Blog: The curious case of Anime wars

There are lots of bad anime dubs out there, especially older one, MHA isnt one of them. All Mights English VA is simply amazing

Erik

those are good points!

The Normies

Oh, I had no idea about this. Makes much more sense now! - Marketa

The Normies

There used to be a reason for this. Back in the day a lot of anime dubs were bad, or heavily edited by companies like 4Kids. This isn't true anymore, and hasn't been for a long time, but the Anime community continues to be terrible. Anyone still having this debate in 2018 is a fucking idiot.

I really would suggest rewatching the second episode with subs just to see and compare. I prefer the sub and think you should give a try but at the end of the day y'all are gonna watch what you want. Either way glad you're reacting to MHA

Nick

I dont usually hav a preference between the 2, but if i were to choose sub its usually because: 1. Diction (dumbass is more entertaining then idiot) 2. More emotion (i mean wat if Leonardo DiCaprio half assed his roles by reading his script without actually acting the role) 3. Learn some Japanese (BAAAAKA jus do the sub)

Slicewinds

Subjective, and many disagree. Both are good and it’s about preference. The quality steps up over time anyways after they drop “believe it” lol, which only lasts 15 or so episodes. And to me it becomes a legendary dub in Shippuden, with how many top tier actors they cast. Close to DBZ level.

Keep It Zen

It comes down to nostalgia vs quality for me. If I watched an anime on TV as a kid/teen, it was dubbed and I prefer to continue/re-watch it that way. If it's a newer show, I will watch it subbed by default. As a native english speaker, lines in anime/cartoons can be inherently cheesy/silly (there's no way around that) and it's much more noticeable when spoken in english rather than japanese with english subtitles. In that way, the best of dubbed can sound as good as subbed, but the WORST of dubbed sounds much worse.

Zangyaku

One more thought, and I realize I'm coming off as more pro-dub but that's only because I don't feel that the pro-sub crowd is at all short of defenders, Miyazaki (Studio Ghibli ) had some thoughts of his own: "In any case who is to say that a subtitled print is any more authentic?" "When you watch the subtitled version you are probably missing just as many things. There is a layer and a nuance you're not going to get. Film crosses so many borders these days. Of course it is going to be distorted." <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2005/sep/14/japan.awardsandprizes" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://www.theguardian.com/film/2005/sep/14/japan.awardsandprizes</a>

Alex

It *really* doesn't matter whether you go for sub or dub in most cases. There are people who argue that the sub is the "purer" experience, but the simple fact is that if you don't know Japanese you're still experiencing a translation just like with a dub. Plus, while the japanese voice actors are originating the role, if you don't understand the words they're saying you're not getting the full impact of the performance. So the idea that the sub experience is the objectively correct one is a little dodgy. Especially if it's one of those subs that arbitrarily decides that a particular word is untranslatable, like "nakama" or "keikaku". Personally, I do like dubs but they can be varied in quality, especially when you're looking at older series when there was less of a standard of quality in the process. A little bit of googling will clue you in to whether or not a dub is phenomenal like Cowboy Bebop, or absolutely abysmal like the 4Kids dub of One Piece.. But barring a strong consensus like that, just go with what feels more comfortable and don't worry about what other people think the "right" way to watch is.

Alex

well to be fair if the polls are neck and neck and one won by like 20 or 30 then there will still be a lot of people un-pleased so if they are pretty close it should be up to them to decide which they prefer

Killjoy

Also this way, theres at least a show for sub viewers and dub viewers.

Trig

Just make a poll AND FOLLOW the poll. We dont care about it being sub vs dub, but if sub won the poll, i personally feel its unfair to the viewers. A reaction involves both the reactors and viewers. My vote goes to MHA- sub and Naruto - dub

Trig

This is the best option watch a couple episodes of each and just decide whats better Im sure if you guys enjoy it more a certain way it will provide more enjoyable reactions in turn

Jose

Its just that the Naruto dub is like a different show. A show with less feeling and less impact. A show which you can’t absorb yourself in because the voice actors are so artificial.

