Translation can be argued to be an art far more than it can be a science because the balancing act of making a localization that is faithful while also making a script that sounds effective can be difficult. The sub versus dub debate is predicated on differing philosophies on what is good and bad, and what causes the problems that persist, be it the industry, or the people making the calls.However, regardless of which side one might take in that debate, it shouldn't be difficult to agree that perspective is a crucial element in directing a story that understands the characters. David Wald is a voice actor and ADR director who is steadily gaining a reputation for creating high-quality English dubs for some very queer anime, such as The Stranger by the Shore from 2020. David is also proudly gay, which one might expect makes him more than qualified to direct the dubs for stories that prominently feature gay characters or deal with queer themes. As his work has continued to be recognized not only in the community but by his peers in the industry, it's become ever more apparent how representation behind the scenes yields better results on the screen.
The Stigma of Boys Love
Members of the LGBT community within the anime fandom have had a rocky relationship with the queer elements of the medium, both with regard to the content and the reception of it. There is a lot of anime that is gay, though whether it is blatant or recognized as such can be a different story. And unfortunately, when these stories are blatant with regard to homosexuality, it's not always sincere.
It's no secret that Yaoi, or "Boys Love," is treated more as a fetish in Japan that a genre that promotes homosexuality as something that is valid and deserving of normalcy. If anything, this medium has continually treated it as sinful and something sultry, to be kept a secret behind closed doors, cloaked behind the allure of taboo romance.
It's a medium that is marketed more towards women than to men, and that has notably been written by women more than by gay men. There are exceptions, of course, such as Okura, a gay man whose 2021 story "I Think Our Son Is Gay" tackles gay adolescence from the perspective of a parent.
And this isn't to suggest that there haven't been women who wrote stories about gay men with the earnest intent to depict that love as valid. Sayo Yamamoto, the creator of Yuri on Ice, is one shining example. However, it has unfortunately been rare, with much of the manga and anime industry having been resilient to genuine stories that don't fetishize homosexuality.
It is for this reason that the last few years have been so exciting, as LGBT representation is not only more prominent in manga and anime, but in Japan's political sphere. As such, there have been more anime that are less afraid to feature queer characters. And as these shows have become localized, the process has taken on new significance.
Translating Experiences
The Stranger by the Shore was released on Funimation's website for streaming in July 2021, with the English Dub directed by David Wald. The responses were glowing from critics and audiences, and especially notable was its English dub, starring Josh Grelle (Armin from Attack on Titan) and Justin Briner (Deku from My Hero Academia).
Wald, who was already semi-viral from their hilarious voice work on Sk8 the Inifinity, was enthusiastic to discuss the creative process of the dub. One particular question was enlightening. Wald actually contributed a small but very significant role in the dub: voicing the homophobic father of Shun, one of the main characters.
When Twitter user @K-Scribe asked how hard it was to play that character, Wald had this to say:
I thought those words might bite harder if viewers heard a gay man spitting them back at them. Our experiences of homophobia are acute and specific, and Shun’s memory had to be the same. But I didn’t want to ask another actor to put themselves through that.
-David Wald, July 11, 2021
In any kind of directorial role, the care that a director places on the cast can be undervalued. Acting in all forms can bring with it all kinds of emotions and the more raw and real the story is, the more demanding the role can be. Casey Mongillo, who voiced Shinji in Netflix's dub of Evangelion, once recalled Shinji's scream in Episode 3 and explained that they had a panic attack while recording it.
So to read Wald's consideration with regard to the cast and their boundaries isn't just creating a comfortable creative space, it's insightful to how he envisions the best way to translate the characters. For a story about characters who have dealt with homophobia, the expression of homophobia had to feel - as Wald puts it - "acute and specific."
When people hear "representation," they tend to think about the characters and the actors portraying them, but it can be just as important in the writer's room or the director's chair. Now, with localization, the ADR director and ADR scriptwriter might not be the original creators of that work, but they still have to make it feel believable.
Words have a texture that only ears can feel and for stories to truly convey characters with authenticity, it takes writers who are able to draw upon their own experiences. Otherwise, it takes writers who are willing to learn about experiences that aren't theirs, with open arms and open ears.
David Wald has served as ADR director on 13 different shows, not counting assistant ADR and scriptwriting roles, and many of his dubs have been for queer anime. J. Michael Tatum, another prominent gay voice actor known for his roles in Attack on Titan, Black Butler, and Steins;Gate, recently had this to say about Wald's recent English Dub of Given:
The show itself is already incredible. And what director @DavidWald_VA accomplishes with the English language cast is a revelation. You won’t find a director more profoundly in tune with the material, or more compassionate. Under his wing, we all felt like ACTORS.
-J. Michael Tatum, December 1, 2022
English dubbing can come under a lot of fire for reasons understandable and not, but it is an industry with a lot to offer to the art itself and the voice-acting community at large. Beyond the perspective he provides as a gay man, David Wald is what the industry should expect and demand from its directors. It's about perspective, understanding of the text, and more than anything, respect for the actors under their care.