| Howdy |
[11 Apr 2008|06:31pm] |
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Hey there all of you how are you? Ah yes a nice little community for us people who appreciate dubs ^_^. Really is a nice reprieve I will have to admit. Yeah I have gotten into many of a debate over sub vs. dub. I have stood my ground through for about seven years now, and I will not budge. While I do enjoy the Japanese track just as much, I also switch it to the English as well. I think most of it has to do with familiarity. I have met a lot of the English voice casting for many shows, and so I have gotten used to them. Knowing them away from the mic, and being friends of sorts, acquaintances then makes me appreciate them more. So when someone says "Shit, Dante in the DMC dub sucks" I do end up a little miffed XD.
My personal opinion is to each their own. However if someone is going to be pushy and rude about it their opinion has just epically failed. It's like the fans who see the Japanese version first right? It comes to America and new fans, and newbies to anime in general are introduced to it. Suddenly, the whole entire 'purist' community is in an uproar. To me this makes no sense what so ever. I mean even though the newbie fans can be annoying, you have to just brush them off. They are doing their thing and you just do your thing am I right? There is no sense in not loving a show anymore just because of fans. They aren't standing over your shoulder at home squealing, and you don't really deal with them on a day to day basis either. Heh, I guess I can't rant an awful lot can't I? Well those are my two cents for now.
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| These fans will not leave me alone |
[02 Mar 2008|09:42pm] |
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God, I can't watch the Bleach dub without seeing someone saying it sucks. Tell me, people what is wrong with the dub that the fans can't tolerate.
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| Accents in Dubs |
[10 Jan 2008|07:30pm] |
One of the most touchy subjects of dubbing is the use of accents. Just like there are fans who object to dubbing of any kind, there are those who also have a fuss to make whenever a character is given an accent, for any reason whatsoever.
This argument is not totally worthless. In some programs, like "Demon City Shinjuku", where there are clearly only Japanese people, then it would seem disastrous to give each characters accents for any reason, as the dub by Manga UK does. Likewise, for a series that sets only in one European country, then accents can be distracting.
However, there are certain shows that set in more than one region of Europe. Some of them may involve traveling around the world, getting involved with people of different nations. In such a show, the use of different accents is more than justified, and, if done well, can add an extra depth of color to the series. One such series is "Nadia--The Secret of Blue Water." Its characters come from all different corners of the world. As such, giving the characters accents is more than ideal; it's appropriate. This works especially well for the crew of the Nautilus, who are all survivors around the world.
It's also important to note that there are two different dubs of "Nadia". One was produced by Streamline, but only the first eight episodes were dubbed, and the accents, notably that of young hero Jean (the French kid with the glasses and the good heart), often verged on the cheesy side. Needless to say, fans were very negative.
The other dub is the one which is currently available, provided by ADV's much missed Monster Island studios in Austin, Texas. In this dub, the accents are more polished and genuinely believable, but what ultimately makes the dub a treat is the casting of actual children in the roles of the three young protagonists. And while the boy who plays Jean still has to put on a French accent, as the show progresses, it grows on you, either because he improves or you just grow accustomed to it. This issue aside, the dub exudes an intagible charm of realism and liveliness; the actors relish their characters and give delightful performances.
That said, "Nadia"'s dub by ADV often doesn't get the recognition it deserves. While the dub received a successful premiere at A-Kon in Texas and has its fans (me included), there are those who believe that it is inferior to the Japanese track and should be avoided. (One such example is in a recent review by DVD Talk.) This is unfortunate, because I have found the dub to be one of the finest ever made, and in many ways, it goes beyond its native language track.
This isn't to say that there aren't any dubs where accents can be annoying; [i]Love Hina[/i] and [i]Demon City Shinjuku[/i] were unfortunate victims of careless accents.
But sometimes this adverse reaction of accents can go too far; it can often lead to an unjust maligning of a good dub.
I write this because I sometimes find the idea of dismissing dubs simply because of accents in shows that require them ludicrous. What do you guys think?
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| Old Dub VS. New Dub -- Does it really matter over which is better? |
[07 Jan 2008|06:34pm] |
This post is about a rather odd kind of "dub" debate that I sometimes run into. It tends to be dub vs. dub, or rather old dub vs. new dub.
