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Talking about the voices we've heard in "City in the Sky" all those years ago: which Mandarin version is the best?
Recently organized the old hard disk, turned out the childhood ripped "City in the Sky" video file, the sound quality of the rustling, with the old TV's unique current sound. When I showed it to my little boy, he frowned and said, "Dad, the sound is so strange, it's different from what we usually watch." Hey, this can be my memory hooked up. Hayao Miyazaki's masterpiece, our Mandarin-speaking audience has heard a lot of versions before and after, which is the most classic? Which one is the most classic? Which one is the most comfortable? It's worthwhile to talk about this, especially now in 2024, resources are flying all over the place, but the version is very messy, don't get the wrong one and waste your efforts.
Let's go back to the oldest first. It is estimated that the 80s and 90s were first exposed to that version with a strong Taiwanese accent. It was the era when videotapes and VCDs were popular. Baloo was called "Pike", Hidayat was called "Shuda", and Dora the Pirate directly became "Mouska" (this name is mixed up...). The name mixes. Dubbing style, how to say, especially "hard", emotional ups and downs thief, especially the pirate family, noisy especially lively, there is a kind of look at the local old cartoon affinity. The theme song is also in Chinese, the beginning of the sentence "Legend on that day..." Once it came out, the DNA moved. Sentiment points pull full, but with today's ears to listen to, indeed a little sense of the times, pronunciation and rhythm with the current habits are not quite the same, children listen to "strange" is normal.
Time jumped to the early 90's, mainland cinemas finally introduced this film. This version is the real "classic" in my mind. It was produced by the Shanghai Translation Factory, and the flavor was right! Baru's voice is the bright and stubborn voice of a teenager, and Hidayat is gentle and tough, which makes it a perfect match. The deepest impression is Dora's mother-in-law, the bold and spirited strength, and the sons hate the broken heart, too vivid, a knife mouth and tofu heart of the lovely old lady. Muska's sinister nature is also hidden underneath the polite tone, which makes people's backs shiver. This version of the translation of the lines is also more refined and accurate, the voice actor's skills really can not be said, listen to is comfortable, natural, and with the picture seamless. Now the so-called "classic Mandarin" circulating on the Internet, nine times out of ten refers to this 92 years mainland public release version.
Then Miyazaki's film was re-released on the mainland on legitimate DVD and Blu-ray, including that massive re-release around 2019, and a newly dubbed version came out. This version is definitely technically better, with clear and clean sound. But what to say... It feels a bit "flat". It's not that the voice actors are bad, but maybe it's because the director is going for a different style? Overall, it's a bit more calm and restrained, with less of the old version's vibrancy. Dora is not as tough, and Baloo's interactions with Siddhartha are a little more "dignified". It's not bad, but the flavor has changed, like a glass of lukewarm water. For the older viewers, it always felt like it lacked a bit of soul.
I recently took a look at the 2024 version on some platforms, labeled "HD restored Mandarin", and I made a point of finding it and listening to it in comparison. I was pleasantly surprised to find that many platforms have quietly switched back to the classic mainland dubbed audio track from '92! Paired with the HD restoration, it's absolutely stunning! That's the right way to open it! The clarity has gone up, but what you hear in your ears is still that familiar flavor, Baloo's shouts, Hidayat's incantations, the roar of the falling machine soldiers, it hasn't changed at all. It seems that the officials also understand that some classics really can't be surpassed, and the audience recognizes this flavor.
So which one to listen to?
If I say ah, purely looking for childhood memories, want to feel that nostalgic hot gas, you can look through the old resources to find the Taiwan accent version, as a fun collection. But if you want to seriously see, or bring home children for the first time to feel the charm of "City in the Sky".No brainer to pick the version with the dubbing of the 92 mainland releaseThe movie is still a top-notch movie. This version has stood the test of time for decades, and the fit of the voice acting and characters, and the subtlety of the emotional delivery, is still top stream as it stands. Especially now in 2024, with HD picture quality, the experience is at its best.
Where to find reliable free resources?
This year's copyright grasp tight, completely free and high-definition genuine is indeed difficult. However, a few big platforms like (search "City in the sky Mandarin HD" pay attention to the comments to confirm that is 92 dubbing),,, usually have members of the exclusive or limited time to watch for free. Open a member, or take advantage of the activities to rub a free experience, is the most secure and legitimate way, picture quality sound quality is also guaranteed.
Don't go to a small website and download it! Either the picture quality is a mosaic, or you'll be fed a bunch of dubbed versions that don't make sense, or maybe even AI-synthesized weird accents that are hard to listen to. Not to mention the risk of viral ads. In order to save a few dollars in membership fees, half a day to find a garbage version, ruined the mood to watch the film, how not worth it. Support the genuine channel, save effort, but also enjoy the highest definition of the most flavorful classic sound.
At the end of the day, the picture is half the charm of City in the Sky, and the sound is the other half. Finding the right dubbed version is the only way to fully feel the shock of Laputa floating in the clouds, the innocent friendship between Baloo and Hidayat, and the power of Hisaishi's music to hit the heart. I hope everyone can hear the right one.