The Voice Acting. . .

[Ameela]

What I'm curious is that do these people *understand* Japanese, or does it just sound better because they can't understand what they're saying?

You don't need to understand Japanese to recognise when the acting is at least tonally fitting.

Spoilers for 4.3:

JP - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pdh1_DNIFNU&t=215m5s

EN - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AW0JCOaMkpU&t=36m7s

Watch the two versions of that scene and tell me one of them isn't much better directed and acted to fit the action than the other, regardless of if you understand what is being said.

[AmemeAmeklin]

I agree that the Doman voice actors all have a subtle accent (save for Yugiri, though she has gone through three voice actors anyway, and one of those through horrible circumstances).

What I really think should have happened was every single Ishgardian character gets a slight French accent. I guess some of the Gridanians would also get French accents, but like...Canadian French, while Ishgard is Parisian French.

Meanwhile, Lominsan Roegadyns get German accents, everyone from the Near East gets, oh...Egyptian? Saudi Arabian? accents (Lyse would have to codeswitch her accents, depending on who she's talking to), Ul'dah residents get Turkish accents (I think?), etc etc.

That's just my castle in the air, I guess. Mostly I wanna hear all the Ishgardians with French accents because that would be aces.

[Nestama]

You don't need to understand Japanese to recognise when the acting is at least tonally fitting.

Spoilers for 4.3:

JP - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pdh1_DNIFNU&t=215m5s

EN - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AW0JCOaMkpU&t=36m7s

Watch the two versions of that scene and tell me one of them isn't much better directed and acted to fit the action than the other, regardless of if you understand what is being said.

I still prefer it in English :T

[Berethos]

You don't need to understand Japanese to recognise when the acting is at least tonally fitting.

The English voice there better fits the English text than the Japanese voice does.

The Japanese version just sounds like an individual getting more and more heated as he's talking, while in the English you can hear the obsession in his whiny little voice.

Perhaps there's additional nuance to the Japanese performance...but one would probably have to know the language to pick up on it.

[alimdia]

JP - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pdh1_DNIFNU&t=215m5s

Seeing that scene in JP I have to agree JP Asahi was a much better fit than EN Asahi when you take into account his facial expressions, EN was really bad imo.

On the other hand, people kept praising Yotsuyu's JP VA over the EN one but after watching that video I'm not seeing it, the JP voice lacks emotion, she sounds forced.