Dub or Sub?

[ririruetoo]

I was just wondering what people preferred. If I watch a anime for the first time subbed, I will never be able to watch it dubbed. I'm not sure why, I guess that's just the way I am.

Also, has any one watched the anime Clannad? I'm thinking of buying it, but I'm not sure to watch it dubbed or subbed...Any suggestions?

[Silvere]

Subs all the way.
English dubs - Bad.
German dubs - oh my god, leave me alone I JUST CAN´T STAND THIS **** etc.etc.
Yeah, they are really THAT bad.

No one is reaching the feelings behind japanese voice actors!
Hurray for japanese!
+ : Clannad in japanese. WAY TO GO FOR CRYING, BUDDY!

[Hayzel]

It varies for me. Hetalia wouldn't be as good if it wasn't dubbed :/
If americans would use the right Sex and people who didn't have annoying voices they wouldn't be as terrible. I always love animes with Mary Elizabeth Mcglynn. Ghost In Shell Dub is the sex~ ...Ouran Host dub makes me sad to the core....I want to find the nearest bridge and jump off of it...-depression-

[Efreet]

Please, if this was for regular films then I wouldn't be saying this but doesn't this belong to the Anime, Games and Japan section? I don't want to come off as harsh or anal so I'll only mention this once.

Now to contribute to the topic, subtitles would be my first preference when watching anime as whenever I want to watch any foreign film. There are a few good exceptions to that preference, such as the Cowboy Bebop, Ghost in the Shell and The Big O anime series and perhaps as a sign of improving dubs.

Clannad is really worth watching, though I wasn't aware it was dubbed.

[Voight-Kampff]

If I watch a anime for the first time subbed, I will never be able to watch it dubbed. I'm not sure why, I guess that's just the way I am.

I refer to the phenomenon as "First Listen Bias".

I find myself susceptible to it all the time: if I watch something dubbed the first time, I prefer the dub. If I watch something subbed the first time, I prefer the sub.

There are caveats to this theorem. If an English dub insists on using honorifics, that's just it for me. I can't possibly stand to listen to English speakers toss around -chan, -sama, etc. English doesn't use honorifics, so my brain simply can't accept their use in the spoken word. Strangely, I don't find it nearly as irritating when in written format. Eh. Go figure.

[Sapphi]

I'm the same way as Voight-Kampff, but usually I try to watch the Japanese versions first when I can because I like to watch shows/movies in the language they were originally meant to be. In the case of some shows with bad/cheesy dubbing, it's kind of a treat to go back and watch them to see how badly they were massacred. (Ziv International's hilarious Harlock dub comes to mind, or that Galaxy Express 999 movie dub where they changed Tochiro's name to Sundown McMoon. Seriously. I laugh so hard every time it even crosses my mind. ) I think even some shows can benefit from the dub. I haven't seen Medabots in Japanese, but the dub is really funny. I think the English dub of Angel Tales made it slightly less cutesy-bland and slightly more amusing. Also, Samurai Pizza Cats. I don't even care that they renamed all the characters and wrote their own scripts.

[Voight-Kampff]

I think even some shows can benefit from the dub.

Desert Punk.

It's rude, it's crude, it's misogynistic and depraved. But the English dub just pops. I honestly don't think I'd have ever bothered watching the show unless I had heard a few choice lines from the dub.

I think Shin-chan benefits from the dub as well. I mean, I assume the original's comedy was so steeped in Japanese culture and idiosyncrasies, that only someone who actively studies Japanese culture would find the show funny. And if someone is that steeped in Japanese culture to begin with, said person could probably just watch it in the original Japanese, sans dubbing or subbing.

[Avaible]

Subs all the way.
English dubs - Bad.
German dubs - oh my god, leave me alone I JUST CAN´T STAND THIS **** etc.etc.
Yeah, they are really THAT bad.

No one is reaching the feelings behind japanese voice actors!
Hurray for japanese!
+ : Clannad in japanese.

I second that. Completely.

[luminarious]

Sub, no doubt about it.

[J. Datie]

I watch my anime the way it was meant to be: raw. No need to get words in the way of the pretty pictures.

[Rewritten Ennui]

I prefer listening to dubs when I watch anime. If I'm watching subs, then that means I have to look at the words instead of the animation. Sure, I'll watch subbed anime if the dub is terrible or if it's a new show, but I usually go for the dubs. Besides, I'm usually multitasking while watching TV.

[LVUER]

Definitely sub. Not only for Japanese anime. For anything, I prefer (soft) sub since that way, I could appreciate and enjoy the original voice. I'm a purist.

[Snow Blossom]

Sub sub sub. Most English dubs I've heard are god-awful, and I like the sound of Japanese. Also, I'm able to learn a few Japanese words when it's subbed. ^o^

[seven idiots]

I like to hear the original acting but I also like to hear the dubs too. Sometimes they're even better than the sub-- Baccano's dub is a very good example of this. Baccano's dub was FANTASTIC.

So I have no real preference I guess? Just whichever one is better.

[ririruetoo]

The Cowboy Bebop dub is amazing! I love that show!