I prefer subs because (1) most of the new anime I watch is fansubbed on the internet and (2) the Japanese language has a subtlety that English cannot hope to mimic. Many series rely heavily on this, so it's not the same watching it in English.
My biggest complaint against English dubs are the timing. While a character may take 10 seconds to say something in Japanese, it might take 23 to say it in English. So then you run into a timing issue, which English editors usually take care of by mangling the script to fit the run time...
Like many others here, I've also watched various animated series/movies in Spanish - it's interesting to see the differences between the Japanese, English and Spanish versions.
(which is why I grab subs. Who knows when I'll ever get to this stuff!)
Oh, you meant LANGUAGE!
****
I much prefer japanese and subtitles, but I'll take the dubbed-down version if I must. I've found maybe two series I think work just as well in English as they do in Japanese. Primarily that is because the writers were very faithful to the original script and didn't Americanize it too much... and because the actors were just perfect for their roles.
There is one dubbing outfit that sounds to me like fingernails on a chalkboard. I don't know what it is about them; the lukewarm acting skills, the OVER acting skills, and the really and trully insipid female lead. Ugh.
Most of the time, though, I think both sets of seiyuu do really well. I'll take the original if given a choice.
"The permanent temptation of life is to confuse dreams with reality. The permanent defeat of life comes when dreams are surrendered to reality."
James A. Michener, The Drifters
I like to watch it in English first if I can, so that I can watch the show. Then I watch them in Japanese because that is how it was meant to be seen. I actually hearing the Japanese voices, they are less annoying.
Sometimes when I watch the English versions, because they use the same voice actors for some, I sometimes picture a different character.
For example the voice actor that does Nene's voice in Bubblegum Crisis 2040 also does the voice of the Captain in Full Metal Panic.
At least the Japanese voice actors sound different
" I'm Usagi Tsukino, 16 years old...in the first year of high school. I'm a bit rash and a crybaby...but, I'm actually an agent of love and justice....pretty Sailor Soldier, Sailor Moon"
It occured to me recently, several modern dubs incorporate honorifics.
Ai Yori Aoshi comes to mind, with Aoi-chan and Kaoru-sama. Also, with
official releases, the subtitles are directly from the script, which is what the
directors use for the dubs. There may be slight variations, but typically, the
directors try to remain consistent with one translation for both. However,
as mentioned before, sometimes one word will have a different phonetic
structure in translation, so a similar word with more/less syllables will be used
to compensate for the mouth flaps. But the meaning and intention will be the same.
I can't speak for fansubs tho. I have only resorted to them a few times in
the past, when a great show has not been officially licensed yet.
I think it's common now to sprinkle Japanese terms throughout an English
dub, because it's often assumed that American anime fans know some basic
Japanese words. I guess it depends on the demographic of the show and
the company handling the translation. A show aimed at younger audiences
will probably abandon any Japanese references that might lose kids, such
as calling a Japanese pork bun a "dinner roll." Shows intended for older
audiences tend to not dumb down some of the cultural differences. But
if you don't watch dubs ever, then you may not be familiar with the way
they are sometimes handled now. There are some good companies and
some dreadful ones, just like in any industry.
On the whole, I'm more in favour of the original Japanese langauge track.
But, there are some brilliant English dubs too which are better than the Japanese, better in that the voices fit the characters and the acting has more conviction.
I like the original tracks, not so much because I'm a purist, but because I can pick up some of the detials in local variations of speech and the honorifics, as Keropi and others put it.
I'm used to watching films with asian languages- Japanese, Korean, Cantonese, Mandarin, Thai etc and can distinguish subtleties in the tones and the actors delivery which are unique to each culture. When paired with actors mannerisms and movement, these scenes hold more meaning than another culture's translation. I feel I can appreciate the character and situation to a greater degree than having it explained to me in plain English. ^__^
I'm sure this happens because I'm concentrating on the scene, taking into account everything that's going on. If it were all in English, I'd skim over some details because I don't feel the need to be as attentive. I thrive on details and that's partly why I enjoy foreign films.
I may not be able to speak the langauges but often this isn't necessary when you have the visuals to go on as well.