Amin Abbas
DUBAI: Hisham Hamada is a Jordanian television voice actor who is known for being one of the most iconic voices in the world of Arabic-dubbed anime for over 35 years. He participated in various Japanese works such as Daddy Long-Legs, Chirorin Mura Monogatari, Cooking Papa, and Manga Hajimete Omoshiro Juku.
His latest role was Senshi in the anime ‘Delicious in Dungeon,’ where he brought the character to the Arabic audience in a distinctive and joyful accent.
The actor told Arab News Japan that he started doing voice acting in his childhood neighborhood as he would imitate famous characters and create funny situations. He later acquired a degree in theatre acting and directing.
“After graduating, I entered the artistic community as a professional actor, where I participated in many television, theater, and radio works. I was offered to participate in dubbing my first work, which was ‘Alice in Wonderland’. I tried some characters and agreed. The work was actually completed. I enjoyed it very much, even though it was my first experience and it was a challenge for me,” the character said.
“After that, I participated in a series called ‘Once Upon a Time… Life’ (Seimei no Kagaku Micro Patrol in Japan). It is loved by children and all family members and it is still in the memory of generations to this day. After that, the work kept coming and I continued to work in the field of dubbing to this day,” he added.
Regarding the differences of Arabic dubbing for anime series between the past and present, Hamada said: “Previously, for many years, we used to do the dubbing as a whole team, meeting in the studio together at the same time, watching together, and making the final recording together. Any mistake we had to re-record. Everyone’s focus was very high, fearing any mistake so that the recording would not be re-recorded because of that mistake. Everyone was keen that the re-recording would not be the result of a mistake they caused. If there was a very high level of seriousness in watching, measuring, and timing every sentence and every word, and checking the language and word formation with the linguistic proofreader.”
“Today, thanks to the technology, every actor records his role in the series alone. Actors now prepare everything related to their tasks alone, and a mistake for any reason has become easier to deal with. The effort on the actor in the previous stage and the current stage is almost equal, except that working as a team was better, from my point of view, as everyone cooperated and supported each other, and the feelings, connection, and dramatic aesthetic sensory harmony in the scene as a whole were somewhat stronger than what happens these days in general. Of course, the exception is for some current works, which are supervised by a professional director who is proficient in his tools and is able to create harmony and coherence between what is audible and visible,” he added.
Hamada is known for his work in ‘The Woodcutter’s Treasure’ and ‘Future’s Folktales’. He shared that he has always dreamt of working on anime produced by Arabs. “We Arabs have a great cultural heritage and have contributed to the mosaic of human cognitive awareness on planet Earth. It is our right and the right of all humanity to see what we have in our bag of awareness, concepts, knowledge, and radiant insights that concern people at all times and places,” he said.
“What I had dreamed of for years has come true. I even participated in these works that carried within them philosophical, intellectual, and aesthetic discourse emanating from Arab cognitive awareness, addressing all age groups everywhere in the Arab world and later globally when translated into all languages. These works have achieved unparalleled success. I can only say that I would like to extend my sincere thanks and great gratitude to the owners of this wonderful initiative to produce these works, and thanks to everyone who contributed, even a small part, to the success of this unique experience in every sense of the word,” he added.
The actor said he is thankful to have played a huge role in the Arabic dubbing industry in the Middle East. “The Arab audience received the artistic works related to children’s films and series with love and passion,” he said. “We used to receive many letters at that time from different countries of the Arab world, carrying within them a lot of affection, praise, and encouragement, especially the use of the modern standard Arabic, which everyone is keen to teach their children.
“I have presented many dubbing works over the past years, and most of these works have received appreciation and success. Today, in all honesty, after years, when I meet people who say to me, ‘We were raised on your voice. We respect and appreciate you,’ I feel satisfied and thank God for the many blessings he has bestowed upon me. Contributing to the upbringing of a generation raised on the values of goodness and giving is in itself a blessing from God Almighty.”
Regarding his recommendations for those who want to do voice acting for dubbed shows, Hamada said that people should have the talent for it and work on strengthening it through studying. “It is necessary to refine and strengthen the talent and master it through culture and knowledge. The more emotional memory he has, the more he will be able to impersonate the most difficult characters with skill and competence,” he added.