Ask John: Are Dubs Really Different Than Subs?

Question:
Is there really that much difference between subtitled anime and dubbed anime? Some people have told me that dubbed anime has more editing than subbed anime, so one misses more of the true story with a dub than with the subtitled version. Is this true or does it just depend on which company does the dubbing?

Answer:
The choice between dub and sub is naturally a subjective one. Some fans prefer to hear the voices in English. Some fans don’t want to have to read subtitles. Some fans prefer to watch and hear the original Japanese audio track. Generally dubbed versions of anime are either the same as the subtitled version or more heavily edited and altered than the subtitled version. Subtitled anime is intended for purists- anime fans that want to see anime the way its creators intended it to be seen. Dubs are intended for mass-market appeal, so dubs often leave out obscure Japanese culture references, change distinctly Japanese jokes to ones Westerners will understand, and often edit out or alter material that may be offensive or too foreign or otherwise unsuitable for the average viewer. How much a dub is altered from its original Japanese form depends on the series, the company that releases it, and its intended market. Anime dubbed for TV release is usually very heavily edited. The American television versions of Sailormoon, Dragonball and Dragonball Z, Card Captor Sakura, Pokemon and Escaflowne were all missing episodes from the original Japanese version. Tenchi Muyo and Blue Submarine No. 6 made it onto TV with all of their episodes, but footage in the episodes was edited out or digitally altered to be more presentable for television audiences.

Some dubs are quite good, especially ones intended for theatrical release, including X, Ghost in the Shell, Totoro, Princess Mononoke and Akira. Other dubs, such as the Slayers movie and Sorcerer Hunters, are so drastically rewritten that the dub dialogue should be more appropriately considered an American script than an English translation. As I said, the choice of dub or sub is a personal preference. Most dub versions of anime shows available in the US are available in both uncut and edited versions. Some of the exceptions I know of include the first two seasons of the Sailormoon TV series, Windaria (which is now out of print), Pokemon, the early Dragonball Z episodes, and the Street Fighter movie, all of which are only available in the US in edited, dubbed versions. The Nadesico TV series dub and subtitled versions are both uncut, but both versions contain digital editing. Both the dubbed and subtitled versions of Kite are edited. Sakura Diaries and the Maze TV series are both available in uncut dubbed versions, but both are the less risqu.$B!&.(BJapanese television versions rather than the more adult-oriented Japanese home video versions. Translation quality on dubs varies wildly, but you’ll generally find that dub versions are never quite as accurate a translation as a subtitled version because dubs have to translate the dialogue such that it matches the mouth movements of the animation. How much a loose translation bothers you will, naturally, be a big factor in deciding whether or not you want to watch a dubbed or a subtitled version.