I always watch it in japanese if I can get the chance. I hate hate HATE english dubs, the voices always seem so... cartoony Plus dubs seem to sanitize and westernize a bunch of stuff and I like watching for cultural idiosyncracies
1. Dubbed if I'm trying to justify a marathon by being otherwise productive at the same time the TV is on - subtitles are hell to keep track of from across the room.
2. Subtitled if I've resigned myself to vegging out (although I can use a sub-justification of crocheting - double-stitch doesn't really require being looked out or counted, and when you do an afghan, the occasional oopsy disappears into the expanse. )
3. Dubbed if I'm using the 7" portable DVD player and don't want to look funny in public by wearing two pairs of reading glasses for that divine 4+ magnification for subtitles -
4. Both. I don't have a problem with dubs like FMA and Naruto and Inuyasha, so after being used to that from Cartoon Network, I might switch back and forth to see the difference between the commercial "americanized" script and the doggedly more faithful fansub translations.
Always dubs. Since I don't know Japanese, I can't tell if the Japanese voice
actors are actually "good actors." The language barrier prevents me from
appreciating what they are saying and how. For example, I watched the original
He-man series on DVD in Spanish dub recently and actually enjoyed it! The
voice actor for Skeletor was MUCH better than the whiny American actor.
I also don't like reading conflicting languages while I'm watching TV. Like,
when I'm watching regular television, I use the closed-captioning to
enhance the experience. Sometimes I don't hear what someone says or
maybe someone has a thick accent that I just cannot understand. But with
subtitles, the languages are different and mostly serve to bother me.
Another reason I don't quite care about the original Japanese is because of
the mouth flaps. Since the animation is done at the same time as the voice
acting, there's no true synchronization. Which is typically the complaint
I hear about Dubs, that the American actors don't match the mouth flaps.
But neither do the Japanese! So what's the point? You get pacman-esque
mouth flaps either way.
If I really like the series, I'll watch both to see the differences
and compare translations. But translations are always going to be subject
to the whims of the translator. I've read about 10 different versions of the Iliad and none of them were word-for-word the same. In some
cases, there's just no English equivalent and subtitles don't have any more
of an advantage in those situations than the Dub.
I agree that losing the cultural references is bad. I do like to learn the
differences between Eastern and Western culture, but often times, that
learning process does not enhance the entertainment value of the series.
If it's a cultural inside joke, then I tend to not laugh when I discover what
is meant. It's like when you tell a joke and have to explain the punchline.
Sure, that's mildly amusing but the effect is lost on the audience at that
point. When I'm watching anime, I want to be entertained first and
educated second. For example, Paranoia Agent was a series saturated
with Japanese cultural references which were not part of the main
storyline, so I could still enjoy the series. Afterwards, I did lots of research
about the references and cultural nods found in every episode. I was
amazed! I learned a great deal about Japanese culture after watching
the show, but it was integrated in such a way as to not alienate non-Eastern
audiences. I thought that was brilliant.
I had forgotten that one of the main reasons I prefer hearing the Japanese is because I like hearing how the characters refer to each other with honorifics. There's no good way of translating the -san, -chan, -kun, -sama, -sensei, etc. most of the time it's used in anime. A high schooler calling their classmate "Mr. Sakamoto" sounds funny.
When you hear the honorifics you have a better description of their relationship or in the very least....what the character HOPES their relationship is. I think those little cultural things are what I miss the most in subs.
But I think too often on anime message boards the argument eventually arises in so many words:
"You're not the same level of anime fan if you're only watching dubs."
I don't think it's wise to be questioning anyone's level of devotion or fan commitment just because they only watch dubs (or MAINLY watch dubs).
Keropi wrote:
I had forgotten that one of the main reasons I prefer hearing the Japanese is because I like hearing how the characters refer to each other with honorifics. There's no good way of translating the -san, -chan, -kun, -sama, -sensei, etc. most of the time it's used in anime. A high schooler calling their classmate "Mr. Sakamoto" sounds funny.
YEssssss! Exactly! That's what I was trying to get across but a swiftly spreading ear infection is making me kind of loopy In Bleach Yachiru and Zaraki Kenpachi's relationship wouldn't be half as funny if she ran around calling the big scary bloodthirsty killer "Little Ken" or something instead of "Ken-chaaaaan!"
Although in law school we really DO call our classmates "Ms. Jones" and "Mr. Boutte"....it's what the professors call us and I hardly know anyone's first names!!!
Keropi wrote:I don't think it's wise to be questioning anyone's level of devotion or fan commitment just because they only watch dubs (or MAINLY watch dubs).
Was anyone doing that here? >_>;;;
Good lord, if someone has to try and one-up someone else by being a better "fan" they need to get out more! You don't get to put "Only watches subbed anime" on your resume!
I don't think anyone was saying that subs are better than dubs here. But
I've come across the problem Keropi was refering to, where some over
zealous otakus think you "really don't like anime if you watch dubs." I think
people should watch it however they will enjoy it most, for whatever reasons.
I also enjoy being long winded... if you couldn't tell >_> hehehe
wELCOME cONSUMER wrote:
If I really like the series, I'll watch both to see the differences
and compare translations. But translations are always going to be subject
to the whims of the translator. I've read about 10 different versions of the Iliad and none of them were word-for-word the same. In some
cases, there's just no English equivalent and subtitles don't have any more
of an advantage in those situations than the Dub.
We all have our biases, and our own reasons for those biases, but the point you bring up here is one that is very important. People are entertained by different things, but when the continent is very important, or the series is very important to you, you want to know you are getting what the creator intended. I think you have a great idea to check both for shows that fit this category. In some shows (Honneamise for example) they have changed the entire meaning by rewriting key sections.
I also completely agree with you on the last point in that, while some of us have very strong opinions about how we like things to be translated, in the end these are just opinions and preferences, and no more valid than anyone else's. If you are watching for the sake of entertainment, and when the delivery of the content is the question, and not the actual content, there really isn't a point in public debating. It's just a matter of preference.
I just saw this and thought "What a good topic!" only to discover I started it four years ago. What a shock!
I was watching RRK on TV a while ago and saw the Yahiko "Don't call me chan" episode, and it lost all of the humor from the original japanese. That subtilty is my only reason that I rarely bring myself to watch dubbs, I don't want to miss the humor.
Dave
It is not easy to find happiness in ourselves, and it is not possible to find it elsewhere.
Deadly Whispers wrote:Hey, hey! Gimme a third option! How about both ways? It depends on my mood (and if anyone is watching with me), but everything I have seen I will watch either way.
I'm exactly the same way. I need my "both" option.
For anime that I really love like Dragonball I would watch it over and over in both languages but for other anime English. Sometimes I ust look at the Japanese to compare.
That's what I was trying to get across but a swiftly spreading ear infection is making me kind of loopy 
In Bleach Yachiru and Zaraki Kenpachi's relationship wouldn't be half as funny if she ran around calling the big scary bloodthirsty killer "Little Ken" or something instead of "Ken-chaaaaan!"
What a shock!
Plus dubs seem to sanitize and westernize a bunch of stuff and I like watching for cultural idiosyncracies 
