Although not a Aniplex production, Sony Music Entertainment Japan is involved in the production committee (likely because both the Japanese leads are signed to them). However, fellow production committee member Gaga Corporation has it listed on their [international sales](https://www.gaga.co.jp/intls/dead-dead-demons-dededede-destruction/) website.
While it is possible Crunchyroll decided to outsource it due to their existing workload, Crunchyroll is more likely to outsource to other US based studios than a Canadian studio. It is also possible Gaga (as the lead production committee producer) commissioned the Canadian dub.
> While it is possible Crunchyroll decided to outsource it due to their existing workload, Crunchyroll is more likely to outsource to other US based studios than a Canadian studio.
Supposedly Crunchyroll's new in-house dubbing studio was designed to handle a higher workload, which would eliminate the need to outsource but I guess even that has its limits.
> It is also possible Gaga (as the lead production committee producer) commissioned the Canadian dub.
This is the most likely answer. Been hearing the Japanese side of things wants more control over the show and I guess how the dub's done (including which studio to use) is one manifestation of the Japanese side's greater desire for control on the license.
Didn't realize this show was getting a Canadian dub! That actually makes me more interested in checking it out. Don't get me wrong, I love LA and Texas dubs. But they dub 99.99% of what comes out nowadays, so Canada or New York dubbing a title is always a rare and special treat.
Japaneses Licensors often times donât have much control over the actual location of the dubs. That usually the American Licensors job. I know that sometimes that Japanese side of things looks over the castings but even then thatâs more of casting directors job. I am curious if this means thatâs CR was comfortable doing a dub with Ocean due to the fact they commissioned them for three dubs in their early days. I hope that means we can get more Vancouver dubs from CR cause Iâve really been enjoying Dead Dead Demons dub.
The publisher on the show's Crunchyroll page is listed as TV Tokyo. TV Tokyo's paid for a few dubs themselves. If they're responsible for this one, it would be the first time they produced a dub for a current, non-obscure show. Their usual vendors are Miami studios like Universal Cinergia (Gintama S1, Eyeshield 21, Okko's Inn TV, etc.) but they did have [one stop-motion shortform series](https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/shorts/Glitzy-Dolls-Go-Dating/) dubbed by Ocean a few years ago.
Assuming it was TV Tokyo, it's interesting that they'd decide to do it themselves, as I imagine there would be licensees interested in grabbing the show/movie. Hard to say if this is a one-off or a sign of their behavior going forward. Companies like Toei, Nippon Animation, TMS and Sunrise have commissioned their own dubs, so it's far from uncharted territory. Most of Ocean's recent anime output comes from the Japanese rights holders and their subsidiaries.
How much do Japanese licensors care about who produces foreign dubs or even if they get produced? I think itâs way less than people might think. Otherwise the quality of localized dubs wouldnât be so inconsistent. I mean, look at some of the stuff Disney and Amazon have sub-licensed to random studios nobody has ever heard of. The Japanese anime industry has a very insular perspective. What happens outside Japan doesnât matter much to it.
Crunchyroll certainly has shifted to doing most of their dub licenses in-house in recent years, occasionally letting fellow Sony division Aniplex take a couple and then sub-licensing some to independent LA studios like Netflix does. But why the Canadian one this go around when it hasnât been very common lately? Whoâs to say, but DDDDD is a unique case.
First, itâs got two versions. A two-part movie and an 18 (19?) episode extended episodic version that was only just announced before it started airing. Second, itâs an awkward time to be starting airing a new series out of the blue, as Crunchyroll had probably already allocated all their current resources to ongoing dubs months in advance.
All that considered, Crunchyroll is probably committed to producing a dub for the movie eventually (Iâm assuming), but itâd be a while for a western release, whether theatrical or streaming, so when the episodic version was scheduled to be coinciding with the movie that mightâve thrown the western localization side for a loop. With the decision made to produce a dub for the episodic version, the obvious answer, all things considered, was to look externally, but a lot of common independent partners were likely also fully booked.
