c/anime-discussions

Dubs vs subs, found out the actual numbers behind the debate

I was bored last night and wondered how many people actually watch anime dubbed compared to subbed. So I dug into some streaming data from a few sites, not official but fan-run polls plus Crunchyroll's own numbers they shared at an expo. Turns out subs are still way ahead globally, like 70/30 split, but the US is almost 50/50 now for newer shows. I thought dub fans were a tiny minority but it's basically half the English speaking audience. That really surprised me because every forum thread I see is all subs all the way. Has anyone else seen different stats or noticed the shift in their own friend group?

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paige_west•1d ago

Warning: that "streaming rights" chart from 2019 is badly outdated now

I was rewatching some old podcast clips about anime licensing and one guy kept referencing a chart showing which platforms had what. Turns out that chart was from before the Crunchyroll and Funimation merge. So many shows moved or got delisted. I checked like 5 different series from that list and 3 of them switched platforms without me knowing. Anyone else get blindsided by old licensing info when trying to recommend shows to friends?

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averym82•5d ago

Bought a $160 Blu-ray box set and it totally changed how I watch rewatches

So I grabbed the complete 90s series of a show I loved as a kid, the one with the mecha fights that aired on Toonami back in 2001. Streaming just has that weird compression and the audio sounds flat. This disc set, though, has the original broadcast audio and the colors pop way more. Cost me $160 at a local convention last month, and honestly it's been worth every cent. I've rewatched three arcs so far and I'm catching background details I never noticed. My only gripes are the menus are clunky and I need to swap discs every 4 episodes. Does anyone else buy physical copies just for the remaster quality, or am I just getting old and nostalgic?

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grayh60•11d ago

Just found out anime in Japan airs 3 months before US release, my whole watch schedule is off

I was looking up release dates on AniList for a show I wanted to start, and I noticed the Japanese simulcast started back in April while the dub only came out last week. It never clicked for me that the gap is that big for most seasonal shows since I always just follow the English release calendar. For people who follow raw airings, do you usually just watch with subs on the original schedule or do you stick to the official stateside drop?

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victor_butler•18d ago

Watching dubs with subs on changed how I hear Japanese

I mean, I always thought dual audio was just a gimmick until last month when I put on a dub but left the subtitles running by accident. Hearing the English while reading the Japanese translation made me realize how much gets smoothed over or cut for timing. Like in episode 7 of that mecha show, the sub had a whole joke about the pilot's lunch that the dub just skipped. Now I rewatch older stuff with both on and catch way more detail, even if my brain gets a little scrambled. Has anyone else tried this or am I just making my viewing way more complicated than it needs to be?

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dixon.ryan•24d ago

The fan sub discussion at last year's Anime Midwest rewired how I watch dubs

I used to be that person who refused to watch anything but dubbed. It was easier, I could knit while I watched, you know? Then at Anime Midwest last September I got stuck in a panel about localization choices. Some guy brought up a scene from a show I loved in dub, and he played the sub version side by side. The sub had this tiny pause in the voice acting that made the whole emotional beat land way harder. I sat there for like 20 minutes after the panel just replaying scenes in my head. Now I watch everything subbed first, and if the dub is really good I'll do a second pass. Has anyone else had a single convention panel flip their whole watching habit, or am I just easily swayed by a good argument and a projector?

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laura940•25d ago

PSA: Skipping the OP on watch parties actually ruins the pacing

Ran a rewatch group for Frieren last month with 6 friends and everyone wanted to skip the opening theme every single episode to save time. I kept quiet about it at first but by episode 8 the emotional beats felt flat, nobody was hyped for the big moments and I realized it was because we had no windup. So for the next arc we watched every OP and ED on full, and it was a totally different show. The transitions hit harder and the quiet scenes landed way better. Anyone else notice this or do you all skip theme songs on purpose?

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milap35•26d ago

My friend's hot take on dub vs sub wrecked my whole stance

Was chatting with my buddy Leo at a con last Saturday, he said dubbed anime feels like watching a play through a foggy window because you miss the raw voice acting. I've always been a sub elitist but he pointed out how some dubs let you actually watch the animation without reading, which I never considered. It hit different because he wasn't trying to change my mind, just explaining his own experience with a specific scene from Frieren. Now I'm rewatching stuff I wrote off years ago, has anyone else flipped sides on this after a random conversation?

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jade226•29d ago

Why I dropped the subbed version of Haikyuu for the dub after 3 seasons

I picked the English dub over the original Japanese track back in March because I got tired of reading dialogue during the big rallies, and honestly the voice actors nailed the comedic timing so well that I never looked back, but has anyone else switched camps mid-series and felt like you missed something in the translation?

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the_julia•1mo ago

Rewatching the dub of an old show and noticing the script is 40% filler

Last month I finally rewatched a series I loved 3 years ago, this time in English, and I swear every other line is just someone repeating what just happened. Has anyone else gone back to a favorite and realized the translation team was padding the runtime with awkward exposition?

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tylerlane•1mo ago

Mispronounced an anime name for 3 years, my friend finally corrected me in a grocery store

I kept calling it 'JoJo's Bizarre Adventure' as 'Joe-Joe's' out loud to everyone, even my local anime club in Portland. My buddy overheard me at a Safeway checkout and laughed for a solid minute before telling me it's 'Yo-Yo's'. Ever had a moment where you realized you butchered something obvious for way too long?

