With all due respect, why would Funimation want to make an uncut redub of Escaflowne when Bandai already did so (with the entire cast of the Fox Kids edited dub)?

Let me explain, back in August 2000, Bandai Entertainment made a heavily edited dub of Escaflowne that aired on Fox Kids. The cast included:

• Kelly Sheridan as Hitomi Kanzaki
• Kirby Morrow as Van Fanel
• Brian Drummon as Allen Schezar
• Paul Dobson as Folken Fanel
• Andrew Francis/Saffron Henderson as Dilandau Albatou/Celena
• Richard Newman as Emporer Dornkirk
• Millerna Aston as Venus Aston
• Don Brown as Balgus Ganesha
• Jocelyn Loewen as Merle
• Nicole Brown as Eriya and Nariya
• Scott McNeil as Jajuka
• Ellen Kennedy as Eries Aston
• Michael Dobson as Dryden Fassa
• Alex Doduk as Prince Chid

This dub was created to reach the younger audience, but was cancelled after 10 episodes due "to low ratings".

A year of two later, Bandai re-dubbed the entire series. This version was in uncut format, retaining the original background music and with all voice actors from the Fox Kids dub reprising their roles. Bandai also used the same cast to dub the Escaflowne movie in 2004.

Then, in 2013, Funimation acquired the to licensing rights to the series and movie. Not a TERRIBLE IDEA...but then, in 2016, they launch a kickstarter campaign to redub the entire series again (and movie). And guess what? They replaced every voice actor from the Bandai dub with their own in-house voice actors:

• Caitlin Glass as Hitomi Kanzaki
• Aaron Dismuke as Van Fanel
• Sonny Strait as Allen Schezar
• Vic Mignogna as Folken Fanel
• Joel McDonald/???????????? as Dilandau Albatou/Celena
• Jeremy Schwartz as Emporer Dornkirk
• Colleen Clinkenbeard as Venus Aston
• Chris Guerrero as Balgus Ganesha
• Alexis Tipton as Merle
• Felecia Angelle as Eriya
• Michelle Rojas as Nariya
• Chuck Huber as Jajuka
• ??????????? as Eries Aston
• Eric Vale as Dryden Fassa
• Bryn Apprill as Prince Chid

Nobody from the Bandai dub gets to work for Funimation, not even Scott McNeil (who did the Funimation voices of Van Hohenheim in Fullmetal Alchemist, Shiki in One Piece, and Tamono in Samurai 7) gets to reprise his role as Jajuka. Instead, we get "sound-alike" voice actors whose only known roles come from Dragon Ball Z. (Joel McDonald doesn't sound anything like Andrew Francis--who was actually 15 years old at the time.) Is this really what you want?

Funimation is wasting time on a show that already HAS an uncut English dub when they should be dubbing shows and movies that DON'T HAVE English dubs, like:

• A Good Librarian Like a Good Shepherd
• Aria the Scarlet Ammo AA
• C3
• D.Gray-man (season 2)
• Kamui Gaiden
• Rainbow Days
• Samurai Warriors
• Shonen Hollywood
• Valkyrie Drive
• Venus Versus Virus
• Yatterman Night

The only reason I'm okay with One Piece getting an unedited redub is because nobody made an unedited redub. (The original edited dub was by 4Kids.) And although I still prefer the Tokyopop cast of Initial D, at least Funimation redubbed THAT in unedited format as well.

And before you say, "I'm afraid it's something that can't be stopped," ask yourselves this question: How would you feel if Funimation decided they also wanted to redub another anime series they licensed like...Cowboy Bebop...with an entirely new voice cast of "sound-alike" Funimation-only voice actors? (Not even Steven Blum could reprise his role as Spike Spiegel.) What would you say? Would you be happy? Or would you be screaming, "DON'T EVEN DREAM ABOUT DREAMING ABOUT REDUBBING A PERFECTLY DUBBED ANIME SERIES!" until you lose your voice? Why have "sound-alikes," when you have the real voices who made the series popular? It's your choice. You can either let them get away with this. Or DO SOMETHING about it!!!!