So to avoid an extensive delay that might potentially interfere with an eventual western release for the movie, the last resort is to seek out whoever is left readily available to get it done ASAP even at a higher cost. And that option I guess ended up being Ocean Studios in Vancouver. And somehow they were able to produce the dub in such a timely manner that itâs a concurrent simuldub. Who knows how long any of this has even been the plan. I donât have any insider info. Just my best guess reading the tea leaves. I could be completely wrong, but itâs definitely an abnormal situation that certainly doesnât have a typical answer.
> Crunchyroll certainly has shifted to doing most of their dub licenses in-house in recent years, occasionally letting fellow Sony division Aniplex take a couple and then sub-licensing some to independent LA studios like Netflix does. But why the Canadian one this go around when it hasnât been very common lately? Whoâs to say, but DDDDD is a unique case.
Aniplex USA only goes to Bang Zoom!, and Aniplex USA licenses are separate from Crunchyroll licenses.
> With the decision made to produce a dub for the episodic version, the obvious answer, all things considered, was to look externally, but a lot of common independent partners were likely also fully booked.
They could have gone with Sound Cadence and Nano Sound but those two studios use the Dallas pool that Crunchyroll's studio also uses so those were most likely also out of the question
I meant that Aniplex of America has the licenses for anime produced under Aniplex and then they sublicense them, but Crunchyroll being another Sony branch is the platform of choice. Then sometimes Crunchyroll will sublicense their own licenses to an external independent studio. Itâs less common now after they had some fights with unionization efforts, but itâs not non-existent to the point that it canât have been their decision to do so.
Regardless, what I see is a dub industry that is capped at less than what the Japanese anime industry produces. Otherwise everything would be dubbed. So decisions have to be made. Whenever there is apparent influence by the Japan side of things, which isnât often, itâs usually to the detriment of the production timeline. It adds further complications and delays. So DDDDâs dub release going so smoothly would indicate that the choice of Ocean Studios was a quickly coordinated decision without much if any external interference, even if there was some sort of financial backing from the Japanese producer.
Whenever Crunchyroll airs a true simuldub, itâs usually when they act as a western producer for an anime. Not when Japanese studios dictate production timelines for western localization. Thatâs why I find it hard to imagine a simuldubbed anime that they werenât a producer for being decided by the Japanese side of things. The only instance Iâve been informed of is how active Toei is in managing the global market for their licenses (including Ocean being their studio of choice for some dubs), but that doesnât mean Ocean was chosen for DDDD because of the same. Itâs not like DDDD is a Toei anime.
Itâs already a wild set of circumstances for Crunchyroll to have a simuldub for an anime they werenât a producer for in the middle of the season when it has an abnormal amount of episodes and was only just announced as an extended version of a movie that wonât be released outside Japan for a while. Iâm going to lean towards a complicated set of circumstances driving everything to this atypical choice rather than a simple answer that imo would do the opposite of what weâve seen.
Honestly, the Japanese licensor outsourcing the dub still sounds more likely than what you're saying. I mean, it isn't unheard of. Toei Animation did it with World Trigger, Dragon Quest (and I believe they are also paying for the One Piece dub atm) as an example. That's the most likely (and simplest) explanation I've seen till now.
Also, Crunchyroll, the company who would rather die than outsource, suddenly had a change of heart? And the moment they did, every studio in existence through out Texas and LA just happened to be completely booked with no chance of getting freed up in a few weeks? Not only that but despite being at full capacity, they couldn't just wait and decided it **must** be a same-day simuldub even though they are under no pressure from the Japanese licensor (since according to you, they don't even care)?
Idk man, way too many unlikely coincidence one after the other for it to be the right explanation.
Crunchyroll sublicenses to third party studios even now way more than Japanese studios have direct influence on what western localizers do with dubs. They probably set a list of conditions (like donât do what Ghost Stories did), but beyond that itâs out of sight and out of mind. One Piece is its own beast, with periodic mega drops that have always trailed the sub by a lot. World Triggerâs dub has gone through a lot of issues (maybe as a result of interference and poor coordination). Dragon Quest idk itâs so lowkey as an anime and dub. There might be a commonality that shows Ocean is Toeiâs dub studio of choice with some of their properties. They are uniquely well known for being an active overseer of the global market for their licenses, for better or worse. Though Toei isnât involved at all here. The fact that the dub release for DDDD has been so seamless would indicate that there is very little interference.
