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Dub VS. Sub?


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Which do you prefer--Dubs or Subs?
Dubs
38%
 38%  [ 173 ]
Subs
61%
 61%  [ 277 ]
Total Votes : 450

Author Message
towelgirl21



Joined: 01 Oct 2013
Posts: 1
PostPosted: Tue Oct 01, 2013 4:54 pm Reply with quote
I chose dubs because there was no third option.

I started out watching anime on Netflix and it was all dubbed, but I watch a lot of both now. I try both versions to see which I prefer.

A bonus for me is that with a good dub, I can focus more on the visuals and the characters' faces. Also, since I don't speak Japanese, I don't always know what words they're stressing and I don't always pick up on the voice inflections. (And since I'm reading the subtitles, I can't focus on their facial expressions as easily.)

Basically, I watch what I want to in whatever language I can get my hands on first. If given the chance, I'll try both and pick which one I like better on an individual basis.
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Shiratori1



Joined: 10 Jan 2013
Posts: 300
Location: Los Angeles
PostPosted: Fri Oct 04, 2013 8:09 am Reply with quote
I chose subs (which should come as no surprise to those who have seen some of my other posts on the forum).

I am strongly of the opinion that if you are going to watch something, you should watch it in the most original format possible, which in the case of Anime, is in Japanese with subtitles. Plus, the voice actors in dubs produce mediocre content that often features the butchering of names and failure when it comes to grasping the soul of the characters in a series. Additionally, dubs add to the cost of localizing series in the U.S. and can potentially make it harder for the companies that license those shows to turn a profit on them and release future series, especially when it comes to niche shows that cater to more hardcore fans (ex.Toradora, Mayo Chiki, Oreimo, Hidamari Sketch). Ultimately, this overall view is my rational for watching subs exclusively and taking a pretty tough (and unapologetic) stance against the idea of dubs as well as the people who prefer to watch them.
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Pacal II



Joined: 21 Jun 2013
Posts: 49
PostPosted: Fri Oct 04, 2013 9:07 am Reply with quote
I chose dubs in the sence that I prefer watching dubs from subs, because it's more convenient, but I don't necessarily consider dubs to be better per se. In my opinion it depends quite a bit on the show. In some of the english just fits better. Shows like Baccano or Black Lagoon in which we know the characters actually do speak in english (one goes on prohibition-era states and the other one features a cast with three out of four being americans).

In my opinion the quality has increased quite a bit in the last twenty years, although it sometimes is a bit annoying when you hear Steve Blum (as much as I like him) for the 57th time in a different anime. But subs have the same problem, with the same VA's being used again and again and again.

By the above mentioned convenience I mean that, in dubs my eyes can enjoy the animation freely, because I'm using a different sence to understand what the characters are saying.
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mokporo



Joined: 07 Oct 2013
Posts: 6
Location: Canada
PostPosted: Mon Oct 07, 2013 10:54 pm Reply with quote
I chose subs mainly because the voice acting sounds much better. Generally I feel that Japanese voice actors/actresses put more emotion into their character and I can feel it being perpetuated through them. Although, the downside of subs is having to read through the text and try to focus on the animation, but that's not anything major that would deter me from choosing subs over dubs.

There are several anime series that have a decent dubbed version that I liked though, such as Inuyasha.
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Akane the Catgirl



Joined: 09 Oct 2013
Posts: 1091
Location: LA, Baby!
PostPosted: Sun Oct 13, 2013 4:28 pm Reply with quote
I'm the type of person that prefers watching dubs, since I'm comfortable watching shows in my native language. I'll only default to sub if the dub is god-awful. (I plan on watching Utena, Angel Beats, and maybe Gankutsuou in their native languages sometime in the future.)

My personal favorite dubs are the ones for Paranoia Agent and Summer Wars. Every role is cast perfectly and the scripts are just so well written! My favorite parts, respectively, are Carrie Savage as that creepy stuffed dog Maromi and Maxey Whitehead as Kazuma.

I remember JesuOtaku saying that 60% of anime sounds better subbed, 35% of anime you can watch either way, and 5% of anime sounds better dubbed. Do you agree with this? Question
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Alan45
Village Elder



Joined: 25 Aug 2010
Posts: 9798
Location: Virginia
PostPosted: Sun Oct 13, 2013 6:45 pm Reply with quote
@Akane the Cat girl

That is probably going to depend on individual preference. I would say 95% subs and 5% dubs myself.

I started out as dub only in VHS days when you had to choose when you bought the tape. After awhile, I got some shows that were sub only and when the change to DVD occurred I started trying subs on everything. At this point I only watch dubs when I'm trying to get my wife to watch or in the rare case where the main characters would be speaking English in any case, such as Bacanno or Black Lagoon.

