I really don't have an opinion on which one should watch anime as long as both dubs and subs are GOOD. There are some where the dub is awfully bad and in the old days some when even the subs were worse. Though cultural animes like Azumanga Daoih or Yakitate (with the puns) should be watched subbed.
But between a good sub or dub I think it doesnt matter really. For me its which format you watched first for that particular series. For example, Evangelion for some reason I prefer the dub because when I first watched it it was on a dub VHS tape so got use to it. When I try to watch it sub, the voices just got too weird and sometimes annoying for me.
ugh. dubs totally suck. all the american voice actors totally suck, not to mention that it just sounds wrong.
>>32
Voice actors in a lot of games are really good, but in anime I could kind of agree. An exception I've found is Outlaw Star. Outlaw Star has fitting voice acting. I have the series on VHS and half is sub while the other half is dub and they both seemed to fit together really well.
I watched the dubbed version of Cromartie High at Otakon, it was top notch. Liked it much better then the fansub. That type of comedy is just better when translated.
>I watched the dubbed version of Cromartie High at Otakon, it was top notch. Liked it much better then the fansub. That type of comedy is just better when translated.
I strongly doubt it has an equally good voice for Wakamoto Norio (Mechazawa) tough! ; )
but you generally find things more funny when you hear them rather then read (im not the person you replied to in that instance, im the one that defends dub)
answer this
is a joke funnier to hear or read?
yeah but you still are hearing the japanese as you read the subs... if you watch a lot of subs you get good at it and it isnt really like you are reading anymore
okay since you are no longer reading anymore, you dont need subs
download raws now!..
then tell me if your reading or not :p
>answer this
>is a joke funnier to hear or read?
Read, in this case.
Any kind of generalization won't work here, since it will be (for me) ear-grating American English anyway. Furthermore, since I'm Finnish I'm used to TV being in a foreign language and subbed (only shows for small children are dubbed here), so that's more the default state than anything else.
>but you generally find things more funny when you hear them rather then read
...and this is just personal preference. In addition to all this, I like the way subs bridge different cultures and teach languages.
> is a joke funnier to hear or read?
once upon a time they had these things called "books"... they weren't entirely devoid of humour.
>>39
I think he meant "you get used to doing it and it becomes immersive", not "I know japanese from watching anime".
if the funniest guy in the world, told you a joke, once in speech form, the other on paper, which would you laugh at?
i.e
your in a street, the funniest man in the world walks up to you
1) tells you a joke in your own language
2) lets you read another joke
assuming both jokes are equally as funny and able to make you laugh, which would you apreciate the most?
"the funniest guy in the world" implies an aspect of performance art. Which you actually lose in a dub if the replacement actor isn't as skillful as the original.
>1) tells you a joke in your own language
>2) lets you read another joke
>assuming both jokes are equally as funny and able to make you >laugh, which would you apreciate the most?
If this is to be about dubs, I want it to face a bit of reality: no-one will dub anime to my native Finland-Swedish. Subtitling isn't unthinkable though: it's potentially available to close to anyone, while dubs certainly aren't.
In any case, any general or even metaphysical points about subs/dubs are moot for me as long as American dubs are the only ones that are really available, and American English just screams "ALIEN!" in my head - which sounds silly since I'm watching Japanese stuff, but it's true.
>your in a street, the funniest man in the world walks up to you
>
>1) tells you a joke in your own language
>
>2) lets you read another joke
>
>assuming both jokes are equally as funny and able to make you laugh, which would you apreciate the most?
(2) makes an implicit assumption that the joke is not being told (in an alien language) at the same time as it is being read (in a familiar language). An absence of aural stimulation--the smackdown "attitude" of the joke, if you will--can do much to ruin the emotional impact of the punchline. Clearly, I would appreciate the joke most if it was told to me at the same time I read its translation.
main thing i didn't like about the cromartie dub: kamiyama sounds like a stoner rather than the proper, too-formal nerd he is.
cowboy bebop actually had good VAs. in general anime dubs suck. i wish they would actually hire decent VAs ... ever play MGS... heck any MGS .. all of them have good VAs... then again i just get the raws / fansubs ... i wouldn't bother waiting for a dub
I recall watching a couple of Cowboy Bebop dubs and cringing at the voices of some of the secondary characters. Yeech...
