same here. when i rediscovered anime, i started off watching dub only. i didn't want to "read" what i was watching :P (anime was vhs only back then too). but then anime that i wanted to see got released sub only, so i broke down and bought a couple. i haven't looked back not once.

and yes, my argument is valid, and no i dun speak fluent japanese. i know words, phrases, etc. more than enough to understand and "get" the nuances, inflections, etc. 13 years of watching subbed anime will also induce a need to understand the culture from which anime comes from - Japan. what better than to learn even more about japan and the japanese people from past to present so that i can understand even more about the anime i love. one doesn't have to be fluent to understand. that is, imo, just an excuse of someone who doesn't want to take the effort or try because it is easier to watch it in english where all that "work" is taken care of for them.

and it's not work, imo. it's love, and to what extent each individual otaku wants to take their appreciation and love for their passion. i don't think it's a matter of who is right or who is wrong because it is an individuals choice to decide how they are going to view their anime (and any other foreign films). but it is an undisputed fact that foreign production is best viewed in their original language and setting, and that no matter how faithful and accurate it is, there is a loss of quality when dubbed.

that being said, i do think that the voice actors of today vs 5 and 10 years ago are very good at what they do. i also think that the dub scripts are far more accurate and faithful than they were. a dubbed anime when done well is a faithful creation by the voice actors and production crew. in a sense, it has become a new creation of its own born from the original anime. but that doesn't change the fact that the original Princess Tutu (for example) is still the original work of art/tv series.

my good friend of almost 13 years watches the large majority of his anime dubbed. even now, when we have conversations about an anime, there is always at least an instance or two where i will be talking about a scene, plot development, or character and he will have no idea what i am talking about because i watched it subbed, and in the dub, it was changed. it kills me sometimes -.-

i wouldn't buy a dub-only release because it's not the original release. it's a matter of principle for me. so yes, i can understand ur frustration that it isn't being released in the language u normally watch it in. personally, i would say take this as an opportunity to give a subbed anime a chance

I watch probably 50% of my anime with subs, or have you not been reading that subs/dub isn't that big of a deal for me. But I just prefer having a dub to watch and I am more likely to buy one dubbed over sub only.

And when you said that just because I don't watch only subs that I don't or can’t learn anything about Japanese culture or don't know anything about it in the first place is a little disturbing.

that was my bad. i misread/misunderstood one of your posts, and for that, i do apologize -.-



i may not have worded it properly. i'm sorry if it was disturbing. what i meant, and didn't get across properly, was that (for a large majority) dubbed anime just isn't going to have the ZING that subbed anime has. what the individual viewer does with that reality is their choice, and i do believe that i wrongly ranted at you for that. i am sorry.

and in defense of dubs, it is disturbing and upsetting for me when the subtitles get a lackluster, shoddy treatment. i feel cheated, maybe even just a little disrespected, which may be how you feel when not being given the option to view anime in your personal preference of anime.

Blood+ for example. i have heard exempler reviews of the dub, and yet the subtitles are dubtitled. i about cried when i saw that because i was so looking forward to buying and watching it

~sighs~

looking back, i think i cam across rather harsh. peace? i'll make cute kitty faces and sparkle at you

Its all good man, I was a bit defensive myself because this can be a touchy subject for me for no reason. I have had people jump all over me in the past about how I am not a "sub luver" so I get a bit trigger happy.

I also find it particularly disheartening when I do happen to watch the subs and they are giant white block letters that take up 1/2 the screen. Fan subbers seem to understand that colored text and fonts can had so much to the experience to watching anime also. I have noticed several titles in the past that will put dual track subs on it, one literal and one that is word for word what the dub is. But in the case of Blood+ it is actually pretty remarkable that it got a DVD release at all so we should be thankful for what we got at all. I am personally waiting for some kind of sale that will enclude the box set in it *hint hint Dark Lord wink wink* so I can buy it. Wile it is an awesome deal at the current price but still.

While there are many shows one can consider "unlikely" licenses, because they're too niche, too cultural, or stuck in a genre the R1 mainstream does not like... Blood+ is not one of them. Action and vampires and a tie-in to a well known movie?

Hardly a "remarkable" license. It was almost inevitable, and so one shouldn't really settle for less with the self-excuse that we're lucky to see it at all. (Not that one should settle for a bad release in general, but less so here.) Now Aria, Marimite, Kanon, Air, those are pretty shocking licenses.

i know what u mean. it's human nature, i think, to feel defensive about something u/we/i are passionate about. if it's malicious, then that's another story. then i give em a piece of my mind, then move on. i gots things to do, ya knows

ugly subs, ugly fonts, bad color choices. all of them are huge no-nos in the k-chan english subtitles rule book. many companies get it right most of the time nowadays, but i remember some back in the day that were horrible. i had to brush up on my japanese even if i didn't want to. that way i knew what was being said even though i couldn't read the subtitles.

i mean this in a good way, any studio reps on this forum, but there are a few fansub trends that i would love to see on my domestic anime dvd releases:
**english and romanji/kanji subtitles for the OP and ED. a ton of fansubbers do this and i love it. usually the english subtitles are on the bottom with the romanji/kanji subtitles on the side or top.
**more information all-around about the many cultural, historical, symbolic references in the anime. if some can be pointed out during the anime, great. otherwise, i have absolutely no problem seeing and reading them as extras on the dvd. for a little bit a few years ago this was semi-prevalent. now, i dun see it at all anymore. it's quite a loss, imo.
**some things just don't translate over well into english. use the word, or small phrase in japanese and subtitle it up above. i'm already "reading" anyway, so it won't mean anything different to me. if anything, i won't be aggravated that it got changed, and not necasarily in a good way.

i dun think it's a miracle Blood+ go licensed at all. like the previous poster, Blood+ screams mainstream. i was more surprised than anything else that a US license for it wasn't announced until the 2nd season was almost over in japan.
Blood+ is available as a single dvd release, or you can buy the whole first season in a collected box-set. the box-set is already out, which baffles me as to why the heck they are even bothering with a single dvd release then O_o

ah, but i digress... ~sweatdrop~

dun forget Yawara and Macross tv. how for many years i hoped they would get licensed and VOILA

I was talking about the fact that it is Sony that has the license. They don't have the best anime DVD record

Ok, that's a bit different. I wouldn't say we're lucky they got it, but it was unexpected. I can only hope they never license anything I want.