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Why do you insist in watching movies/series with dubs instead of subs?
- Thread starter FernandoRocker
- Start date
Live action needs to be subbed, imo.
With animation, there's nothing inherently wrong with good dubbing but I still prefer subs. A lot of English dubs end up sounding a bit cringey, either from poor VA or awkward dialogue. The original performance is often (though not always) the most fitting.
I also enjoy hearing other languages, especially since I travel a lot and like learning other languages.
With animation, there's nothing inherently wrong with good dubbing but I still prefer subs. A lot of English dubs end up sounding a bit cringey, either from poor VA or awkward dialogue. The original performance is often (though not always) the most fitting.
I also enjoy hearing other languages, especially since I travel a lot and like learning other languages.
Simply preference. I feel i am more immersed in a story and i find the characters more relatable when i don't have to be constantly looking down the screen and reading. Just absorbing the dialogue organically like in real life really helps for the immersion. I watched Dark, Money Heist, Naked Director and Followers on Netflix with the dub. Really happy seeing Netflix provide dubs for some of their foreign shows.
Simply put, if the option is there, i'm picking dub, even live action shows. That said, i won't skip out on content if it's sub only. I haven't seen Parasite yet although I'm planning to but, if a dub of it comes out before i get to see it, I'll watch it that way.
Simply put, if the option is there, i'm picking dub, even live action shows. That said, i won't skip out on content if it's sub only. I haven't seen Parasite yet although I'm planning to but, if a dub of it comes out before i get to see it, I'll watch it that way.
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Sometimes I have an anime show on while I'm working on something else, and sometimes I would prefer to focus on the animation instead of the text. Not to mention in general there's no reason to think a Japanese dub is better performed than the English dub. For all I know they are equal, so may as well use English since that is what I actually speak.
For live action I am 100% sub though.
For live action I am 100% sub though.
I generally prefer watching things in their original language (especially live action) but I do enjoy a good dub. there are a few anime dubs every now and then that really knock it out of the park. Baccano, imo, is an all-time classic dub for example.
however i also end up watching a lot of dubs because i work from home and like to have the tv on in the background. if i want to watch something with subs it needs my full attention (i mean, really, i wish i had the time to give everything my full attention, but that's life) so i don't get to do it as often.
not only is this a weird generalization, it doesn't take into account that the timing is still absolutely paced with the original language in mind, which is why dubs often end up with awkward phrasing written to fill the time and mouth movement.
however i also end up watching a lot of dubs because i work from home and like to have the tv on in the background. if i want to watch something with subs it needs my full attention (i mean, really, i wish i had the time to give everything my full attention, but that's life) so i don't get to do it as often.
not only is this a weird generalization, it doesn't take into account that the timing is still absolutely paced with the original language in mind, which is why dubs often end up with awkward phrasing written to fill the time and mouth movement.
This shouldn't bother anyone, FFS. Let people watch movies how they want. I actually prefer certain local dubs for many of the cartoons I grew up with.
I watch live action shows and movies with subs.
Animation is different, since the voices are not as closely linked to character as live action, so I watch with dubs.
Also in the case of Carole and Tuesday, the characters and settings are much more closely influenced by American culture, so the English dub is more appropriate to the subject matter.
Animation is different, since the voices are not as closely linked to character as live action, so I watch with dubs.
Also in the case of Carole and Tuesday, the characters and settings are much more closely influenced by American culture, so the English dub is more appropriate to the subject matter.
I watch animation dubbed when it's available. English dub of anime and stuff are good enough these days to make it sometimes more enjoyable than watching it subbed. Live action is another story though. I watched Oldboy dubbed once and it was just fucking weird. Watching my mom watch her Brazilian novelas dubbed in Spanish is also super weird looking. It both looks and sounds unnatural unlike in an anime or cartoon.
Depends, but mostly subs. The original is in 99% better in terms of voice acting. There are very few cases where I either prefer the dub or where I don't care. I do watch several korean movies with friends with dubs because the german dub is often still really good. And I tried watching Gangs of Wasseypur with subs but they talked so fast I couldn't follow. Since the whole experience is around 6 hours I switched to dub there.
I watch subbed if it's real people because it's jarring seeing the mouth move incorrectly, and knowing it's not their real guide.
But anime I'm fine with a dub, because they generally sync it well, and I want to keep my eyes on the animation, not the bottom of the screen.