Roy Koopa

I didn’t know it was for both shows, my hero’s dub is pretty great actually, and I suggest it, it’s just that narutos’s is really bad, I can’t recommend that one. Hope you guys reach the same conclusion

Jocta96

See also cases like the One Piece 4Kids debauchery to understand more of the hostility towards dubbing.

SPike

This has been around since Anime came to the west, and English voice-actors DO treat anime with more care now a days (see FMA:B.). In the past though (and still with certain show) beside a few outliers (Cowboy bebop ect) American studios just didn't treat anime as more then kids cartoons and more often then not ended up with bad casting, weird line-reads and bad directing, mixed in with translation issues. As a theatre actor who have some radio experience it also grinds my gears to hear those same reads badly pronounce Japanese names with American-English (let alone in shonen shows when the actors really ring true how cheesy japanese "move-callouts" are when read out loud and not just heared in Japanese with subs.) along with my previous gripes mentioned. Idk guys. You do you I guess. It was very silly doing a poll if you weren't going to follow it, but if you don't care about the added cheese then whatever. Woun't be hanging around much anyways after FMAB is over.

SPike

Your line about people often confusing good dub with nostalgia is spot on.

SPike

that is a horrible idea that never works well for reactions.

PKKite

Isn’t that thought backwards? Wouldn’t they catch more with subs bc when they get loud during the reaction they can still read the line over each other’s laughter

Danny Jeter

Not really...dubs sometimes change how a lot of scenes feel. A tense and emotional scene with subs would come off as comical in dubs.

Danny Jeter

I’m telling you guys switch every episode or in the middle of the episode

Legion

All according to dattebayo. Translators note: dattebayo means believe it.

Legion

Marketa it’s pretty simple on Naruto’s case. The Japanese voice acting is significantly better. It depends on the show though. It’s a case by case basis.

Heru Muharrar

I still love you Marketa! (reading this made me lol!)

Lego The Office

I prefer the subs for MHA and Naruto but do whatever works for you. The only issue I ever have in the sub vs dub decision is when someone is elitist about it, and rejects dubs by default.

coffeemilk

I will try to explain what this is all about. English is not my mother language so sorry for bad grammar. I'm pro sub but I dont hate dub. First why is in my opinion sub better. 1) Japanese Voice actors are soo good. They put so much emotion into it. No dub voice actor can compete. 2) Character characteristics like special laughs or catch phrases get lost or are poorly replaced( like in Naruto, where his catch phrase is dattebayo but they replaced it with belive it. Damn I'm afraid of the 100000 Belive it we are gonna hear). 3) Because of translation mistakes the plot can be misunderstood. I think that shows, no matter if anime or real life are always better in the original language. For example, I live in Germany and when I'm watching shows like Vikings i always watch in english even though the german dub isnt bad. I said that I dont hate dub but for me it is not good. And what I realised is that many people who watch dub think it is good but in reality it is nostalgia. Many people mistake good dub with nostalgia. For example, when I was a kid I loved watching DBZ. I watched it in dub because sub wasnt really a thing back then and i was too young. I like the german dub but it isnt good. It gives me nostalgia when i hear it but I know that it isnt good compared to the sub. And now i watch DB Super only sub. I said before that for me good dub is not existing. For me there is only audible dub. With audible i mean dub that doesnt cringe me to death like Attack on Titan Dub(Seriously, who gave those voice actors their license? They dont deserve it). And most sub fans dont hate dub. What most of them hate is when people say dub is better with no reasonable argument and without thinking about it for a minute. I mean i would get slaughtered by American Game of Thrones fans if i would say that the German dub is waaaay better than the original english one. But I dont say it because I know that nothing can compete with the original language. I hope I could clarify why this is such a big topic.

Azorc

Nautro u should do Sub and My hero do dub

I’d just prefer not to have to read subtitles on a window 1/8 the size of my phone screen. A lot of the time I can’t tell what’s going on because I can’t speak Japanese and I can’t read minuscule writing. It’s just all around easier for most of your subs if you watch the English . I think people who want to watch in Japanese are probably paying more attention to the show than to you guys anyway

Troy Horner

100000% agree with you. It's not that serious and I've tried to understand and be empathetic as well. My conclusion was that some people are overly dramatic on the topic. It is about the story. Whatever helps you understand and engage with it better is what you should go with.

