Forum - View topicSurvey: Do you give English dubs a chance?
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Top Gun
 Posts: 4618 |
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I not only give them a chance; I flat-out prefer them. The only times I'd go out of my way to watch any of my DVDs subbed is if the dub was absolutely atrocious (i.e. Fantastic Children), or if I initially saw the series in Japanese and really liked what the cast did (i.e. One Piece). There are times when I'll even prefer a crappy dub, if the series/movie it's associated with is equally bad.
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Chrno2
 Posts: 6171 Location: USA |
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I do. I have to quite a bit. Especially all the old anime that was dubbed back in the days. Those are fun. But unfortunately I'm sort of an "oldschooler" (when it comes to the newer stuff, especially the humble the beginnings) who prefers to hear the original language. Not because I think it's better, but because I get a cultural feel out of it. I used to watch anime raw, so I accept subtitling as that "little treat" that came about. For me it doesn't extend to anime but other foreign films as well. Since English is already my first language I'm not really interested in hearing foreign films in my native tongue. Anymore than watching a show originally in English dubbed into another language. Other times I can't stand some dubs. I know that region really has nothing to do with it and a feature is nothing more than what it is and you just dub it in any language you want. And that should be good enough. I know it sounds odd but that's how I roll.
I think the majority of dubs that I've been fond of were those that came from video games. And mind you, many of those VAs have worked in the anime industry. I have been pleased with their work there. But if someone said right now, hey lets watch this show dubbed I'd watch it. I'm not that bad I do respect other people's preferences. But subtitled is what I prefer the majority of the time. Last edited by Chrno2 on Mon Dec 15, 2008 7:45 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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kakoishii
Posts: 741 |
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not a good reason to be hesitant. I'll admit I was a bit upset that there wasn't going to be a dub cast (especially since they priced the half box set near equivalent to one that would be dual-audio), but that aside Emma was a really great series that no one should pass up on dub or not. |
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Calculusman
 Posts: 309 Location: Virginia |
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Usually the first time I watch a show, I watch it subbed, then I'll watch it dubbed or subbed, depending on my mood after that, unless the dub is just really bad. Though dubs are useful if you have the show on for noise, as if it's subs, you have a tendency to watch the show rather than what you were originally trying to do lol.
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Unit 03.5-ish
Posts: 1540 Location: This space for rent |
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Another thing I love about dubs is that some of my favorite actors turn in pretty consistent quality, including Tiffany Grant, Wendee Lee, Steve Blum, Spike Spencer, Lia Sargent, and a few others I can't name off the top of my head. I think some of them really rival the "celebrity" voices in those CG movies and the more mainstream cartoon shows.
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MorwenLaicoriel
 Posts: 1617 Location: Colorado |
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I always watch the dub first, unless the dub is reeeally horrible or has a reputation for being a bad translation. I just find it easier to keep track of what's going on, particularly since I like to multi-task.
Whenever I own a DVD, though, I'll rewatch the series eventually, and when I do I watch the sub--again, unless something in the sub reeeally bugs me. It took me a while to watch the sub of Princess Tutu at first because (ironically enough) I'd gotten so used to the English version of Drosselmeyer's voice that the Japanese version just sounded...wrong. I eventually got over it, though, and now I like both versions pretty equally. For sub-only releases, I don't think I really avoid them, although I don't actually own any yet. I've been meaning to check out some of them, though, like Emma and Aria. I think I'm slightly less likely to watch a sub-only release...sometimes I push an anime higher up in my "to watch" list if I hear it has a good dub, or if I know it has actors I really enjoy watching. (Off the top of my head, I think I've done this with Welcome to the NHK! and Nerima Daikon Brothers...and, come to think of it, my main motivations for watching Chrono Crusade and Super GALS! were, actually, the dubs.) This doesn't mean I won't watch sub-only releases, though...just that they generally get a slightly lower priority with me. |
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Greed1914
 Posts: 4467 |
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I'm almost exclusively dub. Once in a rare while I'll come across something that I don't like, but more often than not that's because it's older and we've long since passed those days. I too am a person who is rather hesitant about purchasing a sub-only release. So far, I haven't bought one, and there are plenty with dubs that I'd rather have, so I might not ever get around to it.
I'm a bit confused here. Are you saying that the accents are fake? Those British accents come from British people. In fact, a few commentary tracks from different Geneon series mention how accents claimed to be fake were actually genuine. Last edited by Greed1914 on Mon Dec 15, 2008 7:15 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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boznia
Posts: 189 |
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That's pretty much where I stand. I'll watch either if only one is available. ...but since this is asking if I had a choice, I'd go to the English dub first, and unless it was really off-putting (which is rarely the case for me), I'll stick with it. When I rewatch a series though, I'll watch it in subtitles or sometimes go back and forth, as long as I'm pleased with both versions. I'm an equal opportunity viewer.
