Anime

[Mirby]

I thought FLCL had a fairly good dub, at least on the same level as the original audio. There are a few cases where I prefer dubbing, but generally, though, I go with subs.

I watched it with subs (couldn't get the dub to work for some reason).

Pretty awesome, pretty interesting. Rather enjoyed it. :3

[CinnamonJihad]

Blazblue Anime coming out Fall 2013 = me being really excited

[Gollgagh]

Shingeki no Kyojin is balls-awesome

[XPRTNovice]

I'll watch dubs 99% of the time. I cannot name an anime where I'd rather watch it subbed than dubbed. (Actually, I take that back -- I need to rewatch Gundam Wing subbed instead of dubbed, because I hear Heero doesn't use emotionless monotone in Japanese. But that was a deliberate choice, which means it was a bad directorial decision, not bad acting.)

I generally don't give a shit whether you like dubs or subs as long as you aren't all "zomg dubs are teh suck, watch animu like it was MEANT to be seen!", but seriously? Calling Cowboy Bebop, Ghost in the Shell, or Gurren Lagaan poorly dubbed?

Madness.

Agree. Here's my argument as to why I don't like subbed: I don't understand the Japanese language. Therefore, I don't understand subtleties in intonation, inflection, etc. Therefore, I am missing out on a significant portion of the real meaning of the dialog and the emotion behind it if I listen to Japanese people doing it. Of course, that means that you need a translation that incorporates the appropriate feeling into English intonation, which doesn't always happen. That, and, in general, Japanese voice actors annoy the piss out of me.

[kupernikus]

Here's why I watch dubs, most japanese voices irritate the hell out of me. Especially women and children with how high pitch and screechy they get. Throw in the fact I'd rather be able to just watch and enjoy the show as opposed to reading the whole thing. Yes not all shows have the super high pitch voices and screechy over the topness, stein's gate was just fine as was sword art online and a few others, but generally I'd rather have it in english. At the end of the day not being super familiar with japanese, not knowing how they speak normally I can't say that they're voice acting is done well. I have no context to compare it to. When it's a show that originally aired in Cantonese, I can tell you how that works out because I speak Cantonese fluently and I can tell when things sound forced.

[Gollgagh]

this is a stupid discussion; if you get shit actors, you're most likely going to get a shit dub, regardless of language

also I don't believe a word of "not understanding the intonation"; you're a human being, you can figure it out

[relyanCe]

I watched it with subs (couldn't get the dub to work for some reason).

Pretty awesome, pretty interesting. Rather enjoyed it. :3

its glorious in either language. The fact that they managed to retain the worldplay jokes and puns even in the localization is really what nails it as a fantastic dub for me

[The Derrit]

this is a stupid discussion; if you get shit actors, you're most likely going to get a shit dub, regardless of language

also I don't believe a word of "not understanding the intonation"; you're a human being, you can figure it out

yeah pretty much this

even before i learned japanese i preferred subs because the intonation was infinitely more believable, even though i couldn't understand the words. saying 'i don't get it' is a lame coverup for 'i have no interest in trying to pay attention'

real talk

[K.B.]

Miku dubs please.

[Mirby]

I honestly prefer subs

because a lot of the anime that i watch is censored when localized

or stupidly translated

like Rockman EXE coming over here as Megaman NT Warrior

and Fireman became Torchman

someone tried explaining to me that it was because it fit the movement of the mouth better but... i've watched the original Japanese version (with fansubs)

and even in that, he's called Fireman. so yeah, sometimes in the process of bringing it over here for a dub, stupid things happen. which is why i prefer subs; i can watch the anime in its original unaltered format (except for, you know, the fansubs added in)

[Native Jovian]

I generally don't give a shit whether you like dubs or subs as long as you aren't all "zomg dubs are teh suck, watch animu like it was MEANT to be seen!"

even before i learned japanese i preferred subs because the intonation was infinitely more believable, even though i couldn't understand the words. saying 'i don't get it' is a lame coverup for 'i have no interest in trying to pay attention'

in the process of bringing it over here for a dub, stupid things happen. which is why i prefer subs; i can watch the anime in its original unaltered format

Sigh.

This is why sub-vs-dub conversations never go anywhere. People are apparently incapable of discussing their opinions without insisting that THEIR WAY is the best and anyone who prefers otherwise is DOING IT WRONG.

[Mirby]

funny

i wasn't insisting that at all

if you like dubs, that's fine

i just prefer subs, and that's why.

[Abadoss]

Started watching Trigun for the fun of it. Not a bad show, but Vash seems a little Mary Sue-esque. Oh, well. We'll see how it turns out.

[EC2151]

If it's a dub by Manga UK, back in their glory days, I'll probably enjoy it over the Japanese.

Their strategy of making things campy, gritty, and edgy appeals to me as a red-blooded adult male.

