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Subtitles, dubbing, or adaptations? Which is better? In your language?


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(edited)

This question is mostly for English and Spanish speakers but anyone can answer. So, in your native tongue, which do you like better in your opinion? Thanks.

And in case you don't know what an adaptation is? It's a show redone for another country with different people. This is common with game shows. There are also international adaptations for some kids shows like Sesame Street and Blue's Clues.

Edited by Josh Rainbowton
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It depends on the original material. Let's say Anime for example, some English dubs are absolutely terrible while some are pretty good. If I can get it, I would prefer a dub but if that is not available then subtitles are fine too.

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34 minutes ago, Exactly TheTaZe said:

It depends on the original material. Let's say Anime for example, some English dubs are absolutely terrible while some are pretty good. If I can get it, I would prefer a dub but if that is not available then subtitles are fine too.

Same. It depends on the quality of the original and the dub or which I was exposed to first. Some English dubs miss the mark (the original Gundam dub, Appleseed '94, Speed Racer). But then some Japanese dubs sound rather grating (Inuyasha, Black Clover, Ronin Warriors). And then there are times where there's nothing wrong with the Japanese dub, but the English one is just better acted (Cowboy Bebop, DBZ).

I'm not a fan of adaptations as those tend to miss the mark regarding cultural context, story complexity or even the moral of the original (Ghost in the Shell, 47 Ronin, every J-horror flick).

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Original voice is always superior imo the cast that does the dub I think cannot achieve the same emotion/feeling or portray the message in the manner that the author intended it to be portrayed easily and from my experience I've yet to see it happening so subbing is superior to dubbing imo because of that.

 

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I watch a lot of anime. Mostly I prefer Japanese language, with English subtitles. There are some notable exceptions. "You're Under Arrest" "Excel Saga" (wildly funny!) "FLCL", and "The Slayers". Those have wonderful English language dubs. I even met Lisa Ortiz, the English Lina Inverse. She was so nice.

 

There is one re-write I really do enjoy. "Ghost Stories". For some reason the creators of the series told the American dub team to just do what they want. The results are fantastically funny! Theyt kept to the original story-line, but boy they changed the dialog!

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6 minutes ago, cuteycindyhoney said:

FLCL

I havent watched the dub but I've heard people praising the dub

 I find it kinda surprising as after watching it with subs I thought the Japanese voices there were one of the best I've heard. I don't really see how the dub could top that experience, judging from my experiences with other anime dubs.

Maybe I have to check it out one day

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I can't complain on Polish dubbing, it's relatively well done in my opinion, so if there is such an option, I'm going for it. :P 

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(edited)

Live-action is thankfully not dubbed in Finland, as I'd find the difference between the lip movements and the voice too distracting. With cartoons, I generally choose the original language version. I'm fine with watching some theatrical films dubbed, as those usually have good voices. But dubs made for TV very rarely match the original voices in quality. I like watching English shows and films without subtitles, though they don't particularly bother me. If the film is in a language I don't understand, I'd pick the subtitled version.

Edited by Tacodidra
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If I really like a show, I like seeing both the subbed and dubbed versions. The sub to get the full, original product and the dub to hear the characters and certain things (like jokes) translated/adapted to English 

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I prefer watching anime in the original Japanese because most of the time the dubbed voiced or horrible. Plus the Japanese voices are able to show more emotion than American voices. One anime that I will watch dubbed is The Devil Is A Part Timer. The American voices are very good in it.

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I used to be more of a subs guy, but now, I tend to prefer dubs. I know very well that some dubs are, quite simply, bad. However, I generally find reading poorly translated subtitles more grating than bad voice acting, and I like hearing dialogue spoken in English best. Most important however, I agree, is quality, and I will still watch the original with well-translated subtitles over an Americanized version that is complete garbage. Same thing with adaptations, I'll judge them by quality, not by how they live up to my personal standards as a fan.

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