Poll: Dubbed or Subbed?

[Caeculus]

Dubbed if it's done well (the Baccano dub is fantastic, and a far superior experience to watching it with subs) or if the translation's better, otherwise subs.

 

[Contradiction]

I always prefer to consume my media as close to the source material as I can get, so subs.
It's the same reason I try to read books in their original language.

That, and the Japanese voice actors are just better for the most part.
Urghghghablabaleh

Oh god...
I just... =| Didn't need to hear that.

On a serious note.

SUBBED.
Anyone who doesn't is missing out. There are so many jokes that English will never get. For example the comic sequence in Fooly Cooly. Actually alot of FLCL relies on Japanese to be relevant, "Mouth to mouth".
Also its the shows intended form, dubbing changes a character and can ruin things so easily.
I can only see Dubs as practical if your dyslexic like a friend of mine and can't keep up with whats going on if your reading.
Need more? See above =S I fear what azusa will sound like.

 

[daftalchemist]

Dubbed, unless the English voices are just that bad. I knit while I watch TV, so that makes religiously watching subbed shows a tad bit impossible.

I used to be the type who thought subbed was the best evar, and that anyone who watched dubbed was a loser who knew nothing about anime. But then I stopped being fifteen and realized calling myself an "otaku" was something I should be ashamed of rather than proud of.

 

[KB Rocker]

I'm really big on reading and most of the time dubs are absolutely terrible, so subs for me

 

[DarthFennec]

I hate subs. Reason is, I like to do stuff as I'm watching tv, be it draw or text my friends. So having it subbed means I can't do anything, otherwise I might miss parts and have to rewind so i can see what they said.

So DUBS ALL THE WAY

lol that's what I like about subs though. I like the fact that it takes more of your focus, so watching TV becomes a much more active and fulfilling experience than if it were subbed. Which is something most people aren't used to, but I personally enjoy it ^^ And most dubs sound like ass.

 

[Mikeyfell]

In some cases the Dubbed versions are pretty good.

Elfen Lied, Ergo Proxy, Rin Daughters of Mnemosyne, Mai Hime and some others are better than the Japanese versions.

Most of the time I'll tolerable watch dubs just to avoid reading.

Sometimes though... Dear God the dubs are awful.

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Lucky Star, Code Geass and K-on have all made me either throw up or contemplate suicide.

Ponyo is incredible.

Liam Neeson, Tina Fey, Betty White. it's great.

EDIT: I also want to talk about Rumble School.
I think that anime is impossible to dub into English mostly because the entire first season is about trying to make a guy say the word "scythe" which in Japanese sounds a lot like "I love you". and how the Japanese language lacks proper pronouns so with out context it is impossible to tell who the subject of the conversation is.
Rumble School just wouldn't work in English.

 

[II2]

Subbed, usually, as long as the writing / story is worth it.

E.G.
Subs for Ghost in the Shell
Dubs for Fist of the North Star (the original)

 

[Addicted Muffin]

I perfer dubs. I hate watching only the lower part of the screen to find out whats going on, and sometimes the subs are just horribley written and off track.

If I find a series that has been dubbed really well, and most actually have, i'll wait to watch it dubbed, like FMA: Brotherhood...amazing dubs

but those few anime that sound like each actor recorded their lines on different planes of existance, I'll watch the subs on those

 

[Callate]

It's not exactly an either/or question. Some English subtitling jobs are pathetic; others are works of art. Likewise, while some original Japanese dubs are very well done, despite what a certain type of hardcore "Anime elitist" would like you to believe, not all Japanese dubs are works of peerless mastery of an art form the Gaijin could never hope to equal.

In particular, the American release of "Princess Mononoke" was a very careful piece of craft. They got Neil Gaiman to adapt the English version of the script, and a top-flight cast to do the voices, including Gillian Anderson, Billy Crudup, Minnie Driver, and Claire Danes. Yet a certain otaku hardcore still screeched to the high heavens that their precious Mononoke Hime was being defiled by this version.

So... Here's the thing. A really good anime with an English dub is going to be seen by a hell of a lot more people than the same anime is subtitled. This is why a company like Disney deigns to do a major theatrical release at all. And I'm grateful that when they do such a thing they go through immense pains to do it well. It pains, disgusts, and embarrasses me that certain anime fans would rather keep their hobby a shadowy niche than allow it to be available to people who would appreciate it.

It's one thing if there's a danger that the original Japanese dub would cease to exist, but that's hardly ever the case. And, again, not all dubs are equal; if a anime is going to have a relatively narrow DVD-only release, I'd rather read subtitles than hear the key grip's brother try to act. But for the big releases? Dub well, and you absolutely have my blessing.

 

[drisky]

Usually Dubs their are exceptions however, like this

As a general rule English and Japanese have very different ways of doing funny and cute so Dubs of these genres tend to lose their original feel, and music shouldn't ever be translated. K-on falls into all three of these. For Drama however I need it to be in a language I speak to get the most emotionally invested. Action is just easier not to read.

 

[Yeager942]

I can't stand subbed anime. All the screechy voices just split my brain open and pour battery acid into it.

 

[BlumiereBleck]

I prefer dub, for well the fact it's in english. Also not a every jappanese voice actor has a perfect voice, which is why i rarely watch sub. Also debating over one's preference of dub or sub is pointless

 

[Custard_Angel]

I don't watch anime, but in my experiences of foreign language movies, subbed always wins.

 

[Furbyz]

If it's FMA or Hellsing, dubs all the way. Other than that subs please.

 

[[Kira Must Die]]

I honestly don't see what's so bad about this. It's seems okay to me, and I'm a huge K-ON! nut.
I don't expect it to be as good as the original dub, so this is actually a bit better than I expected it to be.
Besides, it's a trailer, and I've only heard three voices in it, so I hardly think that's enough to actually pass judgement.

 

[Akihiko]

I generally watch dubs if they are available just so I don't lose a chunk of dialogue if I turn away. That said I don't mind subs, and if I don't like the english dub, I'm not afraid to watch it in japanese with subs.

 

[Plurralbles]

I like whichever I can get.

if it's really, really actiony- like champloo or something...

Then of course I want it dubbed.

But if it's more plot driven with importance focused on relationships between the characters, I'll enjoy subbed.

 

[Barrett0]

both have their pro's and con's.

if i had too pick one id say dubbed. means you can focus on the visuals rather than having to read the sub-titles

 

[Fightgarr]

It depends entirely on what I'm watching. I generally prefer the subbed versions, since I generally don't notice bad voice-acting nearly as much in Japanese. There are definitely situations where I don't mind the dub version at all, Ghibli films in particular tend towards good voice casts in many cases (Howl's Moving Castle in particular). With something like Stand-Alone Complex I sometimes like to watch the dub version because there's a lot going on on both a visual level and in the dialogue, so the sub sometimes causes me to choose dialogue over visuals. In most cases, though, I prefer the subs.

 

[Sliverwings]

I choose sub for two reasons:
1. I speak Japanese so I feel slightly better as everyone else feels stupid
2. English Acting just has this feeling, like it isn't right