Discussion Forums > Anime Discussions
English Dubs
Timdog:
--- Quote from: Scudworth on August 04, 2009, 05:55:31 PM ---can't they "fix" someones art to make it easier for Americans to watch?
no I don't think that would be a great idea.
--- End quote ---
They're just modifying the mouth movements... it's not a big deal...
Borror0:
Since US and UK both have a fairly productive entertainment industry, the quality of voice actors has never been impressive in English. When you change to French, Spanish or any language with a smaller but still decent entertainment industry, the quality of dubs generally improves. I always watch a show with original audio and subtitles if I don't speak the language but if I watch a show with someone who does not feel like reading subtitles, French and Spanish dubs are less painful to hear than English dubs.
It makes sense, in a way, since there is so little shows that are really dubbed for the mainstream.
Yeah, sure, Pokémon was mainstream but since it addresses to kids they don't need as much of a quality product as they would for adults. Can anyone recall five mainstream (in the US) shows that were shot in another language and dubbed?
I know I can't.
aznZephyr:
--- Quote from: Onibokusu on August 04, 2009, 07:35:21 AM ---This was true, about 4 years ago. Most dub haters live in the past, and not in the here and now. These days a lot of cultural references still stay intact, or are explained afterwards via some sort of booklet for jokes or puns that don't make any sense in English. The days of "Americanisation" have been over for a very long time. I would know, because I like to buy a lot of anime. Slice of Life being one of my favourite genres, the differences in cultural references can be seen to be changing over time, gradually, as the Asian culture penetrates the stars and stripes more and more.
--- End quote ---
I've seen some recent anime in both dubbed and subbed versions, and although I can agree they have improved tremendously (compared to the dubbing job they did with Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind), I still would not watch anime dubbed in English. Like Borror0 said, because anime really isn't mainstream, the quality of the voice acting isn't really impressive. For example, there was a clip I saw of Kidou Senshi Gundam Seed had a scene with Athrun and Kira facing off at one point in a tense scene and Kira says "Athrun," in a sort of low, 'we're rivals' sort of way. The English dubbed version wasn't that bad in imitating the voice, it just didn't pack as much of a punch as it should have. This is only one example of the many clip's I've seen in dubbed anime that is decent in keeping with the mood, but horrible (I MEAN HORRIBLE) in emphasizing that mood, making a very bland job done.
The American producers slowly figured out who they're targeting and fixed their translations of the script, but they're still lacking good voice actors because American Producers are so greedy.
Zalis116:
--- Quote from: Havoc10K on August 04, 2009, 10:12:11 AM ---why worry about stuff thats painful, "Don't say Lazy" and read teh damn subs :D dubs are a pain in the brain, l honestly haven't heard any good dubs since Gits.
--- End quote ---
I "worry" about it because I don't think the issue can be simplified down to "people are lazy." Believe it or not, some people are perfectly able to read subs, but they don't like Japanese voice acting, or simply like English dubs better.
--- Quote from: Timdog ---They're just modifying the mouth movements... it's not a big deal...
--- End quote ---
But you know people would be screaming about "editing" and "butchering." And for once they might have good reason to do so -- in nearly all cases, the Japanese version will also be on that DVD/Blu-Ray. If they change the lip flaps to suit the dub, where does that leave the Japanese track's lip synch?
--- Quote from: aznZephyr ---but they're still lacking good voice actors because American Producers are so greedy.
--- End quote ---
Well, if "greedy" means "running a business and wanting to make a profit," I suppose so. But I've had the good fortune of meeting some people in the R1 industry, and none of them struck me as the evil/maniacal kind of greedy. Anime dubbing is a specialized skill; paying big money for big-name Hollywood actors doesn't guarantee an improvement worth the investment.
Borror0:
--- Quote from: Zalis116 on August 07, 2009, 06:38:55 PM ---Anime dubbing is a specialized skill; paying big money for big-name Hollywood actors doesn't guarantee an improvement worth the investment.
--- End quote ---
Except that his not what he said.
He was talking about better voice actors. Hollywood actors are actors; not voice actors. There is a significant different. As I said in my post, a big problem is that America has never developed solid voice actors because there is not much money to make there. On the contrary, Québec, France, Spain and many other non-English countries have developed good voice actors because it is more common to important and dub movies and TV shows in other languages.
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