Alright, enough with the nonsense, I hope all of you were able to read the excellent article written by the talented Zachary Hardison (Kyo) about the heated debate surrounding Subs versus Dubs. If you haven't read it yet, I highly suggest you stop what you are doing and go read it. The Subs versus Dubs issue is debated all over the internet and at every college anime club in the United States. In fact, I believe that a person could not be considered an anime enthusiast without getting into a Subs versus Dubs debate with another person at least once in his/her lifetime. Since this is such a hot topic amongst anime fans, I thought it might be a good idea for our staff here at Anime 3000 to sit down and share our opinions regarding this issue. I asked our staff a few questions and here is what each of them had to say.


Question 1: What is your opinion of anime dubbed into English?

Sasha Arcain (Deedlit): Many started poor, but much has improved since. So I would say that I tend to like them.

Anthony (Kurosaki Ichigo): I think that anime when dubbed in English usually lacks a lot that the original did not. For me, it is rarely as good as in Japanese. The voice actors for the English track are usually terrible. A female protagonist usually has a really annoying voice, like she's from the valley. A male voice can vary, but 9 times out of 10 they will not match the character's personality. Also, it seems when a character has an Osaka accent they then dub them to sound like a hick from the Deep South. There have been few exceptions where the dubbed version is just as good as the original Japanese.

Zachary Hardison (Kyo): The voice actors don't seem to fit the characters, as I said in my article. They just don't seem to portray the correct reaction or emotion to the way that they're drawn.

William Burner (Gaara): I only like it because I can focus more on action rather than reading subtitles.

Torren Jones (Chrno): I am against this form with all my might. I'm definitely a purist when it comes to anime.

Sean Russell (Naruto): Some studios do a wonderful job like Funimation and Viz. I usually prefer anime dubs when I haven't already seen the Japanese version.

Mark Fegley (Shikamaru): I do not like anime dubbed into English for the most part. This is because the majority of dubs are horrible. The only exception I can think of is the "Cowboy Bebop" dub which wasn't too bad.

Mai Huong (Seta Soujiro): I think it's okay, but I don't really care.

Kayo (Haruhara Haruko): Some are good and some are not. I really like it when the dubs are funny, and no matter how serious they are being it's still damn funny.

Colton Haupt (Gatts): It ranges, as long as the voice actors are enthusiastic and great at what they do, I love it. Other times, it purely sucks so it all depends on each individual case. What I don't like is the often chopping up of anime that was meant to be left in Japanese!

Maddie (TenTen): I do not like anime dubbed into English. I think it takes away from the anime. I feel it should be watched in Japanese with subs always.


Question 2: What is your opinion of Anime in its original Japanese form with subtitles?

Sasha Arcain (Deedlit): The translations can sometimes be off, but I find it enjoyable.

Anthony (Kurosaki Ichigo): This is the way anime is meant to be seen. When viewing it in this form, there is less that is lost in the translation. Also, some shows require cultural differences to be explained in the subtitles. For some shows like "Excel Saga," this is vital.

Zachary Hardison (Kyo): I prefer this way. One for the original voices obviously. I mean, if it's originally a Japanese anime, it's going to sound and look better in the original format. Hence the phrase, "nothing compares to the original." I guess some people just don't like to have to read while they watch anime, but I don't even pay attention to it anymore. Besides, it helps to teach me Japanese.

William Burner (Gaara): It's good in original form because nothing is lost in translation. But if I really wanted to read, I'd just go buy the manga.

Torren Jones (Chrno): This is great. Eventually, I'd like to watch it without the aid of subtitles.

Sean Russell (Naruto): You get more emotion when you watch it in its original voices. They change the reflection of their voice and it just sounds more animated.

Mark Fegley (Shikamaru): It is the best way to view anime. The way the director/producer of the anime felt the voices should be like. This is the only way I watch anime now. For me to watch a dub would mean that the dubs have to improve by about 10,000%.

Mai Huong (Seta Soujiro): I hate reading subtitles because it's hard to read and watch at the same time. Also, I don't like that women usually perform men's voices.

Kayo (Haruhara Haruko): I like it, because it's great to see the original form.

Colton Haupt (Gatts): I love it! I'll watch it always. So for me to watch an anime in English, it has to be just as good as the Japanese.

