What is everyone's deal?... (Anime dubbing)

[shroomie]

I am a man who enjoys his anime, I personally prefer it to be in english so I can actually understand what is being said. Thats not saying I dont mind subs, I watch Naruto Shippuden just fine. Im just wondering why so many people get so worked up about how english dubbing supposedly sucks.

 

[Baby Tea]

Because it sounds terrible?
Because English VO actors doing Anime all sound like they came right out of a remedial high school drama class?
Because they actually cut out words and change dialog just to make sure it all 'fits'.
Because reading isn't hard, and subtitles are fine.

 

[Sevre]

The Japanese voices just capture the characters better. Its like replacing Bill O Reilly's voice with Peter Griffin's.

 

[Matronadena]

alot of it has to do with as said above, rephrasing things " not always to fit a context better understood in the west" but for editing too " as you can say things in japanese cartoons, you cant in western ones of the same " demographic"

like lets say bleach....

Japanese manga....way more f-bombs dropped, and more skin, and violence... american manga edits it for the " tween crowed"

Japanese anime alters the manga to be fit for prime time airing....the west gets it and has to clean it up more...



I personally just watch, and read everything in it's raw form...I prefer seeing it as it was meant to be

 

[Sparrow]

I am a man who enjoys his anime, I personally prefer it to be in english so I can actually understand what is being said. Thats not saying I dont mind subs, I watch Naruto Shippuden just fine. Im just wondering why so many people get so worked up about how english dubbing supposedly sucks.

Bad acting, terrible casting, low budgets and general "We don't give a shit" mind of the English dubbers? Yeah, those are your reasons. They seriously don't care if their 40 something macho hero is voiced by some fifteen year old, as long as it attracts viewers. It's a huge "fuck you" to the real fans.

At least the Japanese give a damn.

 

[ItsMelvin85]

It's kind of a toss up. Sometimes english dubbing done very well. Naruto (not shippuden from what I've seen so far) is a victim of terrible English dubbing. They gave Naruto a catchphrase. I mean, seriously. Plus, I just feel like sometimes they think that certain character "look like they would sound that way." It just feels a little tacky and Americanized when it's dubbed over.

 

[fletch_talon]

Because some people will do anything to assert their superiority over others.

Doesn't apply to everyone with this particular opinion, but they're out there... and in here...
Others most likely just don't like it, which is every bit their right, just as its your right to like it.

My personal opinion, if I'm gonna watch a movie/cartoon/etc. I want to watch the animation/acting and listen to the speech. Personally I'd feel like I'm missing out on what's going on if I'm constantly staring at the bottom half of the screen.

 

[Pimppeter2]

Well Im not a fan but from the little I've watched I'll give my 2 cents.

I think makes it feel tooo scripted. Fake and such

 

[Matronadena]

I also want to add the english dubs remove " Shinigami cup" which is the only real reason I watch the anime.. as it strays too too far from the manga in important ways I think so.. teah another reason for me.

 

[VaioStreams]

i like my anime in english. I don't see how the story changes this great amount between the 2 version that some of these bloody anime otakus clam it does. they use different words that mean the same thing to match the words. if they don't know the word. read a dictionary. But I like min in english

 

[Matronadena]

see I don't care about the " matching to fit context for western culture" thats fine, more so if you have not lived that said culture.......

but in general Im a cartoon/comic lover no matter where it is, and I am more upset at times when its comic to cartoon screwing around with story...regardless of where it's from.

 

[dodo1331]

The Japanese voices just capture the characters better. Its like replacing Bill O Reilly's voice with Peter Griffin's.

Everytime I hear Bill's voice I'm going to imagine it being Peter Griffin's. I worship you.

 

[koichan]

I am a man who enjoys his anime, I personally prefer it to be in english so I can actually understand what is being said. Thats not saying I dont mind subs, I watch Naruto Shippuden just fine. Im just wondering why so many people get so worked up about how english dubbing supposedly sucks.

Because, in my opinion, the dubbing is overwhelmingly terrible!

