on dubs and subs:

[dragonimp]

The dub vs. sub wank reminded me of a part in Anime Essentials which has always amused me. The wank has been going on for as long as there have been western anime fans, and it never gets anywhere:

A plague on many anime-related Usenet newsgroups is the constantly reoccurring flame war as to which is better, subtitled anime or redubbed anime. Like many "religious wars," this is a discussion with no real conclusion as it is based purely on the preferences of each side.

...

Dub fans argue that it is hard to enjoy the images while at the same time trying to read the subtitles. Sub fans counter that you lose the original flavor of the film when you add English, and that most of the voice actors are pretty bad anyway. One such discussion I remember had a sub supporter laying out a cogent argument on how easy it was to watch the subtitles and still enjoy the images. The response from a person on the dub side was laced with personal insults and sneered that the sub proponent should just try watching some redub. The reply was simply along the lines of "I can't, I'm deaf!" Well, that flame war ended quickly.

My own take on this is more ecumenical: you decide what you like best. ...

Comments

[ratatusk.livejournal.com]

Word to that. I'm a really visual learner and prefer the subs because it gives me something to read. Also, I'm of the opinion that many of the voice actors suck balls, or make themselves suck by either making their voices gruff for the manly men or squeaky for the annoying girls. I really don't understand why the voice actors have to change their voices to dub anime, why not just talk like a regular human being?

I'm pretty sure that being a visual learner and therefore liking subs comes from being ADD and I'm kinda curious if you find the same thing.

[dragonimp.livejournal.com]

Now that you mention it, reading subtitles does help to keep my mind from wandering. I think my learning style is mixed, but I tend to be very visual in general. I wonder if there is a connection?

I think a lot of dub directors have (or had) some really odd ideas about how an anime is "supposed" to sound. I hate forced sounding voices >_<. I couldn't watch more than a couple episodes of Fruits Basket in the dub (despite the fact that overall it wasn't bad) because Yuki sounded like he was putting on a bedroom voice. Instead of androgynous, it just sounded wrong.

[ratatusk.livejournal.com]

I've heard that ADHD is linked to visual learning, though I couldn't tell you why.

I think a lot of dub directors have (or had) some really odd ideas about how an anime is "supposed" to sound.

Very, very much so. I've never seen Fruits Basket, but I can think of so many other dubs where I've started yelling "What are you doing?!" at the screen. The forced voices are what get me, and you by the sounds of it. I almost feel patronized and talked down to for some reason, though I haven't quite worked out why. (Maybe an insult to my intelligence that they figure I won't notice these people are putting on fake voices?)

The one dub I adore beyond all reason is from a mediocre anime called School Ghost Stories (if you've seen it, then ignore this next bit) that was turned awesome by the dubbers. I'm sure fans of the original anime were peeved, but the dubbers rewrote the script to make it a comedy infused with random pop culture references, characters who constantly break the fourth wall, and dubbers who ad-libbed half of it. It's not for everyone, but if you like their sense of humour, you'll love it. Shockingly, I also consider it to be the best dub I've seen in way of not shitty voice actors.

btw, do you mind if I friend you? I keep lurking your journal and forgetting to ask.

[dragonimp.livejournal.com]

*L* go ahead! I don't mind at all.