What good is it to have decent main voices if they are to be ruined by the secondary voices.
it's not like they have a budget to get quality VAs for all positions. And consider japanese dubs .. they have annoying voices for one time flashbacks from youth ...
also there is one thing worse than any US dub .. take the worst US dub ... but a Japanese anime with English will be 10x worse.
consider Beck .. i couldn't finish it cause the engrish was so wrong ... also consider Speed Grapher ep 17 .. all i can say is lol wtf zomg bbq
i agree with that.
Dub>sub
>>8
QFT... heheh.
Assuming the subs are of decent quality (which is kind of a separate issue), I'll take subs anyday. Even if you can't understand everything being said, the overall feel is different. I like to have the 'original' feeling and tone, so I go with subs. And it's really no effort to read them... it becomes so unconcious and quick after a while.
But, I can understand that some people aren't too picky to they just pick the dubs. I guess that is still better than not watching at all!
... but only slightly Ψ(｀∇´)Ψ
I have yet to hear a good dub of any series, and that's that.
the dub for Azumanga Daioh was good
a dub is only good when they match the en voice in tone, and inflection to the ja actors in the vast majority of instances, and manage to keep the intent of the dialog intact.
a dub can be great if the en actors are of better quality and understand the intent better than the origional ja actors, while this is possable, it's vary rare.
a great sub is one where the words convey the same intent as the voice, and are paced as close as possable.
given these, i'd take a Sub first chance, as to what sub, i'll take an en sub by the ja company first, then the Fansubbed one, and last of all a sub from an american company.
i've heard arguments for and aganst both subs and dubs. it's true you sometimes miss action reading subs, but i have a rewind function i can use it, but still there are some anime i'll watch in dub because it's done well.
final verdict Sub's are my true Love, untill i learn Japanese
>> 56
stfu, gawd why do you scum even exist
>> 53
try watching some of em, personally I can only watch Tenchi Muyo in english dub. IMO, the voice casting is much better then the japanese version.
Dubbing anything is a waste of $$$.
Dubs are good when I want to have something on in the background.
Subs are good when I'm seriously watching something. Since they don't have to worry about matching mouth flaps subs are usually more faithful translations.
well I prefer subs. Main reason is that I can easily snatch DVDs with french dub but it sucks way too much. English dub is far better than french but it's hard to get them here.
>>61 are you kidding? I always thought french dubs were better
>>62 no I mean it seriously. but it might be my lack of experience with en dubs. As for fr dubs basicaly I hate the voices they pick for guys.
English voice actors can't sing. There's never been a case where I liked the english singing better than the Original Japanese.
whoooah, I must admit that I didn't see much anime where they're singing. (excluding openings and endings)
but I must say that all translated openings I have seen were horrible
I wonder why English dubs are so shitty?
I especially hate when they pick a "famous" person to provide a voice. Actually, I hate that in all movies.
that Haley Joel Osment or whatever hes called that does Sora in Kingdom hearts etc and various movies, is playing the lead character in IGPX(i think thats right).. never seen the show before, its fairly new though since its a joint production between Bandai, Production I.G, and someone else
anime example
Great Teacher Onizuka
sub, jap voice onizuka: Fyutsski
dub, english onizuka: foo yew sewt kee
gto in particular was torture to hear sylables in names read as separate words.
example 2
DBZ
sub/jap goku: sounds like a kid did the voice for adult goku.
dub/eng goku: voice just fits the character. period.
example 3
Dirty Pair Flash
sub/jap: dont know, didnt watch this way.
dub/eng: holy shit that voice is babs bunny!
babs voice is also used in the hentai Keiko Kamen(sp?)
fuck i hate that voice.
i don't know if this has been brought up before but dubs seem strange because the animation was made with the assumption that the characters would be speaking japanese and consequently use japanese mannerisms (body movements, gestures, etc.)
