Do you all prefer to watch anime subtitled or dubbed? What are your overall thoughts?
When I was a kid I pretty much watched all of my anime dubbed but the older I got, the more the dubs started to bother me. Acting felt awkward, especially during emotional outbursts, people in Japan spoke in Irish/Brooklyn/Southern accents for no reason, and sometimes people added in attempts at humor that were not in the subtitled translation (Yu Yu Hakusho especially).
After listening to Billy Crudup deliver two lines as Ashitaka in Princes Mononoke, I switched to subtitled and have stayed with it ever since. Since the switch, the overall dialogue felt less awkward. I generally liked most of the voices for a change, especially when it came to the supporting cast. When I rent or buy an anime, I don't even try the dub anymore; I go straight to the subtitled version. I'm not going to say that the Japanese acting is better, however, because I wouldn't be fit to judge that.
As a small example, I've listened to bits and pieces of the Berserk dub and I don't think it's even watchable let alone good. Casca's English voice in particular is painful and Goku doesn't belong in the Band of the Hawk.
When I was a kid I pretty much watched all of my anime dubbed but the older I got, the more the dubs started to bother me. Acting felt awkward, especially during emotional outbursts, people in Japan spoke in Irish/Brooklyn/Southern accents for no reason, and sometimes people added in attempts at humor that were not in the subtitled translation (Yu Yu Hakusho especially).
After listening to Billy Crudup deliver two lines as Ashitaka in Princes Mononoke, I switched to subtitled and have stayed with it ever since. Since the switch, the overall dialogue felt less awkward. I generally liked most of the voices for a change, especially when it came to the supporting cast. When I rent or buy an anime, I don't even try the dub anymore; I go straight to the subtitled version. I'm not going to say that the Japanese acting is better, however, because I wouldn't be fit to judge that.
As a small example, I've listened to bits and pieces of the Berserk dub and I don't think it's even watchable let alone good. Casca's English voice in particular is painful and Goku doesn't belong in the Band of the Hawk.