Whats the best dub you have heard?

[Humanoidz]

Berserk, Trigun, and Yu Yu Hakusho.  Especially Kuwabara.  I couldn't watch the original Japanese because the voice didn't match Kuwabara's character at all like the dub.

[mrwhitesnor]

Mad bull 34 .. only Dub thing I saw.
I always watch with jap.voices so..
I think dubbed stuff is lame.

[DesoNoto]

I don't think I've ever liked the English dub better than the Japanese, but Cowboy Bebop, Hellsing, and FMA were decent.

[Zalis116]

Mad bull 34 .. only Dub thing I saw.
I always watch with jap.voices so..
I think dubbed stuff is lame.

So you've seen one English dub, made back in the VHS era, and deciding that they're all lame? What kind of reasoning is that?

and the amount of cheesiness emotional scenes have in dubbed series because of the voices.

Sometimes, yes, but not always. For me anyway, Air was just as good in English as it was in Japanese, and there's no shortage of emotional scenes in that series.

Only one person has mentioned Ghost stories?
Greatest. Dub. Ever.

Probably because back when I mentioned it in August 2006, it wasn't easily available in a cheap DVD collection or in torrent form (obviously it didn't show up here, as it was released by ADV). So almost nobody knew about it, unless they bought the discs as they came out or DLed the rips via IRC.

[iindigo]

As mentioned thousands of times before, the English Cowboy Bebop dub is excellent. In fact, I once tried to listen to the original audio after watching the series in English, and at least to me, it didn't feel right.

GiTS: SAC has an amazing dub. So much talking in super-technical/political terms is going on ALL the time, which is no small feat, and yet they managed to make it fit the mouth animations quite well. The voice acting is pretty top-notch too, especially for the major and Togusa.

Fruits Basket's English dub is, without a doubt, better than the original. It fits so damn well, hell even the dubbed theme song is great.

Full Metal Panic's dub was pretty good, though Kaname's voice got a little annoying at times. Sosuke's VA hit the spot perfectly.

Noein's dub would have been good, but the one chick with the incredibly strong southern accent ruins it.

Trigun's dub is good.

FMA's dub is pretty top notch.

And while it's still incomplete, Bleach's dub is actually decent. The only voice that feels misplaced to me is Hitsugaya's.

[geoffreak]

I'm more of a sub fan myself. The first anime I watched was Ranma 1/2 and I watched the dub version. It was actually decent for a dub because some of the other dubs I've sampled have been so over the top with the whiny english voice actors that it was unbearable. I have heard a few samples of the original voice actors for the Ranma 1/2 characters and only a few minor characters feel more natural than the english dub.

I have another reason for this as well. As I plan to start taking Japanese when I go to college next year (I know basic grammar and vocabulary already and can read written hiragana) The subbed anime really helps me out in the learning process. The secret to learning a language is to hear it, see it, and be involved in it.

[yellowbook]

I prefer Fruits Basket's dub over the original.  I like Tohru's voice and Yuki doesn't sound like a girl.

Hmm, can't think of any other dubs I prefer right now.

Yup, my favorite dub right there, I watched it on DVD and switched back and forth until I figured out I actually liked the English better. Bebop and FLCL get special mentions.

[mrwhitesnor]

Mad bull 34 .. only Dub thing I saw.
I always watch with jap.voices so..
I think dubbed stuff is lame. So you've seen one English dub, made back in the VHS era, and deciding that they're all lame? What kind of reasoning is that?

Couz I think anime should be seen in the original form.And not dubbed,If its english  dubbed I have the feeling I am looking at an American movie with german dubs..lol
I live in holland we have german Tv to,with american series ( the A team,magnum PI ) and they dub that shit.
I think its herasy to dub stuff.
I often watch Tv series to (U.S shows)  without subs couz they anoy me.
its a shame I do not understand .jap becouse I would love to see it without English subs.

P.S mad  bull was awsome btw 

[maxxjulie]

You're Under Arrest has the best dub imo.  Funny, but I find some of the shows being mentioned to have mediocre dubs at best.   It's not just voice acting, but how the voice fits the character.  When the japanese va has a deep voice, it's pretty strange to switch over to English and hear a very kiddy sounding voice.  that's one of my main problems with English dubs.  throw in crap acting on top and it makes it unlistenable.   Hellsing Ultimate has a pretty great one too now that I think about it.

