Ask John: Why Wasn’t Ghost in the Shell 2 Dubbed?

Question:
Many fans of dubbed anime seem to be very angry and disappointed that Sony and DreamWorks did not dub the Tokyo Godfathers and Ghost in the Shell 2 movies, but rather chose to treat them as “foreign art films” released in Japanese language with English subtitles only. Since most TV series and OVAs are released in the United States bilingually with Japanese and English audio and subtitles, should the companies have dubbed these movies?

Answer:
Any response to this question will likely come very close to touching upon the traditional schism of the American anime fan community, the hotly debated “sub versus dub” debate- the argument over whether non-Japanese viewers should watch Japanese animation with its original Japanese language and English subtitles, or with its original dialogue track replaced by an English language one. My intention is to not turn this into a “sub versus dub” argument, although I’ll need to at least refer to some aspects of that debate in order to come to a conclusion. The question which I intend to answer is only whether or not DreamWorks and Sony made a valid decision to release their respective anime DVDs in America with Japanese language only. I think that my answer to this question can be extended to all American release anime DVDs, and, in fact, all foreign language films released in America. And I think the answer to this question may be useful to anime fans in clarifying their own position and principles.

First we need to establish the purpose of an English dub. Bilingual anime DVDs have become the standard release format for anime in America, so I think that many American anime fans have adopted a belief that English dub translations are an obligatory element of any anime released in America. I don’t think this is true, and don’t believe that it should be true. Contrary to the belief apparently held by many American anime fans, a dub is not primarily a form of literal translation. English dubbing is a marketing tool primarily designed to make foreign films easier for English speaking viewers to digest. English dubbing makes foreign films seem less foreign. Although American niche market linear television networks like the International Channel and ImaginAsian TV air Japanese language anime, mainstream American television networks targeted at mainstream America do not. The English language dub of Steamboy is at least 14 minutes shorter than the subtitled version. Presumably the removal of 14 minutes of footage, in addition to an English dub, is intended to make the foreign film more palatable for mainstream American viewers. Likewise, the Japanese release of the 2004 Yu-Gi-Oh movie is 11 minutes longer than the original English language version, which suggests that shorter running times are considered more suitable for mainstream, English speaking audiences. The purpose of dubbing, sometimes in conjunction with other edits, is to make anime less challenging and foreign for non-Japanese speaking viewers, thereby making it more profitable for distributors.

Sony and DreamWorks, for their respective American DVD releases of Tokyo Godfathers and Innocence, seem to be treating these foreign art films like foreign art films. (Both films are undeniably foreign, both of them are easily defensible as “art,” and both films seem to be targeted at the selective “art film” audience that consumes artistic and intellectual cinema.) Ironically, since Sony and DreamWorks seem to be concerned with preserving the artistic nature of these films by forcing viewers to watch them as their creators intended them to be watched, these companies have earned the ire of many English speaking anime fans. Allow me to cite an illustrative example. The second Vampire Hunter D motion picture has been a bigger commercial success in America than either Tokyo Godfathers or Innocence. Vampire Hunter D Bloodlust was made with English language audio, and released internationally with English language audio. Considering that Vampire Hunter D Bloodlust had already established a precedent, I think both directors, Satoshi Kon and Mamoru Oshii, could have made English language dialogue tracks for Tokyo Godfathers and Innocence if they had wanted English language dialogue. In fact, Tokyo Godfathers was even animated by the same studio that made the English language Vampire Hunter D Bloodlust film. I think the fact that these films were made with Japanese language dialogue tracks implies that the directors wanted these films to have Japanese language dialogue. In fact, considering that the first Ghost in the Shell movie was more successful in America than it was in Japan, making the film in English would probably have been a more commercially wise decision. Yet the film was not made with an English audio track.

Many English speaking anime fans seem to believe that they’re entitled to English language dubs of Japanese animation. This belief seems exceptionally ethnocentric and egocentric. The primary purpose of dubbing is to make foreign film more profitable in worldwide release, a goal achieved by making foreign film less alien and intimidating for viewers. Dubbing is a commercial compromise imposed upon foreign film. I’ve heard the argument that English dubbing removes the element of distraction from the viewing experience- that dubbing allows for a more immersive and immediately impactful viewing experience. While that may be arguably true, what the viewer is experiencing is one step removed from the film that Japanese animators created for their audiences. So at the same time English dubbing makes anime more accessible and easy to watch, it also removes at least the sound of the original dialogue- the inflection and vocal tone, not to mention subtle characteristics of Japanese language. I believe that Japanese release anime films with English dialogue like Armitage the Third: Polymatrix and Vampire Hunter D (2000) prove that if Japanese directors want their films to be primarily watched with English dialogue, the films are originally made with English dialogue.

In the absence of any formal explanation from either Sony or DreamWorks regarding their translation decisions regarding Tokyo Godfathers and Innocence, it seems apparent that both distributors prioritized respect for the artistic integrity of these films above desire to sell more copies, and above satisfying American consumer demand for a convenient viewing experience. Signs point to these films being ones that are intended to be watched the way their creators made them. Rather than criticizing Sony and DreamWorks for respecting the artistic and foreign character of these films, I, for one, respect both distributors for having the courage to challenge English speaking viewers to step out of their comfort zone and watch Japanese films that have Japanese language and Japanese themes.