Today, I’m going to take on the hotly-debated issue of subtitles versus English dubbing in anime. Personally, I prefer dubbed anime as long as it’s a quality dub. I’m not vehemently anti-subtitle; I just enjoy watching video programming in my native language, that’s all. Conversely, for live-action films, I actually prefer subtitles. It’s practically impossible to properly match up lip movements when dubbing live action, which makes things distracting. Subtitles sometimes hurt my eyes after a while, so I can usually only handle them for about two hours. I also realize that some media is only available in subtitled form, such as fansubbed anime. This does not bother me.

What does get my goat is when anime fanboys and fangirls swear up and down that subtitling is the only way to go. In my experience, a good chunk of the pro-subtitle mentality comes from simple arrogance. No, I’m not saying all subtitle fans are arrogant; that’s silly. I know a few people personally who just enjoy Japanese language, even though they do not speak it. They don’t hate dubs, either; they just prefer subtitles. (In other words, they’re my opposite!) But sadly, they’re outnumbered by a crowd that’s fervently pro-subtitle for no logical reason.

The defenses that rabid subtitle adherents shore up are flimsy at best. First, they usually claim that the English translations are poor and that the dub voice actors are all terrible. Now, first of all, the English translations for subtitles can be just as bad; it all depends on who you have handling the translation, so that claim is rendered moot.

Secondly, complaints about the voice acting also fall apart under minor scrutiny. While anyone who’s watched even a tiny bit of dubbed anime or film knows that there’s plenty of truly shitty dub work out there, there’s also a much larger amount of extremely high quality English voice acting. This is a natural progression; anime in the 1980s and early 1990s, for example, wasn’t as hugely popular stateside as it is now. Back then, dubs were fucking abysmal. But over time, as the medium became more prevalent over here, higher quality dubs were created. Aside from professional voice actors bringing their considerable talents to the fore, it’s not uncommon for bigger releases to sport a full stable of Hollywood’s finest providing the voice work.

It bothers me that anime freaks still decry this as inferior nowadays. That’s incredibly insulting to the hardworking voice actors. Need I remind you that the greatest voice actors of all time, Mel Blanc and Frank Welker, are both American? Not to mention that without the dub, you often wouldn’t get official US releases of anime products. The dub you hate so much makes proper DVD releases of your favorite anime possible, so try to show a little respect.

Also, for those idiots who go on and on about how the Japanese voice work is always better at conveying emotion and story…how do you know? Are you fluent in Japanese and all of its dialects? If not…then your claims fly right out the window. In some cases, the Japanese voice acting is actually pretty bad, while the English voice acting is a marked improvement; Fullmetal Alchemist is a prime example of this. (I’ve confirmed it with Japanese-speaking friends.) It’s just like any other medium: there’s good work, and bad.

Finally, the pro-subtitle arrogance also falls on its face when presented with its still-image counterpart, manga. For all of the rabid subtitle fundamentalists…how many of them read “subtitled” manga? That is, with the Japanese word balloons intact, and English translations found below them, or at the bottom of the page? Few to none, I’d wager. That’s simply hypocrisy. (Note: Some Japanese terms in English-translated manga actually are subtitled, as detailed here.)

There’s one big advantage that dubs definitely have over subtitles: with a dub track, you’ve got quote-worthy dialogue and one-liners. Unless you’re fluent in Japanese, the original language track can’t provide that, and even if you are fluent, others won’t understand the quote unless they are, too! My friends and I back in high school used to quote Ninja Scroll all of the time, breaking out such classics as “Hey, piss off! I’m busy!” and “Can’t ya hear me? Beat it!” Quoting a subtitle just wouldn’t have the same effect, as there’s no vocal delivery.

I think after this long-winded diatribe, you’ve gotten my point. Modern dubs are not the horrendous aural assault that anime-obsessed douchebags make them out to be. Ignore those basement-dwelling mutants, and give a fair listen to what’s out there. You’ll be pleasantly surprised.

On a final note, let me show one bit of solidarity with subtitle fans: I’m 100% on your side when it comes to those godawful 4Kids dubs. I don’t even enjoy anime such as One Piece to begin with, but I wholeheartedly agree that what 4Kids did with the English versions was nothing short of sacrilege.

(Some parts of this post were originally published in the July 2008 entry “Loss of face.”)