Dub vs Sub
Added 2025-02-16 12:16:58 +0000 UTCInteresting poll running on my YT channel currently. In my personal opinion as content creator:
Sub - I find it a bit harder to watch as I'm focussing on reading rather than action etc. although I met get better at this over time. Might be harder for viewers as they too will have to read. I can potentially enlarge the portion of the screen with the subs in editing (which also disrupts the clips for copyright). And in editing there can be more continuity as I can have sections as just the sub. Editing isn't so much an issue on Patreon as I can leave far more in. On the plus side I get to hear the original emotion and i see the actual words of what are being said.
Dub - Easier to watch (for me). Maybe easier to follow along for viewers. At the mercy of the voice actors to convey the right emotion. The words are different to what was actually said originally. Can't really have subs on at the same time as they are so different to what is said on screen and it gets confusing.
Interested in people's thoughts and preferences.
Comments
one thing that some of my newer anime watcher fans did when STARTING their anime journey was watching the anime episode in sub, then watch it again in dub, especially the first 5 episodes, because that's where most of the lore dump is to introduce the words, get used to the names etc. because that usually is the scary part, even if watching in dub, a new show is still new in terms of world building, so watching first 3-5 episodes of 20 minutes in sub then dub, allows them to get the world building out of the way, and hten enjoy the sub for rest of the show. AND while doing that, u get a feeling if the sub is superior to the dub in that regard. For example, i'd say Solo Leveling has a decent dub compared to the sub, and i'm a sub enthusiast. Attack on Titan and Demon Slayer dub weren't horrible but they lacked the emotion that the subs had. FullMetalAlchemistBrother actually has an interesting phenonmenon where some dub episodes are better than sub and some sub episodes are better than dub, so it's good to notice those.. But if you're asking me to do a BLIND check, throw a rock in a general direction at a random anime and answer sub or dub? i'll always say Sub. Because a good dub is the exception to the rule, not the norm. Sub just flat out wins every other time.
Cyber
2025-02-22 22:01:31 +0000 UTCThanks for this, some good points there.
Lenny
2025-02-22 12:21:38 +0000 UTCI prefer sub for myself, but understand why other like dubs and sometimes when I’m too exhausted to really pay attention, I’ll put on the dub
Jalissa Baker
2025-02-18 09:31:03 +0000 UTCYes. It is true that the subtitles and dub don't match. Usually subtitles are more literal, while dub has some nuances and adaptations to express other stuff, plus actors have to mimic the movementsnif the mouth so it doesn't look terribly off while watching the character speaking. I personally agree that it depends on the show, to me anime is a Japanese language and culture so I always watch it in its original language. I personally dislike dub, even if it is a great one. I also grew up reading subtitles for everything so I don't even bother worrying to much about what I am missing from the scene, because it has became second nature, like driving. Sometimes I just understood and have no memory of reading. Anyway, usually people have already watched the shows in their preferred way, so pick the method that works for you.
Jehan Sandra@sandrasalem
2025-02-17 13:50:37 +0000 UTCIt depends - as so often. As a native German speaker i grew up with a lot of excellent dubs. Some even say Germany might be the dubbing world champion. I partially agree with that and still love most german dubbing. When I started watching anime and asian movies, I also began reading subs. At first that was annoying, because when reading I miss lot of the visual elements in the movie and the subs often only give a brief overview of what actually being spoken. On the other side, the original cast/seiyu IMO usually conveys the intended emotions way better than foreign language voice actors (of course, there are exceptions). So meanwhile I've gotten used to subtitles and choose them whenever possible, unless a movie has a lot of complex dialog the subs can't convey. But in general, it's more important to me to get the right emotions (and the things between the lines) then to understand every single word. Regardless of wheter you watch dubs or subs, some information is always lost in translation. So the best option would be to watch a movie in original language, assuming you can understand it. ;-) About Arcane: I've watched it in both German and English (with subs). I think they're both great, but I still prefer the English version because some accents and meanings have been lost in German. And Ella Purnell is just hard to beat...
