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Not that I mind but I highly doubt I'm going to be playing any game in Japanese when the English dub is available.

Not that I mind but I highly doubt I'm going to be playing any game in Japanese when the English dub is available.

Not that I mind but I highly doubt I'm going to be playing any game in Japanese when the English dub is available.

the-antihero wrote:

Not that I mind but I highly doubt I'm going to be playing any game in Japanese when the English dub is available.

Japanese audio is nearly always superior for those of us who enjoy quality voiceover work. English voice acting isn't always quality.

razisgosu wrote:

the-antihero wrote: Not that I mind but I highly doubt I'm going to be playing any game in Japanese when the English dub is available. Japanese audio is nearly always superior for those of us who enjoy quality voiceover work. English voice acting isn't always quality.

It's a matter of opinion, honestly. I've been satisfied with most US voice actors, and I watch all of my anime dubbed (except what's streaming, of course). I honestly have trouble listening to Japanese audio without headphones, and can't play games or watch anime in Japanese on a big TV screen.
And it's not like all, or even most Japanese voice talents will appeal to everyone as the definitive best, because--as I stated before--it's a matter of personal taste. Some voice actors both in Japan and America just don't appeal to me.
Personal opinion here, of course, but, to give some examples from some recent streamed shows--I'm not a fan of the voice of Chocolat from Mental Choices, since she sounds like she inhaled even more helium than the typical moe voice actress and I can't imagine anyone talking like that. I dislike the voice of Yogi from Karneval, because I think he sounds like he's filled his mouth with marshmallows.
I can't think of any American-voiced anime at the moment, but to give an example from Star Ocean 4, a game that everyone said had terrible voice acting, when party member Sarah was introduced, I could not stand her English voice. I'd heard a lot of complaints on the internet about the voice acting, and while I hadn't found it that terrible after I got used to it, Sarah was just not a voice I could stand. So, for the first time, I switched audio tracks, and lo and behold.....her Japanese voice was just as bad.
Seiyuus aren't flawless. VAs aren't flawless. I wouldn't say they're always the best, because they aren't.

The Japanese voice acting is always better than the English voice acting.

Ha. No, seriously. Ha.

Once upon a time, you could say this and know it to be true, not because you knew anything about the Japanese acting, but because the English dub acting was so absolutely amateurishly awful. These days, it's rare for a dub to not be at least passable, and several studios consistently produce very good dubs. So to continue to make this argument, you have to be able to describe just how good the Japanese acting is.

That's where the argument breaks down. If you don't speak Japanese, you cannot determine with any degree of accuracy whether the acting is any good. And please, spare me the hooie about how you can just tell by how well the actors emote. Any actor can emote. Emoting is one part of acting. There's timing, enunciation, and all kinds of nuances that go into delivering a good line, all of which is lost on you if you don't speak the language. Scott Frazier tells a funny story about how he learned one of his favorite anime (Dirty Pair) was horribly acted, once he became fluent in Japanese.

The sad truth of the matter is that most Japanese anime voice acting is of average quality. This is not to impugn the Japanese; it's merely Sturgeon's Law at work. For every Akira Kamiya and Megumi Hayashibara, there are scores of actors giving uninspired, cookie-cutter performances.