Roughly two years after I first started reporting on it, the Adventures in Voice Acting DVD from Bang Zoom will FINALLY be going on sale this July 3! Or at least, the first of supposed three volumes will... & it'll only be at Anime Expo. I'm sure they'll eventually start selling it elsewhere, but as of now there's no such plans announced. The website does mention to check out the site after the July 4th holiday weekend for news of some kind for those that can't make the convention, so I guess we'll have to wait & see.

The AIVA DVDs will feature interviews from dozens of anime voice actors. We showed previews of some of the interviews for several months here on the Nebs Blog, but it's been over a year since anything new came up. It took long enough for this thing to come out, but it seems that at long last it's finally almost here. Just hold on a little bit longer for now.

Source: http://adventuresinvoiceacting.com/

We stopped posting the new "Adventures in Voice Acting" clips once they started reusing the same actors over again, even though they have been continuing this whole time. But this week's clip, featuring Steve Blum again, is a special occasion. Here Mr Blum talks about voicing one his favorite characters of all time, Guilmon from Digimon Tamers. He even does the voice, hehe. =b Make sure to check out the video here:

http://www.bangzoomentertainment.com/adventures_in_voice_acting/weekly/index.html

This week's "Adventures in Voice Acting" clip is a bit odd for a number of reasons. For one it features Yuri Lowenthal again, who was already shown previously. Granted that this is a different clip than was shown the first time & he says new things, though. Perhaps they've gone threw all the actors already & need to repeat a few others, after all the DVD has been delayed quite a bit. Or perhaps they just felt like showing Yuri again simply because he had a lot of interesting things today.

The second odd thing is what they credit him as this time, specifically being Superman in the "Legion of Superheroes" video game. Sure they might not want to list him as Sasuke again, but he's done a lot of other anime roles too. Admittingly the website has always stated that the DVDs would feature more than just anime actors, but also thoughs in video games & original animation as well. But this is the first time something other than an anime was listed. Well anyway, you can check out what Yuri has to say again here:

http://www.bangzoomentertainment.com/adventures_in_voice_acting/weekly/index.html

We got a lengthy "Adventures in Voice Acting" clip this week, with Kari Wahlgren telling us about her stressful experience while voicing Haruko Haruharu from FLCL for the first time. Kari hadn't really done much before FLCL & wasn't well known, but that series put her name on the map & has since become a very popular VA. Since then she has landed lead roles in Eureka 7, Last Exile, Samurai Champloo, Scrapped Princess, Witch Hunter Robin, & more. Check out what she has to say here:

http://www.bangzoomentertainment.com/adventures_in_voice_acting/weekly/index.html

This week's "Adventures in Voice Acting" is a real treat because it features a VA I didn't expect to see. Steve Staley has done a lot of anime, especially in more recent years, but he still seems to be under most fans radars. Currently known for playing Neji Hyuuga in "Naruto," but I first heard him as Harry McDougall in "Outlaw Star" & Amiboshi/Suboshi in "Fushigi Yugi." He's also played both Ryo & Koji in Digimon, plus a long list of other series. Check out what he has to say here:

http://www.bangzoomentertainment.com/adventures_in_voice_acting/weekly/index.html

This week "Adventures in Voice Acting" features Dorothy Fahn, who is well known as the voice behind Kaoru in the Rurouni Kenshin TV dub. Dorothy is actually married to Tom Fahn (Agumon in Digimon) who in turn is the brother of Jonathon Fahn (various voices in Digimon & Naruto) & Melissa Fahn (Rika in Digimon). Quite a voice-acting family, eh? But anywho, check out the video here:

http://www.bangzoomentertainment.com/adventures_in_voice_acting/weekly/index.html

A bit of a surreal & special "Adventures in Voice Acting" clip this week, which features the late great Bob Papenbrook. An extremely talented actor who played the title character in "Heat Guy J" & an almost endless amount of other works, Mr. Papenbrook sadly passed away earlier this year. Considering the timing of AIVA this was probably one of the last things he ever did, & we're lucky that it involved him being filmed.

