People know. It's just that every single scene in this game is bizarrely written and acted and animated. So you have an intentionally awkward scene in a game where every scene is incredibly awkward by default, and you end up with this horrible shit.
In context the laugh is fine and makes perfect sense, and of course out of context it's just flat-out hilarious. I'm surprised that people need to be reminded of this.
+MrEntinen not really. If you watch like not even 5 seconds AFTER the laugh, Tidus & Yuna both share a REAL laugh, one that's more realistic. At that point one should conclude that it's exaggerated on purpose, especially since Yuna JOINED him. Sure you can play 10hrs of the game to get FULL context ...Or listen to Yuna if one watches the full scene. *[Yuna]* "This might sound kinda funny, but summoner's are kind of like Spira's ray of light. I know it's hard ... I've practiced smiling, even when I'm feeling sad, y'know... [...] Alright, now let's see what you can do." *[Tidus forces a smile]* "Okay now try laughing out laugh." *[Tidus does infamous laugh]* (That isn't verbatim but it's the gist of what I remember.) Now one isn't gonna know what a summoner is without context, but she flat out tells him to laugh on purpose... which if anyone has ever tried doing, it's usually cringeworthy. There is no real reason, unless you specifically ONLY watch the laugh, that one shouldn't know it's supposed to sound like that.
It's more that he's doing exactly what Yuna told him to do, which was force laughter and smiles until he's tricked himself into not feeling sad- because that's what she does. It's a really dark scene, goofy forced laughter aside, because Yuna is revealing to the audience that she's miserable and conceals it for the sake of her quest and her followers who would drop the entire world for her. Meanwhile, Tidus is still to self absorbed to notice the implications of her advice that and just goes along with it, which makes Yuna see how awkward it really is when you know it's being faked.
I believe the line is something like "I used to practice laughing to myself. Wanna try it?" and Tidus is just like "Huh? Oh, OK, I guess." Yuna even joins in on the forced laughter afterwards with him just because it's so goofy, but the people who legitimately don't get the scene always seem to forget that part, lol!
dracocrusher "You know what? It's embarrassing to say this myself... But summoners and their guardians are kind of like Spira's ray of light. A lot of people in Spira depend on us. I learned to practice smiling when I'm sad, you know? I know it's hard." - Is the exact line preceding Yuna's instruction for him to force laughing aloud. Thank goodness there's a billion game script dumps out there for reference. She pretty overtly says she trained herself to smile through misery to prevent spoiling everyone's morale due her title.
gtf234 I never denied that was going on, I just recall that it was Yuna who tried to get Tidus to laugh instead of him just deciding to do it on his own in response to the original comment.
dracocrusher Ah, fair enough, I misinterpreted the response. Either way, it wasn't aimed to oppose your comment, just expand on it at the very least since I don't disagree with your statement- she does suggest it to him. My bad if the tone reads wrong.
Honestly you don't have to justify the laugh. Seeing the scene in his integrality is enough to get that it is supposed to be a forced and awkward laugh. Tidus is forcing himself to laugh to forget his own sadness, following yuna's advice and after that, we saw them have a real laugh AND the others looking at them asking "WTF is wrong with you two" ? Internet love to nitpick even for stupid and intentionnal stuff, they don't want to understand, they want to complain. Ho and by the way, you did a great job at Tidus.
To be honest, it wasnt just the internet, and it wasnt obvious at the time... If it was that way, he wouldnt have recieved so much mail abotu the topic. Every person that played the game back then and that I talked about it, said that scene was awkward...It isnt something new, it was weird from the very beginning, it came out as a bad acted laugh not as a intended bad laugh. It didnt help that some characters (not Tidus) hadd some really bad voice acting like Seymour
The voice acting wasn't that bad (it's a ps2 game, and it's aged well), and as a 6 year old playing this for the first time, I knew it was supposed to be awkward. He was cheering Yuna up. It wasn't bad voice acting lol, and if you actually paid attention to the context of the scene you'd realize that.
I have no idea why people can't figure this out. Listen to the Japanese version, it's exactly as awkward and horrible. It should also be easy to tell from the context of the scene, but apparently some people need it straight from the horse's mouth.
Totally true, I think the scene is extremely easy to understand, hell when I first played this game I was like eleven years old and I had no problem understanding it was supposed to be akward and forced as fuck.
I feel so bad for James that he actually had to go and explain this to people. For years I've witnessed people bashing this game or his work on it because of this scene, and it's crazy how many people straight up missed the point. Always excellent work from you, Sir JAT.
+Kunosachiaka I can understand it because he might get comments like "Hah, this actor sucks" or something, but I still think the intended awkwardness is unintentionally awkward still, after hearing what he had to say about it. Everytime it shows up on NeoGAF you see people go "But it's SUPPOSED to be awkward" -- yeah, I (probably "we") get that, but it's still a really weird moment. It's not relateable-awkward it's like "what did these writers smoke?"-Awkward.
Linkenski He just explained it to you. It's supposed to be a weird awkward laugh because it in turn makes Yuna laugh for real and cheers her up, where Tidus also laughs for real. Then they both spend some time making awkward laughs together. It's for fun and to lighten the mood. I don't care about NeoGAF this is a comment from the voice actor himself based on his acting direction and he understands the reason why he was given that direction. This is what I mean by crazy.
***** I get what it means for the story but I still find it to be an awkward scene but I get why other people don't think so as well ;) It's just a very japanese way of showing the two characters develop their bond :3
+Kunosachiaka it really is sad, just shows the average videogame fan isn't very smart. It'll take a while until people appreciate games like they do film.
ihatevoyager Get off your soapbox. All it takes to see it from where I stand is a lick of common sense. Nobody would ever "bond" in the way Yuna and Tidus do in real life, but dude, I'm not an FF fan in the first place (I think they're all cringeworthy games) so I have nothing to have my opinions in besides that I think they are extremely dorky games and not only by intent.
Amen. I'm not the biggest fan of FFX or its story, but I did like Tidus a lot. He actually seemed like a realistic, human character, and not some over the top invincible super hero. And while I always thought it was obvious it was awkward on purpose, it's nice to finally have James Arnold Taylor confirm it. Tidus and Yuna were two teens going through some traumatic events, and this was meant to show how they were so deep into it that they had a hard time forcing themselves to laugh, something normal people who aren't experiencing tragedy every day can do easily.
