[Eva]

The on going debate between Dub and Sub on the internet is endless. The debate about sub being the original verison of the anime and dub being the cursed alter verison of an anime. It's an endless debate that anime nerd have discuss time and time again with never side agree all that often. So, let's see jump into this discuss once again!

What do you think of dub and sub? Which do you prefer; sub or dub? Are dub really as bad as some people make them out to be?

I have prefer subtitle. My reason is good enough for myself that I like how the japanese voice go with the characters of the series more than I do than dub, but I will admit, it depend on which verison I see first. Unless a subtitle or dub is really bad, which ever I watch first, I will prefer. Why? Simple, I just get use to that voice while watching that anime in sub or dub first. I don't have the other verison to compare it the sub or dub to, so I just get use to it. This is why I prefer the english in Tokyo 2040, Evangelion, Nadesico and Inuyasha over the japanese. Evangelion dub is good, so just because I saw it first and grew us it, doesn't make it any better or worse than the sub. In the end, it's a preference, but some people try to make it fact that sub are superior in every way to dub, which I find a bit ignorant and arrogant.

Dub bring not bad. There purpose is to translate an anime into an language for the person of that language to understand. I don't really see a need or point to whine about how bad a dub is, unless we're discuss the issue with DBZ and the censorship done to it's script. That's more fact, than just a personal perference since the script was completely re-vamp from the original DBZ. The voices are just for your own personal preference. Though, I do believe if a person watched an anime in japanese first, they'll like it more than english verison they watch. This doesn't apply to everybody, but I do believe it does apply to quite a few people, who will never admit such a thing.

Dub are not bad to make it short. People can whine about how much they suck and that ''they're not the original verison'' of the anime, but if the anime creator cared as much as them, they won't have gave the rights to that dub company to do that to their anime, so best not whine so much about it in my mind. If the anime was ripped and voices were placed on the series with the right of the creator of that anime, then I can see where people are coming from, but as it stands now, I honestly can't.

[Sadipriss]

Dub or sub,
it all depends on how it's done and what the preference is to the person watching the Anime in question ^^

that's all :P

[Lynk Former]

I watch anime in any language I have access to.

[Black Howling]

I like mine dubbed but i watch it subbed too so i get the whole story.

[Blue Confusion]

It depends on the quality of the actors (in any language) and whether the dub studio preserves the original story. Where available, I like to watch both dub and sub and pick which I prefer, if necessary. Some series have better subs, some have better dubs, and it's just a matter of personal preference.

[darktruth]

Like others have said, it depends on the viewer's preference but I do agree on the point that the majority of anime viewers will stick to the language they're most used to hearing.

What I can't stand are ignorant people who claim that the subs are always superior to dubs. I hear some lame reasons like "it's pure" or in it's original state or some crap like that simply because the language is in Japanese. What these people don't realise is that while they may be watching the anime in the original language, it does not change the fact that they are watching it with english subtitles and is sub-consciously using it as a translation to what they're watching. If they wanted to be pure they would've either watched it in raw or no subs at all. This can also apply to anime subbed in other various languages and to those who think they're watching it in pure.

[tai]

dub, sub, whatever. i don't really care how i watch my anime, unless the dub is really REALY bad.

[InsaneSith]

Whatever sucks the least.

The japanese are growing to a trend of hiring pop-whores and the like to do voices and they sound really, really bad to me. While the english Dubbers are getting better and better about casting, timing, etc.

But like I said, whichever sucks the least. Sometimes I'm stuck muting something and making up junk as it goes along.

[Rebel]

I-Sith says what I say. There are some "originals" that I cant stand, and some dubs that are even worse, and some of them are for the same show! Though I'm almost always partial to whatever version I hear first.

However given the chance I'll watch the dub, simply cause I find subtitles distracting and I cant turn my head when boring stuff is going on.

[FirestarterCL]

I prefer dubs simply for the convenience. I like to see everything thats going on without having to constantly look to the bottom of the screen to understand whats being said. Of course, I have nothing against subs either as sometimes that's he only option (Fansubs, older series like Macross and VOTOMS), they're just not my preference.

[Hawkeye]

Himmmm..... it really an endless debate for me now. It uses to be Dubs, Because I didn't want to stuck watching the Subs go by and not following the animation on screen. Because there are times, when the subtitles have sucked big time. For an example for me was the Nadesico film, I couldn't enjoy it because the subs flashed by and I had to keep an eye out in the sub area to make sure I didn't miss anything.

Mind you, Subs have improved and it good enough to read and watch the animation at the same time. Like Lynk if I've got the time too, I would proberbly watch both the Dub and the Sub. Only then could I tell you which one I would perfer... It's a show on show debate.....

