Fan Issues With Japanese Dub

[Tsukento]

Something's been bugging me lately. Can't exactly put my finger on it though.

We all know the whole "Japanese vs English dubs" argument's gonna last until the end of time and there'll always be people saying one's better than the other.

But something bugs me with some of the excuses people come up with in regards to why the believe the Japanese dub is "awful." Namely, voice acting.

Just recently, I saw an argument about which dub had the better voices. Everyone went back and forth about which was better. Then came the English dub fans who threw the old "Goku sounds like a girl" excuse in the argument (yet Freeza, who's quite male, has an old woman voice in the English dub and nothing's said about that). Then others decided to toss in "Everyone sounds like a girl." as an excuse for the Japanese dub being bad.

I'm probably just listening to a bunch of people who don't know what they're exactly talking about, but isn't it rather..stupid to generalize that every character in each Dragon Ball series has a female voice and that guys must have deep booming voices?

I mean, I'm a 20-year old guy and I'm pretty much always mistaken for as a woman over the phone (something I hate but that's besides the point >_>). To say that all guys sound like women in DB/Z/GT and that grown men should sound like grown men is ridiculous, no?

I dunno, I'm probably just looking too much into this. Perhaps some of you can provide your opinions on this whole thing.

And just for the record in case anyone tries to use something against me, there are some English voices I like. So I'm not anti-English dub completely.

[desirecampbell]

I used to be quite divided about english dubbed anime for years. On one hand, hearing it in elglish is helpful (read: easier to understand) and makes it easy to identify with the characters and what they're doing, rather than reading what they're saying all the time. And, there are some wonderful english voice-actors.
On the other hand, something always gets lost in translation and it's easier to explain fully the meaning of a sentence with words than by trying to translate it into a sentence of the same number of sylables (so the lips and the words sync). And there are really good japanese voice-actors.
But, I realized today that when reading the manga I'd always interjected a certain voice for each character, and it's easy to listen to a japanese voice (which I can't understand) and read the subs and still 'hear' the same character.
I realized this when I watched Naruto on YTV tonight. It was one of the few episodes I've seen in japanese (fan-subbed) and read (english shonen jump) too. I almost puked when I heard it. The emotion of the scene (which was the same in the manga and japanese anime) was totally changed. I can't remember what the dialouge was, but just the voices - the english voices - killed it. Killed it dead.

I shouldn't use this as a gauge for all anime dubs, but it's hard to be pro-dub after this kind of experience.

[Magnaboss]

The problem with going "oh, but Freeza was done by an old woman!" is that Freeza, in the English version, sounded more screwed up as opposed to just an old woman. Goku in the Japanese version, on the other hand, just sounds like a girl. To some, it just doesn't fit at all.

Anyhow. it's as simple as people are just going to prefer different things, and there isn't much most people can do about it

[Duo]

I used to be quite divided about english dubbed anime for years. On one hand, hearing it in elglish is helpful (read: easier to understand) and makes it easy to identify with the characters and what they're doing, rather than reading what they're saying all the time. And, there are some wonderful english voice-actors.
On the other hand, something always gets lost in translation and it's easier to explain fully the meaning of a sentence with words than by trying to translate it into a sentence of the same number of sylables (so the lips and the words sync). And there are really good japanese voice-actors.
But, I realized today that when reading the manga I'd always interjected a certain voice for each character, and it's easy to listen to a japanese voice (which I can't understand) and read the subs and still 'hear' the same character.
I realized this when I watched Naruto on YTV tonight. It was one of the few episodes I've seen in japanese (fan-subbed) and read (english shonen jump) too. I almost puked when I heard it. The emotion of the scene (which was the same in the manga and japanese anime) was totally changed. I can't remember what the dialouge was, but just the voices - the english voices - killed it. Killed it dead.

I shouldn't use this as a gauge for all anime dubs, but it's hard to be pro-dub after this kind of experience.