+Runie549 Indeed, he was a very grounded and human character, and he served his purpose as the audience surrogate. He was the lens for the players to look through, to understand this new and foreign world along with him, asking all the right questions, and learning as he and us went along the journey. I love him. He's a goofy dude, who just wants to understand where he is and what's going on, just as we do. He's not my number one favorite protagonist, but he's high on the list, for sure, and doesn't deserve any of the hate he receives.
So what? People don't have to like something just because it has a purpose... I just can't stand the characters and I don't care about Tidus being annoying and dumb is intentional. Now, it is stupid though that people criticise the voice actor for it.
I don't know why people need to be so obnoxiously negative about everything. I got the intent of the laugh in the first time I played the game, Tidus was sad, Yuna was trying to cheer him up, it's clear as daylight that THE CHARACTER forced the laugh and it works in the context of the scene flawlessly. So to you weabos that think the japanese dub is million times better just because is japanese, go watch this scene with the original audio and come back here... just go lol Also, this is is the first time I actually meet the guy behind the voice, and I have some things to say to you is: Thank you, you are part of a game that brings me some amazing and nostalgic memories for me, keep up the good work and also, haters gonna hate...Just ignore them lol
Because people didn't give a shit about the story, and when they stumbled upon this scene, they must've been like "wtf is this shit laugh" as they had no context. Then they go and post reviews.
It was obvious to me when I was a kid that the laugh and the scene was supposed to be awkward and what it meant for the characters and the story. I never understood how a lot of people and even fans of FF and FFX in particular didn't get it. It was always disappointing when they said it was badly acted and more recently started chalking it up to it being an early 2000's game, when in reality the VA is more than decent for the time (especially the main characters are all great) and has some really talented actors in it that have been doing acting long before FFX. I don't get how people can play RPGs, these deep emotional, psychological journeys and things like this just go past people. It's basic storytelling and it's not even that subtle, you just need a little empathy to feel with the characters, nothing more. To be fair though, the Tidus Laugh out of context is pretty funny, too, there's a lot of humour in it.
+Vagrant I agree I always found the laugh to be hilarious because it was a wtf is going on why is he laughing out loud like that. Don't even understand why people can't even comprehend that it was done on purpose.
Thank you James for your great performance in FFX. You and Hedy Burress gave the game, and especially the beautiful relationship of Yuna and Tidus true life and made the characters believable. I absolutely adore your voice acting in this game, and i cannot understand the negative opinions. Tidus sounds like a very sincere, honest, light hearted guy to me. And i never had an issue with the laughing scene, on the contrary, i always liked it. And if you watch the whole scene and not only the laugh, completely out of context, it is imo VERY obvious that it is supposed to be arkward.. how can anyone miss that?? It is a sincere, and in the end very touching scene. You and all the other great voice actors made this game very special to me, in fact it is my favourite game ever. And mostly because my emotions get completely engaged while i'm playing it - your performance has a big part in that. Thank you.
Considering the cultural differences between the Japanese and Americans, it is not surprising at all that people would not get it. To Americans it sounds like a random laugh that comes out of no where but to the Japanese it takes on a different meaning.
Punished Guts But it doesn't come out of nowhere. It happens right after Tidus founds out that Sin is his dad. The dialog right before the scene clearly shows that Tidus is feeling down about finding out about his dad. The two of them try to cheer each other up. There is literally no cultural difference what so ever. Just a bunch of dumb people.
The cynic in me just thinks that it's just idiots still blindly parroting that lolcow Spoony's review. (tho that said he's why I pronounce it "Tie-dus".)
James, I'm sure you hear this all the time... but you were such an incredible part of my childhood, and you helped to forge one of the greatest adventures of my life. Thank you for what you do. When I die, I hope that Besaid Island awaits me in the next realm.
While I haven't played the game in quite a while, thank you for being so memorable an more ways than one. I hope any future projects you take on are fill with joys and maybe even some meme magic.
Thanks so much for voicing Tidus, I can't imagine anyone else having done it! Your performance was so genuine, and Tidus' character and his struggle with Jecht, all of it just resonated with me so much, and your performance really helped that.
I want to thank you as well because I never have. I play this game through from the beginning at least once a year, and it will never get old. It has changed my life, and I continue to and always will enjoy your work!
Final Fantasy X is the game that got me into not just Final Fantasy, but JRPGs as a whole. Tidus (Sorry, but I still say Tide Us, been that way for years xD) is one of my all time favorite characters, because just like him, I was thrust into a new world I knew nothing about. And he has such a good hero voice. James, you're still one of the best voice actors ever, and just hearing your Tidus voice brings back many memories.
James, as someone who grew up with FFX on the PS2 during my teens, I loved the way you did the voice acting for Tidus, including the laugh. I always understood that it was supposed to be awkward as hell. So anyway, thank you for doing such a phenomenal job on his voice acting back then.
I love how the scene itself points out how the laugh is supposed to be awkward and forced, with Tidus and Yuna even laughing for real after their fake laughter. And it takes the actual voice actor telling people that the scene was meant to be awkward for people to get it.
Can I just say, you were perfect in this game sir, as were all of your coworkers. Regardless of what others may say, you really made Tidus feel exactly like he was supposed to be: A goofy, but ultimately happy go lucky fish out water who had plenty of emotional baggage, but changed the world for the better.
For what it's worth, Mr. Taylor, sir. The moment in the intro of the game that I heard you saying the words, "Listen to my story. This...may be our last chance." - anything even vaguely resembling doubt left my mind; I knew immediately I had to play Final Fantasy X through to the very end. Voice acting was a big step, going from FF9 - and a step taken well. Maybe it wasn't perfect, but oh was it memorable for so many good reasons. What a journey. Anyone who says this was the worst voice acted role you ever took...well I can't possible disagree with them more. Maybe that's because this was the first VA work of yours I heard, but I still like to believe it's because you did very well as Tidus. I hope that, if Square does go through with bringing the next Dissidia game from Japan to America, you can come back and voice Tidus again, because there could never be any other Tidus but you, in my mind. ...for that matter, I admit I'm a bit surprised SquareEnix didn't try to work in the awkward laugh as a "victory quote" in one of the two PSP Dissidia games. I'd have gone for that, hahah. Like, "Hey, I almost lost...but I still won! AHHHHHAHAHAHAHAH!" or something. Oh geez, good times.
