Burek said:
What is the difference? Both are in a foreign language, and both are subtitled. It's not like anime is watched by little children that cannot read. Dora the Explorer and Teletubbies are dubbed, of course. The Simpsons and Futurama are subbed. Now you try to imagine the unique voices of Homer Simpson, Mr. Burns or Bender spoken in Italian or German, and you'll get an idea why dubbing is a horrible thing for everybody except the illiterate. You lose an integral part of art that way. |
Here is the difference.
Sticking to the "artistic" integrity viewpoint denies the reality that dubs can achieve their own equally worthy artistic merit (even if it is a different interpretation), or in some cases even improve on the original Japanese voice work. Two more examples of this, Hellsing and Neon Genesis Evangelion.
To get more technical: Dubbing becomes an economic reality if anime is to be legally available in the States or aired on American TV, and around the world. Those who doesn’t have access to anime through other means must decide for them self whether some harm to the "artistic" integrity of the original series is acceptable for the right to see it at all.
Anime is first and foremost a commercial product.
If you want to compare dub live action tv shows. The Young and The Restless, and The Bold and the Beautiful. I don't watch those shows but they've been on tv for more than a decade so they must be doing something right.