I do much of that as well. When I read Dragonball I "hear" them differently then the Dub or the Japanese. I incline, however, towards the Japanese version. The first time I watched Coolers Revenge in Japanese with Subs...I hated Goku's voice and all that, but with time, I've grown to collect the DVD's just for that.

I feel shallow for ever disliking the Japanese VA's in the first place, especially since it was just...last summer. But I can understand a bit of the "Dubbie" mindset. They see the Japanese version as mysterious and strange, it isn't like the other Dubs and American Cartoons, so it is natural to fear/dislike what is new and not understood.

It can also be an effect of being immature...but most grow out of it if they try it a few times.

I dislike most of the American VA's now...it's all a matter of time, I guess.

[Jerseymilk]

I find it funny that people say the Japanese actors all sound like girls. Ryo Horikawa(Vegeta), Toshio Furukawa(Piccolo), Takeshi Aono(Piccolo Daimao/Kami-sama), Akira Kamiya(Garlic Junior, Ginyu), Shigeru Chiba(Raditz), Norio Wakamoto(Cell), Sho Hayami(Zarbon), and Daisuke Gouryu(Mr Satan, Enma Daio) all provide pretty deep voices for their characters. Plus the majority of the people I just named are veterans in Japan that have been at it at least twenty years.

The only ones that have females doing the roles for main characters actually are Masako Nozawa(Goku, Gohan, Goten, etc.) and Mayumi Tanaka(Kuririn, Yajirobe). Plus these two, especially Tanaka, specialize in doing male roles. I believe more it comes down to the close-minded way of thinking a lot of North Americans have. It sounds too different and foreign to them. Usually the people that make these statements are young males, so with the North American male mind-set, they just say something stupid and generalized like they all sound like girls. Really it comes down to ignorance more than anything else I think.

[VegettoEX]

I think the vast majority of the not accepting "Goku's voice" stems from the way that the series was introduced in the US.

We had DB for 13 episodes, and then we immediately jumped to DBZ. And it was DBZ, DBZ, DBZ for *years*. That's all. DBZ was what American fans knew, what they loved, etc.

So you've completely tossed out the window the whole "getting to know" the characters for a full 153 episodes before getting to the nitty-gritty of DBZ. (OK, let's ignore the fact that Goku's essentially a grown man at the 23rd tournament.)

Where-as the Japanese fans grew to love Goku as a child and had *that* voice (with *that* character) smashed into their brains for two years, week in and week out... American fans didn't have that. On top of that, they went through at least three voice changes (well, some of them). There wasn't a single "voice" and "character" and "persona" that American fans could associate together and grow together with.

There was just this guy that hit people, and better yet, HE WAS OMGDOWNWITHTHESICKNESS.

*forehead smack*

[Dominator]

To be honest, Goku's voice doesn't sound like that of a girl, more like that of a happy, innocent boy. He always has a tone to his voice and can sound anrgy and calm easily.

[Bejiita]

Sometime's Goku's japanese voice is so high pitched, but it definately beats the dub voice all over. There are even times where the dub Goku tries to sound like the Japanese Goku, and sometimes I can't help but chuckle when he's shouts out at certain parts, it's sounds so funny.

Goku's SSJ voice would have been good if it was like that all the time, because she does the voice more low-pitched and more angry.

Also, no one can beat Kuririn's original voice, it's like a certain tone that no dub voice actor can imitate or match, and it sounds so original. And for some reason I like Vegeta's voice so much, he actually sounds like a man, but in the dub he sounds quite stupid, excpet in the Buu series he doesn't sound that bad.

[Magnaboss]

Hey, this probably isn't going to sit well, but I don't think this is a "problems with the japanese dub" thread, moreso a "Circlejerk Backpat because we're awesome for watching it in Japanese, PS DUBBIEZ LOL SO STUPID" thing.

[Rocketman]

I just can't stand the sound of the Japanese language. To my ears, saying a JPN VA is talented is like saying someone is talented at scraping their fingernails across a chalkboard.

So, English version for me.