[fohfoh]

Cantonese dub of Evangelion
English dub of princess Mononoke

[ieRei]

I usually hate dubs but i would have to say that the only anime that i would rather watch dubbed is speed grapher. and trust me, i've seen far too many for my own good.

if you havent seen speed grapher it's a must, gave it a masterpiece rating on animenewsnetwork

if you ever want to know what animes to watch check out my profile < ravepanda > on ANN and watch all the very good and above ones.

[relic2279]

Best dubs ever usually are on Adult Swim, because they are geard for younger adults and haven't been bastardized (at least in the way most dubbed anime has been.)

Bleach dubs are normally on spot as well as Code G and Death Note...

But ... I ... Must .. Destroy  ... Funimation


---

Worst dub ever... You people shouldn't be thinking about how the actual voices sound but the translation of the story and how it conveys emotion from the orginal.


Worst dub ever award, hands down, I will fight anyone who says otherwise: Dragonball Z

Why? Because they took the reason for the anime's popularity (violence) and tried to change it. "I'll send you to the next dimension!"  What the **** is that crap? I've seen every DBZ episode before it was licensed by funfuckyamation. I heard they licensed it and it was airing on cartoon network so I tuned in for a few episodes. I had an aneurysm and a stroke at the same time. (I call it, Straneurysm). They changed the entire friggen story line in some of the arcs! I was mad with rage. I haven't seen an anime that had an entire story line altered yet.

I don't blame people for hating on DBZ if they've seen the american dub. It's garbage. I rarely say that about ANY anime...


~R

EDIT:

So you've seen one English dub, made back in the VHS era, and deciding that they're all lame? What kind of reasoning is that?

Thank god he hasn't seen more dubbed anime. Ignorance is bliss. I speak Japanese, and watching anime, then say, seeing it on TV (depending on the anime), the translations are HORRID. The voices don't convey the emotion, they miss half the puns, and on anime that isn't aired on adult swim, they can change the plot.

To me, if someone only watches dubbed anime, they are not a true anime fan. A true anime fan wants to know as much about the culture as possible. This cannot be gained from a dub. Watching dubs is fine, I watch my share from time to time. But If I had to pick, a dub versus a sub? No question... sub all the time. This was true long before I went to college and learned the language.
I will admit though, my interest was first inspired by a ninja scroll dub in the early 90's.

[kyubixmunky]

Hahaha... ghost stories completely changes the story line. You should watch that in english dub before saying you've never seen another anime that changes that much from the original.

[Hadouken]

Yeah..I'm starting to realize how much the dubbed version of dbz sucked, watching the uncut version but it's in spanish,lol.

[Kayberry]

Worst dub ever award, hands down, I will fight anyone who says otherwise: Dragonball Z.  Why? Because they took the reason for the anime's popularity (violence) and tried to change it. "I'll send you to the next dimension!"  What the **** is that crap?

The original dub work was done in a time when shows targeted towards children were taboo from showing things such as death and blood. "I can see their nonexistent parachutes - they're okay!" And for a long time, that dub was retained. They've recently redubbed the early episodes up to the Freiza arc to eliminate the corny dialogue and improve the voice acting for continuity with the rest of the series.

They changed the entire friggen story line in some of the arcs! I was mad with rage. I haven't seen an anime that had an entire story line altered yet.

You should visit the 1980's sometime. Robotech, Star Blazers, Captain Harlock, and anything that was Bowdlerized, which is your main topic of concern.

Thank god he hasn't seen more dubbed anime. Ignorance is bliss. I speak Japanese, and watching anime, then say, seeing it on TV (depending on the anime), the translations are HORRID. The voices don't convey the emotion, they miss half the puns, and on anime that isn't aired on adult swim, they can change the plot.

Translations can be hit-or-miss. It's in the licensee's best interest to change some cultural references so the mainstream audience at large gets it - or at least understands that a cultural reference took place. The alternative is having a subtitle appear on screen that spells it out, or points to a Wiki article, which would be clunky and distracting. Since you're watching Adult Swim, check out last aired episode of Code Geass - they had Milly say that the quote was from Romance of the Three Kingdoms because the U.S. audience wouldn't have picked up the reference otherwise; although the quote itself could have been delivered without the reference and still leave the same impact. I agree with voices not conveying the emotion accurately, but that's what lacks from an overused, unionized talent pool. The best thing that we can hope for is that with a decreasing interest in bastardized versions of anime releases, licensees will attempt to preserve as much of the original versions as possible. Or, just say to hell with it and do something bold and unorthodox like air subbed versions; use the money saved on voice talent to acquire more and better series.

