English Dubbing

[Saix7]

Well I don't really mind English dubbing of a few anime's, such as Bleach and Naruto.

Ichigo's voice (Johnny Bosch) is good, along with Rukia, Orihime, Uryu's, Ganju's and Gin's.
But I think it's whatever you get used to first since all the anime's were created in Japanese first, everyone would be used to hearing those voices.

For example, Avatar is in English and if they made a Japanese version not many people would be used to it and others might like it better than the english version.

:)

[Roxas13]

Well english dubbing is alright i guess. Like I love bleach, eureka seven and naruto in english dubbing, like Johnny Bosch RULES!! Also Stephanie Sheh as well good voices for Hinata, Orihime, and Eureka.

Yeh I am a bit used to a few anime's being english or jap. I am a bit used to bleach in english because i started watching it in english, as for naruto i like it in english but I prefer it in japanese, cause that is the language i started watching it in.






[ZHAO YUN: Another has fallen to my spear!]8)

[softtack]

I do not like English dubs. I think the actors sound like stupid schlubs. I do not like them on my DVDs. I do not like them in my MKVs. I do not like them Sam-I-am, so please don't give dubs to me.

Once in a blue moon, there will be dubs that are somewhat bearable, and the only time I've ever experienced such a moment is with Cowboy Bebop. And the next time you watch Naruto in English, remember this face:

http://www.maileflanagan.com/db3/00283/maileflanagan.com/_uimages/Gerimyspaceresz.jpg

That's Maile Flanagan, the person who voices Naruto. :D

[MavSkipper]

I don't like dubs myself and just like softtack, Cowboy Bebop is one exception... and X Movie(I like the way they dubbed it)

That's Maile Flanagan, the person who voices Naruto. :D

http://bbs.chinadaily.com.cn/attachments/month_0603/wtf_cat.jpg.w300h371_HeOTTJstzM5Z.jpg

[Phaded]

Only dubs i will listen too are, Ghost in the Shell, Cowboy Bebop, Bleach and Death Note. Out of all 4 I think Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex's is the best.

[softtack]

Forgot to mention, Samurai Champloo also has a good English dub. I actually prefer that one over the original Japanese audio.

[Phaded]

I've just started getting Samurai Champloo on DVD, guess i'le have to check out the Dub.

[HellsJester]

Phaded you like Death Note dubs?
I consider those dubs to be some of the worst i have ever heard.
Naruto dubs are terrible too.

[Phaded]

Yeah, maybe Light's isn't that good i don't think it's sinister enough, but i do like L's i think it's suited perfectly.

[PhantoK]

I absolutely despise dubbing... In my opinion, it strips the character and the series of it's original identity (have you heard dubs of the Simpsons? Yuck!), and for what? So that a bunch of idiots who are either too dumb or too lazy to read subtitles can watch a mellowed down version of the show? No thanks... For kid's shows, it's OK to dub, since kids most likely can't understand foreign languages or quite possible read at the level necessary to follow subtitles. But to dub anything else is simply idiotic and degrading to the original work.

I have not heard a single dub in my life that would even closely match the original voice acting, and I've always preferred the original voicing in everything I've watched. Even when I was still a kid...

Oh, and on a side note even though it's not common in anything but really really badly made American voice overs. Why in the blue salmonellasandwich do some shows insist on using voice actors who speak horrible English? For example, watch a single episode of Iron Chef and then tell me the voice overs didn't make you want to kill a kitten with a spoon. They basically have half of the people in the show voiced over by people talking English with thick Japanese accents. Do they honestly think that this will fool anyone in to believing that this is anything closer to the original? We know you dubbed it, we're not stupid! If you are going to dub something, you could have atleast done it well.

[Major Ocelot]

Forgot to mention, Samurai Champloo also has a good English dub. I actually prefer that one over the original Japanese audio.
Mmm, that's one of the few that I do prefer, that and Hellsing which is the obvious choice. Other than that I can't for the life of me think of another.
Naruto is terrible beyond my worse nightmares, partially because it got the One Piece royal screwjob, I've already watched 140-ish of Bleach in Jap and by the time I heard the English one I just couldn't cope.
I'm a real stickler when it comes to dubs and hate most of them initially (What's wrong with reading subs? Americans can't emote anyway so the potential that is there is lost.) and on a slim chance I will turn around and like them.
Maybe I've heard too many crap ones, I dunno, or maybe I just can't stand when intentionally annoying and goofy characters (ie. 80% of anime characters) are attempted to be emulated by an American, with the only thing I get from that is a mental picture of the VA screaming like a ****** into the mic.