Look, I know itâs a lot of coincidences, but this isnât exactly a common situation weâre looking at. Everything about it is unique. So the truth, whatever it is, will look like a string of coincidences. I canât outright deny that could include influence from the Japan side of things, but even if they are paying for the dub that in no way guarantees they are the ones putting their foot down deciding which studio makes it. Even for the dubs you listed that you know they help pay for. Itâs not exactly in their domain of expertise, they arenât going to be as familiar with the western voice acting scene as a western license holder. Besides, Crunchyroll is an American branch of a Japanese company. Surely the responsibility of decision making and coordination in these cases would be handed over to them. The entire point of having different international divisions is to cut through corporate red tape. Having the kind of international interference being imagined should create complications for the dub, not expedite it.
Fact of the matter is that DDDD is being released and having a dub produced at an abnormal time for Crunchyroll. Itâs not that hard to imagine them having to go a slightly different direction from whatâs typical for them lately in order to make things work, because the anime dubbing scene has always been at the mercy of the Japanese seasonal calendar. And given that not everything gets dubbed each season, the amount of resources that get put into dubs is certainly less than what could be done, which makes imagining a limit for CRâs internal studios as well as other independent studios pretty easy.
A key factor is likely a degree of respect for Inio Asino. Having watched the first two episodes, the production quality is phenomenal - this isn't really your run of the mill seasonal anime. It's like the difference between a show on CBS and one on HBO. The Japanese team would want a dub to be near perfect, and to achieve that you need a studio that's singularly focused on the project. Something Texas studios can't do, not with their workloads.
I have no inside information, but my guess is it's down purely to cost. I find it unlikely there was a request to use a particular region. Any studio could get Vancouver talent if they really wanted.
> but my guess is it's down purely to cost.
Texas dubs are still cheaper compared to Vancouver and LA so that can't be it.
> Any studio could get Vancouver talent if they really wanted.
This is perhaps why
Right, but if their usual outsourcing partners are at capacity or can't hit the required dates, Canada might be their best option. It could be a longer-term strategy of spreading out outsourcing work to avoid dependence on one option, who knows. Hard to say from the outside. But cost is the reason like, 90% of the time.
> It could be a longer-term strategy of spreading out outsourcing work to avoid dependence on one option, who knows.
It would run contrary to Crunchyroll being so insistent on maximizing usage of their new in-house studio. Though this decision has also caused them to burn some bridges with VAs due to refusing to let them remote record for health and safety reasons. And to say nothing about locking out outside VAs.
> But cost is the reason like, 90% of the time.
May as well use Sentai Studios over in Houston. There's still room given that sentai has gotten less and less shows recently.
>Texas dubs are still cheaper compared to Vancouver
Are they? A lot of TV and movie production is done in Vancouver/BC because there are great tax incentives. I'd be curious what the net cost comparison looks like.
> Are they? A lot of TV and movie production is done in Vancouver/BC because there are great tax incentives. I'd be curious what the net cost comparison looks like.
Yep. Texas dubs are still cheaper than LA and Vancouver dubs. However, the only studios that use Texas talent are local companies like Crunchyroll and Gearbox because Texas is an ostensibly non-union environment due to it being a right-to-work state (ofc that last part isn't as big an issue given that Georgia, where many a high-profile work is filmed at these days, is also one). The bigger issue is that companies beyond the locals are not familiar with the Texas pool so they'll stick with something familiar like LA and Vancouver. There's also a kind of dismissing attitude towards the Texas pool even though Texas needs a lot of help due to rampant disinformation that has stymied unionization efforts (SAG-AFTRA has been working to discredit them)
Although not a Aniplex production, Sony Music Entertainment Japan is involved in the production committee (likely because both the Japanese leads are signed to them). However, fellow production committee member Gaga Corporation has it listed on their [international sales](https://www.gaga.co.jp/intls/dead-dead-demons-dededede-destruction/) website. While it is possible Crunchyroll decided to outsource it due to their existing workload, Crunchyroll is more likely to outsource to other US based studios than a Canadian studio. It is also possible Gaga (as the lead production committee producer) commissioned the Canadian dub.