[Lynk Former]

Most of the time I like both English and Japanese audio tracks but there are times when I do choose one over the other as my favourite.

Macross Plus = Japanese audio
Last Exile = English audio
Chobits = Both

I won't bother listing all the animes I've seen down but you get the idea...

[Maverick]

I usually watch anything in its original languaje, in any way I can read english better than listen, so I usually go for subs, if there's a spanish (latinamerican spanish, the spanish of Spain is SO weird for us XP) dub well acted and translated, I'm all for it.

[Shannon]

I usually watch raw... the subtitles are reeeeeally distracting for me and I especially dislike when names are translated (like subbers writing "Sakura" when Kinomoto-san was really said, or something.) I don't watch majorly-complicated anime, so it's all good. Same actually goes for manga, too... I have a strong dislike for translated manga, so yay I read the Japanese like a 5-year-old instead

edit:

I usually watch anything in its original languaje, in any way I can read english better than listen, so I usually go for subs, if there's a spanish (latinamerican spanish, the spanish of Spain is SO weird for us XP) dub well acted and translated, I'm all for it.

Ahahaha, como te llamath

[Moelman]

I watch anime in any language I have access to.

Same here. I don't have a lot of money to buy a ton of DVDs, and anime on TV is pretty scarce so I watch whatever I can.

[GabeXorn]

I'm more likey to watch the dub if it's a rental otherwise I try to watch the sub if I have the time or can be bothered

[AkkA]

ok, for me subs dont matter. i read quickly, so i can read a sub and still see what is happening. im currently aquiring the series of One Piece (god i love that anime) subbed. i know its dubbed, but its also been graphically edited (for example cigarettes have been edited out, but not the smoke) so i prefer the original. i say once the graphics get edited, its bad. but im not saying dubs are bad. i prefer the english dub of BGC over the original.

[Maverick]

Ahahaha, como te llamath

"llamath"? your spanish is faulty :P
Llámame Mav

[AkkA]

also, sometimes names should not be changed from their original.

For example, Bakuretsu Tenchi is a far better name than Burst Angel

[Lynk Former]

Only reason it sounds better is cause it's in a foreign language though XD Burst and Angel are pretty normal words, Bakuretsu and Tenshi are like WOAAAH!! UBER LEET! XD

[Blue Confusion]

Plus since it's another language that you have to mentally translate into English, "Bakuretsu Tenshi" doesn't lead to such bizarre mental images as "Burst Angel" can.

"Honey!The angel exploded all over the floor again!"

[Lynk Former]

Speaking of Bakuretsu... I weep everytime I think that it was Monica Rial who provided the English voice for Jo. It also happens to be one of those rare animes where I don't actually like either audio track.

[FirestarterCL]

Am I the only person who likes that show?

and Lynk, that sig is priceless.

[InsaneSith]

I dunno, everytime I hear "Burst Angel" I get all tingly, the thought of exploding angels intrigues me. Granted that's probably not what the show is about, but that doesn't matter.

I think the only anime I could never watch with subs on is Puni Puni Poemi. That was like watching a crackhead invent a crazy language then scream it like we knew what the fuck he was talking about.

[Spazz]

Most dubs I think ruin the anime. Although some pull out an excellent performance for the voice actors.

What I don’t like is hearing the voices of the characters from characters in other animes, as the English cast is just the same people over and over usually

Shinji from evagelion played by the same voice actor from Makie in bubblegum crisis2040 and Akito from nadesico..THAT BUGS THE HELL OUT OF ME!

[Maverick]

I got through all the trouble of getting the first two eps of Bakuretsu Tenshi that time when the anime was brought to the old forums, I ended disappointed, it has all the kind of inconsistencies and contradictions I hate, like Jo missing a target at pointblank range but more later shooting off missiles in mid air =.=

it was my fault for not seeing that coming anyway :P

[Alegis]

Always sub, not only because of limited options available to me. I like to hear the Japanese language, except if it's spoken in a weird dialect like Bakaretsu Tenshi. Those voices annoyed the hell out of me.

[Rebel]

Most dubs I think ruin the anime. Although some pull out an excellent performance for the voice actors.

What I don?t like is hearing the voices of the characters from characters in other animes, as the English cast is just the same people over and over usually

Shinji from evagelion played by the same voice actor from Makie in bubblegum crisis2040 and Akito from nadesico..THAT BUGS THE HELL OUT OF ME!

Yeah, that can get kinda weird, however, you'll also note that there are some common Japanese VAs who show up in alot of series.

[Shannon]

"llamath"? your spanish is faulty :P
Llámame Mav

I was making fun of the Castilian 'lisp' =P

[InsaneSith]

Most dubs I think ruin the anime. Although some pull out an excellent performance for the voice actors.