It's crazy how many people didn't understand that the first laugh was supposed to be forced. But luckily there's also plenty of people that did get it. I loved your role as Tidus in both FFX and Dissidia. o/
I always found the Tidus Laugh a bit melancholic. Though he is being goofy, in both versions you can hear the weight of the trials that lead to this scene in the sigh in the middle of it. Amazingly acted in both languages.
One of my favorite scenes from Final Fantasy X. Because of the character moment between Tidus and Yuna. At first it was because of how awkward it is that made it one of my favorite scenes in the game, but after rewatching it, it's more than that. :) Also, THANK YOU for clearing up the pronunciation of Tidus. Good to know that I've been saying it "correctly." :D
Nice to see this pop up on related videos. Your voicework on Tidus was absolutely one of the best aspects of FFX imo. There's such an excellent contrast from Tidus' flashback narrative to your current parts of the journey. And I was always confused why the laugh caught on as a "bad" performance. Of course it was supposed to sound terrible, because it was a fake laugh, and the scene even ends with genuine laughter for contrast! It was one of many excellent character building moments in the story.
Randomly stumbled across this video but thank you for your work. FFX was my first FF game many many years ago and I’ve since been through it so many times, it has a very special place in my heart. Thank you for being the voice to one of my favourite and memorable characters
i think he did a great job, i loved it at the time! He just portrayed the tidus charater the ways it was supossed to be, plus, did anyone thought that scene was bad acting? For real? you know there was a context and a reason why it was that way!
Final Fantasy X is my all time favourite game. I even have a tattoo from it. Thank you for the awesome voice acting for Tidus, you made it feel so alive and real! Much greetings from Germany
This is the only FF game that I can name off all the characters without even thinking. Seriously, that's how iconic and memorable these characters are to this day. Best FF game ever!!
Man you were such a big part of my childhood and now early adult years. Hearing you do tidus voice nearly brings tears to my eyes. Much love, hope all is well and bright in your future!
Tidus was depressed at the time, he just found out his dad has been a time travelling whale for 10 years who proceeded to then throw him into a completely foreign world 1000 years in the future. Yuna forcing something silly on him broke him out of his funk and returned him to his happy go lucky self.
I always found this to be incredibly obvious, so I never really got why a video had to be made to explain such a thing at first, but then again, I've seen many people who are quite slow when it comes to these kinds of things
I love this guy. He actually sat down & took the time to explain something about a character he voiced nearly 14 years ago. This scene honestly needs no explanation, those who didn't get it clearly either never played the game... or idk take the time to watch the rest of the scene. But to you, James Arnold Taylor, thank you for voicing a character in a game so near & dear to my heart. For adding in your acting that, for me, not only enhanced my view of Tidus, but made me fall in love with his story. Thank you. :)
ThatChainmecha It's super cheesy, and given what it means, there were many other ways to deliver it without being the way it is. There's a difference between a forced laugh and acting stupid. It's super awkward with everyone watching and sets up Tidus like a jerk, and the reveals later on the game rectroactively make the scene worse.
+SergioSource Cheesy is funny. They laugh afterwords because it's stupid. What are you even saying? It's not about what you feel. Everyone feels differently. What matters are what the characters feel. That makes a good story. And sets up Tidus like a jerk? What?
I'm not sure if there's a best website or even youtube video of yours to post this, so I think this area will do just fine. Thank you very much for your voicework, James. I appreciate your voicework as Tidus especially. Final Fantasy X was one of the first examples that RPGs could serve as proper vehicles for voice acting through the entirety of the game. The amount of voicework is still impressive years later. Tidus is also a very spirited character, and you've continued to do a great job giving him life in the titles since then, like Dissidia Final Fantasy. So to sum up, thanks a lot for your contributions, James!
Oh god this clears up everything, i never hated the laugh i loved it and i can actually HEAR Tidus in you when you're just talking. I adore FFX as a whole and the voice acting was absolutely amazing, could feel the emotion you gave as did everyone else. Can't wait to see some more from you man!
Every playthrough I change his name to Taidus because how we got “Teedus” from “Tidus” makes no sense to me, especially when his name in Japanese is “Tiida.” XD
I missed hearing Tidus' voice so much, just listening to you talk is amazing... I closed my eyes and just pictured Tidus and a smile popped on my face :)
I love you man, you are such an amazing voice actor. Ratchet and Clank is a big part of my childhood, and Tidus's story is amazing as well, you did an excellent job portraying these two characters.
I always used to say tee-duss, but then I heard Selphie in Kingdom Hearts 2 say tie-duss, and THEN he was called tee-duss in Dissidia =S WHICH ONE IS IT?!
It's easy to make fun of things when you just take them out of context. While I find it funny too when I see youtube videos of it, I always saw it as an actual good character moment when playing the game. The other adult characters in the scene clearly saw it as awkward too.
This was always so obvious to me. Pretty embarrassing that it actually had to be explained. Also no offense James, but I'm still gonna say "tie-dus." :p
+SailorMars768 Honestly, I believe that this should be the proper pronunciation. He looks like an islander and even Brotherhood has some oceanic details to it, so why remove the "tide" from Tidus' name? I'll always be upset that the Japanese naming convention used English spelling rather than phonetics to name him. Tie-dus just fits his character better in my opinion.
His name in Okinawan means sun, so it need to be pronounced that way in Japanese, but they didn't need to in English. I like both pronunciations, but I catch myself saying teedus more now. What I really wish though is that Zidane's name was zih-dane, instead of zih-dahn. The English spelling with the E at the end was soooo misleading you would've never guessed the correct pronunciation. :/
+Jonét Harry I know about the Okinawan thing, but like you said, it doesn't really apply to English-speaking players anyway. I personally don't think there should be a "correct" pronunciation, just say it however it comes naturally to you.
+SailorMars768 You have a point, but let's take the video game context away. If a foreign person mispronounced your name, you would probably correct him, right? There's really no reason to pronounce it wrong for an English speaker, the name does not have an awkward sound that does not exist in English or anything, and since when has spelling been a good way to determine how words are pronounced in English? :P
I love hearing direct insight from those who have played a huge part in games I grew up with and cherished. it's a treat. your involvement in FFX was perfect, for lack of a better word. it was overall childish and silly (as intended), but mature and resonating where it was needed. you pulled it all off very well, Mr. Taylor. I hope to hear your work in even more big-name titles.
