Heard two guys at a con arguing about sub vs dub and it actually made me switch sides

I always figured dubbed anime was for people who couldn't keep up with subtitles, you know? But last month at Anime Expo I overheard this one dude making a point about how the English VA for Spirited Away actually matched the character's age better than the Japanese voice. He said something like 'the original actress was 40 playing a 10 year old, the dub actress was 12.' I watched it again with the dub and honestly it hit different. Am I the only one who changed their mind on this after hearing a specific argument?

3 comments

3 Comments

jake74713h ago

I mean, that Spirited Away point is actually pretty solid now that you mention it. I remember sitting in a hotel room at a con last year with a bunch of strangers, and someone argued that the English Sailor Moon dub from the 90s was way better because they actually gave each character a distinct voice instead of the Japanese version where everyone sounded like a high-pitched scream. I had never thought of it that way. It's weird how one random comment can just flip your whole perspective on something you thought you had figured out. Now I find myself listening more carefully to both versions when I rewatch stuff, even if it's just for background noise.

pat_murray5313h ago

The Japanese vocal performances are more nuanced though, that dub was super cheesy.

abby_morgan186h ago

super cheesy" is doing a lot of heavy lifting there... sometimes a dub is just fun and you're overthinking it.