Older titles such as [i]Akira[/i], [i]The Castle of Cagliostro[/i], [i]Totoro[/i], [i]Laputa[/i], [i]Nadia[/i], all were released by Streamline with dubs, until other licensors produced newer dubs for them. Compared to the quality of most of these previous dubs (although I exclude [i]Totoro[/i] from this argument, because that one was the best of them), the newer versions feature better writing and arguably better voice acting overall. Any awkwardnesses in the originals are polished to bring these titles to a new audience ([i]Akira[/i] definitely needed it; the old dub's translation made the movie so confusing that it alienated me until I saw the newer version).
And yet, in spite of all the improvements or equally good quality of the new dubs, there seems to be naysayers who say nay to the new dubs and declare how "superior" the previous dubs are. Having seen the first dub of [i]Akira[/i] in its entirety and the new one, I cannot find any validity in this argument. The newer version is lightyears ABOVE the older version in terms of voicing and scripting. I haven't heard enough of the pre-Disney dub of [i]Laputa[/i], but what little I saw of it disappointed me immensely--despite not having the sometimes extraneous additional dialogue, the voices are nowhere nearly as good as in the new version, and the acting sounded flat and lifeless. Where's the "better" in that? Even if the leads don't sound as mature as they do in Disney's, there's hardly any enthusiasm from the previous VAs, or at least that sample I heard. That brings us to [i]Totoro[/i], which I loved immensely in its first dub, but does that mean I think the new dub is inferior? Not at all. It may be significantly different, but it still has a charm of its own, and in many ways I think it adds to the movie, particularly in some details that the first dub skimped out on. With [i]Nadia[/i], it definitely NEEDED a new dub--the voices of the leads in the first dub were awfully miscast and badly acted, and while there may have been some good voices, the quality of the overall acting in the ADV dub outclasses them by far.
Anyway, what I'm trying to say is, I find it unfortunate that there are some fans who don't want to give a brand new version of their favorite Anime a chance, and deride it with whatever reason they can think of. Attachment to nostalgia is one thing, but does that mean that the newer versions should be scorned and flamed? I think not. I've attended performances of some of my favorite classical pieces of music, and no two were superior or inferior. They were just, well, different interpretations. Personally, I think it's valuable to have more than one English dub of an Anime.
What do you think? Should polished up versions of previous dubs be maligned? Or should they be evaluated objectively?
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[21 Dec 2007|05:27pm] |
From the moment I became an Anime fan, I had decided, from day one, that I was going to be a dub supporter, partially because I didn't like reading all the typical "Dubs suXors" crap I see on the internet. I'd rather decide for myself which dub is good or not. And I've found it to be a very rewarding experience. Not that there aren't any dubs that disappoint me, but mindless bashing of dubs and their VAs comes across to be as anything but productive. Heck, sometimes I've heard dubs which fans say are unbearable that I found enjoyable, and some dubs which were said to be good, but I was let down by. I soon found out that, in determining which dubs are good or not, it should be up to me as a fan. That said, I'd like to list some of my favorite dubs.
All the Disney-Ghibli dubs -- faves include Mononoke, Castle in the Sky (leachman and Hamill kick butt), Kiki's Delivery Service (R.I.P., Phil Hartman), Whisper of the Heart, and Totoro (both the FOX and Fanning dubs). I like 'em all, but the aforementioned titles are the ones I love listening to.
Akira (2001) -- The first dub of this film turned me away. This newer dub is superior in every way.
Fullmetal Alchemist
His and Her Circumstances
Jungle Emperor Leo Movie
The Irresponsible Captain Tylor
The World of Narue
Gokudo
Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water (ADV's dub) -- This is one of my favorite dubs of all time--the three protagonists who propel the story are voiced by actual children--all three do impressive jobs. The accents fluctuate at times, but the dialogue flows smoothly and the performances by the remainder of the cast is excellent. It's a shame this doesn't get the recognition it deserves.
Record of Lodoss War OVA -- The show that got me into Anime; although the dub has a few stiff and/or awkward moments, it works well for this fantasy adventure and remains one of my favorites to listen to even to this day; Lisa Ortiz is great as Deedlit, and most of the rest of the cast is done fairly well.
All Three Slayers Seasons -- The first half of Season 1 is a little shaky, but it's all uphill from there.
Animation Runner Kuromi 1 & 2
Perfect Blue
The Wings of Honneamise
Petite Princess Yucie -- Produced by the folks who did the wonderful "Nadia" dub, this was their last effort, and hearing it makes it frustrating that they're no longer with us.
