dubbed anime

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Alexia

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most of the anime fans will say you're a peasant if you watch dubbed anime but sometimes the japanese voices are just downright terrible while dubbed voices fit the characters so much better.

i'll take dragon ball super for example: every single character sounds 100x better in the funimation dub. especially goku who was voiced by an 80 year old grandma in the original japanese version. i quit watching after a few episodes because it was impossible to take anything seriously with those goofy cringe inducing voices that made me feel like i was watching some sort of a bad parody.

i just can't see why i'm a "peasant" if i prefer anime with voice actors who actually put some effort into their work instead of just reading the script
 
I dont get it, I don't really have a preference for if the voices are in English or Japanese; I watch most of my Anime in Japanese with English Subtitles because I want to watch my Anime ASAP, I don't wanna wait who knows how long for the English dub to catch up with where Japan is on the same Anime, especially with some Animes stretching really long.
 
It's because the die-hard anime fanbase can get pretty ornery at times. I use to be big in the fandom, but their overhyping of terrible new shows, their elitist attitude and their constant frowning on anyone and everyone who doesn't take Rosetta Stone Japanese lessons or watch sub only really rubbed me the wrong way, so I slowly detached from the fandom. I'm still an anime fan, I have seen a ton of anime shows, arguably more than the average fan, but I will not visit a convention ever again or be in that cringy, elitist atmosphere.

My view on dubs has always been thus; they are important, dubs drive the industry in North America, not subs, everyone and their cousin was introduced to anime as an art form by watching a dubbed series, even the elitists who look at you crosseyed for not watching subs or learning the language got into anime through a dub. Bottomline, if you weren't born in Japan and later emigrated, you watched your anime dub only before you found out the subs existed.

I also agree with you, sometimes the dub is an improvement on the Japanese language track, especially when you get a series that clearly takes place in Europe, North America or a European inspired world, take Nadia:Secret of Blue Water, Attack on Titan and Black Lagoon for example, these are great shows that sound way better dubbed in english, with voice actors who can actually replicate dialects and accents. The Japanese voice acting in those previously mentioned series is good as well, but lets just say you get a truer sense of place and atmosphere with their respective english dubs.

I also find that there is just as much overacting, wooden acting and miscasting in the original Japanese language track as there is with english dubs. At the end of the day, bad voice acting isn't strictly a dub thing, it happens all the time in the original Japanese language track as well, take Black Clover for instance, the voice acting in that show is so grating (just watch any video lampooning the main characters atrocious voice acting and you'll see why) and often times unemotional (take a look at the backing/supporting cast) to the point that I can't believe people watch that series (although it has other problems going for it, like the fact that it's basically a lukewarm Naruto clone).

So, yeah, I'd say my preference is dubbed, but I have watched subbed and I will acknowledge good voice acting and impeccable casting whether I watch a dubbed version or the original Japanese version. I will never understand the animosity towards english dubbing, without it, anime would be completely unknown in the West or even more niche than it already is.
 
Dragonball Super as a whole is a cheap cash-in series made decades after the original series from the 80s ended, so it's no wonder the cast's performance there is subpar. Several cast members even died during it because they were so old. Goku's Japanese voice isn't really an issue if you started with the original Dragonball like you're supposed to, though, since he starts out as a kid, and the voice actor clearly lowers their pitch when he grows up. I don't know about Super, but I remember the Funimation dubs of Dragonball and Z being nigh unwatchable because the characters were constantly making random grunts and other ridiculous noises just so there would never be a silent moment. Also, while there are a handful of decent dubs out there, the sheer majority of them have flat wooden acting and voice actors for young characters who can't sound young to save their lives. And that's not even getting into stuff like censoring or how Funimation in particular shoehorns out of place political drivel into their dubs.
 
It depends on the dubbers. Anything dubbed by 4Kids as well as Digimon I will flat-out refuse to watch dubbed due to unnecessary plot-crippling censorship, terrible voice acting, and bad background music. (Mini rant for relevance: Yu-Gi-Oh's invisible guns, Kirby's Spanish-accented Meta Knight, Digimon's overdramatic score)

Any other anime, I don't mind either way. Anyone who says you're a peasant is wrong to say so.

But I will say, Alexia, that your comment on Japanese VA's not putting any work into their voice acting is absolute horseshit.
 
I prefer subtitles for most anime but there are a few where the English dubs are equally good. DBZ is the only one I can think of offhand where the dub is better. I still find the original voice acting interesting but it doesn't seem like the best fit. I found subtitles for Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex pretty challenging with all that is happening on the screen at any given moment but the dub is also very good, so I can go either way.
 
I love Anime but rarely watch a dub.

Some of the dubs I have enjoyed even after buying the DVDs and watching them both ways are Gundam SEED, Ghost in the Shell, Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex and Full Metal Panic.

Mobile Suit Gundam (0079) the series I have only ever watched dubbed and that is one of my favourite series ever.

Poofybutt hit the nail on the head with stating that lots of us were introduced to Anime from dubs, this was true in the ‘70s as well but it is a double edged sword.

IMO their is still a stink on dubs from shows that were intentionally recut as kids ‘toons taking out most of the violence and story. I grew up watching Battle of the Planets, when I was an adult I sought it out on DVD only to find it appalling where original Gatchaman I absolutely adore.

Everyone should enjoy what they enjoy how they enjoy it without worrying about other peeps trying to shame them with silly elitism.... heck that seems to be the fundamental of ADISC.

Some of the benefits of watching subs though:

Getting to watch new shows early.
If you rarely get a chance to read this gives you reading time.
Ability to watch fabulous shows in a noisey environment / keep the sound low so not to disturb others and not miss the dialogue.
 
There are some good English dubs I will watch, they are Dragon Ball Z, One Piece by Funimation, Black Lagoon, Cowboy Bebop, Yuyu Hakasho, Fairy Tail, Afro Samurai, pretty much anything done by Funimation.

Dubs so terrible I will always watch in Japanese: Yugioh, One Piece done by 4Kids, Post Season 5 Pokemon, Digimon, Naruto, everything dubbed by 4Kids Entertainment, Mach Rider.
 
Black Lagoon in english is hilarious [in a very good way] because it was dubbed for Adult Swim so a lot less censorship was allowed due to the target audience. I did eventually start liking Bleach way better subbed mostly because the english dub butchered the dialogue to the point where context was completely lost. That and the voice acting was actually better on the sub anyways (despite the fact that I couldn't understand a single word of it without reading :p ).

In short, both anime dubs and subs can be a mixed bag. Watch what you like how you like it.
 
ClandestineWing said:
But I will say, Alexia, that your comment on Japanese VA's not putting any work into their voice acting is absolute horseshit.

i didn't say every japanese actor is bad. i was talking specifically about dragon ball super. king kai sounds like one of those text to speech generators and goku sounds like a mentally retarded kid which kinda works for his goofy moments but completely ruins the serious moments. the english actor did a much better job in that regard
 
I generally prefer subs because I like to watch anime as it was originally produced and intended to be seen. That being said, I do still watch dubs in certain situations.
 
Alexia said:
king kai sounds like one of those text to speech generators

Kaiou's voice actor in particular was 85 years old during Super and had to be replaced with a new one early on because he was getting too old to be able to voice act.
 
While so far I haven’t found a “Chinese Anime” that I enjoy I think I would prefer to watch one English dubbed.

Anyone know of any that are English dubbed already?
 
When it comes to GOOD voice actors/narrators try Luke Daniels. He's the narrates the Iron Druid Conicals.
 
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