having had some time now to adjust to ffxiv's english VAs and not being constantly jarred by every character having a totally different voice from what i spent 7 years getting used to, i do still find it has its... quirks. the voice direction is just really strange a lot of the time, with intonations and emphasis that often feel unnatural. and several of the actors - koana, thancred, and urianger in particular - feel like they were so fucking close to their mics they were nearly swallowing them. like it's sometimes almost hard to actually comprehend thancred with how deep and breathy and overly resonant his lines are. it... feels strange that the quality of those clips passed muster
but one performance (well... two actually) that has stood out to me even despite the awkwardness is bakool ja ja. like, he's just such a fun guy to hate and the VA slathered just the right sauce on to carry that. he's big and mean and childish and hotheaded and the performance is emotive in a way that really sells it for me
(lv95 msq spoilers below)
(that's as far as i am rn so if you spoil anything from the 95 dungeon or beyond in the comments i do certainly kill you)
and god, the fuckin tantrum he throws after getting beaten by lamat. like, fully just watching the school bully finally get his ass kicked and just not understanding how to deal with it at all. and then after school seeing his dad pull up and start fucking screaming at him. just, chef's kiss of emotional ambivalence. the satisfaction of finally watching his smug mug eat shit, but with that little twist of pity in your heart as he just fully transforms into kicked puppy mode. it's hardly the most deep and nuanced pathos in the history of storytelling, but for me the simplicity of it is what lends it the impact
honestly i feel that way about most of ffxiv's (and especially dawntrail's) stories as a whole - xiv presents a world where people are fundamentally good at their core, where they are capable of learning and changing and growing, where cooperation and connection and helping others forms the backbone of what makes society work and flourish. and it is a refreshing fantasy to live out, in a real world that often feels so bleak and isolating and selfish in comparison
...anyway while i'm going on tangents in a post nominally about bakool ja ja, let me also just say that the bit where zoraal ja goddamn reverse-grips his sword just to be like "yeah i absolutely could've fuckin one-and-done you where you stand" is such badass anime shit and im so here for it