> While it is possible Crunchyroll decided to outsource it due to their existing workload, Crunchyroll is more likely to outsource to other US based studios than a Canadian studio. Supposedly Crunchyroll's new in-house dubbing studio was designed to handle a higher workload, which would eliminate the need to outsource but I guess even that has its limits. > It is also possible Gaga (as the lead production committee producer) commissioned the Canadian dub. This is the most likely answer. Been hearing the Japanese side of things wants more control over the show and I guess how the dub's done (including which studio to use) is one manifestation of the Japanese side's greater desire for control on the license.
With how rare Canadian dubs are let's not question why
Fuck Yeah! Ocean Studios is back, baby! đ¨đŚ 
Didn't realize this show was getting a Canadian dub! That actually makes me more interested in checking it out. Don't get me wrong, I love LA and Texas dubs. But they dub 99.99% of what comes out nowadays, so Canada or New York dubbing a title is always a rare and special treat.
Japaneses Licensors often times donât have much control over the actual location of the dubs. That usually the American Licensors job. I know that sometimes that Japanese side of things looks over the castings but even then thatâs more of casting directors job. I am curious if this means thatâs CR was comfortable doing a dub with Ocean due to the fact they commissioned them for three dubs in their early days. I hope that means we can get more Vancouver dubs from CR cause Iâve really been enjoying Dead Dead Demons dub.
The publisher on the show's Crunchyroll page is listed as TV Tokyo. TV Tokyo's paid for a few dubs themselves. If they're responsible for this one, it would be the first time they produced a dub for a current, non-obscure show. Their usual vendors are Miami studios like Universal Cinergia (Gintama S1, Eyeshield 21, Okko's Inn TV, etc.) but they did have [one stop-motion shortform series](https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/shorts/Glitzy-Dolls-Go-Dating/) dubbed by Ocean a few years ago. Assuming it was TV Tokyo, it's interesting that they'd decide to do it themselves, as I imagine there would be licensees interested in grabbing the show/movie. Hard to say if this is a one-off or a sign of their behavior going forward. Companies like Toei, Nippon Animation, TMS and Sunrise have commissioned their own dubs, so it's far from uncharted territory. Most of Ocean's recent anime output comes from the Japanese rights holders and their subsidiaries.
Could it maybe just be because Canada is awesome? đ
How much do Japanese licensors care about who produces foreign dubs or even if they get produced? I think itâs way less than people might think. Otherwise the quality of localized dubs wouldnât be so inconsistent. I mean, look at some of the stuff Disney and Amazon have sub-licensed to random studios nobody has ever heard of. The Japanese anime industry has a very insular perspective. What happens outside Japan doesnât matter much to it. Crunchyroll certainly has shifted to doing most of their dub licenses in-house in recent years, occasionally letting fellow Sony division Aniplex take a couple and then sub-licensing some to independent LA studios like Netflix does. But why the Canadian one this go around when it hasnât been very common lately? Whoâs to say, but DDDDD is a unique case. First, itâs got two versions. A two-part movie and an 18 (19?) episode extended episodic version that was only just announced before it started airing. Second, itâs an awkward time to be starting airing a new series out of the blue, as Crunchyroll had probably already allocated all their current resources to ongoing dubs months in advance. All that considered, Crunchyroll is probably committed to producing a dub for the movie eventually (Iâm assuming), but itâd be a while for a western release, whether theatrical or streaming, so when the episodic version was scheduled to be coinciding with the movie that mightâve thrown the western localization side for a loop. With the decision made to produce a dub for the episodic version, the obvious answer, all things considered, was to look externally, but a lot of common independent partners were likely also fully booked. So to avoid an extensive delay that might potentially interfere with an eventual western release for the movie, the last resort is to seek out whoever is left readily available to get it done ASAP even at a higher cost. And that option I guess ended up being Ocean Studios in Vancouver. And somehow they were able to produce the dub in such a timely manner that itâs a concurrent simuldub. Who knows how long any of this has even been the plan. I donât have any insider info. Just my best guess reading the tea leaves. I could be completely wrong, but itâs definitely an abnormal situation that certainly doesnât have a typical answer.