Desint
2025-02-17 13:37:39 +0000 UTCEnglish is not my first language so all my life i used subs (my language or English). I prefer them over dubs not because the voice actors can't deliver but because there are slightly differences in how they are asked to deliver their lines and i mostly feel that the original fits better. BUT this is your channel and you should do as you want because we (or should i saw I :)) )are mostly watching your reactions not the shows 🤷🏻♀️ (for example, i know all the anime series you reacted and i was more curious how you look at them)
Teo
2025-02-17 11:59:19 +0000 UTCWhen I first started watching in sub because a show I liked didn't get one of its seasons dubbed, it felt weird to switch to new voice scores and names and to read but since then I have become a lover of subs because the voice acting is superior usually (for most shows) and you get to actually feel the conveyed emotion better. What I can tell you is that it took a few weeks to adapt but it becomes easier when your eyes get used to gravitating to the text and balance what you're seeing on screen for the show vs the writing. The best example I can tell people about watching subs, it's like your first few times driving a car: when you first drive a car, you're asked to look ahead to keep the car straight while driving but also look to the sides from closer objects but also look at your dead blond spots and don't forget to keep your hands in the 10 position, and be focused but relax your muscles, don't lean too back but also not be leaning close to stearing wheel, and anything that someone says in the car or if the radio is on, becomes distracting... and also dont forget to check your mirrors every few seconds especially if you need to switch lanes while also keeping track of your car speed and other car speeds and other cars and their turn signals and the road clarity and random kids or animals crossing etc... and youre like ahhhhhhhh how do people do this! But the more you drive the more you subconsciously notice the end of the horizon ahead and you get that "feeling" of when you need to look at your dead blond spots depending on how many cars you drive around or what you're doing or if you're taking a turn or switching lanes, etc... To the point where , after a while, you might end up developing muscle memory so good that you sometimes realize that you're driving right now and you don't even know how you were driving 5 seconds ago because you weren't actively doing it, just driving in passive mode subconsciously. Thats how watching an anime in subs becomes. You can't get good at it overnight, but it's also much less complicated than people think it is, and it just needs a bit of practice and patience and the reward is much much much more impactful to know that you CAN watch shows in sub and enjoy them, but a dubbed show has decent quality (albeit rare) and you want to watch a scene in English because you want to not because you have to.
Cyber
2025-02-17 08:49:56 +0000 UTCI love dub and sub, but I will always vote sub unfortunately. I can see that you want to watch dub. It's just not the same. I have also had times where I wanted to watch dub just so I didn't have to waste my time reading. But if you do it for a while, like a few episodes in a row, you'll get used to it and you will get fast enough to still be able to watch and read at the same time.
Christian F
2025-02-17 04:41:03 +0000 UTCfor me personally i prefer dub, just because i like to pay respect to the dubbing actors as well, because i generally feel sub is more popular and gets more love... but also, it can be, in a very eventful show(even something with lots of dialogue like death note)i struggle to read the subs and watch whats going on fully at the same time. thats just me though, if you chose to watch things in sub going forward i think thats fine too
Cherry
2025-02-17 03:39:12 +0000 UTCI think so. I don’t know if this is true across the board or only for some shows, but I’ve often noticed the English subtitles just being an exact transcription of the English dialogue rather than a translation of the Japanese. The differences are usually relatively minor, but if you care about getting more accurate dialogue via watching in Japanese with subs, the default Netflix subs won’t give you that, at least not reliably. I know just enough Japanese that I often catch the English subtitles on Netflix being inaccurate to what is said in Japanese, though the general idea of what is said is usually similar. It most often happens with pleasantries or cultural things that don’t make as much sense to translate directly for an English audience.
