Dubs Vs Subs

[Trio the Punch]

I don't think bad voice acting is an invalid reason to hate dubs. I mean some dubs, anyway. Go watch the Bleach dub for an hour and tell me it doesn't completely effing suck. Then again, sometimes English voice actors are spot on (which makes for a good dub) like in Fullmetal Alchemist. I would also say that subs are preferable because with subs you don't have to worry about the localization and such. For instance, the dubbed version of Zatch Bell is basically a completely different show than the Japanese version.

 

[A Link In Time]

The thing about translations of any sort is that human judgment may err and produce a script which isn't entirely accurate or convey the same message as the original language version. That being said, both dubs and subs fall victim to that problem. I think it's a matter of how close to the original source material someone wants their viewing experience to be that influences whether or not they prefer dubs or subs. Personally, I say dubs all the way because after a hard day of work, it's infinitely satisfying to sit down in front of entertainment and relax with minimum effort exerted. If I'm feeling particularly academic, however, or I understand the original language being spoken and I wish to assess the accuracy of the subtitles, I will view media in that fashion. Also, it's a pleasure to hear hte inflection of various languages as spoken by natives.

 

[pit0010]

I prefer Subs...for dubs...the voice doesn't really gel properly with the actors emotions and actions and wateva.
For me...subs is easy coz i just automatically read the words at the button and still can view wats happening.

 

[TheRationalDove]

I think it really depends on the quality of either. Both of them can be completely off on translation and given the fact that some things aren't 100% translatable, the only to truly experience the originality of any show, you have to know the language. Normally, I give both the subs and the dubs a chance before deciding on a favorite. Most of the time, I end up alternating. One of the animes I watched was actually the only case I have ever encountered of the dub being radically different from the sub, yet still maintaining the original content, and being a comedy as was originally intended. it was almost as if the dubbing company had a little creativity, but still kept the mail drive of the series in tact.

 

[Forra Bard]

I'm still not seeing "because I speak English" as a good reason to prefer one over the other. It's a little ignorant I think. It's the same as complaining about Spanish speakers in America because "we speak English." But the subtitles are in English so...
And I agree, sometimes I'll throw on the dub simply because I have other things to do at the same time. Other times I've watched a series enough that the sub is just as good and won't distract me.

 

[guapo2003]

I like dubs that way I can watch and enjoy the show I'm watching and not have to read what they are saying and not full enjoy the show.

 

[misskitten]

Being Norwegian I'm so used to subtitles as it is, that it annoys me to have anything dubbed (apart from things I watched dubbed as a child). Sure subtitles sometimes has horrible translation mistakes, but dubbing is not a foolproof process either. You could have horrible voice actors who are completely incapable of capturing the characters, emotions, etc. I feel that at least with the "original voices" you get what was intended for the characters, and you get voice-acting that culturally fits the show. Animé in english or norwegian just doesn't sound right to me, so I much prefer the original japanese voices.

 

[banders]

If its done well, then dubs are perfectly fine. But most of the time, subs are the best option.

 

[AlienY]

Dubs are better if they are quality ones,but they seem to be getting worse

 

[TriforceHunter]

There are good dubs and bad dubs and same with subs. I think the reason of why many anime fans hate dubs is because of the poor 4Kids adaptations and even though it's nearly been a decade people still got that bitter taste in their mouths. I think dubs can sometimes be way superior to subs, you can listen to it and get the story more fluently. Don't even get me started on the Engrish that some Subs have, man sometimes it sounds like a completely new language. Both of them have their pros and cons. If an anime hasn't been dubbed or wont make it overseas then you better brace yourself for an old fashion sub, if an anime(or movie, whatever) has been completely translated in a way that makes sense and sounds good then sit back and relax.

Plus sometimes the English voices sound better cuz I'd be watching a Japanese anime going "Is that guy's voice supposed to be that High Pitched?"

 

[fredfan11]

I'm more of a dub fan, I like hearing english

 

[Butterfly4Life]

I prefer Sub over Dub because usually Dubs are way behind the Subs. For example Naruto Sub is way ahead of the Dub. Also usually in Subs nothing is censored/taken out of the episode.

 

[Dio]

Personally I don't hate English dubs, what I don't like is watching a Japanese anime in Japanese and then watching the English after, it just then feels wrong to hear characters you are used to hearing speaking in a different language then speak English. I think English dubs are pretty good so long as I don't switch between dubs and subs.

 

[Petman1325]

From my experience in games and with my only anime being Hetalia, I must say, dubs are typically better than subs. There are usually things in the Japanese version that just doesn't sub right if it's just directly copied and pasted, whereas when you dub it, you can get a whole bunch of creative freedom.

My two prime examples would be Kid Icarus: Uprising and Hetalia (as I mentioned before). With Kid Icarus: Uprising, the script writers were very bright for handing the script to NoA and saying "Make it sound as fluent in your languages as possible. Make it sound as if it was written specifically for your culture." And it worked. It worked beautifully, and I was able to fully understand everything without having to know Japanese pop culture or anything of the sort.

Same with Hetalia as well. Nothing was really manipulated, but the way it was dubbed, it was just as humorous as the Japanese version, if not even a bit more humorous, while still maintaining the core. Now, I know, there are some bad subbers out there *coughcough4kidscoughcoughgagcough*, but I guess it's all in whoever does the dubbing.

 

[Hachi]

I usually like watching dub over subs, because I enjoy multitasking. Watching something with subtitles require your undivided attention, and when an anime is 20-some episodes long I don't always feel like commuting that much time to JUST watching a show. The only time I really prefer subtitles is when the characters are obviously located in Japan. It just seems right for them to be speaking well... Japanese. xP

As for those hardcore folk who will ONLY watch subs or dubs: Bad voice acting can get in the way of enjoying a show (I personally can't stand the Fruits Basket dub, though the voices are only half of the problem with that one), but as you said subtitles can have some translations that are so terrible that it's hilarious, so I never got that argument either. I think that preference will only get you so far on either side as there are always exceptions to the rules. The best and maybe most unfair example is: how many people actually watch the Cowboy Bebop sub as opposed to the dubbed version?

Fans that tend to be far more rigged about watching it in the "original language" might not realize that they could be missing out on the superior versions of the anime in some cases, and the same can be said for dub watchers as well. Though in many cases, the differences aren't really as extreme as some folks will have you believe and really depends on preferences.