Makaze Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 (edited) You know, being the well known "weeaboo" around the forums, I hate both of your views. Because most "anime fans" are like this. It's mostly all just bandwagoning. Someone said that Japanese acting is always better (this someone likely doesn't speak a word of Japanese past "kawaii") and someone else believed it and also started saying it. In addition, especially today, so much straight-from-Japan anime is available immediately after original broadcast with English subtitles that many fans hear the Japanese audio first and create a "this is how the characters sound" mindset; when the characters suddenly sound different, of course they'll find it weird. I would wager that most English dubs of the past ten years are, at worst, a flat "good." You'll get what you need to get out of them, at worst. There are bad English dubs for sure, but no one is perfect, including the Japanese actors. Also, YouTube. Disclaimer: I don't claim to know any Japanese or be able to judge Japanese acting. I just know what I've heard from people who do speak Japanese, which is that the ratio of good:bad acting in anime in Japanese isn't much different than that of English. Sigh. I have no friends who prefer subs as much as I do. It's fine if you like dubs, but I don't. On a principled level, I am a purist. I prefer the originals in just about every medium. I have a lot of reasons for that general preference. I dislike most dubs upon hearing them for a variety of reasons. It's a fact that a lot of voice actors take me out of the flow. I probably prefer subs specifically because it feels more 'in tune' with the animation to me. If I could understand Japanese or dealt with the voices enough, I would probably be pulled out of the series by both. As is, what attracts me about subs is that the original audio has a certain feel to it, which I generally prefer. There's also the point that many studios attempt to match the original. The cases where they take their own spin on it are far more tolerable. Take FLCL. The dub of that series was done as if it were a completely different adaptation and it turned out well. When the West tries to copy the East, it rarely goes over well, and vice versa. I loved Avatar: The Last Airbender. It was impeccable to me, in the original English. I doubt it would be as good in any other language. Any attempt to copy the original would only be able to get 'close', and that isn't good enough for me. It has to be at least as great. If I spoke Japanese instead of English, I would most likely prefer a sub to a Japanese dub (this may be a bad parallel since Japanese writing is so complex). I also prefer to watch live action films in their original languages. This has nothing to do with the usual things, like Japanese > English or Anime > Cartoons. Please do not liken me to Japanophiles. Edited June 5, 2014 by Makaze Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Comet Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 i honestly don't care as long as it's good. just keep the dub of hugurashi away from me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bookofholsety Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 there are good dubs and there are bad dubs, just like any other form of media. sadly, the former is somewhat less common (with even high-profile animu like madoka striking out here) and the latter tend to be far more memorable for all the wrong reasons (it's been a while, but iirc both ouran and gurren lagann had really good dubs) (obligatory gripe about how digimon's dubs are complete and unrepentant shit goes here) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Original Alear Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 What I'm wondering is why does listening to dubs have to make people casual, though? Just by grabbing videos in a language they understand? Is that considered easy mode or something? I don't quite get it... More hardcore to experience it in its original format. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrostyFireMage Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 I wonder if there are any "Reverse-Weeaboos", i.e Japanese people who think that English dubs are the shit and Japanese VOs are abysmal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Makaze Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 (edited) I wonder if there are any "Reverse-Weeaboos", i.e Japanese people who think that English dubs are the shit and Japanese VOs are abysmal. That... Doesn't really parallel, since the Japanese get the original first and have no reason to wait for the English. Unless you mean Japanese people who don't live in Japan? Edited June 5, 2014 by Makaze Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Esau of Isaac Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 go home whittu piggu [spoiler=Holy shit give me autism medicine] The Japanese language does not natively have a sound for "tu." Though it is possible to render it, foreign and/or loan words ending with a consonant "t" --being that the Japanese language is generally composed of a vowel preceded by a consonant rather than the other way around-- is rendered as "to," pronounced like the word "toe." This is also why a word like "home" would have to be changed, to "homu." Thus a more proper native vocalization of the English sentence would be "go homu waito piggu". I don't watch Dragonball. Childrens' anime are more tolerable because they don't get as serious. Not as much mood to ruin with bad acting. I hated the Trigun dub. That's the only one from this list I've watched dubbed. Funimation doesn't do horribly, but it's not as good as the original. Take Baccano!. Baccano! has a phenomenal dub; probably the best for a series I've heard. However, a lot of the mood is ruined by the differences in tone, pitch, and timing. The music isn't as suited to what they say and when. In general, the flow is interrupted at crucial points. Ghibli films are the only things with dubs that I actually prefer. Okay, but you realize how silly it is to categorically disparage an entire language of voice actors' efforts? I've seen some good dubs, and I've seen some bad dubs, on both sides of the pond. In every single anime I've ever watched, or really any acted piece, there's usually one or more people that phone in their parts. Could you give me a few examples of pieces from anime that are markedly different in quality, which are representative of what you're trying to say? What are these differences you're noting in tone, pitch, and timing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Makaze Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 (edited) Disclaimer: I don't actually agree with my first post, and didn't think about how it would read. I caused my own misery here. I'm sorry for the misunderstanding. Edited June 5, 2014 by Makaze Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Makaze Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 (edited) [spoiler=Holy shit give me autism medicine] The Japanese language does not natively have a sound for "tu." Though it is possible to render it, foreign and/or loan words ending with a consonant "t" --being that the Japanese language is generally composed of a vowel preceded by a consonant rather than the other way around-- is rendered as "to," pronounced like the word "toe." This is also why a word like "home" would have to be changed, to "homu." Thus a more proper native vocalization of the English sentence would be "go homu waito piggu". Okay, but you realize how silly it is to categorically disparage an entire language of voice actors' efforts? I've seen some good dubs, and I've seen some bad dubs, on both sides of the pond. In every single anime I've ever watched, or really any acted piece, there's usually one or more people that phone in their parts. Could you give me a few examples of pieces from anime that are markedly different in quality, which are representative of what you're trying to say? What are these differences you're noting in tone, pitch, and timing? I would have to look through an anime over again in both to mark out specific instances. It's not a consciously noticeable thing. I would have to look for it, and that would ruin the experience even more. The end result is that I am less engaged in the characters and the mood of the scene--my reasons are speculative explanations of this outcome. I did not specify the entire group. I noted exceptions even in my first post. I'm not sure where the claim that I'm generalizing is coming from. Not all dubs are bad. In fact, 'bad' is not the best word to describe it. 