Amorena Nobile
2025-02-16 23:55:46 +0000 UTCFor myself, I'm not a subtitle purist. Heck one of the anime that I was the most wary of watching the dub for was one called FLCL (or Fooly Cooly), since a number of the jokes are rather rapid-fire Japanese puns, but when I did watch it, I was honestly pretty impressed with how they did with it. And you've got classic shows like Cowboy Bebop which has an amazing dub. Though, you've also got things that just don't have dubs, like the movie Paprika... so sometimes, you've just got to take it as it comes. Also, all three of those titles could be really interesting for you to watch from a psychological perspective ;)
Michael Morris
2025-02-16 21:45:54 +0000 UTCyeah I barely look at them at all, they are just there because viewers asked for them to be on. But when i did AoT the subs were wildly different from what i was hearing and it really put me off, but maybe again I can get more into it where im just ignoring them. Although looking at all the polls I might give sub and original audio a try if I can find the right subs.
Lenny
2025-02-16 21:36:27 +0000 UTCI tried that with AoT but it completely through me off hearing English but also being able to see subs that were completely different to the English that was being spoken. I dont get why the english subs cant just match the english words.
Lenny
2025-02-16 21:35:01 +0000 UTCHold on, just to clarify that if I am on Netflix (or using content downloaded but originated from netflix) then the 'original language' audio option with subs set to 'English' wont actually give me the right subs?
Lenny
2025-02-16 21:33:40 +0000 UTCyeah I think this is probably what it is with me, its just that initial discomfort and 'weirdness' of having to read but I'm sure it will get easier.
Lenny
2025-02-16 21:32:07 +0000 UTCI think thats a good way to do it.
Lenny
2025-02-16 21:31:33 +0000 UTCI would recommend going for whatever is easier for you. I'm a dub and sub watcher personally and don't really see the issue with either - Tend to go for dubs unless there isn't a dub available when I decide to watch said anime. Dubs are pretty good on newer anime for the most part.
Lyza
2025-02-16 19:17:41 +0000 UTCIt really depends. Some dubs are quite good (my hero academia) and some are absolutely awful (one punch man). Typically I watch a few minutes of each to gauge how much the dub takes away from the experience, if it isn't a huge difference I watch the dub.
anadoob
2025-02-16 18:15:35 +0000 UTCIMO reading subs gets a lot easier over time. The inconvenience is wholly worth it as a lot of huge moments don't hit as hard with often sub-par VA work, which is often the case with these post hoc and detached English VA casts.
Harris
2025-02-16 17:57:34 +0000 UTCIf dubs are easier for you please just watch dubs, dubs are just a better format when it comes to reactions. There's always going to be a large group who tells you to do subs, but go with what you're comfortable with please, it will make for better reactions.
Ghost Mom
2025-02-16 17:12:34 +0000 UTCFor some with particularly good dubbing: -The Ghibli films (all of them are great, but I especially recommend Princess Mononoke!) -Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood -Frieren (I haven’t finished it but what I’ve seen of the dub is quite good)
Amorena Nobile
2025-02-16 17:08:45 +0000 UTCAnime on Netflix and other similar platforms often uses a transcription of the English dialogue as the subtitles, so watching Japanese with subs doesn’t get you a more accurate version of the dialogue. You may have to find fansubs in a lot of cases to get an accurate translation of the original Japanese. I think for your purposes, dub would be better in most cases. English dubbing has gotten better for anime over time. If you went back to some older ones, the dub might just be unpleasant to listen to, but for most newer anime you might as well just go with the dub. Anyone who understands Japanese can tell you the differences/nuances in the comments. I do suspect most of the anime community will disagree with this though. There’s generally a huge preference for subs, because it’s generally accepted to be a better experience. But for anyone who’s not used to reading subtitles and isn’t at all familiar with Japanese, I don’t really agree with that.
Amorena Nobile
2025-02-16 17:00:31 +0000 UTCFor me it depends. For animes i usually watch with subtitles and original sound because i am used to it because in the Past not all animes were realeased and dubbed in germany. Sometimes there are translation issues as well. But for arcane for example i am grateful for the english subtitles and english dub because they help me understand the dubs more. BTW i really suggest watching ghibli films. Usually they all have something to learn from it ans i would love to watch it with you. For example "grave of the fireflies" is a pretty old one but it has war as a topic. Most known films from studio ghibli are 'Spirited away' and 'howls moving castle' and they all are on netflix ATM too! Another anime i really love is 'the girl who leaps through time' which shows that everything comes with a cost.