But anime I'm fine with a dub, because they generally sync it well, and I want to keep my eyes on the animation, not the bottom of the screen.
99% of the time I watch subs over dubs. There are a few animes where the dubs are actually good such as Steins;Gate or Space Dandy, in those cases I'm fine with watching in dub, but the majority of the time the dub is vastly inferior. For example I can't for the life of me see how people can watch Boku No Hero Academia in dub, it just sounds so bad.
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This is my stance on it too. I watched one anime all the way through with subs and it didn't add anything to the experience. Yet I'm fine with the subs experience on live-action.
I'm not a weeb. I'll watch or play anything in a language I understand over one I don't.
also I don't get the 'insist' part in the title. most people aren't watching things dubbed. you really trying to convert the few people who do; for what purpose other than elitism?
also I don't get the 'insist' part in the title. most people aren't watching things dubbed. you really trying to convert the few people who do; for what purpose other than elitism?
My general rules:
Live action = Sub
Animation = Dub (unless it's particularly bad)
With live action there's too much of a disconnect between the actors' lip movements and the words being spoken if it's dubbed. But that's less of an issue in animation unless the dubbing studio did a poor job matching the lip flaps. So I prefer to hear it in my language as long as the voice acting doesn't outright suck.
Live action = Sub
Animation = Dub (unless it's particularly bad)
With live action there's too much of a disconnect between the actors' lip movements and the words being spoken if it's dubbed. But that's less of an issue in animation unless the dubbing studio did a poor job matching the lip flaps. So I prefer to hear it in my language as long as the voice acting doesn't outright suck.
It's not a weird generalization. It's literally how the majority of anime is made. Even feature films. Regarding pacing and timing, it often times doesn't sound more natural in Japanese either.
I prefer the original language to get the performances and intentions of its original creators. Joon-Ho, Korean. Kurosawa, Japanese. Cuaron, Spanish. Spielberg, English.
There are a few extremely rare exceptions, mostly in animation and only due to familiarity. I'll watch Cowboy Bebop in English, or play Metal Gear and Persona in English.
There are a few extremely rare exceptions, mostly in animation and only due to familiarity. I'll watch Cowboy Bebop in English, or play Metal Gear and Persona in English.
I don't get why stuff like this is still such a contentious topic. I do both depending on the series so I'm definitely not all-in on one particular thing over the other. Some anime for instance I feel don't sound as good subbed as they do dubbed and vice versa. Within this debate OP, what do you say towards the cases where the original Japanese team were very involved in the English voice casting as well (FLCL, One Piece)?? Or when they've said that the dub cast is superior to their own (Cowboy Bebop)? Or the especially interesting times where the English cast is the original cast/is cast before the Japanese one?
My point is, there's no reason to take even what the original creators suggest as gospel on what version to watch and experience, or to look down on people that have a preference that you don't. It's art, and no matter what, it's this very nebulous, loose thing with a lot of moving parts and cooks in the kitchen bringing the story you're experiencing to life. It's so much bigger than a particular voice cast, not to downplay their contribution or significance, but it really is. Also, the Japanese cast's own unnatural and odd-sounding performances at times are worth mentioning too.
My point is, there's no reason to take even what the original creators suggest as gospel on what version to watch and experience, or to look down on people that have a preference that you don't. It's art, and no matter what, it's this very nebulous, loose thing with a lot of moving parts and cooks in the kitchen bringing the story you're experiencing to life. It's so much bigger than a particular voice cast, not to downplay their contribution or significance, but it really is. Also, the Japanese cast's own unnatural and odd-sounding performances at times are worth mentioning too.
do you just have a weird bone to pick with anime in general? lol
No i just like to pick apart flawed logic in general. "it's lip synced in Japanese" being one such example. š¤·āāļø It's not wrong to acknowledge the inherent realities of anime productions which tend to be a bit low budget outside of key scenes.
depends, animated stuff I go for dubs while live actions stuff is all subs unless it's a wacky movie where the dubs are really funny too like Kung Fu Hustle
yup
compare amazing dubs like FFXV and FF12 to garbage cut and paste translations like Persona 5. the performances are like night and day
Yakuza 0 has no fucking english dub and it's translation is still smoother than Persona 5
I didn't say it was lip synced. It's still timed. It takes a talented localization effort to make a dub work, you can't just put whatever you want over a shot even if the lip flaps are more open-ended than precise lip sync.
