Anime dubs are usually criticized if they're unfaithful. Though certain artistic license must be taken due to localization concerns (and to match timing of lip-flaps), hardcore fans have been known to find fault with minute changes -- even if the line remains accurate to the spirit of the original. Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid and Zombieland Saga both encountered controversy years ago for either localizing some lines or more accurately translating material, thus making it different to how fans of the previous version remembered. It seems there's no universally correct way to localize anime scripts.
Except, in one very memorable case in 2000, when one studio tossed out the entire script of an anime and re-wrote it into one of the greatest gag dubs of all time. Before Yu-Gi-Oh! The Abridged Series or Dragon Ball Z Abridged popularized gag dubs of beloved anime, a not-so-popular anime received its own parody dub and, in the process, became something of a cult classic. Considering the self-referencing and level of offensiveness in its humor, it would be easy to assume it is a fan-made work, as the other aforementioned series are. Shockingly, though, the English-language Ghost Stories dub is an official release. How on Earth does something like this get made?
Ghost Stories Was Originally Aimed at Children
Ghost Stories, also known as Gakkou no Kaidan, is an adaptation of the books of the same name, written by Toru Tsunemitsu. The intention was to produce a series aimed at younger children that introduced them to classic Japanese folklore in a new way. Keep in mind, at this time Japanese horror was a big deal. Ringu, Ju-On and Audition were hitting screens, so kids would've been hearing about these popular adult scary movies they weren't allowed to watch. In theory, Ghost Stories may have sounded like an easy hit to capitalize on the trend.
Unfortunately, this was not the case. No one watched Ghost Stories and the show became a financial failure. The studio Animax, which at this time was looking to put content on its North American television station and produce content that could turn this dud into gold, attempted to dub the anime, creating a faithful script and dub that, ultimately, was tossed out. Animax then turned to dub studio ADV Films.
ADV Attempted to Dub an Acceptable Version of Ghost Stories
ADV is a household name among older anime fans, having produced successful dubs for Neon Genesis Evangelion, Excel Saga and Azumanga Daioh. Even at the time, ADV had attracted controversy for changing elements of the dub to make it more acceptable for an English-speaking audience. A great example of this would be how, in Evangelion, Tiffany Grant's portrayal of Asuka replaced tons of her lines with German. This led to a lot of controversy among fans, some of whom felt that disloyalty to the original script hurt the overall product, while others argued that it actually added and enriched Asuka's character.
Regardless, as one of the then-biggest names in anime, ADV Films was a natural pick to dub Ghost Stories. However, it was given a particularly interesting -- and possibly unique -- deal. Animax would let ADV do almost anything it wanted, so long as it made sure this show was a hit. The only three conditions were: don't change the character names (including the ghosts); don't change the way the ghosts are slain (a reference to Japanese folklore) and, finally, don't change the core meaning of each episode. Beyond that, ADV had free rein to do whatever it wanted. And it took a mile from that inch.
Even the Studio's Voice Actors Contributed to the Script
The ADR script for Ghost Stories is written by its ADR Director, Steven Foster, its translator, Lucan Duran, and all the dub actors cast in the role (which included Greg Ayres, Monica Rial, Chris Patton, among many others). The actors added their own suggestions to what their characters would say or what running gags would be recited throughout the series. The writing process was decided with the following tactic: whoever showed up to the recording studio first for a given episode would make stuff up, and everyone who came in later had to build upon the tone and jokes established in the first place. Yes, really -- that's how this official dub was written.
In addition, the actors found many workarounds to the three rules they were given. Greg Ayres, at a convention Q&A, said of Animax's terms: "We could not change how that person was killed, so if it was killed by rubbing two sticks together and chanting a phrase, that's how we had to kill it. That being said, we could change the magical phrase."
While they couldn't change the core of each episode, they could make any raunchy and inappropriate joke possible. And that's how a children's anime quickly turned into an R-Rated, raunchy love letter to bad taste. The good-natured children from the original story were replaced by a vulgar, swearing teenager; a child with a severe learning disability; a hypocritical, Jesus-obsessed evangelist; a constant victim of antisemitism and an arrogant brat who, quite frankly, is possibly the least maladjusted of the whole cast.
With every writer coming up with their own thoughts about what jokes to make, the writers' room got meta. On top of inappropriate humor, the writer-actor coalition started making pop culture jokes, poking fun at then-noteworthy celebrities (Christian Slater, for some reason known only to Greg Ayres, is a particular target), anime clichés and tropes, as well as the frankly poor animation and character models in the series itself. The fact that these writers came up with these gags is of itself not remarkable. What is remarkable is that Animax, the studio licensing out a children's show to this studio, would sign off on whatever they were sent. If anything, they actually liked the changes.
The Humor in the Ghost Stories Anime Dub Is Subjective
Today, people regularly upload clips from Ghost Stories as montages of the greatest, most outrageous anime dubs ever. It's often hailed as the forebear to the Abridging craze that ran wild over YouTube. But, tell that to the people who hated it upon release. Ghost Stories was not originally received with unanimous acclaim. Purists hated the changes and deviations, viewing it as overtly disrespectful to Japanese culture. Many others just thought it disrespectful to human decency and morality, which only proved that the jokes -- intentionally written to be as offensive as possible -- were working.
In retrospect, Ghost Stories' humor is still highly subjective. Some might not appreciate the offensive humor, but for anime fans, it was a big deal. Yes, the pop culture jokes have aged poorly -- as topical humor often does -- but this really was one of the first real big productions to make fun of inconsistent animation, awkward tropes, and, of course, how anime itself sometimes doesn't make any sense. Rather than be mean spirited about it, the show reveled in it. It celebrated every silly anime thing out there. And Animax got just what they wanted -- a total flop turned into gold.