tl;dr Dubbed versions of anime are fine, as long as the voice actors are actually good
So, here's the thing. I don't MIND subtitles. Obviously, I'm a reader (else I wouldn't be on this site). I watch (some) foreign films. It's not that big of a deal.
But I cannot fathom those who insist that dubbing is always awful.
It often is, definitely. The two biggest issues are:
1. Matching with the mouths of the animation while retaining meaning.
and
2. Finding competent voice actors.
1 is tough, I'm sure. But... even subtitled anime doesn't really sync up that well. Animation is rarely that detailed. Have you ever seen animation, anywhere, where you could generally read the lips of the character (If it wasn't an intense close-up, meant to be lip-read)? I don't think I have. Anime is too stylized, and the framerate too slow (a quick internet search says the average is 18-24 fps) to make lip-syncing a huge deal.
As for "retaining meaning..." when you're reading the words, it can be tough to focus on other things, like background details, facial expressions and whatnot. Subbing is nice in that it sometimes labels things written in another language, or explains too-foreign-to-translate concepts, but it does make for a LOT of reading, fast- it's tough to read about some obscure ritual about Japanese high schools while following the plot.
2 is the big one. I'm not really sure what the issue is. Are English voice actors just used to shouting all the time? Is it because Japanese tends to sound emotionally exaggerated to Western ears, and they try to emulate that? (Seriously, every "generic angry anime girl" tends to emote anger by shouting as loud as she can). I don't know, but it sucks. The only real, excellent anime dubbing I've encountered (in my admittedly limited experience) has been in Death Note.
So, yeah. For me, the perfect translation would be dubbed, with excellent voice actors, and with context taken into account when translating (eg some Japanese jokes simply don't work in English; I don't think it's a translating sin to localize minor elements* )
Oh, and dubbing is great, because I can take my eyes off the screen briefly without losing the plot.
*For more on this, I highly recommend this article (WARNING! TVTROPES LINK. MAY CAUSE A FUGUE STATE)
So, here's the thing. I don't MIND subtitles. Obviously, I'm a reader (else I wouldn't be on this site). I watch (some) foreign films. It's not that big of a deal.
But I cannot fathom those who insist that dubbing is always awful.
It often is, definitely. The two biggest issues are:
1. Matching with the mouths of the animation while retaining meaning.
and
2. Finding competent voice actors.
1 is tough, I'm sure. But... even subtitled anime doesn't really sync up that well. Animation is rarely that detailed. Have you ever seen animation, anywhere, where you could generally read the lips of the character (If it wasn't an intense close-up, meant to be lip-read)? I don't think I have. Anime is too stylized, and the framerate too slow (a quick internet search says the average is 18-24 fps) to make lip-syncing a huge deal.
As for "retaining meaning..." when you're reading the words, it can be tough to focus on other things, like background details, facial expressions and whatnot. Subbing is nice in that it sometimes labels things written in another language, or explains too-foreign-to-translate concepts, but it does make for a LOT of reading, fast- it's tough to read about some obscure ritual about Japanese high schools while following the plot.
2 is the big one. I'm not really sure what the issue is. Are English voice actors just used to shouting all the time? Is it because Japanese tends to sound emotionally exaggerated to Western ears, and they try to emulate that? (Seriously, every "generic angry anime girl" tends to emote anger by shouting as loud as she can). I don't know, but it sucks. The only real, excellent anime dubbing I've encountered (in my admittedly limited experience) has been in Death Note.
So, yeah. For me, the perfect translation would be dubbed, with excellent voice actors, and with context taken into account when translating (eg some Japanese jokes simply don't work in English; I don't think it's a translating sin to localize minor elements* )
Oh, and dubbing is great, because I can take my eyes off the screen briefly without losing the plot.
*For more on this, I highly recommend this article (WARNING! TVTROPES LINK. MAY CAUSE A FUGUE STATE)
I amuse myself.
/Anime Dubs vs. Subs
- 22/01/2011 06:04:00 AM
783 Views
I can't agree that reading subtitles distracts you from what's going on.
- 22/01/2011 12:25:01 PM
347 Views
Re: I can't agree that reading subtitles distracts you from what's going on.
- 22/01/2011 04:35:35 PM
305 Views
Those are hard to find, though. 
- 22/01/2011 04:39:25 PM
264 Views
- 22/01/2011 04:39:25 PM
264 Views
My sister loved to watch Shrek in German
- 23/01/2011 07:04:23 AM
307 Views
Yes, but you see, the languages I'm trying to learn aren't that mainstream. 
- 23/01/2011 10:24:02 AM
295 Views
- 23/01/2011 10:24:02 AM
295 Views
I don't watch anime much, but generally speaking: of course dubbing isn't always bad
- 22/01/2011 03:42:07 PM
335 Views
I prefer subtitles because they tend to stay as close to the original artistic intent as possible
- 22/01/2011 07:42:37 PM
294 Views
I've never had my enjoyment impaired by either, so I consider them equal. *NM*
- 22/01/2011 07:52:35 PM
158 Views