Poll: Japanese w/ Subs vs. Dub: Which is better for an anime? [W/ Digimon clips!]

[EeveeElectro]

I don't understand the foaming at the mouth hatred some weeaboos people have about dubs. As long as it sticks to the story and has a good voice cast, I'll always pick dubbed. A lot of my favourite voice actors are in animes and sometimes I've watched them purely because of the cast.
A lot of Japanese voice acting really grates on me, especially women.
I also really find it hard to grasp what's going on properly if I'm reading text and trying to watch a show, maybe I'm just stupid.

Shows that are aimed at kids over here will be dumbed down. I'm sure the sub of Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh has a load of effing and blinding in it ;~;

 

[Guitarmasterx7]

Wow, a lot of long replies on this one.

When cartoons are made, the audio is done first. This is why dubs are really crappy a lot of the time. The animation is not built around the voice actors, the voice actors have to fit the cartoon. This isn't to say they can't be well done, but there's almost always going to be some loss or mismatch of character or performance in a dub.

That said, unless you're bilingual you won't really be able to tell whether it's well acted or not anyways if you don't understand what the characters are saying. I mean you'll be able to get general inflection but that's about it. So I guess it really comes down to the question of "is the dubbing so bad I would rather read this then hear it?" And to follow up, "Is this interesting enough to where my attention span would rather read it than just not bother."

 

[Entitled]

Those high-pitched Japanese voices just sound appropriately CARTOONISH.

Whenever I hear a dub, with American people talking with their normal live-action voice, I can't help but visualize a bunch of people in a studio talking into a microphone, it totally breaks the atmosphere.


By the way, this discussion has nothing to do with weeabooism. Fans in other languages languages have the same debate about watching American movies and playing American video games with subs vs. localized dubs.

 

[ZippyDSMlee]

Subs all the way. Dubs are just too watered down 90% of the time.

 

[Tsun Tzu]

I generally prefer subs, but if it's a good dub (like Black Lagoon or Spice and Wolf for instance) then I'll watch that instead.

Being able to focus more on the scene, rather than the words is definitely rather nice...but the majority of dubs seem to be pretty, well, bad.

When I feel like I, personally, could voice a character better than the person I'm hearing who was paid by a company then there's definitely a problem.

 

[Ryan Minns]

Being only a recent fan of anime I swap a lot. I know a friend of mine really likes the English dub of HOTD but HATES certain changes in what is said from the Japanese version in the earlier episodes since it's a cultural thing and she loves Japanese culture.

I do prefer to watch dubbed versions and haven't been too annoyed with anything other than a few random voices just not 'fitting' in but I've noticed in subbed anime it happens also so eh. If I like the look of an anime and find it hasn't or won't be dubbed I'll happily watch it subbed since there are soooooooooooooo many great animes I am ashamed I dismissed anime for so long

 

[ImperialSunlight]

I prefer dubs when they are not utterly horrendous, either by changing the inflection or meaning of the original, or by being overpoweringly annoying. Most dubs these days are pretty good, at least, so I tend to watch dubs whenever there are dubs, and if they begin to annoy me, I go to sub. I really hate having to read subs, though, since I don't have time when I watch anime to give it my undivided attention. I usually watch it while writing, or working on something else. It is nearly impossible to do so with a subbed anime without having to constantly go back to see things that you miss. Older shows like Evangelion, however, tend to have absolutely terrible dubs, so I generally watch those shows subbed.

Some really great dubs IMO are Death Note (I thought its dub was pretty good, regardless of the video in your post, the meaning of the scene comes across, and I personally don't think Light or Ryuk sound that unnatural... and honestly, however unrealistic the characters seem in the dub, they probably are just as unrealistic in Japanese, given that the show's premise isn't very realistic), Code Geass, Stien's;Gate, Fullmetal Alchemist, Trigun, Mushi-shi (side characters notwithstanding)... Funimation usually does some of the best dubs, honestly, regardless of them sticking to the same VAs all the time...

 

[J.McMillen]

I'll usually go dub, unless it's a really bad dub. Usually the result of the voice actor trying too hard and it comes out sounding unnatural.

