• Welcome to ZD Forums! You must create an account and log in to see and participate in the Shoutbox chat on this main index page.

Sub or Dub?

Do you prefer to watch Subbed or Dubbed Anime?


  • Total voters
    20

Misty

Ronin
Joined
Feb 14, 2016
Location
The Sea
Subs are the way to go, although, I won't outright refuse dubs and will even watch them on some things if there is a good reason to. (Like, I'm currently watching the reboot of Evangelion because I watched the old one that way (and in subs when I was older and could read) so I want to compare. But otherwise, subs are the correct answer.
 

Draymorath

Destroyer of Destruction
Joined
Sep 28, 2011
Location
Probably in my room.
I generally prefer English dubs, unless I think the Japanese version better services the series/movie in question, or if there simply is no English version.
 

Shamo

Lord Kaiser.
Joined
Feb 15, 2017
Location
Europe
To answer your question, I usually prefer Dubbed Anime's only if the character's sound like how they are supposed to but when gathering statements and other things similar then I go to the subs which are more accurate or just go straight to the manga.

Sometimes Dubs are good but, that's only for the 90"s anime's. Currently, there's rarely any good ones except for JoJo's Part and Boku no Hero Academia.
And also, subs are usually good but, if a character doesn't sound like they are supposed to or how they used to sound like as in Goku in DBS, yeah I know Toriyama picked the voice actress for Goku but there isn't anymore feelings to it.

Good Dubbed Anime's:
- YuYu Hakusho
- Rurouni Kenshin
- Berserk
- Hunter x Hunter
- JoJo's Bizarre Adventure
- Boku no Hero Academia
- Dragon Ball/Z/GT
 
Joined
Mar 8, 2017
Gender
Male
I Prefer dubs myself; Because I Like being able to understand what the characters are saying!!

and plus, Subs can be Misleading(Some Japanese terms don't really have a proper English Equivalent to them)
 
Joined
Aug 31, 2019
Happy to watch subs but if a dub is available I'll choose that just based on some of the more intense scene's hitting harder when listened in my native language.

Also tend to read quite quickly and often finish reading the subtitles before the characters have finished speaking which can make some scenes (dramatic reveals or intense build ups) off balance
 

GrooseIsLoose

Slickest pompadour in town
ZD Legend
Joined
Aug 16, 2019
Location
Skyloft
I tend to watch Dubs mostly. But I do watch Subs now and then. Japanese is indeed beautiful! One day I'll learn it and watch anime with neither sub nor dub. :)
 
Joined
Jun 26, 2020
I strongly favor subs, but I hold no rancor to dubs and if there was a show I could only find in dub, I wouldn't avoid it just for that. Mostly, I like the sound of the Japanese language and feel that there's some value to getting the original stresses and inflections combined with a translation that's easier to make accurate since it doesn't have to worry about timing. A good dub can be a good product in its own right, but they are, I feel, less common.
 

twilitfalchion

and thus comes the end of an era
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
Jun 16, 2020
Location
Crossbell State
I usually prefer subs (when I actually watch anime, which isn't often). The Japanese voice actors tend to be able to convey the emotions of a situation better than an English VA could.
 

Rubik

King of Lorule Lounge
Joined
Jan 19, 2018
Location
California
Gender
Horsehead
I prefer subs in general, but there are plenty of shows where I prefer the dub. Cowboy Bebop, Baccano, Rurouni Kenshin, Full Metal Alchemist, Black Lagoon, and basically every Ghibli movie I've seen have had pretty strong dubs and are my preferred way of watching them because that's how I originally experienced them.

I generally always watch the sub for something unless the person who suggested the show says to do otherwise.
 
I've always watched both subs and dubs. I don't really have a preference. It's more of a convenience thing. I definitely watched mostly dubs growing up because that's what was on TV when I watched Toonami after school. Nowadays I watch most of my anime subbed on Crunchyroll. It's very convenient to watch the sub a few hours after the episode premieres in Japan. But I still have a few dub favorites I go back to like the dubs for the Dragon Ball series, Yu Yu Hakusho, and Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood.
 
Joined
Oct 6, 2016
Gender
Manly man
Personally, when it comes to anime, I prefer dub, although I'll watch subbed if: 1. There is no dub available, 2. The dub sounds bad, or 3. I already watched it once in dub and want to mix things up by watching subbed.

Now, I know that people say things such as, ''the dubs change plot points/censor things'', but outside of 4kids, this hasn't happened since like the late 90s/00s, atleast not from the shows I've watched in both dub/sub and heard about in regard to pretty much every other show nowadays. I like dubs because I love the VAs like Steve Blum and Johnny Young Bosch, and Ghibli films get big actors for their dubs. Also, dubs sometimes make more sense when a show like Cowboy Bebop, Trigun, or Black Lagoon has a non Japanese setting.

Now, live action is a different story. While anime doesn't have an actual original actor on screen, live action does, and it's easier to tell that lip sync is off; I've watched some subbed anime before where the lip sync isn't perfect either, so anime doesn't have 100% flawless lip syncing regardless of whether it's the original language or not, but live action does. Not to mention the quality of voice acting for live action dubs is still pretty terrible to this day. I do make an exception here, though, for Spaghetti Westerns; while made in Italy and Spain, alot of these films starred American actors and took place in the American old west, and the dubs really fit the atmosphere.
 

Jimmu

Administrator
Staff member
Administrator
I've always found the english voices to sound pretty cringe in anime dubs to be honest. Hearing the material in the language that it was created in feels more natural to me too.

Sometimes when I watch anime with friends and the subs are on I can also cringe at the way something was translated too. I think that no matter if it is subbed or dubbed either way some of the initial intention or some of the puns/jokes are going to be lost in translation.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Top Bottom