JanaiBlog Editorial: The Sub-Only Debate, and Why Dub Fans are Upset
Dubs. Some people hate them, some people love them. In my time as an anime fan, I’ve gone both ways. There are some dubs that I absolutely love and some that I absolutely despise. But the term “dub” seems to be becoming more and more obsolete in the anime industry these days. In these tough times, some companies are releasing their DVDs in a “sub-only” format. Simply put, these DVDs have only Japanese audio, with English subtitles. No English dub. I, for one, have had very mixed feelings on the matter.
I’m a person who enjoys good dubs, and I actually prefer to watch anime in English as long as the dub is good. So naturally, seeing a blog post like this one got me very worked up. The author’s harsh choice of words in the last paragraph agitated me quite a bit:
[Dub fans] believe every anime should be dubbed in English. Oh please. These people need a reality check. Badly. Dub fans still have Funimation, Viz and Media Blasters to rely on for dubs, but how long can they really take on the financial losses? Get a dose of reality English dub fans, because at this point, you should be looking for a new hobby or adapt to the changing market. You don’t get what you want anymore. Got that? Good.
I feel this paragraph would have been better supported by factual statements about the industry, rather than by outright attacking dub fans. Anyone who feels the same way as the original poster of this article needs to understand how we, as dub fans, feel.
Us dub fans are the ones who have been supporting the anime industry for years. We buy the DVDs, many times just for the dub. We’re not the people who simply download a fansub, watch it, and then say goodbye to a series. We buy the DVDs because we want what the fansubs can’t offer, and that’s an English dub.
Now, I understand that we are in tough times. I also do realize that at this point, this is the only option for some companies. But you have to understand that the Anime companies’ decisions to offer DVDs in a sub-only format frustrates us a bit.
Now, I do not expect every anime to get a dub. In fact there are many shows that don’t deserve a dub. But there are also many shows that do, and those are the ones I’m upset about. It’s insulting to me as a fan, and is an insult to the shows themselves to not dub them. I’m talking, of course, about Hayate the Combat Butler, Kannagi, and Clannad. These shows were immensely popular in Japan and among English-speaking fans as well, so naturally I expected that they would be getting a dub. When I first heard that Hayate was licensed, I was ecstatic because I always wanted an English dub of that show, plus I know that Bandai tends to do very good dubs. So of course, when I heard the news that Hayate was going to be sub-only, I couldn’t help but feel betrayed.
I have religiously supported Bandai throughout the past few years. I’ve bought every single Limited Edition volume of Haruhi, Lucky Star, and Gurren Lagann and spent hundreds upon hundreds of dollars in doing so. Hearing the news about Hayate and Kannagi was like a dagger to the throat. I felt “Gee, this is the thanks I get? F— you, Bandai.” Of course, I’ve calmed down since then, as that was only my initial response. Still, the damage was done, and my loyalty to Bandai has been shattered.
So when you see these angry posters on the ANN forums raging about how they can’t stand all these sub-only releases, this is why. It’s not that us dub fans don’t understand why the companies are doing this. It is simply the fact that it frustrates us that so many great series’ are being “wasted” through a sub-only release.
The solution? Well, there is none. It sucks, and we just have to deal with it. But please at least understand how we feel. I just hope that once the anime companies get back on their feet, we’ll see the revival of dubs. Ideally, I really want these companies to go back and do dubs for the aforementioned shows, because they really deserve it.
Posted on 2009-08-10, in Editorial and tagged adv, bandai, clannad, dub, funimation, gurren lagann, haruhi, hayate the combat butler, kannagi, lucky star, media blasters, sub-only. Bookmark the permalink. 6 Comments.
I watch both dubs and subs but to play devil’s advocate a lot of it has to do with today’s economic situation. A lot of companies at this point are just trying to stay afloat and so they have to make a lot of cost cutting decisions. The most cost cutting effective strategy is to not produce a dub. On one hand it will lower the potential sales of the product (because some people won’t buy sub only releases) yet on the other producing a dub, especially among niche shows, won’t yield much profit or sometimes less profit. In the case of Hayate the Combat Butler, Bandai made that audio statement before the economy tanked. They originally thought they could get the show on TV, which is why they had plans to dub it, but that didn’t happen. There’s no way they could dub a 52 episode show that would get no exposure and make a profit on it. Releasing it sub only was the only option Bandai had in order to make money off the show. Very few companies have the luxury to dub shows anymore. The lone exception might be FUNimation but they have a parent company to financially back them. In the case of FUNimation they are able to dub all their shows because they tend to pick up shows that can profit with a dub, have effective means to expose said shows through their FUNimation channel and online means, and cost cut in other areas like putting more episodes on disc, cutting out extras, charging higher prices, etc. We’ll probably never get back to the golden age of anime where most shows could get a dub. Especially now since the newer generation of anime fans are used to getting their shows for cheap or free. Companies have to adapt to the demands of these newer fans because they are essentially the financial support back-bone to the industry. This is why companies are trying to make their releases cheaper so that these fans will buy them. In the end the economy pretty much determines how the anime industry does things, which is why we’re getting more sub only releases on titles.
Thank you for that. However, I’m already fully aware as to why the companies are doing this. The point I was trying to make in my blog was to point out why dub fans are upset by this, since many people don’t seem to understand why we find this so frustrating. However, I know the companies have to do this to make ends meet. It sucks, and I just have to deal with it.
I appreciate your frustration. I also like listening to English dubs.
However, I think you may have undermined your point. You seem to be saying that, because you bought several series from Bandai, their lack of a dub on Hayate was a personal insult to you and that it completely changed your desire to support the company. That’s such an over-the-top reaction to a business decision that it’s easy to dismiss your understandable frustration at seeing your preferred vocal language fall out of favor.
Again, I want dubs, too. And maybe your reaction wasn’t as strong as it comes across to me. But I think this is one reason why sub fans are dismissive of dub fans — we treat English dubs as if their presence is our God-given right.
That really was only my initial reaction to the situation, as I stated in the post. The truth is that despite this, I am actually buying sub-only DVDs. I’m not happy about them being sub-only, but I still want to support the company. Plus I refuse to download fansubs of a series that’s licensed, so spending money on True Tears and Sola was the only way to go. I plan on buying Clannad soon as well.
This is Article is perfection.. Its how I’d would like to explain this situation but I am not good with words but this is greatness..
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