Dubs. I don't care how bad the VO is, how do we know the foreign VO is actually quality, and not some foreign Shatner?
Subs vs Dubs
- Thread starter Kimono dragon
- Start date
Recommended Videos
This shouldn't even be a question. Always go with original language. Always. If it sucks with original language and subs it's not worth watching.
EDIT: I didn't think of pokémon. It's an exception.
EDIT: I didn't think of pokémon. It's an exception.
Subs any and every day of the week!
I acknowledge that there are some pretty good dubs out there (FMA is the prime example), but they are too few and way too far between to be counted on. Besides, I'm partially hard of hearing in my left ear so I usually watch movies with subtitles for the hearing-impaired anyway. Subs in foreign language movies and shows are no biggie to me at all.
I acknowledge that there are some pretty good dubs out there (FMA is the prime example), but they are too few and way too far between to be counted on. Besides, I'm partially hard of hearing in my left ear so I usually watch movies with subtitles for the hearing-impaired anyway. Subs in foreign language movies and shows are no biggie to me at all.
I don't think you're applying your argument very well. There are such things as bad subs as well as bad dubs. It sounds like you're saying that the people who do the subs only bother to translate the words literally rather than figure out what the deeper meanings are and almost as if they're only using some simple online translator. Some subbers definitely take the time to figure out the nuances of the language, which is why sometimes we get little footnotes on subjects that our country might not understand when such a footnote would be unnecessary in the original country. I personally don't have much of a problem with having to read anyway, since I read fairly quickly. I don't miss out on a lot, though I'd understand if your reading speed gets in the way of your enjoyment of the show.
As for dubs, some things just don't translate well into the spoken word. Sometimes it can't be said without sounding awkward or we don't have a proper way to translate it. For those kinds of words, they can either choose to attempt to translate it, or leave it untranslated. A bad translation will sound funny for as long as it is used; I personally think that mixing languages in your sentences sounds strange, and dubs can't give you footnotes. There are some truly awesome dubs out there that I prefer over the original lanugage (FLCL, Cowboy Bebop, Yu Yu Hakusho). However, I prefer to take the subs most of the time because my viewpoint is almost the opposite of yours. I think that more language can be lost trying to translate into spoken words without notes than the other way around. I'm not an extremist who completely decries dubs as ugly sounding or whatever (I'll watch them if they're there), but I prefer subs.
Edit: also, I've built up a small vocabulary after watching anime for a good while. I'm nowhere near good enough to build sentences yet, but a few lessons can change that. So the longer you watch subs, the less the "you don't even understand the language" argument applies.
As for dubs, some things just don't translate well into the spoken word. Sometimes it can't be said without sounding awkward or we don't have a proper way to translate it. For those kinds of words, they can either choose to attempt to translate it, or leave it untranslated. A bad translation will sound funny for as long as it is used; I personally think that mixing languages in your sentences sounds strange, and dubs can't give you footnotes. There are some truly awesome dubs out there that I prefer over the original lanugage (FLCL, Cowboy Bebop, Yu Yu Hakusho). However, I prefer to take the subs most of the time because my viewpoint is almost the opposite of yours. I think that more language can be lost trying to translate into spoken words without notes than the other way around. I'm not an extremist who completely decries dubs as ugly sounding or whatever (I'll watch them if they're there), but I prefer subs.
Edit: also, I've built up a small vocabulary after watching anime for a good while. I'm nowhere near good enough to build sentences yet, but a few lessons can change that. So the longer you watch subs, the less the "you don't even understand the language" argument applies.
Depends on the dub. Code Geass, for example, is mostly well-dubbed, badass mothers nonwithstanding, and even moreso Fullmetal Alchemist, but Nanoha and many other anime are badly dubbed.
Generally, though, I watch subs to be safe.
Generally, though, I watch subs to be safe.
Sometimes I prefer subs, sometimes dubs. Right now I'm following (amongst other animes) Dragonball Kai, it's still only in Japanese (as far as I know), I've seen the original DragonballZ series and I must say I prefer Goku with the English voice over the Japanese voice (which I find a bit too high pitched), still, most of the other voices in the Japanese version sound good.
