Subbing vs. Dubbing: the only
Internet Backdraft that rivals the
Ship-to-Ship Combat.
Some hardcore fans will insist that subbing is the only way to go.
The worst of them will mock dub fans for being "illiterate" or "unrefined" and won't seem to accept that people have different opinions.
Every once in a while, however, some game or anime will come along that makes these haters cringe. The dub cast is brilliant. Their voices fit the characters to a T. Maybe the original version had some astonishingly cringe-worthy moments of
Gratuitous English that the adaptation filters out. Even the fact that the dubbers
changed some of the jokes, and perhaps even a
personality or two, doesn't change the fact that it just shines. Sometimes the dub is just
good. This unfortunately does not always stop these
haters from bashing everything related to the dub.
The most famous example is the English dub of
Cowboy Bebop, which is just as equally liked as the original Japanese version. Another notable one is the English dub of
El-Hazard: The Magnificent World, which is even stated
by the creators to be the definitive voice cast. And every dub that
Disney has done for
Studio Ghibli is approved by
Hayao Miyazaki himself. Of course, even with these dubs, your opinion may always vary, thus examples are to be signed and state your personal opinion.
Note that while this debate can heat up quite a bit even in the English-speaking world (the majority of which hardly ever gets in touch with any sort of non-native art), it can escalate to ridiculous proportions in Europe, Japan and other territories that tend to import a vast number of English-language products, aimed at mass audiences.
The ultimate contrast of
Macekre. Compare
Woolseyism, which those dubs may sometimes contain. See also
Creator-Preferred Adaptation.
Notes
- Just because a series is listed here does not necessarily mean the the dub is superior to the original, just that it is very good in its own right.
- Some people talk about "the dub" when they are referring to the English dubs. Please, avoid that.
- Try to include links to examples. They make this list a lot better.
- While we do have a section for "Tropers", please try to list the dubs under their language with no troper name whatsoever. That makes this section a lot tidier and easier to read.
Examples
Generally Well-Dubbed Works
There are many shows/anime/movies that have a superior dub in many languages.
The reason usually is that the product in question was expected to be a hit, so it makes sense hiring expensive translators and great voice actors for something that will sell a lot. It also helps when the producer company and/or the publisher have its own localization department.
Note: Don't write anything about a particular dub of a movie/series here. Use the languages below instead.
Dubs