Well it looks like I was right to think some of the voices sounded similar, because they are the same actors.
The dub I'm familiar with was done by Media Blasters/Bang Zoom in 1999. This dub was done by a company called Animax Asia and predates the Media Blasters one by about 3 years. There's no information about the cast or who directed it, however.
The fact that it was done earlier than the "real" dub explains why the voices sound familiar to me. Many of the same actors (Kenshin, for example) are apparently present, but the script, translation, and voice direction are so awful that they give completely different performances.
The guy they got for Sano is the guy who played Cho the Swordhunter in the Media Blasters dub, and the same guy who plays Ishida in the current Bleach dub. I actually like him, but this script...God damn.
Edit: Here's the first episode of the better dub, for comparison: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktxtXG1bThs
It's odd hearing how Kenshin's perfomance changed, despite the fact it's the same actor. Night and Goddamn day.
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