Forum - View topicSurvey: Do you give English dubs a chance?
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AuraShadow
 Posts: 242 Location: Texas |
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It's actually surprising to have a reaction to a dub that you haven't seen in years. For example; I LOVE the Tenchi Muyo dub (in this case I'm talking about the original, not universe, etc, but I do love more than just that one series on tenchi) , and just recently I went back and watched a few episodes...overall still love it, but there are some parts on the first episode I couldn't help but cringe at how they were delivered, but granted this was the first episode and as time went by they got a LOT more comfortable in their roles and sounded much better.
I always give dubs a chance after knowing what all goes into them, and especially after what happened to Geneon, I think we all know the effects of a combination of a bad economy and lack of support to the industry. Also since I am part of the generation that got it's first true anime fix from the early toonami, (I was about...11 or 12 I want to say) dubs have been a cornerstone of my anime fandom. Also, I am a japanese student at my university. Though subs are a good tool to use to better my skills for class, I still like doing what I can do now; on winter break, able to chill back and have time to watch a dub of an anime, especially after my 10 page japanese final. Believe it or not, going back to english is sometimes a treat. Last edited by AuraShadow on Mon Dec 15, 2008 7:38 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Mistypearl
 Posts: 517 |
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That's funny because when my sister first brought the set home she was all like "MUST WATCH IN SUBTITLES ONLY" And I was like, err can't I just watch it in English? And then when we started watching it, she was like "Oh, the English version is actually not that bad!" I'm really fond of the english dub of Princess tutu, so now the japanese audio sounds wierd to me  But usually I end up watching a show first in japanese, then it gets released in america, and then I listen to english or switch over.
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maaya
Posts: 976 |
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Well, there's already Light in Death Note ... and Snow is a beautiful name  (which for sure does exist in the US, like Apple xD ) But I see what you mean, and that's the point. Ahiru is not a name either in Japanese (ok, you could call your child like this, but that child would be made fun of and probably hate you for naming it like this ).
I suppose they really wanted to transfer this weird feeling of her being named "duck", which wouldn't have worked if they left it as Ahiru - because then a foreign person can easily accept it as a normal Japanese name. Anyway, that's my theory. |
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Greed1914
 Posts: 4467 |
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All I can say is you must be very hard to impress if English people can't perform an English accent that suits you. Plus I'm not exactly sure how economically feasible it is to expect a whole cast of people from England for an Anime voice over. |
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Zin5ki
 Posts: 6680 Location: London, UK |
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K.T Gray is American. |
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Greed1914
Posts: 4467 |
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I know. I'm talking about your own statement, "Some of the accents were decent. I came close to being impressed by the quality of the SAS commander's Lancastrian accent." Considering how many were actual English accents I'd say that being "close to impressed' or calling them "decent" is unfair. And if I'm understanding which character you're referring to by SAS Commander, then that's another genuine British actor. |
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Shirochan88
Posts: 20 |
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This...I too like to appreciate the animation in a flowing way, otherwise, I'll just read the manga. Only if the dub is atrociously horrible will I watch the subtitled version. I've never really liked the segregation of "dub vs. sub", since all anime is dubbed. Sometimes the Japanese voice actors get it right, and sometimes they're horrible over actors who exaggerate everything, same goes for the English voice actors. |
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Majin Tenshi
 Posts: 434 |
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I only watch anime in it's original language with sub or without it in some cases (Raw). I don't watch it in English, French or even Arabic dub (my native language).
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GreyOtakuGirl
 Posts: 8 Location: England |
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I personally prefer to watch anime in it's original form...
Feels more right. And I find most dub voices less fitting. But if I really like a series, I'll watch the subs the go back and watch it with the dub. 
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Greed1914
Posts: 4467 |
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I'm mildly curious to know what prompted this latest poll.