Diana Janovsky
2025-02-16 14:16:08 +0000 UTCDub for some, sub for the rest As a general rule go for sub, but you should have some people you ask (don't put it to a vote) and get an opinion on specific anime. For example FMA:B and Bebop are good enough to be dub, death note is a tossup, psychopass should be sub. Aot is a wierd one (dub starts pretty poor imporves across the run and becomes very good by the second half of season 3)
Patrick Dawson
2025-02-16 13:56:31 +0000 UTCim more dub as being dyslexic following subs is to difficult and i have to stop and read and try to figure it out which all leave me no linger interested as any entertainment is loosed and feels more like a task.
sarah pickles
2025-02-16 13:43:01 +0000 UTCI would say, that some shows that have great dub, use those for the channel so you and the viewers can relax a bit, still keep CC on for non native speakers. Then other shows with great voice acting and not so good dun, play them in their original languages with subtitles. Alternate.
Jehan Sandra@sandrasalem
2025-02-16 13:26:18 +0000 UTCYou always watch Arcane with subs... are you usually ignoring the subs?
Simpelicity
2025-02-16 13:03:29 +0000 UTCThe general consensus, especially in the Anime Community is that you should always watch with subs. However, in my humble opinion the difference in the experience between sub and dub is often exaggerated. I would recommend you try both variants and then decide what is best for you personally
Kabidu
2025-02-16 12:58:40 +0000 UTCReactors need to be a little selfish at times, and do things as it suits them. If one of the two options hinders your appreciation of said content, just go with the other. As simple as that.
Leo Rover
2025-02-16 12:41:55 +0000 UTCI didn't write my first thought very clearly. Very rarely something in Russian dubbing comes out at the same time as the release, so 90% are subtitles
alex lavrenof
2025-02-16 12:35:58 +0000 UTCAs a non-native English speaker, I've mostly always watched either in the official dubbing of my language, but mostly in subtitles. Almost all shows are on Japanese TV and it takes an average of a week to get some kind of order, and even longer to wait for dubbing. So most fans who watch "ongoings" watch in subtitles and get used to the original dubbing. Besides, I can say for sure, it's very rare when dubbing reaches the quality of the original These three reasons overlap and that's why there is such a huge difference (at least I think so)
alex lavrenof
2025-02-16 12:33:00 +0000 UTCAnother show on Stu's shortlist with a really well performed dub is Cyberpunk Edgerunners. Maybe that doesn't count, since it was written with western audiences in mind from the start, but the “official” language is still Japanese.
Matt Sturgeon
2025-02-16 12:32:09 +0000 UTCIm quite a sub enjoyer myself but I empathise with the points you mentioned and I think dubbed is simply easier and more accessible for you, i dont necessarily think it takes away a ton this way and its also better for your workload long term :3c
kyrosh
2025-02-16 12:30:12 +0000 UTCI voted dub, I think it's the right call for the channel, but when watching by myself l always go for sub
Daiwie
2025-02-16 12:20:33 +0000 UTCI've always preferred subs as things can be mistranslated and you lose some context/jokes/emotions, there are some shows where I adore the dub but the majority I would watch subbed, for shows with great dubs you should look at Delicious in Dungeon, Ghost Stories, Code Geass is brilliant in both sub and dub, Black Butler there are certainly more just not off the top of my head XD
TaroGhostie
2025-02-16 12:20:10 +0000 UTCWhile I understand why people say the sub is better, and I would say they're USUALLY right. For death note specifically, I've watched both, and I can say the dub is REALLY well done and I would argue doesn't diminish the experience at all. Watch the dub.
Sam Beam
2025-02-16 12:18:47 +0000 UTC
