Dub vs sub debate finally settled after 3 years of switching back and forth

I used to be team sub all the way, thought dubs were trash. Then I watched Cowboy Bebop dubbed last month and actually liked it more for once. The voice actors actually matched the tone better for that show. But then I tried dubbing on Ghost in the Shell and the emotions felt flat. So I guess it really depends on the anime itself, not just a blanket rule. Has anyone else found a show where the dub was way better than the sub?

2 comments

2 Comments

juliaa2511d ago

Yeah, I'm totally with you on that, "Cowboy Bebop" is one of those rare dubs that actually feels right. I had the same flip flop thing happen with Fullmetal Alchemist, thought the sub was the only way to go until I heard the English cast nail all the emotional beats. Are there other shows where the dub just clicks for you like that?

julia_fisher2811d ago

Nah, I gotta disagree here. Dubs just kill the original vibe too often. Fullmetal Alchemist lost all the nuance in translation when the voice actors had to match the lip flaps instead of the actual emotion. Spike's casual drawl in Bebop works in English because it's a western inspired show, but that's the exception not the rule. Most dubs just end up sounding like bad Saturday morning cartoons with stiff line reads. You miss so much of the original performance when you watch a dub, it's like reading a book but someone else whispers the words at you with a different tone. Why settle for a copy when the original is right there with subs?

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