When you dub the show in any language it seems that the voice (tone, style, etc) doesn't match what the character may be doing with their hands, body, or even the face. Kinda the same reason why dubs of live action shows look funny.
Is this just me or does anybody else feel this way?
ive seen a german dub of star trek voyager, i loled so fucking hard. i bring this point up because it was something dubbed from english, to another language, i can understand where your coming from with the whole dubbing from Japanese to english
> "Post deleted by moderator"
lol
sub.
dubs usually sounds too american. sorry.
I usually prefer subs. Notably, Yakitate simply couldn't exist with dubs - not with all the Japanese puns - and I hate Asuka's voice in the ADV Eva dub. That being said - you should always try the dubs, if only for comedic value; Osaka has a Southern (American) accent in the dub of Azumanga...
You never saw a spammer get nailed before or what?
>>73
same as u but mee.. the sound is not soo original.. to make strange noise (hey is a dub right, i wonder why my country not good for the dub) and lost special sound like "Standby" sound (background) from Kamen rider Faiz.
i support sub.
>Post deleted by myselft
sob
I like subbed, not because I am one of those annoying people who think that all English voice actors suck and ruin it, but because I love hearing it in Japanese or whatever original language a film is in. It is just better that way.
I remember the dub of Evangelion- it was awful. Asuka's voice actress made me cringe. That harpylike, screeching laughter of hers was too much to take.
>>79 Screeching you say? That describes about 70% of Japanese voice actresses. My ears are still ringing from watching Azumanga Daioh.
The worst part was in the commentary on the platinum version of the episode "At least be human."
She was ear-splitting and horrible.
I know Japanese seiyuu are like that, but Tiffany Grant's voice is even worse than Kamiya's from Kenshin. It makes me want to kill something. x_x
Yu-Gi-Oh: The Abridged Series
AKA: Dubs done right. :3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w71V2E3VC5s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWBHoHT9lYw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-7UX1xSEfU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMlAAbjpydM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oIwIfuxFZo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6k3YlcYtS0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNmcfMioPUI
( ﾟдﾟ) Stop being weeaboos and enjoy the dubs
Japanese porno sounds like sheep
some women sound like their going baaaah baaah baaah baaah baaah baaah
Ana Coppola-chan speaks English fluently in the dub.
>>86
Ya don't say?
I think dubs are okay, but sometimes I'm caught off guard with their choices for certain characters. Listen to Himeko in this one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39G0_9QFZiA
I don't really care, as long as I can switch back to moonlanguage on the dvd on a whim.
Film or animation, I watch it in whichever language is native to it. The only exception in animation has been Cowboy Bebop, where Eng > Jp.
I hope Chobits and Utawarerumono were well-dubbed... I bought them. O.O
Ha ha. Chobits.
>>89
don't worry. Chobits is dubbed quite well. About Utawarerumono, not quite sure.
Except for the parts where the VAs try to pronounce the names properly but all failing in their own special ways, causing the most inconsistent pronunciation I've heard in recent anime dub history. And of course the barely okay casting and meh meh acting. But other than that, it's dubbed quite well.
Ugh...some of the voice actors were ok but....having watched subbed...it's...ugh...
Personally, I prefer subs over dubs due to personal experience from watching Chinese movies that were dubbed for an english audience, when I couldn't get ahold of the subs for the ones that had older chinese...moving along now...
In my opinion, it's more of a cultural difference than anything else; the gags that japanese shows use as opposed to american shows have different appeals and a sort of feeling to them.
Also, it does have to due with the fact that most voice actors that are hired for dubbing, are just terrible choices in general, or have poor ability to carry out the feel of the character. My worst experience was Love Hina dubbed version...it...it was terrible...cries The VAs...they didn't match at all!!!
