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Giving Lie To The Dubtitled Myth
R. Alex Whitlock
Used to be that Anime came in dubbed and subtitled form on different tapes. DVDs, in their majesty, give everyone the option of both. I have, over the years, taken quite a bit of flack for my preference for dubbed features. One of the biggest arguments that pro-subtitle gave was how much more the subtitles conveyed than the dubbed because they weren't limited by the constraints of mouth movements. The other big argument was that the subtitled tend to be more faithful to the original. But even the second argument relied partially on the first - they could be more loyal because they could put more out there because they weren't constrained.
Which brings me back to DVDs. I prefer DVDs to tapes for several reasons. They're more enjoyable, but more than that, they're gratifying because it completely blows the myth of the elaborate subtitles out of the water. Anyone who watches something dubbed and subtitled at the same time can see that (a) the translations are actually not very different, most of the time, and (b) the dubbed almost always transmits more words than the subtitles. Whether A is a big deal or not is subjective, but the subtitled folks have almost completely lost their "objective" reason B.
And that's a beautiful thing. Because while the whole debate gives anime geeks that have little reason to feel better than anyone else ever, it's annoying as all heck for those of us that have a different preference.
Of course, I can hold out the olive branch as well as the next guy. With the advent of DVDs it doesn't matter. I can have them my way and they can have theirs. And unlike VHS, it's not a zero-sum one-or-the-other situation.
I mentioned this at my last anime convention. I was told I was wrong because... well... I was wrong. And because subtitles are more elaborate. And accurate. So there. Tis a shame that I couldn't make Ushicon or A-kon this year and tis not a shame at the same time.
Observations
I find that the people that prefer subtitles (anime or otherwise) tend to like it more for the reason of getting the original actor's inflection and intent than the translation itself. You lose quite a bit of emotion when dubbed, or you get a different interpretation from a different voice actor.
Good point, I forgot about that reason. A preference for the original inflection makes some sense, though it's hardly as written-in-stone as subtitle fans suggest (just as with anything, most lines can be read a hundred different ways, all or most valid). But it comes down to taste, which is fine. Or would be fine if the pro-subtitled folks would just leave it at that.
Alex,
My preference for Dub/Sub (as both you and Adam are aware) depends on the series and the American voice actors. There are a few American voice actors that just annoy the hell out of me, and there are some that are really good.
The translation gap has gotten better compared to the early days largely because the companies realized at some point that they couldn't get away with shoddy translations any more.
Many series I see it as Kavey explained it - I like hearing the original voice inflections of the original actor/actress, while getting the info from the subtitles.
The other thing with subtitles that you have to consider is that in many instances, the fan-subtitled version tends to be more complete than the "official" version (this is something that irritates the heck out of me).
Fan-subtitlers tend to include translator's notes, as well as tossing in translations of the various signs and papers that appear onscreen, which is something that the "pro" companies generally don't do.
When you've got the signs translated and the author's notes to clue in on cultural jokes, some of the in-jokes in the various anime make a LOT more sense.
Series I watch dubbed:
-Ranma
-Tenchi
-Golden Boy
-any Miyazaki movie
Series I'll watch either way:
-Ah! My Goddess
Series I can't STAND dubbed:
-Slayers (w/ the exception of one or two ADV eps that feature Brett Weaver - though I still think the actress they got to do Lina is just WRONG)
-Steel Angel Kurumi
-Bastard (admittedly, Pioneer did a pretty bad job mangling the subtitles as well - an instance where fansubbers are better than the pros, laregly because Pioneer tried to tone down Schneider's language).
It really can depend on the series. I was really put off by their choice for Captain Tylor, for instance.
I find it interesting that you much prefer the dubbed Golden Boy (I agree!) because that's one that's often cited for being a "betrayal" of the original japanese voice. The japanese actor didn't sound so dimwitted and so it's "wrong" to have a dimwitted actor.
Are they wrong? I think they are, but It's a matter of point-of-view.
You might be right about them getting better more recently, but a lot of the stuff I have watched on DVD is not new (Utena, Key the Metal Idol). Although it is safe to state that the dubs that are done for television are quite awful.
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