Raphael R. (Raph)

plus as I recall the dub for Naruto was never finished

Bah, no worries! Honestly both versions for both of these shows are fine. My hero’s is really good, and NarutoMs is fine. I know a lot of reactors (especially in groups) do the dub so as not to miss anything, so I think maybe that’s the route to go. Hope you all enjoy them regardless!

Firestormwalker

The Dub for MHA is amazing for English anime Dub standarts so it shouldnt bother anyone too much that you watch this is Dub However Naruto on the other hand has an infamously bad Dub. So for the sake of your enjoyment (since you'll be watching ir for quite a while) pick the Sub for that. You'll see that the majority will agree on that :) Cheers!

TheHumourTumour

I understand that sub is preferred because some thing may get lost in translation, but dub will let the Normies enjoy the shows without missing any important scenes because they were trying to read all of the subtitles.

Marcb92

At this point I think moving forward, you shouldn’t even put it up to a poll. Just choose internally which you guys would prefer. Putting it to a poll just creates dissension and gets people angry and arguing. Instead, just choose for yourselves guys. Ultimately, especially with shows that are this long, you are the ones watching it for the first time, you should feel comfortable to do so!

Pavi

I've already said my piece. I voted sub. And that's all I gotta say.

MarkyO

This topic is very simple. It depends on the show. For some anime, dubs are fine, examples are MHA, Naruto (some may debate this one but.. its fine lol), Death Note, etc. For a lot of anime, the company that dubs them really shat the bed and are terrible productions. For these immediate cases (MHA, Naruto) you’re fine with the dubs. Just make sure you skip the naruto fillers. I know some of you may like to watch fillers as you’re accustomed with dragonball, but trust me. No.

JJ

Just like with Cowboy Bebop, I'm sure most fans wouldn't mind if you preferred watching the English dub for MHA. It actually is very well done.

Loco Logic

Yeah anime lovers are kind of like a cult it seems

Alexander Schuster

I think the issue is alot of loud fans on the internet think subs are "right" which is a subjective opinion. Also they tend to ignore most casual fans in the west still listen to alot of dubs. Dubbing companies wouldnt exhist today if not enough people listened to dubs today for profit after all that effort.

PKKite

😂 I honestly didn't think it would turn out to be this deep either. Whatever you choose, I'll still watch it anyways. I think most will. Please do whatever you feel is best for you!

Sagal X

we don’t hate you!! just go to what feels right. honestly if u wanna catch everything better, just do dubs. but if u prefer subs i’m not gonna go off the rails lol i’m sorry people are making such a big deal out of this

BeeIsBetter

Just do them both in dubs. They are pretty good dubs plus you can talk to one another and not miss what's going on if you miss the text as I assume none of you know Japanese

Nicholas Copsy

To be honest, I don't mind dubs for mha or naruto in this case, but I think I've narrowed down why subs are preferential to myself at least. For me, when watching anime in english there can be a lot of things that I find somewhat cheesy or corny, but when hearing those same situations in a different language that aspect is lost on me and I'm left with only the emotions that the voice actors convey. I feel like especially emotional scenes in anime always resonate with me more in japanese and it may be because that's the original language of the show or the language barrier helping me hone in on just the voice.

Teddardstark

If your worried about not catching and understanding everything go dub, it’s pretty good with MHA. The voice acting is fine and they can translate most emotional moments well enough.

Matthew Smith

Thanks for the update Marketa! No hard feelings, whichever version you all choose. What's important is that you have fun with it!

Go whats easy for you. People complaining about wanting subs feel like they care more that you react to everything EXACTLY LIKE THEY WANT. Like you need to feel like they did rather than having your own original reaction.

PKKite

Go with the dub.

Jose

MHA has a great dub if you go with that. I've watched it fully in both versions. Some voices actually work better in dub IMO. But sub is great too, obviously.

Jesse Vincente

If you're unsure, just go dub. It's fine. Easier to focus on the actual show anyway. People get antsy about it sometimes., but just go with what you guys want, else you'll enjoy the actual show less.

Zana