Yet, I wouldn't mind watching dubs if the VAs chosen were veterans or had watched alot of subbed anime, because I found that most of the pple in my anime club can pull off better dubs than the ones most of the companies choose. But that might just be my group of friends...
That's a broad generalization that doesn't work well as an arguement. It doesn't take into considerations of puns, both written and spoken, or differences between languages.
Not to mention there's a slight difference between the "Funniest Man in the World" and whether or not he can properly tell a joke. A poorly executed joke wouldn't be funny regardless of what it was about.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGnErG0Dhic
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5UfIRmkv28 (legendary)
I want dubs like this, if they ever want to dub.
do any of you all think that some dubs are better than the japanese versions? i thought that fullmetal alchemist's eng dub was actually better than the japanese version. most of the time, though the dubs are pretty shitty, esp. those that 4kids botches. =/
I prefer dubs, just because I don't understand enough Japanese or Japanese culture to really get the "in-jokes" or other references. Most Animes I've seen have at least passable VAing for the English Ver. anyway, and so me being the world's laziest anime fan, I'd rather listen to English than Japanese.
When I watch TV and movies, I want to understand the story. That means that I actually lose when the authors refer to Japanese pop culture things that I don't get. Far better in my opinion, to have an English translation that gives me the same information in a way that I understand. If not, I think I'll misunderstand the author's intention -- I could think that a character's being mean by doing something that in Japanese culture is perfectly normal.
To give you an example: Suppose that you're Korean or Japanese, and you don't speak a word of English. Suppose you're a fan of American sci-fi, and some of it is exported to Korea or Japan. What value is there to listening to the original voice of Scotty? You don't know English, and since (in that case especially), the actor is affecting a strong accent and dialect, a lot of what's going on is going right over your head. Besides that, you'll miss out on the cultural things (i.e scotty wears a kilt, not a skirt, though if you know nothing about Scotland or kilts, I could imagine you thinking Scotty is a cross-dresser). You're losing, even though you're reading it in Korean and listening to the original soundtrack. It would be better to have a Korean Dub that explains what is going on and gives you a Korean equivelent (whatever that is), so that you can follow.
Another thing that bothers me with the Sub vs Dub debate is the odd notion some people seem to have that you're not really a true Anime fan unless you listen to the NEET Japanese voice acting. Not true. Maybe you get a charge out of it because it's a way to show off how "so-fisticated" you are to be able to understand Japanese pop culture and have the "good taste" to shun the "obviously inferior" English language translation. In short, I think many Sub-fans like subs, not because they're actually better, but because they get to show off how kewl they are. After all, only a n00b likes Dubs, and you as a connoseur wouldn't sully yourself by listening to English VAing.
DUBS ARE HORRIBLE THAY ALWAYS SUCK AND YOU NEVER SEE PRETTY ACTORS LIKE MARIA YAMAMOTO OR HARUKO MOMOI
DUBS ARE HORRIBLE THAY ALWAYS SUCK AND YOU NEVER SEE PRETTY ACTORS LIKE MARIA YAMAMOTO OR HARUKO MOMOI
DUBS ARE HORRIBLE THAY ALWAYS SUCK AND YOU NEVER SEE PRETTY ACTORS LIKE MARIA YAMAMOTO OR HARUKO MOMOI
I don't understand why you people don't get it. YOU SPEAK ENGLISH! I hate people who try to be Japanese also. News flash: your little friends in Japan don't feel the same way about you. Other than the logical point that reading subtitles is annoying, dubs always are funnier. I hate all of you and I hope you choke on your damn subtitles.
Well, it's nice to know that your powers of comprehension are strictly limited to spoken English, and I am certainly sure that there are many people who share your linguistic limitations, but the rest of us would prefer to not be limited by your shortcomings.
>>100
where are you random people coming from?
>>100
boo hoo?
