Well, it was a half day at school and my Death Note box set is being a pain in the ass, so its time to RANT! Uh, I mean, discuss...and shit.

Never mind the above sentence, my brain's in a weird place right now.

Anyhoo, I figured I get another practice debate in order....since this subject is very....uh, personal, when it comes to some fans of anime....very personal....

So, first off, what are subs and dubs? Well, they refer to the language you are watching said anime in. If it's subbed, then you are watching the show in its original Japanese audio track with English subtitles to translate the dialogue ....or whatever other language you speak and.or watch anime in. Dubbed anime is anime that has the original Jap. track silenced and is instead replaced with a new track, voiced in another language more commonly, English. (there's also dubs for Spanish, French, German, etc.)

When it comes to subs and dubs, anime fans can get a little....touchy....on the subject. Some fans will tell you that dubbing as a whole is a stupid act and it is always mediocre in comparison to the original Japanese track, while others will tell you that dubbing is fine, and that hearing the show in your own language is better than spending half your energy reading the subtitles as you watch.

Where do I stand? Well, I'm neutral. I prefer subs and dubs. I have no problem with watching an anime with its original voice track playing because, frankly, I like the whole of Japanese voice-acting, and I think that they do a pretty good job at what they do, and they know exactly what they're doing. As for dubs, well, I do like understanding the show in my own language....and I think that the West has some talent in the field too. I mean, I listed off a good few of English voice actors a while ago that I really liked, so there's your proof right there.

Now, again, I'm not full on to one side....I'm in the middle. In fact, there are a few grievances I have with both forms of voice-actors, more dubs than subs, but still. One grievance I have with subs is basic casting: sometimes I feel like most characters in a show are voiced by the same dude. lol. I mean, let's be honest, unless you're a character that is supposed to have some unique or even screwball voice or you're dubbing over an English product *coughKingdomHeartscough*.....uh, I can't really differentiate from the other cast members....but that's just me. As for dubs, well, I have a few more, lol......for starters, dubbing in the early years of anime? Oh Jesus.....mind you, this is like, probably, the first few years that anime in it of itself in both Japan and America really began, and also around the time that America decided to import the product to the West. Back in the 80s and 90s, America decided to dub over anime and distribute it over to....well, us. The younguns of the generation. Why? Probably because since it was animation, that meant "let's sell this to kids" and stuff....again, IMO. Anyways, they used English voices, different music, they even made up theme songs....and uh, let's be honest, given the time and the demographic....it was kinda corny. I mean, DragonBall Z, Pokemon, Digimon, Samurai Pizza Cats, Sailor Moon, all that was pretty sweet back in the day.....but if you're telling me that you can watch the "Americanized" versions of those shows today....and not call it terrible....than you my friend have a pair of nostalgia goggles GLUED TO YOUR FACE....I'm sorry to get mad like that, but I'm being honest here: we grew up, shit like that doesn't need to pulled just to get us interested in the product. We don't need corny jokes or pounding rock BGM is watch anime. Hell, at times, I feel like "screw it" and just watch what was originally intended.

And as for the weeaboos....the fans that are totally obsessed with Japanese culture and hold it up on a pedestal...and of course, treat subbing like its the bee's dick (knees are too overrated) and dubbing is a pile of shit.....well, f**k those people. Plain and simple. Just because its the original, doesn't mean its superior. Dubs are very capable of being as good or even better than subs. Just Saiyan.

I think that's about all I have to say. If you guys have any other arguments, points, or questions you got, leave 'em below.

Edited August 17, 201312 yr by Firaga Sensei

Might as well add my opinion.

 

I honestly prefer dubs far more than subs. Not because I don't like the Japanese voice acting (though I really hate the high-pitched female voices), not because I like to understand the language (though I certainly do, and it is indeed a reason, but not as much so as the next), but because I can't stand having to read the entire show. Reading the small words on the bottom screen distracts me from the actual action. When it gets to the point that I am missing out on sections of the show, even just the subtle stuff, it makes me mad. I want to spend my time taking in the visuals of the show, not reading the dialog, because that is the point of it being a TV SHOW. If I wanted to read, I would grab a book.

 

Now, I can certainly enjoy a subbed show. I loved the Tales of the Abyss anime, despite it being subbed only, and missing the voice actors I fell in love with in the English game. However, had it been dubbed (with the voice actors from the game), I would no doubt have enjoyed it even more. 

 

Now, this doesn't really fit into what I've been taking about so far, but I felt the need to say it anyway:

Sgt. Frog, one of my favorite shows, and favorite anime, had an absolutely fantastic dub. The show itself (at least the dubbed episodes) came out about eight or nine years ago. When Funimation did the dub, they took some liberties with the script to 1) make it more up to date and 2) make the jokes and references into ones that an English audience could understand. After I watched all of the dubbed episodes, I tried watching one of the subbed only ones. I just could not get into, while I instantly fell in love with the dubbed version. In this case, I felt that the dubbed version, not only the script, but also the voice actors and characterization of the characters, where superior to the original. If there is a stigma against dubbing in anime, then we lose out on possibilities like this show, for the show to actually be improved. That, I think, would be a terrible loss. 

 

Again, I apologize for the last paragraph being a bit off topic, but I really felt the need to write that down fore some reason.

If it's not 4kids I don't care which one I watch It doesn't really matter to me.

I tend to prefer dubs to subs, but I have nothing against subs. There are some shows that I do think need to be seen in a particular language to have the fullest effect, especially if it's cultural in nature.

 

For example, I would recommend that any anime fan watch Baccano! in English simply because of the imersive 1930s accents. (If you have not seen Baccano!, GO WATCH IT). Funimation did an amazing job with that dub, and I consider it to be better than the sub. 

 

Conversly, I also consider the dub for Hetalia to be better than the sub because of the accents and the jokes tailored to western stereotypes instead of Japanese stereotypes.

 

If a dub already exists for an anime, I will watch that first unless I do not like the dub, or 4Kids the dubbing company who shall not be named has laid their filthy mits on the property.

Subs all the way down, dubs IMO ruin most animes. OFC there are exceptions like Codes Geass or Death Note (both had great dub) But the ultimate bad dub was in Shaman King man I hated this.....

Gurren Lagann is like the only anime in which the dub completely blows away the subs, Kyle Herbert does an excellent job as Kamina. But other than that, I prefer dubs because I don't have to constantly read subtitles to understand what the heck they are talking about. 

 

Plus more diversity in the voice acting.

Posted before, but might as well do more

I have to say I really like the subbed anime. I know that as of recently anime has been recieving better treatment than it did in the 90s. (Seriously CardCaptors)

But I dunno why I always feel paranoid of script changes and the need to watch in its original form. I have never seen a sub where the characters sound the same so I don't feel a problem there. But there are situations where I have to start off the show with a dub to ease into it, then start watching sub

I personally don't mind subs since they're usually short lines, and when they are long they're probably boring speeches where not much goes on (I read pretty quick anyway)

 

And on a sidenote one thing I find funny is when there would be an anime starring a young girl, but in the dub it's obvious to hear she was voiced by a full grown woman