The only anime i watch dubbed is the Studio Ghibli films, as they're done really well.
(ie. if i didn't know they were dubbed beforehand, i'd never even notice)

I've heard this discussed in other places as well and the consensus usually is:
Americans usually don't mind dubbing too much
non-Americans usually hate it.
I know thats a horrible generalisation/stereotype (please don't shoot me!) but its what i've see in many places.

It's mostly down to the accents in my opinion, a foreign film dubbed in a voice you're used to isn't so bad.
But a foreign film dubbed in a 3rd very different accent just makes it doubly out of place. And the overwhelming majority of anime is dubbed in annoying whiney (sorry, but it seems that way to me!) American accents*.
I'd rather read the text and listen to the original soundtrack to get what the characters should sound like.

*no offence intended, really :<

 

[Avaholic03]

The Japanese voices just capture the characters better. Its like replacing Bill O Reilly's voice with Peter Griffin's.

Bad example. Anything is an upgrade over Bill O'Reilly. Hearing that man makes me want to puke.

As for dubbing...I don't see what the problem is. There is almost always both options (dubbed or subbed). Pick whichever one you prefer. Not everyone has to agree. Personally, I watch TV to be entertained, not to read a novel. The dubbed dialogue gives you the general idea of the story. Even if it's not word-for-word perfect, it's still good enough.

 

[shroomie]

Im not saying some of the acting isnt terrible, also I am from England so the American patriotism argument a big deal. Then again I have watched some japanese where the male roles sound like 5 year old girls.

 

[HentMas]

i generaly hate the voice actors, the voice they put to certain characters and the general "waky and infantile" things they put in there to make people KNOW they are cartoons, i have seen series that in Japanese give a different context to the series in comparission of what they make it in english (or Spanian Spanish in my case)

people dont understand that just because it is a cartoon some themes are not for kids, so they try to make it "juvenile" or totaly "retarded" wich makes things horrible and out of tune.

also i enjoy Mexican Spanish translation because we have enough words in our dictionary to make it perfectly clear on what tone the things are being said (wich is weird considering Japan is one of the countries with the most simple vocabulary)

and i enjoy sub´s because i learn a little bit of japanese every time i see a series.

i once watched Card Captor Sakura in English dubs... it was so horrible i almost cried, the tunes were out of context, the voice was aufully childish compared to what i was used to hear, and the themes treated where dumbed down to the context of U.S thoughts on being "child safe"

some examples?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWIY8zjD-_s English DUB
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbYfAQn6OiM SUB
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tED4vbWYqU MEXICAN Spanish DUB

can anyone tell me how to make this vids embed?

 

[eatenbyagrue]

It's like that whole casual vs. hardcore gamers hullabaloo that goes on in the gaming community. In the ends, its a question of ease of access (listening to it in a language you already understand) over the experience of it all (hearing it in its original language with subtitles)

 

[WindKnight]

Because in the bad old days, dubbing was done poorly to the point it frequently hurt the shows in question.

I still personally prefer subs, but for the most part dubs have progressed a lot. I know I prefer the El Hazard dub to the subs, and I think the Black lagoon dub caught the attitude and intention of the original very well. Sure, its cussed up, but frankly the situation and setting of the series calls for Cluster F-Bombs

 

[The Great JT]

Y'know what my big beef with anime dubbing is in this country (the USA)? CENSORSHIP. Often times, anything the FCC considers "immoral" or "imitatable" such as smoking, talking about sexuality and such and what not, they censor it to be more kid friendly. Look, I know the japanese are bat-shit bonkers, but cutting out a serious character trait such as said character is a smoker and changing it to be more acceptable to kiddies (lookin' at you, One Piece) is not a good thing.

And usually the voice acting is horrible, it doesn't sync up and the characters are all unlikeable because of how they sound and react to certain senarios.

 

[Ghadente]

most of the time the english dubbing does not fit well, so i tend to watch subs instead, although there are some anime i prefer to here the english voices.