This is the star performance. Tang has been voicing Dazai for years, but Dead Apple demands a darker range. In Episode 1, Dazai’s flippant suicide jokes land with bitter irony because the viewer knows he is walking into a trap. Tang’s delivery of, “I wonder what it feels like to be killed by nothing,” is chillingly poetic.
New to the cast for the film, Burns delivers a standout antagonist. He doesn’t sound evil; he sounds fascinated . His American accent is crisp and clinical, like a scientist dissecting a butterfly. This contrasts beautifully with the more emotive Japanese cast. Bungo Stray Dogs - Dead Apple -Dub- Episode 1
For the English dub audience, "Episode 1" of this film arc is crucial because it introduces the lexicon of this new threat. The term "Singularity" is thrown around—a point where abilities converge and create something uncontrollable. The dub script does a commendable job of explaining this scientific/magical nuance without getting bogged down in incomprehensible jargon. This is the star performance