Forum - View topicWhy do people compare JP and ENG voice acting?
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GalicianNightmare
Posts: 124 |
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It's quite asinine to compare two totally different languages, with two totally different inflections, word orders, pitches, grammar and cultural influences. How can you say one's objectively better than the other? There is no scientific evidence for this. As for JP VAs being better, there's no scientific evidence for this. If we're to use the scientific method of testing, hypothesis and conclusion, it doesn't work on something so subjective like voice acting.
Nobody compared Dutch dubs to English dubs, despite the fact that the two are more than 60% lexically similar to each other. Hell, on a dialect basis, it's somewhat odd that people compare Spain dubs to Latino dubs. The latter is influenced by Andalusian Spanish and cultural separation from Spain, whilst the Spain version is influenced by a variety of languages and regions, particularly Castile. Hell, Galician-Spanish is influenced by Galician and is very different to Castilian. So even in the "same" language, you can't compare. How can you compare radically different styles of acting? You can like the "sound" of one more, but the acting is subjective. I've heard that Miyazaki harsher views on traditional JP female VAs than some of us have on our own. I heard that some people in Japan view Hana Kana as the JP version of JYB, with the same complaints. |
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Dessa
 Posts: 4438 |
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I'm honestly a bit baffled as to why you're needing to ask this question, as there are really only two reasons to watch one version of a show over another: inability to follow subtitles, and personal preference.
Everyone has their own personal preferences. Some people prefer to watch a show in its original language, some prefer to watch it in their own language. If their preference is not solidly in either of those, and assuming both versions are readily available, then of course they have to compare the voices in each to decide which version to watch. Yes, different languages have different sounds and intonations distinctive to that language. And, depending on the mood and feel that someone is looking for, or that they feel is appropriate for the work, different language voice acting will be better or worse for them. There's also the fact that, no matter the overall language spoken in the title, there will likely be words that are foreign to the speaker. This could be English speakers and Japanese names or terms, or Japanese speakers and English names and terms, or other languages being spoken or names and terms from other languages. These words and phrases will never sound "right" in a language other than their origin. No matter how good a speaker is in multiple languages, it's very hard to switch your intonation between languages at a moment's notice. That's why inflections will be off when English speakers speak Japanese names, or why we get Engrish. Heck, I've been doing karaoke of Japanese songs that have English lyrics mixed in, and I've been told how wonderful my Engrish" is (I know some Japanese, but I'm most definitely just an English speaker). There's also, as you pointed out, the matter of dialects, and accents as well. While yes, there are equivalents across languages (such as Osakan and Southern US being compared, or Ye Olde English [not actual Old English] and old-style or formal Japanese), it's not the same. Even when the reason is understood (such as the case with Inu-Yasha, to get across the point that Kagome didn't sound like the people of feudal Japan), it still feels odd and out-of-place, to hear Ye Olde English being spoken in feudal Japan! On the other hand, L/R, taking place in a British-based society (if it's real-world, it would be somewhere near Australia and Oceania), feels completely natural, with its British accents everywhere. There's also the delivery itself. This isn't always on the voice actors alone, but on the ADR director, who has the option of having actors repeat lines until s/he likes what s/he hears. A good example of this is Log Horizon. Nyanta in Japanese, has a very smooth voice. In English, the voice actor, for lack of a better term, sounds like a pimp. Whether it was the VA or the director or both, they decided to so far surpass "smooth" into the "sexy" range, that it sounds like he, a middle-aged man, is trying to seduce a middle school student. And this isn't an isolated case. Often, the preference over which language comes down to which language fits the characters the best. If a character is calm and cool headed, you don't want to hear a chipper, hyper-sounding voice. Likewise, if the character is supposed to be upbeat, you don't want them to sound like they're bored and just reading lines. How the acting portrays and fits the character is a major part of why someone will choose one language over another. So yes, it doesn't matter if there are major differences between languages, there's always perfectly valid reasons and ways to compare between them. |
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CrowLia
 Posts: 5528 Location: Mexico |
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To add to Dessa's post, there's also the matter of scripts and translations. Many dubs are infamously poorly translated, and some others try too hard for a "casual" or modern adaptation, so many fans are put off by them. A recent example is Funimation's dub of Free!, which many have criticised for being too ridden with internet lingo and modern teenage speech that feels out of character (infamously, Makoto's "I've got breatstroke for days" in episode 1, or Haruka's deadpan in Japanese being changed to heavy "bro speech" in English)
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Alan45
 Village Elder Posts: 10033 Location: Virginia |
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@GalicianNightmare
The decision to listen to the Japanese or English version of a show that is available in both is simply a matter of personal preference for most people. Unfortunately, many people are very defensive about their preferences. In order to say that their choice is good they feel it necessary to claim that the alternative is bad. Acting that way is at best pointless and can be very divisive at times. Why people feel that is necessary is something I don't understand but it happens in a lot of areas. Some of the worst arguments are about things that are completely subjective and have no right answer. It is best to chalk it up to the perversity of human nature. |
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SwarleyU
Posts: 2 |
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I will usually watch an anime for both, it's weird I know. First watch will be in Japanese second in English. But the English version will be for when I'm multitasking while cleaning or playing a game.
There are only 2 instances where I prefer the English first and that's DBZ mainly for nostalgia and Metropolis (movie) for some reason I just enjoyed the English better :p |
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Touma
 Posts: 2651 Location: Colorado, USA |
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I do not think that I will be disrupting the thread too much if I use it to ask a question about streams.