I wouldn't consider FFXV to be amazing in any regard when it comes to dub quality outside of like, maybe Ardyn. But yea I agree. FF12 was on some other shit though. Like, good lord the script quality and acting direction was so good compared to other final fantasies. Like, did they fire involved after or???
I never denied that no effort is put in at all. I stated that it's not animated for Japanese specifically.
IDK what's up with Square, FFXV sounds fairly natural while Dissidia and KH3 sound fucking awful
you could directly compare Noctis in both of XV and Dissidia
12 had Alexander O Smith translating the script. I remember him being contentious from purists because his scripts didn't "sound japanese enough" lmao
which is complete nonsense. just because anime productions usually animate before any audio is laid down doesn't mean it isn't animated with Japanese in mind. They're still timing shots around a Japanese script.
Not sure if it's been said, however I hate subs. I find I read them before the action has occurred and then have scenes spoiled, dubs all the way!
I prefer watching anime with dub. It allows me to get more into what is going on. If the dub is awful or there isn't a dub at all I have no problem with subs, but then I'm reading text instead of actually watching the anime and that's kind of a bummer if the animation is good.
The poll is severely limited in options. Where's the option of "prefer English voice acting over Japanese voice acting" or "don't like the style of dubbing that Japanese voice actors perform" because those would be my options I chose. I always prefer dubs because I can't stand Japanese voice acting 98% of the time. Live action I have no issue with Japanese voices because it's real people and not a dub but the extremely hammed up voice acting in Japanese anime dubs is beyond grating to me. Has nothing to do with the inability or unwillingness to read. It's really tiring to see the same thing over and over by many people who prefer Japanese voice acting in that the only reason people enjoy watching anime with English voice acting is because they are too lazy to read , couldn't possibly be because they genuinely enjoy or prefer English voice action ššš
Plus add me to the camp of people passionate about western voice actors/actresses, seeing them at cons, the community, etc...
At the end of the day who really cares what language of dub someone enjoys watching anime in. As long as they are entertained and enjoy it that's what matters.
Plus add me to the camp of people passionate about western voice actors/actresses, seeing them at cons, the community, etc...
At the end of the day who really cares what language of dub someone enjoys watching anime in. As long as they are entertained and enjoy it that's what matters.
I am aware of need for dialog localization. That is not what I am talking about.
Change thing to fit language is okay. Changing a serious scene into silly scene is not okay. The director was doing the later. He was re-scripting the character personality types and story arcs.
What are you talking about in particular?
I mean we could get into why pacing in anime often feels hella off in general regardless of language due to how it's made but that would be offtopic.
I'm tired of rewinding because I looked away for a brief moment. Most of the voice acting all sounds the same to me, or it's super cliched and annoying. I'm happy those people got those roles and I appreciate the work they put in, but that's not how I like to enjoy foreign entertainment, sorry.
By the way, I ALWAYS have subs on, even when watching English content. If there's an English VO option I always choose it, and if not, it ends up going on my Watch Later list and sits there forever until the rare time once or twice a year I have the free time to focus on watching without any distraction.
EDIT: yes, also as others have said, it distracts me from what's happening on the screen if i *have* to read. otherwise i would be able to focus on what's happening and knowing what they're saying. i leave subs on for instances where the dialogue is suddenly low compared to action (i hate turning volume up and down over and over) or there's noise in my environment preventing me from hearing dialogue.
By the way, I ALWAYS have subs on, even when watching English content. If there's an English VO option I always choose it, and if not, it ends up going on my Watch Later list and sits there forever until the rare time once or twice a year I have the free time to focus on watching without any distraction.
EDIT: yes, also as others have said, it distracts me from what's happening on the screen if i *have* to read. otherwise i would be able to focus on what's happening and knowing what they're saying. i leave subs on for instances where the dialogue is suddenly low compared to action (i hate turning volume up and down over and over) or there's noise in my environment preventing me from hearing dialogue.
Easier for me to pay attention to fight scenes.
And because I don't feel like reading. I'll watch the sub if the dub is utterly atrocious though. But if it's available dubbed, I'm watching it dubbed. If it's sub only, then I'll be fine.
And because I don't feel like reading. I'll watch the sub if the dub is utterly atrocious though. But if it's available dubbed, I'm watching it dubbed. If it's sub only, then I'll be fine.
Bubblegum Crisis' dub is especially cursed since they made the absolutely moronic decision to dub the songs as well. The original OST is one of the best in anime, and they just shit all over it with the dub.