 

[Excelsior789]

It usually comes down to personal preference. I prefer subbed but some shows are better dubbed, especially if the anime in question is already geared toward a western audience such as cowboy bebop or baccano. Tell you what though, I NEVER like switching back and forth between the two. LOOKING AT YOU NETFLIX

 

[ZehMadScientist]

Even though I am deeply rooted in the sub camp, one mention of the Ghost Stories dub and any argument of mine will be rendered futile.

There's also this:


Gold.

Honestly, I don't mind dubs at all if they're decent. Some shows I even prefer dubs to subs, like Baccano or Golden Boy. Thing is, most dubs that I've tried are simply atrocious, so I usually stick with subs to be on the safe side. I grew up with subs, so they don't bother me.

 

[Alistair_Darkheart]

Go check out Samurai pizza cats... Dub was far better... then whatever it was originally.

In all honesty it completely depends on personal preference and how they're done. Personally I prefer dubs more often the not due to the fact if I've managed to find 30-40 mins to sit down and actually watch some anime I don't want to have to read it, I'd just pick up a book if I wanted to read a story. That being said there are the occasional anime series I watched first with sub and really can't get into the dub copy of.

Al.

 

[Mr. Happy Face]

Man, I've gotten into so many arguments with my friends on this topic! Taste of home, let me tell you!

Anyway, generally, I prefer subs over dubs. I agree with the OP, and it's always been my main argument with my friends, that you just lose something in translation with dubs. Since the voice actors have to match up what they say with the animation on screen, you could end up with a story that's different, and sometime wildly divergent, from the original. An above poster mentioned HSotD, and that's a great example. See, I'm a big fan of zombie stuff. Absolutely love it. And I happen to love HSotD, in both anime and manga form. But the reason I love HSotD is that I consider it to be a zombie tale told from a Japanese cultural perspective. However, the English dub removed a lot of those cultural references, which in my opinion takes something away from the story.

But it has to be said that not all dubs are bad. A good dub can still tell the same story, with the added bonus of making that story more readily accessible to a non-Japanese speaker. Most of my friends prefer dubs because they say they find it hard to concentrate on the story when they keep having to read lines at the bottom of the screen. It's never been a problem for me, but I can see how it could be. Moreover, good voice actors can really make an anime, and an anime with an excellent English cast can be a treat to watch.

So, yeah, I tend to prefer subs over dubs, but I'm not averse to dipping my toes in the dub pool as long as the dub is well done.

 

[Scarim Coral]

Sorry but I refuse to click anyone of the two options as my clear answer is neither!

Understand this, while most of the time the original Japanese dialogue is better at times but there will always be people who can't be arse to read the subtitles and prefered the dub instead!

 

[natster43]

I personally prefer dubs as it allows me to watch the anime and do other things at the same time without worrying that I might miss an extremely important thing. However, there are some anime that the Japanese version is a lot better than the dubbed one. Either way if I am going to watch an anime I'll watch it in whatever is available. My personal preference for dubs might also come from one of my friends who acts like dubs are the worst thing ever and only watches 99% of anime in Japanese.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

As a bilingual person I always prefer the original voice acting. My first language isn't English, but Spanish - but the Spanish dubs are done in Mexico, where the accent and the dialect are just as foreign as English. Essentially, to watch a dub only removes the product further away from me. I prefer listening to the original audio with as little intermediaries as possible.

 

[Tiamattt]

As said already it really is a case by case basis, just like a lot of things. Like I don't see why people need to go nuts trying to "prove" why their preference is the absolute correct one, it really doesn't matter. The only thing that actually matters is that we have multiple opinions so people can pick which one they like and thus everyone's happy.

Personally I prefer subs, but I admit that I'm probably biased from all the terrible dubs I've heard in my childhood. Of course there have been superior dubs out there, but sadly enough they seem to be a rarity for me.

 

[Legion]

I always watch with subs, and unless I liked the entire cast in dubs I'd never choose to watch it like that. There is almost always at least a couple of characters whose voices irritate the hell out of me, whereas with Japanese voices I think I have gotten used to it.

Not that I care if other people prefer dubs, it's all down to personal taste. It's not like I am forced to watch it in dubs just because other people like them like that.