Trunks girl and I were discussing this not-too-long ago. When we watch anime or foreign flicks. we prefer subtitles. I don't know about her, but I'd rather have the dialogue be more true-to-life than audible. Dubbing takes away from the movie in that, first of all, it's really annoying seeing people's lips move and having different words come out, second, as I've said, it's more accurate when it comes to dialogue and it's kind of cool watching a flick with the characters speaking their native language.

How about you cats? Which do you like better?

Subtitles all the way. Dubbing is just goddamn painful. Plus, I think to be able to listen to a foreign language (especially if it's French).

Dubbing always looks wrong. Go Subtitles!

I nullified my vote because for me it depends on the circumstances and the movie. Sometimes I like dubbing because I can do something else and listen to the movie at the same time. When I'm actually concentrating fully on the movie I put it in it's original language and turn on the subtitles. And sometimes I watch with the dubbing beccause it's really badly done and I like to laugh at it!

*cringes at dubbing that neevr matches the mouth movements*

Can't stand dubbing- but my mother watches it that way.....makes me want to run from the room and hide 'till it's over.

I much prefer subtitles becuase I think that it's good to listen to other languages. I mean, people say that it distracts you from the actualy film, but I find it so much nicer to read it. I also think that dubbing is very furstrating, though it is quite fun to laugh at...

There is so much bad dubbing out there that I can't say it's better than subs, but when it is done well I think it lets you enjoy a movie that bit more.

I was watching Ghost in the Shell: Innocence last night, and I was expecting it to be dubbed like the last one was. They did such a good job last time this didn't bother me in the slightest. When there was no dubbed option I was a little miffed because the subtitles really intrude on the composition of the screen, and were written for the deaf. Yes, I know that subs were originally for the deaf, but when you're capable of hearing intruments beeping it is rather off-putting to have '(electronic beeping)' written on the bottom of the screen, destroying an otherwise perfectly composed shot.

I guess this just goes to show that there is such a thing as a badly subbed film as well as badly dubbed ones!

I usually only get time to put on films when I'm working so dubbed works better for me then too because I just maximise the screen for my favourite scenes and it keeps my mind ticking over when it's in the corner, but obviously I can't follow the story and animate if there's no dubbing.

If I'm lightly watching something, then I'll say dubbed over any time. Hell, I'll only watch Inuyasha, Cowboy Bebop, Yu Yu Hakusho, and Full Metal Alchemist dubbed, but then again I'm a whore like that. If I'm watcing a film, I can deal with subtitles alright, and if I'm playing a video game, it's really a 75 - 25 chance (in favor of dubbing) for me to listen rather than read. I'm lazy, I'm a n00b, I'm a whore, yeah... whatever. I have a good time.

For some reason I find dubs of Japanese films much more bearable in general than dubs of Chinese ones. Maybe the different sounds of the words in Mandarin are less like English words than Japanese ones so the mouths _really_ don't fit the sounds, or it could just be the low rate actors! To put it another way, I don't remember a single Chinese film dub that I've liked, but I can think of a few of Japanese ones.

For me, liking dubs is purely about convenience. I don't often have time to sit and read a film, so I've got films waiting to be watched from months ago that I just haven't got around to because of the subtitles. If I have the time, for example I've gone to the cinema, then I'd rather have the original actor's voices and subtitles. If you've got the time, then I think watching something with the subtitles is a far more involving experience than if it's dubbed.

I'm an anime purist. If I can't watch it in its original language, then I probably won't watch it at all. Language is not only a system of sounds; human thoughts, cultures, and understandings of the world all vary based on language, and to truly get a grasp on something created in a different language, a constant translation of sound is inadequate.

I know from personal experience watching anime that there are some words that don't seem to translate well into English, though it's done all the time. For example, the word "minna" is often translated to say "everyone" in English, when really the word is always used in a "y'all" connotation, where the speaker is directly addressing a small crowd of familiar individuals. English-speakers don't often use "everyone" in the same way; if the word is used to address a group, it is likely to be used to get the attention of a large group of less familiar people, such as at formal events or celebrations.

Also, with anime, you lose cultural subtext when the anime is dubbed. English has a very different way of addressing people than Japanese does. In English, you may call someone you know on friendly terms by their first name; the same is true with someone your own age/status in life. With strangers, you would probably address them with a title of Mr/Ms/Mrs, or Dr for those in high learning. The Japanese are similar, but have many more titles, denoted by suffixes, that instantly acknowledge the closeness of the relationship between the addresser and the addressee. Depending on if the first or last name is used, in combination with the suffix, it is easy to note the cultural norms. Also, in Japan, it is considered extremely impolite to use the wrong suffix when addressing someone, and in anime, this is often a source of humor. With a dub, English-speakers have to resort to name-calling of some sort to evoke the same kind of humorous response.

So much culture is lost with a translation, and if anyone considers anime to be a legitimate art form - as I do - it is easy to see why dubbing is inferior from an artistic point of view.

I tend to prefer subtitles, cause when I remember the movie lately, my mind tends to blend the actors voices with the meaning of the subtitles, and I actually 'hear' the actors voices in my head, speaking the english lines... Anyone else find this to be true?

Oh, and for those of you who prefer Dubbing I have four words: Battle of the Planets. Otherwise known as G-force. erg.

I like subtitles because usually the voice actors that they hire for the dubbing are so bad it's painful, and the lip movements never match.

The only exceptions to this rule are 70's kung fu movies and Princess Mononoke, one for the kitsch value, the other because they had good actors and since it was an anime the lip movements weren't very noticeably bad.

If you half close your eyes you hardly notice that there lips are moving in the wrong way

Oh well... I guess I'm outnumbered, but I'd like to point out that Cowboy Bebop's dubbing is fantastic, alright?

And Yu Yu Hakusho's isn't half bad neither.

MIKE IS A BLASPHEMER!

I remember one time trying to explain this rationale to the guys when we rented Hero. I tried to explain how and why subs are better, but they wouldn't have it. I went in my room and read comics for the duration of the movie.

And see, being a movie geek, I never watch movies casually unless and until I've seen them twenty to thirty times. That's just how I work. I'm always sitting on the couch or floor, eyes fixated on the TV. I'm seven into it when the guys come over, as we only comment when we've seen the movie a few times (like when I had to sit through Hero dubbed after I had seen it in subs and was comparing the dialogue).

Mike has a small point.

Cowboy Bebop's dubbing was probably one of the best I've seen, save Princess Mononoke. The dubbed voice types (especially Spike's) were close to the subbed ones. So yes, Mike you were right

But I still think Yu Yu Hakusho is better subbed. Kurama's voice is sexier.

But, seeing as how I normally don't watch anime on TV, (as to avoid most of the screechy voice actors out there), subs all the way!

As for live action- nothing but subs will do......nothing.

Well, of course if it's live action it needs to be subbed. I was talking about Anime simply because I'm a casual anime fan. I'd like to point out, though, for the Cowboy Bebop Movie, the English script was actually better than the Japanese, in my humblest of opinions. The subtitles didn't make as much sense as the English words, which, I believe, is fairly rare, yeah?

We don't speak of the Cowboy Bebop Movie........the entire thing was just bad......

What smokest thou?! The Cowboy Bebop movie was amazing!

It was like a two hour episode of Bebop, and that's exactly what I wanted.

The ending was awful...../spam