When presented with two options, humans will always argue over which is better. Apple vs PC, Coca Cola vs Pepsi, white meat vs dark meat, etc. Regarding the entertainment medium, Sub vs Dub to established anime fans is considered life or death. It is the basis for whether you truly experience the content to its fullest or as a fleeting joke never to be revisited. To me, matter of preference has no effect on my viewership. Whether it be subbed or dubbed, whichever enhances my enjoyment will be the winner.
Why the Beef Between Sub vs Dub?
Avid anime watchers are familiar with the countless jokes and articles of the subbed or dubbed debate. Sub watchers are portrayed as elitists due to watching the “intended” version while Dub watchers are classified as the clueless layman who does not know any better. There are many factors as to why this debate has prolonged its stay over the spanning decades. Sub content is considered the authentic way to enjoy anime from the language and other details like puns or food. Dub on the other hand is a convenient way of consuming the content in one’s native language as well as creative freedom with the script. While this over saturated subject is continually explored, a rare outlook of enjoying both is often lost in the debate.
This debate is mostly prevalent in anime because in its early stages, dubbed content was extremely lackluster or flat out bad. Dub gets a bad reputation due to certain intricacies being lost in translation and most of the voices not fitting the portrayed character. This was also noticeable in video games with select games having the worse voice direction imaginable. Thankfully, with the passage of time, dub content was taken seriously and produced talented English voice actors to even the playing field. Staple names like Christopher Sabat, Michelle Ruff, Steve Blum, and other VO’s (voice actors) makes dub content easier to digest than ever before. The hard-working English talent in Dub releases lately in both anime and games have made the process of choosing to watch Sub or Dub a little bit harder.
Which to Pick
Overall, the one of the main arguments hinges on the voice actor’s delivery. Sleek looking animes can certainly attract the average anime watcher but the character voices are what make or break the show. It is solely up to the voice actor in question to convince the audience that the content they are watching is being taken seriously. Anime has a tougher crowd because if the character is not portrayed correctly then that dissuades interest from the show. Video games are more lenient since emphasis on gameplay is essential than playing in Sub or Dub voices. Remarkably, most older games lack the option of a language option since it was either fully voiced in English or Japanese.
The reason why I never gave in to choosing one over the other is because both Sub and Dub offer rewarding encounters. Sub captures the raw emotion and weight of the scenes were as Dub brings charm to the story with reliability with the native language. An example of this would be Hiromu Arakawa’s Fullmetal Alchemist. Whether you watch the original 2003 run or Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, both shows are worthy in Sub or Dub. The Sub VO’s give it their all and the Dub VO’s bring a sense of depth with the many characters that appear throughout the show.
The same goes for video games, although, certain games give you the ability to choose. One of my favorite aspect about modern fighting games are the ability to choose which language your character can speak. A prime model of this would be the 2008 release of Street Fighter IV. After completing the arcade with any character, you could go into the options and switch the language to English or Japanese. This was essentially a godsend for me because hearing certain characters in English was too much for my ears while others in Japanese were downright annoying. Regardless, the flexibility to choose how to participate in said experience is always welcomed.
Final Thoughts
Of course, the debate will never tire out because one camp will always prefer one over the other. It is ultimately up to the viewer on how they experience the media whether it be subbed or dubbed. Streaming services have certainly made it easier to view shows in any type of language. I indulge any avid fan to try the other side to see if it strikes a chord with them and make their own assumption. Especially if it has a familiar voice actor that could potentially alter how they watch the subject. Sub vs Dub is fruitless because no matter what, both can provide a wonderful immersive period of enjoyment.
I would also like to draw attention to this video describing the history of Sub vs Dub. It provides excellent details on the debate as well as some further insight.
I prefer both but it depends on the paticular anime. Some are better dubbed and others subbed. As long as the intended intensity is there