'Derivative, therefore worse' is closer to what I mean. Edited June 5, 2014 by Makaze Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deleted35362 Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 I wonder if there are any "Reverse-Weeaboos", i.e Japanese people who think that English dubs are the shit and Japanese VOs are abysmal. dragon ball z Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Esme Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 [spoiler=Holy shit give me autism medicine] The Japanese language does not natively have a sound for "tu." Though it is possible to render it, foreign and/or loan words ending with a consonant "t" --being that the Japanese language is generally composed of a vowel preceded by a consonant rather than the other way around-- is rendered as "to," pronounced like the word "toe." This is also why a word like "home" would have to be changed, to "homu." Thus a more proper native vocalization of the English sentence would be "go homu waito piggu". calmu downu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Makaze Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 (edited) Just realized that a part of the difference may be that I don't have to read dubs. I can't say how much, but that probably has a part to play in my engagement to the show. Edited June 5, 2014 by Makaze Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MercyWalk Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 They're a vocal minority, and probably quite young as well. A lot of people prefer subs over dubs, but it only takes one guy to have an elitist opinion about it and that shit will spread. I was one of those dickheads that only watched anime in it's subbed form and thought it was the only way to enjoy anime, but a lot of the time now I find myself doing things other than focusing all my attention on the anime so I've moved onto english dubs whenever it's tolerable. Also dubs were notoriously censored or "toned down" sometimes, pulling away from the original might detract from the intended mood of the scene or what have you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tryhard Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 Also dubs were notoriously censored or "toned down" sometimes, pulling away from the original might detract from the intended mood of the scene or what have you. NOTHING BEATS A JELLY-FILLED DOUGHNUT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Makaze Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 There is one correct response to my horribly arrogant first post. THAT'S MISTER KANEDA TO YOU, PUNK! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galenforcer Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 For me, it depends based on some scenes. The Japanese is solid in the serious moments, but I feel like dubs really make the funny scenes better because you can fell the sillyness from the words and tone, plus it can be amusing to see some weird translations, like in the Kill la Kill dub. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZemZem Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 I prefer subs, since I feel the voices for the characters fit better. For example, Accelerator from To Aru Majutsu No Index has a fantastic seiyuu (spelling?), and I feel his English voice actor, while great, doesn't really compare. Dubs are still good, for the most part. I grew up with Naruto, Dragonball Z, Pokemon, and the like, after all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadowofchaos Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 I wonder if there are any "Reverse-Weeaboos", i.e Japanese people who think that English dubs are the shit and Japanese VOs are abysmal. I know this is a joke in game, but... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Esme Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 I know this is a joke in game, but... what the hell is wrong with his neck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evilbeepskyrim Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 Join the pc master race I'm BACCCKKKKK!111 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Makaze Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 what the hell is wrong with his neck ... it is really long, isn't it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galenforcer Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 Dubs are still good, for the most part. I grew up with Naruto, Dragonball Z, Pokemon, and the like, after all. I and many others did grow up on Z and the like. However, the quality of those dubs have aged badly. Even if I ignored some of the edits they made in the early years, the dub quality is overall poor compared to today's standards. They're fun to laugh at and some currently do put a considerable amount of effort, but Japanese most of the time comes out on top when it comes to seriously being engaged with the series. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metalsnowman3 Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 I don't think its that much a stretch to where a japanese kid liked american television or something and wished he was american or whatever lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loki Laufeyson Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 (edited) I'd prefer to watch anime in English, although terrible quality is terrible quality. This. Excel Saga is funnier in English. Alucard in Hellsing makes me smile more in English. Abel Nightroad's 'mundane' voice is hella goofy and when he goes full Crusnik, its appropriately badass in English. Alan sounds sexier in Escaflowne in English. I relate more to Chihiro (Spirited Away) in English. Jesse and James crack me up in English. But then... then theres this: what the hell is wrong with his neck RIGHT? Edited June 5, 2014 by Loki Laufeyson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheWill Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 People underestimate the bias they pertain when they watch something first and then hear the dubs later. For example, one who watches an anime or plays a game in Japanese first will prefer that the second time they watch something in a different manner. I've also noticed this with people preferring manga over anime for a series. Of course, this is from my own observation, I'd like to see an actual study on this. Either way, some of the opinions here are cringeworthy and are over-generalizing English dubs in a very personal manner. To say English voice actors in general don't pertain particular tones, convey emotions or are just bad in general is terribly misinformed and spoken from personal bias rather than experience. I don't watch Dragonball. Childrens' anime are more tolerable because they don't get as serious. Not as much mood to ruin with bad acting. Ehm, Dragonball is a 'shounen' as like Attack on Titan, D.Gray-Man, Fullmetal Alchemist and Durarara!! all of which deal with serious moments (Dragonball does as well, however death in Dragonball is elevated by the fact that they can; or rather almost always are revived by the Dragonballs). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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