Dub or Sub?

[applegirl]

I actually prefer dub, when it is done well. Example being: Soul Eater, Ouran High School, Full Metal Alchemist, Inuyasha, and actually most of Funimation dubs. Reading subs kind of detract from my enjoyment because there are a lot of visual things I might miss. But if the dubs are kinda done poorly, then I watch the sub version.

[Pyonkotchi]

Dub. I always try to watch dubbed if available

Speaking of dubs. I once saw a thread on another forum i lurk where half the people who hated dubs hated them because "they took all the swearing away" etc.
i was like. really guys? ._.

[SvenTheViking]

Generally, I prefer subs, but there are some dubs which I enjoy as much, if not more, than their originals. The Fullmetal Alchemist dubs were both very good, as have been all of the Ghost in the Shell dubs (for the major characters, at least; that somewhat lispy bartender still gets on my nerves a bit). The problem with most dubs is that anime dubbing isn't exactly considered high-class work by most voice actors, or so I've been told.

[redeyesblackpanda]

If I've been listening to one first, I have trouble listening to the other.
Even so, I prefer sub to dub.
The reading makes it a bit difficult at times, but I like to hear the original voice acting.
Dubbing can be done poorly, and that's always bad, but when it is done well, I might put up with it (although I will be thinking to myself "grrr... I want the original language").
That's my stance on anime, anyway. My stance on VNs and other games is significantly more towards the original tracks, as there is already text that is translated and there's no need to detract from the game further. I've cursed games that don't have the original soundtrack (it especially hurts me when the game is fun to play).

[Chushiki Maho]

LOL, I absolutely HATE dub. I'll only watch dub if it's completely necessary; like if I love the anime to bits and I can't find the subbed version. The only dub I can go through without mentally puking a few hundred times is Dragonball. XD SUBS FTW~

[teacup]

I always watch anime with subs. ALWAYS
I'm a little biased toward Japanese seiyuu... they just sound much more natural. American dub sound really forced to me at times [especially for girls with high-pitched voices]. I especially hate the way American VA pronounce Japanese words/names at times /cringe
The only anime I've ever seen where the dubbing didn't make me want to cry was Fullmetal Alchemist.;; But I like the convenience of watching anime on Netflix, so I force myself to watch dubs a lot of times.
Watching with subs has also allowed me to learn a lot. XD I went into my Japanese class with a lot of knowledge already because of all the anime I watched subbed. You can learn a lot by watching subbed anime [some new vocabulary at least... just makes sure the subtitles are accurate!]

[Omnificent]

Quality being equal, I like dubs for Western-style stuff (Baccano, Cowboy Bebop, Big O, Fullmetal Alchemist) and subs for anything set in Japan. It makes me cringe when dubs are very literally-translated and retain honorifics, which is something that a lot of slice-of-school-life-show dubs do. It seems like an unhappy medium.

Also that high-pitched I-am-voicing-a-chirpy-childhood-friend female dub voice needs to stop. D:

[moxie]

I'm a pro-sub person myself; dubs just can't accurately convey the original feeling and intent. Of course, subs aren't without their drawbacks, but it's more natural to me than dubs.

[HigurashiKira]

I lean between dubs and subs. A few dubs are rather cringe worthy (Like the Higurashi dub on certain occasions) however there have been certain cases where the English dub is actually better than the original. *shot for blasphemy*

Just an example:

[LateWhiteRabbit]

I tend to prefer dubs when the anime is set in a fantasy, science-fiction, or Western setting, and subs when the anime is set explicitly in Japan.

The quality of dubs varies, sure, but more and more they are getting better, and there are some truly great ones out there now. First listen bias is definitely a thing, but it doesn't bother me much. Besides, the best dubs are ones that translate the nuances and idioms into the target language, rather than doing straight translations. If a character makes a joke that relies on knowledge of Japanese culture, that joke needs to be translated into something comparable from the culture of the dubbed language. I find too many fans insist on perfect or straight translations, and that isn't good translation practice at all. Instead, it is most important to preserve the meaning, nuance, and tone of the statements, not give one-to-one literal word translations. "That word doesn't mean that! It means this!" Etc. Straight translation often sounds stilted and unnatural, because it hasn't been structured or phrased like a speaker in the dubbed language would say it.