+letsgetthisoverwith He has talked about this in a new video of how the pronunciation came to be. Japanese VA voiced over the trailer and called him Tee-dus and it stuck from that point on. Also Tidus name in the japanese version of the game is Tiida (tee-duh) which means Sun whilst Yuna means Moon in the old Okanawin Language. The Tiida pronunciation being tee-duh is most likely why the Japanese VA went with Tee-dus.
@@MrMartDK well japanese people dont give a shit about how you idiots want to pronounce tidus, they named him " TeeDus" get over it , you language is not the most important in the universe
that scene is one of my favourites in the game it's so beautiful.... that forced laugh holds all the pain that Tidus was going through... and the way Yuna comes to him and kind of lights him up and they genuinely laugh together
Sounds silly to your shitty launguage, its suposed to sound good in japanese , if your counrty cant stand that s product is not designed to get around their little dicks its not japan' s problem, it doesnt sound silly its just you
I didn't know that a voice actor that voiced some of my favorite childhood characters had an official youtube channel until now. Definitely subbing, keep up the great work, man.
Did people not know this scene was supposed to be ironic?
+Sokka2Me It was taken out of context and just ran from there
It's more of a meme these days.
People know.
It's just that every single scene in this game is bizarrely written and acted and animated. So you have an intentionally awkward scene in a game where every scene is incredibly awkward by default, and you end up with this horrible shit.
+Sokka2Me People who bitched about this scene always struck me as fairly dim witted.
+Sokka2Me Just Gamefaqs.
In context the laugh is fine and makes perfect sense, and of course out of context it's just flat-out hilarious. I'm surprised that people need to be reminded of this.
to be fair, you'd have to play like 10 hours of FF10 to get the context. Bit of a tall order for 35 second youtube clip
Here here :)
+MrEntinen The context of the full cutscene is more than enough.
and the clip isnt the full cutscene
+MrEntinen not really. If you watch like not even 5 seconds AFTER the laugh, Tidus & Yuna both share a REAL laugh, one that's more realistic. At that point one should conclude that it's exaggerated on purpose, especially since Yuna JOINED him.
Sure you can play 10hrs of the game to get FULL context ...Or listen to Yuna if one watches the full scene. *[Yuna]* "This might sound kinda funny, but summoner's are kind of like Spira's ray of light. I know it's hard ... I've practiced smiling, even when I'm feeling sad, y'know... [...] Alright, now let's see what you can do." *[Tidus forces a smile]* "Okay now try laughing out laugh." *[Tidus does infamous laugh]* (That isn't verbatim but it's the gist of what I remember.)
Now one isn't gonna know what a summoner is without context, but she flat out tells him to laugh on purpose... which if anyone has ever tried doing, it's usually cringeworthy. There is no real reason, unless you specifically ONLY watch the laugh, that one shouldn't know it's supposed to sound like that.
I've always thought that Tidus laughed that way intentionally to make Yuna laugh, to cheer her up. So, for me it was a brilliant laughter.
It's more that he's doing exactly what Yuna told him to do, which was force laughter and smiles until he's tricked himself into not feeling sad- because that's what she does. It's a really dark scene, goofy forced laughter aside, because Yuna is revealing to the audience that she's miserable and conceals it for the sake of her quest and her followers who would drop the entire world for her. Meanwhile, Tidus is still to self absorbed to notice the implications of her advice that and just goes along with it, which makes Yuna see how awkward it really is when you know it's being faked.
I believe the line is something like "I used to practice laughing to myself. Wanna try it?" and Tidus is just like "Huh? Oh, OK, I guess." Yuna even joins in on the forced laughter afterwards with him just because it's so goofy, but the people who legitimately don't get the scene always seem to forget that part, lol!
dracocrusher
"You know what? It's embarrassing to say this myself... But summoners and their guardians are kind of like Spira's ray of light. A lot of people in Spira depend on us. I learned to practice smiling when I'm sad, you know? I know it's hard." -
Is the exact line preceding Yuna's instruction for him to force laughing aloud. Thank goodness there's a billion game script dumps out there for reference. She pretty overtly says she trained herself to smile through misery to prevent spoiling everyone's morale due her title.
gtf234
I never denied that was going on, I just recall that it was Yuna who tried to get Tidus to laugh instead of him just deciding to do it on his own in response to the original comment.
dracocrusher Ah, fair enough, I misinterpreted the response. Either way, it wasn't aimed to oppose your comment, just expand on it at the very least since I don't disagree with your statement- she does suggest it to him. My bad if the tone reads wrong.
Stay away from the summoner
+otakuchrash you're a bad man
otakuchrash idk y i read this in grandma's voice from besaid
Poor Final fantasy Fan staaaaaayyyyy awaaaayyy from the SUMMONER
Heathen!
whats a summer-ner?
Honestly you don't have to justify the laugh. Seeing the scene in his integrality is enough to get that it is supposed to be a forced and awkward laugh. Tidus is forcing himself to laugh to forget his own sadness, following yuna's advice and after that, we saw them have a real laugh AND the others looking at them asking "WTF is wrong with you two" ?
Internet love to nitpick even for stupid and intentionnal stuff, they don't want to understand, they want to complain.
Ho and by the way, you did a great job at Tidus.
"They Don't want to understand, they want to complain" Sir that needs to be put on a Plaque and hung somewhere important! Bravo to you!
Tu as oublié de conclure par " alors... FERMEZ LA !!! " ;)
The thing is most people now just see the clip out of context where it just seems bad and makes no sense due to it somehow becoming a bit of a "meme".
To be honest, it wasnt just the internet, and it wasnt obvious at the time...
If it was that way, he wouldnt have recieved so much mail abotu the topic.
Every person that played the game back then and that I talked about it, said that scene was awkward...It isnt something new, it was weird from the very beginning, it came out as a bad acted laugh not as a intended bad laugh.
It didnt help that some characters (not Tidus) hadd some really bad voice acting like Seymour
The voice acting wasn't that bad (it's a ps2 game, and it's aged well), and as a 6 year old playing this for the first time, I knew it was supposed to be awkward. He was cheering Yuna up. It wasn't bad voice acting lol, and if you actually paid attention to the context of the scene you'd realize that.
