“You Only Watch Dubs?” Tee from Adorned by Chi!
Ask any hardcore anime fan this question and you’re bound to be in for a very strong and very animated opinion:
“Dubs, or subs?”
My answer has always been “dubs” for nothing else but the convenience. But whenever I admit that I exclusively wait for and watch dubbed anime I’m hit with the whole “whaaaaaaat you must not really mess with anime like that then” speech. The thing is, I know I’m not the only one indulging in dubs! I want us dub-watchers to confidently stand by our preference even in the face of those anime elitists- ha! So here are five reasons why it’s perfectly fine to watch dubs:
You can multitask
I don’t have the same time on my hands as I used to. Adulthood will do that to you! So watching dubbed anime allows me to watch all my shows while I work, cook, and do other trivial things that unfortunately need my attention.
Bad dubs are hilarious
We’ve all seen some pretty terrible dubs, I’m sure. I don’t know about you but sometimes you can’t help but laugh…and laughter is always good! Right?
Some dubs are exceptionally good.
Example: Cowboy Bebop’s dub is arguably better than the original. Arguably. But don’t argue with me because it’s so true- ha!
Who wants to read all that?
Listen, my eyesight has been waning over the last few months. Maybe it’s me getting older, or maybe it’s the fact that I’m glued to a screen straining to read small text 24/7! I don’t want to read screen text any more than I have to and if I have a choice not to, well I’m taking it!
For some of us dubs started it all.
When I was younger, in my bottom bunk watching Toonami, all the shows were dubbed. I don’t think I would have watched them if they weren’t!
Just FYI, there’s nothing wrong with subtitled anime, and I honestly think the whole debate is just harmless fun! So, keeping that in mind are you team subs or team dubs? We polled our mailing list and here are the results:
Let us know what you think in the comments!
I grew up with toonami and I’m use to dub, i can’t tell you how hurtful and offensive it is for me when someone says “you must not be a real anime fan if you only watch dubbed” like take several seats, i enjoy dubbed because i don’t like reading things so fast, i tend to like more action packed anime and that needs all your attention so if I’m trying to read and then miss something because of it I’m gonna have to rewind and that’s just annoying, and my final reason which i might get hated for, I’m sorry but the original subbed versions, i always find the voices to be soooo annoying 🙁 i think it’s wrong to claim someone isn’t a real anime fan based on how they choose to watch it. That’s like saying someone isn’t a real cartoon fan cause they don’t watch them every single day. It’s wrong ! At the end of the day the dub watchers still know what’s going on and would be able to converse about it with a sub watcher. 🙂
Why not both? I was introduced to anime through Toonami (dub)and also through my cousin who only watched sub so I was content with both. As you stated in your post, Cowboy Bebop has one of the best subs out there and I prefer it to the original.
It just depends on the anime for me. I watch both versions and make my decision. If a show has a good dub then I’ll go with it but if it doesn’t then I’ll stick with the original.
Cristina Vee (a VO actress) once said that when you watch an anime in sub, you’re watching it through the subbers’ eyes. When you watch it in your native language, you get to watch it with your own. After hearing that, I started to find an appreciation for dubs, and realized that they usually only sound bad AFTER already watching it in Japanese.
Either way, I enjoy both subs & dubs! ^.^ Nowadays, I prefer the dubs, but if there isn’t one, that subs all the way! 😛 It’s pretty cool that most OVAs or specials never get dubbed too, because then I still have an opportunity to hear my fave characters’ voices in their original language. 🙂