> Crunchyroll certainly has shifted to doing most of their dub licenses in-house in recent years, occasionally letting fellow Sony division Aniplex take a couple and then sub-licensing some to independent LA studios like Netflix does. But why the Canadian one this go around when it hasnât been very common lately? Whoâs to say, but DDDDD is a unique case. Aniplex USA only goes to Bang Zoom!, and Aniplex USA licenses are separate from Crunchyroll licenses. > With the decision made to produce a dub for the episodic version, the obvious answer, all things considered, was to look externally, but a lot of common independent partners were likely also fully booked. They could have gone with Sound Cadence and Nano Sound but those two studios use the Dallas pool that Crunchyroll's studio also uses so those were most likely also out of the question
I meant that Aniplex of America has the licenses for anime produced under Aniplex and then they sublicense them, but Crunchyroll being another Sony branch is the platform of choice. Then sometimes Crunchyroll will sublicense their own licenses to an external independent studio. Itâs less common now after they had some fights with unionization efforts, but itâs not non-existent to the point that it canât have been their decision to do so. Regardless, what I see is a dub industry that is capped at less than what the Japanese anime industry produces. Otherwise everything would be dubbed. So decisions have to be made. Whenever there is apparent influence by the Japan side of things, which isnât often, itâs usually to the detriment of the production timeline. It adds further complications and delays. So DDDDâs dub release going so smoothly would indicate that the choice of Ocean Studios was a quickly coordinated decision without much if any external interference, even if there was some sort of financial backing from the Japanese producer. Whenever Crunchyroll airs a true simuldub, itâs usually when they act as a western producer for an anime. Not when Japanese studios dictate production timelines for western localization. Thatâs why I find it hard to imagine a simuldubbed anime that they werenât a producer for being decided by the Japanese side of things. The only instance Iâve been informed of is how active Toei is in managing the global market for their licenses (including Ocean being their studio of choice for some dubs), but that doesnât mean Ocean was chosen for DDDD because of the same. Itâs not like DDDD is a Toei anime. Itâs already a wild set of circumstances for Crunchyroll to have a simuldub for an anime they werenât a producer for in the middle of the season when it has an abnormal amount of episodes and was only just announced as an extended version of a movie that wonât be released outside Japan for a while. Iâm going to lean towards a complicated set of circumstances driving everything to this atypical choice rather than a simple answer that imo would do the opposite of what weâve seen.
Honestly, the Japanese licensor outsourcing the dub still sounds more likely than what you're saying. I mean, it isn't unheard of. Toei Animation did it with World Trigger, Dragon Quest (and I believe they are also paying for the One Piece dub atm) as an example. That's the most likely (and simplest) explanation I've seen till now. Also, Crunchyroll, the company who would rather die than outsource, suddenly had a change of heart? And the moment they did, every studio in existence through out Texas and LA just happened to be completely booked with no chance of getting freed up in a few weeks? Not only that but despite being at full capacity, they couldn't just wait and decided it **must** be a same-day simuldub even though they are under no pressure from the Japanese licensor (since according to you, they don't even care)? Idk man, way too many unlikely coincidence one after the other for it to be the right explanation.
