You Elitist Bastards!

[StarlightAngel]

I think the Japanese voices tend to fit into the anime better, and English voices... I don't know. They seem to stick out, but that may just be me.

Sure, there are some voices that I think the English version did better, but I like watching shows in Japanese with subs because of some jokes on languages that don't really make it into the English version. For example, a character speaking in English rather than Japanese for whatever odd reason.

[Markus. D]

Because The English Dubb is on a usual basis "tainted" with funimation awful-ness.

ALSO KNOWN AS! HARU-JUTSU! BELIEVE IT!

[Azure Chrysanthemum]

Being absolutist like the people mentioned in the original post is certainly not good, but in most situations I do prefer the subtitles.

Subtitles, as they don't need to synch to lip movement, can remain truer to the original script, which I definitely appreciate. Then there are matters such as the aforementioned Beck, that would be extremely difficult to dub.

Also, American voice actors in anime were (and to some degree still are) generally not as good as the Japanese voice actors. This isn't because Japan has better voice actors, but is instead because of the budget involved in bringing anime over. While it's more popular now, there aren't a whole lot of talented voices who work in the American anime industry right now, and it shows. Some anime do have good dubs, but it's often pretty hit-or-miss.

[Jessweeee♪]

This is for anime fans mostly...

What's up with this whole "the Japanese version is better!" sentiments. I have several acquaintences that insist on only watching stuff in subtitled format cause the japanese version is always superior in their minds. I watch both sub and dub and like both and feel the quality of the voices ranges in both. I like some shows dubbed (Fruit Baskets, YuYu Hakusho, and Irresponsible Captain Tylor) and I like some shows better in the original (Cardcaptor Sakura, X/1999, and One Piece) and some shows really don't matter cause both versions are equally good (Cowboy Bebop)

But still people insist that the Japanese version is always superior Do you have any idea what it's like watchinG Furuba in Japanese where half the cast squeak and sound like they were all done by the same VA just cause your friend refuses to watch it otherwise?

Hell I can't even play video games with these people. I was showing FFXII to a friend and his girlfriend (a mutual friend actually and she's a purist when it comes to japanese voices) she heard a few lines from the game, said it was horrible, and automatically assumed it would have been superior in it's original Japanese format which got her on her rant about how bad english VA are and how the Japanese version is always superior:rolleyes2

So tell me... what makes one version superior to the other? I feel it varies and neither is actually superior to the other. I don't assume one will always be better than the other. I know alot of it has to do with watching the series before it gets translated. I watched most of Naruto before it got dubbed and though I still prefer the Japanese cause I'm use to it, I recognize that the dubbed version is actually pretty good.

I couldn't agree more. Rarely do I prefer one audio over the other, only when the actual content is different. Things like the accidental kiss between Naruto and Sasuke in Naruto being cut out, and the language being toned down. That can get a little annoying in action animes, where in the english version the main character is like "Come on, guys! Let's go kick some butt!"

[Shlup]

The self-proclaimed American "otaku" crowd will prefer the Japanese versions of Japanese media every time because:

A) It's cooler to like the Japanese version.
B) They don't understand Japanese, so they can't tell if the VA is bad or not.

Well that pretty much sums it up. For me, if I prefer a sub it's because of reason B up thar.

[*ETERNAL FANTASY*]

For me its not that i dont like english-dubbed anime...i just prefer to hear the voices as they are intended! I guess im more used to hearing the jap voices anyway (though im not jap)! I prefer some english dubbing in some anime movies...any Hayao Miazaki (sp?) movie has got some pretty good voice acting lol! Psh i dont know its all a matter of preference to me...

But you gotta admit though lol have you seen the dubbing done on Naruto? that just sounds royally awkward lol!

[Wolf Kanno]

I like a good healthy mix. It mostly depends on what language i see/hear the anime in first, though I tend to favour the japanese, just because they usually seem to 'get' the characters more. Saying that there are a few animes i have on dvd which I love the english dubs for - gungrave, ghost in the shell, elfen lied, and the ghibli films for example.