What I don’t like is hearing the voices of the characters from characters in other animes, as the English cast is just the same people over and over usually

Shinji from evagelion played by the same voice actor from Makie in bubblegum crisis2040 and Akito from nadesico..THAT BUGS THE HELL OUT OF ME!

Every shonen series uses the same group of voice actors, and they'll throw in the random pop tart. So it sounds a bit hypocritical to say that's why you don't watch the english version.

Hell at least most of the time they try to sound different in the dubs. In the jap track on DBZ and Naruto especially, you can tell it's the same god damn person. Not to mention when they do the voice of another character, and you can tell it's them. So yeah, the japanese fuck up their shit just as much as the dubbers.

Last Exile is the perfect example of where the dub is multiple times better than the original track (thus making the show that much better). The japanese voices sound like a fat man crapping in an aluminum tube compared to the english track.

[Lynk Former]

What I don’t like is hearing the voices of the characters from characters in other animes, as the English cast is just the same people over and over usually

Shinji from evagelion played by the same voice actor from Makie in bubblegum crisis2040 and Akito from nadesico..THAT BUGS THE HELL OUT OF ME!

The Japanese reuse their voice talent just as much as the English dubbing companies. I could get you a list of some seiyuu's who appear in almost every freakin anime it gets annoying XD

In fact, let's get one seiyuu listed here and see how many animes they've done... I pick... Houko Kuwashima. So let's see she's been in...

Angelic Layer (TV) as Sai Jounouchi
Azumanga Daioh (TV) as Kagura
Blue Gender (TV) as Marlene Angel
Chobits (TV) as Minoru Kokubunji
Fullmetal Alchemist (TV) as Rose Tomas
Gravion (TV) as Leele
Madlax (TV) as Margaret Burton
Martian Successor Nadesico (TV) as Yurika Misumaru
Mobile Suit Gundam Seed (TV) as Flay Allster; Natarle Badgiruel
Ninja Scroll (TV) as Shigure
Noir (TV) as Kirika Yumura
RahXephon (TV) as Quon Kisaragi
Steel Angel Kurumi (TV) as Nakahito Kagura
X (TV) as Satsuki Yatouji
Zone of the Enders (TV) as Dolores

and the best thing about that list is that I've only listed the most recognisable animes, the list is actually a lot longer than that.

Last Exile is the perfect example of where the dub is multiple times better than the original track (thus making the show that much better). The japanese voices sound like a fat man crapping in an aluminum tube compared to the english track.

The Last Exile English audio rocks so much

Another good example of an English audio track outdoing the Japanese audio is ROD the TV, especially Rachel Hirschfeld who absolutely rocks.

[Blue Confusion]

Houko Kuwashima did the voice for Marlene Angel? That's a shift away from her usual soft-spoken characters o_o

[Digital Dreamer]

Subs titles all the way for me.

I guess it's because i got sick and tired of when anime first started getting westernised in the west that some of the people they were hiring could not act.

People tell me that dubbing as improved over the years. I have yet to be convinced of this.

I guess the only time that I see myself considing to watch a dub anime, it if the series is ubar long, not much brain matter in it, and I need some thing for some background noise while I am playing a MMORPG. Like Yu Yu Hakusho.

[InsaneSith]

some of the people they were hiring could not act.

It's also a problem with the Japanese, so... yeah. No matter what audio track, there's always at least 3 people that cannot act worth a damn.

[Shannon]

The Japanese reuse their voice talent just as much as the English dubbing companies. I could get you a list of some seiyuu's who appear in almost every freakin anime it gets annoying XD

This is definitely true... but I think seiyuu are usually more dynamic with their different voice acting roles, whereas most English dub voice actors will use the same gosh darn voice for every character... I mean, Sumomo from Chobits was played by the same seiyuu who did Syaoran in Cardcaptor Sakura =P I honestly had no idea until I saw the credits.

I think a huge gripe I have is how young children in anime are usually given these scary adult voices when dubbed. It just doesn't make any sense... Like, why does "Ash Ketchum" in Pokemon sound like a chain smoker? The entire cast of Digimon sounded like 35-year-olds - the 8-year-old "Kari Kamiya" sounded like someone's mom. Y'know?? It just doesn't make any sense...

[Rebel]

Subs titles all the way for me.

I guess it's because i got sick and tired of when anime first started getting westernised in the west that some of the people they were hiring could not act.

aside from being dubbed in the west, there's very little westernization to current animes. Heck there are puns, jokes and refrences to things Japanese in current anime's that just fly right over my head because well, they wernt changed for a different audience. While alot of animes say, 10 or 15 years ago got really revamped for the english audience, this really dosent happen as much, mostly due to anime fans like yourself who are now reaching ages and getting jobs to change those things.