[Zalis116]

Best dubs ever usually are on Adult Swim, because they are geard for younger adults and haven't been bastardized (at least in the way most dubbed anime has been.)

What are you basing the "most dubbed anime has been bastardized" claim on? What about all the shows that've been released on DVD with no TV-edited version? To name a few random examples, stuff like Geneshaft, Mermaid Forest, Mythical Detective Loki Ragnarok, Otogi Zoshi, To Heart, or The World of Narue. There's no video edits or missing episodes or plot changes or any other hallmarks of bastardization. Aside from some rewrites to match mouth flaps and make conversations more natural in English, they're essentially the same shows in a different language. Yeah, there will always be a few puns & references that get missed, but that's the case with subtitled versions as well.

But ... I ... Must .. Destroy  ... Funimation
Worst dub ever award, hands down, I will fight anyone who says otherwise: Dragonball Z

I don't disagree about the old DBZ dub, but come on, that was 10+ years ago and since then Funimation has released a bunch of other series and an uncut (widescreen cropping aside) version of DBZ. Quality of acting aside, the dubs for shows like Gunslinger Girl, Fruits Basket, and Rumbling Hearts have been quite faithful. Granted, some of their dubs like Desert Punk and Negima! are on the liberal side, but they're still nothing like the old DBZ dub.

Thank god he hasn't seen more dubbed anime. Ignorance is bliss. I speak Japanese, and watching anime, then say, seeing it on TV (depending on the anime), the translations are HORRID. The voices don't convey the emotion, they miss half the puns, and on anime that isn't aired on adult swim, they can change the plot.

If he wants to remain in that state of blissful ignorance, that's fine, but I take issue with people making broad statements based on limited information. For instance, if somebody said "I've only seen Pokemon / Bible Black and I think that all anime is kids' stuff / porn," would you find that reasonable? Just as there's a wide variety of anime out there, there's a wide variety of English dubs out there, and a limited sample isn't enough to make a judgement on the whole field. And once again, there's a huge body of anime that's been released on DVD over the years with no significant plot changes. Yeah, there were a few that got "Fosterized," like Orphen, Generator Gawl, and the previously mentioned Ghost Stories, but those are still a < 2% minority. It's true that some of the highest-profile shows to come over here have been heavily edited, like the old 1980s dubs, Sailor Moon, DBZ, Cardcaptor Sakura, Pokemon, One Piece (which Funimation is releasing on DVD unedited), and the rest of the 4Kids lineup. But numerically speaking, they're far outweighed by the quantity of series that have been released with no major edits.

[relic2279]

What are you basing the "most dubbed anime has been bastardized" claim on?

15+ years of watching anime would be my basis. Also knowing the language helps. Lately, (i hate to admit this) you are correct. There is alot of anime that isn't/hasn't been ruined like DBZ was. But you still miss the culture, emotion and pun of the original source. If you are a fan of Japanese culture, why even argue this?


 

the dubs for shows like Gunslinger Girl, Fruits Basket, and Rumbling Hearts have been quite faithful. Granted, some of their dubs like Desert Punk and Negima! are on the liberal side, but they're still nothing like the old DBZ dub.

They are getting better in the DVD releases, but I was mainly referrng to older anime and anime that is aired on TV (exception being "adult" swim")

If he wants to remain in that state of blissful ignorance, that's fine, but I take issue with people making broad statements based on limited information. For instance, if somebody said "I've only seen Pokemon / Bible Black and I think that all anime is kids' stuff / porn," would you find that reasonable?

Heh. I can't really respond to this statement without trying to one up someone or look like I'm boasting. I've been watching anime since 1994. We will just leave it at that. I've seen my share. I will agree with you that anime is getting better as far as dubs are concerned. I believe thats due to the production companies becoming more liberal.
But if only watching dubs makes you believe you are a true anime fan, you are seriously wrong. You are not grasping the culture which anime is partially about.

