movies/tv Subbed or Dubbed

[GammaDove 428]

I couldn't find a topic like this, so here it is, the question that has been unanswered.

Which is better, Subbed Anime or Dubbed Anime?

I personally prefer subbed anime, Simply because it's out first and It mixes two of my favorite things, reading and animation.

[Guest90210 3,569]

I rarely watch anime, but when I do, it's strictly dubbed.

 

For some reason, I have a hard time following a show if I have to read the words, and therefor can't focus on the action, scenery, etc. I'd rather just hear it in my own language. Sometimes the english dubbed voice actors can be a little grating or annoying, but in general they're alright.

[yeet 2,027]

Depends. Things like pokemon and yugioh I prefer dubbed. But things like Hellsing and corpse party are only really good subbed.

 

I watched about twenty minutes of an episode of Hellsing dubbed, was bad.

[Guest]

Depends on the anime. Dragonball & any funimation dubbed anime has superior dubbing, but for shows like bleach, subs are highly preferred.

[1111 1,284]

you should see the bleach english dub team thay look like a red neck family reunion in this picture i saw and no offence rukia is dubed by a heavy woman its ironic in a funny way to me im fat its just i cant look at rukia the same now

[child of the night 271]

This has a rather interesting answer to say the least; it all depends on who is dubbing/subbing it. Generally the subbing is accurate and therefore gives the best representation of the story however it distracts you from the scene and you don't get to see as much action. With dubbing there is no text to read but it is often dubbed in not so good voices or a range of the words are translated wrong. All considered it depends to me on the dubbing, if they did good at the dub then watch it, likewise if they didn't do all that great then stick with the subbed version.

 

My personal favorite: subbed

[CheeryFox 23,823]

Mostly subbed. Some dubs are absolutely horrible - yet some are nearly WOW. Speaking of Bleach, why is Tōshirō Hitsugaya a zombie?   

[LZRD WZRD 1,929]

It depends but if the dub is good I'll watch that. I really enjoyed AOT's sub (haven't seen the dub) but I've really enjoyed the dub for Death Note and FMA. And the Yugioh DM 4Kids dub is a guilty pleasure of mine so I guess overall dub

[Armin 168]

It really depends on the dubbing company for me. I refuse to watch 4kids dubs as 92% they are awful. If I watch dub it's normally by Funimation, as their dubbing is usually awesome (especially if it's Hetalia). But either way, 70% of the time it would be sub.

[Deathstroke 1,564]

If it comes to a movie i really look forward to i'll go with subbed but if not  i'll go with dubbed because let's face it dbz Japanese dub sucks, it hurts my ears from hearing it

Edited August 8, 2014 by Deathstroke

[Megas 27,946]

I almost always watch dubbed anime. I only watch subbed if it hasn't been dubbed or if the only dub is a 4kids dub(sans Yugioh and Pokemon, I actually enjoyed those dubs)

[GrauWitz 1,010]

It depends on what I'm watching. If it's a live-action foreign film, then I'll definetly watch the subtitled version (100% of English dubs of foreign films sound absolutely horrendous!). If I'm watching an anime, then I'll watch the dubbed version

[Lunatic Cake 1,618]

I would definitely say sub, it's the best way too feel with characters as some dubbers are simply half-assed with their dubbing, no offense. I don't really have the issue to concentrate to the words that much in subs, they come natural to me lately and I can take my eyes off them occasionally and I don't think I miss much of the action.

[Discordian 6,015]

Dubs. Always. I don't understand the language and I miss out on things on the screen by trying to read the subtitles. I also find the tonality of Japanese voice actors holds no context for me whatsoever so what little emotion they are trying to imbue into a sentence is completely lost on me.

 

The only time I watch subbed is if there is no dub whatsoever and never will be. Sometimes I won't even watch an anime if it doesn't have a dub. I only watch anime I REALLY REALLY wanna see that way.

[Vemillia Nightshade 2,247]

Me, it depends on the anime. Panty and Stocking with Garderbelt, Power Puff Girls Z and the french version Code Lyoko Evolution I'll watch subbed. America can sometimes fuck it up bad in dubs.

[ReverseFaller 2,484]

It all depends. I believe that some anime are much more enjoyable to watch dubbed, than subbed. Some examples of this are Black Lagoon, and Hetalia. A lot of times though it really doesn't matter. For example, I watch the Fairy Tail dub and sub interchangeably. In the end, it really doesn't matter. I've definitely watched more full series in dubs, not subs. That's probably because Funimation does a decent job at dubbing. 

