|
The penetration of anime in the world of cinema and TV is so massive that it has dominated the viewing habits of most people. The popularity of anime in these medium, along with DVDs and the Internet, paved the way to the production of more anime series shown on TV. The rise of anime challenged creative teams to find ways and innovate to make their shows stand out from the rest. This competitive blood brought attention to quality soundtracks and, most especially, to voice dubbing. Japanese dubbed anime exported to different countries see extensive change in language, content, and meaning when shifted to the receiving country’s mother tongue. Indeed, there are many differences that exist between Japanese and American dubbing that people who watch anime online notice. In terms of processes, Japanese dubbing showcases a number of voice talents. They usually render an average of four hours to complete a 30-minute episode. American dubbing sessions, on the other hand, take place with one actor recording at a time. Each episode is finished within two-three days. Moreover, feature animations take longer to complete like the Disney dubs of the films created by Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki. These take eight weeks on the average to complete. The dubbing processes differ and so as the acceptance of such art. People who are involved in the anime world, critiques and fans alike, know that there is a never-ending debate on subs versus dubs. The so-called subs are the series that retain the original actors’ voice and language with an addition of written translation usually below the screen. Dubs, on the other hand, refer to those anime series that have been dubbed by the receiving country’s language. Dubbed anime no longer has the written translation and they mostly change the names of the characters as well to suit the dubbing. For instance, Sailormoon’s Japanese name Tsukino Usagi was changed to Serena when they aired the animated series in the US. Moreover, in an online survey conducted by a website, 1392 (80 percent) of the 1739 voters preferred subbed anime, while a mere 227 (13 percent) liked dubs. Further, 120 (6 percent) of voters said that they appreciate both. However, the debate doesn’t seem to end especially now that anime is being distributed in more countries other than America where receiving countries dub the shows in their own language. In the anime fan community, there exists a group called Purists or die hard Otaku. Purists are people who watch anime in their original form with subtitles. They refute watching dubs as they see it as a form of blasphemy of the original series. A purist philosophy exists that these die-hard otakus follow. First, they believe that anime is a distinct art form. Moreover, because it is art, any changes made to the original are a compromise of artistic integrity. Lastly, because dubbing into a different language undermines the artistic integrity of the anime, the only proper way to view anime is in the original, unedited, unblemished Japanese version with subtitles based on a literal English translation. Non-purists argue that dubs are better than the original shows because they don’t have to read the subtitles anymore to understand the characters lines. They further add that dubs make it easier for them to appreciate the show since they are more focused with the graphics and no longer disturbed by reading. A non-purist claims that she only buys anime series with dubs because it is hard for her to understand the original videos. Purist perspective begs to disagree because the exact context and meaning intended by the original creator is altered, disguised, and obscured when it is dubbed into English or any language for that matter. These contextual discrepancies become a conflict when the literal English translation is forced to jive with the lip movements of the characters—and lip synch is one important element American audiences highly regard in their animation. Moreover, the Purists advance the opportunity of learning Japanese through context clues and direct translations through subs. Lastly, other non-purists believe that it all boils down to accessibility. Dubbed anime can be showcased in large rooms or cinematheque where people do not need to worry about not understanding the film because the person in front of them is blocking the subtitles. Subs versus dubs is a never-ending debate for people who watch anime online, via DVD, and on TV. People have their own preferences on what to get and what will be most beneficial for them in the end.
Related Articles -
watch, anime, online,
|
