Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 11:21 pm Post subject: Subs vs. Dubs
I know there's a dub thread on the 5 CM page, but I thought I'd start one for anime in general.
Well, I went to a convention in Baton Rouge last weekend, and the anime room (which was sparsely populated, I might add) was showing three episodes of "Emma." Being a dub fan, I have to say I'd hoped for this one to have a dubbed release. But if a subbed release means a quicker release, then I'm all for it. It took awhile getting use to the Emma sub (about part way into the first episode), but I was so thrilled to see it that I hardly noticed the difference after awhile. There were a few places where I felt that the English text seemed forced; that is, it might not have been an effective translation. Someone with more Japanese-to-English skills could be a better judge. I do intend on buying the boxed set, based on what I saw. If they never do a dubbed version, that's ok.
Were you at Babelcon? I was there on Saturday. We might have seen each other without knowing it...
As for Dub. vs. Sub, I can go either way, but there are definitely differences between them. For example, with subs, reading a line can seem meaningful until it is said out loud, where it can then sound really stupid. Sometimes, especially with professional dubs, that line in the original Japanese was stupid in the first place, but reading subtitles can add another layer that makes it seem deeper than before...
... or am I just rambling? This will all probably sound dumb whether you read it or have someone speak it out loud to you.
As for my preferences? I tend to slightly prefer subtitles, but will watch an anime dubbed in English if it isn't outright horrible (Note, I have very low standards when it does come to voice acting...). In some more rare cases, I might actually prefer the dubs. For example, I tend to prefer watching Shinkai's works dubbed as, for me, the interaction of the dialog and the visuals are very important in his work and I like to dedicate that bit of attention that would have gone to keeping up with subtitles on the visuals.
Yeah, I was there from about 11 to 3. It seemed like most of the people were out in the hallways instead of in the rooms. We probably passed each other there.
Until watching Bleach, I used to always watch dubs. It was easier to understand, and being lazy like me means that you hate to read subs all day.
But it depends on the anime, really. I love to watch the Death Note dub, because I love L and Light's English voices. (yes, I have a voice fetish...) As for Bleach, I prefer the sub, even though one of my fave voice actors does the dub. _________________ Of all the things I've lost, I miss my mind the most.
I was reading some old posts in the Release thread over at the 5 CM place, and some thoughts came to me. (I put them here for the sake of staying on topic.)
Based on an article I read recently, there are two things about dubs that, perhaps, make them difficult for most anime fans to accept:
1) Getting a good script translation, considering how difficult it is to translate Japanese to English;
2) The English voice actors (who may or may not have been allowed to listen to the original Japanese voice tracks) have to be able to speak their lines in sync with the character's mouth movements;
3) on top of #2, they also have to be able to convey the character's emotions, which can be a challenge in itself because, let's face it, they're looking at essentially a 2D drawing with not a whole lot of detailed information to go by (Shinkai's drawings being one of the few exceptions, I think).
This all causes me to have to admit that most dubs may not be as good as the subs. My preference for dubs is simply based on a lack of understanding Japanese and a dislike for having to read subtitles. Of course, there's the lazy couch-potato factor to consider, as well.
Some Dubs are really good. I think one of the things that turns me off Dubs is when I see the text of the Sub and then I hear how it's been maybe changed to fit the Dub. It's almost like a little bit of a filter ... I guess the only antidote is to learn Japanese
I like the Voices Dub and the PLace Promised was ok ... Ill probably shell out for the BlueRay for 5 Cm ... and then listen to that Dub.
Laz _________________ You're a woman, I'm a calf ... you're a window, I'm a knife ... we come together making chance into starlight ... - Jeff Buckley
I thought I'd share this as an example of how the sub and dub can differ. Here is an early scene I transcribed from Voices where a marked difference between the Japanese and English dialogue occurs (note that I'm assuming the sub is an actual translation of the Japanese audio). The scene is where Noboru and Mikako first see the Lysithea, while riding the bicycle. "M" is Mikako and "N" is Noboru.
SUB
M: Noboru! Look! There's a spaceship.
N: Yeah, that's the Cosmonaut ship Lysithea, isn't it? It belongs to the U.N. Army. I wonder if there were any from this town, too? Select members?
M: (pause) Yeah...
N: That ship will travel beyond the solar system.
M: Yeah...
N: The story is they're going after the aliens who attacked Mars, isn't it?
M: Yeah...
N: Those Tarsians, I wonder where they came from?
M: (pause) Yeah...
N: Nagamine, you're not interested?
M: Yeah... (pause) Kinda...
N: Well, let's stop by the convenience store, okay?
M: Yeah...
(End of dialogue. Train passes.)
DUB
M: Noboru! Look! It's beautiful. (whispered)
N: Yeah.
M: Is it one of ours?
N: Cosmonaut. U.N. Armies. The Lysithea, I think.
M: Yeah.
N: You know, I saw on the news, that's the ship that's going after the Mars attackers.
M: The Tarsians.
N: Hey, do you remember what it was like before the war?
M: (pause) No.
N: I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything.
M: No. (pause) It's alright.
N: You sure?
M: Yeah. Look, I just have to tell you that...
(her voice is drowned out by the passing train.)
One of the main differences I noticed is that the sub more than the dub (along with the expressions on Mikako's face) gives subtle indications of Mikako's reluctance to tell Noboru that she's been selected for the mission. I still like the dub, but I sometimes wish they'd gone back and redone it.
For me, being portuguese, I think it's easier to say that. I hate to see movies dub in portuguese, for kids it's diferent (they can´t read).
I make the subs for 5CM (portuguese), I saw this in english, spanish and just for fun in japonese (I don´t speak japonese)...let me say, the raw (japonese), is amazing...the fellings, you can feel the pain...I advise everyone to see this movie in japonese...for me....was....I told my wife that I have to learn japonese _________________
Anyone dares to fight my brute: http://qwezzi.mybrute.com
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