Subtitles or Dubbed?

[Cynthia]

I mostly will watch both versions.

It differs with animes though, some really are dubbed poorly, and some aren't. I will say this, fan subs are like a hit-miss kind of thing. For example, I preferred the private sub of Strawberry Panic! over the Do-re-mi one. Their translations were so poor they spelled the school as "Astrolyre," when it's "Astraea."

Some animes though I think the dubs get worse over time, like Death Note. I liked the dub at first, but as it went on it got worse and worse. Using the voice of Penelope from Hamtaro to play Near was really not their best choice. Not to mention I just couldn't get any feeling from Light after the second half of the show.

Live actions should NEVER be dubbed though, either redo the movie, or just subtitles.

[Altera the Hun]

I mostly will watch both versions.

It differs with animes though, some really are dubbed poorly, and some aren't. I will say this, fan subs are like a hit-miss kind of thing. For example, I preferred the private sub of Strawberry Panic! over the Do-re-mi one. Their translations were so poor they spelled the school as "Astrolyre," when it's "Astraea."

Some animes though I think the dubs get worse over time, like Death Note. I liked the dub at first, but as it went on it got worse and worse. Using the voice of Penelope from Hamtaro to play Near was really not their best choice. Not to mention I just couldn't get any feeling from Light after the second half of the show.

Live actions should NEVER be dubbed though, either redo the movie, or just subtitles.

Brad Swaile is kinda a one-trick pony. His best role was as Amuro Ray in the original Gundam, and that's just because the two are so similar personality-wise.

Him voicing Setsuna still rubs me wrong, though I can deal with it since I enjoy Tieria and Lockon's VAs (Allelujah's is just meh. Not girly enough.)

[Cynthia]

I kind of wonder why this pole is only for subs and dubs, what about RAWs?

I know quite a few people that watch RAWs which should be a category all their own because they are not associated with a fansub group, or a dub company, so no translation is needed.

[SmartRutter7]

I always watch the subs. Idk i think i just prefer the japanese voices. :P

[Thingy Person]

I always watch the subs. Idk i think i just prefer the japanese voices. :P

Yeah, this. Even if they're bad, the fact that they're Japanese makes them funny.

[Destiny Hero]

Ugh. Definately the dub. I'm not going to stare at the text at the bottom of the screen to understand what the manly Japanese voices are saying. With the dub, I can actually see what's going on more, and I don;t have to stare at the screen to know what people are SAYING, which I should be able to hear.

Subtitles blow.

[Zanarkin]

Dubbbed i hate subtitles make me miss the action.

[The Envoy of the Beginning]

Subs. Most of the dubs get butchered in one way or another (i.e. voice acting, censoring), to where subs are better.

I don't like to read when watching anime, but I'd rather do that than to go with lol dubs, except for some rare exceptions though. Big O anyone?

Edited December 22, 2008 by Black Luster Soldier

[Florete]

Watching dubs is basically pointless since you're not learning anything. I picked up some japanese terms while watching subs. Plus, the VA's are a lot cooler, and they fit the characters well.

What, because everyone is trying to learn Japanese from Anime? English voice actors can't fit their characters? I call major BS on that.

Edited December 22, 2008 by Red Fox of Fire

[Defeatist Elitist]

What, because everyone is trying to learn Japanese from Anime? English voice actors can't fit their characters? I call major BS on that.

I must say on the second, that Japanese Voice Actors are more likely to fit the character, since they're being hired by the people who make the thing in the first place. :D But English ones can still be good. It's just more margin for error.

[Eltoshen]

What, because everyone is trying to learn Japanese from Anime? English voice actors can't fit their characters? I call major BS on that.

Yeah, whatever. English voice actors suck at their job. I'm not even going to lie. Even LittleKuriboh does a better job than them.

If you can't catch the action because you're reading, then you read too slow. >_> Besides, they don't really talk when they're fighting anyways...

[CGV]

Yeah, whatever. English voice actors suck at their job. I'm not even going to lie. Even LittleKuriboh does a better job than them.

If you can't catch the action because you're reading, then you read too slow. >_> Besides, they don't really talk when they're fighting anyways...

The engish voice actors don't suck. Death Note was pretty damn good with their voices. I couldn't find one person with a voice that didn't fit them. If you ask me, a lot of japanese voices sound the same. That's one reason I hate subs...

[Florete]

I find almost all Japanese voice actresses to have very annoying voices. And I know it's just part of the Japanese language, but I hate always hearing the honorific suffixes; they really annoy me.

[Agro]

If you can't catch the action because you're reading, then you read too slow. >_>

This.

I find almost all Japanese voice actresses to have very annoying voices. And I know it's just part of the Japanese language, but I hate always hearing the honorific suffixes; they really annoy me.

Some Japanese voice actresses are really annoying (Kanon is full of them) but it really depends on the characters.

To me, Japanese names without honorifics sounds weird, especially when they start calling each other by their surnames.

[CGV]

Another reason why I hate reading subtitles is because I have bad comprehension. I can read the words fast, but I can't always conprehend what's going on so I'm constantly having to pause and go back to catch what someone said...