Maddie (TenTen): I think that's the best way to see anime. I would want to watch an anime more if it was in Japanese with subs.


Question 3: Which do you prefer, and why?

Sasha Arcain (Deedlit): It depends on my mood actually. Also, it depends on the quality.

Anthony (Kurosaki Ichigo): I prefer Japanese language tracks, hands down. There are only a few cases where I think the English track hits the mark. I think that most companies do not spend enough money on the English voice actors, and that is why they usually sound retarded. More money is spent on the Japanese cast, and this usually causes them to be of better quality.

Zachary Hardison (Kyo): I prefer the Japanese language track, because as I said earlier, "nothing compares to the original."

William Burner (Gaara): I prefer English dubbed because I'm a lazy American. Just look at how short my answers are.

Torren Jones (Chrno): I prefer the Japanese language track, because I am a purist.

Sean Russell (Naruto): It all really depends on the show. I think with subtitles, the fact that you're reading enhances the experience. Because you have to read and watch what's going on, you are paying more attention. It's almost interactive in your level of participation.

Mark Fegley (Shikamaru): All the way sub. I prefer it because you get the real deal. Not this dub crap where they change words/sentences from what they originally were in the sub. I feel the original voice actors put more effort and feeling into their roles compared to the voice actors of the dubs.

Mai Huong (Seta Soujiro): I prefer English. I would choose Japanese if I could understand it, but I despise subtitles.

Kayo (Haruhara Haruko): I prefer both, actually. Sometimes I like the dub, and sometimes I don't.

Colton Haupt (Gatts): It truly depends, but I'm warming up to the English dubs right now.

Maddie (TenTen): I think it's already obvious. I love it in Japanese with subs.


Question 4: Which anime do you think had the worst English dub, and the best English dub? Give reason for both.

Sasha Arcain (Deedlit): The worst would be "Shamanic Princess." Are you joking me?! This sucked! Come on, a French accent for a dog and child voices for adults?! How ridiculous?! The best would be "Vampire Hunter D: Blood Lust." I think it had very choice actors and the script was so well done. Not to mention that I love the movie.

Anthony (Kurosaki Ichigo): The two worst English dubs I have heard are for "Cardcaptor Sakura" ("Cardcaptors"), and "Vision of Escaflowne." In the case of "Cardcaptor Sakura," they completely altered the show. They took out the first 7 episodes, and renamed the show "Cardcaptors." This was because they wanted to change the story so it seemed that the male lead, Li Syaoron, was as much of the focus as the actual protagonist, Kinomoto Sakura (who's name they changed to Sakura Avalon). They altered many names in the show, and skewed the story so both characters were the focus, and they even took out the part where Shaoron is attracted to the same older boy that Sakura is. "Vision of Escaflowne" suffered the same fate. They edited out the first episode to alter the story slightly. These shows suffered from the "Pokemon" era of thinking that all anime is for kids, so they were edited accordingly. The best English dubs I have ever seen were "Cowboy Bebop" and "Macross Plus." These voice actors were top notch, and actually fit the characters. These are the rare shows where I would rather watch the dub.

Zachary Hardison (Kyo): I think "Inuyasha" has the worst dub right now. I have the complete series in Japanese, and since Adult Swim picked it up, I've seen it dubbed in English. Now, Japanese doesn't always translate well into English, and because of that, in the dubbed versions, certain scenarios or phrases are changed or left out. When you compare the two together, the Americanized version just sounds like they're reading right off a script, very drone-like. I think the best dub is "Trigun." I think so because Vash is a very changing character. He has obviously very goofy sides, but then can change into a serious or angry side as well. I think those traits are portrayed very well in the dubbed version.

William Burner (Gaara): There's no single anime with the worst or best dubbing. There's too wide an array of anime to choose from to determine this.

Torren Jones (Chrno): Well, there are too many bad English dubs to choose the worst one. Even though I like "Gundam Wing," the voice acting is kind of lacking. The best dub is "Cowboy Bebop."

Sean Russell (Naruto): I think "Rave Master" looked pretty terrible in that respect. The voices just seemed a little off and corny. I liked "Fruits Basket" because I'm a big fan of Funimation studios

Mark Fegley (Shikamaru): The best English dub would have to go to "Cowboy Bebop." It seemed to me that they actually put some effort looking for people to play the parts of each character. As for worst, I can't really say since that is probably the only dub I ever watched.