I normally prefer subs. I often prefer Japanese voices over English in anime, though there are some dubs I prefer, such as Dragon Ball Z (especially Vegeta and Goku) and Big O. A bad dub can really ruin the affect of both Movies and Anime.
Often though, bad subtitles annoy me. Earlier I was watching an anime and somehow the word grandfather was mixed up with prince, despite there being no mention before or after this line of a prince.
Often though, bad subtitles annoy me. Earlier I was watching an anime and somehow the word grandfather was mixed up with prince, despite there being no mention before or after this line of a prince.
subs , mainly because i dont wanna wait for the dubs to come out, plus sometimes the dubs could make the anime worse, but of course there are the dubs that are much better, like cowboy bebop xD
It's because
In the story, Cloud (the main character) is carrying an intense emotional burden from an event that happened years before, in the events of Final Fantasy VII. In the Japanese, the description of what he was doing was a word that means "drag." Characters talked to him about how he was dragging this burden, and he had to lighten his load a bit. This was the point of the whole story, really, was for Cloud to accept what had happened, forgive himself, and move on. After this happens, at the end of the movie, Cloud says that he thinks his burden has been lifted somewhat.
In the English dub, the word "drag" was replaced with the term, "dilly dally filly fally." Of course, we all know what "dilly dallying" is: pretty much just messing around and wasting time. At the end, Cloud says "Maybe I lost some weight... all that dilly dallying." Now, insert the term "drag" into this, and it makes a heck of a lot more sense. But somehow, somewhere in the English dub, they decided that they should completely screw up the entire message of the film by changing a single term that was central to the protagonist's struggle.
Need I say more?
Hmm, would we rather listen to gibberish, or make our ears bleed with horrendous voice-acting? Just because we can't speak the language doesn't mean we can't prefer to hear it over the terrible excuses for voice acting that are most English dubs. There are very, very few good English dubs: Death Note, Cowboy Bebop, and Fooly Cooly are the only anime shows I've seen with great English voice acting.Kimono dragon said:
Actually, there is so freaking much lost in translation through that process, you don't even know. For my example, I will use Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children (spoiler free, so as not to ruin it for people who haven't seen it and/or played the marvelous work of art that is Final Fantasy VII).
In the story, Cloud (the main character) is carrying an intense emotional burden from an event that happened years before, in the events of Final Fantasy VII. In the Japanese, the description of what he was doing was a word that means "drag." Characters talked to him about how he was dragging this burden, and he had to lighten his load a bit. This was the point of the whole story, really, was for Cloud to accept what had happened, forgive himself, and move on. After this happens, at the end of the movie, Cloud says that he thinks his burden has been lifted somewhat.
In the English dub, the word "drag" was replaced with the term, "dilly dally filly fally." Of course, we all know what "dilly dallying" is: pretty much just messing around and wasting time. At the end, Cloud says "Maybe I lost some weight... all that dilly dallying." Now, insert the term "drag" into this, and it makes a heck of a lot more sense. But somehow, somewhere in the English dub, they decided that they should completely screw up the entire message of the film by changing a single term that was central to the protagonist's struggle.
Need I say more?
I generally go for subs. The voice actors in dubs are usually bad and just don't fit for me. Personally I find it disturbing when a school girl has the voice of a middle aged woman.
But then I'm also picky with subs. If you're going to translate something actually translate it properly. It irritates me when I see "chan" "kun" "neesan" etc in the subtitles because the only reasons are lazy subbers or wapanese fan wank.
However saying that I did find the Hellsing dub enjoyable. Only because the posh British accents made me chuckle.
But then I'm also picky with subs. If you're going to translate something actually translate it properly. It irritates me when I see "chan" "kun" "neesan" etc in the subtitles because the only reasons are lazy subbers or wapanese fan wank.
However saying that I did find the Hellsing dub enjoyable. Only because the posh British accents made me chuckle.
