Do You Prefer Your Anime Dubbed or Subbed?

[Naedmi]

I've watched many different dubbed anime during my time and I have to say I prefer it over subbed, but I understand why people would prefer sub to dub at times, I've also found some very horrible dub voice actors during my time, the kind that make you cringe at the sound of their voice.

Some of my favorite dubs would include Dragonball Z, Fullmetal Alchemist, Jojo's Bizzare Adventure, Attack on Titan and some others I can't name right now.

Dragonball Z gets me every time with their amazing voice actors, this quote gets me every time. "Screaming in English"

[Spawn of Totoro]

Subbed for me.

The Japanese voices just work better to me, when I watch. It wasn't hard to learn to read the text at the bottom and pay attention to the action, though sometimes it goes faster then I can keep up with, depending on how competent the subber is.

I will often read in the voice that is speaking.

Only time I had an issue was when they reversed the lines of an anime. What was said first appeared at the bottom while the second line was on the top. That was fixed in latter episodes.

[ArsenalAccelerator]

Sudubed = dub + subtitles

[Crystal Sharrd]

Depends on the anime.

[Indiana Georg]

depends on the voices of the dub

[Someone]

Автор сообщения: Quint, Queen of the Giant Rabbit

Unless you're a native Japanese speaker, I don't think either of us is qualified to speak on the faults of Japanese. But the video does point out the issue of it not matching lip flaps, and that is pretty undeniable.

It's not necessary to be a native speaker, and lip flap imperfections are a trivial matter. So much so I didn't even realize that's what you meant by faults. Western viewers practically fetishize lip syncing, and even when lip flaps work optimally they are still routinely criticized for not precisely matching the contours of every sound.

But reading text and using listening gibberish standing for meaning to infer tone of voice is not the same as hearing meaning with built-in tone of voice.

Emotional cues can be understood without understanding a language, and I have never heard anyone mention this supposed problem in live action films. People who watch foreign cinema, such as film critics, don't seem to have any problems, it's always anime viewers talking about this. And the more time you spend watching anime, the less gibberish the Japanese becomes. With a dub all the acting goes completely out the window and is replaced by something else.

You may prefer the former, but I prefer the latter because I find it more immersive when it works, and that immersion is more important to me than an as-literal-as-possible translation of the meaning.

What could be more immersive than American voice actresses attempting and failing to mimick the way Japanese anime schoolgirls talk (not necessarily their fault, but it is what it is), and eliminating things like honorifics, pronouns and common words, phrases and sounds. I can see a case being made for certain shows like Baccano, but for every Baccano there's hundreds of shows set in Japan.

[Ⓥenom Ⓢnake 🐍]

Автор сообщения: sonic65101

Depends on the anime.

Автор сообщения: indiana_georg

depends on the voices of the dub

Both very good points as well.

I have a real solid relationship with Chrispin Freeman's voice work. And Stephen Blum of course, because he is dang near in everything, from anime, to U.S. toons, to video games.

[Zefar]

I have listened to a lot of English dubs but they all sound bad. Well there is like one exception. Cromartie Highschool. It was still bad but because the anime itself isn't taking it seriously it was quite okay.

So often I just turn on subs. I have watched plenty of English movies to know when people can't act. Anime deliver bad acting in spades when it comes to English voices.

Dragonball anime for example is rather amazing in that the voice actors still do not sound good after like what? 600 episodes which spans several years worth of content.
I haven't watched the entire series but rather clips on Youtube.

[Quint the Alligator Snapper]

Автор сообщения: Spawn of Totoro

Only time I had an issue was when they reversed the lines of an anime. What was said first appeared at the bottom while the second line was on the top. That was fixed in latter episodes.

I've seen this happen sometimes. Also sometimes a subtitle line will spoil a moment that involves a pause or interruption before something is said.

Автор сообщения: Someone

Emotional cues can be understood without understanding a language, and I have never heard anyone mention this supposed problem in live action films. People who watch foreign cinema, such as film critics, don't seem to have any problems, it's always anime viewers talking about this.

Perhaps it's because (1) anime is a lot more popular than foreign live-action films and TV shows, and thus (2) the English-speaking audience for anime is a lot broader while the English-speaking audience for foreign films is typically more interested in the film specifically for its foreignness and being different from a domestic film. This last bit does apply somewhat to anime but its effect is less pronounced.

Автор сообщения: Someone

And the more time you spend watching anime, the less gibberish the Japanese becomes. With a dub all the acting goes completely out the window and is replaced by something else.

And it is replaced by other acting. :P

I've watched subbed anime since 2007-ish and it's still gibberish to me. At best I can make out certain words like knowing how a code works, but that's very different from fluently understanding the language.

About half of the anime I watch is subbed. List available on request.

Автор сообщения: Someone

You may prefer the former, but I prefer the latter because I find it more immersive when it works, and that immersion is more important to me than an as-literal-as-possible translation of the meaning.

What could be more immersive than American voice actresses attempting and failing to mimick the way Japanese anime schoolgirls talk (not necessarily their fault, but it is what it is), and eliminating things like honorifics, pronouns and common words, phrases and sounds. I can see a case being made for certain shows like Baccano, but for every Baccano there's hundreds of shows set in Japan.

