My thoughts on subbed and dubbed anime...

I know that anime fans have very strict preferences when it comes to this subject. Most anime fans prefer subbed because, like me, they find that the voice acting sounds way more natural and realistic in Japanese even though we may not have the slightest idea what qualifies as good Japanese dialogue. Then, there are anime fans who prefer English dub because I have absolutely no idea other than the fact that it's in English. I've grown to heavily dislike dubbed anime because, compared to hearing it in a different language, the dialogue sounds cheesy as f*ck. I don't exactly blame the voice actors, though. I blame the people who wrote their f*cking scripts, which can be ridiculously lame. Don't look at me like I COMPLETELY hate dubbed anime, though. There are voice actors for anime dubs who actually know what the hell they are doing, so I've decided to make a list of anime that I think are good or terrible in English dub.

BAD DUBBED ANIME:

Naruto Shippuden: Yeah, I had to put this in firsthand. The dub for this anime sounds so goddamn wack. In fact, I think the dub for the original Naruto sounds WAY better. I still like Naruto's voice actress but the rest of the cast can sound so damn full of themselves.

One Piece: If you knew where One Piece headed, you'd be baffled. This popular anime actually got a 4Kids dub, and it sounds HORRIBLE. It's literally one of the worst dubs I've ever heard in my life.

One Punch Man: The dub to this anime was very disappointing especially considering the fact that it's from Vizmedia. There are many people who like the dub to this anime, but I found the voices and dialogue unfitting for both the characters and their personalities, especially Saitama.

Pokemon: The dub to this anime is actually not that bad, but it can sometimes be a bit too cheesy. I could cut it some slack, though, considering that it's a kids' anime.

Boku no Hero Academia: The dub to this is not that bad, but it can get a bit cheesy, and I don't blame the voice actors for this one because they did put a lot into their roles. It was whoever wrote the scripts who f*cked it up.

Speed Racer: I dislike the dub to this anime, but it's not really anyone's fault. This is one of the first anime promoted overseas so dubbed anime was pretty much getting started. The voices aren't that bad, but it has aged very badly.

GOOD DUBBED ANIME:

Dragon Ball Z: This would be the first example, in my opinion, of good voice acting in an English dub. In fact, I like the dub to DBZ MORE than the Japanese sub. I seriously can't stand Goku's Japanese voice. The voice actors fit very well with the characters and the scripting can sometimes be a bit lame but then it can sometimes be very good.

Cowboy Bebop: This anime got a fantastic dub. Same thing with Samurai Champloo, and it's all thanks to the cast. They got good scripts and their dialogue was spot on.

Tokyo Ghoul: I LOVE The dub to this anime, even though I'm not that fond of the actual anime. Both the voice acting and scripting are equally good.

Sword Art Online: I found the dub in this to be surprisingly good. It can go a bit wack here and there but it maintains some good dialogue throughout. Kirito's voice actor did a good job.

Kill la Kill: The dub to this anime is super good. In fact, I noticed that there's a lot of ad-libbing thrown in the dub, which is perfect.

Fullmetal Alchemist: I really enjoy this dub and Edward's voice actor is fantastic, especially when he yells. I'm not real fond of Roy Mustang's voice actor, though.

Fairy Tail: Even though I HATE this anime, I actually think the dub to it sounds really good. It's not overly cheesy and the voice actors put some great personality into their roles.

This small list is in my personal opinion. If you like the dubs to these anime, then that's alright. I would actually like to hear what anime YOU think have good and bad dubs. Care to share?

Comments

Nice post. I have to say that I agree with the list for the most part. I do think Funimation gave One Piece a much better and improved dub, so I think it might have been better to separate the bad 4kids dub and the good Funimation dub apart from each other. I don't watch One Piece, but from what I've heard from clips of it back when One Piece was still airing on Toonami, the Funimation dub is actually quite a step up from the 4kids dub, to say the least. - visitor (1/6/2018)

The Fullmetal Alchemist dub was amazing. Deserves a good 10/10. Another one I liked was the Seraph Of The End one, especially Lacus Welt's voice. Honestly he deserved more lines than just his scenes with Mika and Renè - TwilightKitsune (1/7/2018)

The Fullmetal Alchemist and Cowboy Bebop dubs were fantastic, and the one for Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad was great and didn't have the cringey Engrish from the sub. I think the worst dubs are for Madoka Magica and Serial Experiments Lain. Lain is understandable because it's an old dub, but it's still really stiff, and Madoka's is just so annoying. I swear, sometimes people who dub cute characters think they should pitch their voice higher, and it does not work. - Elric-san (1/8/2018)

I disagree with My Hero Academia and Pokémon being badly dubbed. I enjoy both of these dubs. Even though I’m kind of starting to dislike Pokémon’s dub a little bit in Season 21, it’s far from the worst in my opinion. I do agree that the One Piece dub is terrible, but only the 4Kids Version, Funimation has done a way better job with it cause I can tell. I also agree with DBZ and Cowboy Bebop being some of the best. There are other good anime dubs I know of too like Ghost Stories or Steins;Gate 0. - visitor (9/23/2018)

Isn't it just me or am I the only person who hated Geneon's English dub of Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha and Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha A's? - PerfectImpulseX (1/25/2019)