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ray_patel27•1mo ago

That one guy at the con who ruined anime for me for 2 months

He cornered me at the Crunchyroll booth in Austin and spent 20 minutes explaining why my favorite show was actually garbage, using only spoilers from the manga I hadn't read, has anyone else had someone kill their enjoyment of a series just by being too aggressive about it?

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logantaylor•1mo ago

Just realized filler episodes are the real worldbuilding goldmine

I was reading a forum thread about how Naruto's filler arcs get skipped, but one poster pointed out that those episodes show daily life in Hidden Leaf that the manga never touches. So I went back and watched the curry of life arc from 2005 and now I actually get why the village feels like a community. Anyone else find good stuff in episodes everyone tells you to skip?

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victor_butler•1mo ago

Rewatched Code Geass after 5 years, finally get the Suzaku side

Went back through all 50 episodes last week during my vacation, and watching Lelouch's manipulation tactics from adult eyes made me realize Suzaku wasn't being stubborn, he was just the only one actually trying to fix things without killing thousands, so has anyone else flipped on a character after a rewatch?

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the_derek•1mo ago

Dub vs sub debate finally clicked for me after watching Cowboy Bebop both ways

I always swore by subs for authenticity but after rewatching Spike's final scene with the English cast I realized the voice direction actually fits the noir tone better, anyone else find specific shows where one version just works harder than the other?

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brookep27•1mo ago

Saw a panel at Anime Expo that changed how I watch seasonal shows

I was at Anime Expo last July and sat in on this small panel about the production side of anime. The guy on stage showed a timeline of how a typical 12-episode season gets made. I had no idea that most studios are still working on episode 10 while episode 1 is airing. It honestly explained so much about why some shows drop in quality halfway through. He also mentioned that delays usually come from the key animator stage, which is wild to think about. Has anyone else been to a production panel that totally shifted your view on a show you liked?

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king.ruby•1mo ago

Watching FMA:B at 2 AM changed how I judge fight scenes forever

I was rewatching the Ed vs Envy fight in the sewers last week and realized I'd been totally missing how every punch and alchemy move connects to character emotion, not just flashy animation. Has anyone else had a late-night rewatch totally flip your opinion on a show you thought you already knew?

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mary_wells•1mo ago

Just realized I was wrong about old anime dubs being better

For years I only watched subs because I thought 90s dubs were all terrible. But last month I gave the Cowboy Bebop English dub another shot after hearing about it on a podcast. The voice acting actually fits the characters really well, especially Steve Blum as Spike. Has anyone else had a similar change of heart after giving a specific dub a second chance?

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rowanw31•1mo ago

Just realized I've been saying 'shonen' wrong for like 5 years

I was talking about Jujutsu Kaisen with a guy at my local comic shop in Portland and he corrected me. I always pronounced it 'show-nen' but it's actually 'sho-nen' with a short o. Been watching anime since 2019 and nobody ever said anything. Anyone else find out they were butchering a basic anime term way too late?

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spencerfisher•1mo ago

Spent $150 on that Crunchyroll blind box anime figure bundle and got total junk

I figured I'd try one of those Crunchyroll mystery figure bundles they run a few times a year. Paid $150 for the premium tier and got five figures, but three of them were from shows I've never even heard of like some isekai nobody talks about. The other two were characters I sort of recognized but the paint jobs were wonky with smudged eyes and sloppy lines. Has anyone else gotten burned on these blind boxes or did I just have bad luck?

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the_spencer•1mo ago

Hot take: Cowboy Bebop is overrated and the pacing is actually pretty bad

I rewatched it last month for the first time since 2018 and I gotta say, people are WAY too nice about how slow it gets. The first 8 episodes drag hard with filler that barely moves Spike's story forward. I sat through that whole bit with the weird carnival guy in episode 6 and felt like I wasted 25 minutes. The movie and the last 3 episodes are great, but does anyone else skip most of the middle chunk on rewatches?

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lindahunt•1mo ago

Warning: That "perfect" week of anime premieres nearly burned me out for good

Last October I tried to watch 14 new shows in 6 days because everyone was hyping them up, and by Wednesday I couldn't even remember which plot went with which character. Has anyone else hit a wall trying to keep up with a stacked season and just had to take a break from the whole hobby?

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wendy978•1mo ago

Just realized most mecha anime reuse the same three explosion sound effects

Was watching Gundam and a blast sounded exactly like the one from Evangelion and Code Geass. Has anyone else noticed this, or am I just hearing things?

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the_jessica•1mo ago

I spent 3 hours looking for an anime I saw once in a 2009 forum post

I saw a screenshot of this mecha anime on an old forum thread from like 2009 and spent an entire Saturday trying to track down the title. Three hours of digging through obscure image boards and wiki pages later I finally found it was a one-off OVA from the 80s. Has anyone else wasted a whole day hunting down a show based on a single blurry image?

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fiona737•1mo ago

I tried that new dubbing service everyone's hyping on Crunchyroll

Signed up for the premium tier that promises same-day English releases for like $15 extra a month, and they added a bunch of curse words that weren't in the original Japanese script for an action series I was following. Completely changed the vibe of the characters and now I'm paranoid about every new episode dropping. Has anyone else noticed this with their releases or am I just being picky?

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