I have no idea why people can't figure this out. Listen to the Japanese version, it's exactly as awkward and horrible. It should also be easy to tell from the context of the scene, but apparently some people need it straight from the horse's mouth.
+Nukle0n My thoughts exactly. I knew this first time I played it.
+Nukleon In japanes it sounds like a crow.
Totally true, I think the scene is extremely easy to understand, hell when I first played this game I was like eleven years old and I had no problem understanding it was supposed to be akward and forced as fuck.
@@alvarosanchez8470 well you see, you actually played the game
He sounds like a crow in the Japanese version😂
I feel so bad for James that he actually had to go and explain this to people. For years I've witnessed people bashing this game or his work on it because of this scene, and it's crazy how many people straight up missed the point. Always excellent work from you, Sir JAT.
+Kunosachiaka I can understand it because he might get comments like "Hah, this actor sucks" or something, but I still think the intended awkwardness is unintentionally awkward still, after hearing what he had to say about it. Everytime it shows up on NeoGAF you see people go "But it's SUPPOSED to be awkward" -- yeah, I (probably "we") get that, but it's still a really weird moment. It's not relateable-awkward it's like "what did these writers smoke?"-Awkward.
Linkenski
He just explained it to you. It's supposed to be a weird awkward laugh because it in turn makes Yuna laugh for real and cheers her up, where Tidus also laughs for real. Then they both spend some time making awkward laughs together. It's for fun and to lighten the mood. I don't care about NeoGAF this is a comment from the voice actor himself based on his acting direction and he understands the reason why he was given that direction. This is what I mean by crazy.
***** I get what it means for the story but I still find it to be an awkward scene but I get why other people don't think so as well ;)
It's just a very japanese way of showing the two characters develop their bond :3
+Kunosachiaka it really is sad, just shows the average videogame fan isn't very smart. It'll take a while until people appreciate games like they do film.
ihatevoyager Get off your soapbox. All it takes to see it from where I stand is a lick of common sense. Nobody would ever "bond" in the way Yuna and Tidus do in real life, but dude, I'm not an FF fan in the first place (I think they're all cringeworthy games) so I have nothing to have my opinions in besides that I think they are extremely dorky games and not only by intent.
Has anyone heard the Japanese version? Because it sounds like a crow cawing repeatedly, which is just as awkward.
I actually think it's even worse.
Japanese version: now who wants to hear Hollow Ichigo laugh
I think It’s funnier.
@@Azdrerios you mean better
Thanks for being an awesome voice actor for Tidus! FFX is one of my favorite games of all times.
+svaalbard (insane0hflex) Yes, I agree! Amazing Voice actor and game ^^
I feel so dumb for not realizing that Tidus and Ratchet have the same voice.
***** what's crazy is ratchtet & clank 3 & ffx are probably my 2 favorite ps2 games
Don't forget Johnny Test and Wooldoor Sockbat. "WEEEE!"
And Obi Wan
I really go mad when people say Tidus is annoying and that make the story worse, when that personality serve a purpose.
Amen.
I'm not the biggest fan of FFX or its story, but I did like Tidus a lot. He actually seemed like a realistic, human character, and not some over the top invincible super hero.
And while I always thought it was obvious it was awkward on purpose, it's nice to finally have James Arnold Taylor confirm it. Tidus and Yuna were two teens going through some traumatic events, and this was meant to show how they were so deep into it that they had a hard time forcing themselves to laugh, something normal people who aren't experiencing tragedy every day can do easily.
Finding people like you it´s my life purpose :´)
Yeah I don't really get why people hate on Tidus so much either. xD
+Runie549
Indeed, he was a very grounded and human character, and he served his purpose as the audience surrogate. He was the lens for the players to look through, to understand this new and foreign world along with him, asking all the right questions, and learning as he and us went along the journey. I love him. He's a goofy dude, who just wants to understand where he is and what's going on, just as we do. He's not my number one favorite protagonist, but he's high on the list, for sure, and doesn't deserve any of the hate he receives.
So what? People don't have to like something just because it has a purpose...
I just can't stand the characters and I don't care about Tidus being annoying and dumb is intentional.
Now, it is stupid though that people criticise the voice actor for it.
I don't know why people need to be so obnoxiously negative about everything. I got the intent of the laugh in the first time I played the game, Tidus was sad, Yuna was trying to cheer him up, it's clear as daylight that THE CHARACTER forced the laugh and it works in the context of the scene flawlessly. So to you weabos that think the japanese dub is million times better just because is japanese, go watch this scene with the original audio and come back here... just go lol
Also, this is is the first time I actually meet the guy behind the voice, and I have some things to say to you is: Thank you, you are part of a game that brings me some amazing and nostalgic memories for me, keep up the good work and also, haters gonna hate...Just ignore them lol
Same. Not to long after this intentionally forced laugh, he actually starts laughing. Genuinely. I think people are just dumb
Because people didn't give a shit about the story, and when they stumbled upon this scene, they must've been like "wtf is this shit laugh" as they had no context.
Then they go and post reviews.
Wait, wait, wait- hold on... You're telling me that people would play an rpg game... not for the story? Whaaaaaaaat?
Lilly Satou It's the only explanation I find. Else people are just fucking dumb!
I expect this in the world we live in to be sure, I shouldn't really be so surprised
It was obvious to me when I was a kid that the laugh and the scene was supposed to be awkward and what it meant for the characters and the story. I never understood how a lot of people and even fans of FF and FFX in particular didn't get it. It was always disappointing when they said it was badly acted and more recently started chalking it up to it being an early 2000's game, when in reality the VA is more than decent for the time (especially the main characters are all great) and has some really talented actors in it that have been doing acting long before FFX.
I don't get how people can play RPGs, these deep emotional, psychological journeys and things like this just go past people. It's basic storytelling and it's not even that subtle, you just need a little empathy to feel with the characters, nothing more.
To be fair though, the Tidus Laugh out of context is pretty funny, too, there's a lot of humour in it.
+Vagrant I agree I always found the laugh to be hilarious because it was a wtf is going on why is he laughing out loud like that. Don't even understand why people can't even comprehend that it was done on purpose.
