Sub or Dub?

[GhostTrainer]

When watching anime which do you prefer?


Personally, it depends on the anime. DBZ for example, I have to watch the Dub as I can't stand Goku's Japanese voice. Naruto I started in English but the Sub is better. Death Parade is better in English. Black Butler happens to be one of the few anime that I could watch in English or Japanese and it wouldn't matter to me, as both are great imo

 

[Kenchiin]

So... somebody finally asked it. I hope this doesn't end in the First Anime & Manga War.

I go for the subs. I can't stand dubs, they harm my ears with each stupid localization they do. This applies for all languages, but it usually gets ridiculously stupid in English.

 

[Candy]

So... somebody finally asked it. I hope this doesn't end in the First Anime & Manga War.

Well you missed out on the first incarnation of this topic.

On any note, I'll just C+P my old post on that topic lol, after a wee bit of editing.

I prefer subs over dubs. Dub voice actors couldn't capture the character's personalities as well as the original. Although, if you think about it, MLP:FiM in Japanese is really good, so I guess Japanese voice actors are just better imo. :/

 

[Kenchiin]

Then it would be the Second War D:!

Last tame was 77.78% subs, 22.22% dubs. Let's see how it goes this time.

 

[Loriania]

It depends on the anime, really. For Inuyasha and The Slayers, I go with dub because I've gotten so used to voice actors. As for the others, I switch it around for what suits me whenever I'm watching. A lot of shows I watch online have sub only, which I like a little more.

 

[donavannj]

Similar answer to my answer in the last thread: dubs when they are available and if it's not a dub from the '90s (there's a couple nostalgic exceptions, of course, as well as a couple of the better '90s dubs).

Reasoning: my native tongue is English and it's easier to follow in my native tongue than having to read off the screen. Watching subs, I miss some of the animation details the first time through, while with dubs there's no distracting text on the screen that may block some animation details.

And, no, Satoshi, I don't want to take the time to learn Japanese so I can watch the Japanese dub without subs. I'm busy enough offline as it is.

 

[Zachella-chan]

If a dub is available then I'd choose that over a sub because I don't really like having to read all the time since I can't fully focus on what's happening and in that scenario I can't fully emerge myself into what I'm watching.

I haven't watched a dub yet that I feel is outright horrible, but I do agree most subs probably have better voice actors. If there's an anime out that I absolutely can't wait for the dub however, then I'll crack and watch it subbed. The upcoming Dragon Ball Super will no doubt be a prime example of that.

 

[Gardevoir the Dragon Slayer]

Normally Subs.

But I would watch the Dub if the anime is set in an English speaking country (i.e Black Butler set in Victorian England), the other exceptions are Hetalia (The English accents sound more funny to a natural English Speaker) and Fairy tail (becasue I stated watching the Dub before I decided to mostly watch Subs)

 

[Sylphiel]

I honestly have no strong preference one way or the other - I'll watch whatever is available. Usually this means subs since that's how I seem to get most of my anime currently, but if a dub is the best/only option then I'll watch that instead.

There are a few times when I will be vehemently against a dub - usually for an older series with an older dub, shudder - but with newer stuff that usually doesn't happen, and sometimes I'll even find a dub to be as good or possibly even better than the sub.

(The latter is definitely rare, though.)

 

[ugtgrime]

It depends on the anime. I usually prefer the dub though for the simple fact if there's some intense fight going on (such as say Issei vs Vali) going on I wanna watch the fight and know what they're saying not concentrate on reading subs :'') although in some cases the dub is too poor to watch, for example Rosario + Vampire.

 

[Drayton]

For a very good anime, I vote dub and subs because Japanese actors matches the reaction in the show while localization would ruined the moment

 

[Klippy]

I...can't stand Japanese voice acting. :( I always watch dubs when I can help it. I think I watched Haruhi Suzumiya subbed though.

 

[Candy]

And, no, Satoshi, I don't want to take the time to learn Japanese so I can watch the Japanese dub without subs. I'm busy enough offline as it is.

Even after learning Japanese it's still hard to follow haha. You're going to need fluent levels of understanding obviously, and that's accomplished by going to the heart of Japan and learn Japanese through daily conversations.

I'll admit that if I had never returned to Indonesia I'll have a hard time understanding any of the shows airing at my childhood. Heck, I don't even recall any of the dialogue from Sunday morning cartoons back when I was 5-6 years old 'cause I wasn't well-versed in my own native tongue.

tl;dr learning a language =/= able to catch on daily conversation in that language

 

[Judge Mandolore Shepard]

When it comes to subs or dubs in anime, I find that I prefer watching it dubbed. It is personal preference really.

 

[AquaMarine8]

It depends on the anime for me. If the dub is okay, I'll watch it, but most of the time I prefer subs.

 

[Satoshi Ookami]

And, no, Satoshi, I don't want to take the time to learn Japanese so I can watch the Japanese dub without subs. I'm busy enough offline as it is.

Why am I being mentioned without even posting?

 

[starseed galaxy auticorn]

I prefer dub. However, this is due to disability reasons. I have a hard time processing words when it comes to anime plot. I have a much better ability with listening than I do with reading too. So, that's the main reason I prefer dub over sub. I usually don't mind dubbed that much because I honestly see no difference.

 

[donavannj]

Why am I being mentioned without even posting?

Your status as a "subs-elitist" and your replies to the last iteration of this thread and your responses just about anytime the sub-dub topic comes up. :P

Though we technically haven't heard your opinion here. Even though most of the regulars already know your stance.

 

[Candy]

Honestly I was tempted to go "inb4 Satoshi goes 'Japan has HanaKana therefore Subs over Dubs' or something among that line" but I decided not to. ;P

But yeah, your respond to this topic is quite predictable to the A&M regulars. =w=

 

[pkmin3033]

For the most part, I prefer dubs. I find they're better at conveying emotion than subs...although that is, admittedly, probably due to the language barrier. With the exceptions of Norio Wakamoto and Mamoru Miyano, literally all Japanese voice actors sound the same to me, and the only emotions I can really recognise in their speech are the extremes. Since I actually understand what the characters are saying in the dub version without the need for subtitles, I pick up so much more from what is being said, and I appreciate it a lot more.

...that said, the downside of that is the bad voice actors. I'm pretty sure I've covered which voice actors I don't like elsewhere at some stage, so I'll skip the list, but suffice it to say that when they appear - which they often do - my enjoyment of the show drops several notches. Dubs have the potential to be atrocious, as well as amazing, regardless of how good or bad the story is. Code Geass is a show I despise, yet the voice cast is one of the best I've ever heard. I adore Gurren Lagann, but I loathe the dub voice acting. Voices can really make or break a show, and with subbed anime I don't have that problem, because the voices are going to sound the same to me regardless, so I can focus on the plot/action/soundtrack/whatever else.

Plus, 90s dubs are awesome. You have no sense of fun whatsoever if you don't smile at the so-cheesy-its-awesome opening themes, or the blatant disregard for the original script as characters break the fourth wall, make inane comments about this and that, and generally act more like it's an Abridged series than an official adaptation. Without Cardcaptors, Sailor Moon, Pokemon and Digimon, I doubt I'd be as interested in anime now. I owe a lot to dubbed anime, and I'll admit it upsets me a little when "sub-elitists" dismiss them without even bothering to watch them just because they aren't Japanese.

So, where a dub is available and doesn't have an individual I detest in a prominent role, I will watch a show dubbed, otherwise I'll go subbed. If it's just been released and I'm too impatient to wait for dubs, I'll watch it subbed as well. It's a variable thing for me.