At ACen earlier this year, I asked Jeff Nimoy about Mr. Papenbrook, since he worked with him on Digimon. He told the audience of what great a man he really was, both in talent & in life. Jeff explained how he was always a trickster, & saved his biggest trick of all that he played on everybody in Hollywood to the very end. Apparently he would tell his acting & studio buddies vivid details about fighting the Vietnam War. At his funeral, one of his childhood friends revealed the truth. That Mr. Papenbrook was only a child during the time of the war, & wanted for it to be revealed after he had passed on. Jeff said he'll always remember the man fondly with a laugh. Here's your chance to see him one last time:

http://www.bangzoomentertainment.com/adventures_in_voice_acting/weekly/index.html

"Adventures in Voice Acting" took a break last week for Thanksgiving, but is back again with a new clip. Featuring one of the lesser known voice actors in the dubbing world, but who has still done a good number of series, comes along Debbie Rabbai. She's also been in the business for quite awhile, having her most famous role being the title character in "Agent Aika." Check out what she has to say here:

http://www.bangzoomentertainment.com/adventures_in_voice_acting/weekly/index.html

Another huge fan-favorite this week as Vic Mignogna, immortalized by fans as the voice of Edward Elric in FullMetal Alchemist, gets his turn on "Adventures in Voice Acting." Just like how Ed is the "Alchemist of the People," Vic is the "Actor of the Fans." He loves being around fans & hearing what they have to say, & gets just as geeky about the subject as we do. His fanfilm, "FullMetal Fantasy," where he plays a live-action version of Ed, screams just how much in love he is with his works. I had the privilege of being one of the first to watch the film at ACen 2005 last year, & was also lucky enough to meet Vic in person. He really is a great guy, & takes his roles very seriously. I'll always remember back at ACen how he pleaded to somehow be involved with the Naruto dub. ^_^ But enough of my reminiscing, let's get to the video:

http://www.bangzoomentertainment.com/adventures_in_voice_acting/weekly/index.html

This week's "Adventures in Voice Acting Clip" features Julie Maddalena, whose been in the business for a long time now. Her most famous role is Hikaru Shidou from the classic series "Magic Knight Rayearth," but more recently has done El Hazard, Ghost in the Shell, Tenchi in Tokyo, & Vandread. Check out what she has to say here:

http://www.bangzoomentertainment.com/adventures_in_voice_acting/weekly/index.html

Here he is, the legend himself! The all-time fan favorite Steven Jay Blum takes his turn on the "Adventures in Voice Acting" clip of the week! Perhaps best known as playing Spike on Cowboy Bebop, his list of voices in anime is near endless. Although I haven't actually checked up on this, I think it's safe to say he's done more roles & series than any other anime VA in America.

Mr. Blum has been in the anime dubbing business for a very long time, & over that time he's learned how important it is to be faithful to the characters he voices. As he states in the video, he tries to learn as much as possible about his characters so he can be faithful to the Japanese version & the American fans of those series. He mentions his current big-hit Naruto & how much effort everyone puts into the show to make it loyal to the original version. I had the honor of meeting Mr. Blum at ACen 2005, & from what I saw it's all true. He really does care about pleasing the fans & treating the characters he voices with respect. But enough of what I have to say, check out the video here:

http://www.bangzoomentertainment.com/adventures_in_voice_acting/weekly/index.html

The cute & talented Laura Bailey makes her appearance this week on "Adventures in Voice Acting." Ms Baily is well known as the voice of Tohru Honda, the lead character of the amazing Fruits Basket anime. If you haven't seen that series yet, you don't know what you're missing. In addition to that, she has also done dozens of other FUNimation anime. Check out what she has to say here:

http://www.bangzoomentertainment.com/adventures_in_voice_acting/weekly/index.html

One of the longest running voice actors in the industry, Tony Oliver is featured on this week's "Adventures in Voice Acting" clip. Mr. Oliver goes as far back as voicing Rick Hunter in the Robotech dub back in the mid-1980s. More recently he's been heard as Hap is Eureka 7, Lupin in Lupin III, Hibiki in Vandread, & Hajiki in Gad Guard. Check out what this experienced veteran has to say here:

http://www.bangzoomentertainment.com/adventures_in_voice_acting/weekly/index.html

This week's "Adventures in Voice Acting" features Sandy Fox, best known as Sumomo in Chobits. Check out what she has to say here:

http://www.bangzoomentertainment.com/adventures_in_voice_acting/weekly/index.html

This week's "Adventures in Voice Acting" clip is a really biggy! It's fan-favorite Johnny Yong Bosch, who's probably best known as Vash the Stampede in Trigun but has also been seen recently as Renton in Eureka 7 & Ichigo in Bleach. In the clip, Johnny talks about landing the role that most of us older fans recognize him best as, & that being Adam in Power Rangers. The clip is also the longest AIVA clip yet, but as we said he's one of the most popular anime voice actors today. It's to be expected. =) See it for yourself here:

http://www.bangzoomentertainment.com/adventures_in_voice_acting/weekly/index.html