Long story short kids, I watch too much anime.

For example, watch a single episode of Iron Chef and then tell me the voice overs didn't make you want to kill a kitten with a spoon. They basically have half of the people in the show voiced over by people talking English with thick Japanese accents. Do they honestly think that this will fool anyone in to believing that this is anything closer to the original? We know you dubbed it, we're not stupid! If you are going to dub something, you could have atleast done it well.
On the contrary, its fine for me because Iron Chef doesn't take itself seriosly. If you thought that then watch the host eat the main ingredient, like an apple for instance, does that look serious to you?
Also I've heard from people who actually speak the dialect say that in fact Iron Chef is translated fantastically, as in they translate and localize all the puns and etc. that the commentators were saying in Japanese.
I'll take their word for it.

[PhantoK]

On the contrary, its fine for me because Iron Chef doesn't take itself seriosly. If you thought that then watch the host eat the main ingredient, like an apple for instance, does that look serious to you?
Also I've heard from people who actually speak the dialect say that in fact Iron Chef is translated fantastically, as in they translate and localize all the puns and etc. that the commentators were saying in Japanese.
I'll take their word for it.
Umm... I think you're missing my point. I'm not talking about Iron Chef taking itself seriously, nor how well it is translated language-wise. I'm talking about the seemingly useless idea behind giving the voice overs accents. I don't see why they would not simply use normal English instead of some pretty laughably done accents, when they've already decided to strip the show of it's original language.

And it's not just Iron Chef I'm talking about here, that was just an example. I've seen the same thing in countless other shows and a good number of documentaries that otherwise try to take a serious stab at what they're talking about.

[Taion]

Cowboy Bebop has a brilliant dub, I really prefer it over the Japanese one. Especially Spike's voice,that is perfect for the character.

I guess ghost in the shell's dubs are not too bad either, though they don't have much emotion to them, but i guess that wouldn't be too bad considering it's ghost in the shell.

NGE has a pretty good dub, though I think at times Misato and Asuka's voices are a little too over the top.

I dread to hear a death note dub, the japanese version is brilliant. Especially light and Ryuk , I couldn't imagine them with different voices.

[Phaded]

I guess ghost in the shell's dubs are not too bad either, though they don't have much emotion to them, but i guess that wouldn't be too bad considering it's ghost in the shell.



I actually think it's done perfectly, i can hear the emotion in Amaraki and Tosuga's voices but in the likes of Batou and the Major it's not so much, after all they are like android's.

[Shin Asura]

The main problem with dubbing is besides Japan no where else takes it seriously so they use half *** actors and poor dialogue that makes the best anime garbage

The only time you find a good dub is when the company does it in house or from a reliable source

[Roxas13]

Did someone just say The Simpsons are bad in English? Okay that's weird. This is "English Dubbing" forum topic, The Simpsons were orignally in english.

[HellsJester]

Best kind of dubbing is the dubbing that is better than the original japanese voices. Only one to do that for me so far is Fullmetal Alchemist. I havent heard Ghost in the Shell in japanese so i cant say if i like the dubbing more so i will just mention it as great dubbing.

[bobabooy?]

Best kind of dubbing is the dubbing that is better than the original japanese voices. Only one to do that for me so far is Fullmetal Alchemist. I havent heard Ghost in the Shell in japanese so i cant say if i like the dubbing more so i will just mention it as great dubbing.
Bleach and full metal are good I just watch subbed sometimes to see what happens later :)

[SnakeDevil]

The worst dubs are in One Piece.

[HellsJester]

Bleach and full metal are good I just watch subbed sometimes to see what happens later :)

I give Bleach a 7/10 in dubbing
Good but not great.

The worst dubs are in One Piece.
Actually the worst dubs are in Hentai.

[Roxas13]

Yeah, Bleach is one of the best dubbing. Also DBZ is way better than the japanese voices.

Actually the worst dubs are in Hentai.
Hahaha, yeah they are probably not bothered to do the dubbing properly.

[Behemoko]

Elfen Lied is the only thing I prefer the subbed version of.

