MovieChat Forums > Mononoke-hime (1997) Discussion > English dub haters please get over yours...

English dub haters please get over yourselves.

posted 13 years ago by JockeyFullOfBourbon
69 replies | jump to latest

I love all of Miyazaki's films and Spirited Away is my all time favorite film. However it seems like every time I look at a board for one of Miyazaki's films there are like five or six threads on how bad the English dubs are and that if you don't listen to the original Japanese mix you're not getting the "full experience".
Well I'm sorry but when I watch a Miyazaki film I like to actually watch the stunning visuals on the screen and not the bottom subtitles the whole time. I feel that if you spend the whole time reading the subtitles you can't get the full experience.
So please all of you people who think you are so high and mighty that you can't possibly listen to an English dub because it ruins "the true intentions of the film" stop acting like such pretentious snobs and just enjoy Miyazaki's fantastic storytelling and wild visuals.

"What" ain't no country I've ever heard of. They speak English in What?

[–] entropicchaos 12 years ago

If you read fast enough it's not a problem. If you get used to reading subtitles you kind of both read and watch the visuals at the same time.

English is my second language, but even so I watch with Japanese audio and English subtitles. That works out fine. When I can do that, people with English as their native language really shouldn't have a problem with it.

In my country, Norway, all movies except children movies, have been subbed and not dubbed. It has worked fine for ages.
That's is why I find that it's lazy to demand dubbed movies. In addition I quite often think that it sounds stupid.
It looks stupid as well because the lips are never really synchronized.

[–] j_money77 12 years ago

Actually it is a problem because, to read subtitles, your eyes have to focus on a specific portion of the screen, limiting your view. Film is a visual medium and if you're forced to concentrate your eyes, and brain, on only a fraction of the frame, you're missing out, whether you know it (like I do) or not (like you don't)

I never said subtitling films "doesn't work" simply that a good dubbing is far superior to a good subbing.
It's hardly lazy, in fact, quite the opposite. I recently watched Winter Light, once sbutitled, and again dubbed. The dubbing was far superior because it was done well and I could concentrate on the entire frame of the film, not having to avert my eyes from the subtitles at the bottom of the screen just to try and take in the imagery.

[–] pvollan-1 12 years ago

Actually, it is not. If you have to "force" your eyes and brain to read you might be dyslectic, or simply aren't used to subtitles, no offense. Having watched subtitled movies ever since I learned to read, I soak up the words like nothing by glancing, it's simply a second nature at this point. As dubbing isn't really a part of the movie culture here in Norway, nothing except childrens movies are dubbed. And most of them sounds like *beep* with a few good exception.
I once glanced at a Harry Potter movie dubbed to my language, it was literally repulsive.. :P

"whether you know it (like I do) or not (like you don't)"

Pfft, get the over yourself, sir. Sure, you might miss a couple of frames of the total 24 per second, you might miss the actor blink. For me it is more important to have the native language for the intended, wholehearted experience. Though, that said, that is more important for live-action. I can enjoy a well dubbed animation, but would still prefer the native language with subs.

In the end, it all about what you're used to and prefer. But reading subs, as long you're used to it, is absolutely NO problem for the experience.

[–] j_money77 12 years ago

That's just not true, and i've already stated how I'm talking about good dubbing, not bad dubbing, why would anyone want a bad dubbing?

Funny u tell me to get over myself when u boast about how "its important to have the native language for the intended, wholehearted experience,"

Yea...if u want the wholehearted experience why have any subtitles at all? Why not just learn the other language?

Funny u claim i'm not used to subtitles, watched more subtitled films than I can remember. And you're just flat out wrong about what you miss by forcing yourself to focus on only one part of the frame.

Film is a visual medium, not many film crews make a movie with the intent for the audience to be reading script at the bottom of the screen every second.

[–] smikislt 11 years ago

I watch a lot of anime, but saying that you should watch subs on movies like this is silly, those subs are so poor that even worst dub is better
Unless you speak Japanese i dont see how reading bad sub is better than listening to " ok" dub.

I am used to so much text when watching anime, but every time i see ghibli movies subs, those always contain 3-5 words per sentence, and always much shorter than english dub, sure you can say dub adds extra, but then i dont see how super short subs straight to the point adds anything to the movie, let a lone extra atmosphere.