But it all comes down to personal taste. However i still get irritated by those who are so close-minded that they cant accept people enjoying a different version to them. When they just take it for granted that the japanese version would be better, it really burns my brain.

*just remembered a note on my life-to-do-list... must learn japanese.....*

Originals are always better, be they English, Japanese, German, French or whatsoever. And then, listening to different languages on a regular basis ensures that you don't forget them as quickly (~5 years) as you learned them (providing you know those languages).

On the behalf of anime in particular, I think the Japanese female actors just sound more appealing then the English ones. This is, of course, absolutely subjective and is my personal quirk. But then my girlfriend is Japanese, so I could understand why.

This just reminded me of this
So You Want To learn Japanese...

I know a Japanese teacher that hands this out to his class on the first day of class and though it's kinda' mean spirited, those of us who have actually tried to learn the language know that this is pretty accurate.

The Japanese voices usually just sound better, an fit the characters better. So I prefer Japanese with subtitles. An I hate it when they get celebritys to do the voices. Their not looking for people's voices that fit the character, they're just hoping the celebrity voices will attract a wider audience, which is pathetic.

Lord I completely agree:rolleyes2 Most real actors don't realize that VA is very different from normal acting. I was worried when Miyazaki got picked up by Disney but I'm actually quite impressed with how they handled the movies so far. Though I still feel Jean Reno should have done the english version of Porco Rosso as well.

Also, American voice actors in anime were (and to some degree still are) generally not as good as the Japanese voice actors. This isn't because Japan has better voice actors, but is instead because of the budget involved in bringing anime over. While it's more popular now, there aren't a whole lot of talented voices who work in the American anime industry right now, and it shows. Some anime do have good dubs, but it's often pretty hit-or-miss.

This is very true. In the last few years the quality of dubs have really gone up. Geneon and Funimation definetly have a good amount of talent and have grown immensly lately. Japan still has better talent but I think their english counterparts are starting to catch up.

For me its not that i dont like english-dubbed anime...i just prefer to hear the voices as they are intended! I guess im more used to hearing the jap voices anyway (though im not jap)! I prefer some english dubbing in some anime movies...any Hayao Miazaki (sp?) movie has got some pretty good voice acting lol! Psh i dont know its all a matter of preference to me...

But you gotta admit though lol have you seen the dubbing done on Naruto? that just sounds royally awkward lol!

I have issues with the english version of Naruto but I understand that it's due to me having watched the series up to the filler in japanese long before it was ever translated. So I'm predisposed to the original voices. I originally hated the english version but I still watch it. Though I'm a bit miffed about certain things being removed, this is due to the "morality police" in my country rather than the english being just bad. (remember they do have uncut videos of the series now in english As time passed, I watched the VA's begin to really get to know their characters and the quality is actually pretty good. I still have a few issues I find "troublesome" but overall, I'm beginning to like the english version.

[Captain Maxx Power]

Hey, you stole my act!

[Discord]

Originals are always better, be they English, Japanese, German, French or whatsoever. And then, listening to different languages on a regular basis ensures that you don't forget them as quickly (~5 years) as you learned them (providing you know those languages).

On the behalf of anime in particular, I think the Japanese female actors just sound more appealing then the English ones. This is, of course, absolutely subjective and is my personal quirk. But then my girlfriend is Japanese, so I could understand why.

This just reminded me of this
So You Want To learn Japanese...

I know a Japanese teacher that hands this out to his class on the first day of class and though it's kinda' mean spirited, those of us who have actually tried to learn the language know that this is pretty accurate.

Hehe, this is pretty hilarious. But accept for the hiragana, katakana and kanji you can very well apply it to any other language/region. Japanese is pretty challenging, but that's the whole beauty of the game.

I'll re-evaluate this quote though, "But then my girlfriend is Japanese, so I could understand why.". I could understand why I like Japanese or, maybe on some deep subconscious level have additional inclination towards, my girlfriend. I didn't mean that I can understand Japanese with perfect fluency or know anything about their culture. Just setting this clear.

[Wolf Kanno]

Hey, you stole my act!

How so?