In the English version, every female sounds like she's 5, and the wimpy main guy sounds like some huge bad ***, none of the voices match..

Every other anime I can name I prefer the dubbed version.

[zeon9881]

My butt

dubs suck

i watched the first episode of naruto in english the other day ( i was bored, im caught up t shippuuden and manga) and it was horible

"Belive it" my arse

man dubs suck

[Shadowfyre]

Yeah, Naruto is one of the worst English Dubs ever. Though in the Japanese version Naruto says "Dattebayo!" instead of, "Believe it!".

[snowhawk]

i can't stand any english subs on any movie or anime they sound really stupid lol

[xDNx_Near]

english dub its way better like in trigun vash voice fix him better in english dub over vash speak japanese

[jlippone]

I really really hate dubbing only couple of Disney movies have had decent dubbing.

[HellsJester]

I really really hate dubbing only couple of Disney movies have had decent dubbing.

Sorry but Disney isnt anime.

[jlippone]

Sorry but Disney isnt anime.
True, but their movies have had very nice dubbing during the years. (from english to other lanquages)
Also they have made great dubbing for some of the Ghibli movies.. ;)

For anime only good dubbing has been on couple of movies, the quality on dubbed series is quite horrendous.
I once in a while try to look something in english once in a while, but I usually cannot watch longer than few minutes..

[The_One]

It's honestly what you're used to, I believe.

When I lived in Japan, I was totally used to Goku's Japanese voice, and I was like "WTF?!" when I came here and heard the ******ed English voiced version years later.

However, once I got used to the English version, and checked out the original Japanese dubs... I was like "WTF?!"...

So, at the end of the day... It's what you're used to. As long as I understand what's going on, I couldn't care less (too less, anyways) who's voice acting for who.

BUT, on the whole, it does seem that the Japanese voice actors are FAR better. You can tell they put the effort and passion into their art! Being well known seiyuu's (voice actors) in Japan are akin to being Hollywood celebrities, but over here, if you voice act for "Cartoons", you're a second rate unknown Joe. It's a whole different culture.

[UltimaMasamune]

I like dubs and anything with Crispin Freeman or Kirk Thornton is an automatic win for me.

Hell, some shows have much better dialog in the dub like Cromartie Highschool and Gungrave.

[GigpigBoogie]

im not a fan of dubs, every dub ive heard is really quite bad. The west just do not seem to put any effort into VA.

[Saix7]

I like dubs and anything with Crispin Freeman or Kirk Thornton is an automatic win for me.

You got that right Crispin Freeman rules, excellent voice.

Basically it is what you are used to, everyone has there own opinion, when an anime is subbed it is sometimes ''Lost in Translation" so sometimes what you are reading isn't exactly what they are saying.

Most people like the subs (Japanese Language) but if there weren't any subtitles it would change their mind due to the fact that they cannot understand. Unless you can understand Japanese.

Some voice actors put in effort which you can tell they can because of the emotions they use and the way they speak.

Johnny Bosch rules!

[Shr3k0]

i love english dubbing although i h8ed sub but now im use to it naruto ftw

[ultima33]

I am a fan of dubbing i realize some people hate it though i think they think there more elite of a anime fan cause they watch subs.

[ManaBurnX]

I really hate dubbing and try to watch only subs but here's the thing. Whatever you start watching it with is what you are going to prefer. In the past I could only find FMA with English dub so I ended up watching it all through the series with English dubs and was used to it. When the movie came out I got the subbed version and hated it because they sounded so weird to me. On the other hand I watch Bleach and I have all the episodes subbed. I have heard the English version once and I thought it was terrible because I'm used to the real sound. I still say real sound wins out though and prefer subs.

[Bandersnatch]

I usually try and watch everything subbed. The dubs on adult swim tend to grow on me if I haven't been exposed to the original voices.

Only dubs I really love are Cowboy Bebop and Berserk. Also GITS:SAC. Major Kusanagi *swoon*.

Only real problem I have with dubs is you hear the same people over and over and over again. Oh hey, Spike from Cowboy Bebop is doing a voice on Rurouni Kenshin. Now Vash from Trigun is doing a voice in so-and-so.

*Vomits on the Fighting Spirit dub*

[palikala]

For some reason, the original pokemon anime TV series has a great english dubbing (especially Team rocket) ...

[Sektor]

Every anime I watch is dubbed well and i prefer dubs.