[DB_Fan]

I can't stand the english voices, specially Bulma, Roshi, Oolong, Krillin, Yamcha, ChiChi, The Ox-King, Lunch, Mr. Popo, Karin, North Kaio, the Narrator, Babidi, Fat Majin Buu, but specially Freeza's. I heard both dubs and the english one is for sure not my favorite. Mostly every character I mentioned looks more innocent and fit better their characters in the original dub, and when it comes to Buu, they do the opposite. And I don't even talk about the music they use in the english dub ... awful ...

[Magnaboss]

"sounds more innocent", okay, that line just proved you basically have no idea what you're talking about. Freeza is not innocent. Roshi, as a plot point, is not innocent. what what what

[Dayspring]

I just can't stand the sound of the Japanese language. To my ears, saying a JPN VA is talented is like saying someone is talented at scraping their fingernails across a chalkboard.

So, English version for me.

I like the sound of deeper voices like Piccolo's and Toma's, etc. I also enjoy Goku's, but only for the reason EX mentioned above. Kids' voices I can stand, but only because it helps add to the anime style of exaggerating all expressions and emotional portrayals.

As for the dub... Although I enjoy dubs, Dragonball through GT's dubs always either had VAs who couldn't emote or alter their own voices, or sounded like clowns. Literally; I don't know if this was especially intentional for Krillin, as the anime portrays him as a more comic character, but all you have to do is switch "guys" or "gang" with "kids" and he sounds like he's a clown-for-hire introducing himself.

[Jerseymilk]

Hey, this probably isn't going to sit well, but I don't think this is a "problems with the japanese dub" thread, moreso a "Circlejerk Backpat because we're awesome for watching it in Japanese, PS DUBBIEZ LOL SO STUPID" thing.

Did I say anything negative against the dub in my post? I'd like to thank you for that generalization. As a matter of fact, I thought Sean Schemmel, Ian Corlett, and Peter Kelamis actually did good jobs with Goku. I liked Saffron Henderson's Gohan. I also think that Eric Vale was a perfect American counterpart for Takeshi Kusao's Trunks. I can name other English voice actors that I also thought did a good job if you'd like me to keep going. I tend to be a person that prefers subs, simply because I like watching something foreign in it's original language. Why is it when people are into foreign films no one says that same criticism about them? That's considered being "cultured". You are being just as critical as the sub snobs you mention by assuming that's what we all are in this thread.

As a matter of fact, these days I tend to watch subbed and dubbed anime in equal amounts. So no, I'm not "circlejerk backpatting myself" over my opinion.

Rocketman wrote:

I just can't stand the sound of the Japanese language. To my ears, saying a JPN VA is talented is like saying someone is talented at scraping their fingernails across a chalkboard.

Ah Rocketman, thank-you so much for your impression of North American close-mindedness. Do you do parties?

[Rocketman]

Rocketman wrote:

I just can't stand the sound of the Japanese language. To my ears, saying a JPN VA is talented is like saying someone is talented at scraping their fingernails across a chalkboard.

Ah Rocketman, thank-you so much for your impression of North American close-mindedness. Do you do parties?

Yes, I do. Jackboots and armband cost extra, though.

[desirecampbell]

Hey, this probably isn't going to sit well, but I don't think this is a "problems with the japanese dub" thread, moreso a "Circlejerk Backpat because we're awesome for watching it in Japanese, PS DUBBIEZ LOL SO STUPID" thing.

It won't sit well because you're completely ignoring all the posts talking about BOTH sides. (Like mine, above).

We are trying to debate the pros and cons each presentation, we're not saying one is 'definitly better' than the other to everybody, we're atlking about what we like (personally) and why.

[VegettoEX]

Hey, thanks, everyone. Let's be total jackasses to each other. Perfectly acceptable on the Daizenshuu EX forum.

Magnaboss, it was a perfectly fine conversation until you popped in and made generalizations and assumptions that had absolutely *none* of the inferences you're describing (complete with people promoting the pros and cons of each language version). So what happens? You're a jackass, and then everyone else in turn has to do the same (myself included).

Locked because you're a bunch of dolts. Thank you, goodnight. May I point you to the MFG forums...?