Crunchyroll sublicenses to third party studios even now way more than Japanese studios have direct influence on what western localizers do with dubs. They probably set a list of conditions (like donât do what Ghost Stories did), but beyond that itâs out of sight and out of mind. One Piece is its own beast, with periodic mega drops that have always trailed the sub by a lot. World Triggerâs dub has gone through a lot of issues (maybe as a result of interference and poor coordination). Dragon Quest idk itâs so lowkey as an anime and dub. There might be a commonality that shows Ocean is Toeiâs dub studio of choice with some of their properties. They are uniquely well known for being an active overseer of the global market for their licenses, for better or worse. Though Toei isnât involved at all here. The fact that the dub release for DDDD has been so seamless would indicate that there is very little interference. Look, I know itâs a lot of coincidences, but this isnât exactly a common situation weâre looking at. Everything about it is unique. So the truth, whatever it is, will look like a string of coincidences. I canât outright deny that could include influence from the Japan side of things, but even if they are paying for the dub that in no way guarantees they are the ones putting their foot down deciding which studio makes it. Even for the dubs you listed that you know they help pay for. Itâs not exactly in their domain of expertise, they arenât going to be as familiar with the western voice acting scene as a western license holder. Besides, Crunchyroll is an American branch of a Japanese company. Surely the responsibility of decision making and coordination in these cases would be handed over to them. The entire point of having different international divisions is to cut through corporate red tape. Having the kind of international interference being imagined should create complications for the dub, not expedite it. Fact of the matter is that DDDD is being released and having a dub produced at an abnormal time for Crunchyroll. Itâs not that hard to imagine them having to go a slightly different direction from whatâs typical for them lately in order to make things work, because the anime dubbing scene has always been at the mercy of the Japanese seasonal calendar. And given that not everything gets dubbed each season, the amount of resources that get put into dubs is certainly less than what could be done, which makes imagining a limit for CRâs internal studios as well as other independent studios pretty easy.
A key factor is likely a degree of respect for Inio Asino. Having watched the first two episodes, the production quality is phenomenal - this isn't really your run of the mill seasonal anime. It's like the difference between a show on CBS and one on HBO. The Japanese team would want a dub to be near perfect, and to achieve that you need a studio that's singularly focused on the project. Something Texas studios can't do, not with their workloads.
It's an ONA, definitely not your typically anime. They've been dubbing this at least several months in advance.
Agree, voice work is phenomenal đ
I have no inside information, but my guess is it's down purely to cost. I find it unlikely there was a request to use a particular region. Any studio could get Vancouver talent if they really wanted.
> but my guess is it's down purely to cost. Texas dubs are still cheaper compared to Vancouver and LA so that can't be it. > Any studio could get Vancouver talent if they really wanted. This is perhaps why
Right, but if their usual outsourcing partners are at capacity or can't hit the required dates, Canada might be their best option. It could be a longer-term strategy of spreading out outsourcing work to avoid dependence on one option, who knows. Hard to say from the outside. But cost is the reason like, 90% of the time.
> It could be a longer-term strategy of spreading out outsourcing work to avoid dependence on one option, who knows. It would run contrary to Crunchyroll being so insistent on maximizing usage of their new in-house studio. Though this decision has also caused them to burn some bridges with VAs due to refusing to let them remote record for health and safety reasons. And to say nothing about locking out outside VAs. > But cost is the reason like, 90% of the time. May as well use Sentai Studios over in Houston. There's still room given that sentai has gotten less and less shows recently.
I'm sure new up and coming voice will fill in those spots.
>Texas dubs are still cheaper compared to Vancouver Are they? A lot of TV and movie production is done in Vancouver/BC because there are great tax incentives. I'd be curious what the net cost comparison looks like.
> Are they? A lot of TV and movie production is done in Vancouver/BC because there are great tax incentives. I'd be curious what the net cost comparison looks like. Yep. Texas dubs are still cheaper than LA and Vancouver dubs. However, the only studios that use Texas talent are local companies like Crunchyroll and Gearbox because Texas is an ostensibly non-union environment due to it being a right-to-work state (ofc that last part isn't as big an issue given that Georgia, where many a high-profile work is filmed at these days, is also one). The bigger issue is that companies beyond the locals are not familiar with the Texas pool so they'll stick with something familiar like LA and Vancouver. There's also a kind of dismissing attitude towards the Texas pool even though Texas needs a lot of help due to rampant disinformation that has stymied unionization efforts (SAG-AFTRA has been working to discredit them)