My buddy swore subbed anime was better and I fought him for years

I used to be team dubbed only back in high school, around 2010. My friend Jake kept telling me I was missing out on the real voice acting and emotion by watching dubs. I'd always roll my eyes and say I didn't want to read my shows. Fast forward to last year, I finally gave Attack on Titan a shot in subbed because the dub was behind a few episodes. Man, I got hooked way harder than I expected. The screaming and raw anger just hit different in Japanese, no offense to the English cast. Now I pretty much watch everything subbed unless it's a comedy where timing matters. Has anyone else had that moment where they switched sides and couldn't go back?

3 comments

3 Comments

adams.taylor14d ago

You ever notice how the same scene feels completely different depending on the language you watch it in? I had almost the exact same thing happen with Tokyo Ghoul back in like 2014. My cousin swore by subs, I thought he was being a snob. Then the scene where Kaneki is getting tortured just hit me way harder in Japanese. The raw pain in his voice felt more real, less like he was acting. I still watch dubbed for stuff like Cowboy Bebop or DBZ because that's what I grew up with, but for anything with heavy emotions, subs win every time. @dixon.felix is spot on about the lip flaps too, it helps the acting feel more natural when mouths match the words. That connection to the story is way stronger when you're not fighting against bad timing or awkward line delivery.

val_wilson14d ago

Have you ever read that thing about how subconsciously, when the mouth movements don't match the words, our brain works harder to make sense of it? I swear I read a study a while back that said mismatched audio and visual cues can actually tire you out mentally, so you lose that connection to the story. It makes total sense why those raw emotional scenes hit different in the original language. Like with the Kaneki torture scene, your brain isn't busy trying to figure out why his mouth is saying one thing and the words are saying another. It's just... in the moment. That's probably why subs feel more immersive for heavy stuff.

dixon.felix14d ago

My buddy Kevin back in 2011 swore by subs and I thought he was crazy. Then I watched the first episode of Fate/Zero with him and the scene where Kiritsugu is talking to his dying wife... man, that raw grief in Japanese just hits different. I still watch some dubs for comfort shows like Dragon Ball because I grew up with the english voices. But for anything serious or dramatic I gotta go subbed now. The lip flaps matching the original language timing makes the emotion feel more real too. No hate to dub actors they work hard but subs just connect me to the story harder.