Just as there's a wide variety of anime out there, there's a wide variety of English dubs out there, and a limited sample isn't enough to make a judgement on the whole field. And once again, there's a huge body of anime that's been released on DVD over the years with no significant plot changes.

I never said all dubbed anime was bad, or twisted. I said that "If all you watch is dubbed anime, you are not a true fan". Because while there is a wide variety out there, watching anime is also about absorbing the culture. You cannot even begin to do this when watching a dub.


~R

Hope lies just around the corner for dub watchers...

[Zalis116]

15+ years of watching anime would be my basis. Also knowing the language helps. Lately, (i hate to admit this) you are correct. There is a lot of anime that isn't/hasn't been ruined like DBZ was. But you still miss the culture, emotion and pun of the original source. If you are a fan of Japanese culture, why even argue this?

We'll have to agree to disagree on the definition of "bastardized" here. To me, if an English dub doesn't change the original characters, plot, video, or music, then it's okay on the "ruination" front. (Once again, this is setting acting quality aside.) Yeah, there's some localization to deal with cultural references, puns, and other linguistic issues, but even subtitles (both fan and pro) are a form of localization. As the adage goes, "A joke isn't funny if it has to be explained." Funny scenes & dialogue are meant to make the viewer laugh, so a good English dub will find a way to make the joke work in English, rather than doing a literal translation of a Japanese joke that doesn't work in English. As far as culture goes, what about series like Last Exile, Berserk, and Chrono Crusade? Those aren't set in Japan, the character names aren't Japanese, and IIRC there aren't any Japanese-specific jokes or references...so where's the harm in dubbing them into English? 

But if only watching dubs makes you believe you are a true anime fan, you are seriously wrong. You are not grasping the culture which anime is partially about.

I never said all dubbed anime was bad, or twisted. I said that "If all you watch is dubbed anime, you are not a true fan". Because while there is a wide variety out there, watching anime is also about absorbing the culture. You cannot even begin to do this when watching a dub.

I didn't touch on the "true fan" issue because I don't really believe that being "true fan" has anything to do with language preferences. I know you may have been using the "general you" there, but for the record, I don't watch only watch dubs. I watch a mix of English dubs, fansubs, and official subtitled versions. So while I've only been seriously watching anime since 2003 (after being exposed to the horribly-edited Sailor Moon in the late 90s and others before that), I feel I've seen a good representation of all the major avenues of English-translated anime. And I do know enough Japanese to detect the "deculturizations" in dubs and subtitles. But that knowledge is a double-edged sword. When I didn't understand Japanese, I thought all subtitled anime was awesome because the language was exotic and unknown to me. But as I studied and understood more, I realized how repetitive and uncreative a lot of anime dialogue really is. Especially the overuse of certain words and phrases, and not just simple ones like "ganbaru" and its variants, either.

Also on the culture front, I don't think that watching anime is necessarily about understanding Japanese culture. If people like learning more about Japan and its language/culture through anime, that's great. But if they like anime because they get to see giant robots charging their lasers or hot animated girls prancing around in skimpy outfits, that's fine too. As long as they simply enjoy and are passionate about anime, they're a "good enough fan" in my book.

[relic2279]

Also on the culture front, I don't think that watching anime is necessarily about understanding Japanese culture. If people like learning more about Japan and its language/culture through anime, that's great.

At least you see where I am coming from. And I agree with your post for the most part.
Though, anime's like berserk, and "out of time/place" animes still have culture learning points to them. You can still begin to see things that they find funny or insulting during character dialogue which westerners may not. Also, they don't take to sarcasm the same way we do. So while someone may not be in a class studying Japanese culture or language, they still can pick up on this through repeated exposure.

But you are right. If someone does watch only dubbed animes, and they find it to their liking more power to them. I wouldn't call them a hardcore anime fan, but it's a step in the right direction I guess thats what I was getting at. I'm not trying to insult people who only watch dubbed animes, maybe only persuade them to the dark side

~R

[maxxjulie]

you just said they're a lesser anime fan  cuz they like dub only.  i agree with the statement btw.  if the dub is horrific, why not read some subtitles and hear it in Japanese?  cuz people are too slow and can't read a few words in two seconds and then look at the animation.  also, i can't believe how many say Berserk has a great dub.  some of the characters are done really well, but not an overall great dub.  it's liker night and day when you  switch back from japanese to english.  subbed is much better.