Sub all the way. Dubs are ALWAYS horrible and messes the whole film/show up.

I would agree except that the voice actors and actresses that they use in Japan are well respected (in and out of their field) and some of them are quite famous, Maaya Sakamoto anyone? The "actors and actresses" they get here are, if your lucky, a step up from community theater. The exception being the Miyazaki's and the occasional freak release like Armitage that had real actors in it. At best these people are B grade talent.

So? It was still voiced by the Japanese-speaking cast that was picked by the director, regardless of the reasons why. As a movie lover, I think that we should respect the director's decisions, not second guess him for the international versions.



How do I know if they are good? Because I have ears for starters. If all you care about is what's being said, then you what you're really concerned about is good writing, not acting. I don't really care what's being said, I care about HOW it's being said. Is their acting forced? Natural sounding? Wooden? Emotional? Convincing? These are the things that determine whether or not an actor is good. As far as acting goes, what's being said doesn't really matter.

Also, I completely agree with what fnordboy said. Just because it's a cartoon doesn't mean we shouldn't respect the film makers.

Well I dunno about every one else but I can't tell any of those things if I don't even know what they are saying.

Speak for yourself.

I watch anime sometimes dubbed, other times subbed.

I don't know why... but this is exactly what I think! a feather in your cap, man!

I did.Thanks.

Subs ONLY

I agree with previous posters in that the film should be watched in its original language as that was the original intent of the writer/director. This goes for Anime AND Live-Action AND any combination there of.

Every language is different, and I'm not referring to the obvious differences in sounds and writing. Each language has varying syntax, enunciation, and ways of saying things that convey inherent meanings that only exist in that language. The use of subtitles allows the literal translation of the dialogue to be conveyed while the sounds of the original language track carries the proper emphasis / emotions necessary to deliver the final message that most closely resembles what was originally intended.

It is often not possible to convey the same unadulterated message through dubs since syntyax / words have to be altered to fit into the language of the dub. Thus, even the best examples of dubbed animation, i.e. Spirited Away / Bebop, still stray slightly from the original film. How can you hope to glean all that was meant from the film if various aspects of the film have strayed in the dubbing?


-NHN

Quote:

Originally posted by Zuul
Just because it's a cartoon doesn't mean we shouldn't respect the film makers.

We respect them by watching their creation. We respect them by listening the dub of their creation in our native language. What are you talking about?

If the language is gibberish to me, I, for one, won't be listening to their intonation, right? Wooden, natural, forced... whatever it is. If I don't understand it, why should I try to make up what is being meant by this super convincing natural sexy Japanese voice?

Another thing are the movies without dubs which I import from Asia. Is this case, subs are the only thing available. Unfortunately.

Yeah, I guess you did ^^;

I suppose my point (and this isn't aimed specifically at you) is that people often assume that because they don't feel they can discern how good the acting is in a language they don't understand, no one else can either. As far as I'm concerned, "The acting is usually better" is a perfectly good reason to prefer subtitled anime over dubbed anime, regardless of what other people say about they themselves not being able to tell.

even if the original language is forced or wooden, wouldn't the english dub be even worse

I got news for you: ALL animation is dubbed - it's hard to get animated characters to actually speak.

I don't understand Japanese (or hardly any, anyway) but I can still tell when a character is angry, happy, surprised, sad, etc., through their voices, the visual cues on screen, and through the subtitles.

If someone mutters the word baka under their breath, (which means idiot) it is much different than if they scream BAKA!! with tears running down their face.

Actually a southern accent is a perfect representation for Osaka. The connotations us yanks may have for southern accents are really close to those someone from eastern japan has for a western accent. It has nothing to do with slang, as there is slang in every dialect and a dialect has nothing to do with slang, a common misconception I find.

American dubs are usually horrible. Even if anime attracts A-list voice talent for the dub, I still would prefer to watch it in the original language. American voice actors aren't convincing at all with the usually heavy material that's in anime. I might not be able to understand them, but the Japanese voice actors convey far more emotion.

I suppose, but Osaka sounds stupid with the southern belle accent. I figured since Osaka was a major corporate area where talk is quick that you would relate it to a big city sort of accent.

I havent heard it (or of it for that matter :P) but I imagine thats due more to it being an english dub, than the accent itself.

*Perhaps* she is supposed to sound "stupid" (perhaps uncool, country-folkish, down home, are an equally messy but less offending ways to try and say it) in japanese. Thats the sort of connotation a kansai accent often comes with.

This isn't a *stupid* stupid. this is a Lame sounding voice. I would understand sounding *stupid* for osaka, but this isn't a brainless stupid, it's a lame stupid.

Subs. Voice actors are picked by directors because of thier voices.

Unless you think it's ok to have characters like Darth Vader or Yoda redubbed with someone else talking, then I think you need to realise the importance of voice actors. I can speak other languages, and listening to certain English speaking movies in that language produces a totally different film! it's rather funny.

I can watch a single scene in the Cowboy Bebop movie, once with the English dub, and once as the original version. They play totally different. Some of it is because the characters are played differently, some of it is because the dialogue is dumbed down, and some of it is because the acting is terrible.

Somebody sure can. It is a matter of habits, preferences, principles, etc... And it is a matter of desire, first of all. I speak/understand/translate/interpret two foreign languages and can understand quite well another one. So watching movies in those languages isn't a problem for me. Absolutely. But when I deal with something unknown (like Asian languages), I prefer a professional dub. I'm referring not only to anime...


Then I reckon you don't speak them quite well. If it produces a total different film, then you probably miss out on some crucial moments and might want to look up more words in the dictionary. That is the only explanation I have.
It is funny because probably your linguistic competence in those languages doesn't allow you to _watch_ those movies without paying attention to the "strangeness" of their voices.
Of course, you and another hundred of DVDtalk members can continue watching anime, in particular, in its original language, but just keep in mind that there will always be another million of people who don't give a damn about the importance of voice actors. They will always watch it in their native language. So, a good dub is always needed whatever the enthusiasts of "literal" subtitles think.
Talking about non-English speaking countires, dubbing practice is a part of their linguistic policy. It is not even a need, it is a must.

I'm all about orginal language and subs...except for anything "Excel Saga"...that was some funny shit in those dubs.

Puni Puni..wow, those guys worked double time for that dub

I enjoy the Excel Saga dub better than the original as well. However, this is mainly because I think Jessica Calvello is better as Excel than Kotono Mitsuishi... so when I get to the second half of the series, my opinion might change. (For those who don't know, Jessica Calvello overstrained her voice playing Excel, so another actress played her for the second half of the series.)

I didnt mind the change at all.

Then again i wasnt very partial to Jessica Calvello.

It was very odd to see that the woman who voices Hyatt is using her actual voice.

I watch which ever is better.