GoldenBoy
Shingu
Comic Party
These are what I consider great to excellent dubs.
Then there are some dubs which, although flawed, do have their share of saving graces.
Now and Then, Here and There -- The kids' voices don't sound like children, but by and large the dub works pretty well.
Final Fantasy OVA -- Very campy and over-the-top, but good for a laugh.
Neon Genesis Evangelion --Yeah I know, it's overemoted at times, but there are some good performnaces in here, particularly Alison Keith as Misato.
Record of Lodoss War TV Series -- Weaker than the Lodoss OVA dub, but most of the returning voices from the OVA as well as Crispin Freeman's Spark and Angora Deb's Leaf do help.
The Vision of Escaflowne TV Series -- Note: This is the dub existing on the DVD release I'm talking about, not the FOX edit. It's not perfect, but it's not bad either.
Grave of the Fireflies -- Compared to the other Disney-Ghibli dubs, this is the weak link, but it's not all bad. Seita is voiced well, and Veronica Taylor, Crispin Freeman, and Dan Green do some top notch work.
Shana -- The lead character's voice is too old, but by and large the dub is pretty solid.
That's all I can think of, but I just felt like sharing it here since I'm all for places that speak for dubs.
BTW, other places that are good for dub fans who can't stand dub bashers include:
http://www.dubreview.com/ and AnimeonDVD's English Track forums. I've written some insightful reviews on both of those sites.
-Jon T.
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| Dub's Rule! |
[18 Dec 2007|11:02pm] |
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I totally agree with everyone here! Dubbed anime is so awesome. Most times i think the actors sound way better then in the japanese. (maybe its cause I understand it more but you's know what I mean). I dont even understand why People hate dubs. Especially Naruto (personaly I like the english naruto wayyy better then the japanese.)Do you think some of them only like subs better cause thats the populer "Otoku" thing to do? Sometimes I dont know what to think...
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| First post here. |
[14 Apr 2007|03:45pm] |
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x-posted to own journal, although I might post it to khfanficrants later. Hope this post doesn't sound too stupid.
I really don’t think that the fact that an English dubbed anime/video game uses celebrities you know should make the dub any worse.
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| Introduction. |
[14 Apr 2007|05:48am] |
Hello.
I was searching interests, and found this place.
I am an anime fan, I watch and enjoy anime in all three forms, raw, subbed, and dubbed, and I enjoy most English dubs of anime, in fact, I am a member of a group that is dedicated to supporting the English dub of the Pokemon anime. (Which came under fire from some radical fans in the past year.)
I support most English dubs because they are well done, extremely in some cases, and the actors and staff do wonderful work in adapting and bringing the story to western audiences. I wish that instead of hating dubs solely based on the fact that they are dubs, fans would take the time to understand the process, the hard work, and talent invested in the dub overall. I'm not saying there aren't sub-par dubs out there, I just believe that those are a rarity, and the majority of dubs are carried out very well.
So, there's my intoduction and stance on dubs.
Thanks for listening
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| Explain |
[10 Mar 2007|11:14am] |
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Why do many anime fans abhor dubs and yet, don't say a word when Japan dubs North American cartoons?
Also, why do they go up in arms when North American companies use anime-style drawings for their works and yet, they're not bothered when Japan uses Western-style drawings?
Did they forget that the King of manga, Osamu Tezuka, was inspired by WALT DISNEY?
It's starting to irk me being a part of ![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif) anime.
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| *head desk* |
[06 Mar 2007|12:09am] |
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And so it begins.
I doubt ANY of those who are angry have worked on an anime dub. I haven't (but it would be awesome to) but you don't see me complaining.
It's easier to complain than to not just watch it.
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| New |
[09 Oct 2006|08:54am] |
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Utada Hikaru - Keep Trying |
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Hello. I'm new here. I saw this community and decided I'd join.
Here it goes. I am mostly a subbie. Mostly because of my longtime obsession with Wuxia films (subbed). I do however enjoy dubbed anime as well, and this leaves me on the fence most of the time when it comes to the dub vs sub argument. Though I am frequently annoyed with how the rabid fans are quick to ignore anything that isnt remotely japanese. These people leave a bad taste in my mouth. Just because it's anything other than japanese doesn't mean it's any worse. These are some of the same people I have met who worship Japan yet know nothing ABOUT Japan. These are the people who think they're so awesome for eating sushi when they really couldn't list any other japanese foods off the top of their heads. I'll say it again...These people leave a bad taste in my mouth.