I don't find reading subtitles all that big a problem. In fact, I tend to turn them on when watching in English because some people are not completely clear. Yesterday I used them while watching The Hobbit because Gollum is hard to understand.
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Touma



Joined: 29 Aug 2007
Posts: 2651
Location: Colorado, USA
PostPosted: Sun Oct 13, 2013 10:35 pm Reply with quote
Akane the Catgirl wrote:
I remember JesuOtaku saying that 60% of anime sounds better subbed, 35% of anime you can watch either way, and 5% of anime sounds better dubbed. Do you agree with this? Question

To me 99%, or more, sounds better dubbed. I do not just mean that I prefer dubs because I understand the dialog, but that they actually sound better.
But that is me. I am not saying that it should be that way for others.
It is just personal taste and preference.
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moina



Joined: 15 Oct 2013
Posts: 3
Location: United Kingdom
PostPosted: Tue Oct 15, 2013 3:09 am Reply with quote
I prefer dubs although subs is quite fine also for me. But since my vision is not 20-20 at all now, so I like dubs now than subs.
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Keonyn
Subscriber



Joined: 25 May 2005
Posts: 5567
Location: Coon Rapids, MN
PostPosted: Sun Oct 27, 2013 1:33 am Reply with quote
Shiratori1 wrote:
[trolling removed]


Your obvious attempts to troll and add nothing to the discussion keep getting removed for a reason. If you insist on constantly reposting your attempts to troll this thread then you will simply be placed under moderation so you can no longer do so. Attempt to circumvent moderator action is itself grounds for moderation or banning.
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SpacemanHardy



Joined: 03 Jan 2012
Posts: 2509
PostPosted: Sun Oct 27, 2013 1:50 am Reply with quote
^ Don't tell me he tried it a third time. Laughing
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Tony K.
Subscriber
Moderator


Joined: 18 Nov 2003
Posts: 11250
Location: Frisco, TX
PostPosted: Tue Oct 29, 2013 3:16 pm Reply with quote
Ugh. I don't know how many times it's been since you guys started posting stuff in this thread, only for me to see it reported every other day for the last 2 weeks >_>... Enough with trying to prove the other person right or wrong, already. A battle like that is un-winnable, 'cause personal opinion is completely subjective by default and, thus, nearly impossible to sway when the that person has particularly strong beliefs.

Even if your points make "logical" sense, the aforementioned bias and subjectivity will always bend the reality, regardless, making the argument endlessly repetitive and continuing the cycle of argumentation. It's pointless on both sides, and you should all just move on.

This is the one irrefutable constant I've learned about Internet discussions, so be happy and go do something more productive. No point in arguing with people you'll probably never meet in-person at any day of your life.
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Sokar351



Joined: 10 Nov 2013
Posts: 1
PostPosted: Sun Nov 10, 2013 10:45 am Reply with quote
I grew up in the japanime invasion in the early 90s and as I don't have any ill will toward dubs. I have cultivated such a respect for the art form I feel subs are the way to go. Toonami I truly thank you for bringing anime into my life. i think the only anime I would still watch dubbed is original pokemon and DBZ and thats strictly for personal nostalgia.
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Himeko90



Joined: 20 Nov 2013
Posts: 92
PostPosted: Wed Nov 20, 2013 2:52 am Reply with quote
I am solidly a sub person. I have never really liked dubs (they just don't sound right to me).
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D3vin



Joined: 24 Nov 2013
Posts: 3
PostPosted: Sun Nov 24, 2013 9:05 pm Reply with quote
Darksorrow29 wrote:
Subtitles for me. Here are a few reasons.

I first started watching anime on Toonami I always associated Dub with edited and censored. This led to me seeking uncut anime which was usually in Japanese. This led to my discovery of fansubs which further led me into the world of subtitled anime.


Himeko90 wrote:
I am solidly a sub person. I have never really liked dubs (they just don't sound right to me).


Same here. I would watch Dub but sub come out way before Dub do. The quality of Dub are usually not that great. Not all anime has English Dub. I watch some many anime in sub that i do not even notice it anymore. The only thing that weird about sub is that the main guy character or really manly character more times than not have a squeaky teenage girl voice. Which was extremely fun, distracting, and for awhile I could not take those characters seriously when i first started but I got use to it.
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Akane the Catgirl



Joined: 09 Oct 2013
Posts: 1091
Location: LA, Baby!
PostPosted: Fri Nov 29, 2013 4:47 pm Reply with quote
aquadon1963 wrote:
Also some tout Anime as BEING A JAPANESE ARTFORM..so why do i RARELY find anime characters that ACTUALLY LOOK JAPANESE…they look like a blend of japanese and european (to appeal to all audiences)..so why not have both languages on every release??? And Sadly i am not rich or i would buy the original Japanese release to promote a series and encourage the dub...And i also agree with the purists that those japanese VA's are quite exciting and passionate …i think the japanese language in general lends itself to that …AAAANNNNDDDD i already can tell that there seem to be about 50-70 DUB actors that get most of the work …not that they are not really good…its just this is getting old …lets try some new people (VOICES) folks


To address the first issue above, congratulations. You just discovered the concept of mukokuseki. Looks like I'm going to have to put on my sensei-cap to explain THAT, so here we go. Japan is a homogenous society. (98% of Japanese citizens are, surprise surprise, native Japanese.) Chances are, most Japanese people have black hair and brown/gray eyes. Of course, it's really hard to draw distinct character designs if you're not uber-talented.

The reason why most Japanese characters don't like Japanese isn't to appeal to foreigners. Most of the time, it's due to the artist's own limitations. Once again, I refer you to the last sentence of the paragraph above. Now, there are some animes where the characters do in fact look Japanese. BECK: Mongolian Chop Squad and Paranoia Agent are my primary examples.

As for the topic at hand, don't English releases already have both dub and sub tracks available when they can? Also, I should remind you that we have been getting new talents in the past few years. People like Emily Neves and Maxey Whitehead in Texas, along with Christine Marie Cabanos and Cristina Vee in L.A., have been appearing on the dubbing scene in the past five to six years. Also, no, I do not care how passionate the Japanese voice actors initially sound. Sometimes, it's more rewarding to watch certain anime in English. (Stuff like Romeo X Juliet, Baccano, Cowboy Bebop, etc.)[/b]
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