Crying Freeman

Crying Freeman
Original Title	クライング フリーマン (Kuraingu Furīman)
Original Language	Japanese
Dubbing Studio 1	World Wide Sound
Dubbing Studio 2	Studiopolis
Dubbing Studio 3	ADV Studios
Voice Director 1	Michael Bakewell
Voice Director 2	Carl Macek
Translation & Adaptation	Marc Smith (Manga UK Dub) Andrew Dederer (Streamline Dub)
Recorded	1993-1994 1994-1995 2003
Dub Country 1	United Kingdom
Dub Country 2	United States
Original Country	Japan
Episodes	6
Year	1988-1994

Crying Freeman (クライング フリーマン Kuraingu Furīman) is a 6 episode anime OVA series based on the manga series written by Kazuo Koike and illustrated by Ryoichi Ikegami. It was released on home video in Japan from September 1988 to January 1994.

Synopsis Yō Hinomura was an ordinary Japanese potter when a run-in with a Chinese mafia changed his life forever. Now an assassin for the 108 Dragons, Yō is the perfect killing machine. As a sign for remorse over his victims, he sheds tears after eliminating his targets. Because of this, he is infamously known by the Dragons and every crime syndicate in the world as "Crying Freeman."

Dubbing History

Prior to the better known American made dub of the series, Manga UK acquired the series and provided their own dub, covering all 6 episodes on 5 VHS tapes released from 1993-1995.

In the United States, Streamline Pictures acquired the rights to the series, dubbing the first 5 episodes and releasing them on VHS in 1995. However, due to Streamline's problems with its distribution company, Orion Pictures, the sixth episode was not initially covered until the rights were picked up by ADV Films in 2003. While ADV picked up and later redubbed many titles originally dubbed by Streamline, ADV went another route. Rather than redub the series with their own cast, Steve Bulen and Edie Mirman were flown out to Houston to reprise their roles, while the rest of the cast (fortunately, none of which appeared in prior episodes) were voiced by ADV's regular talent pool.

Cast

Main Characters

Image	Character	Seiyū	Dub Actor
			Manga Dub	Streamline / ADV Dub
	Yō Hinomura / Crying Freeman	Toshio Furukawa	Steven Tremblay	Steve Bulen
	Emu Hino / Hu Qing Lan	Chiharu Kataishi	Edita Brychta	Edie Mirman

Secondary Characters

Image	Character	Seiyū	Dub Actor		Episodes
			Manga Dub	Streamline / ADV Dub
	Hu Feng Ling	Nobuyo Tsuda	Rosemary Miller	Catherine Battistone	1-3
	Bai Ya Shan	Dump Matsumoto	Debora Weston	Barbara Goodson	2-3, 5
	Huang De Yuan / Koh Tokugen	Ryūsei Nakao	Vincent Marzello	Jeff Winkless	1-2
	Ron Fu / Baiba Long	Kōhei Miyauchi	John Baddeley	Edward Mannix	1-3
	Detective Nitta	Yūsaku Yara	Bob Sherman	Michael McConnohie	1, 4
	Kimie Hanada	Masako Katsuki	Liza Ross	Catherine Battistone	1, 4
	Bagnag / Dark Eyes	Yoshiko Sakakibara	Nicolette McKenzie	Melanie MacQueen	2-5

Episodic Characters

Image	Character	Seiyū	Dub Actor		Episodes
			Manga Dub	Streamline / ADV Dub
	Ryuji Hanada	Takaya Hashi	Bob Sessions	Kerrigan Mahan	1
	Shudo Shimazaki	Nobuo Yana	Burt Kwouk	Michael Forest	1
	Shieshinye	Osamu Saka	Terrence Hardiman	Tom Wyner	2
	Jinshinye	Kazumi Tanaka		Simon Prescott	2
			Sean Barrett		3
	Kitche	Toshiko Fujita	Shelley Thompson	Diane Michelle	2
	Chen	Kōji Totani	Jay Benedict	Eddie Frierson	2
	Don Carleone	Banjō Ginga	Peter Marinker	Michael Forest	2
	Yan	Ryō Horikawa	Colin Bruce	Michael McConnohie	2
	Miranda	Kyoko Terase		Eleni Kelakos	3
	Jigon	Daisuke Gōri	Sean Barrett	Mike Reynolds	3
	Shikebaro	Norio Wakamoto		Gregory Snegoff	3
	Goken Ishida	Osamu Saka	Garard Green	David Povall	3
	Professor Mikage	Masaharu Satō	Graydon Gould	Tom Wyner	3
	Oshu Tohgoku	Ryūzaburō Ōtomo		Tony Clay	4
	Master Naitai	Ichirō Nagai		Mike Reynolds	4
	Nina Heaven	Gara Takashima	Pamela Merrick	Wendee Lee	5
	Wonshaku	Mika Doi	Shelley Thompson	Iona Morris	5
	Larry Buck	Seizō Katō	Graydon Gould	Wally Burr	5
	Lucky Boyd	Kōji Totani	Allan Wenger	Gregory Snegoff	5
	Wong	Osamu Saka	John Blythe	Simon Prescott	5
	Tsunaike	Bin Shimada		John Swasey	6
	Tania	Kyoko Terase		Shawn Taylor	6
	Choki Tateyou	Kaneto Shiozawa		Vic Mignogna	6
	Dairi	Ikuya Sawaki		John Tyson	6
	Watajimi	Shōzō Iizuka		Mike Kleinhenz	6
	Chairman	Masato Hirano		Phil Ross	6
	Nicholaiev	Kiyoyuki Yanada		Andy McAvin	6
	Kiya	Akiko Matsuda		Kira Vincent-Davis	6
	Yanagi	Kōji Totani		Sean O'Neel	6

Additional Voices

Manga Dub Sean Barrett Jay Benedict Mike Fitzpatrick Peter Marinker Terrence Hardiman Bob Sessions

Streamline Dub (1-5) Catherine Battistone Richard Cansino Russel Case Lara Cody Eddie Frierson Eleni Kelakos Alexandra Kenworthy Carl Macek Kerrigan Mahan Michael McConnohie David Povall Simon Prescott Mike Reynolds Lia Sargent Gregory Snegoff Kirk Thornton Dean Wein

ADV Dub (6) Rick Burford Victor Carsrud James Marshall Andy McAvin Kira Vincent-Davis

Notes

• Peter Marinker is credited under the alias "Peter Wiseman" in the Manga UK Dub. Likewise, Jay Benedict is credited as "James Hathaway" and Pamela Merrick as "Pamela West". Shelley Thompson is credited both as "Katherine Pierce" in Episode 2 and as "Sara Murphy" in Episode 5. Graydon Gould is also credited under his real name in Episode 3, while being credited as "Graham Parker" in Episode 5.
• In the Manga dub of Episode 1, when Nitta says "The gangster’s expected to come after you, so they’ll be waiting for an opportunity to kill him." the last part ("kill him") sounds to have been spliced in using a different voice actor (likely Peter Marinker).

Video Releases

Distributor	Year	Format	Contents	Dub	Region	Country
Manga Entertainment	1993-1995		The Complete Series	Manga	PAL	United Kingdom
			5 Volumes
Streamline Pictures	1995		Episodes 1-5	Streamline	NTSC	United States
			5 Volumes
ADV Films	2003		The Complete Series	Streamline / ADV	1 NTSC
			3 Volumes
	2004		The Complete Series
			2 Discs
Discotek Media	2011		The Complete Series
			2 Discs

External Links

• Crying Freeman (anime) at the Anime News Network
• Crying Freeman at the Internet Movie Database