Thank you James for your great performance in FFX. You and Hedy Burress gave the game, and especially the beautiful relationship of Yuna and Tidus true life and made the characters believable. I absolutely adore your voice acting in this game, and i cannot understand the negative opinions. Tidus sounds like a very sincere, honest, light hearted guy to me. And i never had an issue with the laughing scene, on the contrary, i always liked it. And if you watch the whole scene and not only the laugh, completely out of context, it is imo VERY obvious that it is supposed to be arkward.. how can anyone miss that??
It is a sincere, and in the end very touching scene.
You and all the other great voice actors made this game very special to me, in fact it is my favourite game ever. And mostly because my emotions get completely engaged while i'm playing it - your performance has a big part in that.
Thank you.
You are my hero. FFX is my favorite game ever and the Tidus laugh scene is one of the most iconic moments in gaming.
Aw man, I was hoping to see the laugh being performed.
Every time, it surprises me that people don't understand. I overestimate people
Considering the cultural differences between the Japanese and Americans, it is not surprising at all that people would not get it. To Americans it sounds like a random laugh that comes out of no where but to the Japanese it takes on a different meaning.
,but it's explained in game. There shouldn't be any confusion.
Punished Guts But it doesn't come out of nowhere. It happens right after Tidus founds out that Sin is his dad. The dialog right before the scene clearly shows that Tidus is feeling down about finding out about his dad. The two of them try to cheer each other up. There is literally no cultural difference what so ever. Just a bunch of dumb people.
The cynic in me just thinks that it's just idiots still blindly parroting that lolcow Spoony's review. (tho that said he's why I pronounce it "Tie-dus".)
Sweet profile pic, the source is pretty good.
This is literally what I've always said. Like...this makes me so happy tbh.
Love your work dude! Glad this can be finally put to rest.
James, I'm sure you hear this all the time... but you were such an incredible part of my childhood, and you helped to forge one of the greatest adventures of my life. Thank you for what you do. When I die, I hope that Besaid Island awaits me in the next realm.
I loved this scene, you got great charisma btw :]
While I haven't played the game in quite a while, thank you for being so memorable an more ways than one. I hope any future projects you take on are fill with joys and maybe even some meme magic.
It will always be Tie-dus for me. :-)
+RainKing "Teedus" just sounds so cringe worthy to me.
+RainKing Glad to know I'm not the only one who prefers this :P
+Lodus Tight-ass sounds cringe worthy to me. =(
+RainKing Same here will always be Tie-dus to me 2
Me too
Thanks so much for voicing Tidus, I can't imagine anyone else having done it! Your performance was so genuine, and Tidus' character and his struggle with Jecht, all of it just resonated with me so much, and your performance really helped that.
Man you taught me one of the most important lessons of my life with that laugh. Thank you, Tidus!
+AlucardUmbrella Me too... :D
I want to thank you as well because I never have. I play this game through from the beginning at least once a year, and it will never get old. It has changed my life, and I continue to and always will enjoy your work!
Final Fantasy X is the game that got me into not just Final Fantasy, but JRPGs as a whole. Tidus (Sorry, but I still say Tide Us, been that way for years xD) is one of my all time favorite characters, because just like him, I was thrust into a new world I knew nothing about. And he has such a good hero voice. James, you're still one of the best voice actors ever, and just hearing your Tidus voice brings back many memories.
James, as someone who grew up with FFX on the PS2 during my teens, I loved the way you did the voice acting for Tidus, including the laugh. I always understood that it was supposed to be awkward as hell. So anyway, thank you for doing such a phenomenal job on his voice acting back then.
Great that you're setting the record straight. Love the scene and your work as Tidus.
Subscribed! FFX is classic and breaks my heart every time i look at old scenes.
I love how the scene itself points out how the laugh is supposed to be awkward and forced, with Tidus and Yuna even laughing for real after their fake laughter.
And it takes the actual voice actor telling people that the scene was meant to be awkward for people to get it.
+CheesyGranola Pretty sure some people won't even get it even when the voice actor tell them because some people just like to hate for no reason.
Can I just say, you were perfect in this game sir, as were all of your coworkers. Regardless of what others may say, you really made Tidus feel exactly like he was supposed to be: A goofy, but ultimately happy go lucky fish out water who had plenty of emotional baggage, but changed the world for the better.
For what it's worth, Mr. Taylor, sir. The moment in the intro of the game that I heard you saying the words, "Listen to my story. This...may be our last chance." - anything even vaguely resembling doubt left my mind; I knew immediately I had to play Final Fantasy X through to the very end. Voice acting was a big step, going from FF9 - and a step taken well. Maybe it wasn't perfect, but oh was it memorable for so many good reasons. What a journey. Anyone who says this was the worst voice acted role you ever took...well I can't possible disagree with them more. Maybe that's because this was the first VA work of yours I heard, but I still like to believe it's because you did very well as Tidus. I hope that, if Square does go through with bringing the next Dissidia game from Japan to America, you can come back and voice Tidus again, because there could never be any other Tidus but you, in my mind. ...for that matter, I admit I'm a bit surprised SquareEnix didn't try to work in the awkward laugh as a "victory quote" in one of the two PSP Dissidia games. I'd have gone for that, hahah. Like, "Hey, I almost lost...but I still won! AHHHHHAHAHAHAHAH!" or something. Oh geez, good times.
I liked your dub, James.
You also did a great job voicing Ratchet as well. You are one of my favourite voice actors.
It's crazy how many people didn't understand that the first laugh was supposed to be forced. But luckily there's also plenty of people that did get it. I loved your role as Tidus in both FFX and Dissidia. o/
Dissidia is life
The Tidus laugh is probably one of my favorite scenes from Final fantasy.
I always found the Tidus Laugh a bit melancholic. Though he is being goofy, in both versions you can hear the weight of the trials that lead to this scene in the sigh in the middle of it. Amazingly acted in both languages.
One of my favorite scenes from Final Fantasy X. Because of the character moment between Tidus and Yuna. At first it was because of how awkward it is that made it one of my favorite scenes in the game, but after rewatching it, it's more than that. :)
Also, THANK YOU for clearing up the pronunciation of Tidus. Good to know that I've been saying it "correctly." :D
Seriously you did a great Job. I really liked Tidus and even the English dub of him. One of the few English dubs I really like.
I love that character SOOOO much!!! PLEASE ALWAYS DO TIDUS's VOICE FOREVER!!!!!!