I watch either, but usually it's dubbed. I do it because I enjoy listening to it? I don't have a problem following along with subs as I usually don't multitask when I watch shows. But I just like things in my native tongue and I like to hear the effort the voice actors give. Not too sure what the big deal is.
It's been a long time- I don't remember the major scenes off the top of my head. But it was akin to the difference between (Lion) Voltron and GoLion.
The director was hired to do a straight translation to match the tone and feel of the Japanese series, not cut it up and remake it in the director's image.
If I don't speak the language it's in, I can't usually pick up on nuances in tone and inflection, and I end up hearing things as an overacted caricature of William Shatner. My brain wants to hear things it's familiar with, and it ends up inserting English words for phonetics it identifies, which makes things sound even more ridiculous. (Seriously, I recently played through Atelier Lydie and Suelle. Koei Tecmo doesn't bother with English dubs any more, and every time I would synthesize with one of the characters, I kept hearing, "We are gonna pee pee today!" Obviously not what she was saying, but that's what my brain chose.) I also think it sounds bad when I can make out actual English or German words that are being thrown around, and they're being pronounced incorrectly (e.g. ein, zwei, drei using the wrong vowel sounds) or with poor grammar ("Shine Get!").
I don't have anything against original dubs. People are free to enjoy them as they please. I just have a much more difficult time doing so, and would always prefer the option of having a dub I can understand.
Also, there are a ton of overused translation tropes that I despise and find distracting, but these exist in both subs and dubs.
I don't have anything against original dubs. People are free to enjoy them as they please. I just have a much more difficult time doing so, and would always prefer the option of having a dub I can understand.
Also, there are a ton of overused translation tropes that I despise and find distracting, but these exist in both subs and dubs.
I always prefer to watch in the native language /w subs (was just watching Dragons Forever in Cantonese today actually) as you get closest to the original director's vision.
I have nothing against companies doing dubs as long as I have the option to watch subbed (with proper subs, not dubtitles).
I have nothing against companies doing dubs as long as I have the option to watch subbed (with proper subs, not dubtitles).
They both have their own place. A good dub can be completely seamless (see cowboy Bebop or the original Neon Genesis Evangelion dub).
others bring about a different fandom tha eventually grow to like the subs but never would have started without the dubs (Dragonball)
others aren't good at all and honesty there are so manyit's hard to pinpoint examples.
I typically give an anime dub a few episodes and if I hate one or two main character dubs I'll try it as a dub OR if the audio on the dub is screwed up (happens a TON on 90's dubs) I'll go sub)
Live action I'll almost always chose a sub over a dub (personal examples of fantastic subs are battle royale, Parasite, the raid). The intensity of the original performance can not be met with a VA.
I know I'm being sacrilegious saying that it's easier to meet the intensity on an anime but I think it is. Because I'm not looking at an actual person I can disassociate the voice from the image.
others bring about a different fandom tha eventually grow to like the subs but never would have started without the dubs (Dragonball)
others aren't good at all and honesty there are so manyit's hard to pinpoint examples.
I typically give an anime dub a few episodes and if I hate one or two main character dubs I'll try it as a dub OR if the audio on the dub is screwed up (happens a TON on 90's dubs) I'll go sub)
Live action I'll almost always chose a sub over a dub (personal examples of fantastic subs are battle royale, Parasite, the raid). The intensity of the original performance can not be met with a VA.
I know I'm being sacrilegious saying that it's easier to meet the intensity on an anime but I think it is. Because I'm not looking at an actual person I can disassociate the voice from the image.
Live -action always subbed, just because there really is no way to keep it from looking awkward dubbed. This opinion seems fairly universal.
For animation I prefer dubs. A good dub translates more than just the dialogue: certain tones and inflections and turns of phrase that you just don't get from reading a word-for-word translation. "Accuracy" sometimes sacrifices accuracy. There are bad dubs, of course, but they're getting rarer and rarer as time goes on. It's been a while since I found a dub outright bad. If you prefer subtitles that's cool, though, you do you. Just let me do me.
For animation I prefer dubs. A good dub translates more than just the dialogue: certain tones and inflections and turns of phrase that you just don't get from reading a word-for-word translation. "Accuracy" sometimes sacrifices accuracy. There are bad dubs, of course, but they're getting rarer and rarer as time goes on. It's been a while since I found a dub outright bad. If you prefer subtitles that's cool, though, you do you. Just let me do me.