I hate having bad comprehension...

[Guest FreelancerSealBoy]

Watching dubs is basically pointless.

Your point being? :P

Yeah, whatever. English voice actors suck at their job. I'm not even going to lie. Even LittleKuriboh does a better job than them.

I think Michelle Ruff does a good job. So does Johnny Yong Bosch.

Edited December 23, 2008 by FreelancerSealBoy

[Intoner Two]

I think Michelle Ruff does a good job.

^_^ you sir have earned a cookie, freshly baked, enjoy *hands cookie* -granted she's not my total favorite but her spot in my top 5 lady English VAs remains *coughRitacough*-

[Tokine]

I prefer subtitles to dubbed one for just a simple reason: I LOVE JAPANESE!!!

[Zanarkin]

Yeah, whatever. English voice actors suck at their job. I'm not even going to lie. Even LittleKuriboh does a better job than them.

If you can't catch the action because you're reading, then you read too slow. >_> Besides, they don't really talk when they're fighting anyways...

What's wrong with being an slow reader?

[Edorian]

What's wrong with being an slow reader?

Not much as wrong, but as a slow reader you'll have a hard time reading subtitles in movies or such, then when you go to a forum and say that you prefer dubs over subs because you miss stuff because you are busy reading the subs someone might say you are a slow reader.... wait what?

Anyway I prefer subs, English voice actors fail (at least in the animes Ive seen) if I watch a dub without ever watching the original japanese one I might stand it but once I compare both it's more likely that Ill watch the original.

I prefer subs too for movies or TV series (because Spanish voice actors also fail... but not so much as English ones :P) the only exception is the Shrek series, those are way better in the Spanish dubs, everything else is way better in English.

[Thingy Person]

Not much as wrong, but as a slow reader you'll have a hard time reading subtitles in movies or such, then when you go to a forum and say that you prefer dubs over subs because you miss stuff because you are busy reading the subs someone might say you are a slow reader.... wait what?

Circular Logic FTW

I might add that I am in every way addicted to subs. In Belgium (or at least Flanders), everything is subbed, while shows are dubbed in neighbouring countries. Hell, we sub even our own language due to all the dialects.

So I find it more tiring to listen to the voice actors and comprehend what they're saying than to read subs.

It's a shame that, like in the Vampire Knight anime, a lot of the subs miss the point frequently and so obviously that I could deduce the proper meaning just from the subs themselves.

[Raven]

Definite exceptions I will make regarding dubbed anime is that of Studio Ghibli. Their dubs are fantastic, the best I've heard of any anime.

[Starwolf_UK]

I kind of wonder why this pole is only for subs and dubs, what about RAWs?

I know quite a few people that watch RAWs which should be a category all their own because they are not associated with a fansub group, or a dub company, so no translation is needed.

The assumption was made that RAWs require understanding of Japanese to fully understand unless it is a kids anime in which case you get a witch hunt accusations of being a ped...no wait. Btw, if you fully understand Japanese enough to actually watch RAWs and know 100% of the script, well done.

I must say on the second, that Japanese Voice Actors are more likely to fit the character, since they're being hired by the people who make the thing in the first place. :D But English ones can still be good. It's just more margin for error.

Thing is the English scripts (and by extension I would hope voice actors*) have to be vetted by the Japanese company as part of the licensing contract. The flipside is they can ask the original writers for clarification of certain script parts. The scripts themselves make a huge difference to translation quality. You might remember one fansub group whose Gundam O speedsubs were described as worse than babelfish (usually mishearing a phrase and so translating key words in a sentance wrong) while their Evangellion 1.0 subs were perfect because Evangellion had the script as a DVD extra.

Why should the Japanese companies care. They might have got in trouble with the J-pop licences (there must be a reason for it being clamped down) for the English Karaokes dubs used to do...here are some bad ones You might notice a pattern...

*-Though admitingly I can't imagine Japanese native speakers being very good at telling the quality of spoken Enlgish much like we are not very good at the other way round. How can we know the Japanese people are saying their lines right when we don't know what the correct line should sound like? We can look for signs like emotion. If you want an example of Japanese saying the lines wrong just listen to the French in Nodame Cantabile: Paris-Hen. I can assure you a dub would do it far, far better.

[Destiny Hero]

I've never seen a dub with crap voices that I was ever interested in. Naruto has excellent VA's, but the Japanese version, not so much. Everyone sounds like a guy, and the same guy.

[Edorian]

I've never seen a dub with crap voices that I was ever interested in. Naruto has excellent VA's, but the Japanese version, not so much. Everyone sounds like a guy, and the same guy.

Which one did you watch first, the dub or the sub? Because if I watch the dub before the sub I find the dub a little more bearable, but if I watch the sub first, the dub is just plain dumb and sucky. (Although this only applies to TV series, with anime even if I watch the dub first I just can't stand it, Naruto for instance, I just cant hear an entire episode without wanting to rip off my arm and throw it to the screen)