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MorwenLaicoriel
 Posts: 1617 Location: Colorado |
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Ooooh dear. I've been known to give essays on this over at the Tutu LJ community, but I'm going to try not to go on a rant about this because (1) it's silly, both names work fine and (2) this thread really doesn't need to turn into "the shoujo equivalent of the Light vs Raito debate" (as a friend of mine has called it). That being said, I think ADV made the right choice in translating Ahiru's name. First of all, I think this person sums it up pretty well:
Not only does translating her name as Duck translate how weird it sounds to someone that's from Japan, but it also works in all the lines that references her name in a way that wouldn't quite work if it was left untranslated ("I'm duck. No, I mean my NAME is Duck." in the first episode, "Miss Duck!" "Yeah, yeah, I know I'm just a duck!!" in the fifth). Also, the way I see it, her true name isn't Duck. ...Nor is it Ahiru. Her true name is the German word for duck. All of the text in the show is written in German (besides the envelope of the love letter, which is in English), Fakir speaks German in akt 10, and many of the characters have names that are German words (Malen is "to draw", I believe, Raetzel is "puzzle"). One of the biggest signs of this is a map of the town shown in the final episode spoiler[behind the Edel look-alike in the tower that contains "the Story"] isn't labeled "Kinkan" or "Gold Crown", but the German words "Golde Krone". (My spelling miiight be wrong on that, my apologies to anyone that knows German.) Because of this, I think that Ahiru (and the other animal names) had names that were "translated" for the original Japanese audience to convey the puns and how the names sounded within the world of Tutu. When the show came to the US, ADV translated the names in kind, which I think was the right choice. I believe it carries the original intent and sound of the name better than leaving the name untranslated--so, in a sense, it's actually more accurate. I'm not normally in favor of a name being translated--calling Yuki "Snow" would just be silly, of course. If I watch the DVD of Nerima Daikon Brothers (a show that relies on a lot of Japanese cultural references), I want to hear the dub use Hideki, Ichiro, and Mako. I would've thrown a fit if suddenly they were "Harry, Ian and Mary". But since in this case the show isn't set in Japan and Ahiru isn't a real name, I think it was justified. That being said, I don't mind fans calling her by "Ahiru", either--I normally use that name just because most of my friends do, so that's what I'm used to. I don't think it's "wrong" to use Ahiru, I just don't think it's wrong to use Duck, either. ...Okay, that turned into a bit of an essay anyway. Sorry. Last edited by MorwenLaicoriel on Mon Dec 15, 2008 8:39 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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matthewlow
 Posts: 147 Location: San Ramon, California |
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Pretty much dub only here.
I've grown up on dubs, but bottom line: I'd rather be listening to words and watching the anime than focus on reading the words on the bottom of the screen (and trying to read fast as to not miss a word when it changes) and miss what's going on in the story. Also it's hard for me to pick up who is saying what, but in English it's easier because I'm used to the characters' voices. I'm also a big fan of English VAs, and rarely do I run into a dub that I don't like. There's about 3-4 dubs that I've actually not liked, and those were of short 3 episode OVAs or movies, and a couple where they weren't that good but passable, but overall most dubs do a pretty good job. It takes a lot to irritate me. If I really like a series I'll rewatch it in Japanese to see how it's different, though I don't foresee myself doing this with long series, most of my favorites. I've done this with Suzuka and Voices of a Distant Star, for example, because both were definitely worth that 4th view in a different way. Though sometimes if I'm curious I'll watch the English dub with the subtitles put on to see if there's some differences. DBZ and Case Closed to name a few. |
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sunflowerseed
 Posts: 106 Location: South Texas |
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If its a old series like I am renting the dub is normally good. On new shows there are some original voice actors that make the character and become the character in which no one who tries to copy them will ever do. On those I automatically set the player to subs and Japanese voice track.
You know part 2 of this question should have been: In buying Dvds of Anime you want do you skip buying it if its dubbed or if it is not dubbed? There are a lot of shows I would LOVE to get in region2 with good English subs. I do not want politically correct English subs. I also look for the words Uncut region2 disks. Uncut does not mean its full of sex and ultra fan service scenes. It means if the characters have a 10 minute discussion on why to put 1 food on the left of their bento box its still in there when I buy it. I do not want ablibbed story lines the dubbing voice actor might think is funny on their own. That leads to putting words in characters mouths that they would never say or do, such as in the case of GTO anime in Russia, not to mention altering the story leaves it with nothing to say. |
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Paludis
Posts: 46 |
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I used to give dubs a chance but have since given up. I have found they are either majorly overacted and corny or boring and flat. And even if the main characters' dubs are passable there are always side characters whose dubs make my ears bleed.
My one exception to this is the Cowboy Bebop dub, I actually prefer that to the original. But that probably has a lot to do with the show being heavily western-influenced and not set in Japan. |
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504NOSON2
 Subscriber Posts: 647 Location: Body:Santa Barbara, CA ~ Heart:New Orleans, LA |
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Well,I chose selection 2. I only usually check out a quick flash or so,just to hear how it sounds(on My DVD's,that is). However,since I'm approaching a level of Japanese,to where I really don't need subs either,raws are mostly my way.
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