I get recommended this vlog because of the mod. rip my life.
Same here.
And I knew this laugh was purposely goofy/awkward from the get-go.
This brought such a huge smile to my face, thanks for making this!
Didn't know you had a youtube channel! Awesome! One of my fav actors.
Nice to see this pop up on related videos. Your voicework on Tidus was absolutely one of the best aspects of FFX imo.
There's such an excellent contrast from Tidus' flashback narrative to your current parts of the journey.
And I was always confused why the laugh caught on as a "bad" performance. Of course it was supposed to sound terrible, because it was a fake laugh, and the scene even ends with genuine laughter for contrast! It was one of many excellent character building moments in the story.
I still think it's ridiculous a DECADE later people still don't get the friggin laugh
You wrote that 7 years ago before my comment.
And people STILL don't get it.
Randomly stumbled across this video but thank you for your work. FFX was my first FF game many many years ago and I’ve since been through it so many times, it has a very special place in my heart. Thank you for being the voice to one of my favourite and memorable characters
i think he did a great job, i loved it at the time! He just portrayed the tidus charater the ways it was supossed to be, plus, did anyone thought that scene was bad acting? For real? you know there was a context and a reason why it was that way!
Final Fantasy X is my all time favourite game. I even have a tattoo from it. Thank you for the awesome voice acting for Tidus, you made it feel so alive and real! Much greetings from Germany
This is the only FF game that I can name off all the characters without even thinking. Seriously, that's how iconic and memorable these characters are to this day. Best FF game ever!!
Man you were such a big part of my childhood and now early adult years. Hearing you do tidus voice nearly brings tears to my eyes. Much love, hope all is well and bright in your future!
Tidus was depressed at the time, he just found out his dad has been a time travelling whale for 10 years who proceeded to then throw him into a completely foreign world 1000 years in the future. Yuna forcing something silly on him broke him out of his funk and returned him to his happy go lucky self.
Thank you for being the voice of Tidus. I really looked up to him while growing up. And thanks for the vid!
This scene is just heart breaking, i don't know why people complaint.
love everything about this video and your work on MOBIUS FF was amazingly nostalgic too
Great video, thank you for sharing this story!
I don't think I would have experienced Final Fantasy X the way I have without you being the voice of Tidus.
Seriously, thank you.
That moment when you realise you pronounced the name right all along.
+DGneoseeker1 Japanese use the latin pronunciation (well, very close anyway). English and American do not.
What latin pronunciation?
Latin pronunciation. Basically most of Europe use latin pronunciation. I.e. German, Spanish, Italian.
What latin pronunciation? Japanese is using Japanese pronunciation. Your comment doesn't make sense. Tidus' name is an Okinawan word that means sun.
"Japanese" pronunciation is almost identical to latin.
Still my favourite game ever. It was the characters that made it so special. You did a fantastic job James.
*Awkwardly laughing since 2001*
I always found this to be incredibly obvious, so I never really got why a video had to be made to explain such a thing at first, but then again, I've seen many people who are quite slow when it comes to these kinds of things
I love this guy. He actually sat down & took the time to explain something about a character he voiced nearly 14 years ago. This scene honestly needs no explanation, those who didn't get it clearly either never played the game... or idk take the time to watch the rest of the scene. But to you, James Arnold Taylor, thank you for voicing a character in a game so near & dear to my heart. For adding in your acting that, for me, not only enhanced my view of Tidus, but made me fall in love with his story. Thank you. :)
Thanks for your work. I really enjoyed your voicing of Tye-dus.
I'm going to continue calling him Tye-dus #sorrynotsorry
Thank you, James! I loved this game! This is the first character performance i heard you perform. Keep on going!
Help this get to Steam so we can all enjoy it again.
+ToriiKaiSugiyama Fingers crossed, sista!
+Hemang Chauhan if you have even a halfway decent gaming PC-PCSX2 runs it damn near perfectly...
J-DogXXVIII There is a rumor that HD version may come one steam.
Still have PS2 version still :,)
Ah well...alright
+ToriiKaiSugiyama don't need it on Steam, fack awf.
FFX was the first FF game that I played and got really addicted to FF. Thank you for giving life to Tidus through your voice.
Wait a minute..wait a minute..there are really people who never understood it was a forced faked laugh? Are people that retarded?
ikr
It's a terrible scene regardless of it being forced or not
+SergioSource how?
ThatChainmecha It's super cheesy, and given what it means, there were many other ways to deliver it without being the way it is. There's a difference between a forced laugh and acting stupid. It's super awkward with everyone watching and sets up Tidus like a jerk, and the reveals later on the game rectroactively make the scene worse.
+SergioSource Cheesy is funny. They laugh afterwords because it's stupid. What are you even saying? It's not about what you feel. Everyone feels differently. What matters are what the characters feel. That makes a good story.
And sets up Tidus like a jerk? What?
Yeah dude, thanks for the work you do. Tidus was great, and yours is one of the voices I appreciate noticing around.
"AH. HA. HA. HA." it still haunts me at night :|
I'm not sure if there's a best website or even youtube video of yours to post this, so I think this area will do just fine.
Thank you very much for your voicework, James. I appreciate your voicework as Tidus especially. Final Fantasy X was one of the first examples that RPGs could serve as proper vehicles for voice acting through the entirety of the game. The amount of voicework is still impressive years later. Tidus is also a very spirited character, and you've continued to do a great job giving him life in the titles since then, like Dissidia Final Fantasy.
So to sum up, thanks a lot for your contributions, James!
how people didn't know this is mind blowing lol
Oh god this clears up everything, i never hated the laugh i loved it and i can actually HEAR Tidus in you when you're just talking.
I adore FFX as a whole and the voice acting was absolutely amazing, could feel the emotion you gave as did everyone else.
Can't wait to see some more from you man!
I can't and won't ever call me "Tee-Dus".....it shall always be "Tie-Dis"
das righ mah meh. we be muricehns ain' we?
Then you shall always be wrong.
Every playthrough I change his name to Taidus because how we got “Teedus” from “Tidus” makes no sense to me, especially when his name in Japanese is “Tiida.” XD
jomon324
Doesn't "i" sound like the letter e? I took a japanese class and I coulda sworn that is how it was pronounced.
In Japan, "ii" is pronounced "ee". (Same here in Sweden, but i digress.)
