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NEWS: Media Blasters Confirms New Licenses

You can really assess my thought process just from a couple of posts? IMPRESSIVE. And what's wrong with being a purist? At least when it comes to certain things, like foreign media.

By watching a film (of any sort) subtitled, you lose out on two aspects of the movie. First off, you spend time looking at/reading the subtitles when you could be spending more time enjoying and catching all the visuals. Regular watchers of subtitled films (such as yourself, myself, many anime fans, and many foreign film fans) learn to minimize this loss, but anyone who believes they aren't losing out at least somewhat on the visual aspect is deluding themselves. Secondly, regardless of whether or not you are hearing the original language audio, fact is you don't understand it. There's nothing you can do about this short of learning the foreign language fluently. Additionally, you are reading an adaptation that, regardless of the translators skills and philosophies, can never be entirely identical to the original.

By watching a foreign movie dubbed, you lose out because it is nigh-impossible to record a perfect dub that also matches human lip-flaps. Furthermore, the dub may not match the original actors' emotions perfectly, which we assume match the original script-writer and director's intent. Finally, as with subtitles, you lose out on the translation, but typically a dub translation features more changes than subtitles because changes are necessary to make the dub work in the English language.

Finally, when watching re-dubbed animation, the losses are similar as when watching dubbed video, except for the lip-flap issue.

On the up-side, with any re-dub, it is possible that the English language director and actors are better than the original language director and actors. It's quite possible that an English dub will match the original script-writers intentions closer than the original audio. Of course, there's no way for the English audience to be able to know this, so we can only compare the quality of the acting. It's not unheard of to have English dubs with better acting than the original material, keep in mind that foreign actors can be bad actors too... I'm sure that when Christopher Walken's lines get adapted into whatever language... the dub actor probably delivers a better performance than the original actor.


It is up to the viewer to decide which downsides bother them more. If they don't mind reading subtitles, but do mind liberal adaptations and not hearing the "original", then they will prefer subtitles (assuming the subtitle translation quality is high). If they mind not understanding the what is being said natively, and don't want to miss out on any appreciation of the visuals, they will prefer a re-dub (assuming the re-dub translation, ADR and acting quality is high).

The only way to fully appreciate an original is to experience it entirely in the original language. If you can not do that, it is up to you to decide what aspects you want to lose out on. Any one who thinks that someone who choses the other way is a "moron" is simply an ignorant fool and probably blinded by a misguided sense of elitism.

I've been watching anime for years, and Kashimashi has been my favorite show this year. There's nothing wrong with enjoying the show or even being really into it. I like it more than Suzumiya Haruhi and a hell of a lot more than Evangelion.

Meh. Melancholy was pretty good (it is one of three anime series I'm keeping a licensing eye on this year - Kashimashi was one, I"s Pure is the other), Evangelion was decent (I think i need to watch it a second time, though), and I started Cowboy Bebop something like a year ago and have only gotten through 4 discs (to show you how much I like that series).

Also you're a jerk. That's how I can tell

My problem with people who watch dubs is that they base their opinions on the show around the English dubbed version. I feel if you're going to have this image of a show in your head along with opinions, it should be based on what originally came out. It really bothers me that people get excited over these adaptations when they should really just watch the original, even if it is worse. At least they'd have a more accurate and credible opinion.

Well, you just have no taste.

Well yeah. I am.

Second_Ignition_Yui wrote:

My problem with people who watch dubs is that they base their opinions on the show around the English dubbed version. I feel if you're going to have this image of a show in your head along with opinions, it should be based on what originally came out. It really bothers me that people get excited over these adaptations when they should really just watch the original, even if it is worse. At least they'd have a more accurate and credible opinion.

The thing is, when a show is a faithful adaptation in regards to it's dub, then it's as good as watching it as the original source. Anyone worth their opinion should realise that the quality of the story and other aspects shouldn't be detracted from a poor adaptation. In that regard I agree with you, but I don't meet many people like that. People are a weird, diverse, eclectic bunch though subject to many different quirks and preferences though.

As an example, last year I saw the venerated Azumanga Daioh fansubs that launched one of today's premiere groups. And lately, I've been watching the English dub via the ADV DVDs. Heresy though it may be, I'm almost to the point of liking it better in English, from Chiyo-chan's voice to the occasionally localized joke. Is anything really lost if Yukari says she's Mia Hamm instead of "Nakata"?

I don't feel like going any further. This isn't fun anymore.

Well, at least it looks like Steventheeunuch has achieved a win.