Example:

;

;

Edited May 22, 2013 by EC2151

[CinnamonJihad]

Started watching Trigun for the fun of it. Not a bad show, but Vash seems a little Mary Sue-esque. Oh, well. We'll see how it turns out.

Ha I actually really liked that though. Also, Trigun is one of those anime that really make me think that there is nothing like a good ol' retro anime. Stick with it, it's just great.

[K.B.]

This is why sub-vs-dub conversations never go anywhere. People are apparently incapable of discussing their opinions without insisting that THEIR WAY is the best and anyone who prefers otherwise is DOING IT WRONG.

When of course either is fine, so long as it's official.

None of this.

[EC2151]

I just watched the Genocyber OVA (the first three episodes anyhow - the last two have nothing to do with the titular Genocyber). The OVA's script was written by FMA's Sho Aikawa, and directed by Blue Gender's Koichi Ohata (or rather, the director of M.D. Geist!).

So what do you get when you have the writing of Aikawa and the art direction of Ohata?

Really messed up stuff:

^the full view of this f-ed up cyborg assassin is probably my favorite design in the whole shebang. It's really wicked stuff.

Along with fantastic art direction and mecha design (Ohata being the master he is):

This is not for the faint of heart - the first episode having more gore than all of Elfen Lied (what a shit show) put together. It's very, very, very graphic. Almost sort of like a train-wreck you can't look away from.

Lots of pointless, senseless violence, a little bit of child molestation (!!!), and a lot of nihilism.

for the shitty world as portrayed in Genocyber, as it pans over crowded city shots and news talks of your usual cyberpunk stuff like government unification, unilateral armies, urban decay, and evil corporations.

It's all synth sort of stuff, but it gives a good deal of atmosphere to the whole affair.

The plot is sort of thin and hard to follow, and punctuated by lots of pointless dark gore/gorror/gorn/whatever. The Manga UK dub is its usual self, but I think liberal use of FUCKs and SHITs helps in something so hard. I kind of wish more was put into the plot than Ohata relishing the amount of massacre on-screen. I suppose the whole point is the general lack of concern about humanity that is ever-present in the OVA (the evil corporation assassins seem to enjoy causing a shitton of collateral damage for the lulz), but it still feels a bit too much. Generally the whole affair seems to be a comment on how modern human life is not treated as important by governments or corporations, and everyone wants to kill the main character (or control her powers) with little concern for her as a person, or the lives of hundreds of thousands of people as well. It's really dark and brutal stuff, that I can't really recommend, but it's interesting nonetheless.

Of the three episodes (which the latter two are really just one split in half), the first one is the one to see, since it's by far the most creative, and has the most depth and story going on to get you hooked. It's sort of an infamous piece of anime history. It's the thing that's begging to be expanded into a longer, modern, less "everything is fucked" viewpoint.

[XPRTNovice]

even before i learned japanese i preferred subs because the intonation was infinitely more believable, even though i couldn't understand the words. saying 'i don't get it' is a lame coverup for 'i have no interest in trying to pay attention'

real talk

Flex those forum muscles! Sorry for being so lame, and thanks for judging.

[Moomba]

When of course either is fine, so long as it's official.

None of this.

I'm still trying to decide if this is sarcastic or not.

[CinnamonJihad]

Charlemagne, I swear I've never even HEARD of a single anime that you have brought up in these forums. Where the hell do you dig this stuff up?

[EC2151]

Most of the people I hang around, between IRL and online, are in their mid-to-late 20s, and are more in to the '80s side of things when it comes to games, movies, and anime.

I gravitate towards hand-drawn animation, flashy action, and good character/mecha design - I don't really like today's moe-centric stuff, and even the action anime today doesn't appeal to me (with some exceptions - Eureka Seven).

It's easier when I have a ready go-to company that localized and dubbed most of the stuff I'm in to: Manga UK Entertainment. Their gritty, profanity-laced dubs more or less fit the mood of the shows they picked, and they marketed their stuff specifically to late-teens and early adults - in other words, my age bracket, that likes darker stuff.

So I like looking for the weird, interesting, or the best of the best, in the case of the original Bubblegum Crisis. I don't like boring.

[Native Jovian]

Sounds like you should check out Black Lagoon, if you haven't yet. Gritty, flashy, profanity-laden action is that series in a nutshell.

(warning, three minutes of various people saying "fuck") was actually the first thing I ever saw of Black Lagoon.

[Gollgagh]

I need to watch it again, I think it's been about five years since I last did.

[EC2151]

I had actually forgotten about Black Lagoon, ha ha. It's one of my favorite action series, and was consistently entertaining. The fact that Roberta's Blood Trail was never dubbed has been a sore spot on my heart; Black Lagoon's dub is one of my favorite, especially outside of Manga UK!

[K.B.]

Hey EC, I've already watched Elfen Lied... you come across anything else recently that you hated? I could use some more recommendations.