I do agree however that there are voice actors who I believe aren't that good. Same goes for actors in movies, television, even musicians. Generally for me though I do like the english speaking voice actors. There are exceptions though like Anthy Himemiya from Shoujo Kakumei Utena. I just didn't feel like her english voice fit.
I remember reading a previous post saying others couldn't do it better. I for one know I couldn't do any variation of voice acting better. I have neither the training nor the acting skill, but that doesn't stop me or other people from making judgement on the existing voice actors (or anything else for that matter)
I've come to the realization that the anime fandom is no longer a "small club" as it used to be. When everyone was excited about seeing a new series, and where it was less popular than it is today. It has now become an group of elitist just like every other fandom. Even so bad as people saying others cosplay is bad because they're not the same race as the character they're doing. This is stupid. This is about fandom not about race, sex, whatever. However every fandom has it's share of fantards, elistist who know "everything", and the people who are consumed by it.
What else...?
Well I enjoy anime (of course) and they are...
Hellsing
Bleach
Shoujo Kakumei Utena
Rune Soldier
Mai-Hime
Outlaw Star
Sorcerer Hunters
Fushigi Yuugi
Vandread
Boogiepop Phantom
The Gundam Series
Silent Mobius
NANA
Rahxephon
Ghost in the Shell series
Angel Sanctuary and just about everything Kaori Yuki
Gantz
Saiyuki
There are too many to list...
I also watch/read fansubs (both anime and manga) *gasp*. However I do not save them. If I like the series I buy it. If I hate it after 3 episodes or more it goes to the trash with the rest of my garbage. Hummm...I like other types of animation especially Disney films, and W.I.T.C.H(which is usually called "psuedo anime" by many fantards I've come across) Eh the rest...well thats in my userinfo, and I'm lame so you wouldn't want to know about me anyway.
That's all.
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| Thoughts |
[18 Sep 2006|11:51pm] |
One of the questions that eats at my mind is if a lot of the people who will only watch subbed anime realize that they make up a significant chunk of the piracy market. Do they understand that as much as the MPAA and RIAA rail against people for downloading copyrighted media without paying for it, that those who download mass quanities of fansubbed anime will inadvertently cause ISPs to take steps to reduce bandwidth priveleges for all users?
Don't get me wrong. I know not all people who are fans of the original version of anime obtain their anime illegally. However, it would not be unreasonable to assume that most people on the Internet who proclaim their love of subbed anime obtain their anime through fansubs. And distributing fansubs is illegal. It's not merely the unauthorized transmission of copyrighted material, but it is an unauthorized modified transmission.
Downloading fansubbed anime is as illegal as downloading MP3s of whole songs. While the former may not be a crime that is prosecuted, it is far from victimless (think of all the people who worked on the animation, art direction, production, writing, music, etc.), and quite frankly it's not something that is wise to advertise. I would rather be known as a dub supporter and have seen any anime the "right" way than let the world know I was a cheater who didn't want to wait six months for the show to come on air or come out on video.
So I wonder if there were a way to spin this fact to our advantage. While there are fandubs, of course, this is not the primary way people are introduced to dubs. On the other hand, many people are introduced to subs not from the released DVD, but the many episodes they downloaded using BitTorrent. Can't we have a slogan like, "We like our anime the LEGAL way" or something along those lines?
However, I have also thought of an argument that could be used against dubbing. While many of us like to hear the dialogue as spoken in the language we are accustomed to, what about those who are hearing-impared? Since they cannot hear the dialogue, subtitles are the only method they can understand what has been said. People who support subs could argue that subtitles do provide a common viewing experience, allowing for an accessiblity denied by both the original version and the dub. So, how would you counter this?
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| FINALLY! |
[09 Sep 2006|09:02pm] |
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I'm Chibi Beaver and I am so glad I found this community! I can't tell you how much I HATE those rabid otaku that bash anime because they aren't in Japanese. Hell, most of those otaku are English speaking and don't know what the hell the characters in the anime are saying without the subtitles while watching it in Japanese. I'm German myself, but lived in America for a couple of years and those hardcore anti English dub haters will not shut up about how bad the voice acting is. Pssh, like they can do better....rant over. I'm glad I joined this community! ^_^
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| New Member |
[04 Sep 2006|02:15pm] |
Hey everyone.