Dubs do suck and I am learning Japanese. It's not a matter of one language being better than the other. Translation is never done correctly and censorship occurs often. Better to see the original in all of it's originality.
>>100
Yes, we know that the Japanese love foreigners until they say they'd like to stay - at which point they promptly start to hate your guts (see Debito Arudou) but we accept that! Honestly, we love their culture and their language and would like to expand our minds ACTUALLY LEARNING SOMETHING FOR A CHANGE.
So we think the Naruto dub sucks. It really, really does, so get over it!
you do realize that subtitles are just a translated script on screen and that the sub titler can put whatever they want in the subtitles (this occurs quite often with fansubs) so unless you speak japanese fluently you're still not getting the original script.
>>107
so regardless, your not getting the original version. we know!
it just varries by series. I admit I used to be one of the people who always said subs were better, but I've watched a lot more anime since then. Some I liked in english (Burst Angel, Bubblegum Crisis (newest one), Love Hina, Full Metal Alchemist etc) and some were just more enjoyable in japanese (Azumanga Daioh, Evangelion, DNAngel, etc) It all depends on who they get to voice them and how close they stick to the original words without watering it down for "kids". It seems a lot of people in the US seem to think if its animated its automatically for children.
I recently saw Steamboy.. and having Patrick Stewart play the grandpa really annoyed me on many levels because I grew up watching Star Trek: The Next Generation with him as Capt Picard. There are other examples out there too but I can't think of any off the top of my head
You may not be getting the original script, but even if you don't speak fluent japanese, you can catch some of the "mistakes" in the subtitles. I'm not fluent at all, but there have been times where I went "Hey, that's not what he/she said..." It's a lot harder to do that when your only option is reading the lips of a cartoon.
I don't know if someone else already brought this up, but one of the things I like about subtitles, is that there is much more of an alignment between voice and character. I will not say which one is "better" but there are often different "types" of voices in voice acting. I guess archetypes, and character types. Whatever. The point being, that sometimes, the voice is supposed to sound one way, and the voice in the translation is waaaay off. It doesn't even look right coming out of the character. It's hard to explain. I can't stand hearing the Stoner-surfer-Kuwabara in YYH. Just, painful, and there was no excuse, because it wasn't too hard to find a voice actor who would have done a much better job.
Sometimes, it's fine. I like the dub for GTO. Although it should be taken into account that I first heard it dubbed.
Shrek in Japanese would probably be similarly... weird.
>>109
lol I'm glad I chose subs for that then. I'd probably spend to much time wondering when Data or Puck would show up.
I watch the sub first then watch the dub. Its kind of weird when I cross over, but I get used to it, and sometimes can't go back to dub. ^^;
no i do not!
Personally I prefer subs.. when I see new anime dubbed on the childrens television network I cant stand it. For example the guy who dubs Athrun was the same guy who provided the voice for Piccolo when I watched DBZ on that network. So I preferr sub. Also because I have been watching sub for so long its benefitted me with alot of basic Japanese.
I like subs much more than dubs. The voices in the dubs sound annoying and even the most aloof character sounds funny in English. The only dub I ever liked was the one done for Princess Mononoke. None of the voices sounded high pitched or wheezing. I hate the dubbed anime that put out on T.V. it sucks and makes the show less appealing.
I've watched both, some I prefer the subs, many the dubs are quite adequate and in some cases superior to the original Japanese.
The Big O anime comes to mind... I've tried the Japanese and frankly its about as exciting as watching paint dry. The English cast is what makes The Big O work (and it was strictly US demand from The Big O being shown on Toonami that got the last 13 eps. made, the series was a relative bust in Japan)
and there are Japanese VA's who's voices are so ear grating that no matter how bad the English dub is, I'd choose the English every time (The Inuyasha anime - Kagome's VA in Japanese could shatter glass with prolonged exposure, for example)
I prefer subs even to excellent dubs. I want to see/hear the original director's work and that of the original seiyus.
What I hate is when DVD's remaster the English track, and swap in the English voice-actors credits before that of the original production team.
