Respect for Veronica Taylor

I've thrown the name a couple of times around on a couple of posts on this blog, but I haven't directly addressed the person - not in four and a half years - behind the name much like the ones behind the Japanese voices for Pikachu and Ash - in other words, their voice talents. And yet, she's foundationally important as the first English voice actress for Ash. I'm speaking, of course, of Veronica Taylor, the one who filled the role of Ash so characteristically for the first few years of the English dub of the Pokémon anime. This foundational role makes her deserving of respect, and this post serves to do just that.

For those who don't know me, I grew up with the English dub of Pokémon. Therefore, I grew up being exposed to her distinctive characterization of Ash, and so did many viewers of my generation. It's easy to see why the "voice chaos" happened - one part of which is due to the attachment to this fact, as viewers hold her in high regard. Long after the "voice chaos" has passed, her role is still held in the same high regard; the evidence is that the presentation of old episodes still have her voice among others. If that weren't true, everything would have been redubbed by now, but that's not the case. And that's a good thing regardless.

Now on to her voice capabilities. She's important for voicing Ash, to be sure, but she's also important for being able to voice other characters, one of which is also fundamentally important for Ash as well as the Pokémon anime in general, at least early on: Delia, his mother. As with any voice talents under any agency, she can fill and has filled the roles of other characters, some of which I also had the opportunity to watch and listen to. Yet it cannot be doubted that her work on the Pokémon anime is extensive and even "legendary", and thus she is and always will be best known for that.

As I've noted early on in this blog, before the age of social media and smartphones, she made the effort to reach out to fans by a web site and even a mailing list. She utilized this to promote the Pokémon Christmas Bash album, which allowed me to pick up the album in time. Evidently, she can sing in character as well to a certain extent, given her presence on a few tracks on the album. That becomes further support for her "legendary" work on the Pokémon anime involving different kinds of vocal work for the first few years that laid solid foundations for the existence of the English dub.

If nothing else, that commands respect, and a lot of it. Someone once said - in comments for a different kind of sound work - that being legendary isn't necessary, but being foundational and especially for new kinds of things is always important. Veronica Taylor's contributions to the Pokémon anime, particularly the English dub, is exactly that, being foundational for its existence. But with her work still remaining a hallmark and masterpiece of the Pokémon anime today, the "legend" status is still very much worthwhile. It goes back to the respect that needs to be given as it is due.

One year ago: The Social Value of Pokémon Go

Two years ago: Adventurous Families

Three years ago: Media Master

Four years ago: Catching Up