DEBBIE RABBAI
Anime Voice Actress

Debbie(also known as Angora Deb)has done voices for various anime distributors including Manga, Central Park Media, and The Right Stuf. She has been such characters as Sofia in Battle Arena Toshinden, Lief and Marfa in the Lodoss War TV series, Shaia in Gowkaiser, Alcyone in Rayearth, and the lead roles in Ayane's High Kick, Maze, and Agent Aika, She has also performed on the Dreamcast video game, Shenmue.

DEBBIE'S CREDITS

Agent Aika, Ayane's High Kick, Battle Arena Toshinden OVA, Birdy The Mighty, Boogiepop Phantom, Geobreeders, Gokudo: Swordsman Extroirdinaire, Himiko's Story, Hyper Speed Grandoll, I Dream Of Mimi, Maze, My My Mai, Patlabor, Rayearth, Record Of Lodoss War-Chronicles Of The Heroic Knight, Shenmue, Virgin Fleet, Voltage Fighter Gowkaiser, Wild Cardz

Interview taken over the internet. (Febuary 2002)

• WHAT MOTIVATED YOU TO GET IN TO ANIME VOICE ACTING?
  It was an accident. It wasn't something that I pursued. I was working on a live industrial for an electronics company and Bill Timoney heard me joking around and making silly sounds and creating silly voices and he told me he thought I'd be good at doing anime. I didn't know what is was. I was like 'Anna who?'. But he did in fact call me in for an audition and I got a part. The anime was My My Mai.
  
  
• TELL US ABOUR YOUR FIRST EXPERIENCE AS AN ANIME VOICE-ACTRESS.
  Well, I was cast as Mii, and since I had never dubbed before, I can't really remember what my actual experience was because it happened quite a while ago. But I do remember a funny anecdote from that particular recording session.
  
  
• DID YOU THINK YOUR ANIME VERSION OF SOFIA FROM TOSHINDEN WAS MORE TONED-DOWN THEN HER VIDEO GAME COUNTEPART?
  Well, I think she looks alot better in the anime. I'm not sure who made the choice for her to to not have that Swedish or German accent in the anime that she has in the game. But I was certainly told not to do an accent. I think the anime version of Sofia is more sexy and she does have that little nude scene in the un-cut version. She is also more developed as a character and we get to know more about her history with the mind control and everything. I don't know if I'd say toned-down.
  
  
• WHAT DID YOU THINK OF YOUR ROLE AS AIKA?
  It was fun to voice. Suprising and fun. I didn't know that there would be soooo many panty shots!!! Hello! I like her character though. She's sexy, strong, smart, and isn't afraid to wear a transforming bustier. She's a fighter that I'd certainly want on my team. In terms of the voice I created for her, it's kinda' sexy but also close enough to my actual speaking voice as not to be a caricature.
  
  
• HOW DID YOU GO ABOUT DOING LIEF IN THE LODOSS TV SERIES? DID YOU TRY TO MAKE PEOPLE KNOW SHE WASN'T JUST A DEEDLIT SUBSTIBUTE?
  I was very well directed in Lodoss War. Mike Alben, the director, had a very clear idea of how he wanted the character of Lief to sound. The same goes for Marfa, When I would dub a line if he felt it didn't have the right emotional quality or enough sarcasm or whatever, he'd give me very specific direction. He was very helpful as a director, especially because he had a vision about the character's intentions. In regards to Deedlit, I didn't know who she was was at the time. Again, it's really due to Mike's idea of how the different character's voices should sound in the series. He also made sure the scripts were well adapted and that the words fit the flaps.
  
  
• ABOUT AYANE'S HIGH KICK. DO YOU THINK IT WAS MORE OF A GIRL VERSION OF ROCKY OR KARATE KID?
  Given the choice between those two, I'd have to say Karate Kid. But see, she gets tricked into becoming a kickboxer, whereas little Ralph Macchio wanted to learn karate.
  
  
• FOR SHAIA, HOW DID YOU PICTURE HER WHEN DOING HER? AS A SUPERHERO, A POP IDOL, A GODDESS, OR WHAT?
  She seemed to me like a fairy princess. I think she even had wings in one or two shots. I think she called herself Misty Shaia and that sounded kind of fairy-like to me.
  
  
• AS FEMALE MAZE, WHAT DID YOU DO FOR A GIRL WHO PROBABLY HAS THE STRANGEST CASE OF A SPLIT PERSONALITY?
  Yeah, that was an intersting character. It was important though for me to maintain the female side of her and not get sucked into the more aggressive portrayal when she became a man.
  
  
• IN GEOBREEDERS, DO YOU THINK YOUR ROLE AS PRESIDENT UMEZAKI WAS SOMEONE WHO WAS STRUGGLING WITH THE FACT THAT SHE HAD A THING FOR HER ONLY MALE EMPLOYER?
  I just saw her as kind of a tomboy in a girlish anime world. She likes ammuntion and weapons and dresses like a mafioso so we felt that the accent I gave her would round around the character. I didn't think of her in terms of having a crush that she was trying to hide. I mostly focussed on her strength and fighting spirit.
  
  
• WAS IT HARD TO PLAY A CHARACTER AS AGRESSIVE AS ALCYONE?
  Well, it was a departure for me vocally and emotionally. I'm not usually cast in the role of villain in the anime world. I've not had the oppurtunity to see Rayearth so I don't know how my voice turned out.
  
  
• HOW WAS YOUR EXPERIENCE DUBBING SHENMUE?
  Terrific! I was treated really well. It was by far the best dubbing/voicing job I've ever had. I auditioned for it here in NYC and was then flown to Japan to do the actual work. I was flown business class, round trip and stayed in Yokohama for 7 days. A dream come true! The recording took all of about an hour and the rest of the time I was there I really got to explore the city some more. I'd been to Japan like seven times before that but had never been to Yokohama. I remember I went to Kabuki and went to Nikko state park. The recording session itself was a little bit of a challenge because the director only spoke Japanese, so there was a translator there who was in the studio with me who would give me directions. It was interesting because I remember wondering if the director's comments in Japanese could be translated effectively into English so that I could give him what he wanted for the character. I guess they were happy with what I did.
  
  
• WHAT FUTURE ROLES DO YOU HAVE COMING UP?
  I'll be voicing the role of Rubette in Gokudo. I'm the voice of Shiho in a live action movie called Gonin. I'm also the voice of Shino in Himiko Den. I also voiced the roles of Boogiepop, Toka, and Sayoko in Boogiepop Phantom.
  

Debbie's email