And yes, dubs that keep all the honorifics annoy me to death as well. We've discussed it before, but English has words that mean the same thing that could easily be substituted depending on circumstance - "Sis" or "Sweetheart" for "-chan", etc. Again, I view this as an example of poor "straight translation". I used to translate pamphlets from Spanish to English, and you need to restructure things all the time to make them sound good to a native English speaker. For example, "Y tú también" literally translates as "And you also", but for the same meaning in English as the original meant to convey, it is better to say, "You too."

I'm sure if some English idioms were directly translated word for word to Japanese, it would confuse listeners. From the American South - "That dog don't hunt." I.e. That line of thinking isn't going to work in this situation. People outside the culture would be left wondering, what dog? Hunt? What?!

And it is all kind of a double-edged sword - if anime viewers want better dubs, they have to support dubs. If dubs aren't supported by the viewers and they all watch subs instead, then companies won't bother doing good dubs. Round and round we go.

[tuna_sushi]

definitely subs.
Most english-dubbed anime I watched has no emotion. (screaming has no feelings ;( )

[PyTom]

I tend to watch subtitled anime. That's because I watch most anime at 2x normal speed - and even with pitch-shifting, that's easier to do when reading dialog rather than listening to it. To some extent, it's also a legacy of the Anime Clubs I was part of, back when the only way to get Anime was copies of VHS tapes that people would share at the clubs.

(To be fair, there were a few commercial series back then, which we bought. But there weren't many.)

Recently, though, I've had the Funimation channel on in the background when doing other things. So I'm listening to more dubs now then I did before.

[redeyesblackpanda]

Many people here prefer subs, like me, but I do not believe that this is the case with the general population.
I think the typical person who doesn't really read manga or watch anime would be much happier with dubbed anime than with subtitles. They wouldn't be the type to appreciate the language. The thing about this forum though, is that it doesn't really contain those people (who actually make up the majority of the population).

[CheeryMoya]

I think the typical person who doesn't really read manga or watch anime would be much happier with dubbed anime than with subtitles. They wouldn't be the type to appreciate the language.

That is... definitely not the right conclusion :c I can't find the time to read manga and watch anime anymore, but does that mean I don't like the Japanese language? No, of course not. I'm very picky with the shows I watch since my leisure time is limited, and even then I want to use that time being productive. If I watch subs, then I have to drop whatever I'm doing and read the damn text at the bottom of the screen (it doesn't help when the text they use looks like 5 point font. Also the fact that I can be a slow reader at times). And if you miss reading one line when someone screams at you to do something else, you have no idea what a character just said and you have to rewind to go back and read it again.

I just prefer dubs because they're more convenient for me. I like Japanese as much as the next guy, but can't I relax and listen to a show in a language I'm more familiar with? If I were taking a Japanese language class, then sure I'd watch subs to get used to the language. But I'm not, so that's that.

[redeyesblackpanda]

That is... definitely not the right conclusion :c I can't find the time to read manga and watch anime anymore, but does that mean I don't like the Japanese language? No, of course not. I'm very picky with the shows I watch since my leisure time is limited, and even then I want to use that time being productive. If I watch subs, then I have to drop whatever I'm doing and read the damn text at the bottom of the screen (it doesn't help when the text they use looks like 5 point font. Also the fact that I can be a slow reader at times). And if you miss reading one line when someone screams at you to do something else, you have no idea what a character just said and you have to rewind to go back and read it again.

You're not the "typical person" I was talking about I'm talking about the people that aren't really familial with those sorts of things (like the typical American who watches cartoons on Adult Swim and just happens to see Bleach come on and says "Oh, that's one of those Anime things, right?"). There are certainly reasons that people prefer dubs, like you mentioned, and I'm not saying that dubs have no merit. I'm just saying that those who are more serious about anime are more likely to prefer subs and that those who are less serious are more likely to prefer dubs, not that all of the people who are serious prefer subs and all of the people who are less serious perfer dubs.