Or even worse, when they re-synch the character's lips to the English track. I'm pretty sure they did that with the Akira special edition DVD, which is infuriating when you consider the efforts and expense that went into the original, hand-made animation sync.
Dubbing is a crime.
I only watch a series subbed if the dub is shit. One example: Initial D.
Sub.
Dubs don't bother me at all. I typically watch 'em with the subs anyway so I don't miss any dialog. Frankly, Japanese isn't that keen of a language to listen to, especially if you only understand a few words at a time. Maybe, maybe I'd be fine with it if say, I was learning the language. But since I'm not learn it anytime soon, I'd sooner take the dub and spare my ears some unnecessary jargon. I'll only watch subs if that's the only option.
Now, don't get me wrong. That's not to say I'm not averse to watching foreign cinema. I've watched a large number of movies from various origins. But frankly, american voice talent for anime has come a long way from the days of when anime was something most of you people were too young to insist be subtitled.
Yeah, fine, the Japanese VAs, or seiyuu, as you people like to call them, they do a decent job. But the only reason they're worshipped and "idol-ized" is because of the distinct voice they give to their character. It seems that by insisting watching anime subtitled, you're getting the "pure" experience. What you forget is that, well, it's subtitled. It's still a translation. And if you're reading the script, you may as well watch it without the dialog track at all, and just read it.
Personally, I don't mind either. Often, I watch subs because there are fansubs all over the internet. Still, here are some dubs that (at least I think) are just as good (if not better) than the subs:
Ghost in the Shell
FLCL
Golden Boy
Cowboy Bebop
Outlaw Star
Saiyuki
Neon Genesis Evangelion
In the case of FLCL, I honestly can't see a reason for watching the dub. From what I've heard (and watched of the sub myself), the American voice actors sound almost exactly like their Japanese counterparts (Haruko and Naota were absolutely nailed).
No, no, no.
It's totally different.
I only watch subs because, NO MATTER how good the English dub is, I want to see the original work of the director and seiyuu. Call me a purist, but unless you can't read subtitles, you have no excuse.
I want the original intonations, sounds, and linguistic personality preserved. If I find some thing is translated awkwardly, I have the freedom to go and look up the line of dialogue myself.
Sub > Dub imo.
The Seiyuus are much more professional and really can bring life and therefore atmosphere into the anime!!
And they're speaking in Japanese, which is important when you're watching Japanese media.
I would still want to see all films/shows in the original language(s) the writers/directors chose, even if the film is set in an English-speaking country.
>>125
By no means am I saying it's not okay to watch anime in Japanese. Like you said, there is a lot of subtle nuances in the dialog that can get lost in the dubbing process. But, that's no reason to pass over an opportunity to watch a show especially in your native language first. I'd rather get the gist of the story first, make some assessments about what I like and dislike about it, and if I really like it, I'll watch it subbed to see what how dialog was adapted in the dub. What I was saying is, there's no need to shut out dubbed anime all together just because of several bad jobs. It's actually a fitting parallel to anime : There's some choice gems out there, but the rest is really so-so.
>>126
How are they much more professional? I think a few have a more celebrity air about them, namely because they're so idolized by the otaku and anime fans.
>>127
Yeah... I tried watching Gunslinger Girl in Japanese.. you know that it takes place in Italy. And ahh.. it really sounded better in English, I gotta say. Although, admittedly, Italians speaking American english is also a little strange. I'm at least glad they didn't try to fake an Italian accent. I bet the most realistic experience would be to see it dubbed in Italian. Let's hope they have good Attori Di Voce, heh.
人
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（ ・∀・） ＜ My name is Squeeks and I prefer subs.
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It really depends on the series for me. Some dubs I personally like (like Azumanga Daioh's, and anything by Miyazaki) while others I consider to be pretty dang atrocious (Haruhi) and just watch the subs instead. Plus it has the added benefit of me brushing up somewhat on some of the more common Japanese phrases.