I literally can't not imagine tidus talking right now. Your voice is the iconic shit that I loved as a kid and still appreciate today.
0:24 **plays video**
0:28 **grins**
I missed hearing Tidus' voice so much, just listening to you talk is amazing... I closed my eyes and just pictured Tidus and a smile popped on my face :)
Even in the scene Yuna says to force a laugh out and Tidus is awkward throughout the whole scene.
I love you man, you are such an amazing voice actor. Ratchet and Clank is a big part of my childhood, and Tidus's story is amazing as well, you did an excellent job portraying these two characters.
I always realized the laugh was done exactly as it was intended to be, but sir, I can never accept that the name is pronounced "tee-dus".
I, too, reject that pronunciation. Irks me to hell and back.
Lmao. Agreed
I always used to say tee-duss, but then I heard Selphie in Kingdom Hearts 2 say tie-duss, and THEN he was called tee-duss in Dissidia =S
WHICH ONE IS IT?!
I thought it was Tie-dus like tide or tidal because of the big water theme in the game
You have a CHANNEL! That is amazing ^_^ Instantly subscribed, so so so stoked
I want to see Yuna's statue too...wait for it...
WithYunabymyside...
More Final Fantasy X content please! You did an amazing job, JAT. Thank you.
It's easy to make fun of things when you just take them out of context. While I find it funny too when I see youtube videos of it, I always saw it as an actual good character moment when playing the game. The other adult characters in the scene clearly saw it as awkward too.
thank you James Arnold Taylor for your voice for Tidus. FFX means the world to me and you brought his character to life.
everybody here that reads this comment look up "tidus fantasy x" promise you wont regret it lol
HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA
While you're at it, look up something called "Dipper goes to Taco Bell"! I can guarantee you'll hate yourself for it later on!
The world's most enduring question has finally been answered!
This was always so obvious to me. Pretty embarrassing that it actually had to be explained.
Also no offense James, but I'm still gonna say "tie-dus." :p
+SailorMars768 Honestly, I believe that this should be the proper pronunciation. He looks like an islander and even Brotherhood has some oceanic details to it, so why remove the "tide" from Tidus' name?
I'll always be upset that the Japanese naming convention used English spelling rather than phonetics to name him. Tie-dus just fits his character better in my opinion.
itachi4492 I agree completely. It makes sense, so why not?
His name in Okinawan means sun, so it need to be pronounced that way in Japanese, but they didn't need to in English. I like both pronunciations, but I catch myself saying teedus more now. What I really wish though is that Zidane's name was zih-dane, instead of zih-dahn. The English spelling with the E at the end was soooo misleading you would've never guessed the correct pronunciation. :/
+Jonét Harry I know about the Okinawan thing, but like you said, it doesn't really apply to English-speaking players anyway. I personally don't think there should be a "correct" pronunciation, just say it however it comes naturally to you.
+SailorMars768 You have a point, but let's take the video game context away. If a foreign person mispronounced your name, you would probably correct him, right?
There's really no reason to pronounce it wrong for an English speaker, the name does not have an awkward sound that does not exist in English or anything, and since when has spelling been a good way to determine how words are pronounced in English? :P
I love hearing direct insight from those who have played a huge part in games I grew up with and cherished. it's a treat. your involvement in FFX was perfect, for lack of a better word. it was overall childish and silly (as intended), but mature and resonating where it was needed. you pulled it all off very well, Mr. Taylor. I hope to hear your work in even more big-name titles.
It's pronounced "Tee-dus"? I always pronounced it "Tie-dus"!
+letsgetthisoverwith Me too, "Tee-dus" sounds kinda stupid, but oh well xD
+letsgetthisoverwith He has talked about this in a new video of how the pronunciation came to be. Japanese VA voiced over the trailer and called him Tee-dus and it stuck from that point on. Also Tidus name in the japanese version of the game is Tiida (tee-duh) which means Sun whilst Yuna means Moon in the old Okanawin Language. The Tiida pronunciation being tee-duh is most likely why the Japanese VA went with Tee-dus.
@@MrMartDK well japanese people dont give a shit about how you idiots want to pronounce tidus, they named him " TeeDus" get over it , you language is not the most important in the universe
@@pyrefly7575 we got an angry bean here everybody
@@1000π also it's Tee_ Doos
I liked pronouncing it "tide-us" because of "tide" (since Tidus actually had a water motif in the game), but what JAT says goes I guess :(
+Basement Pretzel I still prefer calling Tidus as Tide-us too. KH called Tidus as Tee-dus as well...
+Basement Pretzel The reference is actually to "tida" (tee-da) which is Okinawan for "sun," rather than "tide."
Yeah. But back when I was young, I was always coupling him and water tides along with the brotherhood sword. That's prolly why it just stuck for me.
+Calvin Ly Yeah, same!
that scene is one of my favourites in the game it's so beautiful.... that forced laugh holds all the pain that Tidus was going through... and the way Yuna comes to him and kind of lights him up and they genuinely laugh together
It's always been Tie-dus for me. Tee-dus just sounds silly, like a name you can't take seriously.
+NerdHouse Tie-dus sounds like Tight-ass so that never stuck with me. It was always Tee-dus.
Sounds silly to your shitty launguage, its suposed to sound good in japanese , if your counrty cant stand that s product is not designed to get around their little dicks its not japan' s problem, it doesnt sound silly its just you
Oh by the way, is pronounced "Tee Doos" very important to day *dooS* and not *dus*
This man is my childhood. Thank you James, for being such an important part of my life.
Wow, this is a shock. You don't look anything like meg ryan in real life.
Thanks for being a memorable voice from one of my favorite games James!
Damn, it's Teedus pronounced, it's Teedus, Jesus, my whole life was a lie.
no don’t believe them! tide-us is so much better and also “tide” being in his name suits his ocean theme
Not just I listened to your STORY, you left your mark in HISTORY as tidus's voice! You're awesome!
The japanese version is way more awkward and strange.
I didn't know that a voice actor that voiced some of my favorite childhood characters had an official youtube channel until now.
Definitely subbing, keep up the great work, man.
Teedus sounds like teet. Therefore I say Tiedus.
Thanks m8 for making this video, I really love they way you voiced Tidus. I really hope we will see more of Tidus, and you as the voice actor :D
Any real fans now it was scripted that way.