Subs Vs. Dubs: A topic that just about everyone who likes foreign media has contemplated. Why am I doing this random editorial? Well, I’ve decided that besides doing the reviews, I’ll be doing something different for every ten reviews that I write. My latest review of The Castle of Cagliostro was my 30th review, so now I’m doing this editorial. I also plan on doing Top 10 Lists and other stuff. I kinda just want a day to take time off writing a review. So now that that’s out of the way, it’s time for me to write what I think about subtitles vs dubs. Just mentioning that you prefer one over the other could lead to a long debate. I know that this has been talked about to death, but still, I thought I’d put in my two cents.
For me, it really depends on the movie (or show). Some movies are definitely better to watch subbed, especially for a serious movie. But sometimes, a movie’s much more fun to watch when dubbed. I almost never watch the new-age dubs done by professional voice actors that distributors usually put on DVD’s. If I’m going to watch a movie dubbed, it has to be the classic ones from the 80’s or 90’s or whenever the movie was released. I don’t know why. I just like hearing those overly enthusiastic voice actors doing their schtick.
There are even a few movies that I prefer to watch English-dubbed. For example, Ninja in the Dragon’s Den has one of the most amazing English dubs of all time. Never before have I seen such a hilarious kung fu movie. Sure, it’s still funny when subbed, but it’s hilarious when watching it dubbed. Of course, that’s because of lines like “I’m the Monkey God, here to make a monkey out of you, you ugly stinkin’ skunk f***er.” I’m not an avid anime fan, but the show, Hetalia, is the funniest thing you’ll ever see when dubbed. The voices, the accents, and those additional jokes are all top-notch.
There are even a few movies that I prefer to watch English-dubbed. For example, Ninja in the Dragon’s Den has one of the most amazing English dubs of all time. Never before have I seen such a hilarious kung fu movie. Sure, it’s still funny when subbed, but it’s hilarious when watching it dubbed. Of course, that’s because of lines like “I’m the Monkey God, here to make a monkey out of you, you ugly stinkin’ skunk f***er.” I’m not an avid anime fan, but the show, Hetalia, is the funniest thing you’ll ever see when dubbed. The voices, the accents, and those additional jokes are all top-notch.
And that’s another reason why people may like English dubs more: Because of the memorable lines. But if you want to take a movie seriously, English dubs aren’t the way to go. I don’t have huge problems with them (though there are few movies where I do; i.e. Nine Demons), but I’d be fine watching a movie dubbed. But still, I would prefer to watch a movie subbed if it’s available, though subtitles aren’t always perfect. My brief take on subtitles: I think that a lot of us can agree that watching a movie in its original language with subtitles (if needed) is the best way to watch a foreign movie. Or is it?
Let’s start off with the sometimes accursed embedded subtitles; They’re those white subtitles burnt onto a print where if you pan to something bright, you can’t see them. If your screen is too small or if the quality’s bad enough, they’re an utterly impractical way to watch a movie. What’s worse is when the subtitles are grammatically incorrect almost the entire running time (sometimes to comedic effect: Nightlife Hero). Well, a clear digital subtitle job should be the end of our problems, right? Unfortunately for us, some U.S. distributors think it’s a good idea to include “dubtitles” on their DVD releases.
For those of you who don’t know, dubtitles are subtitles of the English dub instead of an actual translation for those of you who don’t know. Sometimes the English dub adds a few extra lines of dialogue, so there might be subtitles even when no one is talking (see the Fox DVD of My Lucky Stars for an example). Even when they aren’t dubtitles, sometimes the subtitles still aren’t correct. You don’t have to be fluent in Cantonese/Mandarin to notice them either. Have you guys seen the Celestial release of Love on Delivery? Did you notice the Brokeback Mountain reference? Yeah, how does a movie from 1994 reference to a movie from 2005? Not to mention a scene from House of 72 Tenants where 369 says “You humped her and dumped her.” But to be fair, that was pretty freaking funny.
For those of you who don’t know, dubtitles are subtitles of the English dub instead of an actual translation for those of you who don’t know. Sometimes the English dub adds a few extra lines of dialogue, so there might be subtitles even when no one is talking (see the Fox DVD of My Lucky Stars for an example). Even when they aren’t dubtitles, sometimes the subtitles still aren’t correct. You don’t have to be fluent in Cantonese/Mandarin to notice them either. Have you guys seen the Celestial release of Love on Delivery? Did you notice the Brokeback Mountain reference? Yeah, how does a movie from 1994 reference to a movie from 2005? Not to mention a scene from House of 72 Tenants where 369 says “You humped her and dumped her.” But to be fair, that was pretty freaking funny.
In conclusion, neither are the perfect ways to watch a movie. Each has its own problems, but I still think I prefer subs over dubs. There’s something about listening to the original language that just feels right. While dubs are fun to watch (sometimes), I’ll only watch them if I can’t find the original language version. But still…
Images from LoveHKFilm, HK DVD Heaven, Chopsticks on Fire, and BuzzFeed
Images from LoveHKFilm, HK DVD Heaven, Chopsticks on Fire, and BuzzFeed