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Old 2012-09-11, 14:59   Link #5
TinyRedLeaf
Moving in circles
 
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Singapore
Age: 49
All animation is dubbed, by the way. I imagine that most animators would prefer that viewers focus on the art rather than read distracting subtitles.

As always, it's a case of how much you're prepared to lose in translation. Poor translation is an issue, regardless whether it occurs in the voiced script or the subtitles. The challenge of a dub is that it requires voice acting talent, and the quality of acting will vary from place to place, and title to title. Certain amine, like the aforementioned Cowboy Bepop, as well as, say, Black Lagoon, do particularly well in English because the subject matter is more familiar to Western pop culture, and are hence easier for English-speaking actors to perform realistically.

Personally, I've observed the quirk that Cantonese-dubbed anime is often as good as the original Japanese, while Mandarin-dubbed anime is often horrible. The difference in approach is noticeable: The Hong Kong-based actors tend not to treat the show as kids' entertainment, that is, they adopt more naturalistic, and hence more realistic, tones.

The Mandarin dubs tend to be Taiwan-based, and frequently use exaggerated "squeaky" voices that grate on the ears. I suspect much the same problem exists with English voice casts. When treated with respect, English dubs can shine, too, such as the British dub of Arrietty, for example.
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