Poll: Dubbed or Subbed?

[Addicted Muffin]

I perfer dubs. I hate watching only the lower part of the screen to find out whats going on, and sometimes the subs are just horribley written and off track.

If I find a series that has been dubbed really well, and most actually have, i'll wait to watch it dubbed, like FMA: Brotherhood...amazing dubs

but those few anime that sound like each actor recorded their lines on different planes of existance, I'll watch the subs on those

 

[Callate]

It's not exactly an either/or question. Some English subtitling jobs are pathetic; others are works of art. Likewise, while some original Japanese dubs are very well done, despite what a certain type of hardcore "Anime elitist" would like you to believe, not all Japanese dubs are works of peerless mastery of an art form the Gaijin could never hope to equal.

In particular, the American release of "Princess Mononoke" was a very careful piece of craft. They got Neil Gaiman to adapt the English version of the script, and a top-flight cast to do the voices, including Gillian Anderson, Billy Crudup, Minnie Driver, and Claire Danes. Yet a certain otaku hardcore still screeched to the high heavens that their precious Mononoke Hime was being defiled by this version.

So... Here's the thing. A really good anime with an English dub is going to be seen by a hell of a lot more people than the same anime is subtitled. This is why a company like Disney deigns to do a major theatrical release at all. And I'm grateful that when they do such a thing they go through immense pains to do it well. It pains, disgusts, and embarrasses me that certain anime fans would rather keep their hobby a shadowy niche than allow it to be available to people who would appreciate it.

It's one thing if there's a danger that the original Japanese dub would cease to exist, but that's hardly ever the case. And, again, not all dubs are equal; if a anime is going to have a relatively narrow DVD-only release, I'd rather read subtitles than hear the key grip's brother try to act. But for the big releases? Dub well, and you absolutely have my blessing.

 

[drisky]

Usually Dubs their are exceptions however, like this

As a general rule English and Japanese have very different ways of doing funny and cute so Dubs of these genres tend to lose their original feel, and music shouldn't ever be translated. K-on falls into all three of these. For Drama however I need it to be in a language I speak to get the most emotionally invested. Action is just easier not to read.

 

[Yeager942]

I can't stand subbed anime. All the screechy voices just split my brain open and pour battery acid into it.

 

[BlumiereBleck]

I prefer dub, for well the fact it's in english. Also not a every jappanese voice actor has a perfect voice, which is why i rarely watch sub. Also debating over one's preference of dub or sub is pointless

 

[Custard_Angel]

I don't watch anime, but in my experiences of foreign language movies, subbed always wins.

 

[Furbyz]

If it's FMA or Hellsing, dubs all the way. Other than that subs please.

 

[[Kira Must Die]]

I honestly don't see what's so bad about this. It's seems okay to me, and I'm a huge K-ON! nut.
I don't expect it to be as good as the original dub, so this is actually a bit better than I expected it to be.
Besides, it's a trailer, and I've only heard three voices in it, so I hardly think that's enough to actually pass judgement.

 

[Akihiko]

I generally watch dubs if they are available just so I don't lose a chunk of dialogue if I turn away. That said I don't mind subs, and if I don't like the english dub, I'm not afraid to watch it in japanese with subs.

 

[Plurralbles]

I like whichever I can get.

if it's really, really actiony- like champloo or something...

Then of course I want it dubbed.

But if it's more plot driven with importance focused on relationships between the characters, I'll enjoy subbed.

 

[Barrett0]

both have their pro's and con's.

if i had too pick one id say dubbed. means you can focus on the visuals rather than having to read the sub-titles

 

[Fightgarr]

It depends entirely on what I'm watching. I generally prefer the subbed versions, since I generally don't notice bad voice-acting nearly as much in Japanese. There are definitely situations where I don't mind the dub version at all, Ghibli films in particular tend towards good voice casts in many cases (Howl's Moving Castle in particular). With something like Stand-Alone Complex I sometimes like to watch the dub version because there's a lot going on on both a visual level and in the dialogue, so the sub sometimes causes me to choose dialogue over visuals. In most cases, though, I prefer the subs.

 

[Sliverwings]

I choose sub for two reasons:
1. I speak Japanese so I feel slightly better as everyone else feels stupid
2. English Acting just has this feeling, like it isn't right

 

[Hero in a half shell]

Never watched Anime, (No offence, I can see how it's appealing but it's just not my thing) But when I'm watching those old, so-bad-it's-good Kung-Fu movies, dubbed is the only way to go. Purely because they always got the worst people to do the dubbing, giving either no emotion, in their own European/American accent, or putting on an hilariously racist accent and overpronouncing like their life depended on it. Brilliant.

 

[Andy Marturano]

in my opinion, the Japanese plus subs is usually better unless the main characters is going to swear or have funny dialogue. Examples are Desert Punk and Fullmetal Alchemist

 

[JackandTom]

I perfer dubs. I hate watching only the lower part of the screen to find out whats going on, and sometimes the subs are just horribley written and off track.

If I find a series that has been dubbed really well, and most actually have, i'll wait to watch it dubbed, like FMA: Brotherhood...amazing dubs

but those few anime that sound like each actor recorded their lines on different planes of existance, I'll watch the subs on those

I agree, and the dubbing in FMA: Brotherhood is brilliant

 

[Liudeius]

Generally I prefer subbed, but in some cases dubbed sounds better than the character's original voices (Ex: Full Metal Alchemist).

It really just depends on the voices and how much it seems to differ from the intent of the original Japanese. Sometimes the Japanese voices sound wrong, but more often the English dubs sound stupid (this is aided by voice actors not being very important over here).

Also often the "Official" dubs won't just mess up the intend of what is said and say it in annoying voices/no emotion, they will also censor it. Like back with Naruto (the old one), the English dubbed version just seemed sooooo stupid, and while the Japanese version was still childish, they were something like 13, it also have all of the swearing. It's funny to see the Japanese version with people throwing words like ***** around then watch the English dub and see what they cooked up to stop rabid parents from burning down their office buildings.

The one thing I dislike about subs is that it is harder to multi-task, I usually play video games and watch movies at the same time, and it is most difficult to pay equal attention to both when I have to keep on darting back to the anime screen every time a character speaks.

 

[UberNoodle]

It's not about 'subbed vs dubbed'. It's about watching the film or anime in as close a state as it was conceived by its creators. Regardless of the perceived 'quality' of any voice track, the only factor to take into account is that simple factor. And the idea that the dubs remove 'annoying voices', is like saying that dubs can remove annoying languages, culture or creative strokes. Go for it, if that's how you feel, but in the end, the original voices is how the film or show was conceived by its creators, and they are cultural reflections. That's how it should be watched. I'm just waiting for customised versions of the Mona Lisa.

 

[DefinitelyPsychotic]

If something is in a different language, I prefer subtitled.

But I hate anime anyway...

 

[Justanothergamer300]

I like both but I'm starting to like subs a bit more because I foucs more it due to the reading unlike dubs