[Vemillia Nightshade 2,247]

It all depends. I believe that some anime are much more enjoyable to watch dubbed, than subbed. Some examples of this are Black Lagoon, and Hetalia. A lot of times though it really doesn't matter. For example, I watch the Fairy Tail dub and sub interchangeably. In the end, it really doesn't matter. I've definitely watched more full series in dubs, not subs. That's probably because Funimation does a decent job at dubbing. 

 

Funamation is about the only good ass English Dubbing company out there. Even though they have made a few mistakes, like anyone, at least they know how to dub and not butcher stuff as much. *cough* 4kids *cough*

[Discordian 6,015]

Funamation is about the only good ass English Dubbing company out there. Even though they have made a few mistakes, like anyone, at least they know how to dub and not butcher stuff as much. *cough* 4kids *cough*

You know, I find it really funny that whenever people talk about bad dubbing the only thing they can ever come up with is 4Kids.

 

And Funimation are hardly the only ones with good dubs. Aniplex is about the same level of Funimation.

[The Coffee Pony 1,390]

I'd rather watch an anime dubbed because if I'm going to watch something I'd rather hear the language they're speaking in my native tongue. I'll watch subbed anime rarely and given that there hasn't been an anime that has gotten my interest in a while, the last time I saw something subbed was a pretty long time ago. Now I've been called a few things for proffering dubs over subs, an uncultured idiot comes to mind, and I've been told that I should watch subs only because the voice acting is so much better in Japanese and that the Japanese language is beautiful, well I don't believe that one bit. For me it's very hard to appreciate another language when I myself don't speak it so for me it sounds like total gibberish and even when reading the text something about the emotions seem off to me. I could explain in greater detail but then I'd have to use some rather vulgar terms and I'd prefer to avoid that.

Edited August 8, 2014 by The Coffee Pony

[Invincible 2,092]

I don't usually watch dubs - that's because sometimes there is information and fine details that can be made lost to you during the translation - it's not just the wording itself because otherwise subs wouldn't do either, but i like watching a show in which characters' body language and lip-sync fits in with their voices - in other words, the original intentions of the show's producers, i suppose?

[Empty Room 512]

I don't watch anime that often at all, but I usually watch it with subtitles, because I don't like it when certain companies butcher the voices and edits. *cough* 4kids *cough*

[Discordian 6,015]

I don't usually watch dubs - that's because sometimes there is information and fine details that can be made lost to you during the translation - it's not just the wording itself because otherwise subs wouldn't do either, but i like watching a show in which characters' body language and lip-sync fits in with their voices - in other words, the original intentions of the show's producers, i suppose?

The only difference between subs and dubs is their language. Both are equally making an attempt at matching words with body language and facial expressions. The only reason dubs don't match mouth movement exactly is because most companies are too lazy/don't have enough resources to rework the animation. There are a few anime that reworked the lipsync to match the English versions but that's it.

 

I suppose there's one slight difference in the voice actors as well. I heard that Japan's voice actors are mainly an all-star cast who are in every anime ever. Dubs do this to some extent as well, which is why people like Crispin Freeman and Luci Christian are in so many anime, but I don't think the number is quite as small.

 

As with anything else, you mix in more apples and you get a bigger chance of having a bad one in the bunch. That said, I'm not convinced most people who watch subs actually know for certain that the Japanese voices are so much better. A lot of people who watch subs don't know Japanese much at all but know English so it's easier to say what's good and what's not in a language they actually understand all of the grammar and phonic rules of as opposed to a language they just hear often so think they understand just by seeing patterns.

 

Also, any lost information from translation is typically superfluous. These days it's rare to find an anime that plays out scenes or jokes that don't make sense because of things the English language can't imitate from Japanese when translated. You can watch an anime in either dub or sub and you won't miss anything big.

[Moss 95]

I prefer mostly Dubs.It is a little bit distracting reading the subs,and its like you feel a better connection in english.Though if the dub is horrible enough then i will watch the subs.

[Durandal 623]

It depends ultimately on how I think the characters should sound. Introduce me to an anime with no prior knowledge of it and I'll go either way unless I feel the voice acting is terrible on one side. While subbing is annoying since constantly having to read the bottom of the screen is cumbersome, I don't tend to mind much.

 

Not to mention that it differs between anime. Steven Blum made Spike Spiegel, and I will never, ever listen to a sub of Cowboy Bebop because of it. Meanwhile, I've not seen the Kill la Kill dub but it can go either way - either their voices clash with how I think they should sound, or the fact we can hear all their insane lines ups the comedy and provides a better experience.

[Naiya The Brony 483]

Sub > Dub. because of Originality and soemtimes japanese dub can apply more emotions than English dub, But it really depends though, Gurren Lagann english Dub is also good

Edited August 9, 2014 by Nihi The Brony