Kayo (Haruhara Haruko): "Inuyasha" has a very good English dub. His character's voice is very emotional. I like it. I think "Shamanic Princess" has the worst dub. One word, "Gah!!!"

Colton Haupt (Gatts): The worst dub is "Yu Yu Hakusho." The best dub is "Berserk."


Question 5: Do you feel that the quality of English dubs has increased or decreased over the years, and why?

Sasha Arcain (Deedlit): Increased! Crap man, people actually realize things won't sell without good quality!

Anthony (Kurosaki Ichigo): I think the quality of English dubs have stayed somewhat static over the years. There might be a slight increase in it, since there is less anime being shown on Saturday mornings for kids. Yet still, any increase is small and a great English dub is a rarity. Some are only tolerable, but most are awful.

Zachary Hardison (Kyo): I think as far as anime series goes, it seems to be very gradually increasing in quality, but it's not very noticeable or worth mentioning anyhow. You have to compare the first anime dubs to the dubs of today, and look at which studios produced what. There are some anime from way back that were dubbed really well, and some today that suck. So it depends on where you get your information. For just strictly anime movies, I think they have made vast improvements on the quality of dubs. Although I'm pretty sure that's due to the fact that the company can afford better actors and studio equipment. After all, the anime industry is much more popular in Japan than in the US. This explains the quality difference because the higher the popularity, the higher the budget.

William Burner (Gaara): I would say increased. It's not like back in the days of "Speed Racer" where the voices stop but the characters' mouths keep moving.

Torren Jones (Chrno): Yes, it has increased. If you watch stuff like "Speed Racer," then compare that to even "Pokemon," you'll see the drastic increase in quality.

Mark Fegley (Shikamaru): It has probably decreased over the years. I think that the companies whom license the anime don't really care about the quality of the dub, just the cash. As long as the voice actors can speak English, that is probably the only requirement for the role.

Kayo (Haruhara Haruko): I think it has increased. Studios take it more seriously today.

Colton Haupt (Gatts): It has increased. It had to or else it wouldn't have been worth the companies spending the time and money.


Question 6: Pretend that I am Fred Savage. Give me some career advice.

Anthony (Kurosaki Ichigo): Dude, before your cameo in "Austin Powers: Goldmember," the last good movie you made was "The Wizard!" A movie that was only cool because they showcased "Super Mario Bros 3" in it! WHAT CAREER DO YOU HAVE TO GIVE ADVICE TO?!? I guess my advice would be for you to give me your home address so I can drop by and strangle you with a Nintendo Power Glove!

Zachary Hardison (Kyo): Do you mean "The Wonder Years" kid? Well if so, then try to take on something bigger and get out of that child star description.

William Burner (Gaara): Who the hell is Fred Savage?

Torren Jones (Chrno): Give up?

Mark Fegley (Shikamaru): I don't really know who Fred Savage is, and I don't really care. So, I'll just say to keep on pushing forward and give it your best.

Mai Huong (Seta Soujiro): Who's that?

Kayo (Haruhara Haruko): Who's Fred Savage?

Colton Haupt (Gatts): I have no clue.

It was good to hear such vastly different opinions on the Anime 3000 staff. This debate really comes down to personal preference. Though some people dislike watching anime in English, we all have to accept that this is the future of anime in the United States. In order for companies and television networks to attract a broader audience, the shows must be provided in English. I personally prefer watching anime in Japanese if it is available to me, but I have accepted the fact that anime on television in the United States will always be in English. I was personally very happy to see that the "Cowboy Bebop" dub has gotten the respect that it deserves. Too often, this dub has been overlooked, and I think Bandai deserves a lot of credit for hiring high-quality English voice actors.

The debate doesn't have to stop here. Please feel free to continue it on the Anime 3000 Forum. This will always be a topic of discussion as long as there is anime following in the United States. Oh, and if Fred Savage is out there reading this, please heed the advice of our staff. Apparently, 27.3% of the Anime 3000 staff participating in this discussion didn't even feel you were a worthy topic of discussion. 62.5% of the staff that did answer the question didn't even know who you are. I guess the one positive you can take from this is that the staff that did know who you are gave some helpful advice: Give it up!