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kakoishii
Posts: 741 |
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BLASPHEMY! lol, no but really tutu has a really great sub and dub, I actually watch the sub first and was hesitant about the dub. Despite how great the dub was I'll never get over the Ahiru -> Duck translation. I know their basically the same word, but Duck isn't a name, it's like translating the name Yuki to Snow or Hikari to Light. |
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Unit 03.5-ish
Posts: 1540 Location: This space for rent |
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I haven't watched much Hellsing beyond seeing the first volume a long time ago, but it could be worse; remember British English actors trying to pull off New Yawk drawls in Mad Bull? (Yes, I watched the whole series on [you-know-where], and yes, I'm so, so sorry for it in more ways than one).
I typically avoid a show entirely if I hear that the dub takes too many liberties with the original story that the creators' intent is lost. One thing that can be upsetting is where they do the sub-only releases, and when they rush a series out the gate with subs but the dual-language versions trickle out slowly (what they're doing with Gurren Lagann). Unfortunately the trend may continue as pressure to combat fansubs and pirated shows builds, which may start leaving the dub fans in the dust. Last edited by Unit 03.5-ish on Mon Dec 15, 2008 7:20 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Zin5ki
 Posts: 6680 Location: London, UK |
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Some of the accents were decent. I came close to being impressed by the quality of the SAS commander's Lancastrian accent. K.T. Gray, who played a character far more important, was somewhat less than convincing though. |
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Kimiko_0
 Posts: 1796 Location: Leiden, NL, EU |
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My experience with reading books translated from English into Dutch and watching a few TV series with Dutch subtitles is that translations, no matter how carefully done, always miss some cultural flavor and distinctions, in addition to puns obviously.
Since one of the reasons I watch anime is my interest in Japanese language and culture, I want a translation that is as close as possible to the original, until I learn enough Japanese to understand what's being said directly. I believe subs (with notes where useful) do that best. Aside from that, language subtleties like honorifics and politeness just don't translate well. In addition, I find Japanese a pleasant language to listen to (it's probably the varying pitch), and English not so much. It's not that I dislike English. Not at all. It's a very rich language that's good for conciseness and puns for example. It doesn't sound great though, especially with an American accent. I prefer reading it to listening. So, no, I don't even bother to check if a dub is available. If I accidentally forget to select the Japanese audio track on a DVD, the result is often something like 'Ewww! Quick, turn it off!'. Last edited by Kimiko_0 on Mon Dec 15, 2008 7:26 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Teriyaki Terrier
 Posts: 5689 |
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I've been waiting for a survey like this from a long time. Generally speaking I will only watch my anime in English dub. Though the only time there is a exception to this rule is there isn't a English dub.
New shows from the months of Fall, Winter and Summer that have just been released from Japan fit this rule. This year, I've been watching Toradora, which presently has no dub, and have been fine watching this series. By no means am I a "hardcore or radicalist" English dub watcher, but I still prefer a English dub instead of Japanese audio. A long time from of my introduced me to Lucky Star and I watched about five minutes of this series before there was a English dub. The reason I only lasted five minutes is because the Japanese audio reminded me too much of Alvin and the Chipmunks. Though my friend typically only watches anime with Japanese audio only, we did share a laugh when I told him this. Recently, as of last week (December 9, 2008) I had watched the English dub of HunterXHunter from a digital video disk company named Netflix. I was worried that the English audio may not be that great because I didn't reconize any of the actors. My worries were for nothing, as the voices matched the characters quite well. Even the minor characters had fantastic actors. In the end, there really isn't a true way to watch anime. The choice is dependent of the person and his preferences. Though I mainly watch English dub anime primarily, not all Japanese dub's are that bad. |
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walw6pK4Alo
 Posts: 9322 |
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Usually I'll just opt for the Japanese audio, but sometimes I might turn on the dub. There's a small running list of shows that do have good dubs that a lot of us swear by, dubs that can replace the original audio that is. Most obvious is G Gundam.
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TheTheory
 Posts: 1029 Location: Central PA |
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I voted "I might listen to it for a few minutes, just to see.", by which what I really mean is I always start with the subs. If the show isn't settling well with me I'll switch over to dub and see if that changes my opinion any. Ironically, I am in the midst of such a switcheroo right now... I watched the first disc of Le Chevalier D'Eon two or three months ago and really wasn't feeling it at all. Today I switched over to dub and it has gone better. Still finding it to be wholly overrated and dull... but it IS better. Now, this is a really rare case for me (I can only think of a few shows off hand that I've gone from subs to dubs on)... but it is a fairly good example.
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