Ask John: Are Purists Hypocritical for Supporting Fan Dubs?

Question:
It seems like a high percentage of American otaku claim to hate any and all dubs, yet they also seem to completely support fan dubs. This has always struck me as hypocritical that they would shun official dubs yet support amateur, and quite often worse quality fan dubs. So, what’s the reason behind this logic?

Answer:
I wouldn’t say that a “high percentage” of American anime fans dislike dubbing. On the contrary, dubbed English dialogue has always been the preffered form of translation among American anime viewers, and in my own observation, the percentage of American otaku that dislike dubbing has always been quite small. Likewise, in my own observation, fan dubs have always been rare, in part because producing any variety of fan dub requires a number of people and relatively skilled technical knowledge. So I can’t speak on behalf of any number of American fans that dislike commercially produced English dubs yet still support fan produced dubs, but I can explain my own advocacy for that seemingly contradictory stance.

I personally dislike the practice of dialogue dubbing. I don’t like Japanese anime being dubbed into English language, American film being dubbed into Japanese language, French or German live-action film dubbed into English. I just don’t approve of any film, animated or live-action, being altered from its original native language by anyone beside the film’s original director. However, I do seemingly approve of fan dubs of anime. Specifically, I support and encourage any fan engagement with anime. I absolutely don’t think that an amateur produced English dub is the ideal way to watch an anime, nor do I believe that foreign amateur fans altering a creative team’s artistic production without authorization should be considered any sort of legitimate parallel or equivilant to the original work. But if creating an amatuer dub allows fans to enjoy an anime, become more involved in anime culture, and develop a greater understanding and appreciation of an anime’s characters and narative construction, then that fan engagement with the anime is productive and commendable.