Note:
Why am I putting this up? Well, simply because I feel that many Anime fans
who subscribe to SCV/AXN TV are entitled to know why dubs are now being shown in
place of subs. Why? Why? Why did they do that!? I do not believe that
I am the only irate Anime fan in Singapore or Asia or where ever they air AXN! So
please mail me your views! or better
still, write to SCV/AXN with your feedback!
My short exchange with SCV started with some feedback I had sent to them. SCV replied, then I replied and then they replied again. And then that was that. I stopped because I didn't feel that an intelligent argument could have been sustained with SCV/AXN. SO - AXN still shows Anime dubs *gag*. If you are thinking of subscribing to SCV/AXN because of the airing of Anime, I'd advise you to save your money and rent/buy some REAL ANIME.
As a matter of interest, SCV had asked me not to put this up saying that "these are personal replies to you and [we are] reluctant to see them up on websites". No offence meant but feedback and the organisation's response to that feedback, cannot possibly or logically be personal. So here it is:
Here's my feedback to SCV:
I love your Anime on AXN! I have followed every single
Anime you've shown since Samurai X was aired in Oct 97 (did I get that right?) Anime
is the only reason why I watch AXN in the first place! I'm however sorely
disappointed by the repeated re-runs and the *shriek* airing of dubs over subs. To
retain the essence of the show - pls just stick to subs!!! It doesn't take an Anime
Fan to tell you how awful the dubs are. I'm looking fwd to your
Animation Marathon - but if it's dubbed - then I'd rather not. And the discontinuity
of Samurai X was very annoying. You stopped the show in mid-season!
When is it coming back on?!
SCV's reply (one week later):
AXN made the decision to dub the Japanese animation series in
English with Chinese subtitles as they had to appease Anime fans throughout the
whole of Asia. As only a handful of fans from Asian countries can understand
Japanese, the only way to appease the vast majority is to provide it in the
English/Mandarin feed.
We completely understand and sympathise with your frustration but
we believe that if you consider the above situation you will ultimately agree with AXN's
decision. Also the dubbing is probably a matter of getting used to. It is
of the same standard as video releases of Japanese animation titles in
Britain and the United States.
As for Samurai X, AXN is still in negotiations to acquiring the next season.
We hope you will enjoy the Animation Marathon.
Here's my earnest, rude, annoyed and not 100% correct reply
(no one rebutted me...shows you how much they know about Anime ne?)
sent out on the very day I received their reply:
Thank you for your explanation about why SCV airs subs over
dubs. However, I do not agree with AXN's decision. My views are as follows:
Like the majority of Asian audiences, I myself do not understand Japanese.
That however is not the point. In general, the quality of dubs are poor. It is
a known fact among Anime enthusiasts, that there are only a handful of Anime that have
good quality dubs. A good dub for e.g. is Ghost in a Shell, which is an Anime
classic - in case AXN/SCV execs do not know. That is the main reason why subs
are more popular than dubs even in an English-speaking country such as the USA.
Dubs tend to be of low quality - whatever standard the video release is and for
whichever country. Most dubs suffer from a whole list of unavoidable pitfalls - much
like the jackie chan dubs - for e.g. mis-representation of culture,
mis-interpretation of emotion, poor timing, poor range of expression etc.
You need only watch and compare to understand the point I am trying to make.
I'm sure that Anime fans need not be "appeased" by the airing of Anime dubs.
I have no doubt that the reason why AXN has continued with, and later stepped up,
the airing of Anime programmes is precisely because Samurai X and You're Under Arrest were
so immensely popular. These were originally aired in Japanese - although mid season Samurai
X suffered from AXN's embarrassingly inconsistent policy of airing - dub/sub/English/Mandarin/Japanese
etc. for several episodes, and the re-run of YUA, dubbed in Eng, was generally
whiny and otherwise expressionless...
Retaining the original dialogue of Anime is the best way to showcase Anime - which AXN was
doing rather well until the lapse of judgement - most probably due to the lack of
knowledge and research into this genre. In Japan, voice actors are as valuable as
the animators themselves because of the life they breathe into characters. A good
seiyuu can make a poor Anime work. Good voice actors are so talented at their craft
that their status is elevated to that of the western equivalent of a movie star. Juxtapose
this against the western practice of getting actors to become voice actors for major
animations such as the ones by Disney and Warner Bros, and you will have some sense of how
appalling the quality of dubs are.
Good Anime wins over Anime fans and non-fans alike - whether literate in Japanese or not.
It was a good formula when Samurai X first aired in Oct 97. Stick to it!
As for getting used to dubs - well - I can't say I haven't tried, although I think your
suggestion sounds unintentionally but obliquely patronising. Honestly, I used to sit
through the dubs of YUA. (I love Anime and I wanted my daily dose of it!) But
after a week of wincing at the whiny dialogue and the misplaced humour - I decided to just
go and rent/buy some Anime and skip the senseless torture.
I do not mean to be difficult or obnoxious, and this is not meant to be a personal attack
- but it would be much appreciated if AXN or SCV do its homework before making such
changes. I'm not sure if AXN has had it's execs run numbers on this - but if they
have, I'd like to suggest that they run their numbers again - and throw in someone who has
some idea abt Anime, Theater or Literature - then it will be clear that 1 and 1 is not
always 2.
AXN has, for one, lost me as a faithful viewer. I will not be tuning into the Anime
Marathon as it is obviously going to be 12 hours of torture. (I watched Samurai
Spirits last weekend and it was nauseating)
As for AXN's long drawn negotiations in attempting to acquire Samurai X since
early 1998 - I'm afraid most Anime fans have either already lost interest or have gone
ahead to rent/buy later episodes. Plus I'm quite done watching re-runs of
Ninku, Arial, Akai Hayate,3X3 eyes etc. for the umpteenth time.
BTW - with your permission - I would like to post your reply on this issue for Anime Fans
to read. I am sure Asian fans will want to know why AXN made the inexplicable
mistake of switching from subs to dubs.
Thanks!
SCV's spokesperson replied (4 days later):
I received your reply and I feel the need to clear up a few points:
1. SCV does not control the programming content of AXN. AXN packages their shows and we
receive their feed, be it English with Chinese subtitles etc. I will send your reply to
them for their feedback.
2. AXN's "inconsistency" in the subtitling and Mandarin/Japanese feed in the
past was due to technical problems. This resulted in the switching of
audio tracks and absence of subtitles. The matter was resolved as quickly as possible.
(aside: yeah..abt two weeks quick)
3. I have watched several Japanese Anime/manga shows in English dubbing. I'm comfortable
with it which was why I made that suggestion. (aside: Perhaps the appropriate
analogy here would be of people who view Anime as children's cartoons) I did not mean to
be patronising or condescending. I do apologise if you were offended.
4. I would appreciate if you did not post my earlier reply nor this one on the web. These
are personal replies to you and I am reluctant to see them up on websites.
Thanks. (Note: I've explained my opinion on this at the top of the page).