Originals are always better, be they English, Japanese, German, French or whatsoever. And then, listening to different languages on a regular basis ensures that you don't forget them as quickly (~5 years) as you learned them (providing you know those languages).

On the behalf of anime in particular, I think the Japanese female actors just sound more appealing then the English ones. This is, of course, absolutely subjective and is my personal quirk. But then my girlfriend is Japanese, so I could understand why.

This just reminded me of this
So You Want To learn Japanese...

I know a Japanese teacher that hands this out to his class on the first day of class and though it's kinda' mean spirited, those of us who have actually tried to learn the language know that this is pretty accurate.

Hehe, this is pretty hilarious. But accept for the hiragana, katakana and kanji you can very well apply it to any other language/region. Japanese is pretty challenging, but that's the whole beauty of the game.

I'll re-evaluate this quote though, "But then my girlfriend is Japanese, so I could understand why.". I could understand why I like Japanese or, maybe on some deep subconscious level have additional inclination towards, my girlfriend. I didn't mean that I can understand Japanese with perfect fluency or know anything about their culture. Just setting this clear.

I just posted it cause the comment reminded me of it not because I thought you were saying you knew japanese cause you had a japanese girlfriend.

Honestly, the hardest thing about learning the language is just unlearning things you already know... oh and the fact their are like a dozen different ways to count objects numerically and you need to actually know them as the words changed depending upon what object you are counting...

[edczxcvbnm]

I think it depends on what company does it. I have thought that Bandai has done a fairly good job of dubbing shows(from what I have seen). Other companies are still young and upcoming and they continue to get better.

I can watch either as long as I think the voice acting is good. Ghost in the Shell, .hack, Cowboy Bebop and some others all have good voice actors that fit the characters.

I also usually watch subtitled stuff because it comes out on the internet first and free

[riallews]

haha!I love that essay! If anything its made me want to learn it more lol. Learning japanese is a thought that got stuck in my head when i was a teenager. It hasn't left since, and it was the reason I got into anime in the first place. Wonder if I'll ever actually do it... bleh. itll probably stay on my to-do list till im too old to care :P

[Discord]

I just posted it cause the comment reminded me of it not because I thought you were saying you knew japanese cause you had a japanese girlfriend.

Honestly, the hardest thing about learning the language is just unlearning things you already know... oh and the fact their are like a dozen different ways to count objects numerically and you need to actually know them as the words changed depending upon what object you are counting...

I know. Just making sure.

Meh, it is interesting that they name the days of the month, but to be blunt with you, can there really be anything worse than the conjugation of the French verbs?

I think some people are just more or less inclined to certain languages. So far, I'm finding Japanese being of a more or less average difficulty (language nr. 7 for me). The Hiragana and Katakana aren't particularly difficult and the Kanji just need long hours of practice. The grammar is also a little different, but there are few things that can scare you after German indirect speech. It's really quite okay. Now learning French... uh... I hated it from the very beginning all the way to the final examination. I'm just glad it's over now.

haha!I love that essay! If anything its made me want to learn it more lol. Learning japanese is a thought that got stuck in my head when i was a teenager. It hasn't left since, and it was the reason I got into anime in the first place. Wonder if I'll ever actually do it... bleh. itll probably stay on my to-do list till im too old to care :P

You really only need four things. A book, a dictionary, a set of CDs to listen too and a flatrate DSL connection to download the anime.

[Wolf Kanno]

I retain languages far better than I thought I would since I rarely had an interest in them in HS (though it was mostly due to having only one choice: Spanish)

I can still follow conversations in spanish and japanese pretty well but I still have difficulty speaking naturally and not sounding like I'm a gaijin (I still have difficuluties remembering vocab and proper grammar, on the other hand my pronunciation is flawless. )

To those who haven't... learn another language. It's incredibly insightful. I need to get back to my japanese courses and I need to start work on learning my russian again. I should probably try to learn spanish properly since that language is actually relevant to where I am.

[Renmiri]

Wow 7 languages Discord ?!? That is amazing!

My sister speaks 6 I'm the "klutz" of the family, speaking only 3