeeds in making Suì-Fēng a relatable character. I just thought she was wonderful in this episode, and I think this is my personal favorite performance of her since the climax of the Soul Society Arc.

The only problem I had with the episode was an error during the entire "who one becomes captain of Squad 11" speech. The error was that Shunsui said (trying to quote this the best as I can) "Every Kenpachi of squad 12 had killed the previous Kenpachi." I think this was likely an editing issue. This has happened at Studiopolis in the past, most notably in Bleach: The DiamondDust Rebellion where Rukia says "Tenshō Zangetsu" instead of Tensa Zangetsu. Both cases were likely outtakes that got mixed up and got placed in the final mix instead of the correct take. So in other words, someone fell asleep at the wheel.

Overall this was a great episode, and I can't wait for next week's episodes and all the new voices we will hear soon.

Final Rundown

 * Story 8/10
 * Art/Animation 9/10
 * Sound Effects 8/10
 * Script adaptation 9/10
 * Music 9/10
 * Acting 10/10

My final Score for Bleach episode 206 dubbed is a 8.8 out of 10. Remember to join me on Tuesday when I review Bleach episode 324, and join me next week when I review Bleach 207 dubbed. Just a heads up, next week's dub review will likely be late because I have a business trip next weekend, so I will be away from a workable computer. The review will likely be up late Sunday or early Monday morning.

Until Next Time! --Lemursrule (talk) 05:20, May 29, 2011 (UTC)