Well, maybe it's that I watch relatively few shows set very strictly in Japan and more shows of a sci-fi or fantasy nature. Or maybe it's that I actually dislike the squeaky cutesy voice and would prefer it sound less affected. (And indeed it is intentionally affected. It's really amusing how this effect plays out with the character Hannah Weber from Element Hunters -- whose voice I of course listened to in Japanese, as there's no English dub -- when you first hear her voice it's through her pop idol work where she sounds squeaky, then when you later meet her in person she sounds quite different due to not speaking with an affected tone.)

But more importantly I think it's the fact that people talking in my own native language lends a sense of familiarity to the work that people talking in another language does. While the words are changed, the overall experience is arguably more authentic, because a Japanese person also doesn't perceive Japanese as foreign gibberish, but rather as just their default language. To them, Japanese is not "special" but the standard norm; to me, North American English is not "special" but the standard norm.

(And this is also why I don't expect anything I say regarding North American English dubs to apply to someone who doesn't natively speak North American English.)

[Someone]

Автор сообщения: Someone

Perhaps it's because (1) anime is a lot more popular than foreign live-action films and TV shows, and thus (2) the English-speaking audience for anime is a lot broader while the English-speaking audience for foreign films is typically more interested in the film specifically for its foreignness and being different from a domestic film. This last bit does apply somewhat to anime but its effect is less pronounced.

There's lots of people in the English speaking world watching non-English language films (and Europeans watching other European films). I've never heard them complain that they can't figure out what characters are feeling, nor is there any demand for dubbing like there is in the anime community.

And it is replaced by other acting. :P

Which is exactly the problem.

I've watched subbed anime since 2007-ish and it's still gibberish to me. And about half of the anime I watch is subbed. List available on request.

I've watched or listened to Japanese media on a regular basis for about the same length of time. I can for example listen to some voice dramas and understand most of what's happening or at least get the gist of it. Maybe my affinity for languages is better than average, but nearly anyone should be able to get past the gibberish phase if they've spent ten years watching anime. The basics are not difficult.

Or maybe it's that I actually dislike the squeaky cutesy voice

Why do so many people think that every anime character has a high-pitched cutesy voice?

But more importantly I think it's the fact that people talking in my own native language lends a sense of familiarity to the work that people talking in another language does.

I have a sense of familiarity with anime because I have familiarized myself with it through years of experience, and at no point have I expected or demanded it to make itself familiar to me. I've also seen films from most corners of the world and never expected familiarity.

While the words are changed, the overall experience is arguably more authentic, because a Japanese person also doesn't perceive Japanese as foreign gibberish, but rather as just their default language. To them, Japanese is not "special" but the standard norm; to me, North American English is not "special" but the standard norm.

It isn't more authentic. You are removing the Japanese language from a Japanese work and every last cultural nuance that comes with it, including things specific to anime. It's the opposite of authentic.

[Dyne]

I overlay the sub and dubbed voices so I can hear both at the same time

[Ⓥenom Ⓢnake 🐍]

Автор сообщения: Zane

I overlay the sub and dubbed voices so I can hear both at the same time

That's... Unique.

[Quint the Alligator Snapper]

Автор сообщения: Someone

I've watched or listened to Japanese media on a regular basis for about the same length of time. I can for example listen to some voice dramas and understand most of what's happening or at least get the gist of it. Maybe my affinity for languages is better than average, but nearly anyone should be able to get past the gibberish phase if they've spent ten years watching anime. The basics are not difficult.

It's equivalent to hearing a semi-familiar code. Which is still not the same as hearing a natively-familiar language.

Автор сообщения: Someone

Or maybe it's that I actually dislike the squeaky cutesy voice

Why do so many people think that every anime character has a high-pitched cutesy voice?

I can't speak for other people, but I certainly don't think that. In fact I tend not to watch less of the moë slice-of-life stuff, partly as a result of this preference, so I'm quite aware of what other shows and voice roles there are.

Автор сообщения: Someone

But more importantly I think it's the fact that people talking in my own native language lends a sense of familiarity to the work that people talking in another language does.

I have a sense of familiarity with anime because I have familiarized myself with it through years of experience, and at no point have I expected or demanded it to make itself familiar to me. I've also seen films from most corners of the world and never expected familiarity.

While the words are changed, the overall experience is arguably more authentic, because a Japanese person also doesn't perceive Japanese as foreign gibberish, but rather as just their default language. To them, Japanese is not "special" but the standard norm; to me, North American English is not "special" but the standard norm.

It isn't more authentic. You are removing the Japanese language from a Japanese work and every last cultural nuance that comes with it, including things specific to anime. It's the opposite of authentic.

Underlying all of this is your opinion that it's supposed to be "Japanese" or otherwise specifically "anime" as a distinctive style, and that's probably what you like about it, among other things. So something that changes that betrays, for you, the spirit of it.

I understand that preference, at least from a cognitive standpoint, but I don't share that preference, as far as my enjoyment goes. Maybe if I desired to be a scholar of anime then you'd have a stronger point, but I watch anime to enjoy and appreciate the experience, and I like being able to "connect to" the characters on a very familiar basis.

This isn't to say that the Japanese audio with subtitles can't accomplish this, nor is it to say that English audio is always more effective at making me enjoy it (in fact there are a few shows that I may have enjoyed more subbed specifically because it'd put a certain feeling of distance between me and the characters), but on average, English audio has a greater potential for me to enjoy it more.

[Echo NO Aim]

The only anime I prefer dubbed is DBZ.