You cant blame all the dubbing mistakes on the VAs either. There is some fault with the editors when they are unable to match up the mouths to the words. Due to the fact that maybe 1 out of ever 100 anime characters jaw moves when they speak, playing with the mough movements is not a hard thing to do.

Not to mention alot of subs and Japanese translate into "correct" english. Which I'm sure you would find equally as strange as if it was dubbed into Eubonics. If you've ever compared the Trigun official sub to the official dub, you'll notice the subs are often words nobody uses in common speaking.

And if we're talking about westerinzation, it's a simple decision of wether or not to keep audiences. It's easier to win the audience when they get the jokes. Sure, we, the anime/Japan buffs may get the Japan jokes and get a laugh out of it, but there's no fun in watching the show if somebody dosent understand anything.

I think a huge gripe I have is how young children in anime are usually given these scary adult voices when dubbed. It just doesn't make any sense... Like, why does "Ash Ketchum" in Pokemon sound like a chain smoker? The entire cast of Digimon sounded like 35-year-olds - the 8-year-old "Kari Kamiya" sounded like someone's mom. Y'know?? It just doesn't make any sense...

you should hear the voices for the little kids on Zeta Gundam. Now those are little kids. Got the "missing-front teeth" lisp too.

[Digital Dreamer]

I guess the only time that I see myself considing to watch a dub anime, it if the series is ubar long, not much brain matter in it, and I need some thing for some background noise while I am playing a MMORPG. Like Yu Yu Hakusho.

And 20 episodes with 20 LVL on my WoW Character later, I am finding the dubbing quite painful to listen to.
I guess it would not be so bad if Kazuma Kuwabara did not sound like a complete retard.

aside from being dubbed in the west, there's very little westernization to current animes. Heck there are puns, jokes and refrences to things Japanese in current anime's that just fly right over my head because well, they wernt changed for a different audience. While alot of animes say, 10 or 15 years ago got really revamped for the english audience, this really dosent happen as much, mostly due to anime fans like yourself who are now reaching ages and getting jobs to change those things.

You cant blame all the dubbing mistakes on the VAs either. There is some fault with the editors when they are unable to match up the mouths to the words. Due to the fact that maybe 1 out of ever 100 anime characters jaw moves when they speak, playing with the mough movements is not a hard thing to do.

My main problem with Dubbing is that I find is the western voice acting.
I will confess that the western voice acting have improved a lot. Like they are re-dubbing MACROSS THE MOTION PICTURE as the orginal CLASH OF THE BIONOIDS was that bad.
However my complain is now is that a lot of the voice acting seems to be very generic or limited.

The Japanese reuse their voice talent just as much as the English dubbing companies. I could get you a list of some seiyuu's who appear in almost every freakin anime it gets annoying XD

In fact, let's get one seiyuu listed here and see how many animes they've done... I pick... Houko Kuwashima. So let's see she's been in...

Angelic Layer (TV) as Sai Jounouchi
[SNIP]
Zone of the Enders (TV) as Dolores

and the best thing about that list is that I've only listed the most recognisable animes, the list is actually a lot longer than that.

However I seem to be less likely to pick this up. Like I watch some ADV dubs and I can pick just about all the english voice actors there.

It's even worst when they get a big name celebrity to dub an anime. Eg. Gillian Anderson is Princess Mononoke. I was just waiting for Moro to try link every thing up to an X-File.

[InsaneSith]

I actually thought Gillian Anderson and Claire Danes did rather well considering.

[Blue Confusion]

I thought the "big name celebrities" did a pretty good job with Mononoke, especially considering they aren't VAs to begin with. Just by mentioning that Billy Bob Thornton and Anderson and Danes voiced characters in Mononoke led to some of my friends watching it, and they no longer treat anime like an affliction. Celebrities have their uses XP

[spectre]

One of the things I noticed about anime VA in general is that it's really, really prone to overacting. I think I noticed this in NGE (I think i watched most episodes in both languages), and honestly in a lot of others-- and I honestly don't think it's changed very much. I'm absolutely certain that japanese VAs are just as guilty of this as american VAs, but I think the difference is that I can't, well, tell if they're overacting in japanese, because other than japanese film I really have nothing to compare their way of speaking to. In other words, based on personal preference, I rather like not really knowing how badly they act -- if I hear inflection, tension, anger, sadness, etc... in their voices, then they're doing a good job, but I'll notice crummy acting way more in english.

Another thing -- english people saying japanese names really bothers me, how about you?