At 2003's AnimeIowa convention, our own Nathan Thorell had the opportunity to interview Greg Ayres, the up-and-coming voice talent from the Houston, TX talent pool. You may have heard Greg in recent hit series' such as Saiyuki, Full Metal Panic and Angelic Layer. Here, then, is the long-overdue second installment in our series of interviews with the Squeaky Sensation himself, Greg Ayres-- as conducted by Nathan Thorell. Fear not-- the remaining installments will be forthcoming far sooner.
In our last installment, Greg Ayres, ADV voice actor, talked a little about convention life and his start-up at ADV Films. In this section, we chat with Greg about his work on shows like Aura Battler Dunbine and Saiyuki..
Nathan Thorell (NT): In Aura Battler Dunbine, you were asked-- at the last minute-- to replace another actor who had left the project.
Greg Ayres: Yeah, and I don’t really know what happened in that situation. I just know that another actor in Houston started the project and couldn’t finish it. I was originally called in to do a walla session, when my favorite little angel at ADV, Marta, called me and she said, "Can you come at four o’clock instead today?", and I found out that not only was I going to be working with Carl Macek for the first time-- (Carl Macek) is a pretty legendary name-- but I was also going to be a recurring episode character named Fuei. I just went in and it was like... a free job. I loved it and it’s a really neat show and I really enjoyed working with Carl a whole lot.
NT: That’s definitely an interesting way to land a role.
Greg: Oh, totally!
NT: Was it really awkward to just jump into this character's shoes?
Greg: Well, it was awkward for two different reasons. I didn’t know if anything recorded had been published yet, because volume one of Dunbine was already done, and I didn’t know whether Fuei was in volume one. Secondly, Carl Macek uses a totally different recording method than any other director at ADV does. So, aside from my reservations about the role and what I was going to have to do to get into this role, I was doing something totally unfamiliar to me recording-wise; he uses a beep system.*.
NT: Much like they do in Los Angeles and other studios?
Greg: Yep, where you hear a series of three beeps and then you start acting on the implied fourth beep. I think I have pretty good rhythm, but boy, did I feel like a white boy trying to get it on that fourth beep. So, I’ve gotten the hang of it and it’s a pretty interesting way to record.
NT: So that was the first time you’ve ever recorded that way?
Greg: First time ever, yeah. And Carl has a really interesting way of pulling a very different type of performance out of an actor. Very different from the very singsong performances you get on high-energy shows. So, I enjoyed it. I learn with every new director I work with, but obviously I wanted to work with Carl for a lot of other reasons. (Laughs) He’s the guy responsible for the dub of Totoro, so I was very excited to get a chance to work with him.
NT: You were a fan of Saiyuki before you were cast in the show, correct?
Greg: Yeah, I even have the bootleg, which is a big no-no. I was a fan of the show and my two favorite characters were Goku and Hakkai. When I got called for the audition, I knew I wouldn’t be auditioning for Sanzo, Gojyo, or Hakkai, so I pretty much figured it was going to be an episode character, or with my fingers crossed, hoping it would be Goku, but I didn’t know it was going to be Goku until I got in for the first audition.
NT: So you really wanted to voice Goku?
Greg: Ohhh yeah! There’s no denying that! (Laughs) Goku is probably the anime character closest to my real personality. I’m not saying I’m as tough as Goku or anything, but he’s definitely got a lot of my fire and a lot of my spunk, and the same things kind of flip his switches that get mine boiled too, like people hurting their friends, or food. So, I really identify with that little dude a lot.
NT: But do you have any favorite villains from the show?
Greg: Oh, there’re so many great villains in Saiyuki. I have affection for the spider lady or queen in episode two, because it was my first villain I ever got to kill in any anime. It was pretty wild, because I went in to record at nine in the morning and at the time I was working for a law firm, so my day was pretty ho-hum. And so I go into the recording studio and I’m like, “Hey Steven! What are we doing today?” And he says, “Oh, you’re killing the spider queen today!” And I was like “Ok...” But, there’re obviously a lot of good villains in Saiyuki. Kou Gaiji who’s kind of like a non-villain villain, because he’s kind of Goku’s sparring partner, and there’s Homura, who I can’t say too much about. There are some other people that creep up from time to time. Shue and Chinisu. I think Chinisu rates the highest on the creepy factor. Chinisu is the gentleman that turns up in, I believe, volume two or three. He’s actually the spirit of a guy who comes back to mess with Hakkai unmercifully.
NT: Are you glad to see the show, so well received with the fans? Everywhere I look at the convention, somebody has a Saiyuki shirt on.
Greg: I’m really stoked. Saiyuki is a show I really love. I love all the projects that I’m working on, but Saiyuki is a show that is really important to me, because it’s a show I really like a lot. The initial reaction to the dub on the Internet was horrifying. I think I almost cried after I read the first review, because I love the show so much. It was, “Someone find the people responsible for this dub and shoot them!” And, as with any anonymous person on the Internet, those reviews are very easy to write. As I started actually talking to people, and as I started reading e-mail and checking out the Dub Review forums, I got a lot of really neat feedback. A lot of people that thought Saiyuki was just a typical bishounen fest, actually think it’s a really funny show, and are enjoying the comedy of it. When the drama side creeps in on them in season two, I think it’s going to be a really nice payoff. I want nothing but success for Saiyuki, not for my own reasons, but just because I love the show that much.
NT: People are definitely seeing the humor, because I know quite a few people who comment that it looks like the cast had such a great time recording the show, and I imagine Steven Foster (director of Saiyuki's dub) had a big part in that.
Greg: Steven’s always a blast to record with; he’s really funny. He gets great work out of us and keeps us laughing all at the same time. I think that everyone has really grown into their parts really well. David Matranga really fit into Sanzo’s shoes immediately. Illich is definitely a perfect Gojyo, and Braden, who as I know had never done any other voice acting, did just an amazing job being Hakkai. I also get to record with Monica (Rial) and Chris (Patton), which is always fun. Monica was my girlfriend in episode two; so, having one of your best friends play your girlfriend is kind of funny. I still giggle when I see episode two.
Check back for the next installment where we talk about some of the other great titles Greg has been involved with, such as Full Metal Panic and fan favorite Super GALS!, as well as other aspects of recording.
* The recording method used by ADV generally features the Japanese track playing in the monitor headphones worn by the voice actors as they are recording.