I am asking because watching streaming video is not practical for me and I pay no attention to what the streaming sites are doing. The advent of the DVD should have ended the sub vs dub debate because everybody could just watch whichever they prefer and ignote the other. But we all know that the argument refused to die, even though there was no reason for it. I am wondering if streaming might actually provide a reason for the debate to live again. From what I have read it seems that it is becoming common for streams to be dubbed, and this is often long before any home video release. My question is really quite simple: When an anime is streamed with a dub is it also available with subtitles for those who do not like dubs? Last edited by Touma on Wed Sep 16, 2015 12:13 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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ShiroYo
 Posts: 45 |
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In my case it's more about the level of acting than language itself. I think japanese seiyuus are just one step above in what they do compared to the english voice actors I have seen so far. In half of the dubbed action animes I can remember of, the MC would sound just like a character from one of those new Sonic games, it was really bad.
But I have no problems with the english language. I was watching Aladdin last week and Robin Williams was just perfect, that level of acting is not what you will see in your everyday anime dub. |
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DuskyPredator
 Posts: 15576 Location: Brisbane, Australia |
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Characters can be portrayed quite similar through two languages, or actually quite different. How well a character is acted can also be a big talking point. Japanese voice acting business is kind of different than how it is from the West, many are often pretty much pop stars. If you want a little peak at the voice acting there is a current airing anime on the Japanese voice acting (Sore ga Seiyuu).
I can name several series that have a character act just phenomenally that you can bet earn some comparison. Some of my top Japanese acting moments would from series breakdowns from the character Inaba from Kokoro Connect, and one from Suguha from Sword Art Online. Or a noticeable evolution Mikoto from A Certain Magical Index when she did the same scene a few years later in Railgun. As asides I have watched them dubbed too and I think those scenes especially were brought about by the work of their voice actors. The voice acting can make a big difference, for this season I would especially point towards the work that was done for a villain character in the series Overlord. The voice actor really sold a character, and I can bet that if it receives a dub I will compare. And I am not saying one language will always be better. Not sure of the validity, but I know people often say that the director of Cowboy Bebop was especially happy wit how its dub was. |
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Dessa
Posts: 4438 |
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It depends. For simulcasts, everything FUNimation and Aniplex have their "broadcast dubs" of are also available subbed. For older stuff, it's a mixed bag. Most things on Crunchyroll and FUNi's site are at least have subs (I know Crunchy has at least one dub-only), but stuff Netflix on is a mixed bag. Most is dual, but some are dub-only and a few of the newer ones are sub-only. Strangely, they have yet to put the Attack on Titan dub up, even though it's aired in its entirety on [adult swim] and been released on DVD/BD. |
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Touma
Posts: 2651 Location: Colorado, USA |
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Thank you, Dessa. That was very informative.
I was really interested in the shows that are available only from streaming sites. The older shows probably had a DVD release at some time and anybody who wants to watch it subtitled can probably find it. I wanted to know if people are being put in a situation where they are forced to watch the show dubbed, or not watch it at all. |
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Redbeard 101
Oscar the Grouch
Forums Superstar  Posts: 16963 |
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Let me make something clear now before it even comes up. This will not turn into a sub vs dub debate. Everyone can compare the style differences between various dubs and their native languages and how similar the actual languages are etc. That's all fine, but if this turns into another sub vs dub pissing match it'll get locked. So please, anyone thinking of going there please don't. Thank you.
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Beldarius
 Posts: 45 Location: Finland |
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Personally, I love both Japanese versions and English dubs. I'm Finnish and I grew up watching Finnish cartoon and anime dubs, and let's just say, you haven't heard a bad dub until you've dealt with Agapio Racing Team. Their Digimon dub was worse than 4Kids with One Piece and that says something. Then there was Golden Voice back in the mid 80s/early 90s and their Starzinger was GODAWFUL. The Ginga Nagareboshi Gin dub is also famous for being craptastic. English dubs are bliss to my ears after listening to Agapio and GV (at least our Disney dubs are great - apparently Walt Disney's peeps think Finnish Disney dubs are amazing.).
Over 12 years of watching anime, I've become fairly adept at recognizing voices and detecting when a character has a good voice actor. Funimation and Ocean Group (Canadians) in general have very good pools to pick from, and Funi was responsible for my first "Dub voices fit better" reaction. History's Strongest Disciple (i.e. Kenichi). ...All but two characters in this show had better voices in English than in Japanese - the two were Natsu Tanimoto since Ryo Horikawa is nigh impossible to outdo at two-faced roles; and Shinnosuke Tsuji simply because Kazuya Ichijou had the "relaxed but push his berserk button and boom" thing down perfect (Chris Rager just sounded like he was pissed off from the get-go). ...As an English example, Robert McCollum as Berserker - there's this moment in the anime where he gets hit in the back by Odin, and the sound he makes is loud and just pained enough to make you go "...OW?!". Jouji Nakata, on the other hand, just did a calm and weirdly subdued sound that didn't leave much of an impact. Also, funny enough, Josh Grelle outperformed Tomokazu Seki during Kenichi's freak-out moments. ...Kent Williams and Chris Sabat also made Akisame and Sakaki more approachable and lively, respectively. Todd Haberkorn's Niijima also sounds EXACTLY like Takumi Yamazaki's original; and Chris Cason's Siegfried actually sounds near operatic when he does his "lalala!" things, while Mitsuaki Madono was sort of off-tune most of the time. |
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