I hate these people only consider people who watch subs as 'hardcore' anime fans and turn their nose up at the people who prefer dubs.

For example I have a friend that watchs subs purely because he wants to be seen as this 'hardcore ' anime fan.

[kokoriet]

I am a fan of dubbing i realize some people hate it though i think they think there more elite of a anime fan cause they watch subs.

I can kind of explain the elitist thing. Imagine you had to watch a movie without red or green, and the musics been replaced with nothing but Limp Bizkit when it's a romance movie. It could be Winter and all the leaves are brown, but the character stumbles upon a perfectly green leaf that hints at spring. You see the leaf as grey, and completely miss out on a very important point in the story.

If you wanted to you could watch the movie as it should be watched, but as they see it you're totally ruining the experience.

And it might be elitist of me, but I have to agree with them. Very often, dubs completely kill what should have been amazing or unforgettable moments.

Have you watched the third Star Wars movie? How Darth Vader goes "Nooooooooo!" at the very end? Should have been a very dramatic and powerful scene, but voice acting totally killed it. VA probably couldn't do anything to save it, but the scene was ruined anyway :P

That said, obtain the out-takes from the anime version of Berserk by any means possible. It's incredibly amusing and the best 20 minutes I've ever had with a couple of my friends :D

[Eirikr]

I have one thing to say on Naruto's Vocal Tracks. They are both extremely bad.
Naruto, take your pick of language, is annoying as a kick in the ***.
Sasuke sounds 20+ in either language. English being the younger
Kakashi sounds 40 in Japanese
Iruka sounds stupid in english. Raiden's voice does not suit him

and so on. The only characters I have no complaints in either language, by ep 52 Eng and 70 Jap are the 3rd Orochimaru, Hokage, Hinata, Haku and Sakura. Maybe Zabuza, Kankuro.

[wyeth124]

I like watching animes and other movies in their original language with subs, whether it is in Japanese, English or others.

[FlipBwoy]

I prefer to watch anime in japanese with english subs. The japanese version usually says things that are more ruder than the english dub.

[Blacksite]

I absolutely despise when an anime is dubbed in english. When I watch an anime, I make sure I hear the Japanese voice acting, alongside some english subtitles. When you're watching a show and it's dubbed in a different language, it just strips the character's personality and it completely ruins what you're watching. It's like watching an American blockbuster movie on the Spanish channel, where all of the character's voices are dubbed in English, but they don't synchronize and they sound nothing like the original actors who voiced their own characters. You know, my honest opinion is that english dubbing for an anime completely ruins the genre. None of them sound, how do you say, real.

The only anime shows I watch right now are Fate/Stay Night, some works from Makoto Shinkai (5 Centimeters Per Second, Voice of a Distant Star) and I'm starting to watch some very old anime shows that I could disclose right now, but I don't know if half of you guys would know about them. But, the point is, english dubs ruin the Anime genre. It's not like they're actually attempting to make the characters sound real and authentic. It's almost like they're taking it as a joke.

It's a disgrace.

[metalhead]

I like english dubs just because that's the way I grew up watching anime like dragonball z and other shows.

[Venger]

I tend to find which ever I encounter first sets what I like. Which means these days I prefer subbed because I'm rarely willing to wait an extra year for some company to license a show and produce dubs. Not to mention only a small percent of Japanese shows ever get licensed.

However, that said there are a couple companies that can generally do decent dubbing. Pioneer before they became Geneon and then closed shop could do good dubbing, they are one of the few companies that would translate music and have the songs still work. Viz tends to be fairly decent when it comes to dubbing, Ranma 1/2 works fairly well in English, though Sarah Strange was much better as Ranma than Richard Cox. But decent dubs are really kinda rare. Disney tends to do pretty good with the Studio Ghibli stuff they did. Cowboy Beebop is fine in english, as is Macross Plus. But you can generally tell which companies actually care, they are the ones that find english voices that suit the characters, and create suitable idiosyncrasies for them. Look at Ranma 1/2, Shampoo in english sounds appropriately ditzy, Kuno badly quotes english writers, and you can tell things about the characters by how they talk. Which is very true to the Japanese original.

As for why are subs often seen as better than dubs, you only have to look at one show. Akira. The original dubs for english release changed the story and dropped a few key concepts, which are kind of needed to explain the story. If you wanna be hardcore learn Japanese and watch the raws, everyone else is watching a translation.

