To watch anime with subtitles or not – that is the question. Some purists believe that the only way to truly appreciate anime is to watch with the subtitles on and only with subtitles. These are the same people who want to learn Japanese so that they can read their manga the way it was written. That’s hardcore and sad at the same time.
While I must watch all live-action Asian cinema with subtitles, I don’t have a problem watching anime dubbed. I mean, with anime you have a lot of room to putz with the words to match what the characters are saying. Live action on the other hand, never sounds or looks good dubbed. Speech patterns never sync up and it comes off hokey when some white dude tries to play a kick-ass ninja. So, with anime, slap some English on top and if they do it right it turns out pretty good. If you have a crappy voice cast and people who don’t know how to overlay sound, however – not so much.
I guess I would prefer one over the other after I’ve asked myself a few questions: Is there a lot being lost in translation? Does the story make more sense in Japanese? Does the voice cast blow? Are the subtitles done right (i.e. are the subs the right size, are they moving too fast/slow)? Another question I usually ask myself is whether or not it makes any difference if I watch it either way. If that last question is no, I’d rather watch it dubbed.
That’s not to say I never watch anime with subtitles. Sometimes it’s preferable or inevitable. There are always those times when they cast the wrong people for the voice work or they try to make the script more palatable to Westerners. Then there are also those times when there is no choice for an English dub.
After many series where the cast just stunk and/or there was a lot lost in translation, I’m giving consideration to watching them with subtitles. Someone told me that Shinji from Evangelion isn’t such a whiny bitch when he speaks his lines in Japanese. Hello! Really? I have got to check that out since that and the whole “ending” took the series down a notch in my eyes.
On the other hand, anime is a very visual medium. Hayao Miyazaki of Spirited Away fame supposedly said that. Even if he didn’t, I still agree with the sentiment. When you’re busy reading subtitles and trying to digest them, you miss so much. Action scenes for example, or nuances in the scenery, or maybe movements from the characters that might mean a great deal. Sometimes if I’m watching a scene that needs my undivided attention, I switch off the subs and watch in Japanese, just so I can know what the hell is going on. It’s all really a matter of personal choice and availability and not of one is better than the other.
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