I am quite glad to see a group of people who respect voice acting, as do I. I also joined to rant a bit. So, brace yourself.
I am really sick of these annoying otakus saying "The dub is baaaaaaaaaaaaad, the voice acting is TERRIBLE!!!!1" which is completly wrong. The acting is great, the voice can sometimes be annoying. Or the voice is great and well acted, but the voice does not match the character. There's a difference. Bad voice acting can be found on the Internet. Bad voice acting just means that the person can't act and do impressions to save him/herself.
Also, stop blaming the voice actors for "ruining" the anime! BLAME THE WRITERS! Or better yet, BLAME THE FCC!!! There are RULES for releasing shows! You know, the kind that prevent whiny crybabies from sueing the creator for being "too violent" or "offensive" or even rascist when they see a *little* bit of cleavage! Speaking of censorship, for those of you who bash Funimation, you don't need to anymore. They really did improve since DBZ, which in my opinion, was a complete disaster
My point is: LEAVE THE POOR VOICE ACTORS ALONE! And get over it! You (otakus, the extreme ones) are not Japanese! So unless you take classes or Japanese is in fact your first language, YOU ARE DOOMED TO PUT UP WITH THE DUB OR POORLY DONE SUBS!!!
Now that I finally have that out of my system, thank you for reading.
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[28 Aug 2006|02:09pm] |
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Hello, I am TFG! I just found this community clicking one of my interests because I was bored. I was very happy to find it. I've been a fan of dubbed anime, since I first started watching it. My friend brought over the Slayers Motion Picture, and while that isn't my favorite dub, I did become sold on dubbed anime.
I'm one of the only people you know that actually LIKES the Slayers dub. They're very hard to find, but I got sick of listening to likers of sub telling me I was stupid because I didn't worship the ground their VAs walked on. I'm here to say I am a proud supporter of Lisa Ortiz, Crispin Freeman, Eric Stuart AND Veronica Taylor. I also a few others, but their names fail me.
I just wanted to say hi and I'm glad I can be welcome in a place like this!
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[02 Jul 2006|12:47am] |
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Hi! I don't know if this been said here yet.
But anyone else notices that some "otakus" and subbies see the original Japanese anime and the dubbed as two completely different shows?
Like they see Serena and Usagi as two different people?
I really don't know why they do that...
In my opinion, She's the same person.
Madison and Tomoyo are the same person.
Shu Lei Faun and Kento Rei Faun are the same person.
Any other characters I can think of that have different names....
But what's your opinion on this?
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| Where, oh where? |
[01 Jul 2006|10:00pm] |
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Lots and lots of posts in a relatively short amount of time, I know, but I'm stuck. I'm looking for FMA episodes 39 and 40 (dub or sub, I really don't care, I just want to find out what happens!) You Tube doesn't have them, just a couple of AMV's based on the eps. Anyone know where to look? I tried Limewire as well, but I ended up with a lot of anime porn...
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| Ohhhh, the 'net. |
[27 Jun 2006|09:01am] |
Hey everyone. I finally looked up YouTube...and was very, very impressed. There's a lot of crap there that you have to wade through, but I like the fact that I can find a lot of stuff for free. (I don't know about everyone here, but I'm a poverty stricken college student whose tuition is about to go up 31% and I don't have money for animes).
Question. I understand that the dub for Full Metal Alchemist is very good, but I can't seem to find it there? Anyone know where to look?
Also, I thought the people on the board might find this tidbit interesting. I was reading a magazine article, "Cute, Pretty, or Sexy," detailing the subcategories that typically make up "beauty." There was a sentence or two about the obsession with cuteness in Japan. As follows:
"The distinctions between cute, pretty, and sexy are, to some extent, culturally specific. In Japan, where it is not all that unusual for women well into their 20's and 30's to dress like two-year olds, with appliqued animals on their skirts and their hair worn in pigtails, cuteness-the Japanese word for 'cute' is 'kawaii'-is itself a kind of sexiness. (There exists in Japan a women's magazine called 'Cutie,' which explains how the reader might cutely accessorize herself and her life by, for example, sticking heart-shaped cutouts all over her toilet seat or covering her television set with furry fabric."
I could go into a long rant on exactly what I think that denotes about Japanese culture and popular art, but I'll save it for later. If anyone is interested in reading the full article, which mostly deals with American culture, it's Allure magazine's July 2006 issue, page 140.
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