[Blacksite]

I just like watching an anime with the Japanese voice acting (with english subtitles, of course). It just sounds more real and it feels like the actors are actually trying their best to make the characters and story come alive. If it was translated into english, you'd notice the difference. You'd notice that it doesn't sound as authentic or real. Or for that matter, like they're making an effort to attempt to make it a satisfying experience for viewers. Trust me, you notice these things.

I don't even watch an anime with english dubbing, regardless of it's one of my favorite anime shows to watch. I'm that serious about it, haha.

[Ikorus]

Usually I'd prefer subtitles to dubbing, but it does depend on what you see / hear first

[ultima33]

I guess i could understand if you heard one emotion in subs and got another in a dub how you could not like it.However if you only watch one version you would think that is how it is and not think about it.I love to read but i would not always want to read while i watched something just not something i feel like doing all the time.Also some changes are needed in dubs tranlation in subs just are not things that a person who spoke english would say so it does take away from it when i see something like that.

[Sektor]

Elfen Lied is the only thing I prefer the subbed version of.

In the English version, every female sounds like she's 5, and the wimpy main guy sounds like some huge bad ***, none of the voices match..

Every other anime I can name I prefer the dubbed version.



What, are you being serious. The dubbing in Elfen Lied is fine. It not amazing but every main characters voice suits them so much.

[kidd0218]

I don't really like when they dubbed an Anime in English. I just really prefer it to be in Japanese. But then again, it comes down on what kind of Anime it is. Naruto and Bleach, I just got used to it watching it in Japanese and ever since I haven't watched an Anime with English dub.

[:mn:]

I Would say most anime i prefer in Japanese with subs.

But i really like Full metal alchemist in english dub.

[Gaddes]

I watch dubs also exclusively (I know, I'm a heathen).

Generally pretty much any dub based in California is more often than not good. Example: Cowboy Bebop, Ghost in the Shell, old school Gundam OVA's, among others.

New York dubs are a mixed bag. I liked the Slayers dub. Go go Crispin Freeman.

Texas dubs are the time I watch subs. FMA was decent except for Vic "Preach about Jesus" Mignona.

[Blacksite]

New York dubs are a mixed bag. I liked the Slayers dub. Go go Crispin Freeman.
When you say, "New York dubs", do you mean english dubs with New York accents? If so, I remember watching Akira with the english dubs enabled and I thought that was the only instance where english dubs seemed to work. While I did find it kind of odd that the Capsule bike gang in Neo-Tokyo spoke in New York accents, I didn't really mind. I thought that just added to their character.

But I rarely, if at all, find english dubbing to be pleasant to the ears. Japanese is the way to go, enabling english subtitles since I barely know what they'd be talking about otherwise.

[Gaddes]

When you say, "New York dubs", do you mean english dubs with New York accents?

Just dubs done by New York studios, such as Berserk, most of Media Blasters dubs, US Manga Corps and what not.

[Saix7]

Just one thing to say again...
Crispin Freeman rocks! His voice is awesome!
One of my favorite voice actors, along with Grant George, Johnny Bosch, Yuri Lowenthal and yeah... Well there are a lot but Crispin Freeman rocks!

[Staticneuron]

I really really hate most anime's with english dubs. It is because either the timing of the speech sounds like its phoning it in or the people dubbing made some odd choices.

I like Cowboy bepop and trigun ( the cheese factor is somewhat forgivable) but like in Full metal alchemist it was decided that funny accents and voices should be used to enhance comedic characters. I find that to change the tone of the series and seriously alters the nature of the characters. That is the type of things I find puts me at odds with english dubs.

[Blacksite]

Haha, I'm not the type of guy who can recall the voice actor for a particular anime. I mean, even though I should, since I'm not watching english dubbing, I think it'd be safe to say that Japanese voice acting is a lot more worth-while and a better presentation for an anime, as opposed to the usual cheap work done through english dubbing. Once in a while, you'll come across some good english dubbing.

But for the most part, it just doesn't cut it. I'm sure I'm not the first person to say that people should take this kind of thing more seriously. It's just kind of odd seeing a male anime character being voiced by a fat, American woman. Well, you don't see it, but when you hear about it you'll probably think to yourself, "What the f***? Really?" It's not far from the truth.