Half the time subs wont even connect properly or make real sense, they are clearly shorted so viewers can read in time.

This is coming from someone that watches 2-3 animes a day.

[–] shadethenightfury 11 years ago

Miyazaki has actually stated that he doesn't mind the dub. He's basically said that the only way you're not going to lose anything is if you actually speak Japanese- the subs can be just as bad in being lost in translation, so it's really whichever version you prefer.

[–] tasneemuddin 11 years ago

Unless you can actually speak Japanese, even a mediocre dub is worth it over the subs. The dub in SG films tend to be excellent so what more could you want when they went ahead and hired well-known actors despite the studio having little international exposure.

Get over yourselves elitists, it just makes you seem like basement-dwelling weabos.

[–] Smeggins 11 years ago

I myself dont care if it is subbed or dubbed. Unless you speak japanese and understand it, you really wont even know if the voice acting is acually good or not. people who do not understand or speak japanese dont really know how words or emotions are expressed in the language. if it is a good dub with good actors then you understand the emotion in the dialogue. but of course there will always be people who hate dubs for no reason other than its not the original.

[–] CapnKaos 11 years ago

Unless you speak japanese and understand it, you really wont even know if the voice acting is acually good or not.

That's silly. You might miss out on nuances or cultural idioms but a lot of things are universal when it comes to speaking.

I'll be the first to say that Miyazaki dubs happen to be quite good. I'm more than happy to watch them dubbed into English or some other language I understand. Many times jokes or lines are subtly changed to reflect the culture. But I find I get the most enjoyment out of it with the subtitles because then I am getting the whole picture. But then I do speak Japanese so there's that.

[–] Smeggins 11 years ago

you speak japanese. exactly what i mean. then you understand the tone of voice and emotions they use.. i myself dont. i have seen all kinds of dubs and not all are good. i live in sweden and have seen swedish animated movies. when dubbed to english they sound okay because i understand it. but english on anime is good sometimes and just cant stand people who hate it because they say it is not translated right, but how can they be certain if even the subs are right either.. just sayin

[–] space_station 11 years ago

You don't get the 'whole experience' for sh!t if you're reading a
movie instead of watching it. I totally agree, "English dub haters
please get over yourselves!"

*~* *~*

[–] Arkoth 11 years ago

If you don't speak Japanese that doesn't mean you're unable to understand tone of voice and emotions, in fact you CAN understand only THAT, and those emotions are the ones we should be getting and not someone else redubbing it later.

So, five-card stud, nothing wild. And the sky's the limit.

[–] DeusExKatrina 11 years ago

IMDB's demographic lends itself to purists, who would be harsh on dubs. Don't think you're alone in loving the English version.

While I prefer the Japanese version, Princess Mononoke has one of the best dubs I've seen. The only way in which it really lacks is that the animal-god voices are much too light and don't have the menacing, venerable quality of the original voices.

---
"Pride is not the opposite of shame, but its source. True humility is the antidote to shame."

[–] Arkoth 11 years ago

original audio > dub, always.

So, five-card stud, nothing wild. And the sky's the limit.

[–] angelesfernando 11 years ago

People usually hate subtitles when they don´t know how to read.

[–] j_money77 11 years ago

^ I don't hate subtitles, and read a hell of a lot, but it's been established that reading subtitles takes away from the experience of watching a movie. You can't focus your mind on processing the text at a particular part of the screen and take in the action all at the same time.

I prefer a good dub because it doesn't take away from the visual experience of watching a movie.

[–] RbSnedlap 11 years ago

As dubs go this isn`t all that bad, they got a very good fantasy writer Neil Gaiman to write the English language screenplay.

"Any plan that involves losing your hat is a BAD plan.""

[–] palvdb 9 years ago

I'm Dutch and for as long as I can read I've been reading subtitles. I can understand you might get used to it, but while watching a subtitled movie, I am not actually being aware that I'm reading, I honestly think it's just a problem with native English speakers. I also just want to be able to watch anything in its most original form. I also just don't think the sound of the language fits with the visuals.
Now if you happen to be a bad reader: that's a different story.